Chapter 1227: Gao Pin

A group of men who held the moral high ground would keep pressing until he agreed!

And Shao Pingbo seemed to have no road of retreat left either. If he refused, no matter how great his achievements were, they could not withstand so many mouths in the court attacking him.

Now, even if Taishu Xiong did not want to marry off this daughter, he had no choice. In the end, the nature of the matter had already changed. It had suddenly taken on an entirely different flavor. This was no longer simply a question of whether he wished to marry off his daughter.

That entire group was targeting Shao Pingbo!

They had already seen that Taishu Xiong intended to put Shao Pingbo to important use. Once Shao Pingbo was heavily employed, it meant some of their authority would have to be divided away, which meant some of their interests would be lost. Naturally, they did not want to see that happen.

They knew they could no longer stop the Emperor from using him, so they intended to use the Princess to humiliate Shao Pingbo viciously, preferably until he recognized the difficulty and withdrew of his own accord!

Bang!

Taishu Xiong slammed a fist onto the desk, grinding his teeth in fury.

Those bastards actually thought marrying his daughter was a humiliation!

He truly wished he could have the whole lot of them killed.

Yet some things, even if he possessed the power to do them, could only remain thoughts. He could not act that way, and in truth he could not do it either.

How many great ministerial households were linked by marriage to disciples of Qiyun Sect? Over so many years, the entire Jin court had long since fused together with Qiyun Sect. Without a proper and reasonable cause, indiscriminate killing was impossible.

And even with a proper and reasonable cause, he still could not slaughter the ministers of the court wholesale.

Once his anger cooled, he still had to face the problem.

After pacing for a long time, he suddenly stopped and called, "Tao Lue."

Tao Lue immediately hurried over and bowed deferentially. "Your Majesty!"

Taishu Xiong, however, fell silent.

Only after quite some time did he seem to make his final decision. "Send Shao Pingbo a detailed account of everything that happened in court today."

Tao Lue waited a moment. Seeing that no further words followed, he tentatively asked, "Does Your Majesty have any decree for Lord Shao?"

Taishu Xiong said, "We have no decree for him. He is an intelligent man. There is no need for Us to remind him of anything. He will make his own choice."

"Yes. This old servant will arrange it immediately." Tao Lue bowed, then turned and withdrew.

Taishu Xiong clasped his hands behind his back, raised his face toward the heavens, and closed his eyes...

...

"First, the Seventh Princess braved the rain and barged into the court hall. After court dispersed, Taishu Xiong summoned Noble Consort Lan. As for what happened after that, we do not yet know. We will have to continue investigating slowly. This matter cannot be rushed."

Inside Song's embassy, envoy Mai Deman had come to Jia Wuqun and relayed the intelligence obtained from within Jin's imperial palace.

A faint smile appeared on Jia Wuqun's face. He nodded to show he understood, then raised a hand to dismiss Mai Deman to his own affairs.

Mai Deman cupped his hands and withdrew.

Once no outsiders remained, Yuan Cong—though he disliked speaking much before others—still offered a well-intentioned warning for fear something might go wrong with the task Niu Youdao had entrusted to them. "If I were Shao Pingbo, even if I agreed, I could still find an excuse to delay the wedding. Delay long enough and circumstances may change."

Jia Wuqun smiled and shook his head slightly, as though finding the idea too shallow.

Yuan Cong asked, "What? Am I wrong?"

Jia Wuqun fell briefly silent. He had not intended to explain much, but seeing the other man wished to understand, he extended a finger.

Yuan Cong turned his back to him.

Jia Wuqun traced out his answer.

"The court may not be filled entirely with great talents, but it is filled with shrewd men. They have seen every sort of trick before. That sort of maneuver will not work in front of them."

"If Shao Pingbo refuses, that is one thing. But once he agrees, the people in court will not allow him to keep delaying. Even if Shao Pingbo falls so ill that he is nearly dying, they will find some excuse to carry him into the bridal chamber. Whether the Seventh Princess becomes a widow is not their concern."

"Believe it or not, they will very enthusiastically choose the earliest auspicious wedding date they can for the Seventh Princess."

Yuan Cong had nothing to say.

Thinking it over, that truly was possible.

