Chapter 863: Sudden Upheaval

"This general is incompetent and deserves ten thousand deaths!"

Inside the Han army's central command tent, a general in disordered armor, battered and bedraggled from battle, dropped to his knees with a clatter and begged forgiveness in shame.

The hundred thousand troops under his command had pursued the enemy into a mountain valley. Suddenly, the mountainsides collapsed and rolling boulders cut off both their advance and retreat. The vanguard was ambushed. The rear hurried forward to rescue them, only to discover that the Song army had deliberately struck at the reinforcements rushing to a besieged point. Then, when the Han army suffered a crushing defeat and tried to withdraw, another ambush struck along the retreat route.

They had been defeated again and again whether advancing or retreating. Of the hundred thousand men, nearly all had been wiped out. Only a few thousand escaped back alive. The general himself had nearly lost his life and survived only because cultivators risked themselves desperately to rescue him.

Everyone in the command tent wore a grave expression. Since the war between Han and Song began, this was the first time the Han army had suffered such a disastrous defeat.

Jin Jue stared at the kneeling man for a long moment, then sighed. "The fault for this defeat is not yours. I underestimated the enemy and advanced too recklessly. Go rest."

"Thank you, Grand Marshal, for sparing my life." The general kowtowed with tears of gratitude, rose, wiped his eyes, and left.

Jin Jue turned and walked to the map. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Luring the enemy in, striking the reinforcements, cutting off the route of retreat, and disguising the true intent of the deployment—the timing was extremely tight, and the movements of the troops showed real discipline. This does not look like something Zhao Zhihuan could devise. It feels more like Luo Zhao's hand... Could Luo Zhao have returned?"

His words had barely fallen when a report came from outside. A communications officer hurried in. "Grand Marshal, urgent report from our scouts! Zhao Zhihuan has been removed as commander of the Song army. Luo Zhao has returned and once again taken command of Song's forces!"

"Luo Zhao is back?" A stir immediately ran through the tent.

To the Song army, Jin Jue was an opponent who left men struggling for breath. But to the Han army, Luo Zhao was just as difficult a bone to gnaw.

Against Luo Zhao, Han could only proceed step by step. If it tried to force a quick decisive victory, Luo Zhao was no easy prey and would never allow it.

So Luo Zhao truly had returned.

Jin Jue slowly closed his eyes and sighed. "I was careless and underestimated the enemy. This battle has lifted the morale of the Song army."

...

The Song army camp was filled with celebration, but Luo Zhao, issuing military orders one after another from the central command tent, could not relax.

He had fought Jin Jue for so long that he knew perfectly well how opportunistic this victory had been. Only because the Han army advanced rashly had Luo Zhao found an opening to strike.

When he first took command again, he too had been surprised. He did not understand why Jin Jue's style had changed so sharply after the war resumed.

What he did not know was that after receiving Niu Youdao's threat, Jin Jue had been troubled by a hidden concern. He wanted to finish Song before the Yan-Zhao war ended, lest Han later face enemies from front and rear. That urgency was what had allowed Luo Zhao to seize this opportunity. To a large extent, Luo Zhao also had to thank the previous Song commander, Zhao Zhihuan. His repeated defeats and enormous losses had lulled Jin Jue into complacency.

When news of the victory reached the Song capital, however, the court was greatly heartened and publicized it everywhere to bolster popular morale and the spirit of the army.

The joy did not last long.

Luo Zhao had merely checked the Han army's furious advance. He could not stop Han from pushing forward step by step.

The Song court officials, who had been full of expectation, gradually fell into disappointment once more.

As the situation worsened, Zi Pingxiu finally made the choice he had never wanted to make. Jia Wuqun personally stepped forward and secretly contacted the people of Song's three great sects.

For the three great sects, did preserving the imperial authority of the Mu clan or preserving the State of Song even require thought?

Under normal circumstances, Song's three great sects would unquestionably protect the Mu clan's imperial authority. They did not want internal disorder in Song harming their interests.

But circumstances had already deteriorated this far. If the plan succeeded, they could even recover the southern territories occupied by Wu Gongling. And Zi Pingxiu was willing to help stabilize the interior so the transition would not plunge the state into major chaos.

At this point, preserving Song meant preserving the interests of the three great sects.

As for help from outside, every family was sweeping the snow before its own door. They had already given up hoping Yan would send troops.

