Chapter 707: This Man Is Extremely Dangerous!

Zi Pingxiu sucked in a sharp breath. Stroking the beard beneath his chin, his eyes flickered rapidly, as though Jia Wuqun's words had awakened him to something.

Jia Wuqun added, "I even suspect Meng Shanming buried those six hundred thousand prisoners alive precisely to enrage the Song army into breaking Yanjing in revenge. Shang Chaozong's ambitions may well be hidden behind this. He could be using Song's hand to purge his political enemies!"

Zi Pingxiu nodded slightly, then shook his head again. "The war has reached this point and Song has suffered a tremendous loss. If we simply return empty-handed, His Majesty will lose face. He will have no way to answer to his ministers and people. It would be deeply humiliating."

"It would," Jia Wuqun said. "But that humiliation would only be temporary. Surely that is better than the lasting humiliation of Song being crippled and unable to recover? The key is still who can laugh last. If Shang Jianxiong's power base is truly destroyed, Shang Chaozong already controls Yan's military power. Faced with such a situation, the three major sects would have no choice but to support Shang Chaozong's rise as quickly as possible in order to stabilize affairs."

"Once the forces belonging to Shang Jianxiong's faction can no longer hold together, they will have nowhere else to turn under the pressure of the present crisis and the three major sects. They will be forced to swing over to Shang Chaozong, allowing him to seize control of Yan's power in one stroke. But if Shang Jianxiong's governing apparatus remains intact, officials across most of Yan will still belong to his faction. It will be very difficult for the three major sects to force those people to surrender power. Push them until a cornered dog leaps the wall, and the resulting chaos may be more than the three major sects can clean up."

"There is another point. A considerable portion of the troops under Meng Shanming are still forces of the Yan court that he compelled into obedience. As long as Shang Jianxiong remains in power, the army under Meng Shanming is bound to split afterward. If Yan ever faces another calamity like this, Shang Jianxiong will already have learned this lesson once. Will he ever again give Shang Chaozong the chance to command all of Yan's armies?"

"Let Shang Jianxiong remain in power, and you keep Yan divided. You keep Yan weak. It will be difficult for the state to recover its strength, and it will no longer be able to threaten our Great Song. But if Shang Chaozong takes power, things will be entirely different. Once the Yan court's troops come over to him and the regional lords within Yan obey his commands, a Yan united in both loyalty and purpose will recover rapidly. Add Shang Chaozong's ability to fight and win wars, and with such a powerful neighbor at our side, I fear Song would tremble even in its sleep."

"Luo Zhao is a military commander. He is still somewhat young and hot-blooded, and in his eyes the war itself naturally comes before everything else. He will not devote himself to calculating affairs of state. Luo Zhao is suited to campaigning, not to planning for the state. But must His Majesty be the same? The situation has already reached this point. Even if Luo Zhao takes Yanjing and avenges our losses, he cannot destroy Yan. If we fail to plan for the long term and instead hand Shang Chaozong the opportunity to revive Yan, then what are we doing? How can two states contend with one another on impulse?"

"Song cannot allow itself to be dragged down by Yan now. We must stabilize our own position as quickly as possible. So long as we remain stable, so long as Song does not fall into internal chaos and still preserves its strength, then once the State of Han attacks Yan, Song can send troops again and take a share of the spoils. Leave Shang Jianxiong and his people in place, and a Yan whose vitality has been badly damaged will struggle to recover. After this upheaval, Yan's internal disorder will only worsen. Even if the State of Han does not attack this time, Yan will remain meat at Song's lips, ready to be swallowed whenever the opportunity comes."

"Chancellor, His Majesty is not a man who refuses all remonstrance. So long as someone parts the fog of hatred before his eyes, he will accept the Chancellor's sound counsel. Perhaps His Majesty has already come to his senses and merely needs someone to give him a way to step down gracefully. Given your status and position, Chancellor, you are the most suitable person."

