Chapter 1274: An Upright Man Does Nothing in Secret

"You've never met him?"

Dugu Jing was clearly skeptical.

"General, this is no joking matter. Think carefully."

It truly was no joking matter.

The other party had volunteered to step forward and take such an enormous risk to help them.

If there were some hidden scheme behind it, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Once Yuan Gang led Qin's army into the desert, if he suddenly turned against them, he could bury Qin's entire force there.

"I truly don't know him. But..." Luo Zhao hesitated.

Dugu Jing immediately asked, "Did you remember something?"

Luo Zhao shook his head.

"I'm certain I do not know Yuan Gang of Maolu Villa."

"But I can't guarantee I've never met this person under some other identity."

"Until I see him in person, I can't be completely certain."

Dugu Jing fell silent for a moment.

"Fine. General, arrange the army's withdrawal first."

"Whether you know him or not, you'll know once you meet face-to-face."

Luo Zhao nodded.

For now, that was all they could do.

Afterward, Luo Zhao rapidly began making arrangements.

With such an enormous army, withdrawal required careful planning.

They could not simply turn around in a disorderly mass and leave.

Even so, the speed of preparation was remarkable.

One day later, the main Qin force attacking Xiping Pass suddenly withdrew.

The move had not received approval from Qin's Emperor.

But Luo Zhao understood the situation perfectly well.

The Emperor of Qin was only a puppet.

Following Yucang's decree could not be wrong.

At Xiping Pass, defender Yin Chu was baffled.

He had no idea what trick Luo Zhao was playing.

He repeatedly ordered scouts to investigate and confirm the movement.

Only after the main Qin force had truly moved far away did he accept that the withdrawal was real.

...

"What? They withdrew?"

Gao Pin was inspecting the Qi–Wei border when the report arrived.

He jumped down from his horse.

"Which direction did they withdraw toward?"

A soldier immediately spread out the campaign map he carried.

Based on Xiping Pass's report, an officer pointed out Qin's present withdrawal pattern.

"They've gone north. It doesn't look as though they're returning into Qin's interior..."

Gao Pin stared at the map and followed the direction of Qin's movement upward.

"Could they be planning to cross the high mountain range?"

He shook his head.

"The mountains are too high, the roads too dangerous, and the snow and cold too severe. An army cannot possibly cross there."

His gaze continued northward and settled at last on the Boundless Desert.

"Could they be planning to march through the desert?"

"Impossible."

"Even if they weren't afraid of the monsters in the desert, a large army and its baggage train could never cross something that vast."

His gaze moved farther north and stopped again at the coastline.

"Could they be planning to go around by sea and land inside Qi?"

"That isn't possible either."

"With this many men, how many oceangoing ships would they need to transport them?"

"What the hell is Luo Zhao doing?"

Gao Pin studied the map again and again, muttering to himself.

He truly could not understand what Qin's army intended.

With no grasp of their objective, he could make no effective response.

There was no other choice.

He issued orders.

"Have the scouts continue watching them closely."

"At the same time, put Blackwater Terrace into motion. We must learn Qin's intention!"

He had grown uneasy.

On a battlefield, few things were more dangerous than not understanding what the enemy was doing.

He feared Luo Zhao might spring some unexpected surprise attack.

"Yes!"

The general accepted the order.

Gao Pin then turned toward the Qiyun Sect Elder traveling with him.

"Elder, immediately send a group of cultivators along the mountain range again."

"Have them inspect the entire route carefully and see whether we overlooked some hidden pass or undiscovered path."

The Qiyun Sect Elder nodded.

"Good."

Gao Pin added another warning.

"Elder, this matter cannot be treated lightly."

"Qin is not Wei."

"Wei was broken apart from the beginning and never managed to form an effective fighting force. That was why we could seize Wei so quickly."

"Qin's army is different. It is a complete military force, and Luo Zhao is quite capable."

"If Qin enters the war, it will create considerable pressure for us."

"Luo Zhao's sudden withdrawal north must have a purpose."

