Chapter 726: I Was the One Who Secretly Pointed Him Down That Road

"Turn her into one of our own?" Guan Fangyi looked suspicious. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing in particular. Monkey is stubborn as an ox. With him standing in the way, there isn't much I can do. But he is also a man who values loyalty and feeling, and he has always acted with a clear conscience. He feels guilty toward Su Zhao. Now this woman has suddenly appeared, and neither you nor I knows whether there is some scheme behind it. I'm afraid she may become Monkey's calamity. Think of something. If there really is no other way, then make it clean and decisive. Release her."

Guan Fangyi stared at him. "Didn't you just say she couldn't be released..." Halfway through, she fell silent.

She understood what Niu Youdao meant.

"Release her" meant release her in front of Yuan Gang.

It did not mean she had to remain alive afterward. They could let her go, then act once she had left.

Guan Fangyi could not help sighing. "You're not usually someone who calculates every little thing this closely. Aren't you caring a little too much about that red-faced Monkey's feelings?"

"If there really is something wrong with that woman, then she isn't here for Monkey. She's here for me. How could I let someone have their way..." Before Niu Youdao finished, he slid downward and submerged himself completely, head and all, beneath the water.

Guan Fangyi remained crouched by the pool, lost in thought.

...

Inside the imperial palace of Jin, the great hall stood empty.

Taishu Xiong was alone, quietly standing before a map.

A man entered from outside. It was Shao Pingbo. He approached the map and bowed. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Taishu Xiong said slowly, "You've heard that the Yan army annihilated four hundred thousand Song troops?"

"This minister has read the intelligence report."

Taishu Xiong slowly turned to look at him. "Niu Youdao's doing?"

Shao Pingbo knew exactly what he meant and why he had reached that conclusion. Long ago, he had told Taishu Xiong that Niu Youdao very likely had someone inside the Myriad Beasts Sect in collusion with him. Cupping his hands, he said, "Anything is possible, so I cannot rule out someone else. But nine chances out of ten, it was him. This affair merely gives even more weight to this minister's earlier suspicion."

"I know the Myriad Beasts Sect better than you do," Taishu Xiong said. "There are things ordinary disciples there cannot touch. Chao Jing's grandson probably does not have enough standing for this. If it truly was Niu Youdao, then the one colluding with him may very well be Chao Jing himself."

Shao Pingbo thought for a moment and nodded slightly. "Your Majesty sees clearly."

"What a pity there is no evidence. For now, everything is only our speculation. Otherwise, it could be put to very good use."

"Some matters do not require evidence. A thief who has committed the crime will inevitably feel guilty. There are still ways to make use of that."

Taishu Xiong considered his words, then gave a low chuckle. "An outside thief is easy to guard against. The thief within is hard to prevent. If there truly is a traitor inside, the Myriad Beasts Sect will have quite a show to watch."

Turning back to the map, he sighed again. "This Meng Shanming truly is formidable. By his own strength, he has slowly dragged Yan back from the brink of disaster. Most hateful of all is that turtle Jin Jue, always keeping his head tucked into his shell. Fat meat was placed right at his mouth, yet he still refused to bite. He sits there steady as a mountain, which keeps Zhao from daring to act rashly either. He has ruined my plans."

Shao Pingbo felt the same frustration deeply.

For all his calculations, none of them could outwait Jin Jue. Jin's side had also learned what was happening in Han. No matter how much pressure the Han court placed on him, Jin Jue simply bore it without moving. It left this side with no leverage at all.

If Shao Pingbo could have found an opening, he would gladly have arranged an assassination against Jin Jue.

But the situation had grown too large. It was no longer easy for any single person to steer, and even finding a place to intervene was difficult. Even so, Shao Pingbo consoled him. "The curtain has not yet fallen on this war. Anything may still happen."

Taishu Xiong sighed. "For now, all we can do is wait and see."

...

The Yan army that had invaded Song finally began withdrawing.

Not all of it returned, however. Five hundred thousand troops were left behind to continue harassing Song.

During the march back, inside a swaying carriage, Gong Lince sat across from Meng Shanming.

