Chapter 532: - Xue San Returns

Tian Wujing seemed to have come only to take a look. Once he confirmed Zheng Fan was basically fine, he left directly.

That was probably simply how Great Yan’s Prince of Jingnan did things. He could switch between the grand picture and minute details with complete ease.

In the morning, he might lay out a new round of operations for an army hundreds of thousands strong. In the afternoon, he could walk alone outside the military camps and inspect things personally, for no other reason than that he was Tian Wujing.

The Sword Saint had once said that when a Martial Artist’s physique reached its peak, that alone became the strongest kind of support one could possess.

Back in the capital region of the State of Jin, when the Sword Saint faced Tian Wujing, who refused to retreat and intended to exhaust him first, even with Longyuan in hand it had taken the Sword Saint a very long time merely to strip away Tian Wujing’s protective qi and blood. He had even been left deeply fatigued by the effort.

Barring some extreme and unexpected circumstance, Tian Wujing did not need many guards around him at all. Any force attempting to “capture the bandit by first capturing the king” would necessarily have to mobilize on a large scale. That movement would inevitably alert nearby Yan forces, and the iron cavalry of the Jingnan Army would immediately ride to protect their prince.

Count Pingye possessed no such confidence, because proper confidence had to be built on a clear understanding of one’s own strength.

That was why Count Pingye had always insisted that many of his cautious choices were not cowardice.

If he possessed Tian Wujing’s strength, he too could wear golden armor, ride a Pixiu, and stroll leisurely before two opposing armies with heroic ease.

Unfortunately, he did not.

After Old Tian left, Count Pingye sat down on the threshold and basked in the sun.

Gou Moli quietly came over.

He had already known the Prince of Jingnan valued the Count before him. Just now, however, he had experienced that favor directly.

The Prince of Jingnan had asked Gou Moli whether he needed to visit Gongsun Zhi’s and Gong Wang’s forces too.

The unspoken meaning was:

Can you keep those two under control?

If there are still thorns left, this Prince can help you pluck them out.

And the reason Tian Wujing had specifically asked Gou Moli was that he had deliberately placed Gou Moli on the same level as Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi for that moment, using the question itself to beat a warning into him.

“Count.”

Gou Moli lowered his voice.

“Is your body all right?”

Zheng Fan drew in a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

“Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”

“This subordinate just came in from outside through the rear gate, so I did not know the Prince of Jingnan was already here. Therefore, this subordinate believes what the Count is thinking is probably that the people around you are not comprehensive enough.”

Not comprehensive enough.

That was the polite phrasing.

The deeper meaning was that if the Prince of Jingnan wanted to come, he could simply come like this.

Zheng Fan looked at Gou Moli, reached out, and patted him on the shoulder.

Then he skipped directly over the subject.

“Go call them over. We need to discuss something.”

“Yes, Count.”

Gou Moli did not ask who “they” were. He simply left.

Count Pingye stood from the threshold and walked back inside.

The Sword Saint was leaning against a pillar.

“Perhaps because they know I’m beside you, they did not station many armored soldiers outside.”

East Mountain Fort had already fallen. Yan soldiers filled the interior and exterior, and the Sword Saint himself remained beside Count Pingye.

Ordinary assassins could be handled by the Sword Saint.

Large numbers of assassins could not enter in the first place.

So the security here had naturally become somewhat relaxed.

Count Pingye smiled and waved his hand.

“Don’t listen to that dog spouting nonsense. Why would I care about this?”

“Why do I feel like this is exactly what you care about?”

“You’re overthinking it. Old Tian wouldn’t harm me.”

“But what if the next person who comes isn’t Tian Wujing, but some other expert?”

“Don’t I still have you?”

“That argument is surprisingly sound.”

“Naturally.”

“But this time I agreed to accompany you. Next time, I may not.”

“We’re still short on manpower. Back when I was in Yanjing, the Sixth Prince had recruited a whole crowd of subordinates. Normally they formed layers of defense around his residence. When he went out, they used his carriage as the center while experts from several routes protected and supported him. I’m in wartime now, when every hand is needed, so naturally the arrangements aren’t complete. Once I have enough troops and men under me, I should be able to establish something similar. By then, you can rest at home, teach the Sword Maid swordsmanship, and teach Dahu to read. Oh, right, Tian Tian is getting older too. Why don’t you take him as a disciple while you’re at it?”

“How old is that child?” The Sword Saint sounded speechless.

Tian Tian had only just learned to talk. And now he was supposed to start practicing the sword?

Even with the Sword Maid, the Sword Saint had never rushed her advancement at that age.

Of course, the more important point was that the child was Tian Wujing’s son.

