Chapter 645: Can’t You Feel the Chill?

Wu Gongling was hardly the only one afraid. Back in Nanzhou, Zhou Shouxian had feared Meng Shanming. In Dingzhou, Xue Xiao had feared him too.

Both had fought with their hands tied by apprehension, and once battle was joined, neither had possessed the strength to resist. Meng Shanming had handled them almost as though bullying three-year-old children. One had been driven to suicide; the other could only watch helplessly as Meng Shanming rode about carving up his territory!

That single “You know shit!” made Quan Taifeng’s face darken. He warned in a deep voice, “Wu Gongling, if you don’t want me cutting out your tongue, clean up your mouth!”

Wu Gongling jolted. Only then did he suddenly realize that in his agitation he had forgotten whom he was speaking to. He hurriedly cupped his hands and apologized. “My thoughts were elsewhere just now and I spoke without restraint. I meant no offense. Elder Quan, please calm your anger!”

Thud!

A heavy muffled sound came from inside the room. Everyone turned.

Wu Gongling hurried in and found that the woman he had just forced himself upon had smashed her head into the wall. Her skull had burst, and she lay collapsed in the blood slowly spreading beneath her.

The others followed him inside and frowned at the sight.

Wu Gongling thought little of it. He had seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood. During the taking of cities and territory, similar things were commonplace. He merely waved for his men to wrap up the violated woman’s body and carry it away.

He showed not the slightest pity for the beauty whose life had ended. At a time like this, where would he find the mind to care about such things? He returned to the courtyard and sought advice from Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping.

“Everyone knows Niu Youdao stands behind Nanzhou. The two Elders are sworn kin with him. Why not make another trip to Maolu Villa and see whether that sworn bond can persuade him to remove this threat?”

Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping both looked troubled.

Wu Gongling did not understand. “The two Elders used to visit Maolu Villa often enough. Why hesitate now, when matters have reached this point?”

Hui Qingping said awkwardly, “Grand General, I won’t hide it from you. Not long ago, we received a warning message from Niu Youdao. He said Yan’s three major sects have already laid an ambush at Maolu Villa and are waiting for the two of us to throw ourselves into the net.”

“...”

Wu Gongling was left speechless and baffled.

Why had he ultimately made up his mind to rebel against Yan?

In truth, Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping had deceived him.

Under Zijin Cave’s patronage, Tongxian Pavilion had grown steadily stronger over the years. Eventually, the benefits of a single province were no longer enough to satisfy the needs of all its disciples. Yet Sect Leader Qu Yunkong remained wholly obedient to Zijin Cave and dared not expand.

His wife, the daughter of Zijin Cave’s previous Sect Leader, also repeatedly reminded everyone that Tongxian Pavilion owed everything it had today to Zijin Cave’s support and that they ought to know when to be satisfied.

But how could people ever truly be satisfied where interests were concerned?

There were so many people, each with needs of his own. Once everyone became dissatisfied, that itself became a problem. As the years passed, complaints spread through the sect. The disciples quietly blamed the Sect Leader and his wife for failing to think of Tongxian Pavilion and instead bending their elbows outward toward Zijin Cave. The resentment had accumulated for a long time.

The Wu brothers in Cangzhou had their own tensions as well, a faint sense that one mountain could not hold two tigers.

As far as Wu Gongshan was concerned, holding troops in defiance of the court had already been something forced upon him. His purpose was to preserve the brothers under his command. He had no intention of swallowing more of Yan’s territory.

Wu Gongling thought differently.

He did not believe his abilities were inferior to his elder brother’s. In his view, he had simply been suppressed for years and denied any chance to rise. Otherwise, he too would now be a regional lord in his own right.

At first, when Cangzhou had only just begun holding its forces independent of the court, Wu Gongling’s mood had remained relatively stable. But as time passed and he found himself forever forced to stand beneath his elder brother, dissatisfaction inevitably grew.

Again and again he urged Wu Gongshan to expand their territory.

Wu Gongshan refused.

Holding troops to protect themselves was one thing. Attacking and seizing the imperial court’s territory would make them rebellious ministers.

Wu Gongshan did not want to become a rebel, nor did he want to send the brothers under him to die for nothing. His entire purpose in holding the army independent of the court had been to preserve everyone in the first place.

