Translator: Foxs' Wuxia
Kou Zhong sculled the oar at the aft of the raft, his gaze fell on the facing-the-river-course-ahead, sitting-cross-legged-in-meditation, looking-like-a-mountain’s-mighty-peak Song Que’s back. As the snowflakes fell to about half a chi above his head, immediately, as if it was pulled by some kind of mysterious, unfathomable force – it automatically flew to the side past him, not even half landed on his body.
The heavy snow was still, hiding the sky and covering the earth – sprinkling down continuously, so that the raft was covered with several cun of snow, which greatly increased the weight of the raft, so that Kou Zhong had to work hard to clear it up many times.
In the vast expanse of whiteness of the wind and the snow, both banks of the Yi River became a fuzzy silhouette. No matter how the log raft was shaking and jolting on the surface of the river, Song Que was still sitting as steady as the Mount Tai, he was not swayed the least bit.
The Heavenly Saber, which name shook the world, was lying flat on his knees, held lightly with both hands, making Kou Zhong even more aware of Song Que’s ‘apart from the saber, there was nothing else’ realm.
In this battle, whether Song Que would have good or bad luck, it was really difficult to guess.
Kou Zhong had fought against the two men in two separate occasions, but he was completely unable to tell who was superior and who was inferior. They both resembled a deep and immeasurable ??abyss and ocean, which was beyond anybody’s capability to fathom and grasp its depth.
If Ning Daoqi lost, of course everything would proceed as before, this decisive battle was only an interlude on the road to unify the world; if Song Que was defeated, then Kou Zhong would have no way out, he could only carry-on Song Que’s legacy and fulfill Song Que’s dream, honor does not allow one to glance back.
After learning more deeply through Song Que’s words about his difference in opinion with Fan Qinghui, he could no longer figure out who was in the right and who was in the wrong. Each one has his and her own standpoint and perspective, not only a mere battle of ideas, but also a battle of regions.
Not alone but in pairs [idiom: not a unique occurrence], Qin Emperor Ying Zheng ended the long-term division of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the national strength was flourishing for a time, but it was merely passed down for one generation and then died; the Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, brought the chaotic situation of the Wei, Jin, the North and South Dynasties back to unity, yet it also collapsed in two generations. Was this kind of coincidence the fate of history? Or was it the inevitable consequences of insisting on the uniformity under the differences in ideology and culture?
After the Qin Dynasty, the Han dynasty enjoyed long-term peace and stability, after the Sui Dynasty, would the Central Earth enjoy the same good fortune?
Enlightened by Song Que, Kou Zhong surpassed his own place and time, he viewed the rise and fall of ancient and modern governance and the underlying reasons from a bird’s-eye view, making him more introspective of his situation.
Under his control, the log raft proceeded to the north, taking Song Que to the site of the decisive battle.
This was not only the most sensational life-and-death showdown in the Central Earth, but also the key decisive battle that would decide the fate of the world.
Kou Zhong deeply felt that regardless of the outcome of the battle, after the decisive battle, the situation in the Central Plains would never return to its original state.
Inside, the relay station was as warm as spring, the aroma permeated the whole place, seven men, dressed as traveling merchants and ordinary people sat surrounding a makeshift stove made of a pile of rocks, roasting a pair of wolf legs, smoke bits leaked out of the broken windows on both sides, the air in the building was not choking and stuffy at all. Seeing Xu Ziling and Yin Xianhe, two uninvited guests pushing the door and entering in, they only looked at them with scorching gaze, sizing them up, but did not greet them, which instantly made them feel the rather tense and murderous atmosphere.
Xu and Yin, two men were accustomed to running around in Jianghu, seeing each one of them had traveling bag that was long in shape and was placed nearby where their hands could reach, they knew that hidden within them must be weapons. Not only these seven robust-looking men were not family men, perhaps they were even robbers specializing in robbing travelers, murder, and looting.