No matter what, if someone asked and he immediately agreed, where would the dignity of the Sword Saint of Jin go?

“You take him as a disciple, and I take Liu Dahu as my adopted son?”

Count Pingye laid out his terms.

Count Pingye had only one adopted son.

That was the Prince of Jingnan’s only child.

If Liu Dahu could become Count Pingye’s adopted son, then he could practically walk sideways through Snow Sea Pass. He would also become Tian Tian’s adopted elder brother.

For a boy from an ordinary family, it was an opportunity to soar into the heavens in a single leap.

The Sword Saint shook his head.

“Liu Dahu is my son now. He does not need to covet wealth and glory. Besides, in my view, there is no need for a person to spend his life chasing splendor and high position. A plain life with blessings enough to cherish is sufficient.”

Count Pingye immediately retorted:

“That’s easy for you to say when you’re standing there without back pain. You’ve killed an ‘Emperor.’ You’ve seen every grand scene there is to see. The jianghu tells stories about you, and the court knows your name too. You stood at the summit and looked at the scenery. Naturally, now you think it amounts to nothing much. But in a person’s life, whether he can actually reach that scenery isn’t even the most important part, because the overwhelming majority of people in this world are destined never to reach the peak. What people love is climbing the mountain. They love the process itself. You’ve already grown indifferent to wind and cloud, but Dahu is still young. You can’t bind a child that small to your own state of mind and make him live like an old monk in meditation from the very beginning. You think you’re doing it for his own good, but isn’t that also a kind of tyranny and despotism from a father? It’s even cruel. The road is under his own feet. He still has to choose it for himself. Maybe he’ll become intoxicated by the view at the summit and lose himself. Maybe, like you, he’ll look once and then simply say he has looked. But he should at least be allowed to climb there by himself. You have the conditions and the standing. I have the capital too. Once this campaign against Chu ends, I can personally ask Dahu whether he wants to become my adopted son.”

“You are far too good at fooling people into dying for you. Gou Moli does it openly. You do it even more insidiously than he does.”

“Don’t praise me like that. I’ll get arrogant.”

“But I am curious. Why did you suddenly say this to me?”

“For three reasons. First, you and I are similar in one respect. We both take the people we acknowledge as... family very seriously. If Tian Tian becomes your disciple, you will protect him. Second, Old Tian’s only remaining weakness in his heart is Tian Tian. I want to add another layer of protection around that child.”

“I thought that second reason would be the third, the finale,” the Sword Saint said.

“The Sword Maid is a natural sword embryo, but my adopted son is no ordinary thing either. His aptitude is absolutely astonishing. I can see it.”

His life was hard to extinguish.

His physique was excellent too.

Just look at what happened to the Savage King from merely living beside Sha Tuo Queshi.

Tian Tian, on the other hand, had grown up sitting on the lid of Sha Tuo Queshi’s coffin since infancy. Nothing had ever happened to him. He still ate and slept perfectly well.

He could even make the Demon Pill treat him as a playmate and protect him.

The Demon Pill was a “spirit,” and spirits only took interest in things that possessed “spirituality.”

“It is still too early to talk about this. I do not want to become entangled with you too deeply.”

“So distant?”

“Not distant. If we become too deeply entangled, it will become inconvenient for both of us.”

“Fine. Then we’ll discuss it again after the war here is over.”

At that moment, Gou Moli returned with the others.

Liang Cheng, the Blind Man, Fan Li, A’Ming, and Jin Shuke.

Jin Shuke had only recently eaten here and then been sent out to work. He had barely managed to put mourning whites on before being summoned back again.

The Sword Saint disliked scenes like this, and there was no need for him to participate in the discussion, so he left once more.

Count Pingye sat on the bed while everyone else took seats below.

“The Prince of Jingnan came just now and told me several things...”

Count Pingye repeated the Prince’s words without concealing anything.

The Blind Man spoke first.

“Master, this is a good thing.”

Gou Moli nodded too.

“Count, whatever difficult assignment may come later can wait. First restore our vitality, then use this opportunity to expand our strength. That is the most urgent thing in front of us. If there’s food before our eyes, we eat it first. That can’t be wrong.”

Count Pingye nodded.

“Eat, we definitely will. We don’t have much choice other than eating anyway. The issue is that several things need arranging next. In two days, I’ll report to the Prince’s command tent. Someone has to remain here at East Mountain Fort, and someone else has to go to the rear and take charge of absorbing new manpower.”

This was essentially a coordination meeting.

It was simply a matter of assigning jobs.

Once a force developed far enough that it no longer consisted of one nest alone, the opportunities for subordinates to take independent charge of whole areas naturally increased.

The Blind Man swept his gaze around the room.