Wu Gongling brooded over that refusal.

All the contradictions within Cangzhou had long since exposed openings for anyone with designs on the place.

When Han and Song approached Cangzhou, they first found Shan Dongxing, an Elder of Tongxian Pavilion.

Shan Dongxing was easy enough to persuade. He knew Tongxian Pavilion’s internal situation and knew they could act at any time. But he had one concern. If the local army refused to rebel, then relying on Tongxian Pavilion alone to revolt against Yan would be a joke.

So Han and Song next approached Wu Gongling.

Wu Gongling hesitated too. He was afraid.

Put plainly, he feared Nanzhou—or rather, he feared Meng Shanming.

This was especially true after news came that Meng Shanming had seized Nanzhou and then attacked Dingzhou. The old treasured blade had not dulled with age, and Wu Gongling was deeply wary.

Then Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping made their trip to Nanzhou, and everything changed.

Niu Youdao had become sworn kin with the two of them, and they claimed they had already stabilized him.

Then they pointed to Nanzhou’s seizure of three commanderies from Dingzhou and asked Wu Gongling one question: how could Nanzhou possibly help the imperial court suppress a rebellion when the imperial court itself wanted Niu Youdao dead?

Deceived by that argument, Wu Gongling immediately stopped worrying.

Tongxian Pavilion’s internal contradictions then erupted.

Sect Leader Qu Yunkong and his wife were overthrown by the sect’s own disciples.

With Tongxian Pavilion no longer protecting him, Wu Gongshan was simply poisoned to death. Swords and sabers would have made the traces of murder too obvious, and for Wu Gongling, this was still the killing of his own elder brother.

Afterward, with Tongxian Pavilion’s help, Wu Gongling carried out a rapid internal purge with great ease.

That was the real reason Cangzhou had not rebelled before, yet rose in revolt immediately after Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping returned from Maolu Villa.

Later, when Niu Youdao opened his mouth like a lion and demanded ten million for intercepting the grain, Wu Gongling was actually the one urging the six sects to pay him promptly.

But producing ten million was hardly so simple, nor could they simply hand over whatever figure Niu Youdao named.

Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping had told Niu Youdao that their two sects had pooled the five million. That merely sounded better.

In truth, all six sects had pooled the five million together.

It was not that any one sect could not produce such a sum. But the whole affair belonged to all six. Why would Lingxiao Pavilion and Tiannü Sect bear the burden alone? Naturally everyone shared it, leaving each sect paying less than one million.

Later, when Niu Youdao asked the Cangzhou rebels to intensify their offensive, Wu Gongling again cooperated with all his strength for exactly the same reason.

Now news had suddenly arrived that Nanzhou was marching out to suppress the rebellion.

How could Wu Gongling not feel depressed?

Wushang Palace Elder Xiang Tianguang, standing nearby, remarked, “I think that Niu Youdao is deliberately bluffing the two of you. The main strength of Yan’s three major sects has been transferred to the heavily defended borders, and they still have to protect the Yan imperial palace. Where would they find enough capable men to lay an ambush at Maolu Villa? The two of you can go without worry.”

What a joke. You are not the one taking the risk, so of course it is easy for you to talk!

Quan Taifeng snorted inwardly. Giving him a sidelong glance, he said, “Why don’t you make the trip in our place?”

Xiang Tianguang chuckled. “He isn’t my sworn brother.”

There was no chance he was going to take that risk. What if there truly was a trap?

The mention of their sworn relationship depressed Quan Taifeng and Hui Qingping even further.

To incite Wu Gongling into rebelling against Yan, they had already made such a spectacle of the sworn bond that everyone on this side knew of it. It probably would not be long before the whole world knew.

Now that Nanzhou was marching out to suppress the rebellion, the two of them regretted it so bitterly their intestines nearly turned green. They felt as though they had lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet.

...

“Yan has invested Shang Chaozong as Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion?”

Inside the command tent by the river, Luo Zhao rose from behind his desk when he heard the news. He slowly straightened, staring in astonishment at Wen You standing opposite him.

Wen You nodded and handed him the intelligence report.

Luo Zhao immediately took it and read through it in detail. Only then did he ask, “This news came only from Nanzhou. The Yan court has not proclaimed it throughout the realm. Are we certain it is true?”

