Chapter 630: Favors and Grudges

Niu Youdao froze for a moment. Once he understood what Meng Shanming meant, his eyes lit up. He surged to his feet and clapped his hands in praise.

"Excellent! With Marshal Meng here, why should we fear the rebels cannot be destroyed?"

The admiration on his face was entirely sincere.

The war giving everyone up and down Yan such headaches amounted to no great difficulty at all in the eyes of this old marshal. It was truly brilliant.

Niu Youdao knew nothing about commanding armies, especially a war this tangled and chaotic. He did not dare issue reckless orders, nor did he dare indulge in wild speculation of his own.

Caught up in the confusion of all the various powers involved, the thought had never even occurred to him.

That was precisely why he had invited Meng Shanming here to ask for guidance. Only after asking did he learn what it meant to meet an expert who could part the clouds and reveal the sun. How could he not be delighted?

Meng Shanming, however, waved a hand. "It sounds simple, but doing it is not easy. The moment Nanzhou's army leaves Nanzhou, the imperial court will probably obstruct us at every turn. They will not lightly allow Nanzhou's army to return. It is even possible they will seize the opportunity to destroy our army outright."

Gao Jiancheng had already mentioned this very danger. Niu Youdao knew it perfectly well and nodded.

Meng Shanming continued, "But even that is not the hardest part. The hardest part is four words: proper name, proper authority."

"What right does Nanzhou have to draw up a battle plan and order the regional lords to carry it out? What right does Nanzhou have to command those lords?"

"To presume to issue orders and direct the armies beneath Heaven is rebellion. The imperial court would be the first to refuse!"

Niu Youdao asked, "Marshal Meng means we need the imperial court to grant us supreme authority to command the armies?"

Meng Shanming nodded. "The man who holds that authority is the Grand Marshal!"

"Prince Ning once served as Grand Marshal of Yan. Now the office is held by Shang Yongzhong, a member of the imperial clan. Shang Yongzhong merely echoes whatever His Majesty says, so he can be ignored."

"But would His Majesty agree?"

"The moment the Prince is given authority to command all the armies beneath Heaven, if he then uses it to pacify a rebellion the imperial court itself was helpless to suppress, the hearts of the people will turn toward him. His prestige would probably be enough to make His Majesty shiver in fear!"

"So that's how it is." Niu Youdao slowly nodded. Only then did he understand the obstacle.

It seemed he had celebrated too soon. No wonder Meng Shanming had said pacifying the rebellion was both easy and difficult.

He asked again, "Does Marshal Meng have any way to make the imperial court hand over that authority? If you have a method, say it. I'll find a way to arrange the rest."

Meng Shanming shook his head. "His Majesty finally managed to take that authority out of Prince Ning's hands. How could he willingly hand it out again, especially to the Prince?"

"I have thought about this for a long time and still have no solution. Master Dao is asking the wrong man."

"I understand a little about fighting wars. Struggles within the imperial court are not my strength."

"What a pity Luo Shaofu died so early. Luo Shaofu excelled at precisely this kind of thing."

"Back then, Prince Ning missed the imperial throne yet was still able to command armies across Great Yan. That did not rely on martial men like us. It was all Luo Shaofu's doing."

"That fellow held the court in check within and the other states in check without. One could almost say he single-handedly lifted a weak Great Yan into the prosperity that followed."

"If he were still alive, things would be much easier."

"The events of those years remain a mystery to me even now. With Luo Shaofu's ability and methods, how could he so easily fall into danger together with the Prince?"

"When I withdrew from public life back then, it was actually Luo Shaofu who privately advised me to do so. Thinking back now, could he have realized something in advance and been trying to preserve me?"

Niu Youdao knew nothing at all about what Meng Shanming was describing, and for the moment he had no interest in pursuing it.

He asked instead, "What if the three major sects force Shang Jianxiong to hand over the authority?"

Meng Shanming still shook his head. "Difficult. Things are not what they were in the past. The several million troops confronting Han and Song all belong to His Majesty's faction."

"The three major sects probably would not dare drive a cornered dog into leaping the wall. Once that happened and chaos erupted, we would no longer be dealing with a single Cangzhou rebellion."

Put that way, even Niu Youdao found the matter troublesome.

