Chapter 644: The Tiger’s Might Remains

Meng Shanming left, and Shang Shuqing was sent away with him.

Watching several large flying mounts rise into the sky, Guan Fangyi sighed. “Master Dao, that sworn elder brother and elder sister of yours only just gave you five million. Now you turn around and send troops. Won’t they be furious enough to die?”

“Nanzhou has achieved what it wanted, but the trouble afterward will fall on you. I doubt they’ll let you off.”

Niu Youdao likewise watched the flying mounts recede into the distance. “Sometimes there simply isn’t a choice.”

Just as he had said before, he had never been after that bit of money from Han and Song.

It had only been one link in his plan.

He needed to accelerate the rebels’ offensive and force the imperial court to let Nanzhou enter the war as quickly as possible. If things dragged on too long, whether it was the heavy armies Han and Song had massed on the borders or Zhao watching hungrily from the side, some accident could happen at any moment.

The situation had to be stabilized first, and quickly.

Guan Fangyi fell silent for a moment. “Your sworn brother and sister are still waiting for your answer. Once they learn Nanzhou is sending troops, they may come straight to Maolu Villa to demand an explanation.”

“When that happens, most of the villa’s defensive strength will be gone. How are we supposed to deal with them?”

Niu Youdao smiled faintly. “If a little slope and ditch like this counted as a real problem, I would never have lived this long.”

“Send them a reply. Consider it one small good-faith warning from their younger brother.”

“Tell them Yan’s three major sects have secretly laid an ambush at Maolu Villa and are waiting for them to walk into the trap!”

Guan Fangyi froze.

Then she did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Once that message reached Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping, there was no chance they would dare come here.

“Have Guo Xingshan, that disciple of Yucang’s, come see me.”

Niu Youdao tossed out the instruction and turned away.

...

In the courtyard where Zhuang Hong and her son lived, Xia Lingpei sat in the pavilion bobbing his head as he recited something.

He was the sort of person who kept both ears closed to affairs beyond the window and knew only his books.

So long as he had food and drink each day, he did not care even if the outside world turned upside down. No one told him much either.

Seeing Niu Youdao appear, he was somewhat surprised.

This hands-off teacher of his rarely came over in person. A visit was a genuine rarity.

Xia Lingpei immediately stopped reciting, rose, and trotted over to salute him. He bowed deeply from the waist. “This student greets Teacher.”

The commotion drew Zhuang Hong out as well.

She was bright and beautiful, though there always seemed to be the faintest trace of grievance in her expression.

“No need for ceremony.” Niu Youdao motioned for Xia Lingpei to rise and asked with a smile, “How is the memorization going?”

The moment the subject came up, Xia Lingpei looked embarrassed.

Reciting the material forward was manageable.

But reciting an entire booklet backward, and doing so fluently, was torment enough to kill a man. He could only describe his efforts as stopping and stumbling every few words.

He smiled awkwardly. “This student is dull and still cannot recite it backward fluently.”

The corner of Guan Fangyi’s mouth curved upward.

She cursed Niu Youdao inwardly for being wicked.

If he had no spare time and did not want to teach the boy, then simply say so. Why torment him with nonsense like this?

The poor fool in front of them really had suffered terrible luck.

“Take it slowly. There’s no hurry.” Niu Youdao gave him a word of reassurance, then cupped his hands toward Zhuang Hong as she approached. “Madam.”

Zhuang Hong was beautiful and graceful, reserved and elegant as she bowed slightly. “Sir.”

Guo Xingshan happened to arrive at that moment.

After greetings were exchanged, Niu Youdao addressed all three of them. “Madam and your son have been here quite some time. It may be time to go home for a visit.”

Zhuang Hong smiled bitterly. “Home? Where do we still have a home? For mother and son like us, home is a luxury. Wherever we stop, that place becomes home.”

Niu Youdao said, “Fufang Garden in the Qi capital. Mr. Yucang often writes asking about the two of you. It would be good to go back for a visit.”

Things had already reached this point.

Given the present covert relationship between his side and Xiaoyue Pavilion, continuing to hold mother and son as hostages no longer meant much. Whether they remained or not, the result would be the same.

Zhuang Hong asked, “Could it be that Sir finds us troublesome and is eager to drive mother and son away?”

