War and Peace

The delegation from the State of Ji had not possessed much morale upon arrival, and they were utterly despondent upon departure. Whether it was Xiao Jingyuan's promising son or his brilliant adoptive son, both were now like eggplants struck by frost, incapable of uttering a single word. Xiao Jingyuan remained remarkably composed. He agreed to every single term without hesitation and departed for the Ji capital carrying both draft treaties. Only when the Guantun gate tower faded beyond the horizon did the old general let out a sudden sigh. Seeing the confusion among his officers, Xiao Jingyuan dropped his reticence and spoke quietly: "If what marched beside me right now were not an envoy delegation suing for peace, but an army of one million strong..." His adoptive son's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "We could win?" Xiao Jingyuan replied, "We could not win. But we could deliver a crushing blow to Wei Yuan. Even without immortal Dao soldiers aiding us, we could inflict grievous casualties on him. If we negotiated then, those two treaties would not only become one, but that single document would be considerably thinner." "Precisely! With Wei Yuan lacking the strength to fight on, he would never dare open his mouth so wide with such rapacious demands!" Xiao Jingyuan sighed once more, looking abruptly far older. "At the critical juncture, Sun Chao'en prized his own skin and beat a sudden retreat," he said slowly. "Failing to force a fight to the death when the main Qingming army was utterly exhausted makes him a sinner condemned for eternity! Alas, precious few can see through his sinister designs." Silence fell over the carriage. *** When the delegation returned to the State of Ji, events unfolded exactly as expected. The King of Ji flew into a towering rage upon seeing the two draft treaties. Right there in the royal court, he cursed Xiao Jingyuan till the spit flew, before throwing the general and every officer who had accompanied the mission into prison to face investigation for treasonous collusion. When the Treaty of Guanxian and the Qing-Ji Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation were brought out, the entire court was thrown into uproar. Everyone found the terms unthinkable. Ministers hurled furious abuse at Xiao Jingyuan for his incompetence at the negotiating table, while a small clique of civil officials clamored with fiery indignation, demanding an immediate resumption of war against Wei Yuan. Incidentally, every member of this vocal minority happened to be absent from the Development Bureau's subsidy list. Those howling for war were only an insignificant handful chasing cheap notoriety, and none of the senior dignitaries across the court paid them any heed from top to bottom. Once the clamor subsided slightly, Sun Chao'en stepped out of rank and submitted a memorial: "The urgent priority is to dispatch another envoy for peace talks. In your humble servant's view, the Duke of Cao is loyal, patriotic, of eminent virtue, and held in high esteem. He once fought the enemy chieftain for an entire day without yielding ground, earning the rogue's grudging respect. If the Duke of Cao is sent to negotiate, success will surely follow." The Duke of Cao's backside was still smarting. Hearing Sun Chao'en's proposal filled him with both delight and dread, but under the King of Ji's expectant gaze, he could only brace himself and say, "Your subject is willing to share the nation's burdens!" The King of Ji was greatly pleased. He cast a discreet glance toward Sun Chao'en—a coded signal that had not been employed in quite some time. Sun Chao'en understood at once, and under cover of darkness that very night, Cai Miao slipped into the royal palace. At the tail end of the military ranks, a young officer looked as though he wanted to speak, but after weighing the circumstances, he kept silent in the end. Even so, the subtle shift in his expression did not escape Sun Chao'en's watchful eyes. When the Duke of Cao arrived once more at Guantun County and heard that Wei Yuan was waiting to welcome him at the city gates, he bolted upright from his soft couch in sheer panic, before rushing toward the gate at maximum haste while struggling to maintain his dignity. Upon seeing the Duke of Cao, Wei Yuan let out a hearty laugh and projected loudly: "That day's battle remains fresh in my memory! Your Grace is one of the few opponents I failed to overcome. I never imagined we would meet again so soon." The words resonated for a hundred li, reaching every ear in the delegation loud and clear. The Duke of Cao's face flushed crimson while his backside throbbed anew, and it took everything he had to offer a decorous response. Wei Yuan chummily linked arms with the Duke of Cao and guided him into the gate tower, where countless shadow-recording orbs preserved the historic moment for posterity. Swaying between delight and dread, the duke had no choice but to accompany Wei Yuan into the city. Once the standard protocol of inspecting accommodations and touring facilities concluded, Wei Yuan took his leave. The following day's negotiations were chaired by Xu Henshui, whose appearance set hearts fluttering across the Ji delegation. Infuriated, Xu Henshui casually displayed the dainty hand of the Bell Orchid Fairy, striking terror into the delegation's hearts and thoroughly cowing them from stepping out of line. Such a delicate, pitch-black demonic claw made for a truly terrifying sight. The negotiations proceeded smoothly. The King of Ji had consented to enfeoffing Wei Yuan as Prince Rong—already the highest possible rank—and had agreed to pay indemnities and send several royal princes and princesses as hostages. The Duke of Cao subtly dropped hints that several of Ji's