"Understood," the Elder said.

"I will make sure they inspect every inch with their eyes open."

"If anyone overlooks something, no matter who he is, let the Grand Marshal deal with him under military law."

The unusual movement of Qin's army had already placed pressure on Jin.

For the sake of this war, Jin's covert agents and spies everywhere were activated in full.

Yet they learned nothing.

Qin had guarded the secret too tightly.

Within the entire Qin army, Luo Zhao alone knew what was happening.

When the other generals asked, he refused to reveal anything.

The secret was kept with absolute strictness.

Not the slightest hint was allowed to leak.

Within Qin itself, the only other people who knew were Yucang and Dugu Jing.

Even when the Elders of Xiaoyue Pavilion demanded an explanation for Bai Shangcheng's death, Yucang did not dare disclose the truth.

He said only that it involved an absolute secret and promised that after a certain period, he would give them a full explanation.

At that time, the Elders would naturally understand why he had not pursued the matter.

Qi, meanwhile, grew excited.

They did not know what plan Qin had devised and sent envoys to communicate with them.

Qin still refused to reveal anything.

They said only that once the time came, Qi would naturally be informed so both sides could coordinate.

Until then, Qin would not reveal a single word.

At the same time, Qin once again sent envoys to Song.

There was no choice.

Song, Han, and Yan all refused to watch Jin grow too powerful.

They were forcing Qin to join Qi in resisting Jin.

If Qin refused, Han and Yan would be the first to turn their blades against Qin.

For Qin, the choice was simple.

Should one state face both Han and Yan alone, or should it join Qi against Jin?

There was hardly anything to consider.

Besides, once Jin grew strong enough to march east, Qin would be the first state to suffer.

How could Qin ignore such a future threat?

Song's position, however, was different.

Song likewise did not want Han and Yan to grow stronger, nor did it want to see the two states swallow Qin.

Song had therefore given Qin a guarantee:

So long as Qin joined Qi against Jin, Song would restrain Han and Yan from the rear.

Qin's latest envoys were being sent to secure that guarantee once more.

Jin, meanwhile, had tried to stabilize Qin by offering a shipment of grain to relieve its difficulties.

There was a condition.

Qin had to abandon its alliance with Qi.

Qin desperately wanted the grain.

But how could it fail to see Jin's intention?

The moment Qin accepted that grain, Han and Yan would certainly send troops against it.

Jin was hiding malice in a gesture of kindness.

It wanted to give Qin just enough strength to exhaust the national power of Qin, Han, and Yan against one another.

After weighing the advantages and disadvantages, and now possessing a new possible route, Qin rejected Jin's goodwill.

Han and Yan, for their part, appeared to have formed an alliance.

The heavy forces stationed along their mutual border were gradually withdrawing as both states signaled goodwill to the other.

At the same time, each began concentrating forces toward its outer fronts.

If circumstances changed, they would be prepared both to join hands and swallow Qin, and to join hands against any trouble Song tried to create behind them.

Their intent could not have been clearer.

They were determined to force Qin to rescue Qi.

Qin had no choice but to comply.

Yet it also knew this amounted to drinking poison to quench thirst.

No matter whether Qin won or lost the coming battle, its national strength would suffer heavily.

Even if it won, a weakened Qin would become easy prey.

Why would Han or Yan leave such an advantage lying on the ground untouched?

Either one might send troops to annex Qin afterward.

For now, Qin's hope rested on joining with Qi.

Qi had promised that if their alliance succeeded, then should Han or Yan move against Qin later, Qi would send troops to help.

Such a promise might not be reliable.

But one part of the agreement carried greater weight.

Qi had accepted Wei's old pledge to Qin.

It was willing to hand Xiping Pass over to Qin.

In doing so, it had sold out the fallen State of Wei.

So long as Jin was repelled, even if Qin suffered badly, Qin could still march west through Xiping Pass, hold the pass, and occupy former Wei territory.

On this point, once Qin's army crossed into the west and actually joined the fighting, Qi would have little room to go back on its word.

