Chapter 1132: What Do You Mean by That?

Bu Xun nodded, then waved for his attendants to stop and remain behind. He clearly intended to speak with Huyan Wuhen alone.

Huyan Wuhen understood and likewise motioned for his guards to stop. His steward Zha Hu ignored the signal and continued following.

Bu Xun looked back at him. He knew that even when Huyan Wuhen entered the imperial palace, Zha Hu followed at his side. The man was Huyan Wuhen's absolute confidant, so there was no need to worry about him leaking secrets.

Once they had walked some distance from everyone else, Bu Xun sighed. "Grand Marshal, His Majesty is somewhat displeased that you defied the imperial decree."

"His displeasure is better than the destruction of the state," Huyan Wuhen replied. "The earlier chain of incidents was plainly a Jin stratagem. How can our army let Jin lead us around by the nose? If we truly did that, then by the time we finished suppressing the rebellion, Jin would probably already have dealt with most of Wei. Jin's purpose is obviously to delay our reinforcement of Wei. I refuse to believe His Majesty cannot see that."

"His Majesty naturally understands the Grand Marshal's painstaking intentions," Bu Xun said. "But does the Grand Marshal understand His Majesty's difficulties?"

"Please enlighten me, Chief Steward."

"I saw the memorial the Grand Marshal submitted while I was in the palace. In your eyes, five hundred thousand rebels are nothing more than a rabble. Your memorial made the matter sound very easy, saying His Majesty need only mobilize troops within the country to surround and suppress them. But the Grand Marshal knows what people's hearts are like. Certain men work without exerting themselves. Each hopes someone else's troops will do the fighting, all while secretly preserving his own strength. Otherwise, how could one hundred and fifty thousand rebels have so easily swept forward until they became five hundred thousand?"

Huyan Wuhen gave a cold snort. "When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If they are still harboring selfish calculations at a time like this, what use will preserving that little strength be once Qi is finished? I said long ago that those people should have been cleaned out!"

Bu Xun smiled bitterly. If you wiped them all out and let one house stand dominant, would that really be good? He shook his head and patiently said, "Everyone understands the principle! Do you think those people don't? Every one of them understands perfectly well. They all hope Qi prospers; no one wants Qi to fail. But the moment their own interests are truly touched, matters become something else entirely."

"Grand Marshal, the rebels have already swollen to five hundred thousand. If they are allowed to keep running rampant, they will shake the foundations of Qi."

"What does His Majesty want?"

"His Majesty's position has not changed. The Grand Marshal has his reasons for how he commands the war, but His Majesty still hopes you can detach one million troops and send them back to suppress the rebellion."

"And if I refuse?"

Bu Xun's face instantly turned grave. "Grand Marshal, the rebel army is capturing cities and seizing territory. How many people's interests have already been harmed in its sweep? You should know it is not only the territorial interests of officials at court. Who stands behind those officials? The various sects and factions, and the three great sects themselves. Have you considered the consequences of offending all those people? Grand Marshal, His Majesty understands your intentions, but the pressure upon him is enormous. Quite a few people are already using your defiance of the imperial decree against you!"

"So that is why His Majesty personally sent Chief Steward Bu here?"

"There are times when nothing else can be done. One has to find some way to attend to both ends. His Majesty's position is not easy. The war must be won, but everything else must also be kept whole. Grand Marshal, you should know that the three great sects consider His Majesty advanced in years and are already discussing the establishment of a Crown Prince. The Grand Marshal is related to His Majesty by marriage. You should think on His Majesty's behalf."

Huyan Wuhen stopped walking and stood in concentrated silence. Bu Xun watched him expectantly.

After a long time, Huyan Wuhen suddenly said, one word at a time, "A general in the field does not always obey the sovereign's command."

"You..." Bu Xun's face sank. "Grand Marshal, His Majesty is enduring all this pressure because you have defied the decree. Have you considered what happens if even His Majesty can no longer withstand it?"

"Ten days," Huyan Wuhen said. "Give me another ten days. At most, ask His Majesty to hold out for another half month. I will wipe out the rebel army for him!"