Xia Lingpei froze when he heard that and stared blankly at his teacher.

Niu Youdao shook his head. “Madam misunderstands.”

“I’ll speak plainly. Great Yan is now in the middle of fire and water. Rebels run rampant. Nanzhou’s army is about to march out. Once the fighting starts, Zhao is still watching hungrily from the side. No one knows what may happen.”

Zhuang Hong asked, “Will Sir not remain at Maolu Villa?”

“With something this large, I won’t be able to sit still. I will probably go along and have a look.”

“Are you abandoning the villa?”

“Not abandoning it. But once the army marches, Nanzhou will have limited defensive strength remaining.”

“The tens of thousands of troops outside the villa have to be used where they matter most and will all be transferred away. Only a small number will remain to watch the house.”

“The villa’s defenses will no longer be so tight. I’m concerned about the safety of Madam and your son.”

Zhuang Hong said, “If the people who remain here aren’t afraid, then mother and son should remain too. Who would bother making trouble for the two of us?”

As she spoke, she looked toward Guo Xingshan, as though the words were meant for him as well.

She truly did not want to return to Yucang’s side.

Yucang kept mother and son under very strict watch. They had far less freedom there than they did here.

What she did not know was that Yucang had little choice.

Unlike Niu Youdao, Yucang possessed no territory of his own. Wherever he went, he was standing on someone else’s ground, and many things lay outside his control.

Xia Lingpei nodded as well.

He did not want to leave either.

The rules around him had gradually loosened here. When he wanted to go out, he could even look at the local customs and scenery. That was far better than being shut inside a courtyard beside his uncle, able to see nothing but the sky.

No one here interfered with him.

For as long as he could remember, this had been the happiest period of his life.

There were poems, fine wine, good food, and freedom.

He had genuinely grown attached to the place.

Guo Xingshan frowned, but it was awkward for him to say anything to mother and son.

Niu Youdao fell silent for a moment.

Truthfully, he was not especially worried about their safety.

So long as he himself left Maolu Villa, the villa would lose most of its value as a target to outside enemies. No foreign power was likely to attack merely for the sake of this mother and son.

Yucang still possessed considerable prestige. Whether it was Han, Song, or Zhao, few people would casually offend him.

What Niu Youdao worried about was that if some unforeseen event occurred after Maolu Villa’s main strength departed, mother and son would become a burden on those left behind to defend the place.

That was also why he had sent Shang Shuqing away.

Mother and son were honored guests, however. He could hardly drive them out by force. Since they were unwilling to leave, there was little more he could say.

After leaving the courtyard, Niu Youdao gave Guo Xingshan, who had followed him out, one instruction.

“You should still ask your master what he thinks. If he wants mother and son to return, he may send people to collect them at any time.”

“All right.” Guo Xingshan nodded.

...

“Your Highness, receive the edict.”

Inside the Nanzhou Provincial Inspector Residence, Ga Miaoshui had come in person. After proclaiming the edict, he held the imperial investiture decree out with both hands. Several eunuchs stood behind him.

“This subject receives the edict!” Shang Chaozong stepped forward, accepted it with both hands, and retreated.

Throughout the ceremony, a senior Elder of Dachan Mountain remained close at Shang Chaozong’s side, advancing and retreating with him in case anything unexpected occurred.

Shang Chaozong opened the edict again and read it carefully.

Only after confirming there was no problem did he relax.

“Please have Eunuch Ga report to His Majesty on my behalf. We will make final preparations today. The army marches tomorrow!”

Ga Miaoshui nodded. “Your Highness’s intentions will naturally be reported to His Majesty as quickly as possible. However, His Majesty has also given me an order. I am to accompany Your Highness on campaign so that communication between the imperial court and the army may be coordinated smoothly.”

Everyone present understood immediately what this meant.

The imperial court had sent an army supervisor.

...

Before everything was firmly settled, the Yan court had not publicly announced that Nanzhou was being ordered to suppress the rebellion. It feared Shang Chaozong might change his mind and make the court look ridiculous.

But too many eyes watched Nanzhou. The movement of large numbers of troops could not be hidden from anyone paying attention.

Nanzhou itself made no attempt to conceal it either, knowing concealment was impossible.

