Chapter Twelve: A Series of Poisonous Schemes

  In the 19th year of Xian De, in December, the Southern Chu army battled at Luo City. At that time, King Yong of Li fought at Jia Meng Pass. Not long after, there were rumors that Da Yong and Shu Guo would make peace, which made Di Qin Wang Zhao Ju feel extremely uneasy. He asked Jiang Zhe for advice, and they secretly discussed it for a long time. The next day, the Chu army attacked the city fiercely. On December 19th, Luo City was breached, and General Wei Xian died in an ambush. The next morning, they attacked the city again. General Long Bu mistakenly believed the scouts' report and led his troops out of the city to pursue the enemy, but he was lured into a heavy siege. After fighting for a day, his men were exhausted and their horses were weak. Di Qin Wang personally went to the front line to persuade them to surrender, but Long refused. In anger, he took his own life. The king sighed and personally collected his remains, giving him a proper burial in Luo City.

  On December 25, Zhang Meng learned that Luocheng had fallen, and the Shu army had lost its will to fight. On December 28, Zhang Meng fell, and from then on, the Kingdom of Shu no longer had any defenses. Some say that Jiang Wei proposed two strategies at this time: one was to break through the city, and the other was to sow discord. Later, someone met a former colleague of King Huai's, Rong Yuan, and asked him about it. Rong hesitated for a long time before saying that it was true, but he refused to reveal any details about the two strategies. Not long after, Rong died, and someone went to pay their respects. His son conveyed his father's words: "Jiang Wei is a rare talent in the world, but unfortunately King Huai did not dare to use him."

  The Book of Southern Chu · Biography of Jiang Suiyun

  I put down my pen, and Han Zhang had already walked out, opened the courtyard door, and saw a general wearing a yellow golden armor and a white brocade robe standing outside. Behind him stood a scholar in black clothes, and behind them was a team of guards wearing white armor. Han Zhang had been in the Southern Chu army for nearly a month, but he didn't know who this person was, his heart was nervous, and he silently stepped aside to let him in. Zhao Jue only glanced at him before walking into the house, Rong Yuan made a gesture and followed him in, while the other guards immediately surrounded Jiang Zhe's study.

  I didn't hear the sound of Han Zhang's report, and just as I felt strange, Zhao Jue walked in. I hurriedly stood up according to etiquette, bowed my head and said: "Your Highness has arrived at my humble abode, and Su Yun has failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me."

  Zhao Ke first bowed and said: "Recently, Zhao Ke has been busy with military affairs and did not come to visit Jiang's illness. Please forgive me."

  I calmly said: "Your Highness holds heavy troops and handles countless matters, where is the leisure to care about an official like me? I don't know what instructions you have for me today."

  Zhaoyu glanced at Rongyuan, who hastily stepped forward and apologized: "Lord Jiang, I was remiss in my duties the other day. Please forgive me."

  "I naturally said: 'Mr. Rong, no need for excessive courtesy, the two of you have come in person, there must be important military affairs, please speak directly.'"

  Rong Yuan looked at me with a hint of embarrassment and said, "The Shu Kingdom sent an envoy to request an audience with King Yong Li Zuo, asking for a truce. Li Zuo didn't agree, but he also didn't refuse." He handed me a large stack of intelligence reports, which were very detailed, even including the conversation between Li Zuo and Yang Can. After I finished reading them, I couldn't help but smile - this Yang Can had the same name as my first student Lu Can, and their personalities were similar too, using both threats and temptation. It was just a pity that I sighed, "The Shu Kingdom has talented people, but unfortunately, the ruler of Shu can't use them well. Now that the kingdom is on the verge of collapse, these talents still haven't abandoned it - no wonder people say that the people of Shu are loyal and righteous."

  Zhao Ke asked: "How is it that Su Yun has already seen that Da Yong will not accept Shu's offer of peace?"

  I smiled and said, "If the King of Yong wants to agree to a truce, he will ask what benefits it will bring. However, the King of Yong only asks about the talents of Shu's people, clearly intending to recruit talent to govern Shu well, so the King of Yong will not agree to seek peace."