Bu Xun froze, then immediately brightened. "Grand Marshal, do you mean that?"

"There is no joking before an army. I am willing to issue a military pledge."

"Good!" Bu Xun clapped once in praise, then turned extraordinarily deferential and cupped his hands. "Then please instruct me, Grand Marshal. On what day will you detach the troops and send them back to suppress the rebellion? This old servant can take the answer back and put His Majesty's heart at ease."

"Detach troops?" Huyan Wuhen's face remained taut. "Jin's combat strength is fierce. I need enough men in hand to have confidence of victory. I will follow the original battle plan. I will not move a single man. I cannot allow the enemy to lead me around by the nose. Tell His Majesty simply to wait for my victory report."

"..." Bu Xun stared at him in disbelief. If he was not moving a single man, what was he going to use to suppress the rebellion? He could not help asking, "Grand Marshal, are you joking with this old servant?"

"There is no joking before an army," Huyan Wuhen sighed. "I am willing to issue a military pledge. What more could Chief Steward Bu have to worry about? You know I have spent my life in war. On the battlefield, I never treat the lives of soldiers as a game."

Bu Xun grew anxious and spread both hands. "Words spoken from a red mouth and white teeth leave no evidence behind. How is His Majesty supposed to withstand all that pressure with nothing to show for it? Do you expect this old servant to return carrying nothing but vague words with no shadow or substance? With only that, where is His Majesty supposed to find the confidence to face pressure from above and below?"

Huyan Wuhen was silent for a while before slowly saying, "Chief Steward, how could I fail to understand the consequences of the rebellion? This is plainly something Jin prepared in advance for the specific purpose of tying down our main army."

"Jin's Grand Marshal Gao Pin commands this war overall. I have crossed hands with Gao Pin before. He is quite capable. For a man who climbed all the way from common soldier to Grand Marshal, he truly possesses the talent of a commander. I know him fairly well. Defeating him will not be easy. I must use strategy!"

"Qin's army has moved. Xiping Pass is ground all three states must contest in this war. Our main army has ignored Jin's treacherous schemes and continues advancing into Wei. The eastern force originally assigned to intercept Yin Chu was delayed one or two days by the communications interference. It is probably too late now for a direct interception. If they force the march too hard, the troops will only arrive exhausted and unable to fight. I have therefore ordered them to change course and rush directly toward Xiping Pass."

"Xiping Pass is held by Wei troops. Tian Zhengyang's army is on the way, and our eastern force is heading there as well. With all three armies jointly opposing Yin Chu, how can Yin Chu possibly succeed so easily? Given that, Chief Steward, why not guess what Gao Pin will do next?"

Bu Xun listened intently. When Huyan Wuhen suddenly asked him, he froze and shook his head in complete confusion. He gave an awkward laugh. "This old servant understands none of these things. As far as commanding armies and laying plans on a battlefield go, I am a complete outsider. I need only listen to the Grand Marshal's wisdom. Please continue."

"To relieve the pressure, Gao Pin will order Prince Jin's rebel army to abandon its harassment inside Qi. Those five hundred thousand rebels will change course and rush straight toward Xiping Pass, supporting Yin Chu's attempt to seize it."

"When Prince Jin's rebellion first erupted, I already sensed something wrong. I could not let the enemy lead me by the nose. The moment the rebellion began, I ordered thirty thousand Valiant Cavalry to break into small groups and leave in secret. They have long since gone to the route the rebels must take if they march toward Xiping Pass and have laid an ambush there. I acted early enough that Gao Pin should not have anticipated it."

"Once Gao Pin changes his plan, he will assume I no longer have time to dispatch troops to intercept the rebels. He will expect me to divert the eastern interception force instead, thereby reducing the pressure on Yin Chu's army. What he does not know is that I moved early. The killing stroke has been lying in wait for some time already. A mere rebel rabble is nothing to fear."

Bu Xun gave a sound of understanding, then hesitated. "Can thirty thousand Valiant Cavalry really wipe out five hundred thousand rebels?"

