Chapter 620: Turning the Tide

After the heavy snow, the sky cleared. Heaven and earth were wrapped in silver-white.

Inside the pavilion by the stove, Shao Pingbo finished reading one copied intelligence report after another and pushed a stack of secret documents across the table.

Blackwater Terrace personnel took away the highly confidential letters. Those were burned after reading. Less sensitive reports were left alone and stacked to one side of the table so Shao Pingbo could consult them whenever needed.

Only after the Blackwater Terrace men had burned everything that needed destroying and departed did Shao Sansheng offer hot tea to the pensive Shao Pingbo. He ventured, “Is the situation truly that serious this time?”

Shao Pingbo seemed to speak to himself. “The upheaval in Cangzhou has shaken all beneath Heaven. It is a great change capable of reshaping the balance of the entire realm. Nanzhou’s attack on Dingzhou cannot compare.”

“Nanzhou attacking Dingzhou was an internal affair of Yan, a struggle over interests within the state. Niu Youdao still needs to borrow Yan’s overall power for his own purposes. Anyone with clear eyes knew he would not allow that matter to become too large.”

“Cangzhou is different. This is genuine collusion between forces within and without. It is genuine rebellion. Anyone with clear eyes likewise knows that behind it stand the shadows of Han and Song.”

Shao Sansheng said, “Taishu Xiong...”

Shao Pingbo’s head snapped up, his gaze shooting toward him.

“Uh...” Shao Sansheng hurriedly corrected himself. “His Majesty. Has His Majesty not already sent people to pressure the two states?”

Shao Pingbo looked down at the silver-fox cloak around his shoulders and raised a hand to stroke it. “It is hardly only His Majesty. According to Blackwater Terrace’s intelligence, Qi and Wei are also pressuring Han and Song. At present, none of the Western Three States wants to see any one of the Four Eastern States grow dominant.”

“But their whip cannot reach that far. Han and Song will not listen. Qi has even threatened to cut off its supply of warhorses, yet that is unlikely to shake either state. Han and Song know perfectly well that severing the supply now does not matter. Between states, today’s attitude is forever different from tomorrow’s. So long as the two states succeed, Qi will ultimately have no choice but to accept reality.”

Shao Sansheng asked, “Zhao occupies the crucial central position. What is Zhao’s attitude?”

“Yan is riddled with internal disorder. How similar is its condition to Qin before its destruction?” Shao Pingbo said. “This is the first heaven-sent opportunity of its kind since Qin fell. There is a feast laid out before them, and no one wishes to miss it.”

“Hai Wuji is no fool. He wants a share as well. He is only being restrained by pressure from the Western Three States, so his present position keeps wavering. All six other states want something from him. Naturally Hai Wuji will seize the chance to extract every benefit he can. First he takes what he can get. When the time comes, whether Zhao sends troops or intervenes in some other way will still be his decision.”

Shao Sansheng asked with deep worry, “If Yan cannot hold, won’t the Master in Beizhou be in danger?”

The concern did not come from nowhere. Given the Shao clan’s repeated reversals of allegiance, if Han gained the upper hand it would never spare Shao Dengyun.

“I was just about to speak to you about this. His Majesty has already anticipated the danger and will send people to receive him.” Shao Pingbo braced both hands on the table and rose. He walked out from behind it and paced as he spoke.

“The problem is that Father must cooperate. Otherwise, it will be difficult to take him away by force. But Father will never lightly abandon the brothers serving beneath him. We cannot tell him the truth directly, or he will certainly refuse.”

“So you must find a way to contact the old steward Yang Shuang. Tell him only that this is to leave Father a road of retreat. Ask him to think of Father’s safety. That should be enough to move him. Have him secretly prepare to coordinate with the people sent to receive them. If the situation turns bad, they are to act from within and without and bring Father safely to Jin immediately.”

Shao Sansheng nodded repeatedly. “Good. This old servant will arrange it as quickly as possible.”

Shao Pingbo walked to the railing and stopped with his hands behind his back. A cold laugh escaped him. “This time, Niu Youdao is in serious trouble!”

...

At Maolu Villa, Niu Youdao stood high atop a pavilion, gazing into the distance.

He had often stood like this over the past few days. Everyone in the villa could feel the influence of the violent changes sweeping Yan.