Zi Pingxiu thought it over, nodding repeatedly. "Sir, these are truly heartfelt words. Very well, I will do as you say. Only..." He leaned toward Jia Wuqun. "Some of what Shaotong said also makes sense. He said that if our army withdraws, Meng Shanming will certainly intercept us. He will never allow Song's main force to return safely to our territory and threaten Yan again. If our main force cannot withdraw successfully, I fear our predicament will remain unresolved."

Jia Wuqun swept his sleeve lightly. "Then have General Chen take the field, defeat Meng Shanming, and the matter is solved."

Again? Zi Pingxiu's teeth practically ached at hearing this. He patted the tea table lightly. "Sir, surely you are joking. With those several hundred thousand motley local troops the court scraped together in haste, how could Shaotong possibly stop Yan's main force of more than two million? And the enemy commander is Meng Shanming. They would collapse at the first blow! To tell you the truth, I asked Shaotong privately. He spoke honestly. In a situation like this, going into battle is going to one's death. He himself admitted that he is no match for Meng Shanming. He has already lost heart before the battle has even begun! The only reason he gritted his teeth and went anyway was because I forced him into a corner where he had no other choice."

Jia Wuqun smiled. "And that is precisely where His Majesty was clever. At this moment, only the Chancellor can turn the tide."

"Me?" Zi Pingxiu spread his hands. "Sir, don't joke. If you say this old man can stir wind and rain at court, I will admit it. But the war between two states has reached this point. The enemy will not be polite. This is a contest of hard strength, of men killing one another head-on. They will not play our courtly games of twists and turns. I cannot conjure elite troops and great generals out of thin air, nor can I conjure an army of thousands upon thousands to turn the tide."

"Chancellor, you are a veteran of two reigns in Song. For years you have stood below one man and above ten thousand. Never underestimate your influence throughout the state. Who at court or beyond it would dare refuse to give you some face? Used properly, that influence surpasses an army of thousands upon thousands. Even your own son-in-law has been sent to the battlefield. His Majesty has forced you into a desperate corner. A Chancellor with a green face and bared fangs, with nothing left to scruple over, is terrifying indeed. You are a tiger that eats men."

"Green-faced and fanged?" Zi Pingxiu did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Jia Wuqun did not join in the joke. "Chancellor, Yanjing may fall at any moment. This matter must be handled sooner rather than later. Please enter the palace at once and have His Majesty order the withdrawal."

Zi Pingxiu said, "That part is not difficult. The difficult part is Shaotong's campaign. You must at least give me something I can rely on."

Jia Wuqun dipped a finger into the tea and quickly wrote three characters on the table: Myriad Beasts Sect.

"Myriad Beasts Sect?" Zi Pingxiu frowned.

"Birds and beasts alike can become soldiers in the hands of the Myriad Beasts Sect. They are not to be underestimated. So long as the Myriad Beasts Sect is willing to help, Meng Shanming will certainly be defeated and General Chen will certainly win."

Zi Pingxiu hesitated. "It is not as though I have never considered that. But the Myriad Beasts Sect has never gotten along with the three major sects, and it never involves itself in affairs like this. Asking them is useless."

Jia Wuqun waved a hand. "I have my own calculations for that. There is no need to waste words on it now. We can discuss it after the Chancellor returns. I will naturally give you an explanation. What the Chancellor needs to do now is enter the palace immediately, have His Majesty stop the attack on Yanjing and withdraw the army, and first stabilize our own position."

"Good!" Zi Pingxiu rose. "I will go and return as quickly as possible. Sir, wait for my news."

With that, he strode out and left the Chancellor's residence in haste for the imperial palace.

Jia Wuqun, meanwhile, seemed to wander aimlessly through the Chancellor's residence. Eventually he drifted into the garden, where he began tending the flowers and plants with leisurely ease.

The wait lasted a little over two hours. Then Zi Pingxiu hurried back and went straight to the garden to find Jia Wuqun.

"Sir, His Majesty has already issued the decree. It has been sent to Luo Zhao at full speed!" Zi Pingxiu reported as soon as they met.