He instinctively looked back at Jia Wuqun and had to admit that this man truly deserved his reputation as the Hidden Chancellor behind Song's Chancellor. When it came to the workings of a court, he understood them thoroughly...

...

After suffering defeat, Jin's offensive in Wei stalled and the army was forced to withdraw.

Only after Jin rebuilt a stable defensive line did it finally steady its footing under pressure from Qi's forces.

Inside the central command tent, Gao Pin had just received news from the capital and was shaking his head with a sigh when a young officer entered and reported, "Grand Marshal, Lord Shao Pingbo, Provincial Inspector of Beizhou, requests an audience."

"Eh..." Gao Pin instinctively looked down at the report in his hand.

It was precisely intelligence sent by military officials in court about the Princess forcing the marriage.

He had been sighing over the matter, and now the very man being forced into that marriage had appeared.

What timing...

He turned the sheet facedown on the desk. "Invite him in!"

A short while later, a travel-worn Shao Pingbo entered with his attendant Shao Sansheng.

"This subordinate greets the Grand Marshal!"

"No need, no need." Gao Pin laughed heartily and came around the long desk himself. He even reached out to help Shao Pingbo up.

Once Shao Pingbo straightened, Gao Pin looked him over.

Though still young, the man's face was weather-beaten and the hair at both temples had already turned frosty white.

Gao Pin nodded repeatedly, his expression full of approval, and patted Shao Pingbo on the arm. "Lord Shao has worked hard!"

This was not deliberate showmanship.

He genuinely admired Shao Pingbo.

Although Jin had suffered a setback in the previous battle, Gao Pin, as the architect of the military campaign, had coordinated his plans closely with Shao Pingbo's work behind the scenes.

Gao Pin knew major secrets that even some ministers at court did not.

That Jin had been able to invade Wei so smoothly and seize Xiping Pass so rapidly owed no small part to Shao Pingbo's efforts behind the curtain.

Naturally, Shao Pingbo responded with modest words.

After the courtesies, Gao Pin ordered a camp stool brought over, invited Shao Pingbo to sit, and had tea served.

Once the two sat facing each other, Gao Pin tested him. "Lord Shao has hidden himself behind the battlefield all this time, appearing and disappearing like a divine dragon whose head is seen but never its tail. What brings you into the open today?"

Shao Pingbo said, "Naturally, the war."

Gao Pin gave an "Oh" and continued probing. "Has Lord Shao received the latest news from the capital?"

Shao Pingbo immediately sensed something unusual.

Why was this commander-in-chief showing so little interest in the war and instead circling around unrelated matters?

Watching Gao Pin's expression carefully, he replied, "I receive news from the capital every day. Which matter does the Grand Marshal mean?"

Judging from his reaction, he apparently had not heard yet.

Gao Pin relaxed considerably.

He had worried Shao Pingbo had come because of what had happened in the capital and wanted Gao Pin to help him. If so, that would amount to taking on nearly the entire court and place Gao Pin in a difficult position.

Since Shao Pingbo did not know yet, Gao Pin waved it away. "Forget it. Matters in the capital are beyond the reach of those of us out here. No need to mention them. You said you came because of the war. Do you have some new intelligence?"

Suspicion flickered in Shao Pingbo's eyes, but he temporarily suppressed it and addressed the main issue first. "Any new intelligence worth knowing should already reach the Grand Marshal at the earliest opportunity. I have no new information to provide. I came to ask the Grand Marshal for instruction."

"Ai!" Gao Pin waved a hand. "You and I are working together. No need to speak of asking for instruction. An army camp is a straightforward place. We do not bother with all those twists and turns. Little brother, say what you came to say."

Shao Pingbo smiled. "Then I will speak frankly. May I ask how the Grand Marshal evaluates Huyan Wuhen?"

"Evaluate him?" Gao Pin paused, then gave a rueful sigh and shook his head. "There is no need for me to hide anything from you. The world says, 'Yan has Shanming; Qi has Wuhen!' In my view, that reputation is not undeserved. Huyan Wuhen is the greatest obstacle before Jin's army."

"Nor am I trying to raise another's prestige and extinguish my own. Gao is simply not his equal!"

Shao Pingbo's expression grew solemn. "For the Grand Marshal to be so modest, I do not know whether I should admire your self-awareness or say you are being overly humble."

