Chapter 948: We Swear to Fight the Yan Bandits to the Death!

This was nothing less than a naked threat, without even the slightest room for negotiation. They were forcibly demanding his woman. Wu Gongling hated it so much his teeth itched.

If he truly agreed to this, where would he put his face?

Yet Meng Shanming's personal arrival at the front exerted no small pressure on him. His face darkened, his expression shifting between shadow and light as no one knew what he was thinking.

"May I ask Your Majesty what the situation is?" Chancellor Zi Pingxiu ventured.

Wu Gongling said nothing. With a sweep of his hand, he sent the military intelligence report and Meng Shanming's war proclamation over to his civil and military officials.

After everyone passed the documents around and read them in turn, their hearts pounded as well. Meng Shanming had personally reached the front, and his words left no room for doubt that he intended to fight. The pressure on everyone was substantial.

To the entire State of Song, Meng Shanming was a dark cloud hanging over the hearts of its people. Again and again he had inflicted enormous destruction on Song, and throughout all these years Song seemed never to have produced anyone capable of stopping him.

After a stretch of silence, Wu Gongling suddenly asked, "What do all of you think?"

What could they think? Words already spoken were like water thrown onto the ground; they could not easily be taken back. Reversing one's position meant slapping oneself in the face, so no one casually changed sides. The same two opposing views continued to clash.

One faction believed that with even Meng Shanming personally arriving in Bozhou, which was not Niu Youdao's own territory, it was clear that Zijin Cave had already reached a unified internal position and that war was very likely. The other faction believed Yan's priority under present circumstances should be recovering its strength, making a reckless war unlikely. In their view, this was purely intimidation.

They argued back and forth, but no one dared say with certainty what would happen. Not one person dared stake his life on his judgment.

When the arguing produced no result, smack! Wu Gongling suddenly drew the treasured sword at his waist. A cold gleam flashed, and with one clean stroke he chopped a corner off the desk.

The hall went instantly silent.

With a savage expression, Wu Gongling declared, "The Yan bandits have gone too far! How can I casually hand my woman over to someone else? A man may be killed, but not humiliated. Better to be shattered jade than an intact tile! My mind is made up. I would rather die than submit. I swear to fight the Yan bandits to the death! Whoever dares stop me will end like this desk!"

The people in the hall exchanged looks. Some cupped their hands and accepted the order in response. Others looked deeply worried.

After the civil and military officials dispersed, Wu Gongling remained standing with his sword planted before him, his expression changing repeatedly. Deep inside, he was just as worried as they were.

Behind a curtain, Shan Dongxing pushed the drape aside and emerged. He picked up the military report and Meng Shanming's war proclamation and read them. Frowning, he asked, "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"

Wu Gongling said, "I'm thinking of a way."

Shan Dongxing said, "Why not immediately report this to the three major sects and ask them to think of something?"

Wu Gongling gave a cold snort. "Can something like this be concealed? Even if we don't report it, they'll know soon enough. And even if they know, so what? Once Yan truly launches the war, with Song's present national strength, do you think the three major sects can stop them?"

...

At the Chancellor's residence, Zi Pingxiu returned toward evening. After entering the residence, he went directly to the western courtyard, walked beneath a tree, and sat beside Jia Wuqun.

The servants were already familiar with the routine. Two of them quickly brought over the special writing stand Jia Wuqun used for conversation and set prepared brush and ink beside it.

Once the servants had withdrawn, Zi Pingxiu said, "Niu Youdao's influence over Yan's military truly is extraordinary. The posture he's put on is intimidating enough. Not only have forces throughout Yan begun mobilizing, he has even sent Meng Shanming personally to the Bozhou front, making it look as though they truly mean to fight..." He then explained the military intelligence, the contents of Meng Shanming's proclamation, and the reactions of the civil and military officials at court.

Jia Wuqun lifted his brush and wrote a question: "How did the present ruler react?"

Zi Pingxiu said, "He drew his sword and chopped the desk apart to declare his resolve. He swore that he would rather be shattered jade than an intact tile, that he would fight Yan to the bitter end, and that anyone who dared advise against it would end like the chopped desk. Sir, this time I'm afraid our cleverness may have backfired. Whether Niu Youdao truly intends to fight, I don't know. But His Majesty has resolved on a fight to the death!"