Fan Li could immediately be excluded.

He was suited to running errands and charging into battle, not handling complex affairs.

The Savage King could continue managing the Savage slave soldiers for the time being. His ability was extremely strong, but he still had to be used with restraint.

So after counting carefully, there were not actually many choices available for important assignments.

The Blind Man did not immediately offer his own opinion.

He waited for Master to speak first.

“My plan is this. A’Ming, you come with me to the Prince’s command tent.”

A’Ming asked:

“Master, isn’t A’Cheng going with you?”

With Liang Cheng there, Master could always obtain the standard answer.

Although Liang Cheng had almost lost control of the situation in the battle for East Mountain Fort, that had not been his responsibility. It was no fault of his command.

In fact, precisely because Liang Cheng’s siege command had been so effective, Shi Yuantang had been forced to launch his counterattack early. He had realized he simply could not hold until the Yan army became fully exhausted before striking.

Liang Cheng spoke.

“Master will be fine.”

Count Pingye smiled.

“It isn’t that I don’t want to take A’Cheng with me. But someone has to remain here and keep the entire East Mountain Fort situation under control. And don’t forget, Gong Wang’s and Gongsun Zhi’s forces are still around us. Someone has to remain who can represent me and keep them pressed down.”

The Blind Man nodded.

Clearly, he approved of Master’s decision.

Of course, Count Pingye dared go without A’Cheng this time for two reasons.

First, he could more or less be considered graduated now. After all these years, after experiencing and watching so much, he was no longer the old A’Fan of Tiger Head City.

Second, the basic-teaching stage had already passed.

Even Tian Wujing himself had said that keeping Zheng Fan beside him this time was for the purpose of teaching him how to coordinate and manage large-scale military affairs. He probably would not keep giving Zheng Fan elementary questions.

Higher-level military problems were often open-ended essays anyway.

As long as one could articulate a coherent logic and viewpoint, there was no absolute right or wrong.

Take Shi Yuantang’s counterattack.

The proper decision had been to withdraw temporarily, avoid the sharp edge, and preserve control of the larger situation.

Count Pingye had instead chosen to ram straight into him and force Shi Yuantang to death.

Could anyone say Count Pingye’s choice had been wrong?

He had won.

Shi Yuantang was dead.

Even if it had been wrong, no one had anything left to criticize.

“As for the matter of going to the rear and coordinating the laborer columns...”

Count Pingye’s gaze landed on Jin Shuke.

Then he noticed Jin Shuke was still draped in mourning white and frowned.

Jin Shuke saw the expression and immediately understood. He stripped the white cloth from his body and threw it onto the ground.

“This general has been discourteous. I ask the Count’s forgiveness.”

Count Pingye waved his hand, indicating it did not matter.

After all, Zheng Fan himself had ordered Jin Shuke to prepare the funeral procession earlier.

“Jin Shuke.”

“This general is here.”

“You probably won’t be able to handle Shi Yuantang’s funeral procession after all. You won’t get to enjoy that bit of limelight.”

“This general obeys whatever the Count commands!”

Whether he received the limelight did not matter to Jin Shuke.

The important thing was that his thinking could not slide backward.

He had long prepared himself to be a brick in Count Pingye’s wall, moved wherever needed.

“Good. I order you to take one force to the rear and escort the laborer columns. Remember: eat without fear. Eat boldly. Pick out a batch of good recruits for us.”

Jin Shuke immediately dropped to his knees in excitement.

“This general will not fail the Count’s expectations!”

This assignment was vastly better than running a funeral procession, and incomparably more substantial.

The recruits he personally selected would naturally become part of his own prestige within the Snow Sea Army in the future.

The army had great mountains.

It had smaller mountains too.

If your own mountain was not hard enough, even if you wanted to lead a great army out one day, you would not be able to command submission.

If Count Pingye had possessed no Snow Sea troops under him, neither Gongsun Zhi nor Gong Wang would have obeyed so readily. There would have been even less chance of him exercising authority over those two Chief Commanders.

Whether Jin Shuke led the funeral procession or received that little bit of public glory truly no longer mattered.

This was the real prize of an assignment.

It was like the Son of Heaven opening the imperial examinations and appointing you to preside over them.

Zheng Fan looked toward the Blind Man.

“Blind Man, accompany Jin Shuke. Help him with the work.”

“Yes, Master.”

The ideological education and persuasion of the new recruits needed the Blind Man.

And when it came to dealing with officials in the rear and local powers on their own turf, no one suited the job better.

Count Pingye then looked at Fan Li.

“You handle the funeral procession. Your voice is loud.”

Fan Li’s Adam’s apple moved.

His brows drew together.