Gao Pin waved him off. "Ai. If I am not his equal, then I am not his equal. I have already suffered defeat at his hands. I am a defeated general. If I still boast and glorify myself, it would be meaningless—and it would dishonor the Jin soldiers who died in battle."

Shao Pingbo said, "If the Grand Marshal puts it that way, am I to understand that Jin's army cannot defeat Qi's?"

Gao Pin laughed loudly and reached over to pat Shao Pingbo's knee. "If that were true, what would be the point of fighting? We might as well withdraw and admit defeat immediately. Why sit here suffering, harming the state and wasting the lives of our sons?"

"I acknowledge that I am inferior to Huyan Wuhen, but there is no need to belittle myself either. Little brother, come."

With that, Gao Pin rose.

Shao Pingbo did not understand why, but followed him.

The two came before a large map of the Seven States.

Gao Pin pointed at it. "The Seven States beneath Heaven are all here. Little brother, take a look."

Shao Pingbo studied the map back and forth but saw nothing unusual. "I know the map of the Seven States by heart. What does the Grand Marshal wish to show me?"

Gao Pin picked up a pointer and tapped the western side of the map. "The Western Three States. How would you judge the strengths of each? Ai, speak freely. Do not worry about offending anyone. Say exactly what you think."

"Very well." Shao Pingbo cupped his hands, then pointed to the three states in turn.

"Wei is the granary beneath Heaven. The state is rich. As the upheaval in Qin demonstrated, it has always used wealth to constrain military power."

"Qi is mostly grassland, the source of warhorses beneath Heaven. Its cavalry ranges unhindered and is difficult to withstand."

"Jin has excellent arms and armor. Its people are fierce and martial, accustomed to war. Unfortunately, it was impoverished and, before this, could not sustain a prolonged campaign."

"That is my rough assessment. Does the Grand Marshal disagree?"

"More or less." Gao Pin planted the pointer against the ground and rested both hands atop it. Then he asked, "Meng Shanming and Huyan Wuhen—which one is superior?"

"This..." Shao Pingbo hesitated.

After considering it, he slowly said, "The world says, 'Yan has Shanming; Qi has Wuhen!' If the two can be mentioned together, they should be roughly comparable. Neither has ever fought the other directly. To insist one is superior seems difficult."

"Since the Grand Marshal asks me this, do you have another view?"

Gao Pin looked toward Yan on the map, then toward Qi, and chuckled. "Yan has Shanming; Qi has Wuhen. In my view, there is probably some reason Meng Shanming's name comes first. It is not entirely groundless."

"In earlier years, everyone spoke of how formidable Yan's Yingyang and Wulie Guards were..."

His pointer tapped Qi.

"Qi is a pasture Heaven itself bestowed upon the land. It produces warhorses in abundance. Most men of Qi grow up in the saddle. Their riding and archery are nearly innate, and after organized training they become even more formidable."

"In my view, that is not something a little intensive training can fully compensate for. When it comes to cavalry warfare, the Yingyang and Wulie Guards might not have been a match for Huyan Wuhen's Valiant Cavalry."

"Yet although Qi's cavalry is powerful, and the Valiant Cavalry comes and goes like the wind with terrifying speed, it also possesses an inborn weakness created by Qi itself."

"Qi's terrain is mostly flat. Its army is not skilled at mountain warfare."

"Jin and Qi have clashed again and again. Even after Jin suffered defeats, why was Qi never able to drive into Jin's territory and sweep across it?"

"That is the reason."

"Now look at Meng Shanming. In the previous campaign he destroyed Zhao. Earlier still, he invaded Han and Song several times, sweeping through their territories and throwing both states into panic."

"If not for the mutual constraints among the states, Meng Shanming might long ago have led Yan's armies to destroy Han and Song!"

"From this, one can see that in the sophistication of strategy and tactics, Huyan Wuhen is inferior to Meng Shanming."

Shao Pingbo listened thoughtfully and gradually nodded. "After hearing the Grand Marshal's analysis, I feel as though a blockage in my mind has been cleared. But what does this have to do with the present war?"

Gao Pin smiled and answered with a question. "Then do you know how Meng Shanming lost the use of his legs?"

[End of Chapter 1227]