In the Shiliu County of Eastern Chen, northwest.
The young general in white clothes and silver armor sat on his horse. Blood had not yet dripped from his red-tasseled long spear. He suddenly turned his head to look at the eunuch who came to deliver the decree. His sharp eyes were full of killing intent. “Peace talks? On what grounds?”
The eunuch who came to deliver the decree was so frightened by his glare that his legs went weak. After all, the title of “God Slaughter General” was not given in vain. He tried to remain calm and said, “General Yu, it… it’s His Majesty’s decree.”
He opened the imperial edict to announce it, but Yu Polu had no intention of kneeling to listen. He gripped his spear tightly, but was stopped by an adjutant beside him who grabbed the spear shaft, whispering, “General, you must not.”
“In five more days, we could have taken their royal court directly!” Yu Polu said coldly. “Have those mediocre officials at court forgotten how we were once beaten by those barbarians? Are they going to let them force their way to the imperial capital gates and demand land and a marriage alliance again!?”
“General ah…” The eunuch announcing the decree was so anxious his face was full of worry, the imperial edict in his hand suddenly becoming a hot potato.
“General, if you can’t endure small things, you’ll ruin great plans,” the adjutant advised patiently beside him.
The red-tasseled long spear was forcefully thrown, deeply piercing the cold earth. The cracks spread to the eunuch’s feet, like a silent threat.
Yu Polu dismounted with a dark face, his cloak swinging as he knelt on one knee with his fist raised, and coldly barked, “This humble servant Yu Polu receives the imperial edict.”
The eunuch was sweating profusely, his hands shaking as he opened the imperial edict.
****
“That may be so, but Eastern Chen has famous generals like Yu Polu and Kou Wugou,” Lin Yuan said with a slight smile as he sat in the secondary position. “Besides old General Jiao Wenbo who can be worthy of a battle, what other generals does Northern Liang have to send?”
“General Jiao is old now, and it’s already difficult for him to defend Yunshui. I’m afraid the Emperor of Liang wouldn’t have the heart to let him travel such a long distance to the northern frontier,” his colleague Wen Liufang wasn’t as gentle, directly hitting the sore spot.
Wang Dian’s timing was unfortunate. These two people under Zhao Qi were more famous than the other, and more difficult to deal with. The two quick-witted talents sang in harmony, their combat power simply defying the heavens.
“These two darens’ words are mistaken. Our Great Liang has never lacked talented generals. If we really compare, our north and your south are evenly matched,” Chu Geng showed no signs of timidity, cleverly bringing the topic back. “No matter how formidable Yu Polu and Kou Wugou are, the Emperor of Eastern Chen has always favored scholars over military men. Let alone sending both generals, just look at the battle between Loufan and Eastern Chen. Yu Polu was constantly hampered by his own emperor. What should have been a smooth and beautiful battle turned into such a frustrating affair, as you all have seen. With Eastern Chen and Loufan joining forces, turning from enemies to friends, discord is bound to arise.”
With the emperor behind Yu Polu not giving him trust, and having to join forces with a sworn enemy, even if he were possessed by the God of War, it would be difficult to fight.
“If what young Chu Daren says is true, then your Great Liang can fight on its own. Why must you drag our Zhao into this?” Wen Liufang, who had long, narrow fox-like eyes, smiled slightly before speaking, but his words were merciless.
Chu Geng’s face showed displeasure. Wang Dian unhurriedly picked up his tea and took a sip, then took over the conversation.
“Wen Daren, the current situation is that Loufan and Eastern Chen have joined forces. It’s hard to say who their ultimate target will be,” Wang Dian said with a slight smile. “On the battlefield, situations change unpredictably. Today’s enemy might be tomorrow’s friend, just like Loufan and Eastern Chen, don’t you agree?”
If Southern Zhao didn’t send troops to help, Northern Liang would dare to ally with Loufan and Eastern Chen to attack Zhao together. Whether it was two countries attacking Liang or three countries beating Zhao, no one would come out unscathed. If Southern Zhao dared to stand by and watch, Northern Liang would dare to drag them into the water.
Upon hearing this, Wen Liufang and Lin Yuan’s faces indeed became somewhat unpleasant.
