Chapter Twenty-Four A Distant Road of a Thousand Miles

  After several days of rapid marching, the King of Yong and other Yong troops converged. The King of Yong's army of over a hundred thousand retreated step by step into the territory of Da Yong, while other troops responsible for blocking the way allowed the Southern Chu army to follow at a distance, making it impossible for them to catch up. As a result, the subsequent march was comfortable and leisurely. As a prisoner, I received preferential treatment and did not have to live with other prisoners. The King of Yong ordered a separate tent to be prepared for me and Xiao Shunzi, which was very comfortable and luxurious despite being a military tent. The ground was covered with thick silk carpets, and the seams around the tent were tightly wrapped with fur to keep out the autumn wind. One corner of the tent had a large bed that could accommodate two people, while the other side had a wooden table with two chairs on either side. On the table was a set of purple sand tea utensils, and in the center of the tent stood a delicate and practical copper stove, on which sat a kettle of boiling water, making the entire tent warm and cozy.

  Xiao Shunzi heard the water boiling and skillfully made me a cup of hot tea. I stretched my waist, sat up, and over the years, several accidents have left me with a chronic illness. Although I persisted in practicing qigong for health preservation, I still had recurring bouts of old illnesses. I once thought about getting proper medical treatment, but it's hard to cure one's own heart disease, and doctors find it difficult to treat themselves. So over the years, I've been rather unwell, even though I claimed to be taking care of my health, my body really wasn't in good shape. Xiao Shunzi helped me sit up and complained: "Young master always refuses to take good care of himself, this time going to Da Yong on a dusty road, I'm afraid young master will fall ill again."

  I sighed and said, "What can be done about it? You also know how my illness came about. More than half of it is a heart problem. Actually, I've already recovered a lot now. It's just that this military campaign has made me think of the conquest of Shu again. Unfortunately, King De is already gone. Now that I'm in the Da Yong army camp, thinking of past events makes one clench their fist in frustration. Alas."

  At this time, a loud and clear laughter came from outside the account: "I heard that Mr. Jiang is not feeling well, so I came to visit him specially." Along with the laughter, Prince Yong Li Zuo walked in, wearing a prince's uniform, and behind him were two strategists. The three of them entered the account, and I struggled to get out of bed. Li Zuo had already come over and pressed me down, saying: "Mr. doesn't need to get up, I heard that Mr. is ill, and I am busy with military affairs, so I took some time off to visit you, it's really impolite." After speaking, he sat on the edge of my bed, looking at my face with concern.

  I saw the two Confucian scholars had also sat down, and bowed to say: "Su Yun's old illness has relapsed and he cannot get out of bed. Please forgive him, it has been a long time since I heard that there are many talents around Prince Yong's palace, may I ask how you two gentlemen should be addressed."

  A middle-aged Confucian scholar, over fifty years old and of elegant appearance, stood up and said: "Bei Hai Guan Xiu has met Mr. Jiang before. Your literary talent is renowned throughout the land. I, Guan, have read your poetry and essays, and they are so wonderful that my teeth feel cool and refreshing, and I couldn't bear to put them down."

  Another slender-browed and long-eyed, elegant and refined scholar in a white robe also smiled and said: "In the past, sir, your 'Breaking Array' melody forced the Shu king to his death; even now, I still remember it in my heart - Late-born Dong Zhi."

  I said calmly: "I've long heard that the King of Yong has three strategists under his command. Bei Hai's Guan Xiu is skilled at managing supplies and equipment, Luo Yang's Dong Zhi excels at deploying troops and forming battle arrays, and Ying Chuan's Gou Lian is adept at diplomatic missions to all directions. These three are collectively known as the 'Three Heroes'. Today, I've finally met two of them, and indeed their reputations are not exaggerated. Unfortunately, I only got to see two of the Three Heroes, which truly makes me sigh with regret at the shallowness of my connections."