After watching the scenery outside for a while, he turned and saw Meng Shanming pull the map toward the direction of Han for study. He could not help asking, "Marshal Meng has been paying great attention to Han. Didn't Marshal Meng say we could redirect the calamity eastward? Has something changed?"

Meng Shanming raised his head. "The commander of Han's army is Jin Jue. We cannot afford not to guard against him."

Gong Lince instinctively glanced at Meng Shanming's legs.

He had heard some things about the past, but what he said aloud was, "I've paid some attention to Jin Jue too. There is nothing particularly brilliant in his battlefield record. Is such a mediocre man truly worth Marshal Meng's concern? Or is Marshal Meng still brooding over losing the use of your legs back then?"

Meng Shanming shook his head. "Never underestimate him. A general who wins every battle is not frightening. Sooner or later, he will make a mistake. What is frightening is a man who never suffers a major loss on the battlefield. Master Dao once said, 'Those skilled in war win no resounding glory.' That saying applies to Jin Jue just as well."

Gong Lince tested him. "Does Marshal Meng perhaps believe you are inferior to him?"

Meng Shanming stroked his crippled legs and smiled without answering. Still smiling, he turned his gaze toward the scenery outside the carriage.

...

Jin Jue stood before a map, watching as a clerk marked the Yan army's withdrawal route according to incoming intelligence.

Someone entered from outside to report. "Grand Marshal, news has arrived from the Song capital."

Without looking away from the map, Jin Jue said, "Speak."

"The Song court is urging our state to send troops against Yan while simultaneously sending people to seek secret peace talks with the Yan court."

"Shameless!" The generals inside the tent erupted in curses.

Jin Jue asked, "Weren't people in the Song court calling for Luo Zhao to be replaced? What happened with that?"

"For now, there has been no further news along those lines. It seems the proposal was suppressed on the grounds that it would be inappropriate to change commanders in the middle of a campaign."

A mocking look appeared on Jin Jue's face as he shook his head.

He could roughly guess what had happened. Plenty of people were willing to criticize Luo Zhao or dump responsibility onto his head, but at a time like this, there was probably not a single Song general willing to take over his command. Whoever accepted that post would be picking up a bucket of shit—courting death.

Once the withdrawal routes had been marked clearly, Jin Jue lifted a hand and pointed toward Song. "Meng Shanming has achieved his objective. His main army should be returning to the Dongyu River to block Luo Zhao. The five hundred thousand men left behind will continue harassing Song's rear. Their purpose is to stop Song from sending provisions into the regions Meng Shanming already cleared out. Block Luo Zhao at the Dongyu River from one side while cutting off his provisions from the other. Even if Luo Zhao succeeds in crossing the river, he will still face enormous trouble. Meng Shanming means to leave him no road to survival."

One general clicked his tongue and shook his head. "That old bastard Meng Shanming truly is ruthless. With no supply line behind him and grain nearly exhausted, he still forced his way into Song by slaughtering until he carved out a road to survival. Not only did he throw Song into complete chaos, now he has turned around and grabbed Luo Zhao by the throat. Given the reactions at the Song court, if Luo Zhao can fight a beautiful reversal at the Dongyu River, he may still have a way out. Otherwise, he's in deep trouble."

Another man nodded. "Luo Zhao's reckless advance was supported by the Song emperor, but the Song emperor cannot shoulder responsibility for the result. Nor can they throw it onto Song's three major sects. After all the shifting and dodging, Luo Zhao is the only person suitable to carry the blame from every side. One careless step, and he may never rise again."

Another general chuckled. "Luo Zhao achieved fame while young and has been riding high all the way, never suffering any major setback. He looked down on the heroes beneath Heaven. This time, meeting Meng Shanming has made him fall hard. But don't forget his background. He is Lingxiao Pavilion's son-in-law. With Lingxiao Pavilion supporting him, perhaps he can still turn things around."

One general asked, "According to the Grand Marshal, Meng Shanming will not completely destroy Luo Zhao's forces. He means to preserve some of Song's strength to resist us. Are we really going to keep waiting like this?"

Jin Jue smiled faintly. "What's the hurry? Better to play it safe. Playing it safe is still best."

