Chapter 1518: Qi Has Wuhen

Watching their expressions, Gong Lince continued, "What I'm saying is this: if Zijin Cave joins forces with Han and still cannot stop Jin, then after we fall, how much chance do the two of you think you'll have by joining forces with Han yourselves? But if all three of our sects combine our strength, if the whole State of Yan acts with one heart, and then we join forces with Han, won't our chances improve?"

"Now that I've said this much, you should understand. It isn't that Zijin Cave has suddenly become kindhearted. The situation has forced us to compromise."

"There's one thing both of you know. If Nanzhou had not sent troops back then, Yan would already have been destroyed by the combined forces of Han and Song. It was Nanzhou's army, it was Shang Chaozong, who turned the tide. Ask yourselves what Shang Jianxiong did at the time. Apart from dragging everyone down from behind, what was he capable of? He governed Yan into that state. We had eyes but failed to see when we helped put him on the throne!"

"If Shang Chaozong were mud too soft to hold to a wall, Zijin Cave would never have supported him so heavily. During the war against Han and Song, you both saw the difference between Shang Jianxiong and Shang Chaozong. Do you really think Shang Jianxiong and that pack of men around him can resist Jin's attack? Relying on them is courting death! If Zijin Cave falls, your two sects won't be far behind. As for any dreams you may still be indulging, I advise you to forget them."

"Shang Chaozong is different. You can see the ability of the people around him. Only if he commands all of Yan, only if he leads Yan's armies, will we even qualify to fight Jin. Only then is there a chance of preserving the interests of all three sects."

"Zijin Cave is giving up enormous interests here. It wasn't easy for me to persuade my own people either, but in the end they accepted it, for no reason other than the larger situation. Now Zijin Cave has made such a major concession solely to put Shang Chaozong in power. If the two of you still refuse, it becomes rather difficult to justify. Is a useless man like Shang Jianxiong really worth it?"

Speaking with righteous conviction, Gong Lince reached out, picked up the two sheets of paper on the table, and tore them to pieces before their eyes.

"Gentlemen, this is my sincerity. But if you force Zijin Cave into having no road of retreat, we cannot simply wait to be attacked from front and rear. Xiping Pass may be difficult for us to break through, but we're still confident we can deal with the useless rabble around Shang Jianxiong. If there truly is no other choice, Zijin Cave will simply support Shang Chaozong in cleaning up Yan internally first!"

"The State of Qi is on the verge of destruction. None of us has much time left. I've said everything there is to say. I hope the two of you will give me a definite answer!"

What did it mean to combine coercion and inducement? This was coercion and inducement.

Long Xiu and Meng Xuan fell silent, plainly weighing the matter.

Gong Lince waited patiently. If these two refused, then they probably would not be leaving alive.

Niu Youdao's instructions had been exceptionally clear. The decisive battle against the Three Sacred Venerables might still be the ultimate key, but no one knew when that battle would arrive. They could not count on always controlling when the opportunity appeared. They had to prepare on two fronts, in case the Three Sacred Venerables prolonged matters and used the secular powers to reverse the entire situation.

Nor could they allow the sects beneath Heaven to turn back toward the Three Sacred Venerables.

Absolutely not.

That meant Jin's offensive, once launched, had to be checked. Their side had to prepare enough secular military strength to confront it head-on.

If Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain refused, Niu Youdao would show no mercy and immediately bring both sects down.

Not only would Long Xiu and Meng Xuan be unable to return, the fugitive forces left behind by Yuan Se and the others would move as well. Certain sects would be attacked, and afterward Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain would no longer possess the strength to contend with Zijin Cave.

Naturally, unless there was truly no alternative, Niu Youdao did not want to do that. Preserving Yan's cultivator strength would help resist Jin's offensive. One had to remember that Jin had gathered almost the entire cultivation strength of the Western Three States.

Gong Lince could afford to make such concessions precisely because he knew what stood behind him. What did surrendering a little profit now amount to? Shit. If Niu Youdao's side ultimately won, then whatever Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain swallowed today, they would have to spit back out whether they wanted to or not.