Gongsun Bu felt it particularly strongly. Niu Youdao had ordered him to intensify intelligence gathering in Han and Song.

The wind was stronger up high. Guan Fangyi climbed the pavilion stairs, her skirts fluttering in the gusts. She walked to Niu Youdao’s side, where he stood leaning on his sword, and reminded him, “See that pavilion over there? Someone has been watching you for quite a while. Seeing you like this is making her very uneasy.”

Niu Youdao knew whom she meant. He said with a trace of melancholy, “The mountain rain is coming; wind fills the tower. Black clouds bear down on the city, as though to crush its walls. Maolu Villa is like a lone skiff, no more than a leaf, amid raging waves.”

Guan Fangyi could feel the pressure in his words. “It isn’t only her. Master Dao, you’re the pillar everyone here relies on. If even you look like this, everyone will feel uneasy. Pull yourself together. I believe in you. There has never been a road ahead that you couldn’t get through.”

Niu Youdao shook his head. “I’m no sage. I can manage some opportunistic tricks, but once the board becomes this large, I have no experience. I don’t have enough confidence to judge how things will unfold.”

“Hongniang, to tell you the truth, I’m watching the situation and preparing responses. I’ve already begun thinking about where we should relocate if Yan cannot hold. But there is no way I can take every person in Nanzhou with me.”

Guan Fangyi fell silent.

She finally understood the enormous pressure he was carrying. Before the momentum of the entire realm, Nanzhou was actually fragile. No matter how well Nanzhou could fight, it could not withstand the Yan court if that court truly devoted all its strength to destroying it. If Nanzhou could not even withstand a Yan court beset by troubles within and enemies without, how could it withstand powerful foreign armies once they broke into Yan’s interior?

If matters truly reached that point, he would have to abandon everything he had painstakingly built in Nanzhou.

It would also mean abandoning some people.

She understood what that meant. Once certain choices were made, he would have no explanation to give the people he abandoned, and perhaps no way to face his own conscience either.

It was an exceedingly difficult decision.

The two stood in silence under the wind until someone came up the stairs.

It was Yuan Gang. Seeing Guan Fangyi present, he stopped at the top of the staircase and did not approach.

Guan Fangyi turned her head. Her face immediately darkened.

She could tell Yuan Gang had some confidential matter that he did not want to discuss in front of her.

That was the thing she disliked most about him. Unfortunately, after what had happened with Uncle Chen, she no longer felt she had much ground to argue on certain matters.

Sensing something off, Niu Youdao turned as well. Seeing Guan Fangyi rolling her eyes, pursing her lips, and snorting under her breath, he could not help laughing. He took one hand off his sword and beckoned Yuan Gang over.

Only then did Yuan Gang approach, handing him two secret letters at the same time.

Niu Youdao swept his gaze over the first letter and casually said, “No reply.” Then he handed it to Guan Fangyi.

Guan Fangyi shot Yuan Gang a cold sidelong glance, as though saying, See? It still ended up in my hands.

She lowered her eyes to the contents and immediately understood what Niu Youdao meant by “no reply.”

It was another letter from Tang Yi, delivered through Yuan Gang’s channel of contact with Wei. She was acting as an intermediary on Wei’s behalf, trying to persuade Niu Youdao to defect to the State of Wei.

This was no longer the first such letter Tang Yi had sent. Niu Youdao never replied to any of them. He refused to give even the slightest response.

Yuan Gang remained unmoved by Guan Fangyi’s contempt.

The second letter, however, came from someone of considerable standing: Gao Jiancheng, Grand Minister of the Masses at the Yan court.

Niu Youdao had been closely following the situation lately and had contacted Gao Jiancheng on his own initiative.

The gist of the letter was as follows.

The matter now concerned the foundation of the state. The court would not withdraw any of the great armies assembled on the borders. It would not give Han and Song an easy opening into Yan.

For now, troops from the prefectures and provinces around Cangzhou were using constant harassment to delay the rebel army.

The imperial court had successfully forced the three major sects to act. The three sects, in turn, had forced several regional lords with independent armies to mobilize troops toward Cangzhou and suppress the rebellion.

Those regional lords had agreed to send troops, but none was willing to exhaust his own resources. They provided manpower while refusing to bear the full burden of funds and grain, forcing the imperial court in turn to supply military funds and provisions.