Xu Ziling closed the door to keep the wind and the snow outside the door, his gaze fell on a robust man, about twenty-six, twenty-eight years old, sitting by the stove facing the door. This man was grave in manner, with calm expression, although he had windblown dust across his face, it was still hard to conceal his heroic spirit; evidently he was not an ordinary little thief who blocked people’s path to waylay and rob, but a martial art master with extremely high martial art skill.
He met Xu Ziling’s gaze without yielding at all, and then he revealed a look of surprise, a clear sign of his brilliant eyesight.
The others only followed him blindly, they all cast him questioning look, waiting for him to give orders.
Xu Ziling instinctively felt that they were not common robbers, thereupon he revealed a smile and cupped his fist in greeting and said, “Please forgive us for our offense in disturbing you, just because we smell the aroma of meat, we can’t help but coming in, there is no other intention.”
The strong man with heroic spirit rose up to his full height, cupped his fist to return the greeting, and said, “Xiongtai‘s demeanor and appearance reminds Zaixia of someone; may I venture to ask your honorable surname and great given name?”
The tone of his voice had a thick north-of-the-border accent; Xu Ziling’s heart was moved, he replied calmly, “I am Xu Ziling.”
Everybody, the heroic and grand man included, revealed a shocked expression; those who were sitting stood up promptly to salute him, their manner friendly.
The heroic and grand man revealed a tired-hero air, a deeply-moved expression; smiling wryly, he said, “Turns out it is indeed Xu Xiong, Xiaodi Song JinGang.”
Xu Ziling was stunned, “How could Song Xiong be here?”
Song JinGang spoke dejectedly, “Defeated troops’ general has no brave words to say; this matter, start explaining and it’s a long story. Why don’t we sit down and discuss it in detail?”
Everybody sat around the stove again, Xu Ziling and Yin Xianhe sat on Song JinGang’s left and right, respectively. After introducing Yin Xianhe, everyone took turns cutting off the wolf meat with a sharp blade, they then chewed and talked at the same time.
Song JinGang said, “To be able to sit here and share wolf meat with Xu Xiong, Yin Xiong, is Laotianye’s special favor to me. After the big defeat at Baibi, Li Shimin dispatched his troops to pursue relentlessly and strike Dingyang Khan and me, we were unable to defend Taiyuan, our only option was to retreat outside the Great Wall to seek refuge to Xieli, who would have thought that we fell into Zhao Deyan’s treacherous conspiracy.”
Dingyang Khan was Liu Wuzhou, Song JinGang’s master.
Frowning, Xu Ziling asked, “What gratitude and grudges does Zhao Deyan have with you, and why did he want to frame you?”
Song JinGang said, “The problem was that Xieli rather showed respect for me, Song Jingang, which caused Zhao Deyan to have misgivings, thereupon he put forward a suggestion to Dingyang Khan, claiming that Xieli wanted us to return to Shanggu and Mayi, to recruit our former subordinates, and deploy them to strike back at the Tang army. Who could have thought that when we followed the order and led our men back to the Central Plains, on the way, Zhao Deyan unexpectedly told Xieli that we intended to plot a rebellion? For this reason, we were hunted to be killed by the Golden Wolf Army; Dingyang Khan died on the spot, nearly a thousand brothers, not one was lucky enough to be spared, only the seven of us managed to escape.”
Another man said, “It is all thanks to Song Shuai [commander] coming up with Golden Cicada shedding its shell stratagem, using a dead brother to put on his clothes and muddled his face that Zhao Deyan was willing to retreat.”
A feeling of ‘I knew it would happen like this’ welled up in Xu Ziling’s heart, there was no need to sigh with regret. Perhaps Zhao Deyan was prompted by Xieli from behind, because Liu Wuzhou and Song JinGang had lost their utilization value and should not remain in the world anymore. If the two men were executed openly, it might disturb the heart of the other Han people who depended on the Tujue, hence they adopted this method.
Song JinGang sighed to vent his frustration and said, “Aren’t we so stupid?”