Wang Dian’s words were indeed not very polite, showing his sharp edge. But since he was in someone else’s territory, he had to be somewhat humble. He smiled mildly again, “However, let’s get back to the point. We’re here to discuss cooperation after all. The Emperor of Liang is not heartless, and Your Majesty of Zhao is not short-sighted. Whether it’s Liang or Zhao, being targeted by Eastern Chen would be disastrous for both. In the long run, joining forces to resist is the only right path. Your Majesty, don’t you agree?”
Although Zhao Qi was on good terms with him privately, this was a matter of war, so he smiled and said, “Military affairs are of great importance to a country. Wang Daren, are you sure your thoughts align with the Emperor of Liang’s?”
This was questioning in what capacity Wang Dian was negotiating.
“Although I have some private disagreements with our Emperor, that’s just a family matter.” Wang Dian’s casual mention of “family matter” dispelled Zhao Qi’s questioning. Not annoyed by his suspicion, he calmly said, “As Your Majesty said, military affairs are of great importance. My journey here is one part for the Emperor of Liang, nine parts for the country of Liang. Liang has given birth to me and raised me, how could I jeopardize the country’s great plans for personal gain?”
In negotiations, one had to find different key points for different people. Zhao Qi valued righteousness and emotions. Wang Dian had discussed cooperation with him first, so now he indeed needed to explain clearly why he suddenly started helping Liang Ye.
As expected, when the topic was elevated to patriotism, Zhao Qi’s expression softened slightly.
Wang Dian continued to reassure him, “Moreover, my previous agreement with you was a private matter. I’ve always kept public and private matters separate. I will never go back on what I’ve already agreed to. In business, the most important thing is trust.”
He also smoothly added their previous business deal as a bargaining chip to the negotiation table.
“Zhen naturally wouldn’t misjudge,” Zhao Qi smiled.
With the two leaders setting the direction for the entire meeting, the others naturally had to follow the theme. However, Chu Geng was young, inexperienced in officialdom, and up against two of the most notoriously sharp-tongued of the four young masters. At first, with Wang Dian’s help, he could hold his own, but on his own, he struggled considerably, practically being beaten down by the two caustic tongues opposite him.
Wang Dian remained very calm. As he sat in the envoy’s main seat, he represented Liang Ye and the country of Liang, on equal footing with Zhao Qi and the country of Zhao opposite him. As Zhao Qi remained impassive, he naturally couldn’t personally intervene. His earlier interjection to help Chu Geng was already somewhat improper, but at least Zhao Qi had given him face and hadn’t directly ignored him.
One could only say that his timing was too awkward. His original intention was to talk privately with Zhao Qi, but with Lin Yuan and Wen Liufang present, it had directly turned into a semi-formal negotiation. They shamelessly seized the opportunity to batter the inexperienced Chu Geng.
Facing two against one, and against two old hands who outclassed him in every way, Chu Geng’s face was almost turning green.
Just as he was feeling frustrated, suddenly there was an announcement outside that envoys from Northern Liang had arrived. Everyone in the hall was stunned.
When Xu Xiude, leading Cui Qi and Wen Yu, entered the hall and saw Wang Dian, he was also taken aback. The mask Wang Dian was wearing had been altered by Quan Ning before, then changed back by the stingy Liang Ye, which now proved to be very useful.
“Wang Daren?” Xu Xiude exclaimed in surprise.
“Xu Daren, you’ve finally arrived. Your pace was really slow,” Although Wang Dian didn’t know why Xu Xiude had come, he decided to pull him in first to support the situation. He said with a stern face, “Did you need to wait until Eastern Chen and Loufan were attacking at the gates of both Zhao and Liang before considering it urgent?”
This statement was truly quite shameless. Wen Liufang wanted to roll his eyes but was subtly poked by Lin Yuan beside him.
Xu Xiude, an old fox full of cunning, though fond of money, had a quick mind. He instantly understood the key points, realizing that compared to this, the joint governance and trade of Yunshui were trivial matters. With a face full of smiles, he approached, saying, “Wang Daren, please calm down. It’s just that Cui Daren wasn’t feeling well and delayed us on the road. Isn’t that right, Cui Daren?”
