Chapter 628: A War of Words with the Ministers

Another piece of news likewise reached Niu Youdao.

When it arrived, he was sitting beside the lake with a bamboo fishing rod in hand.

Given his cultivation, he could have reached directly into the lake and pulled out a fish. There was no need for him to sit there waiting with a line.

Catching fish was not the point.

Fishing was a pastime, but it was also a way for him to put his thoughts in order and think through problems.

Yuan Gang walked over and slipped a sheet of paper into Niu Youdao’s hand. Then he slowly sat cross-legged beside him and began idly plucking at the grass.

Niu Youdao unfolded the paper and swept his eyes over the contents. As though talking to himself, he murmured, “Roaming the hills and waters... preserving strength... the survival of Great Yan is not what he cares about...”

What he was reading was Shang Chaozong’s disrespectful complaint about him.

Almost every word Shang Chaozong had spoken had been delivered into his hands.

The situation had developed step by step into what it was today. Did anyone truly think Niu Youdao could hide away among the hills and wilderness and completely ignore what happened in the provincial capital?

There was no chance he could simply wash his hands of it.

He could refrain from interfering with Shang Chaozong’s side, but he could not allow the situation in Nanzhou to slip out of control. Some means of supervision were unavoidable.

Just as Baili Jie had reached Gongsun Bu, with Niu Youdao’s present influence in Nanzhou, influencing a few people around Shang Chaozong was far too easy.

Why had his reply to Shang Chaozong been so merciless?

Because he had already known Shang Chaozong was losing patience. He had also known what Shang Chaozong wanted to discuss if they met.

Niu Youdao’s mind was already made up. Nanzhou could not send troops now. There was nothing to discuss.

He had thrown down harsh words precisely to pour cold water over Shang Chaozong and wake him up before his head grew too hot.

As he murmured the report aloud, a faint amused curve appeared at the corner of Niu Youdao’s mouth.

He glanced back at Yuan Gang and found Yuan Gang’s expression heavy.

Niu Youdao tossed the sheet onto Yuan Gang’s crossed legs, turned his gaze back toward the lake, and resumed fishing.

“Do you still think what I’m doing is inappropriate?”

Yuan Gang slowly rolled up the paper. “Are you trying to tell me that you can know a man’s face without knowing his heart? That I misjudged him?”

“It isn’t that serious. He was only venting.”

Niu Youdao said, “I don’t think it’s very serious either. No one wants to be a puppet with strings in someone else’s hands. Everyone has emotions. Complaining a little is normal.”

“No matter what he says, it doesn’t really matter to me. What I want is the process and the result. A little noise changes nothing.”

“What I care about is what you think.”

“Monkey, I only want you to understand that he is different from the two of us. He is a man who wants to rule as a prince and dominate as a hegemon, a man who wants to govern all beneath Heaven.”

“No matter what kind of person he was at the beginning, if he reaches the end of that road, he will slowly change. Don’t be so wishful about him.”

Yuan Gang replied, “I can understand how he feels. If it were me, I wouldn’t sit by and watch my own country be invaded and swallowed by foreign enemies either. I would rise and resist. I’d be even more forceful than he is.”

Niu Youdao said, “Others don’t know, but you know what Gao Jiancheng told me. Shang Chaozong doesn’t need to volunteer.”

“If the war goes badly, the imperial court itself will send Nanzhou’s forces into battle. If the war goes well and the court suppresses the rebels smoothly, then we can sit here without moving.”

“Sooner or later we’ll know which way it goes. What is there to be impatient about?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to prepare more thoroughly and keep the choice of advancing or retreating in our own hands?”

Yuan Gang said, “Shouldn’t we tell the Prince what Gao Jiancheng reported? Keeping him completely in the dark makes misunderstandings more likely.”

“There is no way around the misunderstanding.” Niu Youdao’s voice was calm. “Gao Jiancheng’s affair absolutely cannot become known to anyone else.”

“Even within the imperial court, only a handful of people know that supreme secret. Gao Shaoming was captured earlier. If secret information starts leaking afterward, the men at court are not fools. It would endanger Gao Jiancheng.”

“For us, the value of one Gao Jiancheng is worth a million soldiers. We absolutely cannot afford to lose him.”

“If the Prince misunderstands, let him misunderstand. Treat it as his part in helping us put on the show.”

Yuan Gang said nothing.

Niu Youdao reeled in his line. When the hook reached his hand, he discovered the bait had already been eaten away.

He baited the hook again and flicked the line back into the water.

“Shang Chaozong I don’t want to see for now, but Meng Shanming is another matter.”

“I don’t understand warfare. Before I decide what to do about this campaign, I want to hear his opinion.”

“Have Hongniang go personally and bring Meng Shanming here.”

Yuan Gang nodded. After rising, he added, “I’ve found a trace of something around Shunfeng Hall. I’ve already sent people to follow it. I don’t know whether it will lead anywhere.”

