Early October, Bian Liang.
After the Light Snow solar term, the weather turned cold rapidly. Even amid Bian Liang’s prosperity, the chill seeping through the air could not be concealed. Coming out of the Left Chancellor’s residence, Qin Hui rubbed his hands together and breathed out a puff of cold air, his dignified brow carrying a grim, forbidding air.
“Useless rats, treacherous officials ruining the state…”
He muttered this through clenched teeth. When his attendant brought the carriage around and asked him to board, he waved his sleeve forcefully. “No. I want to walk.”
Past the alley leading from the chancellor’s residence, the corner opened onto a bustling street, lined on both sides with snack stalls and teahouses, steam rising into the air, a scene of lively cheer. The carriage and his retinue followed behind as Qin Hui walked straight ahead, his mind returning to the news he’d just heard at Li Gang’s residence, his chest still full of indignation.
In late September, Wang Bing and Yang Keshi had finally launched their attack on the Liao in the north—one hundred thousand troops engaging ten thousand Liao soldiers near the Juma River… and suffering a crushing defeat.
This was simply absurd.
The situation in the north was changing by the moment. Since the Jin state had declared war on Liao earlier in the year, it had won victory after victory over these past six months, already seizing nearly half of Liao’s prefectures and counties. Amid such a once-in-a-century opportunity, if the Wu Dynasty had merely demonstrated its own strength, the Youyan region could have been reclaimed with ease. Wang Bing and Yang Keshi had delayed their army for months, only striking when they saw an enemy force of a mere ten thousand—yet who could have known the outcome would turn out like this? If seen through Jin eyes, what would they think of Wu now? Countless court officials who advocated war, years of tireless effort—it could all be said to have gone up in flames in an instant.
Useless rats, treacherous officials ruining the state!
When he’d heard this battle report just now at Li Gang’s residence, he’d nearly blacked out on the spot; in the end, his feelings could only be distilled into those eight characters.
Of course, much of what lay behind this, he understood well enough himself. In this campaign against Liao, the pro-war faction at court had, from the start, held the upper hand—built on years of preparation by Qin Siyuan, on the Emperor’s resolve, on Li Gang’s leadership, on Tong Guan’s support, and he himself had done everything in his power to push things forward. But though the ultimate goal was shared, each person’s true intentions differed.
He understood well enough that Military Affairs Commissioner Tong Guan wanted to claim the credit for pacifying Liao and reclaiming Youyan, harboring ambitions of leaving behind a name for the ages. When Wang Bing and Yang Keshi had first deployed their troops, Tong Guan had given a warning—though the reason he offered was that the one hundred fifty thousand elite Imperial Guards were marching south to deal with the Fang La crisis, and even with over one hundred thousand troops in the north, this might still not be enough. So he had privately suggested to Wang Bing and Yang Keshi that they simply prepare thoroughly for the campaign and wait until he’d suppressed the rebellion and marched north himself, so that with a combined force of three hundred thousand, the matter could be settled decisively and without risk.
Everyone knew of Tong Guan’s private motives. Left Chancellor Li Gang, however, could not afford to wait that long—from start to finish, Li Gang had always been impatient by nature. Ever since the Emperor had appointed him chancellor, he had devoted himself entirely to military preparations, redirecting all resources in that direction, and both within and outside the court there had already been no small amount of grumbling in certain quarters—such was the fate of anyone who blocked others’ paths to profit. In a sense, had Qin Siyuan been restored to office earlier, that shrewd, all-around capable old man might have been able to balance matters on every front. But as things stood, if the campaign against Liao did not succeed soon, the longer Li Gang remained in his position, the greater the pressure he would face.
For this reason, Li Gang had adopted a policy of high pressure toward Wang Bing and Yang Keshi, forcing them to secure a victory as soon as possible. But this pressure hadn’t been especially effective—the campaign against Liao was a major undertaking, and once troops had been deployed, generals could not easily be replaced, especially since Wang Bing and Yang Keshi answered to Military Affairs Commissioner Tong Guan; no one was willing to offend Tong Guan merely to give Li Gang face.
In the end, it was Qin Siyuan’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering that had finally had an effect. Qin Hui, who oversaw the Censorate, had heard through quietly circulating information that ever since Wang Bing and Yang Keshi had taken command, a group of censors aligned with Qin Siyuan had already been preparing, gathering and compiling all manner of evidence to strike hard at them the moment they failed to act. Qin Hui had only recently come to appreciate just how ruthless this elder of his own clan could be—once he truly moved against someone, his aim wasn’t merely to take an official’s head, but potentially to have Wang Bing and Yang Keshi’s entire families wiped out. It was precisely this ruthless logic of “if you do nothing, I will certainly kill your whole family” that had finally pushed the northern expedition into action.