Jia Wuqun persuaded Song's three great sects with almost no effort.

Afterward, the three sects quickly sent people to escort Jia Wuqun in secret to southern Song, where he met privately with Wu Gongling.

After a confidential discussion, Jia Wuqun departed.

Wu Gongling bent to pick up the sheets of paper from the floor. Looking over the words Jia Wuqun had left behind, he wiped cold sweat from his brow. Then a beastlike excitement appeared in his eyes.

"What comes without effort at all! Heaven itself is helping me!"

...

Beneath the corridor eaves, Feng Guan'er sat leaning against the balustrade bench, her eyes full of worry. She had grown noticeably thinner.

Luo Zhao's return to the battlefield had not reversed the course of the war, leaving her deeply anxious. She feared something might happen to him.

"Madam, the Sect Leader is here!" A cultivator guarding the residence came running over with an urgent report.

Feng Guan'er froze. "The Sect Leader?"

"Guan'er!"

A familiar voice sounded.

Feng Guan'er looked back and discovered that an honored guest truly had arrived without warning.

Guan Jitai, Sect Leader of Lingxiao Pavilion, had personally come to her home.

She hurried to her feet, ran down the steps, and bowed in greeting. She was genuinely astonished. This was the first time the Sect Leader himself had ever come to her residence.

After the two sat in the reception hall, Guan Jitai dismissed everyone else and explained why he had come.

He hoped Feng Guan'er could help persuade Luo Zhao to cooperate with their plans. Luo Zhao presently held command of the army at the front, so his cooperation mattered greatly.

"Replace the Emperor?" Feng Guan'er was deeply shocked. She said urgently, "That's impossible. Luo Zhao is proud and unyielding. He would never become a traitorous minister. More importantly, His Majesty is his adoptive father. Sect Leader, please reconsider!"

Guan Jitai said, "If he were easy to persuade, I would not have come to you. You have been husband and wife for many years. Do your best to persuade him."

Feng Guan'er shook her head again and again. "Sect Leader, even if I try, it will be useless. He will never listen to me about something like this. Besides, the way he treats me now..."

Guan Jitai said, "I've heard about the problems between you. I can understand. He suffered one defeat after another and lost heart for a time. He merely vented the depression in his chest on you."

"But circumstances are different now. Tell him that so long as he obediently cooperates, then if for no other reason than your sake, Lingxiao Pavilion will continue protecting his future!"

Feng Guan'er had suffering she could not speak aloud, and she was ashamed to explain it.

If she had not been worried about Luo Zhao's safety, if she had not planned to secure an escape route for him once Song's cause was truly lost, she would already have found a rope and hanged herself from a roof beam.

"Sect Leader, it won't work. He will never agree to something like this!"

"You're certain it won't work?"

"It truly won't. He absolutely will not agree!"

Guan Jitai said nothing more. He rose and walked away.

Fear flooded Feng Guan'er's heart.

Luo Zhao was an uncompromising loyalist to the throne. Once the three great sects decided to replace the Emperor, if Luo Zhao would rather die than obey, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Sect Leader! Sect Leader..."

Feng Guan'er hurried after him.

Two cultivators flashed into place and blocked her path.

"Madam, please come with us."

...

Guan Jitai hurried to the imperial palace.

There he joined Qu Fan, Sect Leader of Blood God Hall, and Wu Chengyu, Sect Leader of Heaven-Splitting Palace, who had arrived before him.

Together, the three Sect Leaders went to see Mu Zhuozhen, Emperor of Song.

"The Shang Sword?" Mu Zhuozhen asked in startled uncertainty.

He had no idea why the three Sect Leaders wanted to inspect the state-protecting divine artifact at a time like this.

He voiced his doubts directly.

"Why must you inspect it now?"

Qu Fan said, "Rumors are circulating outside that the state-protecting divine artifact has been lost. We came to verify it."

Mu Zhuozhen immediately sensed something was wrong and refused to produce it.

"The three Sect Leaders may rest assured. The state-protecting divine artifact is inside the secret vault. No one but Us can open it. There is absolutely no possibility that it has been lost!"

Wu Chengyu said coldly, "What harm is there in opening it for us to see? Are we not allowed to look?"

Mu Zhuozhen stared closely at the three men's reactions.

Then he suddenly said, "The rumor is true. It really has been lost!"

Guan Jitai waved a hand.

