Chapter 642: Grand Minister of the Masses, Don't Get Agitated

Only Niu Youdao himself knew exactly how many people were included in those words, "a pack of useless fools."

Long Xiu assumed he meant the regional lords suppressing the rebellion.

"Whether they're heroes or fools, the situation is what it is. Does Nanzhou intend to sit by and watch?"

Niu Youdao behaved as though he had not understood the implication. With righteous seriousness, he said, "Palace Master, rest assured. The grain and provisions will be sent to Dingzhou as quickly as possible. We absolutely will not delay the war."

Seeing the bastard deliberately play dumb, Long Xiu raised an eyebrow.

At this stage, what use was grain if the battle itself had already been lost? Send it over to provision the enemy?

He said heavily, "When the nest is overturned, no egg remains whole. Even if only for your own sake, Nanzhou should contribute its share of strength by now, unless Nanzhou harbors disloyal intentions toward Yan."

Niu Youdao's expression turned grave. "Palace Master goes too far. Commandery Prince Yongping is a noble of the imperial clan. He may harbor grievances against others, but he would never harbor disloyalty toward Yan."

Long Xiu said, "Then that means you agree to Nanzhou sending troops?"

"Uh..." Niu Youdao immediately became vague again. "Whether to send troops isn't for me to decide. I don't understand warfare either. That still depends on Commandery Prince Yongping."

Long Xiu's brows rose and his gaze turned cold. "Spare me that act. Since I came here today, I want only one answer from you. Will Nanzhou send troops to suppress the rebellion, or will it not?"

Niu Youdao looked as though he had been forced into a corner. He sighed again and again.

"Palace Master, you're a clear-sighted man. You know better than anyone what kind of thing that bastard Shang Jianxiong is. Not long ago, he tried to have me killed. He even wanted to destroy Nanzhou."

"And now Nanzhou is supposed to go risk its life for him. Isn't that a little difficult to justify?"

Standing to one side, Guan Fangyi idly played with her round fan and quietly watched Niu Youdao perform.

She knew perfectly well that he had already prepared to send troops. Everything he had done was aimed at ending Yan's internal rebellion as quickly as possible.

Yet here he was now, pretending reluctance and pushing responsibility away.

She had an urge to roll her eyes.

After staying around this man for so long, she somehow found that even a figure of Long Xiu's stature no longer seemed especially frightening.

Long Xiu said, "This has nothing to do with Shang Jianxiong anymore. What everyone is trying to preserve is Yan itself. Private grudges must be set aside. We must face the outside together."

Niu Youdao spread his hands. "We may think that way. Others may not."

"To tell the truth, in my eyes, men like Wu Gongling are nothing more than a rabble. Sweeping them away would be easy."

"But this isn't the business of any one house. Just as Palace Master said, private grudges must be put aside and everyone must act together."

"Fine. Suppose Nanzhou sends troops and helps Yan extinguish the rebellion. Suppose we fight until we're half-dead, our vitality badly damaged, and return with nothing but broken remnants."

"Would Shang Jianxiong really let such an opportunity pass? Would he not seize the moment to move against Nanzhou's forces?"

"When a man is sick, kill him while he's weak. That is exactly the kind of thing he would rush to do. There is every possibility it would happen. So how can Nanzhou dare send troops lightly?"

The later part was not what Long Xiu cared about most.

What caught his attention was Niu Youdao's earlier phrase: the rebels were only a rabble, and sweeping them away would be easy.

Long Xiu lifted an eyebrow slightly. "You don't need to worry about that. So long as the rebellion can be extinguished, so long as Nanzhou renders merit to Great Yan, I will personally guarantee that Shang Jianxiong does not act recklessly against you."

Niu Youdao sneered inwardly.

Shang Jianxiong controlled several million troops. If the man truly decided to force matters afterward, what exactly could Long Xiu guarantee?

Could Long Xiu kill Shang Jianxiong?

Could he seize the Emperor and lock him away?

Those thoughts remained inside.

What came out of Niu Youdao's mouth was entirely different.

"The rebels may be a rabble, but they have now gathered two million men. Does Palace Master intend to make Nanzhou suppress them alone?"

Long Xiu naturally could not say that. "Of course the other regional armies will cooperate."

Niu Youdao asked, "Those troops that collapse the moment they touch the enemy? You expect them to cooperate?"

If not them, then who else was there?