Wen You replied, “There should be no mistake. Our spies in Nanzhou have already discovered large-scale troop movements. The soldiers bidding farewell to their families are all saying they are going to destroy the Cangzhou rebels.”

Luo Zhao asked, “Meng Shanming is old and crippled. Will he accompany the army, or remain in Nanzhou to hold the center?”

“With a treasured blade like Meng Shanming in hand, if Nanzhou truly marches out to suppress the rebellion in the present situation, they will certainly do everything possible to win. He should accompany the campaign.”

“Even if Meng Shanming stays behind in Nanzhou, he will not ignore the course of the war. Messages will inevitably travel back and forth as he guides Shang Chaozong.”

Analyzing situations was Wen You’s strength. Just as with his earlier judgments concerning Meng Shanming and Huyan Wuhen, there was real reasoning behind what he said. That was precisely why Luo Zhao regarded him as a trusted strategist capable of providing valuable counsel.

Hearing the analysis, Luo Zhao nodded slightly.

He turned to the map and studied it for a while before saying slowly, “If Wu Gongling faces Meng Shanming, he is in trouble. I wonder how many exchanges he can withstand. Nor would the Yan court choose this moment to hinder Nanzhou.”

Wen You said, “One thing is certain. The five regional lords do not want to risk their lives. All of them want to preserve their strength. That is exactly why the Yan court has temporarily set aside its grudge with Nanzhou and chosen to use them.”

“If the five regional armies refuse to cooperate, while Wu Gongling has now gathered two million men, I’m afraid one Nanzhou army alone will have great difficulty dealing with him easily.”

Luo Zhao did not agree.

Staring at the map, he shook his head. “Most of those two million are nothing but rabble. Even if Wu Gongling faces only Nanzhou’s force, that does not mean he can gain any advantage against Meng Shanming.”

“Wu Gongling’s men have been fighting continuously for a long time. The soldiers are exhausted, and the front has expanded too quickly. They have never established a proper posture capable of both offense and defense. That is a serious problem.”

“Contact Wu Gongling immediately. Tell him to contract the front, concentrate his strength, and focus on defense. So long as he can hold them and drag the war out, that itself is victory.”

“With so many men in the field, Yan’s national strength cannot support the burden for very long!”

Wen You hesitated. “Grand Commander-in-Chief, when we previously told Wu Gongling to contract his forces, he mocked us for it. Will he listen this time?”

Luo Zhao looked back at him. “He is still an old general. Can’t he feel the chill?”

“Whether he listens or not, I have to warn him. At worst, I let him mock me one more time.”

“Very well!” Wen You accepted the order and left.

...

Mountains and lake made a peaceful landscape. A great army lay encamped along the water, while a few scattered warhorses grazed and drank by the lakeshore. There was little sense that a war was pressing urgently upon them.

Su Qitong, Provincial Inspector of Haozhou, walked beside Xiaoyao Palace Elder Shi Sheng along the lake.

Shi Sheng had only just arrived to take personal charge here. The other four Elders from Yan’s three major sects who stood behind the other regional lords had likewise gone to oversee their respective armies.

After defeat upon defeat, Nanzhou had finally entered the war. It was Yan’s last remaining strength, and the three major sects did not dare treat the matter lightly. They had ordered all five Elders to take personal charge.

After exchanging a few polite words, Su Qitong tested the waters.

“I heard the imperial court has invested Commandery Prince Yongping as Grand General for Suppressing the Rebellion and given him authority to command the various forces in the campaign. Is the news true?”

Walking with his hands clasped behind his back, Shi Sheng nodded. “It is. That is exactly why I came here personally. This concerns the fate of the state, and it also concerns all our futures. This time, we must cooperate properly.”

Su Qitong’s feelings were complicated.

Years ago he had followed Prince Ning. He had never expected that today he would once again take orders from Prince Ning’s son, especially after receiving Meng Shanming’s earlier letter.

Perhaps his emotions were running somewhat high. He answered firmly, “Elder Shi, rest assured. Haozhou’s forces will cooperate with all our strength!”

Shi Sheng, his feet half-hidden by the lush grass, stopped walking.

“Tsk.”

He frowned, turned, and stared at Su Qitong.

“Qitong, when I said you should cooperate properly, you seem not to have understood what I meant.”

[End of Chapter 645]