Everything was for the larger situation.

...

Inside the great audience hall of Qi's imperial palace, the civil and military officials stood in their ordered ranks. Hao Zhen, dressed in imperial robes, sat upon the throne. The sect leaders of Qi's Three Great Sects were also present in one corner of the hall.

The chamber was completely silent. Most people had already guessed what today's court discussion concerned. Jin's army was at the gates. Surrender or refuse to surrender.

The silent court was waiting for one man. Only that one man was still missing. Without his agreement, the six hundred thousand troops outside would not agree either. Even surrender would bring no peace.

Did anyone truly think Gao Pin feared their refusal to surrender? Everyone knew that what Gao Pin truly feared was the six hundred thousand finest soldiers remaining in Qi. If those six hundred thousand fought to the death and refused to surrender, what sort of surrender would that be? Most of the people in this hall would probably still fail to escape the Jin army's blades.

Because everything was so quiet, the sudden sound of hoofbeats outside came through with exceptional clarity.

Heads throughout the hall gradually turned toward the entrance.

Huyan Wuhen had arrived.

Huyan Wuhen came clad in battle armor. After receiving the imperial summons, he had ridden back from the military camp outside the city.

The Emperor had granted him special permission to ride within the palace grounds, and this time Huyan Wuhen made no attempt at courtesy.

A hundred cavalrymen followed him. They thundered straight through without obstruction until they reached the steps outside the hall. Huyan Wuhen jumped down from his warhorse, and someone immediately took the reins.

Zha Hu dismounted as well and followed Huyan Wuhen up the steps.

Of the hundred riders, none dismounted except those who took charge of Huyan Wuhen's and Zha Hu's horses. The rest remained mounted in a perfect formation, their faces grim and murderous as they watched their Supreme General enter court.

Outside the hall, Zha Hu stopped beside a side entrance. This was a privilege the late emperor had granted Huyan Wuhen: his personal guard Zha Hu was permitted to accompany him in and out of the imperial palace.

Armor clattering, Huyan Wuhen strode into the audience hall. He walked to the steps before the throne and cupped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Hao Zhen could barely conceal the grief on his face. His voice trembled. "Supreme General, there is no need for ceremony."

Huyan Wuhen raised his head and looked steadily at him. He knew why he had been summoned. The Three Great Sects had already spoken with him. They had decided to surrender.

As for what the officials filling this court wanted, he understood that even better.

Looking at that faint hope in His Majesty's eyes, like a drowning man clutching at a final straw, Huyan Wuhen's jaw tightened.

At last, he spoke in a voice that struck the floor like iron.

"Surrender."

The decisiveness of that single word took everyone by surprise. For a moment it seemed to echo through the entire hall.

And with that one word, many people in the chamber visibly relaxed.

Clatter! Huyan Wuhen turned in his armor, one hand resting on the sword at his waist. His cold gaze swept left and right across the officials before he strode away.

The moment he left the hall, Hao Zhen suddenly rose to his feet and shouted, "Supreme General!"

Huyan Wuhen did not turn back. Outside, Zha Hu fell into step beside him.

They descended the palace steps and went straight to the horses. Huyan Wuhen swung into the saddle, turned his mount, and galloped away. The hundred cavalrymen thundered after him.

After leaving the palace, Huyan Wuhen continued at a gallop. He did not return to the army outside the city. Instead, he rode back to the Huyan residence.

Still wearing his armor, he summoned his two grandsons, together with the granddaughter who was still an infant in swaddling clothes.

He personally took the baby girl into his arms and gazed at her for a long while.

At last, he lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

Then he handed his granddaughter back to the wet nurse and reached out to stroke the heads of his two grandsons. Bending down, he spread his arms and pulled both boys into an embrace. He held them for a very long time before finally letting go.

Only after rising did he wave for the servants to take the children away.

Zha Hu was the only person left in the hall.

Huyan Wuhen studied him for a while as well, then said calmly, "Tiger, I have nothing else to entrust to you. Take these three children away and look after them for me. Jin has surrounded the city, so you can't get them out right now. After I'm gone, hide with them inside the city. Once an opportunity appears, with your strength, you should be able to get them out. As for where you go afterward, decide for yourself."

