Taiheiki

Chapter 254 Music and Dance
"What do you mean? Isn't he a high-ranking official in the imperial court? How can he not be one of them?"

As the argument raged on, Liu Xin entered from the outer room, followed by Zhang Song. Everyone quickly rose and bowed, saying in unison, "Greetings, Great Teacher, General of Chariots and Cavalry!"

"Gentlemen, no need for formalities!" Liu Xin raised his right hand slightly to the stage, gesturing for everyone to rise. He then sat down in the center, with Zhang Song standing by his hand on his sword.

"You all know the current situation!" Zhang Song said in a deep voice, "The more this is the case, the more we need to unite as one in order to cope with it."

"General Zhang! We have no ulterior motives, otherwise we wouldn't have come here. We could have just gone to Wei Cong and surrendered. However, we need to come up with a plan immediately, otherwise it will be too late when Wei Cong's army comes!"

"Yes! Time is of the essence. We beg the Great Teacher to come up with a solution! Whether it is war or peace, we will obey. But we must act quickly, or it will be too late!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, but they all shared the same message—that Liu Xin should immediately express his stance, instead of Zhang Song standing in front and issuing orders while Liu Xin sat on top like a sage.

"Gentlemen!" Liu Xin finally spoke, "I am already aware of the current situation. Tomorrow night I will perform a ritual to pray for wind. You should tow the boats ashore beforehand to avoid damage. Once the wind subsides, you can push the boats into the water and head straight for the great river!"

"Thank you so much, my great and wise teacher!"

"I will humbly obey the teachings of the Great and Virtuous Teacher!"

Upon hearing this, the people inside the tent were overjoyed and quickly took their leave to prepare. Once everyone was gone, Zhang Song asked, "Master, with such abilities, why didn't you use magic to extinguish the fire when the bandits set fire to the old camp?" His tone was rude, carrying a hint of accusation.

Liu Xin glanced at his disciple but remained silent, which only enraged Zhang Song. He grabbed Liu Xin's sleeve and pressed him for an answer: "Do you feel no remorse at all, watching 100,000 people perish under the swords of the government troops?"

"Zhang Song!" Liu Xin finally spoke: "Now that I have appointed you General of Chariots and Cavalry, you should know the principle that a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. Winning is your skill, losing is your fault, how can you shirk responsibility? As for magic, it requires the right time and place, and all rituals must be performed, and one must be fasted and purified before praying before the gods. You know this too. That night, how could you possibly perform magic to extinguish the fire in such a hurry?"

Zhang Song was rendered speechless by Liu Xin's rebuttal, covered his face, and left. Liu Xin sat in the tent for a long time, then suddenly said, "Nun Lu, you've come here as a persuader, haven't you?"

Before she finished speaking, a person emerged from behind the tent, accompanied by a leopard. It was Lu Ping. She smiled and said, "Great wise teacher, do you understand now? No matter how powerful the magic is, it cannot overcome fate. Why force it?"

“Fate is unpredictable. How do you know that fate is with Wei Cong and not with me?” Liu Xin asked.

"Whether destiny is with Wei Cong or not, I dare not say!" Lu Ping laughed, "But if destiny were with you, you would have been sitting on the throne in Luoyang Palace long ago, so how could you be where you are today?"

Faced with Lu Ping's rebuttal, Liu Xin was speechless. Just as Lu Ping said, he had two opportunities to inherit the throne in his life, but he missed them both times. If it was a matter of destiny, even he himself could not convince himself.

"Back then, on Yanweizhou in Jiangling, Wei Cong and I had an agreement, and you were there. But he broke the agreement and brought troops to attack me. How do you explain that?"

"Why explain?" Lu Ping laughed. "The Great Teacher of Virtue is also educated. Back then, your ancestor made an agreement with Xiang Yu at Honggou to divide the world in two, east and west. But after Xiang Yu withdrew his troops, he took advantage of the situation to pursue him, forcing Xiang Yu to his death at Gaixia and unifying the world. Would anyone accuse your ancestor of breaking his promise? Even Xiang Yu himself would only say that destiny was not on his side, and that it was not a fault of his own, and he would not say such stupid things as Liu Bang deceiving him. This kind of struggle for destiny is like this, with all kinds of trickery, cunning, and yin-yang principles used. After the Marquis of Wei made an agreement with you, if you could capture Wancheng and advance directly to Luoyang, the Marquis of Wei would naturally fulfill the agreement. But you couldn't even capture Wancheng, which shows that you are nothing more than a vanguard for the king. Why should the Marquis of Wei keep his promise?"

Upon hearing Lu Ping's words, Liu Xin couldn't help but laugh: "Good, good, good, Lu Ping, what you said is very good! It seems that you really made the right choice by joining Wei Cong. You're right, I'm such a stupid person that I haven't been able to understand this principle all these years. I'm really only fit to pave the way for people like Lord Wei."