Jia Wuqun threw back his head and laughed. Without a tongue, the sound was somewhat strange.

He shook his head, then wrote on the paper: "If he fights, what will he fight with? Domestic order has only just been restored. Even basic supply and demand are difficult to guarantee. The people long for stability, and the soldiers have no morale. Where will he obtain the supplies needed for war in such a short time? If war begins, Song will certainly lose. He cannot possibly fail to understand that!"

Zi Pingxiu shook his head. "Sir knows what His Majesty is like. Back then the Han army invaded our territory with overwhelming momentum, yet did His Majesty yield in the slightest? Everyone called for peace talks. Even the three major sects wanted negotiations, but His Majesty insisted on his own course and fought to the end. That precedent is right before our eyes. Now that His Majesty has resolved to fight a bloody war, how can we treat it as a joke?"

"Ho, ho..." Jia Wuqun laughed toward the heavens, the sound odd without his tongue.

He shook his head and wrote again: "If I did not understand Wu Gongling's nature to some extent, how would I have dared offer Niu Youdao this strategy? Lord Wu does possess some ability and is superior to Mu Zhuozhen, but though he appears tough, in truth he is fierce in manner and weak at heart. When has he ever dared collide head-on on the battlefield? Whenever he meets a hard opponent, he flees all across Yan. When fighting the Han army inside Song, he likewise hid and dodged, never daring a direct confrontation. How could he dare fight the Yan army to the death? This man knows very well when to yield. Why does the Chancellor believe he will truly be so unyielding?"

When he filled the page, he turned to a fresh sheet and wrote another line for Zi Pingxiu to read: "Chancellor, dare you wager with me? I am certain he will swallow the humiliation and hand her over!"

Seeing him so certain, Zi Pingxiu gave an "Oh?" and frowned in thought. Then he said slowly, "If he could advance and retreat against the Han army, why couldn't he do the same against the Yan army?"

Jia Wuqun shook his head and wrote: "That was then, this is now. As I said before, this man knows very well when to yield! A man without loyalty or righteousness has no bottom line to begin with. How could he remain unyielding for the sake of one woman?"

Zi Pingxiu sighed. "I hope it is as Sir says. If war can be avoided, that would be best. Song truly cannot withstand any more turmoil."

He was, after all, Chancellor of Song, and had served as Chancellor for many years. Deep in his heart, he still hoped Song would fare well.

Jia Wuqun understood his feelings and said no more on the subject, slowly sipping his tea.

Just then, the steward hurried over. After saluting Zi Pingxiu and then Jia Wuqun, he reported to Zi Pingxiu, "Chancellor, Sect Leader Shan Dongxing of Tongxian Pavilion has arrived."

Zi Pingxiu asked, "What for?"

The steward replied, "I don't know. He only said he came to pay the Chancellor a visit."

"Coming to visit me at a time like this..." Zi Pingxiu stroked his beard, pondering the man's purpose. Then he saw Jia Wuqun set down his teacup, write a line, and turn the board toward him.

"The persuader has arrived!"

Zi Pingxiu looked at Jia Wuqun. Seeing the faint smile that was not quite a smile on his face, he rose thoughtfully and left.

As a favorite beside Wu Gongling, Shan Dongxing was naturally an honored guest. When host and guest took their seats in the main hall, Jia Wuqun appeared as well. He walked leisurely to one side of the entrance and stood beneath the eaves, quietly listening. Anyone else who dared eavesdrop on the Chancellor's conversation would have been driven away. With Jia Wuqun, the guards merely glanced over. No one found it strange.

After some pleasantries inside the main hall, Zi Pingxiu asked, "Sect Leader Shan, have you come with some instruction for me?"

Shan Dongxing waved a hand. "I wouldn't call it instruction. I've come to ask your advice. I'll get straight to the point. Chancellor, you know Song's condition better than anyone. In your view, does Song's present national strength suffice for a war with Yan?"

Zi Pingxiu shook his head and sighed. "We are stretched thin everywhere. Sect Leader Shan knows this perfectly well. We truly cannot endure any more upheaval."

Shan Dongxing asked in surprise, "Then with Song facing a matter of life and death, why does the Chancellor, as head of all civil officials, not remonstrate with His Majesty? Why sit by and watch Song fall into danger?"