Long Xiu could not produce another answer. His expression darkened. "After all this talk, you simply don't want Nanzhou to send troops. Is that it?"

Niu Youdao hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "To tell the truth, I genuinely do not want to send troops. Even if Nanzhou were finished, I would still have somewhere to retreat."

"But Palace Master has come here personally and spoken this far. If I still refused to send troops, I would be failing to appreciate the situation."

"Even so, before we send troops, I must make the matter clear."

"It isn't that I refuse to send them. It is that once we send them, we must win."

"If I know perfectly well we are going to lose, what meaning is there in sending Nanzhou's soldiers out merely to die for nothing?"

Long Xiu had listened to a great deal of speech and still could not tell whether the answer was yes or no.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Niu Youdao said, "Just as Palace Master said: private grudges must be laid aside, and everyone must act together."

"If we want certain victory, then all the regional lords, including Nanzhou, must work with one heart."

"If six regional armies truly exert themselves as one, why should we fear that the rebels cannot be destroyed?"

If they could already work with one heart, why would I need to come looking for you?

Long Xiu cursed inwardly, then said, "If you want everyone to work together, Nanzhou still has to send troops. If Nanzhou hides inside Nanzhou and refuses to come out, what cooperation is there to discuss?"

"When I say work with one heart, I mean under unified command," Niu Youdao replied. "How can everyone work together while each army fights its own battle?"

Long Xiu's gaze flickered. "What sort of unified command?"

Niu Youdao said, "For example, give Commandery Prince Yongping the military authority of Yan's Grand Marshal. With that authority in hand, unified command would be perfectly natural."

Long Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly. He enunciated every word. "Don't let your appetite get too big. You may choke yourself to death."

Niu Youdao said, "Without military authority, how can he issue orders? Why would the regional lords obey him?"

Long Xiu said, "Spare me the nonsense. Do you think I don't know the grudge between Shang Jianxiong and Shang Chaozong?"

"Shang Jianxiong finally managed to take military authority back from Prince Ning. You think he would hand it over again to Prince Ning's son?"

"Don't even bother dreaming about it!"

Niu Youdao said, "How will Palace Master know the imperial court won't agree unless you try? My guess is that they will."

"Sending troops one or two days later makes no real difference. If Palace Master truly wants the rebellion suppressed smoothly, why not raise the proposal with the imperial court and see?"

"Oh?" Long Xiu had no idea where his confidence came from.

But he knew Niu Youdao was no ordinary man. If he dared say something like this, there was probably a reason.

Long Xiu wanted to see what exactly the man had arranged.

The negotiation temporarily stopped there.

Long Xiu immediately had a message sent back to the capital, asking for the imperial court's response.

He himself showed no intention of leaving for the moment and remained at Maolu Villa to wait for the answer.

At such a critical moment, if Shang Jianxiong and his people actually agreed to hand over the military authority, Long Xiu had no objection.

Yan had reached a matter of life and death.

For the three major sects, who controlled the state was no longer the important question.

What mattered was preserving the interests of the three sects and preventing all three from going down with the ship.

Once Long Xiu had been settled into his quarters, everyone unrelated withdrew from the courtyard.

Walking out behind Niu Youdao, Guan Fangyi lowered her voice and asked, "Will the imperial court really hand over the Grand Marshal's military authority?"

Leaning on his sword as he walked, Niu Youdao gave a cold laugh. "Not a chance."

Guan Fangyi stared at him. "Then why insist on it?"

"This is no different from doing business. It's only that the business is somewhat larger."

"You name a sky-high price, then let the other side bargain you down. If you start too low, they will still press the price lower."

"Besides, they're the ones in a hurry now. What harm is there in letting them sweat a little longer?"

...

"This old minister objects. This absolutely cannot be agreed to!"

Inside the Imperial Study at Yanjing, once the message arrived through Gong Lince and Meng Xuan, Shang Jianxiong immediately summoned three senior ministers to discuss the matter.

When he heard that the demand was for his authority as Grand Marshal, Shang Yongzhong's expression twitched slightly.

Tong Mo's brows were tightly furrowed.

Before he had even spoken, Gao Jiancheng had already stiffened his neck and jumped forward as the first man to object, his voice so loud that everyone in the room turned toward him.

Shang Jianxiong pressed one hand downward. "We're discussing it. It is still only a discussion."

Gao Jiancheng said indignantly, "Your Majesty, there is nothing to discuss! Forgive this minister's boldness. The authority of the Grand Marshal could be given to anyone except Shang Chaozong."