Of course, among the northern expedition forces, besides Wang Bing and Yang Keshi, there were also various pawns planted by Tong Guan, so even when it came to actual fighting, there had certainly been some restraint at play. But no matter how many reasons lay behind it, for one hundred thousand men to lose to ten thousand—this was about as absurd an outcome as could be imagined.
Mediocre men ruining the state! Treacherous officials ruining the state!
Starting tomorrow, the Censorate would begin filing charges. Wang Bing, Yang Keshi, any deputy general in the northern army who took orders from Tong Guan, even Tong Guan himself, along with an incompetent Left Chancellor like Li Gang who oversaw this whole affair yet had no real control over the situation, and the whole host of scheming, backstabbing officials at court involved in this matter—not a single one of them would be allowed to escape!
A century’s grand strategy, countless careful plans, all ruined in the hands of such worthless rats.
Walking along the bitterly cold street, Qin Hui made this resolution.
Of course, before long, once reason returned to him, Qin Hui came to his senses and realized that trying to bring down so many people at once was simply not feasible—the focus would have to remain on Wang Bing, Yang Keshi, and the other military commanders involved…
Meanwhile, at the Right Chancellor’s residence.
“This… isn’t quite the most absurd thing I’ve ever seen…”
The hand holding the file trembled slightly, waving it in the air before finally slamming it down onto the table with a crack. Qin Siyuan frowned, suppressing his fury, and drew a deep breath.
“The Wanyan clan broke an army of eight hundred thousand with twenty thousand men at Hubudagang, and took Linhuang Prefecture in half a day of fighting… Compared to that, one hundred thousand losing to ten thousand doesn’t even count as the strangest thing to happen!”
In the room with Qin Siyuan at this moment was his eldest son Qin Shaohe, who had recently returned to the capital. He too was shaken by the news, and frowned as he stepped over to say something. “Father—” But the old man had already slammed his palm on the table again.
“The Jin can use twenty thousand men to defeat eight hundred thousand Liao troops, while the Liao can use ten thousand men to break our Wu Dynasty’s army of one hundred thousand. By comparison, what does that make our Wu Dynasty’s army? These people… what a fine job they’ve done…”
Anger was anger, but some things had already happened, and no amount of fury could undo them. This wasn’t the first time Qin Siyuan had encountered such matters, and after a moment he calmed from his initial rage and sighed. “In the end, I underestimated the infighting within the northern army. Tong Guan, oh Tong Guan—he may not be able to accomplish much himself, but when it comes to making sure others can’t accomplish anything either, he’s without equal. One hundred thousand against ten thousand… Shaohe, when the army marched north, I remember Liheng once said something—without real strength, all the clever scheming in the world is empty talk. But one hundred thousand against ten thousand—do you really think this was a matter of lacking strength?”
“When some want to fight, some want to flee, some want to get things done, and others want to obstruct—then even a million men couldn’t win.”
After Qin Shaohe said this, Qin Siyuan fell silent for a long while before finally sitting down behind his desk. “On the twenty-ninth, Wang Bing and Yang Keshi were defeated at the Juma River. On the thirtieth, Tong Guan laid siege to Hangzhou, and even now the two sides remain locked in stalemate. Fang Qifo is truly a man of talent—he’s clung stubbornly to Tong Guan around Jiaxing, dragging things out all the way to the Start of Winter. From Wenren Buer’s intelligence, it seems Hangzhou likely won’t fall anytime soon. Over these past months, the only news worth watching has probably been Liheng’s exploits within Hangzhou itself. What a pity… Tong Guan laying siege to Hangzhou came just a bit too early…”
…
“…Had Commissioner Tong’s army only besieged Hangzhou a little later, things might have gone rather better.”
Jiangning, the residence of the Prince Consort of Princess Chengguo.
In the study, Kang Xian held a piece of intelligence in his hand and let out a sigh.
“Within three months, from a prisoner to an honored guest, stirring up such upheaval within the city of Hangzhou—such methods are truly admirable. What a shame that just as the conflict between the Overlord Blade Camp and Bao Daoyi was beginning, Hangzhou has already been besieged once more. With even a shred of good sense, the two sides can no longer afford to keep fighting each other. Had things gone according to the original plan, with Bao Daoyi assassinated and key positions among his followers left vacant, the imperial army’s chance of breaking the city might have come within easy reach. But even without that, that a single man’s efforts could sow such internal discord has already played an enormous role in this campaign…”
As Kang Xian spoke these words, listening in the study at this moment were two women. Present today were Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jin’er. Back when they’d first learned of Ning Yi’s predicament, Nie Yunzhu had come to ask Kang Xian for help. Though Kang Xian had nodded and made a promise, it was difficult to feel entirely reassured. Worried for Ning Yi’s safety, Yun Zhu had thought that no matter what, she ought to head south to gather information. She and Jin’er had already left the city, only to be stopped by men Kang Xian had arranged. To soothe the two of them, Kang Xian had promised he would pass along any intelligence he received concerning Ning Yi, and since then, Yun Zhu and Jin’er had come by periodically to check for news.