princesses were women of breathtaking beauty, not a whit inferior to Zhao's princess. The moment those words were spoken, Xu Henshui's expression turned faintly odd, clearly catching the insinuation. Then Zhang Sheng, Bao Yun, Feng Tingyu, Ji Liuli, the Sixth Princess, and the rest caught it as well. Wei Yuan wished he could sew the Duke of Cao's mouth shut. How on earth had gossip about him managed to spread all the way to the State of Ji? The talks dragged on for several days before fizzling out without definitive fanfare. Even so, the Duke of Cao secured noticeably better terms. Wei Yuan agreed not to demand the Crown Prince as hostage; the indemnity was moved into a secret annex and allowed to be paid in kind rather than cash; and extraterritorial jurisdiction was revised so that a joint judicial tribunal would be established to handle unlawful conduct by Qingming personnel in Ji. Nominally, the head of this judicial body would be appointed by Ji, but practical authority rested with Qingming. In short, Wei Yuan did not care about empty appearances, but he yielded nothing of substance. Still, taken as a whole, the terms were considerably more lenient. The Duke of Cao breathed a tentative sigh of relief and departed to report his duty complete, carrying the revised treaty. *** Several nights earlier, in the Ji capital. A lone silhouette appeared outside the side gate of a grand, imposing manor. After making sure no one was around, he knocked gently. The door cracked open, and a head peeked out. Glancing into the darkness and confirming the quiet, the servant pulled the visitor inside. The interior was a world apart, holding all the bone-chilling frost at bay. The visitor shed his outer cloak to reveal trim, martial attire beneath, and was ushered into a study. Two men sat inside: one a middle-aged man sporting a short beard, and the other a youth dressed in gray. Upon seeing the bearded man, the visitor shuddered and dropped to his knees in a deep kowtow. "This humble general pays his respects to the Crown Prince!" "Rise," the Crown Prince said, bidding the young officer stand. "Earlier today, when the Duke of Cao was dispatched on his mission, you seemed on the verge of speaking. What was on your mind?" The young officer cast an instinctive glance toward the youth in gray. The Crown Prince said, "This is my teacher. Speak freely." The young officer said, "At the time, this general believed we should not send another delegation. No matter who goes, it will be useless. What we must do now is raise another army, erect fortifications to face them, and fight a few more pitched battles! Without fighting several major engagements, negotiations are utterly meaningless." The Crown Prince asked impassively, "Why dig in behind fortifications instead of launching a general offensive? Your idea runs counter to Lord Sun Chao'en's strategy!" The young officer replied gravely, "Earlier, Wei Yuan faced incursions from the Mountain Folk to the north. His main forces were tied down there, leaving his eastern flank vulnerable; that was the moment for a full-scale offensive. But once his main army marched back, Lord Sun should never have pulled back immediately. Instead, he should have leveraged the strong earthworks and encampments to fight a bloody, decisive battle against Qingming's main force. Only after that engagement could we decide between war and peace." The Crown Prince frowned faintly. "Lord Sun achieved brilliant battle results and preserved the bulk of our Great Ji's main army. How is it that in your mouth, his deeds are reduced to absolute worthlessness?" The young officer said hurriedly, "This general naturally respects Lord Sun's achievements. However, at the critical moment, Lord Sun still played the wrong move. A bloody clash then would have dealt Wei Yuan the heaviest possible blow. Right now, we could entrench ourselves, refuse all peace talks, and bait Wei Yuan into attacking us for another clash. If we avoid defeat in that engagement, we can preserve our dignity without sacrificing vital interests. Therefore, resuming talks at this juncture is the worst possible plan!" The Crown Prince pressed further, "And what if we lose?" The young general said, "If we lose that battle, the State of Ji will sooner or later become meat on someone else's chopping board. Better to lose early than lose late. If we lose early, we will still have time to endure hardship, bide our strength, and make a comeback. If we lose late, the sickness will have set into our bones, and we will never rise again." The Crown Prince looked toward the youth in gray, but seeing no reaction from him, he mused for a moment before saying, "You do not hold high office, so there are matters you do not understand. What if we hold a hidden trump card that leaves Wei Yuan terrified to make a reckless move?" "Even then, we should fight!" the young general answered with absolute conviction. "Why?" "If not for the rebel forces rising so suddenly, we would never have known that our supposedly mighty military was hollowed out by corruption and decay to such an appalling extent. Had we not clashed with Qingming, we would never have realized how formidable beyond-border armies have become. "Things having come to this, we would do better to fight a bloody battle against Qingming's main forces. Only then can our shortcomings be thoroughly exposed, and only then can Wei Yuan truly respect our Great Ji, securing lasting peace for the days ahead. If we refuse to fight, Qingming will provoke us constantly. Must we swallow our humiliation year after year? "Therefore, fighting a decisive battle at this moment offers a hundred advantages, while avoiding battle brings a hundred calamities!" The Crown Prince was finally moved. "What is your name?"