  Zhao Ke frowned and said: "Then why would King Yong let such news spread out? If I, Nan Chu, knew about it, it would be somewhat..."

  I said calmly: "King Yong is indeed formidable, he intentionally let such rumors spread, I'm afraid it's to make us in Southern Chu know that according to my knowledge, we haven't been seriously attacking the city recently. I think Your Highness hopes King Yong will bloody capture Jia Meng Pass, and when the time comes, the defenders of Luo City will be affected and won't be able to defend the city with all their might, then we can get Luo City without much effort."

  Zhao Ke and Rong Yuan exchanged a glance, this was the decision they had secretly discussed beforehand. Unexpectedly, I exposed it with one sentence, and both of them fell silent in tacit agreement. I continued: "I think King Yong is also heartbroken over his losses, so he used this rumor to force us into a quick battle. Alas, King Yong is indeed formidable. Even if we see through his intentions, what can we do? In the end, at most, King Yong will agree to Shu's request for peace talks, and we'll have to face Shu's wrath head-on. King Yong can tolerate Shu's continued existence as long as he holds steady at Yangping Pass, occupying the fertile land of East Chuan. Meanwhile, after our arduous battles, all we can get is the treacherous road to Shu, which isn't worth it. We don't have the ability or dare to drag this on. If Shu catches its breath later, they will surely attack us, the traitorous Southern Chu. At present, I have three strategies to offer:

  Zhaoyue's heart was in a mess after hearing this, and he asked: "What are the three strategies? Please, sir, tell me in detail."

  "I said: 'This lower strategy is still the same as before, if Da Yong can't bear it and attacks Jiameng Pass first, then we will have achieved our original goal. However, if Da Yong changes his mind in a fit of anger and accepts Shu's offer to surrender, then we will completely fail. This strategy, victory or defeat depends on the whim of King Yong.'"

  Zhao Ke said with a gloomy expression: "If winning or losing completely relies on others, isn't it like I'm the fish and they're the cutting board? What about a middle strategy?"

  I said in a low voice: "The middle strategy is for my great army to attack the city with all its might. As long as we break through Luocheng, Dayong will immediately attack Jiamengguan, and Shu will naturally perish at that time. What we gain will exceed expectations, but losses will also exceed expectations."

  Zhao Ke furrowed his brow. He didn't want to suffer too great a loss, which was why he didn't want to launch an all-out attack on the city. In a low voice, he asked, "What's the best plan?"

  I smiled faintly: "We use surprise attacks to capture the city, capturing Luoyang with minimal losses. When it's time to fight for the spoils in Shu, we'll hold back a bit and be able to achieve our entire strategic goal."

  Zhao Jue's eyebrows relaxed, and he said, "But how can we use the Qigong to break through the city?"

  "Now, the defenders of Luoyang are divided into two armies: one defending the city and the other camping outside. They support each other, so if we want to win, we must first cut off their external aid. I suggest that we urgently attack the city, then set fire in a direction visible to the enemy army outside, making them think Luoyang is in danger. The outside troops will surely come to rescue, and we'll ambush them along the way, annihilating the Shu army. After cutting off their external aid, we can focus on attacking the defenders inside the city. Then, we'll have someone wear Shu armor and pretend to attack our baggage train, making them think the outside Shu troops still exist. We'll act as if we're retreating in a hurry due to the destruction of our baggage train, luring the Shu army out of the city to chase and kill us. We'll arrange for ambushes to cut off their retreat route, killing their commander. By then, how can Luoyang not fall?"

  Upon hearing this, Zhao Jue accidentally broke the teacup. This plan was so intricate and ruthless that he looked at me with a new gaze, leaving me bewildered. Zhao Jue finally confirmed that the refined and elegant young scholar in front of him was actually a profound and cunning person. He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. As an upright and straightforward man who had also used schemes before, he had never seen such a sinister and deadly trap. With some awkwardness, he bid farewell to Jiang Zhe and went to arrange the battle.