Niu Youdao turned his head. “What did you find?”

“Quite a few Goldenwings come and go from Shunfeng Hall, but the birds flying in one particular direction show a kind of pattern hidden inside apparent disorder.”

“Over a short span it looks irregular. Stretch the observation period out, and the pattern appears. No matter how the departure times change, at least one bird will be sent in that direction within every three-day period.”

Niu Youdao’s expression turned grave. “Tell the people following it to be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve arranged it.”

...

In the imperial palace at Yanjing, Long Xiu, Gong Lince, and Meng Xuan, Sect Leaders of the three major sects, gathered in an upper pavilion and drank tea together.

A disciple of Lingjian Mountain came upstairs and presented a secret message.

After Meng Xuan read it, he said to the other two, “News from the Wei grain convoy. They were attacked again. Several hundred more cultivators were lost, and five grain ships were damaged badly enough to sink into the sea.”

Long Xiu said mildly, “This has gone somewhat beyond our expectations. With all this fighting, the cultivators of Han and Song and those of Jin, Wei, and Qi really have lost quite a few people.”

“By contrast, the people of our three sects have been participating in the great armies’ standoff and have suffered almost no losses.”

Gong Lince said, “It is rather unexpected. Still, this is exactly the time to weaken the strength of those sects. If it continues like this, I’m almost beginning to hope the war doesn’t end too quickly.”

The three men looked at one another, each with a different expression.

None said another word.

They merely drank their tea.

...

Inside a great hall of the Zhao imperial palace, voices rang with passion as a gold-armored old general debated the assembled ministers.

Minister Fan Xiu cupped his hands toward Hai Wuji on the throne. “Your Majesty, send troops! We must put pressure on Han as quickly as possible and force it to withdraw.”

“If Yan collapses and Han and Song devour it and grow fat, my Zhao will be trapped between the eastern and western powers. Sooner or later, we will face annihilation!”

Bang!

The gold-armored old general slapped the table and rose. He pointed at Fan Xiu and shouted, “Old thief Fan Xiu, how much benefit did Yan give you to make you speak on its behalf?”

“You would bury this heaven-sent opportunity for Zhao to rise. Such intentions deserve execution. You should be beheaded!”

Fan Xiu stood, his face flushed red with anger. “Pang Teng is spouting slander and publicly maligning a minister of the court. I ask Your Majesty to punish him!”

Hai Wuji immediately raised a hand, signaling Fan Xiu to sit. Then he pressed his hand downward toward the gold-armored old general as well.

“Old General Pang, debate the matter itself. Do not speak recklessly.”

The gold-armored old general snorted at Fan Xiu and sat down.

This man was Pang Teng, Grand Commander-in-Chief of Zhao, holding overall authority over Zhao’s armed forces. His office was equivalent in rank and authority to the Grand Marshal of Yan.

The Pang clan was a house of loyal martyrs. Across two generations, including Pang Teng himself, three members of father and sons had held the office of Zhao’s Grand Commander-in-Chief. That alone showed the depth of Zhao’s favor toward the Pang family.

Unfortunately, the Pang family’s fortunes in war seemed rather poor.

When Pang Teng’s father served as Grand Commander-in-Chief of Zhao, he fought Qi and died at the hands of Huyan Wuhen, now Supreme General of Qi. Even his body was never recovered.

After Pang Teng’s elder brother succeeded to the office, he fought Yan and was driven into a dead end by Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo.

Refusing to be captured in that hopeless position, he drew his sword and cut his own throat. It was only through the personal intervention of the present Empress Dowager Shang Youlan that his remains were later recovered from Yan.

Pang Teng had come today knowing there would be a war of words. He had deliberately put on full battle armor.

In truth, Hai Wuji himself had summoned him.

The court had been arguing endlessly in recent days, and Hai Wuji had grown tired of listening to it. He had called Pang Teng in specifically to debate them.

Among the seven states, there were two Grand Commanders-in-Chief who held overall command of their states’ military power: gold-armored Pang Teng of Zhao, and silver-armored Luo Zhao of Song.

Pang Teng was already past sixty, an old man approaching the twilight of his years. Before that twilight came, he wanted to repay the immense grace Zhao had shown the Pang family.

Luo Zhao had joined the army at fourteen.

At eighteen, he led troops into battle against Yan’s Yingyang and Wulie Guards and withdrew intact, becoming famous beneath Heaven.

The Emperor of Song took him as an adopted son and bestowed silver armor and battle robes upon him. At twenty-three, Luo Zhao was promoted to Grand Commander-in-Chief of Song.

Now he was only thirty-three.

He possessed both civil and martial talent, was handsome besides, and had married a peerless beauty. He truly stood in the full splendor of his generation, carrying himself as though among all the heroes beneath Heaven there could be no one but him.