  Dong Zixiao said, "Brother Gu is not in the central army now, so we can't meet. He also has great respect for you, sir. On that day when you accompanied the late Prince De to the Da Yong military camp, it just so happened that none of us three were in the army. Later, we parted hastily and didn't have a chance to sit down and talk at length. Now that you've returned under His Highness's command, I suppose we can discuss things over wine in the future."

  I glanced at Li Zai, smiled slightly, and did not refute Dong Zhi's words, so as not to make him lose face. Instead, I said calmly: "Although Su Yun is often ill, his spirit is still quite vigorous. If Brother Dong has any questions, he can ask Su Yun directly. Su Yun dares not speak evasively."

  After a while, they saw that I was tired and bid farewell. Li Zhi repeatedly instructed me to rest well, saying that he had arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to take us together, and also instructed Xiao Shunzi to take good care of me, and if I needed anything, I could ask Guan Xiu to provide it.

  After they left, I leaned on the bed and laughed: "The King of Yong's strategists are indeed enthusiastic, but I think that Gou Jian is a bit narrow-minded. Otherwise, why didn't the King of Yong bring him along?"

  Xiao Shunzi laughed and said, "At this moment, the young master is indeed clever. That Gou Jian is also in the camp, but his temper is not good, so King Yong did not invite him to come forward, lest he would immediately offend the young master."

  King Yong and the two advisors walked out of the tent, sighing: "I thought he was just pretending to be ill, but unexpectedly he really fell ill and couldn't get up. Alas, his body is not good, and I forced him to travel far, no wonder he has always been cold to me."

  Dong Zhi comforted him, "Your Highness doesn't have to worry, I see that this person is bedridden with illness, but his spirit is very good. He must not be angry because Your Highness brought him along. Although I couldn't see through this person's thoughts, when I said he obeyed Your Highness, he didn't refute it in person. It can be seen that this person is not impossible to subdue."

  Li Zai sighed and said, "Jiang Zhe is a man who goes with the flow. Even if I were to force an official position on him, he might not necessarily decline it outright. However, getting him to truly serve with his heart would be difficult. In the past, when King Deqin Zhao Ke valued him highly, Jiang Zhe still refused to continue serving in the army due to some reservations. And now that I'm in a similar position as King Deqin and King Nanchu, his uncle, I worry that he will treat me with the same indifference."

  Guan Xiu Dao said, "Your Highness can rest assured. Although this person is as cold as ice, he still has a passionate heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come forward to offer his honest advice. As long as Your Highness treats him sincerely, you will definitely gain his loyalty. I heard that the reason for his estrangement from Prince De was largely due to the fault of Prince De's aide, Rong Yuan. What I'm worried about is Guan Jian's temperament. This person is hard to get along with and always likes to provoke others a few times. I'm afraid he will offend Jiang Suiyun."

  Dong Zhi said, "Guan brother is overthinking, I think if Gu Yan went, there might be unexpected achievements. Jiang Zhe appears to be gentle and elegant on the surface, but in fact, he has a stubborn and unyielding heart, which is similar to Gu brother's temperament. I don't think there will be any bad consequences."

  Just as the three of them were repeatedly discussing here, Kou Jian, who they were worried about, had already arrived at my tent. Kou Jian was a proud and arrogant person. When he learned that Li Zhi had brought Jiang Zhe back to Jianye, he was not pleased. This time, Li Zhi took Guan Xiu and Dong Zhi to visit the sick but did not bring himself, which made Kou Jian feel uncomfortable. With his intelligence, he naturally knew that Li Zhi and the others were worried that he had offended Jiang Zhe, which made him even more resentful. Therefore, he took advantage of Li Zhi's departure and came to my tent. I was still a "prisoner" of the Yong army, although Li Zhi had ordered not to disturb me. However, Kou Jian's position in the army was very high, so the soldiers guarding me did not stop him, and he walked into my tent with ease.

  As soon as I saw this young man with a hooked nose, I guessed his identity. Seeing him standing in front of me without any courtesy, sizing me up for half a day, I waved my hand to stop Xiao Shunzi's anger and smiled: "May I ask if you are the sharp-tongued Gou Jianyuan?"