Inwardly, Xu Ziling thought that he was scheming with a tiger for its skin, and became the Tujue people’s hunting dog, so he begged to differ. However, Song JinGang had already reached the mountain and river exhausted plight, and he was unwilling to throw stones at somebody who fell down a well, hence he had no choice but to say, “The victor is called the king, the loser is called the bandit, what smart or stupid is there to speak about? What is Song Xiong’s plan for the future?”
Song JinGang said, “To be quite honest, there is no more place in the north for Song JinGang to stand, hence I was thinking of living in Jiangnan to seek refuge with Xiao Xian, who has always had close relation with us. Who would have thought that after returning to the Central Plains, I began to know that the situation had changed drastically? Song Que’s troops have come out of Lingnan to help Shaoshuai to contend for the world. It is almost certain that sooner or later the north and south of the Yangtze River will entirely belong to the Shao Shuai Army. Therefore, I dispelled the intention of seeking refuge to Xiao Xian; after much consideration, I chose Bashu, far away from the core of the struggle for hegemony in the Central Plains, hoping to find a bright and beautiful scenery to hide in the old age and not to worry about the trouble of the world anymore.”
Yin Xianhe asked in surprise, “Song Xiong, why not consider joining Shaoshuai? Song Xiong‘s familiarity with the Tujue will be very useful to Shaoshuai.”
Song JinGang revealed a pained expression, he said, “In the past, I have had a bad heart toward Shaoshuai, I worked with Xiao Xian and Xiang Yushan to harm him, so how could I still have the face to ask him to offer shelter to me? It’s finished! JinGang’s heart is now like dead ashes, I have no lofty aspiration anymore.”
Xu Ziling nodded and said, “Song Xiong withdrawing from the dispute, that is a sensible act.”
Song JinGang spoke solemnly, “Xu Xiong does not recall old grievances, not speaking half a sentence of sarcastic words toward JinGang, JinGang is extremely grateful. Currently, the situation outside the Great Wall is tense, under Xieli and Tuli’s leadership, various tribes outside the Great Wall formed an alliance, the pretty propaganda is to send armed forces to suppress Li Yuan to help Kou Zhong, but they are secretly gathering military forces in preparation for a large-scale invasion to the south. On the other hand, Zhao Deyan, via the demonic school’s power in Chang’an, is doing his best to appease Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng. It is said that Li Yuan is still kept in the dark of the affairs of the coalition forces outside the Great Wall; the situation is extremely far from good.”
Hearing that, Xu Ziling’s heart was even heavier. Song JinGang escaped from the Tujue division, he had first-hand intelligence about Xieli and Tuli, those were absolutely not empty words. He had personally seen Liang Shidou sending his son to buy Jiangnan firearms from Haisha Bang, he knew that the demonic school and the Tujue were deploying a big conspiracy to deal with Li Shimin. If Li Shimin was killed, the main forces from outside the Great Wall would invade immediately. In term of strategy, it was extremely brilliant. Song JinGang’s words strengthened his determination to see Li Shimin; moreover, it was a matter that demanded immediate action.
With meaningful and heartfelt words, Song JinGang said, “Among the various hegemons of the South, Fu Gongyou, Li Zitong and Shen Faxing are all not enough to be a problem, they only fit to be the target for Shaoshuai to refine his saber. The only worries are Xiao Xian and Lin Shihong, between the two, the latter is more difficult to deal with. If they hadn’t been curbing each other, they would have crossed the river to go up north and expand their power.”
Xu Ziling was more concerned about the threat of the coalition forces from beyond the Great Wall, at the moment he did not care about Xiao Xian and Lin Shihong, however, the other side had good intentions, so out of courtesy, he asked, “What does Song Xiong think about these two?”
Song JinGang said, “Xiao Xian’s shortcomings are that he is wide on the outside and narrow on the inside; he is jealous of talents, and suppress and put to death those with high merits, hence internally he is unstable. Ay! If not for I am at the end of my rope, I definitely would not think of relying on help from him.”
Xu Ziling smiled and said, “In that case, Kou Zhong had done Song Xiong a favor instead, so that Song Xiong could make the right decision.”