Jia Wuqun released the flower branch he had been holding and looked up at the sky with a soft sigh. "I only hope it is not too late. Otherwise, we will truly have done Shang Chaozong a great favor. Even a weakened Yan will be hard to bring down once everyone above and below is united. Once the States of Wei and Qi see hope, they will certainly support Yan with all their strength, and Yan will inevitably become a great threat to Song."

That was no longer Zi Pingxiu's chief concern. What worried him more now was that if Chen Shaotong lost, he himself would be dragged into the pit. He returned to his earlier question. "The Myriad Beasts Sect does not get along with the three major sects. It also does business with people from all under Heaven and never involves itself in conflicts between states. Even kneeling to beg them would be useless. How do you intend to make them act?"

"Chancellor, you can have someone see me partway. I will personally make a trip to the Myriad Beasts Sect and serve as the persuader. If all goes smoothly, I can give you a definite answer by tomorrow morning at the latest."

Zi Pingxiu hesitated. "Sir, are you truly confident you can persuade the Myriad Beasts Sect?"

Jia Wuqun waved a hand. "That is not the problem. I am worried about someone else."

"Oh?" Zi Pingxiu was puzzled. "One person? Who could make you this apprehensive?"

Jia Wuqun gave a name. "Niu Youdao."

"Niu Youdao?" Zi Pingxiu froze for a moment, then remembered. "The cultivator hiding behind Nanzhou?"

Jia Wuqun nodded.

Zi Pingxiu said, "The man has some ability, yes, but this is a war between two states. Even Yan's three major sects are powerless to resolve the situation. What can he alone possibly do? Since the war began, there has hardly been any news of him. He seems to have vanished from both Shang Chaozong's side and Meng Shanming's. Yan's three major sects appeared to be looking for him earlier as well. Sir, are you not worrying too much?"

"Worrying too much?" Jia Wuqun said slowly. "As far as I know, Shang Chaozong was almost entirely raised to his present position by that man. With one kick, he drove Tianyu Sect out of Nanzhou; with another, he drove Shao Pingbo from Beizhou, forcing him to abandon years of painstaking work there and flee in disgrace. I have watched Shao Pingbo for a long time. He is anything but simple, yet he suffered such a miserable defeat at Niu Youdao's hands. That greatly exceeded my expectations. With only the small force in his hands, Niu Youdao can influence all of Nanzhou. Even Shang Jianxiong, sovereign of an entire state, has been unable to do anything about him. When Nanzhou intercepted the Yan court's military grain earlier, even Yan's three major sects could do nothing to him."

"In the cultivation world, this man has always appeared and disappeared like a shadow, yet whenever Shang Chaozong reaches a critical moment, he suddenly makes his move and applies force. Every strike lands on the vital point, repeatedly catching Shang Chaozong's enemies completely unprepared. But once the war began, he suddenly vanished without a trace. In my judgment, when the Yan court captured Shang Chaozong earlier yet did not dare act rashly, part of the reason was that Niu Youdao had hidden himself away and they could not find him. So has he truly disappeared? Will he truly stand by and ignore Shang Chaozong? The Chancellor was right: he is the man hiding behind Nanzhou. A man standing in the open is not frightening. What is frightening is one hidden in the shadows like a venomous snake, when no one knows when he will suddenly emerge and bite."

"What worries me is that he will not sit by and watch Meng Shanming lose to the Chancellor's esteemed son-in-law. Yet his movements are impossible to grasp. No one knows when he will act or how he will act, making him impossible to guard against. Chancellor, this man is extremely dangerous!"

Zi Pingxiu fell silent in thought. He had to admit Jia Wuqun's reasoning made sense, but they could hardly refrain from acting merely because they were wary of one man.

Concern was concern. Jia Wuqun had no solution for it at present either, and now was not the time to pour manpower and time into searching for Niu Youdao.

Securing the Myriad Beasts Sect came first. After the two exchanged a few more instructions, Zi Pingxiu quickly summoned a flying mount capable of carrying passengers and secretly sent men to escort Jia Wuqun at full speed toward the Myriad Beasts Sect.

[End of Chapter 707]