Princess Chengguo, Zhou Xuan, was wealthy beyond measure, and the intelligence organization Qin Siyuan had originally established, independent of the Six Doors, was in fact still supported and operated from this side. After all, without imperial family connections, the court would never have allowed such an organization to exist. Wenren Buer, in fact, still came from under Kang Xian’s tutelage, so naturally he too was able to obtain news from Hangzhou. It was only now, with Hangzhou once more besieged by a large army, that Kang Xian finally revealed to the two women everything Ning Yi had experienced there.
By this point, Wenren Buer had already come to admire Ning Yi considerably. Though the operation against Bao Daoyi hadn’t made it easy for the main army to take the city, it had exerted enormous influence on the situation, and the intelligence report naturally included no small amount of praise. The version Kang Xian relayed to Yun Zhu and Jin’er omitted many details, while embellishing others until it read almost like a work of fiction, portraying Ning Yi’s commanding presence within enemy territory—turning the tables at will—in the most vivid terms. In truth, this was partly because, after reading the report himself, Kang Xian had felt rather pleased and exhilarated.
Yun Zhu and Jin’er—especially Jin’er—were left somewhat dumbfounded. They knew, to some extent, that Ning Yi was impressive, but to hear him described as this formidable, holding his own without the slightest disadvantage amid a group of rebel soldiers, each one fierce enough to make a baby stop crying just by scowling—was this truly the Ning Yi they knew?
“…Hangzhou is now completely surrounded, and it’s hard to say when the city will fall, but no news can get in or out anymore. That’s why I’m only now able to tell you all these things in such detail. But even here in Jiangning, if you want him to remain safe, you must still keep this strictly confidential. At this point, all the rebel leaders have returned to Hangzhou, and among Fang La’s forces there are no shortage of capable men—Fang Qifo, for instance, could fairly be called a genius of natural talent. It’s hard to say how Liheng will manage to navigate around them, but he should be able to protect himself well enough…”
Kang Xian smiled. “In short, this young man you two are so fond of is no ordinary person. Even matched against Fang Qifo, I doubt he’d necessarily lose. Don’t worry yourselves…”
After a moment’s hesitation, Yun Zhu, dressed in white, flushed a faint shade of red and lowered her head. “I… I only hope he stays safe…”
Yuan Jin’er, who had been listening somewhat dazed, suddenly came to her senses, her eyes going wide. “I—I—I’m not fond of him at all, it’s Sister Yun Zhu, it’s Sister Yun Zhu… ugh, Grandfather Consort, why did you drag me into this…”
Kang Xian merely chuckled. After a while, Yun Zhu and Jin’er took their leave, and Kang Xian left the study as well, closing the door behind him. In the room next to the study, a brother and sister stood with mouths slightly agape, pulling their ears back from the bowl-shaped listening device pressed against the wall, their expressions still full of shock.
“Master…” Zhou Junwu smacked his lips. “Master really is amazing…”
Zhou Pei blinked, thought for a good while, then glared at her younger brother. “You know he’s amazing, yet you still won’t learn from him, always…”
“What I’m learning is exactly what Master teaches—natural philosophy!” Having been nagged by his sister lately, Zhou Junwu raised his voice, holding up the listening device in his hand. “If it weren’t for this, how would you have heard any of that? Natural philosophy is the most amazing thing there is—Master said so himself…”
“A real man ought to…”
“Aaaaaaaah—” Zhou Junwu clapped his hands over his ears, shaking his head desperately. “Sis, you can’t keep lecturing me just because Father’s forcing you to get married. I like natural philosophy, I like natural philosophy, I like natural philosophy—you just go ahead and marry happily, la la la la la la—”
Zhou Pei stood there, her face flushing red then pale by turns. When Zhou Junwu finally finished shouting, she suddenly yanked her brother’s hands away from his ears and bellowed, “I’m not getting married at all!” The shout made Zhou Junwu jump, shoulders hunching up, wincing in pain. Having roared this out, the young woman—now slender and graceful, having reached the age for marriage—stormed out the door. After a good while, Zhou Junwu finally caught his breath, put his hands on his hips, and shouted toward the door, “Wo—man! Hmph!”
No sooner had he finished shouting this than his sister’s figure suddenly reappeared in the doorway—she must have remembered something important and come rushing back. She glared at her brother. “I know you think your master is amazing, but what you just heard—you must never repeat it to anyone outside. Understand?”
Zhou Junwu blinked, then nodded. “Oh, got it.” Having answered dutifully, he suddenly reacted. “Sis, I’m not an idiot!”
At this moment, how was Ning Yi faring, still caught in the midst of the chaos of war?
Let us turn our gaze back to Hangzhou once more…