Song JinGang laughed awkwardly, he was embarrassed that fame and profit had dominated his thoughts; he went on, “Lin Shihong has just had Feng Ang leading his troops to realign their allegiance to him, his power has greatly increased, his strength surpasses Xiao Xian, so he should not be underestimated.”
Xu Ziling was about to express his thanks when the alarm suddenly went off in his heart, and he shouted in a low voice, “Someone’s coming!”
Kou Zhong thought of many things, as well as all kinds of possibilities, and finally came to a conclusion that he himself was also surprised, that is, in case Song Que was defeated, he must deal with the crisis brought about by it with absolute calm, to make accurate and effective leadership arrangement, and he should not act impetuously, and let negative emotions to cover up reason.
He must put the final victory in the most important position, because he was no longer a little ruffian who charged to the south and wandered to the north with Xu Ziling, but the supreme leader of the Shao Shuai Army after it merged with the Song Family Army. Whatever mistake he committed would follow him as a person, as well as the army and the civilians under the Shao Shuai Army’s rule, and brought about catastrophic and terrible consequences.
Only those who are ruthless enough would be able to survive.
This three-month frozen period must be utilized well, he must use the most swift and fierce military strategy to put the various lands in the south under his full control, he must use actions to give proof for all those who oppose him to see, no one can stop him, Shaoshuai Kou Zhong.
Thinking to this point, his mind was able to move nimbly, he repeatedly envisaged and pondered over different possibilities over which he could deploy his troops, to advance or to retreat, which would be the most beneficial to his great undertaking of unification.
At this moment, he finally succeeded in integrating the saber method into the art of war.
Apart from the saber, there was nothing else.
‘Boom!’
The wooden door was shattered, the fragments shot toward the men sitting around the stove like a torrential rain; it would be strange indeed if it hit the eye and did not immediately destroy the eyeball. Thereupon wind and snow immediately rolled inside the building, blowing the stove so that smoke and fire bits splashed everywhere, the momentum was shocking to the extreme.
Even with Xu Ziling’s cultivation level, his heart shivered greatly.
From the moment he sensed someone was approaching and he spoke out a warning, to the time the newcomer broke the door and attacked, it was just a snap of the fingers. Evidently the newcomer’s power was very high and not inferior to him, Xu Ziling. The speed of his action, the violent, swift and fierce method, everything showed that it was the style of a top killer assassin, a martial art master of Yang Xuyan’s caliber.
The saber flashed, immediately saber qi filled the air inside the entire relay station building. The saber blade’s points of light, reflecting the flame, like shooting star, delivered a frontal assault toward Song JinGang, ruthless to the extreme point.
Song JinGang had not had the time to pull out his saber from the half-open bundle, the saber blade was already less than three chi away from his throat.
Song JinGang deserved to be called a martial art master, although he was in an absolutely disadvantageous position, he was still facing-death-and-was-not-confused, and rolled backward to evade.
His six men, everybody scrambled to stand up and pulled out their weapons, but they were still a few steps too late; if the other side seized the opportunity to pursue and attack, it could almost be guaranteed that before Song JinGang was beheaded, they would not be able to even touch the tail of the opponent’s clothes.
Yin Xianhe’s long sword left his back, but the moment he wanted to hack sideways at the enemy’s blade, Xu Ziling sprang from the ground and swung his fist to hit the side of the blade.
‘Pow!’
The qi power collided, it created a sharp noise like an explosion.
The man pulled the saber back and retreated toward the main entrance. He came and went like an arrow, after reaching the door, he stood still like a nail, swaying slightly.
Song JinGang’s men were about to rush forward to stake their life, Xu Ziling shouted loudly, “Everyone, stop!”
The wind and the snow were whooshing wildly, it rolled inside from outside the building. Although the fire in the stove, which was gradually returning to its original state, was still flickering, floating and flashing, it already greatly improved the visibility inside the relay station building.
The man stood with the saber across his chest, he shouted sternly, “Ziling, don’t interfere, this is a matter between us Tujue people and Song JinGang. If Ziling still considers me to be a friend, please leave immediately.”