Zha Hu was startled. "General, do you still intend to lead the army into a fight where both fish and net are destroyed?"

"The Three Great Sects are surrendering. The whole court wants to surrender. How am I supposed to fight? Send these finest hot-blooded sons of Qi to die? The greater situation is lost. There is no reason to make them die for nothing."

Zha Hu stared uncertainly at him. "If the general has also decided to surrender, then why are you asking me to take the children away?"

Huyan Wuhen said, "The whole court can surrender. I alone cannot! If I surrender, how can I face the countless sons of Qi who obeyed my commands and died in battle? My three sons followed my teaching and died for the state. How could I blacken their names now? Other men's descendants may surrender. The descendants of the Huyan family cannot. Take them away for me!"

Zha Hu was stunned. He understood what those words meant and cried urgently, "General, Jin has promised generous treatment. They're even willing to let you retain the position of Supreme General. How can you—"

Huyan Wuhen raised a broad hand, cutting off the rest. The same hand came down heavily on Zha Hu's shoulder.

"I'm entrusting them to you."

Then he brushed past him and strode away.

Zha Hu stood frozen where he was. He knew this man too well. There was no point saying anything else.

Nothing would change his mind.

Huyan Wuhen led his hundred cavalrymen out of the city and rode straight to the central command tent. He summoned his generals and made arrangements for the surrender.

The court and the Three Great Sects later sent people as well. Huyan Wuhen refused to see them, saying everything had already been arranged and that they should negotiate directly with the generals below him.

Everyone understood his mood and did not disturb him further.

When Huyan Wuhen finally walked out of the command tent again, he saw that the army's morale had fallen to its lowest point. Every man looked dispirited. None retained the vigor and spirit of the past.

As he walked past, soldiers sitting on the ground did not even seriously raise their heads to look at him.

Huyan Wuhen silently climbed onto the command platform.

He silently surveyed the desolate scene before him.

Then he suddenly shouted, his voice rising like a tragic song.

"I, Huyan Wuhen, was incompetent and became a burden to the state. My crime is beyond pardon!"

Shing!

The sword at his waist left its sheath.

The blade swept across his throat.

Wind swept through beard and hair gone white;
beads of blood stained them red.

The soldiers who had looked up at his cry saw Huyan Wuhen fall backward toward the sky.

Clang!

His armored body crashed onto the command platform.

"Supreme General!" one man screamed.

"Supreme General..."

A crowd shouted in horror and rushed toward him.

The entire Qi army camp erupted like a stone cast into a thousand layers of waves. Before long, grief-stricken wailing spread everywhere...

A Jin cavalry force came thundering in and charged directly into the Qi camp.

Gao Pin, at its head, jumped from his horse and stumbled on landing. He flung aside with one arm the man who hurried over to support and welcome him.

Support him, his ass. He had rushed here because he feared something would go wrong and wanted to stabilize the army.

He scrambled up onto the command platform.

When he had heard the news of Huyan Wuhen's death, it had frightened him badly. He feared that Huyan Wuhen's death might trigger a mutiny among the surrendering Qi troops.

And it was not only him. The entire Qi court had been terrified by the news. Fearing disaster, the Three Great Sects hurriedly sent people into the army to help maintain control.

Fortunately, before his death, Huyan Wuhen had already issued the order to surrender.

Gao Pin hurried onto the platform and saw Huyan Wuhen's body.

"Ai!" He stamped his foot and beat his chest, then dropped onto one knee beside the corpse. Punching the ground, he cried with profound regret, "There was no need! Brother Huyan, there was no need for this!"

He raised his face to Heaven with a sigh, tears in his eyes.

No one had collected Huyan Wuhen's body.

More precisely, the soldiers of Qi refused to let anyone from the court collect it. They would not even allow the court's people to touch him.

They had made an "excessive" demand: Gao Pin himself had to come and personally prepare Huyan Wuhen's body for burial and offer sacrifice.

Otherwise, they would defy orders and refuse to surrender!

[End of Chapter 1518]