Zi Pingxiu smiled bitterly. "I'd like to persuade him. But you've seen His Majesty's attitude. He cut the desk with his sword to make his resolve clear. Who dares advise him now?"

Shan Dongxing exclaimed, "Chancellor, Chancellor! His Majesty does indeed have a fierce temperament, but he is not a man incapable of understanding reason..."

Listening from outside, Jia Wuqun eventually turned and left. There was nothing more worth hearing. No matter how many times the words were turned over, they amounted to the same thing.

In short, Shan Dongxing hoped that under circumstances like these, Zi Pingxiu would not preserve himself at the expense of the state, but would put national affairs first and courageously step forward to remonstrate.

After seeing the distinguished guest off, Zi Pingxiu returned to the western courtyard and sat opposite Jia Wuqun. He had barely begun explaining Shan Dongxing's purpose when Jia Wuqun raised a hand, turned the writing board around, and revealed a line already written there.

"I heard it."

Then Jia Wuqun wrote another line and turned it toward him.

"That man is looking for a step down."

Zi Pingxiu chuckled and shook his head. "Although he never once said this was His Majesty's intention, how could I fail to know he came on His Majesty's orders? Ah, it looks like I have a busy night ahead of me."

Jia Wuqun wrote: "Not a bad thing! In the past he could ignore remonstrance. Once this precedent is established, a rule will gradually take shape, and little by little he will spin a cocoon around himself!"

Zi Pingxiu gave an acknowledging sound and nodded. That was indeed so. Once Wu Gongling listened to remonstrance this time, then if all the officials remonstrated again in the future and he refused to listen, everyone would know that on this occasion he had merely been looking for a way to save face—that he had been afraid and had handed his own wife over to someone else. There was nothing glorious about that.

He truly did have a busy night ahead. After returning, he immediately ordered people to summon the officials one after another. As head of the civil officials, Zi Pingxiu had once been capable of inciting the bureaucracy to overthrow Mu Zhuozhen. Naturally, he still possessed considerable influence now.

Of course, Zi Pingxiu would never say this was Wu Gongling's intention. Words could not be spoken carelessly. Wu Gongling's publicly declared position was that he would fight the Yan army to the death. Anyone who dared slander him otherwise would be courting death.

At court the next day, faced with the officials' remonstrance, Wu Gongling roared furiously, "If I had killed that bitch earlier, how would today's disaster ever have arisen? It was all because you people stopped and persuaded me! Now the facts are in front of us. That bitch has secretly colluded with the Yan bandits. Fortunately I deposed her, or if she had coordinated with them from inside at some future date, the consequences would have been unimaginable. My mind is made up. I swear to fight the Yan bandits to the death. Stop wasting your words!"

With that, he stormed away in fury.

The officials, however, refused to give up. After leaving the court hall, Zi Pingxiu led them to the outside of the Imperial Study and requested an audience with Wu Gongling.

Wu Gongling refused to see them.

Outside the Imperial Study, Zi Pingxiu gave a look. Someone immediately dropped to his knees, kowtowed, and shouted, "Your Majesty, Song cannot endure any more turmoil. For the sake of Great Song, Your Majesty, please endure this humiliation and bear the burden!"

"We beg Your Majesty to endure humiliation and bear the burden!"

Once one person took the lead, others knelt one after another. In the end, every last one of them was kneeling. Even Zi Pingxiu, old bones and all, was no exception.

The crowd wept and wailed. Some cried until tears and mucus covered their faces. Others kowtowed until their foreheads split and blood ran down their faces.

The scene was miserable beyond description. Even the palace guards who had rushed over to maintain order could not help sighing inwardly with emotion. Loyal ministers indeed. They were not even afraid to die.

In short, unless His Majesty agreed, these men would rather die than rise. They intended to kneel until he agreed to bear the humiliation for the sake of the state.

At the same time, the Sect Leaders of Song's three major sects—Guan Jitai of Lingxiao Pavilion, Qu Fan of Blood God Hall, and Wu Chengyu of Heaven-Splitting Palace—rushed together to Zijin Cave to demand an explanation. They had no choice but to come with all possible speed. Meng Shanming's proclamation had given Song only three days. Naturally, they had come hoping to avert the conflict.

[End of Chapter 948]