He sighed. "If Yan's internal rebellion is not pacified, sooner or later it will spill over onto my Nanzhou. Wu Gongling, Wu Gongling... with this one upheaval, he has thrown all of Yan into chaos and left everyone frightened and unsettled."

Meng Shanming said, "I saw the rebellious bone in that man long ago and kept suppressing him. If Prince Ning had not stopped me back then, I would have eliminated him long ago."

"His elder brother Wu Gongshan was almost certainly killed by him."

"Oh?" Niu Youdao's curiosity was aroused. "Did Marshal Meng have some grudge with him in those days?"

"It was hardly a grudge."

"Back then, his elder brother Wu Gongshan was only a Hundred-Man Commander. Desperate to make his mark, he risked execution by stepping out from the army on his own initiative. He went to Prince Ning, led his horse, held his stirrup, knelt to serve as a mounting block, and volunteered for battle."

"Prince Ning was moved and assigned him one thousand elite troops."

"Wu Gongshan led from the front and fought with his life on the line. He captured a dangerous position and opened a pass for Prince Ning's army at the risk of his own life."

"That one battle made Wu Gongshan's name and brought him to Prince Ning's attention. Prince Ning favored him and promoted him again and again. That was the beginning of everything he later became."

Niu Youdao found this strange. "What does that have to do with Wu Gongling?"

"That battle was a fight for life itself. Wu Gongshan was wounded."

"Afterward, I went personally to visit him. Outside the tent, I overheard the brothers arguing. Wu Gongling was venting his dissatisfaction at his elder brother. He said something like, 'How can a man of seven chi kneel on the ground and serve as another man's mounting block?'"

"His words showed considerable disrespect toward the Prince."

"I knew then that if a man like him could not have his ambitions satisfied in the future, he would rebel."

"I lifted the tent flap and went inside. One brother was lying wounded on the bed, the other standing beside him. The moment they saw me enter, cold sweat broke out across both their foreheads."

Niu Youdao could imagine the scene.

Inside an army camp, a single word from Meng Shanming would have been enough to leave both brothers without a burial place.

He smiled and asked, "Marshal Meng has always been decisive in killing. Why did you let him go? If you'd killed him then, wouldn't today's trouble have been avoided?"

"You think I wanted to let him go?" Meng Shanming replied.

"I had already drawn my sword a foot from its sheath when Prince Ning happened to arrive in person. He had been worrying about Wu Gongshan's injuries and came to visit him. The Prince stopped me."

"After that, Wu Gongshan risked his life for merit in every battle, and Wu Gongling was no less fierce. Whenever Prince Ning promoted the two brothers, I always obstructed one of them."

Niu Youdao smiled. "You suppressed Wu Gongling?"

Meng Shanming nodded. "I gave him only deputy posts. I never gave him an opportunity to hold independent command over a region's troops."

"Before I retired, I warned Luo Shaofu again and again that this man must never be given such an opportunity."

"No wonder," Niu Youdao said. "Marshal Meng kept him bottled up for all those years."

Meng Shanming shook his head. "Once a man like that holds military power, the consequences are impossible to imagine. How could I indulge him?"

"If not for his military merits and my fear of shaking the army's morale, I would have killed him long ago."

"Thinking back now, I was still too softhearted. Not only did I harm Wu Gongshan, I also left Great Yan with a hidden disaster like this."

Niu Youdao could only sigh as he listened.

The favors and grudges of this world truly could not be cut apart or untangled.

The two men spoke for a long time before finally coming outside.

Shang Shuqing had been waiting the entire time. Yuan Gang had appeared as well.

Beneath the eaves, Meng Shanming sat in his wheelchair. When he saw Yuan Gang, he gave a regretful sigh.

"Bold yet meticulous, unafraid in crisis, quick-minded, calm, and extraordinarily brave. He can read and write, and he understands loyalty and righteousness. He possesses every quality an outstanding general should have."

"He is truly a rare military talent. Give him some instruction and experience, and he will inevitably shine brilliantly, winning fame beneath Heaven."

"Master Dao, don't you think hiding him away in this villa wastes his talent? Why not let him leave with me?"

Niu Youdao refused. "What use is fame beneath Heaven? To me, nothing matters more than his staying alive and well."

Leaning on his sword, he walked down the steps.

Meng Shanming gave a soft sigh.