Unless a badly weakened Qi intended to fight Qin immediately afterward, it would have no choice but to cooperate with Qin against Jin.

Being forced at swordpoint to fight another state's war was an unpleasant feeling.

But Qin truly had no alternative.

It lacked the strength to defeat two states alone.

It could only involve itself in a struggle where two sides joined against one.

The war Jin had launched destroyed Wei and turned its blade toward Qi.

In doing so, it had also dragged Qin into mortal danger.

No state near the battlefield could remain untouched.

For a time, the situation beneath Heaven became intricate and delicate.

It felt as though an enormous storm were gathering.

...

At the edge of the vast Boundless Desert, Qin's army finally arrived after its long march.

The vanguard reached the area first and joined Yucang's group.

Yucang immediately introduced Yuan Gang and Luo Zhao to one another while watching closely from the side.

"Mr. Yuan, I've long heard of your great name. Seeing you today, I can tell the reputation was deserved."

Travel-worn from the march, Luo Zhao cupped his hands politely toward Yuan Gang.

At the same time, he studied him carefully.

Now that the man was actually before him, Luo Zhao felt increasingly puzzled.

He could say with certainty that he had never met Yuan Gang.

A towering, red-faced man like this was impossible to forget once seen.

Yuan Gang's gaze was somewhat complicated as he looked at Luo Zhao.

His feelings were equally complicated.

To some degree, he felt he had wronged this man.

His willingness to come help Luo Zhao was not entirely unrelated to a desire to make amends.

So compared with his usual manner toward others, he was somewhat more courteous.

He gave a slight nod.

"Hello."

Seeing Yucang signal with his eyes, Luo Zhao smiled and tested the waters.

"This Luo's memory is poor. May I ask whether Sir and I have met before?"

"No."

Luo Zhao became even more confused.

"I hear from the National Preceptor that Sir traveled thousands upon thousands of li and said you came specifically to help me. Is that true?"

"Yes."

Luo Zhao found the matter stranger by the moment.

"You and I have never met. Why would Sir come help me?"

"Someone asked me to."

Luo Zhao looked suspicious.

"If I may ask one more question, who asked you?"

Yuan Gang fell silent.

He did not immediately know how to answer.

But in matters like this, his principle had always been simple:

An upright man does nothing in secret.

He had never believed lying could conceal the truth forever.

Sooner or later, the matter would have to be faced.

Rather than twist himself into knots over it, he preferred to say it plainly.

So he answered calmly.

"Feng Guan'er."

"..."

Yucang and the others looked at one another.

Wasn't Feng Guan'er Luo Zhao's former wife?

The person who had asked Yuan Gang to help was actually Luo Zhao's ex-wife?

Could Luo Zhao's former wife really command this kind of favor?

None of them had even considered her before.

Luo Zhao froze.

Then his expression changed drastically.

Something had clearly occurred to him.

He knew nothing about many of the details.

But there was one thing he understood perfectly well.

Helping with this matter could bring Yuan Gang catastrophic trouble.

It might very well cost him his life.

Could Feng Guan'er truly command such consideration from him?

Luo Zhao's lips pressed into a hard line.

He stared fixedly at Yuan Gang.

Then he suddenly asked, "She disappeared for a period of time. Was she with you?"

Yuan Gang fell silent again.

In the end, he still admitted it.

"Yes."

The blood drained instantly from Luo Zhao's face.

His body trembled.

Both fists clenched tight.

He had found him.

At last, he had found the man Feng Guan'er had refused to name.

Through gritted teeth, Luo Zhao forced out each word.

"She and I have nothing to do with each other anymore."

"I do not need her help!"

Hearing those words and seeing Luo Zhao's reaction, Yucang and the others immediately understood something.

For a moment, they were all dumbfounded.

Yucang in particular did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He very much wanted to ask Yuan Gang:

You admitted something like that right in front of everyone?

Are you an idiot?

Did you come here to help, or did you come here to start trouble?

[End of Chapter 1274]