  Gu Yan's eyes widened slightly, and he said: "I didn't expect that Jiang Suiyun, who had sent off the King of Shu with a single song, would also recognize me, a small figure. It's truly an honor. I wonder if the number one scholar who mocked the King of Shu in the past, saying 'one day he will become a prisoner and his beauty will fade', knew about today's events. Seeing your brother's haggard appearance and frail body, it seems that you too have experienced the 'fading of beauty'."

  I calmly said: "I've long heard that Brother Yongquan was once a staff officer under the former Xu Zhou General Zhang Chen, who refused to submit to the imperial court and led his troops in occupying the local area. At that time, Brother Yongquan received great honors while serving under him. Later, when King Yong's palace sent an expedition against Zhang Chen, Your Excellency was ordered to go as an envoy to the Yong camp. Who would have known that you would surrender to the king's majesty and return, then persuade General Zhang to abandon his armor and surrender? Afterwards, Your Excellency went on missions for King Yong's palace in all directions, fulfilling your duties without bringing shame. But I wonder if it was because of your initial service as an envoy for Zhang Chen that you were later slandered with the shame of surrender, causing you to hang your head in shame and stab yourself in the thigh? Only later did you achieve success?"

  Although he was praised for his successful persuasion of Zhang Yan to surrender, he himself always felt that he had failed to persuade the Prince of Yong to retreat and instead became the Prince's envoy to persuade others to surrender, which was somewhat humiliating. He didn't expect to be exposed by someone who saw through his actions. He blushed and said: "Your Highness, the Prince of Yong, has a majestic appearance and noble character, how can he be swayed by words? It's not surprising that I, a humble messenger, should retreat with my tail between my legs. Moreover, I was able to persuade General Zhang to surrender, which is also a meritorious act. But as for you, sir, since you know that the Prince of Yong is the rightful ruler, why don't you follow the proper order?"

  I smiled and said, "Elder brother Yongquan, your words are quite off the mark. When I said that General Zhang did not follow the correct calendar, it was because at that time the Central Plains were unified in an instant, and people's hearts were attached to him. General Zhang relied on his military power and did not know the current situation, so he took it lightly. However, although Southern Chu is a small country, its founding is even earlier than that of Great Yong. Zuo Yun was once the top scholar of Southern Chu, a first-place graduate of the imperial examination, who served in the Hanlin Academy for many years and received great favor from his lord. How could he abandon his lord and follow Great Yong? Zuo Yun knows shame, and his old master is still alive, so how can he serve a new master?"

  Gu Yan's eyes rolled, and he said: "Your Excellency has decided to serve Southern Chu, but now the ruler of Southern Chu is in my camp. Zhao Jia has surrendered and serves me, Great Yong. Why are you being so stubborn? Moreover, I've heard that wise ministers choose their masters carefully. Zhao Jia was foolish and forced a wise king to death, whereas my master, King Yong, is open-minded and humble, respectful of the virtuous and talented, and his actions are decisive and resolute. His reputation for benevolence and wisdom has spread throughout the world. Why do you cling to your mistakes and refuse to surrender, becoming a laughingstock for the world?"

  I smiled coldly and said, "Although a wise minister chooses his lord, I have never heard of a wise minister serving a new lord while the old one is still around. In the past, Yu Rang served Zhongxing after the death of his previous lord, but even then, he was not discarded by Zhongxing, who treated him as an ordinary person. How could I, who had served the royal house of Southern Chu, abandon them now? The late king had appointed me to the Hanlin Academy and King De had used me as a consultant - the kindness they showed me is still fresh in my mind. How could I possibly betray them just because I've seen wealth and glory?"

  "Although your words are all golden and precious, you have already been demoted, why must you be so obstinately loyal?"

  I calmly said, "In the past, Bi Gan cut open his heart, but his will did not change. Qu Yuan was demoted and when he heard about the affair of King Huai of Chu, he even drowned himself in a river. I am not a foolish person who would dare to follow the example of these sages. However, I am confused by glory and wealth, relying on a new lord to seek riches and honor, this is something I do not dare to do."