The moment news spread that the Yan court had invested Shang Chaozong, Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou, as Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion and ordered him to lead Nanzhou’s army out on campaign, the world was shaken!

...

Inside a county yamen the rebels had only recently captured, Wu Gongling was busy on a couch with a sobbing woman, a respectable beauty he had taken a liking to after the city fell.

Urgent pounding suddenly came from outside.

“My lord! My lord!”

Wu Gongling raised his head and roared, “What is it? Don’t you know I’m resting?”

“My lord, urgent military intelligence! Yan has invested Shang Chaozong, Provincial Inspector of Nanzhou, as commander of the punitive expedition!”

The fury vanished from Wu Gongling’s face.

His complexion changed instantly.

All desire disappeared from him in a heartbeat.

He left the crying woman on the couch, scrambled up, grabbed an outer robe, wrapped it hurriedly around himself, and strode out.

The moment the door opened, he snatched the urgent report into his hand.

Barefoot in the courtyard, thick hair covering both legs, he paced back and forth while reading the intelligence.

At that moment, another group entered from outside.

They were the six Elders from the six major sects of Han and Song stationed here, together with Shan Dongxing, the Tongxian Pavilion Elder temporarily acting as Sect Leader.

Clearly, all of them had come after hearing the news.

Hui Qingping heard the woman crying inside the room, then looked at Wu Gongling in a thin robe with bare feet and roughly understood what had happened.

She could not help frowning.

“Weren’t we told Nanzhou was going to raise troops against Yan?” Wu Gongling slapped the secret report with both hands and glared fiercely at Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping. “How did that turn into troops coming to attack me?”

Only recently he had mocked Song’s Grand Commander-in-Chief.

Now his expression looked terrible.

He seemed deeply afraid of Nanzhou’s army.

Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping had no idea what had happened either.

After hearing the news, both felt they had been played by Niu Youdao.

They wanted to go demand an explanation, yet did not dare.

Niu Youdao had already sent them a warning saying Yan’s three major sects had prepared an ambush at Maolu Villa and were waiting for the two of them to walk into the trap.

How could they possibly dare go after receiving that?

Quan Taifeng coughed dryly. “The five regional armies could not gain any advantage against the Grand General. What difference will one more army make?”

Wu Gongling shot back without thinking, “You know shit!”

“Have you never heard of the Yingyang and Wulie Guards? You people may not know how formidable that army is, but I’ve watched it with my own eyes more than once.”

“On the battlefield they gallop wherever they please and no one can stop them. When they attack, the enemy collapses like rotten wood. That powerful army, famous beneath Heaven, is in Nanzhou’s hands now!”

“And Meng Shanming! Do you think that old undying bastard is some ornament?”

“Prince Ning was able to awe all beneath Heaven back then, and that man deserves no small share of the credit. That old fellow is nothing like those useless fools!”

Truthfully, Wu Gongling feared no one else.

Back when he served beneath Prince Ning, he had always felt that some men above him were not necessarily better than he was.

His bad luck was that Meng Shanming happened to overhear words he never should have heard.

From then on, no matter how desperately Wu Gongling fought, he was never given the advancement he wanted. Meng Shanming kept him firmly suppressed year after year.

Over time, that had planted a shadow in his heart.

Somewhere deep in his bones, he possessed an instinctive fear of Meng Shanming.

Put plainly, in every respect, he was somewhat afraid of the old marshal.

Why had he thrown himself so wholeheartedly into accelerating the rebel expansion the moment he heard that success would push Nanzhou into rebellion?

Because he feared Meng Shanming.

He feared Nanzhou’s army.

He feared facing that army in battle.

He had hoped to force Nanzhou into rebellion so that he would never have to meet it as an enemy.

Yet what he feared most had happened anyway.

Before the battle even began, his courage had already fallen by three parts.

People once said:

“Yan has Shanming; Qi has Wuhen!”

“Yan has Shanming” referred to Meng Shanming of Yan. When he moved, it was like a lone cry ringing through empty mountains: the four quarters fell silent, and he alone commanded the scene.

“Qi has Wuhen” referred to Supreme General Huyan Wuhen of Qi: with that man in Qi, the state would know no regret.

Meng Shanming might be old now, but the moment he emerged from retirement, the tiger’s might remained.

Petty men still trembled before him.

[End of Chapter 644]