"Has Your Majesty forgotten the disaster of Prince Ning? Does Your Majesty truly wish to see another Prince Ning appear?"

"In this old minister's view, Shang Chaozong's ambition is even greater than Prince Ning's. The military authority of the Grand Marshal absolutely cannot be handed to him."

"Once he has it, calamity will begin for Great Yan."

"If Your Majesty agrees to this, this old minister will smash his head against a pillar and die before Your Majesty!"

His entire face had gone red.

Tong Mo looked sideways at him.

Something about Gao Jiancheng's reaction seemed wrong.

It lacked his usual seasoned composure.

Shang Yongzhong, on the other hand, naturally looked at Gao Jiancheng with appreciation.

The man was fighting to preserve his position. How could Shang Yongzhong not be pleased?

Even if his office as Grand Marshal was largely ceremonial, the treatment, status, and certain degree of influence that came with it were real. How could he give all that up lightly?

Shang Jianxiong pressed his hand down again and soothed him. "Grand Minister of the Masses, don't get agitated. I never said I would agree. We are only discussing how to respond."

He was not annoyed in the slightest by Gao Jiancheng's loss of composure.

If anything, the old minister's vehement opposition made him feel comfortable.

It showed clearly that Gao Jiancheng stood absolutely on his side.

Tong Mo said, "The immediate problem is that we urgently need Nanzhou to send troops. Nanzhou has made this its condition. If the imperial court simply blocks the request, Nanzhou will have a ready excuse not to move."

Gao Jiancheng immediately turned on him. "Does the Grand Minister of Works mean we should simply agree to his demand?"

Tong Mo swept him with a cold glance. "Lord Gao, don't put words into my mouth. Which of your ears heard me agree?"

"What we are discussing is how to respond, not giving you a place to vent your temper."

"Anyone can shout. Does shouting solve the problem?"

A severe rebuke lay beneath his tone.

Warned so directly, Gao Jiancheng's agitation immediately subsided. He was plainly somewhat afraid of Tong Mo.

Even so, he still cupped his hands toward Shang Jianxiong.

"Your Majesty, the office of Grand Marshal cannot be granted lightly. Its implications are enormous. Once given, it cannot simply be stripped away without cause."

"Yan's military authority is not a toy that can be handed to a man for a while and then taken back whenever we please. If we treated it that way, what would the office of Grand Marshal become?"

"The broad strategy has already been decided: the heavy forces along the borders cannot be withdrawn lightly."

"What we need now is only to suppress the Cangzhou rebels."

"We need Shang Chaozong to suppress that rebellion. One matter is one matter. Why must that require giving him authority over all the armies of Yan?"

That reminded Tong Mo of something.

He too cupped his hands toward the throne.

"Your Majesty, if Nanzhou truly has sincerity in suppressing the rebellion, then grant Shang Chaozong the temporary title of Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion."

"Give him command authority only over the rebellion-suppression campaign and see whether he accepts."

"If he refuses, that will prove he lacks sincerity and has some other design. It will also give us an answer with which to stop the mouths of the three major sects."

"This minister objects!" Gao Jiancheng raised his hands toward the throne once again. "If we hand him that authority and he truly succeeds in suppressing the rebellion, the influence he gains will be enormous. The future consequences will be endless!"

Shang Jianxiong frowned.

That was exactly what worried him.

Tong Mo rebuked him sharply. "Then what do you propose? Shall we truly let that rebel Wu Gongling do as he boasts and sweep across all of Great Yan?"

"Lord Gao, what matters now is solving the urgent danger before us, not acting out of temper."

"The Grand Marshal ranks among the Three Excellencies. Such an office cannot be established or abolished lightly."

"But Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion is a temporary wartime title. It can be removed whenever necessary."

"Once the rebellion is over, issue an edict removing the words 'Suppressing the Rebellion,' and his command authority over the campaign disappears with them."

"So what if he is left holding an empty title as Grand General?"

"Besides, do you truly believe those five regional lords will suddenly work with one heart and obediently accept his command?"

"What we need now is to coax Nanzhou's army into the field and make it fight the rebels to the death."

"First stop the deterioration of the war. Only then will we have a foundation from which to plan what comes afterward."

"Otherwise, there is nothing left to discuss at all!"

His voice rang with force through the study.

[End of Chapter 642]