Then he nodded.

Finally, Count Pingye looked toward Gou Moli.

“Build the First Command as quickly as possible. With East Mountain Fort taken, the armor we captured and the equipment the Chu left behind are piled like mountains.”

“Yes, Count. By the time the Count returns, this subordinate will definitely present you with a First Command that can fight and dares fight!”

“Mm.”

“That settles it. Go handle your work. I’m going to rest a while longer.”

“This subordinate takes his leave.”

“This general takes his leave.”

Everyone departed.

Count Pingye lay sideways on the bed, lightly patting his own leg as he hummed.

“That posture of yours is rather difficult to describe.”

The Sword Saint appeared again.

Truthfully, he did not particularly want to appear.

But there was no helping it.

Having agreed to see this through, he had to remain beside Zheng Fan and protect him.

And only two days remained.

“Heh.”

Count Pingye smiled.

He reached for the large iron box beside the bed, took out two mint candies, and put them into his mouth.

“The hardest stretch for me is finally over. It’s like being a small farmer. The taxes have been paid. The labor service has been performed. Now I only have to see what kind of harvest the fields produce this year.”

The battle at Central Mountain Camp and the battle at East Mountain Fort had both been fights that demanded men die hard and die in great numbers.

They were finished now.

According to Tian Wujing, Zheng Fan would not receive any other major assignment for a long while.

He could focus on developing his strength.

The Sword Saint said:

“Normally, they let you happily fatten yourself up only because it makes the next cut of the butcher’s knife more satisfying.”

“Could you not let me be happy a little longer?”

“I’m only speaking the truth. In another two days, you go to Tian Wujing. Then I can return to Snow Sea Pass.”

With Zheng Fan inside Tian Wujing’s command tent, Tian Wujing beside him and the Great Yan central army surrounding him, it was difficult to imagine any scenario in which Zheng Fan could be in danger unless the Chu suddenly descended with divine might and smashed through the entire Yan central army in one blow.

Oh.

There was one more.

Tian Wujing could order Zheng Fan beheaded.

Naturally, that possibility practically did not exist.

“Then when I come back, you’ll have to come over again,” Count Pingye immediately began laying the groundwork.

“I don’t want to keep traveling back and forth.”

“Don’t make two masters handle one task. You’re only taking temporary leave. The campaign against Chu is not over yet.”

“We’ll see.”

“I’ll take that as agreement.”

The Sword Saint said nothing.

Count Pingye reached out and patted the sheath of Longyuan in the Sword Saint’s hand.

“If this battle finishes smoothly, eastern Jin can finally know true peace. In the future, the people here can live under my protection and settle down in peace...”

“Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent too long around you,” the Sword Saint said.

“Hm?”

“I suddenly feel that whether the people of Jin live or die has nothing much to do with me anymore.”

“No. You can’t become like this.”

“Do you know why I avoided Tian Wujing earlier?”

“Because you can’t beat him?”

“...” The Sword Saint.

“Joking. Joking. Don’t take it seriously.”

The Sword Saint shook his head.

“I let go of things long ago. He has no road of retreat left. Whether he can let go or not no longer matters. So right now, my days are more comfortable than his. Whether I can beat him, whether I need to fight him again, none of it has much meaning anymore.”

The Sword Saint sighed.

Then he continued:

“Tell me. Why is he putting himself through all this?”

Count Pingye smacked his lips lightly.

“All that means is the problem isn’t here.”

“Then where is it?”

“The State of Jin is gone. The State of Yan still exists. You lost everything, so now you can leave the gambling table freely. But the people still sitting at that table have already staked everything. They can’t get down anymore.”

The Sword Saint frowned slightly.

“That sounds as though it does contain some reason.”

“See?”

“Then why does it make me feel a little uncomfortable?”

“The truth often hurts.”

“I’m going back right now.”

“Don’t be impulsive.”

“I’ve lost everything anyway.”

“No, don’t be impulsive.”

At that moment, someone reported from outside:

“Count, Third Master is back!”

Count Pingye immediately rejoiced at the rescue and pointed toward the door.

“Let him in!”

Then he turned toward the Sword Saint.

“Just two days. In two days I’ll go to the Prince’s command tent, and you’ll be able to go home and see your wife and child.”

The Sword Saint sat down nearby, closed his eyes, lifted his teacup, and could not be bothered continuing the verbal sparring.

Not long afterward, an emotional cry came from outside:

“Master! Your loyal San’er is back! I missed you to death!”

Immediately after, a woman’s voice, louder and even more emotional, rang out:

“Master! Your loyal San’er, my beloved husband, is back! He missed you so much he nearly died!”

“...” Xue San.

[End of Chapter 532]