The general grew anxious and spread his hands. "Grand Marshal, we can't simply watch while Song and Yan negotiate peace and then join forces to confront Han, can we?"

"Exactly! If we know what the outcome will be and still just stand by watching, won't we miss the opportunity for war?"

The other generals joined in, trying to persuade him.

Seeing how anxious they had become, Jin Jue turned and swept a hand toward a point on the map inside Yan.

Everyone followed the gesture.

It was Binzhou, in Yan's southeastern corner, facing Song across the mouth of the Dongyu River.

"Wu Gongling?" someone asked in surprise.

Wu Gongling had rebelled in Cangzhou. After being driven into flight by the Yan army, he had originally intended to cross the Dongyu River into Song. Luo Zhao, however, had refused to let him cross, hoping to force him into a decisive battle with the Yan army.

Other than cursing Song for betraying its promises, there was little Wu Gongling could do. He was certainly not stupid enough to fight the Yan army until all his strength was gone.

Instead, Wu Gongling had led his troops south along the Dongyu River, fought his way into Binzhou, and established himself there. He seized control of the river mouth, gathered manpower, and began building boats, preparing to cross the sea into neighboring Song.

The distance was not great. Men could cross even on wooden rafts, and the coastline stretched a tremendous distance. Wu Gongling refused to believe that, with Meng Shanming already mounting an offensive inside Song, Song's river-defense forces could still disperse large bodies of troops to seal the entire coast.

After occupying Binzhou, Wu Gongling had even turned around and threatened the Song army, demanding provisions. If Song refused, he would cross the sea, attack Song, and cooperate with Meng Shanming's offensive.

Luo Zhao had never expected the man to pull a move like this.

To keep Wu Gongling stable, Luo Zhao had no choice but to allocate him a batch of provisions, planning to settle accounts with him after Yan itself had been dealt with.

With the provisions in hand, Wu Gongling was finally able to breathe.

Then he began dreaming.

Of course he knew he had offended Luo Zhao. But he was not afraid. Wasn't there still Han? So long as he kept military strength in his hands, after Yan was destroyed and Han and Song divided the gains, he could simply defect to Han. He did not believe Han would refuse him. At that point, he could become a stable regional lord in his own right.

Only after Meng Shanming entered the war and the entire situation changed did Wu Gongling begin to lose confidence. His beautiful dream showed signs of collapsing.

Jin Jue nodded. "Our army need not move, but that does not mean the court cannot act secretly. Wu Gongling should understand perfectly well what consequences await him for what he has done. Meng Shanming may very well settle accounts with him afterward. Have the court secretly send people to contact him and promise him generous rewards. He will certainly defect to Han."

"After Meng Shanming cripples Luo Zhao's forces and deliberately lets the remnants through, Luo Zhao's men will be exhausted from crossing the river and their provisions will be nearly gone. At that point, order Wu Gongling to cross the river in pursuit. Once Wu Gongling is induced into making his move, he will have deeply offended both Yan and Song. Then he will have no road of retreat."

Understanding dawned on the generals, and their faces immediately brightened.

Even if Wu Gongling could not destroy Luo Zhao's remnants, so long as he created chaos inside Song while Song's interior remained weakly defended, and did so in coordination with Han's offensive, Song's remaining forces would have no chance of stopping Han's army.

The fat meat of Song would practically be within reach.

One general said delightedly, "Wu Gongling has a good eye. The position he seized lets him advance or retreat freely between Song and Yan. Even Meng Shanming may find it difficult to deal with him afterward."

"I was the one who secretly contacted him and pointed him down that road," Jin Jue said calmly. "Without cooperation from Han's cultivators, do you really think he could have escaped to Binzhou so smoothly while Song cultivators were keeping him under control?"

"What?" The generals were visibly startled.

Before they could recover, Jin Jue swept a hand toward Zhao on the map. "At the same time, submit a memorial to the court and have them secretly contact Zhao about forming an alliance. We can use the war to push Zhao into attacking Yan. And there is also the Myriad Beasts Sect inside Song. The court should send people to reassure them as well and promise that their interests will be protected. What happened to the Yan army is a lesson right in front of us. We cannot afford not to guard against it."

[End of Chapter 726]