  On the evening of December 16, the Southern Chu army launched a fierce attack on Luocheng. Before long, they set fire to it. Wei Xian mistakenly believed that Luocheng was in danger and rushed over from the mountain road, but was ambushed by the Southern Chu army along the way. Wei Xian fought desperately, but was killed by Zhao Ke personally participating in the ambush. The Shu army scattered, and the Chu army strictly guarded the passage to prevent the news from reaching Luocheng.

  On the seventeenth day of December, in the early morning, the Southern Chu army launched a massive attack again. General Long Bu led the defending troops to repel the attacks several times, with heavy casualties. By the time of the afternoon, the Southern Chu army suddenly became chaotic and immediately retreated. Long Bu saw from the city wall that the big camp of the Southern Chu army in the direction of Fu Shui Guan was on fire. At this time, a trusted follower of Zhao Jue disguised as a Shu scout came to report that Wei Xian had burned down the heavy baggage of the Southern Chu army. Long Bu was overjoyed and saw that the Shu army retreated without any order, so he led his iron cavalry to pursue and kill from behind. The Southern Chu army suffered a great defeat and scattered in all directions. Long Bu pursued for twenty miles but was intercepted by the Southern Chu army hiding in the mountains, which cut off his retreat route. The Southern Chu army regrouped and formed an ambush on all sides. Long Bu led seven thousand elite soldiers to fight in all directions, fighting bitterly throughout the night, staining the war drums with blood, and suffering more than a dozen serious injuries. Finally, he could not break through and was surrounded by the Southern Chu army. Zhao Jue personally came to persuade him to surrender, but Long Bu laughed loudly: "My Shu country only has beheaded generals, how can there be those who kneel down and surrender?" After saying this, he raised his sword and killed himself. Zhao Jue sighed and ordered a grand burial for him.

  On December 18, the Southern Chu army retreated to Fu Shui Guan for repairs. On December 19, Zhao Jue attacked again, and Luocheng lost its great general and was powerless to defend itself, opening the city and surrendering at dusk.

  On December 23, the news of Luocheng's fall reached Jiameng Pass, causing great chaos among the troops. Chengdu was now exposed to the southern Chu army's attack. On the same day, Prince Yong Li Zai launched a massive assault on the city. The Shu soldiers inside the city had no will to fight. On December 25, Jiameng Pass fell, and Chancellor Shen Jun was captured. From then on, the Kingdom of Shu had no more defensible passes left.

  Shu Emperor Meng Huo received the war report, and fainted several times. In the court, he cried: "Our ancestors founded the country, it has been sixty years now, but now it's all gone, I'd rather die than face our ancestors." He asked his ministers for advice, someone suggested surrendering, Meng Huo thought about it again and again, then covered his face and returned to the back palace. The ministers looked at each other in dismay, and had no choice but to disperse.

  In the 20th year of Xian De, during the new year in January, the people of Da Yong and Nan Chu celebrated their great victory. Meanwhile, the Shu Kingdom was filled with gloom as they waited for the armies of Da Yong and Nan Chu to regroup and meet at Chengdu.

  The whole army was in high spirits, and after drinking a few cups of wine in the commander's tent, I excused myself and returned to my quarters. Lying on my bed, I thought vaguely about the future. Only Zhao Jue knew about my plan this time, and I asked him not to spread it around. Zhao Jue agreed, probably because he also felt that my scheme was too cruel. But what he didn't know was that I did it because I would be leaving Southern Chu soon, and if people found out about my plan, I might never have peace for the rest of my life. The joy brought by victory wasn't much, because I knew that Han Zhang had been crying bitterly in his room last night, although he tried to keep his voice down and even avoided his wife.