A disciple behind him flashed forward, seized Mu Zhuozhen on the spot, and forced him to his knees.

Chief Steward Mo Gao cried out, "What are you trying to do? Guards!"

A group of cultivator eunuchs rushed in at the call.

Cold light flashed.

A sword was already resting against Mu Zhuozhen's neck.

The men who had charged inside immediately hesitated.

Chaos suddenly erupted both inside and outside the palace.

Disciples of the three great sects moved at the same time, seizing all of Mu Zhuozhen's sons and daughters and bringing them into the palace.

Within the grounds, layer after layer of Imperial Guards surrounded the three Sect Leaders and their people.

But with the Emperor in enemy hands, the guards did not dare act rashly.

When Mu Zhuozhen's children were brought over, the Imperial Guards had no choice but to make way.

The three great sects used his sons and daughters to threaten him.

Mu Zhuozhen still refused to yield and still refused to hand over the state-protecting divine artifact.

Then the three sects began torturing him directly.

Mu Zhuozhen screamed beneath the brutal torment.

When he finally saw one child after another fall into pools of blood, he could endure no more and gave in.

The secret vault, cast in bronze and iron and impossible to force open, was finally unlocked.

An ancient sword, black from hilt to tip and as broad as a man's palm, fell into the hands of the three great sects.

Clang!

Guan Jitai swung the Shang Sword down.

A treasured blade placed before it was severed as easily as if the Shang Sword were cutting mud.

After confirming the artifact was genuine, Guan Jitai nodded toward Qu Fan and Wu Chengyu.

...

In one of the palace court chambers, the civil and military officials had gathered.

Zi Pingxiu sat with his eyes closed, quietly resting.

After waiting until their patience wore thin, someone finally asked, "Chancellor, why have you summoned us here only to leave everyone waiting?"

Without opening his eyes, Zi Pingxiu replied calmly, "Just wait."

Confused noises drifted in from outside.

Someone looked through a window and saw Imperial Guards rushing back and forth through the palace.

He could not help calling to the others, "What's happened?"

Someone tried to leave and investigate, but cultivators outside stopped him and refused to let him pass.

After another period of waiting, several disciples of the three great sects rushed inside.

They came to Zi Pingxiu's side and stood guard around him.

One bent down and whispered into his ear for a while.

Only then did Zi Pingxiu slowly open his eyes.

He rose to his feet and said heavily, "All of you understand the present situation of Great Song."

"Now this old man wishes to ask you one question."

"Do you still want to preserve Great Song?"

...

"Grand Commander-in-Chief, Madam has arrived."

Someone reported from outside the tent.

Luo Zhao, standing before a map inside, looked back.

Feng Guan'er entered under the escort of several Lingxiao Pavilion disciples.

The moment he saw her, pain twisted through Luo Zhao's heart.

His face darkened.

"What are you doing here?"

Feng Guan'er looked conflicted.

She glanced around and said to the others in the tent, "Please withdraw for now."

Several clerks bowed and left.

Feng Guan'er then explained why she had come.

She urged Luo Zhao to follow the arrangements of the three great sects, keep the army steady, and obey the coming orders.

Luo Zhao's face twisted.

His arm trembled as he raised it and pointed at her.

For a long time, he could not speak.

Feng Guan'er's face was filled with pain.

She had not wanted to come and persuade him.

But she could not refuse.

She could not allow the three great sects to murder Luo Zhao.

"Bitch!"

Luo Zhao drew his sword with a hiss and pointed it at Feng Guan'er.

"Your shamelessness was bad enough. Now you even want to teach me to commit disloyal and unrighteous deeds. How can I spare you?"

He charged forward to cut her down.

The cultivators who had accompanied her were no weaklings.

They moved on the spot and restrained the roaring Luo Zhao.

The tent flap lifted again.

A man entered with a broad smile, holding out an imperial decree.

It was none other than Zhao Zhihuan, the former front-line commander who had been replaced earlier.

"Luo Zhao, His Majesty has issued a decree. Will you obey it or not?"

"By imperial command, I am to take command of the army at the front. You may rest for the time being!"

"Treacherous villain! That decree must be forged!"

Luo Zhao struggled and cursed.

A cultivator beside him struck again, silencing him completely.

Zhao Zhihuan sneered.

Holding the imperial decree, he turned and left the tent to proclaim it before the entire army.

[End of Chapter 863]