The imperial court had no choice but to agree. Without supplies, those regional armies could stop marching at any moment on the excuse that their men had nothing to eat and could go no farther.

At present, Grand Minister of Works Tong Mo had taken full responsibility for raising military resources.

There was already nothing left to squeeze from the common people.

Once Tong Mo gave the order, however, the effect was extraordinary. Wealthy households on good terms with him provided substantial support, his own people taking the lead and setting the example. After that, Tong Mo showed no mercy toward anyone who refused to cooperate.

He moved against great clans and wealthy households. Those who had committed crimes were prosecuted according to law. Those who had committed none were simply framed.

More than a dozen households were confiscated and exterminated. Many people were killed, including officials.

Shang Jianxiong turned a blind eye.

Tong Mo’s methods intimidated many others. At last, large numbers of wealthy households began generously contributing. In only ten days, more than one hundred million gold coins’ worth of wealth had been raised, and Tong Mo accomplished it without allowing the broader situation to spin out of control.

Shang Jianxiong was overjoyed.

Afterward, on Tong Mo’s advice, the full sum was not given to the regional armies coming to reinforce the front.

They could not feed those forces until they were completely satisfied. There was always the danger that the regional lords might take the money and then fail to act.

Only roughly ten million gold coins’ worth of funds and materials was released for immediate needs, sent forward in batches to keep pressure on the regional armies and ensure their march did not stop.

The remaining ninety million gold coins’ worth was secretly concealed by the imperial court and retained as an emergency reserve.

This was a supreme secret of the court.

Among the senior officials in Yanjing, only the three men who ranked among the Three Excellencies knew of it: Grand Minister of Works Tong Mo, Grand Marshal Shang Yongzhong, and Grand Minister of the Masses Gao Jiancheng.

What was even more remarkable was that Tong Mo believed Yan could not continue exhausting itself like this on its own. He seized the opportunity to drag the Western Three States into the affair.

He somehow persuaded Jin to lend Yan large quantities of weapons, Wei to lend large quantities of grain, and Qi to lend one hundred thousand warhorses.

Yan had no money to pay for any of it at present, so all of it was called a loan, supposedly to be repaid gradually in the future.

The Western Three States were already gathering those supplies urgently and would send them to Yan in batches, helping Yan frustrate the designs of Han and Song.

Tong Mo had used the crisis to obtain for Yan a vast infusion of national resources that would soon arrive. He had turned a bad situation into an advantage.

Tong Mo called all of it borrowing.

In truth, he had never intended to repay any of it.

Shang Jianxiong was delighted and praised him as a seasoned minister who knew how to plan for the state, a pillar of the nation. Tong Mo’s position at court became more secure than ever.

At the end of the letter, Gao Jiancheng added one more point.

With the war situation so urgent, Grand Marshal Shang Yongzhong should properly have gone to the front himself. Shang Yongzhong, however, feared that if the campaign went badly he would be held responsible and lose his position. He found excuses to remain in the capital.

Shang Jianxiong also had doubts about Shang Yongzhong’s ability and therefore did not force him to go.

In the end, no matter how many resources Tong Mo managed to obtain, the true key still lay in victory or defeat on the battlefield.

If Yan lost, then however many supplies it possessed would merely become someone else’s spoils.

Gao Jiancheng warned Niu Youdao to be careful.

Tong Mo had proposed that, if the war turned unfavorable, the three major sects should be made to force Nanzhou’s army into suppressing the rebels.

Tong Mo’s calculation was vicious.

Once Nanzhou’s forces left their own base and their own territory, even if they won the battle, they might find it very difficult to return.

Weakening Nanzhou’s strength was only one objective.

Once the army was away from the resources of its own territory, Tong Mo could cut off its provisions at any time.

An army without food or supplies would never make it back to Nanzhou.

After reading the letter, Niu Youdao sighed inwardly.

Whatever one thought of Tong Mo’s ruthlessness and scheming, a man who had occupied such a high position for so many years was indeed no ordinary figure. At a critical moment, he truly possessed the ability to turn the tide and keep Yan’s battered old boat moving through the water for a while longer.

Before this, Niu Youdao had heard almost nothing but the man’s bad reputation.

[End of Chapter 620]