Chapter 851: Deadlock and Reason

"White Horse Leaves Liangzhou"

If adding chairs to the deliberation hall was adding fuel to the fire, a self-defeating move by the young feudal lord, then Commander Yuan Nanting of the White Feather Cavalry arriving with several retired veteran generals from the border army was piling on the misery. Not only did Wei Tieshan, the former Deputy Commander of the Cavalry, and Liu Yuanji, the former Deputy Commander of the Infantry, arrive, but even Lin Doufang was present. Lin Doufang had not only physically assaulted Liu Yuanji, who sought justice for Zhong Hongwu during the grand military review at the Liangzhou border, but he had also appeared earlier alongside Zhou Kang, the "Brocade Partridge," in the procession seeing off the Crown Prince. This old veteran of the Xu family had once nearly become in-laws with Xu Xiao, which is why, despite being retired for many years in Beiliang, Lin Doufang held an exceptionally special place in the hearts of the leaders of the Beiliang Iron Cavalry across two dynasties, far beyond what any ordinary Beiliang general could compare to. The deliberation hall was already bustling, and additional chairs had been placed for fallen heroes like Liu Jinu and Wang Lingbao. Consequently, after Lin Doufang and his retinue took their seats, the hall, which had been quiet for many years, was quite crowded tonight. At this moment, nearly sixty chairs were arranged within the deliberation hall. The main generals and deputy generals of Beiliang's cavalry and infantry, the governors and generals of the three prefectures, influential local commandants, and the civil officials and strategists from Qingliang Mountain were all gathered, an ominous sign of an impending storm.

After Lin Doufang took his seat, he scanned the room. There were some young, unfamiliar faces, but more were older ones he had known for half a lifetime. The old man's expression was complex; from the current standoff, it seemed the unspoken tension between the two sides had not yet erupted, indicating he had not arrived too late. Though he referred to "two sides," fundamentally, it was Xu Fengnian against the entire Beiliang establishment. The old veteran, who had once risked his life for the Xu family, his eyes distant, recalled how the Grand General had faced a similar scenario years ago after the victory at Xileibi. Led by Zhao Changling, they had vehemently pushed for a division of territory along the river with the Liyang Zhao imperial house, which was already showing signs of abandoning its loyal subjects after achieving its goals. Yan Wenluan, still present in the hall, had been among those proponents, as had Xu Pu and Wu Yong, who were no longer in Beiliang, and the deceased Zhong Hongwu. Lin Doufang himself was also part of that group. Yet, the situations faced by the new and old Beiliang Kings, though similar in sequence, differed in nature. Back then, the Grand General had Li Yishan by his side, and apart from the calculating Chen Zhibao, his other five adopted sons, all with significant military achievements, had stood unwaveringly behind him. Today, however, the young feudal lord seemed truly isolated and abandoned by many.

Lin Doufang subtly glanced at Zhou Kang, the "Brocade Partridge." It was rumored that Zhou Kang had been forced to relinquish some military command at Jubai City this time, creating a rift with the Prince. Lin Doufang's gaze then shifted to Chu Lushan, the Beiliang Protector-General, and Yuan Zuozong, the Cavalry Commander. Chu Lushan was looking down at his toes as if counting ants, while Yuan Zuozong rested with his eyes closed. Beside them, Qi Dangguo, also an adopted son of the Grand General, stood ramrod straight, fists clenched, appearing as if he wanted to speak but hesitated. This made the burly, fierce general seem somewhat comical. Lin Doufang's gaze swept over Tian Peifang, the soon-to-be-retired Governor of Liangzhou, who was nominally the third-highest-ranking civil official in Beiliang. He appeared as restless as a lamb caught among wolves and tigers.