Another minister standing with Fan Xiu spoke. “Grand Commander-in-Chief, Minister Fan is also thinking only of the state. If Han and Song grow dominant, Zhao will be in mortal danger!”

Pang Teng glared coldly at him. “Grow dominant? With the situation as it stands, every state has been drawn in. Han and Song will not find it so easy to grow dominant. All of you are worrying too much.”

“At present, Zhao can simply sit here and wait for grain, fodder, and warhorses to be delivered to our door. Where else beneath Heaven could we find such a good thing? How could we let the chance pass?”

“The military supplies delivered to us can be stockpiled nearby. Then we wait for Han, Song, and Yan to exhaust one another.”

“When all three are weakened beyond endurance, Zhao can sweep across them at the proper moment. Taking all three states would be as easy as reaching into a pouch for an object.”

“How could we possibly waste such an opportunity?”

The minister asked, “Will Qi and Wei simply sit and watch? If they attack our rear the moment we send troops, what then?”

Pang Teng replied, “Jin is watching them like a tiger. Qi and Wei will never dare empty their states and march out in full strength.”

“At most, they will send a small joint force to pressure us. We can dispatch one unit to entangle them, harass them, and delay them as long as possible.”

“The greater plan can still succeed!”

Fan Xiu said heavily, “Grand Commander-in-Chief, how can everything possibly go as beautifully as you imagine? What if something changes?”

“Your Majesty, this old minister still says the same thing: the present situation must not be changed lightly. If we move rashly, we may fall into a calamity from which there is no return!”

“A pack of rotten wood!” Pang Teng stood again. “Spouting nonsense, understanding nothing of war, and impossible to enlighten.”

He cupped his hands toward Hai Wuji. “Your Majesty need not heed these sour pedants. No matter what happens, we must not send troops now. We should only watch.”

“Whether we later pressure Han or ultimately march out and sweep the field, the initiative remains in our hands.”

“Even if circumstances later make the campaign impossible, simply watching the Eastern Three States exhaust themselves until they cry out in misery is still a fine thing for Zhao.”

Hai Wuji gave an approving sound and addressed the ministers. “Old General Pang’s plan is excellent!”

...

Inside a great hall of the Jin imperial palace, braziers for warmth stood everywhere.

Everyone seated there was one of the core ministers. Anyone below the necessary rank was not qualified to touch secrets of this level.

Plans could never keep pace with changes. Many things had to shift with the situation.

Shao Pingbo too was engaged in a war of words with the assembled ministers.

Jin might be poor, but its spirit was anything but poor. Its people were fierce by nature, and the fact that Zhao was taking thirty percent of all supplies passing through toward Yan had left the court deeply resentful.

What angered them even more was that Jin itself was swallowing its pride and bowing its head to Zhao like this.

The ministers had argued until the hall was in an uproar.

“That which is too hard will break. Blind hardness is no virtue. Hard and soft must temper one another.”

Draped in his silver-fox cloak, Shao Pingbo paced between the seated ministers, speaking with calm assurance.

“The Pang family of Zhao has suffered humiliation across two generations. Pang Teng has a fierce disposition and has long wanted to wash away that shame.”

“Hai Wuji’s ambition is like dry kindling. If the chance appears, Pang Teng will certainly fan it into flame, and once it catches, it will rage beyond control.”

“The thirty percent of supplies we are giving Zhao is not a piece of fat meat. It is a dose of gut-rending poison.”

“We are deliberately letting Zhao accumulate vast quantities of supplies so that its courage will grow and it will be spurred into action.”

“For now, Zhao will certainly sit back and watch the Eastern Three States consume one another.”

“When the time comes, Hai Wuji will inevitably send troops to sweep through them.”

“Qi and Wei will fear Zhao growing too powerful, yet because they are also wary of Jin, they will dare send only a small force eastward to apply pressure.”

“That will never be enough to extinguish Zhao’s ambition to seize a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.”

“We can continue to sit and watch, and let the exhaustion of three states become the exhaustion of four.”

“Once Zhao visibly threatens to grow dominant, Qi and Wei will no longer be able to endure it. They will come to Jin of their own accord to seek negotiations.”

“Then Jin can seize the opportunity to form an eastward expeditionary alliance with Qi and Wei.”

“By that point, all four states will already be exhausted and weakened. Qi and Wei will certainly agree to partition the four states together with us.”

“In that way, the situation in which Qi and Wei have blocked Jin for so many years can finally be broken.”

“With broad territory, a large population, and new resources in hand, Jin will be able to accumulate strength.”

“After that, dealing with Qi and Wei will be no difficult matter...”

Shao Pingbo moved back and forth among the ministers, speaking without pause, his brilliance almost dazzling.

Seated high above them at the head of the hall, Taishu Xiong occasionally swept his gaze across the assembled ministers.

Seeing thoughtful expressions appearing on face after face, he could not help smiling faintly.

[End of Chapter 628]