"That is exactly why I defied the imperial decree," Huyan Wuhen replied. "Those people inside Qi are working without truly exerting themselves. It does not matter. So long as they come out to do the work, so long as the encircling forces keep chasing and biting at the rebels, that is enough. I cannot move the troops in my hands recklessly. I need those other forces drawn into the suppression."

"Once the rebels enter the ground where my Valiant Cavalry is waiting in ambush, the moment the cavalry strikes, I naturally have a way to ensure that those who previously worked without exerting themselves will no longer have the choice to hold back."

"When I sent word to His Majesty asking that the Valiant Cavalry left in the capital be assigned to the suppression campaign, I was already preparing for this. That was the reserve move I laid in advance."

"Once Gao Pin gives the order, once the rebel army enters my trap, our forces will annihilate them in a single stroke!"

"In this way, we can eliminate the internal danger of the rebellion without affecting the main army's campaign inside Wei. We can attend to both at once!"

Understanding finally dawned across Bu Xun's face. He thought it over and nodded repeatedly.

Just then, a general came running over and reported, "Grand Marshal! The rebel army has changed course toward the southeast. Judging by its intent, it seems to be marching on Xiping Pass!"

"I understand." Huyan Wuhen waved a hand, and the general immediately withdrew.

Bu Xun stared, then suddenly exclaimed in delighted surprise, "Everything is exactly as the Grand Marshal predicted. Gao Pin has indeed taken the bait! The Grand Marshal plans the campaign from afar and uses troops like a god. With the Grand Marshal here, Qi has nothing to fear. Gao Pin is certain to lose!"

Huyan Wuhen shook his head. "The battlefield changes in a thousand ways. Anything can happen. I am not His Majesty. Chief Steward, there is no need to flatter me like that."

Bu Xun gave an exclamation and said with a touch of complaint, "Since the Grand Marshal had a sound plan for suppressing the rebellion all along, why keep it hidden and make His Majesty worry for nothing?"

"The military communications hub was breached by Jin before," Huyan Wuhen replied. "That was the fault of Chief Steward Bu's Office of Investigation. I have already become a bird frightened by the bow. The lives of countless soldiers are bound up in this. How would I dare let military secrets leak again so easily? Never mind His Majesty. Even the Valiant Cavalry soldiers who broke into small groups still do not know what they are being sent to do. If I am laying a trap, it must look real. The reactions of people above and below are useful for deceiving the enemy."

At the mention of the military communications hub being breached, Bu Xun looked embarrassed. The matter truly had been the responsibility of the Office of Investigation, and he bore blame for it.

"Chief Steward, remember this. Apart from His Majesty, this military intelligence must not be told to a second person. Not even the Sect Leaders of the three great sects. Since the leak, I no longer trust anyone. I cannot gamble with the lives of my soldiers. Tell His Majesty to withstand the pressure and continue acting his part. Once we win a great victory, nothing will need explaining anymore."

Bu Xun repeatedly cupped his hands. "Grand Marshal, rest assured. This old servant will remember it firmly and will never delay the war effort!"

"Now that I have told Chief Steward the secret, can Chief Steward put His Majesty's mind at ease?"

"With victory this certain, how could His Majesty not be reassured?" Bu Xun chuckled for a moment, then continued flattering him. "The Grand Marshal's words have truly opened this old servant's eyes. People say, 'Qi has Wuhen; Yan has Shanming.' Today I have finally seen what they mean."

"Chief Steward praises me too highly," Huyan Wuhen said calmly. "I am not Meng Shanming's match."

"Uh..." Bu Xun waved a hand. "The Grand Marshal uses troops like a god. Why belittle yourself? In this old servant's eyes, Meng Shanming may not be your equal!"

Huyan Wuhen shook his head. A strange, indefinable emotion surfaced faintly on his face. He sighed. "In the position I occupy now, I am no match for him. If he were in the position I occupy now, then he might not be a match for me."

Bu Xun stared at him. "Grand Marshal, what do you mean by that?"

Huyan Wuhen had no desire to say more. He turned away and waved a hand. "His Majesty is anxious. Chief Steward, hurry back and report."

[End of Chapter 1132]