Lin Doufang sighed quietly. He had received early notice about this collective audience with the Prince on New Year's Eve from Chen Yunshui, who still held significant power in the border army. Chen Yunshui hadn't elaborated, merely stating that all notable figures in Beiliang would be at the Prince's residence and asked if old Lin wanted to join the "excitement." Lin Doufang knew it wouldn't be anything pleasant and initially didn't want to get involved in the mess. But in the end, he couldn't resist, fearing that the family legacy the Grand General had painstakingly built would crumble overnight. Lin Doufang ultimately called upon Liu San'er, his sworn brother, and the steady Wei Tieshan, hoping that no matter what happened, these three old men could risk their reputations and lives as mediators, preventing the situation from spiraling out of control. Strangely, when they arrived outside the Prince's residence, Yuan Nanting had been waiting there for a long time. He said that Yan Wenluan and Chu Lushan had sent a message for the three elders to observe the situation quietly and not to rush into taking sides. Lin Doufang, who had rushed to Liangzhou, felt a surge of unidentifiable anger at that moment. However, because Yuan Nanting was also one of the old veterans who had seen off the Crown Prince back then, Lin Doufang managed to restrain himself from erupting at him on the spot.

Inside the main hall, there was none of the usual jovial chatter between ruler and minister, nor did the civil and military officials engage in polite greetings. Lin Doufang, Wei Tieshan, and Liu Yuanji all felt a suffocating sense of oppression; in that moment, silence spoke louder than words. One could well imagine the immense pressure on the young feudal lord. Liu Yuanji, rough-mannered and accustomed to being blunt, turned to He Zhonghu, who sat beside him, and whispered, "Old He, what exactly are you guys trying to stir up? Give old Liu San'er a heads-up; I'm feeling uncomfortable. It’s too agonizing, like having a knife at your throat, not knowing if it will be drawn or not."

The old general, who had been in poor health in recent years, hesitated for a moment, then calmly lowered his voice and said, "The Northern Barbarians could launch a large-scale invasion at any moment. The Prince intends to lead an elite cavalry force south into the Central Plains at such a time..."

Liu Yuanji immediately widened his eyes and exclaimed, "What, are we finally going after those ungrateful Liyang bastards?! That's great! Count me in! I don't even plan on returning as a deputy infantry commander; a general position would suffice, with twenty or thirty thousand infantry under my command. Should we attack Xishu or Hezhou first? But it's agreed, I'll be the vanguard general!"

He Zhonghu cast a disgruntled glance at the old brute. Back then, when Liu Yuanji returned home from beyond the pass, the old general immediately beat his three unruly sons half to death and almost went to Qingliang Mountain personally to offer a humble apology. It was only after the Grand General wrote to Liu Yuanji that he relented. However, the old general soon personally escorted his three sons to Yan Wenluan's army, instructing them to "throw them wherever people easily die in Youzhou; their deaths count, as there are five more grandsons at home anyway." But even more amusingly, Yan Wenluan uttered a remark to Liu Yuanji that nearly made Liu San'er explode with rage: Yan Wenluan unceremoniously told the old man to his face that Youzhou infantry didn't accept trash. Because of this, the two old men nearly broke off their friendship, but eventually, Chen Yunshui helped Liu Yuanji's three sons enlist.

Lin Doufang quietly asked, "Old General He, what's going on?"

He Zhonghu said with a helpless expression, "Do you know about Jiang Si, the Empress of Western Chu?"

Lin Doufang nodded. "This matter is widely known; I even heard about it in the countryside. The rumor is that this woman was rescued by the Grand General and secretly raised in the Prince's residence, only to be taken away later by Cao Changqing, which led to the restoration of Western Chu."

Lin Doufang paused, frowning. "Could it be?"

He Zhonghu sighed and said in a low voice, "You guessed it right. The Prince is acting out of anger for a woman. If this were in the past, with no immediate Beiliang-Northern Mang war looming, never mind seven or eight thousand elite cavalry, even twenty or thirty thousand cavalry going to the Central Plains would be fine. With the pretext of a feudal lord quelling unrest, and no genuine intention of rebellion, Beiliang wouldn't worry about the imperial court's gossip. Taking a step back, if the Zhao family truly tried to repeatedly obstruct Beiliang over canal transportation, we could even use it to our advantage and put the court in an impossible position. But in the current situation, Northern Mang has lost so much it's seeing red; that old woman is probably losing her mind. Our Jubai City isn't even fully built, and our external deployment isn't completely finished... Sigh, Old Brother Lin, don't you agree?"