  Gu Yanwu heard this and could only bow down to say: "Sir, your character is noble and pure, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. However, His Highness has the demeanor of a king, if sir were to miss this opportunity, it would be a pity. But sir is ill in bed in the army, Yongquan dare not force you, all the way to Yongdu is a thousand miles away, may I come to disturb you and pay my respects to your teachings?"

  I smiled and said, "Brother Yongquan is renowned throughout the land, and it's only right that I should seek your guidance often. The journey is lonely, so if you have some free time, please come to my humble abode for a midnight chat. Although I've read extensively, I'm not particularly skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. I've heard that you're quite famous in these areas, so please don't hesitate to enlighten me."

  Li Zai, upon learning that Gou Jian had come to see me privately, was initially very worried and immediately sent someone to persuade him. However, when the person arrived, he saw that I was chatting with Gou Jian in a very friendly manner. Li Zai heard about this and couldn't help but show his joy. From then on, he often let his attendants come to keep me company, and I wouldn't refuse. After many days of talking, I had a high opinion of the attendants under Prince Yong's command. Guan Xiu was very knowledgeable about financial matters, Dong Zhi was skilled in military strategy, and once we started discussing these topics, our conversations would be endless. Gou Jian was also very learned and talented, and he got along with me particularly well. The only thing was that he had a competitive personality and liked to debate with me on difficult issues. Talking with these people every day didn't make my mood too bad, and with the careful care of Xiao Shunzi, my illness gradually recovered on the road.

  I have a good impression of them, and they also admire me very much.

  Guan Xi was skilled in military affairs and financial matters, and was a trusted advisor to the Prince of Yong. However, when he spoke with this young man, he found that no matter what he said, the young man would immediately understand, and occasionally say something that hit the nail on the head. It wasn't until Jiang Zhe casually mentioned that he had handled documents in the camp of the Prince of De that Guan Xi realized why this Hanlin scholar was so familiar with these trivial matters. He had originally thought that Jiang Zhe had only been a military advisor to the Prince of De.

  Dong Zhi was skilled in military strategy, but when debating with Jiang Zhe, he found that Jiang Zhe knew everything about ancient and modern battles, even the parts that Dong Zhi himself didn't understand. Jiang Zhe's explanations were thorough and made sense, and when asked how he knew all this, the young man smiled and said he had read military books at the residence of the Marquis of Town Far, Lu, and later organized military strategies in the Hanlin Academy.

  Dong Zhi originally thought that Jiang Zhe was just a theorist, so he tried to test him by practicing military strategy together. However, Jiang Zhe's tactics were unpredictable and seemed to come out of nowhere, but after thinking about it, they made perfect sense. Dong Zhi was impressed and couldn't help but feel competitive, so he started debating with Jiang Zhe about the equipment used in battle.

  However, Jiang Zhe was also able to explain everything clearly and logically, and although he rarely spoke, when he did, his words would make Dong Zhi think for a long time. The next day, Dong Zhi would go and research how to improve the equipment.

  Gu Yan was most impressed with Jiang Zhe. He had always been proud of his extensive knowledge, but unexpectedly, Jiang Zhe had participated in the establishment of the Chongwen Temple in South Chu and had read countless books. Every time they debated articles, Jiang Zhe would often quote extensively, leaving Gu Yan speechless. As for the art of persuasion, although Jiang Zhe did not use it frequently, whenever Gu Yan was being overly confident and unstoppable, Jiang Zhe would often say just one sentence that would make him feel convinced and ashamed.

  What the three people admired most about Jiang Zhe was that, despite his exceptional talent, he was humble and natural. When talking to him, it felt like a gentle spring breeze, and one only sensed his overflowing talent without feeling intimidated. It wasn't until late at night when one would suddenly break out in cold sweat. Later on, as the three people's competitive spirits grew more urgent, Jiang Zhe would often quietly retreat, allowing their fervent passion to dissipate into a gentle spring breeze, and it was only after a long while that they realized Jiang Zhe had not responded at all.