“Great Teacher, there’s no need to be angry!” Lu Ping laughed. “After all, only one person can ultimately complete the Path of Destiny; the rest are just corpses on either side of the road. Given your character, let alone Marquis Wei, even your eldest disciple might not be able to win. Rather than risk alienating everyone, it’s better to take a step back now and see a brighter future!”

"My eldest disciple? You mean Zhang Song?"

"Indeed! Great Master, don't you realize it yourself? Your eldest disciple is quite a formidable character! To be frank, I know I can't defeat him!"

Liu Xin remained silent. He had naturally heard rumors about his eldest disciple, who was known for his ruthless methods and uncompromising nature, who would kill anyone who displeased him. But how could a general commanding 200,000 troops not be ruthless? So, he often simply pretended not to see anything. Now, hearing Lu Ping's account, he recalled the events of just now and felt a different kind of unease.

"How many people have you won over!" Liu Xin was certainly not stupid enough to think that Lu Ping had only met with him.

"You can guess!" Lu Ping said with a smile. "That's all I have to say. Great teacher, take care of yourself!" As soon as she finished speaking, her figure disappeared on the spot. The leopard glanced at Liu Xin and also silently withdrew from the tent.

Liu Xin could, of course, recognize that Lu Ping had used an illusion technique. This was a minor trick in Taoist arts, but to use it so flawlessly as Lu Ping did was truly rare. He sighed, "This woman has already made a name for herself. Could it be that destiny truly favors Wei?"

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Wancheng.

The sound of drums rose, stirring the lonely air of dusk. Wang Fu, the prefect of Nanyang, tightened his coat to ward off the oncoming north wind.

"The Emperor's envoy has arrived!" Zhang Huan's face was grim. "Have you heard the rumors in Luoyang? There's been a rift between the General and the Emperor. This is not a good sign!"

“Isn’t the emperor still young?” Wang Fu, the governor of Nanyang, was a thin, middle-aged man with a haggard face beneath his gray hair. “The government is in the hands of the Grand General and the Empress Dowager. What kind of discord could arise?”

“This envoy is the emperor’s biological mother’s nephew, who grew up with the emperor and is extremely close!” Wang Fu remained silent for a long while, then said in a low voice, “This should have nothing to do with us, right?”

"It doesn't matter?" Zhang Huan gave a wry smile. Before he could speak, a guard stepped forward and said, "The angel's carriage is about to arrive. Please come down from the city wall to greet it!"

When the two arrived at the pavilion, the guest had already stepped out of the carriage. A young man in embroidered robes, holding a tally, stood beside a middle-aged scholar, and were joined by twenty guards. Wang Fu and Zhang Huan exchanged a glance, then bowed deeply and said, "Your humble servant Zhang Huan (Wang Fu) greets the imperial envoy!"

"Please rise, both of you!" Dong Zhong tried his best to keep his voice from trembling. In order to make himself look older and more dignified, he even put on a little beard on his chin as suggested by Kuai Sheng. But when facing Zhang Ranming, one of the Three Bright Ones of Liangzhou, who was said to have killed more than 100,000 Qiang, Hu and Xianbei in Liangzhou and Youzhou, he still felt his calves trembling.

"Thank you, angel!" Wang and Zhang stood up. Wang Fu said in a low voice, "This humble official has already prepared wine and drinks at the inn to welcome the angel and wash away the dust of his journey!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord!" Dong Zhong nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhang Huan, the one who was the real culprit this time. Zhang Huan noticed the other's gaze, coughed, and extended his arm, saying, "Please!"

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The banquet at the post station was rather unremarkable; the war with the Moth Bandits had even disrupted the supply of provisions. Wang Fu tried various methods to probe Dong Zhong's background. Fortunately, Kuai Sheng was there to respond, otherwise Dong Zhong's secrets would have been revealed during the conversation. However, this also exposed Kuai Sheng's own identity; both Wang Fu and Zhang Huan knew that this middle-aged man sitting behind and to the side of Dong Zhong was the real key figure.

"The angel has come on the Emperor's orders to comfort the people of Jingzhou and inspire the royal army!" Kuai Sheng said with a smile. "However, Luoyang is a long way away. I wonder how the battle is going?"

"Things have improved somewhat!" Zhang Huan coughed. "According to the intelligence we received a few days ago, Marquis Wei has captured Xiakou, blocking the entrance to the Yangtze River from the Han River and cutting off the retreat of the E'zhai. The E'zhai army has turned back and is heading down the Han River, hoping to recapture it. The major battle between the two armies should be taking place in the next few days!"

"Oh, is that so!" Dong Zhong exclaimed in surprise. "How many men does that bandit group have? And how many men does Marquis Wei have?"