  In fact, compared to my plan, King Yong's scheme was even more vicious. He openly designed it so that others would take the risk for him, and at the time, I didn't tell Zhao Jue that King Yong had another purpose - to obtain first-hand intelligence on the Southern Chu spy network through this opportunity. It seems that in order to collect intelligence on the alliance between Da Yong and Southern Chu, and then pass it on to King Deqin through Shu, King Yong must have grasped a lot of information about the identities and movements of my Southern Chu spies. Later, he could easily eliminate the power of Southern Chu. What a sinister plot! I didn't intentionally not tell King Deqin this, but if they couldn't think of it themselves, that would be too slow-witted. Moreover, I was also afraid of offending Da Yong, and Zhao Jue's subtle suspicion and rejection towards me made me lose interest in helping him.

  Alas, I originally really hoped that Southern Chu would have a wise and enlightened ruler, but Zhao Jie is not a talent like Guan Zhong or Yue Yi, rather he is somewhat like Bao Shu, with a clear distinction between good and evil, without knowing the principle of harmony and tolerance.

  Nanchu, is there really no hope left? I thought with a heavy heart.

  In the first month of Xian De 20, both sides' armies were not eager to advance, each repairing and consolidating their occupied territories, waiting for the warm spring season. For Shu, this was the last winter. Although Shu had lost most of its military strength, the situation was not easy to calm down, the pride and stubbornness of the Shu people made me see, in just one month, there were seven rebellions, twenty-three assassinations, of course, no one deliberately targeted me, I am not a famous person. Many famous scholars in Shu also refused to surrender, unable to resist then silently resisted, the situation was so precarious that Zhao Jie's hair turned white. Clearly winning, yet so difficult, finally a unanimous decision was reached, if the King of Shu surrendered, it would be better, so Dayong and South Chu, after exchanging letters, decided to advance into Shu in February 1st, with troops pointing towards Chengdu.

  Before departure, Zhao Jie came to see me again. He now prefers to meet with me privately rather than openly seeking my opinion. I suppose he thinks my plans are too sinister. However, I prefer this way, it's safer, no one knows it's my idea, and besides, I've come up with many ideas during this time, all of which are somewhat ruthless. That's why I let Han Zhang leave earlier. As a Shu person, it's too dangerous for him to stay by my side at this time. What if he thinks killing me can save his family's lives?

  To protect me, Xiao Shunzi went to great lengths and actually found a good candidate in the large prison of Nan Chu Jun. The man's name was Chen Yin, a spy assassin from Shu Jun. After the city fell, he was captured because it was discovered that he had made multiple attempts on our military leaders' lives. Originally, he should have been put to death, and this person was cold-blooded and ruthless by nature, only caring about himself. If not for the fact that the city fell too quickly, he would have escaped long ago.

  However, Xiao Shunzi saw an opportunity in his cold-bloodedness, thinking it made him easier to control. He asked Zhao Jue to save Chen Yin's life, and since Zhao Jue felt indebted to me, he agreed. Xiao Shunzi used a secret technique on Chen Yin's body, but I was still uneasy, so I had Xiao Shunzi give him a slow-acting poison that I had concocted. Of course, we only told him that the antidote was with Xiao Shunzi.

  This way, I gained a trustworthy bodyguard. According to Xiao Shunzi, Chen Yin would not sacrifice his life to kill me because he loved life too much and wouldn't betray us. He was the perfect guardian.

  After Zhao Ke sat down, he said worriedly: "We are about to occupy Chengdu. At that time, there will be no buffer zone of Shu State. How should we deal with Da Yong? The lord has sent a secret order, telling us not to offend Da Yong."

  "I've had this idea for a long time. I think the main conflict will be in Chengdu, and whoever captures the King of Shu will be the biggest beneficiary. We don't need to compete with Da Yong for this, it's not worth it. I have a plan to make sure the King of Shu doesn't fall into Da Yong's hands, that's all we need.

  Also, I've heard that the King of Shu favors talented people and is close to his eunuchs because he loves his queen, Jin Lian, and the eunuch Zhang Quan. I've heard that Queen Jin Lian is extremely beautiful. We'll let Da Yong have all the officials and concubines of Shu, if he sends them to the capital as captives, then with Queen Jin Lian's beauty, she will definitely win the favor of Emperor Yong. Then we can plant a seed of discord in Da Yong's harem. If Da Yong kills them, it's a pity, but Emperor Yong will be angry when he finds out. Old men love beautiful women, especially an emperor like Yong who is not very wise. Whether we succeed or fail, we'll have driven a wedge between Emperor Yong and his son.