Cui Qi and Wen Yu weren’t fools either. After a few words, they understood what Wang Dian was doing. Though inwardly shocked, they were all good actors. Cui Qi coughed a few times with a cold expression, and said weakly, “It was this humble official who held us back.”
“Cui Daren, you’ve already done your best,” Wen Yu pushed him forward, exchanging a knowing glance with Wang Dian.
After they paid their respects to the emperor, Zhao Qi thoughtfully allowed them to rest briefly, scheduling the second half of the meeting for half an hour later.
In the side hall, Wang Dian inquired about their true purpose for coming. Upon learning it was about the joint governance of Yunshui, he immediately felt relieved. He didn’t know whether to thank Liang Ye for his whim of sending a group of old, weak, and sick officials as envoys during the New Year, or to be grateful that although they were old, weak, and sick, they were all exceptionally skilled with words.
After introducing Chu Geng to the three of them, within the brief half hour, he decisively set the focus for the upcoming negotiation – no matter what, they had to get Zhao to send troops, at least 80,000 but not exceeding 130,000. This was the optimal force that he and Liang Ye had calculated for this potential predicament during their idle time – any less wouldn’t be enough, any more would be dangerous.
Xu Xiude looked at Wang Dian with some concern. Putting aside the fact that Wang Dian was assuming his authority as Minister of Revenue, even if Wang Dian were in office, he would only be the Minister of Revenue, and now he even had a “former” added to his title. “Wang Daren, is it… appropriate to make such decisions on your own? In my opinion, we should first seek instructions from His Majesty.”
“No need to seek instructions,” Wang Dian took out Liang Ye’s private seal from his sleeve. This item was similar to the emperor’s edict, even with slightly more power. Wang Dian had been startled when he found it earlier while feeling for odds and ends in his sleeve.
He was quite certain it wasn’t there before eating dumplings – Liang Ye had left it for him specifically before leaving.
Although he didn’t know what Liang Ye’s intentions were at the time, it now proved to be genuinely useful.
With manpower and “imperial orders”, Wang Dian had more confidence in the negotiations, and Chu Geng also heaved a sigh of relief.
In the second half, Zhao Qi moved both parties’ officials to the formal discussion hall. Besides Lin Yuan and Wen Liufang, Zhao added three more people. Wang Dian’s side, including himself, had exactly five people. Xu Xiude’s build counted for two, and in a pinch, they could throw in Cui Qi’s wheelchair. The two sides were roughly matched.
At first, both sides restrained themselves politely, inquiring after each other’s emperors. But before an incense stick could burn down, the atmosphere became tense, with everyone skilled in verbal sparring.
Lin Yuan was rigorous, Xu Xiude was smooth, the two fought evenly. Wen Liufang was sharp-tongued, Cui Qi looked indifferent but his mouth was even sharper. Wang Dian could clearly see the veins popping on Wen Liufang’s forehead. Wen Yu didn’t speak much but hit the nail on the head every time. Chu Geng finally met opponents of equal strength, attacking from all angles with energy to spare for jabbing at Wen Liufang a few times…
Zhao Qi calmly drank his tea, while Wang Dian casually ate some snacks.
However, in reality, no one was certain of the outcome.
The battle with Eastern Chen and Loufan was inevitable, and the outcome of this battle would determine the pattern of the world.
Even though just yesterday they were happily celebrating the New Year, war always came unexpectedly.
Personal desires and romance always seemed so insignificant in the face of war.
Wang Dian’s gaze passed over the winter plum blossoms outside the window, looking towards the northern sky, as if across thousands of mountains and rivers, he could see Liang Ye sitting on the dragon throne, cold and stern.
As their gazes intertwined, flaming arrows broke through the sky, shouts of killing spread across the land, and the vast earth was engulfed in the flames of war.
At the end of the 18th year of Ding’an in Northern Liang, Ziyan City fell, and 100,000 northern border troops were massacred.
At the beginning of the 19th year of Ding’an, Eastern Chen and Loufan joined forces to attack Liang.
The death of Wen Zong, a veteran of three reigns, seemed to signal the end of an era for Northern Liang. The lone pillar supporting the great edifice could no longer hold, and the entire country of Liang was in turmoil.
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