"The Moth Bandits left a portion of their forces to defend the captured prefectures and counties, and there should still be about 160,000 to 170,000 left! As for Marquis Wei, I'm not too sure of the exact number, but according to his original documents, he had more than 10,000 men when he traveled from Jiaozhou to Jiangling. Adding the troops from Jiangling and Nanjun, the total number is at most 30,000 to 40,000!"

"Thirty or forty thousand men against one hundred and sixteen thousand or seventeen thousand?" Dong Zhong was taken aback. "With such a disparity in numbers, isn't the Marquis of Wei doomed to lose? Why are you sitting here watching the outcome without sending troops to his aid?"

Dong Zhong's direct question made Zhang Huan and Wang Fu somewhat embarrassed. Just as they were thinking about how to deflect the question, Kuai Sheng spoke up: "Young master, although the Moth Bandits are numerous, Marquis Wei's troops are well-trained. Having more people does not guarantee victory. Moreover, although the Moth Bandits have retreated, they have left troops to guard their rear. Even if General Zhang wants to send troops to rescue them, he may not be able to reach them in time!"

“Not bad!” Zhang Huan glanced at Kuai Sheng and said to Dong Zhong, “Lord Wei has defeated the Moth Bandits before with a smaller force, so he may not lose this time. As for the rescue, Cavalry Feng is in Xiangyang, which is closer to Xiakou, so he should send troops!”

"So there's also Feng Cheqi, I almost forgot!" Dong Zhong nodded, completely unaware that he had been misled by Zhang Huan's attempt to shift the blame.

"Envoy Dong, you must be tired from your journey!" Wang Fu quickly changed the subject, saying, "As the host, I have prepared some music and dance to honor you! Please! Please!" After saying this, he clapped his hands twice, and dancers and musicians came in from the outer room and began to play music and dance. This immediately attracted Dong Zhong's attention, and Zhang Huan and Wang Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After a few rounds of drinks, Dong Zhong was visibly tipsy, his eyes glued to the dancer with the longest legs and fairest skin. Wang Fu and Zhang Huan, both seasoned veterans, could easily see through this. Just as Wang Fu was about to advise Dong Zhong to rest, an officer rushed in from outside. He whispered a few words in Zhang Huan's ear, and Zhang Huan's expression changed drastically. He asked, "Really? Are you sure it's all true?"

Zhang Huan's voice interrupted the music and dance, and all eyes immediately turned to him. Realizing his lapse in composure, Zhang Huan felt a pang of regret.

“General Zhang!” Kuai Sheng spoke up: “If there is urgent military information, why not dismiss the dancers and musicians, clear out the others, and tell Young Master Dong about it?”

“Yes, yes, tell us quickly!” Dong Zhong interjected.

Zhang Huan took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't afford to bluff his way through such a momentous matter. He said in a deep voice, "Ten days ago, on September 4th, Marquis Wei first used a surprise attack to burn down the rebels' main camp. Then, at dawn, he led his troops to break through nine of the rebels' main camps, inflicting a crushing defeat on their army. Countless rebels drowned themselves, causing the Han River to stop flowing. The captured armor, weapons, and supplies were piled up like mountains, beyond calculation. The remaining rebels were terrified, and two days later, tens of thousands of them disarmed themselves and knelt by the roadside, begging for surrender. Thus, the rebellion of the rebels has been quelled!"

A deathly silence fell over the room. Wang Fu and Kuai Sheng both wore expressions of deep thought, seemingly pondering the meaning behind Zhang Huan's words. Dong Zhong, however, was overjoyed. He looked around and asked, "So, the Wang army has won?"

"That's right, we won, and by a large margin!" Zhang Huan sighed, but there was no joy on his face.

"Since it's a great victory, that's wonderful! Why not celebrate?" Dong Zhong laughed. "Guards, quickly bring in the dancers and musicians, let the music and dancing continue!"

Wang Fu and Zhang Huan immediately wore strange expressions, as if they had seen an idiot but dared not curse him or even point him out. Wang Fu coughed and shouted, "Dancers and musicians, come in and play music and dance!"

As the music resumed, the dancers began to twirl and dance again. Dong Zhong clapped along, watching them with a beaming smile, seemingly carefree and completely absorbed in his enjoyment. Zhang Huan and Wang Fu, observing Dong Zhong's demeanor, couldn't help but think to themselves, "Does this fellow really think it's all over? Surely not?"

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"General Zhang, the Moth bandits have been quelled. What do you think we should do next?" Wang Fu asked.

"You shouldn't ask me!" Zhang Huan sneered. "The greatest credit for suppressing the Moth Rebels goes to Wei Cong, and the highest-ranking official is Feng Kun. Neither of them is me. You should ask those two!"

(End of this chapter)