Lin Doufang remained silent.

Liu Yuanji felt somewhat vexed. He wasn't skilled at reasoning like scholars, but he sensed something was amiss. So, this old man, who had once been the fiercest in scolding the Crown Prince, looked at the young man seated in the main position with an empty chair beside him. Liu Yuanji scratched his head, his mind in turmoil. Yan Wenluan, the only border general capable of openly raising his banner in the Beiliang army after the deaths and departures of key figures like Grand General Li Yishan and Chen Zhibao, looked around. He finally broke the awkward silence that had made everyone uncomfortable, looking directly at the young feudal lord, and asked in a deep voice, "I am Yan Wenluan, Commander of Beiliang's Infantry! I recently heard that the Prince intends to personally lead the Feng-character Battalion and over ten thousand elite iron cavalry south to Guangling Dao? May I ask, what is the Prince's purpose in this action? And will this action delay the military opportunities beyond the pass?"

The young man in the main seat bent down to gently stir the charcoal fire, then straightened up. Lin Doufang’s mind raced. Before the young feudal lord could speak, he disregarded propriety and hurriedly said, "Commander Yan, Northern Mang has lost three hundred thousand soldiers. As the stronghold for grain and fodder supply, the Southern Court is already overwhelmed and will be difficult to reorganize in a short time. This time, the Northern Barbarians fought differently from past nomadic tribes who came and went like the wind; they fought very much like Central Plains armies. The more they fight like that, the more their vitality is damaged. I believe war is unlikely to occur within three months. If so, with the speed of our Beiliang Iron Cavalry, a round trip to Guangling Dao in the Central Plains will not affect the overall situation."

Yan Wenluan didn't even look at Lin Doufang, merely sneering, "You say there won't be a war for three months, so there won't be? Furthermore, won't that old hag and Dong Zhuo, the King of the Southern Court, take advantage of Beiliang being leaderless and send several elite forces south first?"

Lin Doufang looked at the young feudal lord and said, "The Prince does not need to personally go to Guangling Dao."

Before Yan Wenluan could respond, Xu Fengnian had already shaken his head and said, "If Beiliang sends troops to Guangling, I will certainly lead them personally."

Lin Doufang felt a headache coming on. How could they possibly negotiate this?

Xu Fengnian suddenly smiled. "I mean, if we were to send troops, since none of you here agree..."

Just then, an old man in a Confucian robe ran breathlessly to the entrance of the deliberation hall. He stepped over the threshold with one foot, then abruptly stopped, as if daring not to lift the other. He stood in that peculiar stance, one foot inside and one outside, then composed himself. His face flushed, he raised his voice angrily, "The mighty Beiliang Iron Cavalry is unmatched under heaven! How is it that after winning battles, your courage has shrunk?! What's wrong with deploying ten thousand cavalry to the Central Plains? Never mind ten thousand, I reckon even twenty or thirty thousand would be fine! What, without the Prince of Beiliang personally overseeing the border, you esteemed officials wouldn't know how to guard Beiliang's gate?! Yan Wenluan, your infantry is unrivaled! To defend Youzhou, do you need the Prince to stand behind you every moment, to offer advice or fetch tea and water or something? He Zhonghu, Zhou Kang, Gu Dazu, when you defend beyond Liangzhou Pass, do you need the Prince to lead the charge and kill enemies in every battle? Otherwise, you can't defeat the Northern Barbarians?!"

The more the old man spoke, the angrier he became. He pointed a finger at the few people in the front row, almost as if he were cursing them to their faces. "Chu Lushan, Yuan Zuozong, Qi Dangguo! The three of you, don't forget why you're even allowed to sit here!"

The old man turned to look at the civil and military officials from Liuzhou and sneered, "As for you Liuzhou officials, you really do have reason to cry and wail about not letting the Prince leave Beiliang. Heh, if the Prince hadn't personally led troops to Qingcang City, you truly wouldn't have been able to defend Liuzhou, which Li Yishan built with his own hands."