  Of course, we also need to get some things. After entering the city, please ask King Wang to send Mr. Rong to the Ministry of Revenue to collect books and household registers. This is crucial for our future governance of Western Sichuan. As for gold, silver, and jewels, we'll naturally take them too. On the one hand, it will cover up the importance of taking these documents, on the other hand, it's good to reward the three armies and bribe the king. As for the rest, let Da Yong deal with it."

  Zhao Ke listened and nodded repeatedly: "Lord Jiang mentioned sowing discord between Emperor Yong's father and son, I wonder if you can say more about it."

  I thought, anyway I'm going to leave Nanchu, so I might as well not hide it, so I said: "The matter of King Yong and Grand Prince Li An competing for the throne is known throughout the world. Since King Yong founded his country by force, Li An must be in a difficult situation. This time, King Yong defeated Shu, such a great achievement, Li An must be gnashing his teeth with hatred. We can send secret agents to spread rumors in Dayong, saying that King Yong wants to establish himself in Dongchuan..." By this point, Zhao Jue had already understood and looked at me deeply with fear in his eyes. He bowed deeply and said: "Lord Jiang's plan is excellent, it can ensure Nanchu's peace for several years. I don't know what you need, Lord, but I will definitely assist you with all my might."

  I thought to myself, this is a chance to make a wish and be excused from official duties. I said calmly: "This time, your subordinate has been worn out by the journey on horseback and has contracted an illness. I hope that after returning, I can resign from office and return to my hometown. If I can get the king's permission, I will express my gratitude to the emperor."

  Zhao Ke furrowed his brow, thinking that Jiang Zhe was a man with deep intentions. If he wasn't after power and influence, it would be a good thing, but if he were to leave and defect to another country, the consequences for Nan Chu would be dire. Therefore, Zhao Ke firmly said: "Sir Jiang's words are mistaken. Your talents surpass others, and I was just about to rely on you. How can you retreat? If Sir Jiang dislikes the busyness of government affairs, I will report to the monarch and have you serve in the Hanlin Academy, where you won't need to handle official duties."

  What, I was stunned. How could things go against my wishes? That night when I told Xiao Shunzi with a sense of grievance, Xiao Shunzi patted his forehead and said: "Heavens, sir, you still don't understand the minds of those royal people. If they were willing to let you go, wouldn't they be afraid that you would go to Da Yong or Bei Han? Who made you so conspicuous? It seems that not only can't you resign from office, but from now on, you have to hide your light and bide your time. When the opportunity arises, you might as well abandon your official position and leave."

  I looked at Xiaoshunzi with a mixture of shame and admiration.

  In the 20th year of Xian De, on February 15th, Nan Chu and Da Yong joined forces in Chengdu. The two armies had surrounded the city so tightly that not a drop of water could leak out. De Qin Wang went to pay his respects to Yong Wang Li Zuo, and I couldn't contain my curiosity, wanting to see what kind of heroic figure Yong Wang was. So I followed Zhao Ke as he went along.

  As we arrived at Yong Wang's large camp, I saw the majestic and powerful atmosphere, with a sense of killing intent lurking beneath. I was already full of admiration. Yong Wang Li Zuo welcomed us at the entrance of the camp. From afar, I saw him standing at the gate, wearing the attire of a prince, looking dignified and noble. Although he was just standing there, it seemed as though the entire atmosphere of the camp had gathered around him.

  A hundred paces away from the large camp, De Qin Wang dismounted his horse and walked on foot. I naturally followed suit. As we drew closer to the camp, Yong Wang smiled and approached us. And at this moment, I finally discovered something that shocked me to my core: Yong Wang Li Zuo was someone I actually knew.