  A thousand miles journey, although distant, will eventually come to an end. When they were about to arrive at Yongdu, the three of them once again joined forces to request an audience with Li Zuo, demanding that he must take Jiang Zhe under his wing. Guo Rong was the most vehement, saying: "If Your Highness cannot take this person under your wing, it would be a great pity. This person's talent surpasses ours several times over. If we were to become enemies with him, I fear our corpses would not even remain."

  Li Zai said with a bitter face: "Gentlemen, how could I not know the importance of this person? However, every time I went to persuade him, he remained silent and left me with no way out."

  Guan Xiu Dao said, "Your Highness doesn't have to be in a hurry. This person has great respect for Your Highness and doesn't harbor any hostility towards us. He shouldn't refuse to this extent. This time when we return to the capital, we will send him to the Yong Wang Fu to be placed under house arrest. We can slowly persuade him, there must be a way. Moreover, Shi Zi Yu is kind and virtuous, he will definitely be able to guide him."

  Li Zai sighed: "It can only be like this, if Shi Zi Yu cannot persuade him again, Ben Wang... Ah, how can Ben Wang bear to give up."

  Guan Xiu and the other two exchanged glances, all knowing that Li Zhi had murderous intentions.

  "Outside the curtain, the rain is pattering, spring thoughts are hazy. The quilt cannot withstand the cold of the fifth watch. In a dream, I don't know my body is a guest, and for a moment, I indulge in joy. Alone, I lean on the railing, with endless rivers and mountains, it's easy to part but hard to meet again. As the flowing water falls, the flowers go with spring, heaven and human world."

  I stood in front of the window, wearing my clothes, and tomorrow would be the day I arrived in Yongdu. I was reciting the new "Lang Tao Sha", with infinite loneliness in my heart, thinking of the charming scenery of South Chu, and even more so, my heart was turning over a hundred times. Xiao Shunzi walked to my side and said in a low voice: "Young master, these days you have been under Li Zhi's command, but you never gave him a good look, if Li Zhi has the intention of killing, what should you do?"

  "Xiao Shunzi, you don't understand. In the past, I was just going with the flow, it didn't matter who I served under, even in front of Prince De's face, I was just pretending. But Prince Yong's heart is like a clear mirror, if I were to throw myself at him and couldn't be sincere, then he wouldn't be satisfied, and also couldn't resolve his crisis. If he wants me to do my best, then I'll see how big his tolerance is. I'm intentionally trying to provoke him into killing me, if in the end he's willing to let go, then I'll consider him a wise and virtuous ruler. But if in the end he harbors murderous intentions, then he's just an overbearing and talented ruler. Rather than me worrying every day about him killing his meritorious officials, I'd rather test his character today. If he can ultimately spare my life, then I believe we can have a good beginning and end as ruler and subject. But if..."

  Xiao Shunzi's face showed a look of anxiety and said: "Young master, the power of Prince Yong is extremely great. If he wants to kill you, how can we escape? My martial arts skills are not bad, but I also dare not guarantee that I can save the young master."

  I smiled faintly and said, "I think the King of Yong will not really kill me with a knife for fear of hurting the hearts of scholars all over the world. Using poison is the best way. I have already prepared a precious poison pill. When the time comes, I'll take it and become stiff like a corpse. It's difficult to escape from one person, but escaping with a dead body is easy, isn't it? After I escape, I will hide in Yongdu, waiting for an opportunity to strike back at the King of Yong for killing my wife. At that time, Xiao Shunzi, you and I can roam freely and live incognito, isn't that wonderful? People often say 'read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles', I'm really looking forward to it."

  Xiao Shunzi said with a relieved expression: "In that case, I'd rather expect Prince Yong to kill Gongzi, so as not to implicate Gongzi in his efforts to exhaust himself."

  I smiled slightly, thinking that it would be a test of their worthiness. To be honest, I'm afraid no one can pass this test. It's the unspoken thought of those wise rulers, to kill anyone who is useless. Unfortunately, King Yong was truly someone I admired. I couldn't help but feel a little regretful.