Shang Shuqing did not know what Niu Youdao had specifically invited Meng Shanming here to discuss. Seeing them emerge, she went forward and spoke warmly with the old marshal.

Yuan Gang, meanwhile, drew Niu Youdao aside and lowered his voice. "Lei Zongkang and Wu Sanliang are back."

Niu Youdao immediately knew they had found the answer. Otherwise the men sent to investigate would not have withdrawn so suddenly.

"What did they find?"

"They should have gone to Misty Pavilion."

Niu Youdao frowned. "What do you mean, 'should have'? Did they confirm it or not?"

"I can't speak for anywhere else, but what other power would dare exist in that region? They didn't follow the bird all the way in..." Yuan Gang gave him a rough account of the pursuit.

Niu Youdao fell silent.

At last he said slowly, "It seems we had the misfortune of guessing correctly. He really is one of Misty Pavilion's people..."

He thought for a long time before lowering his voice. "Warn everyone involved not to breathe a word of this. Don't move against Baili Jie or Gongsun Bu. Act as though nothing happened."

Yuan Gang asked, "Can we really feel at ease with someone like that beside us?"

"We can't, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"If we remove Gongsun Bu, the other side will simply plant a second Gongsun Bu. Can we guarantee we'll discover every replacement in time?"

"Someone we know about is better than someone we don't."

"The good thing is that Misty Pavilion has always watched the world coldly from the sidelines. So long as their interests are not touched, they do not lightly interfere."

"You need to know in your own mind how to guard against them, what can be allowed to reach their ears, and what must never reach them."

Yuan Gang nodded.

Niu Youdao said, "I'm going to the capital personally. I'll take Hongniang with me. Keep watch over the house."

Yuan Gang was startled. "Master Dao, the capital is a dragon's pool and tiger's den. Shang Jianxiong won't let you go. We should be avoiding him, not walking straight into his hands."

Niu Youdao waved a hand. "It isn't as exaggerated as you think. No one knows I'm going. I'll go quietly and return quietly. Nothing will happen."

Yuan Gang still objected. "Master Dao, I don't agree. It's too dangerous."

Niu Youdao shook his head. "When the nest is overturned, no egg remains whole."

"The situation is chaotic, and the board is too large. In many matters our perspective is still too narrow, and we lack the experience to move recklessly. I keep hesitating because I don't have enough certainty."

"I have to go to the capital personally and seek advice from someone truly skilled. Until I understand the situation clearly in my own mind, I really don't dare make decisions lightly."

"This trip is necessary."

Yuan Gang tested him with a question. "Gao Jiancheng?"

Niu Youdao nodded, silently confirming it.

Afterward, Niu Youdao found Guan Fangyi and invited her to travel with him while they escorted Meng Shanming back to the prefectural capital.

Guan Fangyi was displeased at having to run back and forth yet again. "What are you doing? Does escorting him really require both of us?"

She complained, but since Niu Youdao was going, in the end she had no choice but to follow.

She sensed something odd about the arrangement as well and wanted to see what Niu Youdao was up to.

Once again, three large flying mounts rose into the sky.

Yuan Gang watched them leave, worried, yet also relieved.

Now that Baili Jie's background had been uncovered, at least there was no longer any need to kidnap Sha Huanli or Xue Luo'er.

Otherwise, Yuan Gang could already imagine how ugly the next step would have been.

Baili Jie could not be killed. He could only be controlled.

And his background was simply too hard, so hard that ordinary means could never control him.

Did anyone need to ask what Master Dao would have done after kidnapping one of those two women?

Most likely he would once again have forced Baili Jie to sleep with her.

The woman would know she had been violated, but not know the identity of the man who had done it. Afterward she would be released, while Baili Jie alone would know whose chastity he had violated.

That would probably torment Baili Jie even more than being forced to kill the woman.

Even if he had acted under coercion, he would never dare speak of it afterward.

For other crimes, perhaps claiming he had been forced might save him.

But violating the granddaughter of one of the nine supreme experts, or someone of that sort?

The consequences were easy to imagine.

Could Baili Jie really expect the old saying about raw rice becoming cooked rice to somehow turn the disaster into a marriage?

He would not dare speak of it even if beaten to death!

Yuan Gang, at least, was unwilling to do something that despicable.

[End of Chapter 630]