Yang Guangdou, the Governor of Liuzhou, was on the verge of jumping up and yelling curses, but he was pulled back by Chen Xiliang, whose face was equally grim.

Jin Baoshi, who was in the corridor outside the door, did not show himself. After hearing Grand Academician Wang's outburst, he felt a genuine admiration. Regardless of whether it was reasonable or not, the sheer audacity to verbally confront so many powerful figures was enough for the old man to boast about for the rest of his life. Although Central Plains scholars also enjoyed scolding Beiliang warriors, who among them had the courage to curse people to their faces in front of Beiliang generals? Yet Grand Academician Wang had, in one breath, cursed almost all the civil and military officials of Beiliang. No wonder the old man had earlier dragged him to the Tide-Listening Tower; it turned out he was steeling himself. During recent correspondence, his fellow disciples had all mentioned Gu Dazu's actions outside Liangzhou Pass at the time. It proved that even a renowned veteran general from the Spring and Autumn period, once the foremost pillar of Southern Tang, would face severe consequences in Beiliang, even as a Deputy Infantry Commander, if he angered the local military factions. Everyone knew that for the next Infantry Commander position, it had initially been a fifty-fifty chance between Gu Dazu and Chen Yunshui. Now, even if Chen Yunshui didn't replace Yan Wenluan, and even if a younger generation general took the role, it would definitely not be Gu Dazu. This indirectly showed how deeply entrenched the military factions were in the Beiliang border army. Even if the young feudal lord went against all opposition to push the disfavored Gu Dazu into the position of Infantry Commander, Gu Dazu himself probably wouldn't be able to hold the position securely.

As a result, Grand Academician Wang's period of "lying low" and cultivating himself at the academy had effectively been for naught.

Probably adopting a "nothing to lose" attitude, the old man no longer showed any of his previous timidity. He stood with hands on hips, eyes blazing, and declared angrily, "The Grand General is gone, and now everyone's getting cocky, daring to form factions and flaunt their power at the Xu family! I refuse to believe that among all of you here, not a single one supports the Prince! Xu Beizhi! Chen Xiliang! Li Hanlin! All of you, stand up and speak a word of justice!"

As a result, not only Xu Beizhi and Chen Xiliang, the two strategists, but even Li Hanlin, who had turned over a new leaf and was considered invaluable, remained seated in his chair, unmoving.

Grand Academician Wang froze on the spot, then suddenly plonked himself down on the threshold, yelling like a shrew in the street, his voice heart-wrenching, "Why is it that our Prince of Beiliang, who commands three hundred thousand iron cavalry, lives such a meaningless life? Just once, couldn't he have just one wish?! You old bastards, Yan Wenluan! You're all so old, why are you bullying a young man who isn't even thirty!"

Silence fell across the hall.

Grand Academician Wang's eyes were bloodshot. He laughed in furious mirth, raising one hand high, and chuckled, "Since the Liyang army's fruitless return in the early Yonghui era, for over ten years, it was the first time the Great Snow Dragon Riders ventured deep into Northern Mang territory. Do you know why?!"

Grand Academician Wang slowly stood up, keeping his hand raised high. The old man, as if pressing his palm hard against a wall, declared loudly, "Back then, Xu Xiao stood by the wall, slapped the map of Northern Mang's situation, and said one thing to me: Xu Xiao said, his son was there!"

The old man glared at everyone in the deliberation hall. "Xu Xiao also asked me, was that reason for sending troops enough?!"

The old man suddenly raised his other hand and slammed it down again. "So, now, the current head of the Xu family tells you there's someone in Guangling Dao, and Xu Fengnian must save her. Is that reason enough?!"

After a brief moment of exchanged glances, Yan Wenluan, still stern-faced, stubbornly uttered, "Not enough!"

He was unmoved.

Grand Academician Wang scrambled to his feet, gesticulating wildly, "I'll beat you to death, you old tortoise!"

But the old man suddenly seemed to have been frozen in place, leaning back. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone. He had finally waited for them.