From the ground, Song JinGang leaped up, holding his saber; his face turned ashen, he drew out a mouthful of cold breath and said, “Ke Dazhi!”
The murderous aura in Ke Dazhi’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, the saber qi locked everybody inside the building tightly. Throwing his head back in laughter, he said, “It is indeed me. Dazhi received Great Khan’s order, I absolutely must not allow you to live in the world. Do you think that by finding someone to put on your clothes, you can cross the sea by a trick? It did not deceive anyone within our Tujue people.”
Song JinGang snorted coldly and said, “I’m here, if you have the ability, come and take my life!”
Ke Dazhi’s gaze fell to Xu Ziling, he spoke coldly, “Whether we are enemies or friends, Ziling can decide with one word.”
Xu Ziling spoke indifferently, “As long as Dazhi can tell any fact that Song Xiong has turned his back on your honorable Great Khan, Xianhe and I will leave immediately and dare not interfere with Dazhi’s mission.”
Ke Dazhi’s face as cold as ice, he shouted, “Betraying the Great Khan, returning to the Central Plains privately, conspiring against the law, those are not enough?”
Xu Ziling shook his head and said with a sigh, “This is Zhao Deyan playing ghost from the inside, pretending to pass on your honorable Great Khan’s decree, sending them back to the Central Plains to recruit their former subordinates. Your Great Khan has been deceived by him!”
Ke Dazhi was slightly startled, casting his gaze toward Song JinGang, he said with a sneer, “You and Liu Wuzhou are not three-year-old children at all, how could you just believe in one side’s words, why didn’t you confirm with Great Khan, instead of leaving in the night, leading your troops to sneak away?”
Song JinGang recovered his cool-headedness, he spoke heavily, “Don’t think that I’m scared of you, I’m answering your question by looking at Xu Xiong’s face. At that time the Great Khan was not in the commanding tent, we inquired with Tonyukuk, and received his confirmation, only then did we not suspect him.”
Turning to Xu Ziling, he said, “In this kind of situation, anything we say is superfluous. Xu Xiong making your move makes me very grateful, but this is certainly the gratitude and grudges between me, Song JinGang and the Tujue people, the main cause is that I no longer have a value to be used, plus I regret my past deeds even more. If Laotian [God, lit. old heaven] foreordain me to have my bones buried in here, I don’t have the slightest resentment. Xu Xiong and Yin Xiong, please continue your journey.”
Yin Xianhe nodded and said, “Good man!”
Xu Ziling said to Ke Dazhi, “Song Xiong’s matter was told by Song Xiong himself during a small talk earlier, it should be true, what is the point of him lying to me in this respect? In my opinion, your honorable Great Khan blamed Song Xiong for the loss of a large number of his officers and soldiers, hence the murderous intent grew in his heart …”
The murderous intent in Ke Dazhi’s pair of eyes continued to grow without letup, he spoke coldly, “Ziling, no need to talk nonsense, do you really want to mind this matter?”
Smiling bitterly, Xu Ziling said, “This is not the first day that you know me, you should know that I won’t sit and watch such an unfair matter.”
‘Qiang!’
Beyond anybody’s expectation, Ke Dazhi unexpectedly returned the saber into its scabbard, he walked over toward Xu Ziling, opened up his arms, and said with loud laughter, “Since Xu Ziling wants to mind this matter, plus there is Yin Xiong to help out, what can I, Ke Dazhi do?”
Under everybody’s dumbfounded stares, Xu Ziling quickly stepped forward to embrace him, he laughed and said, “Then how are you going to explain to the Great Khan?”
Letting go of him, Ke Dazhi smiled and said, “What’s so surprising about failing to pursue a couple of people? Not to mention that it was not the Great Khan who personally gave me the order, but Kang Qiaoli passing on the message to me, saying that he discovered Song Xiong is fleeing to Hanzhong, intending to escape to Bashu. Xiaodi had heard that Song Xiong’s martial art skill is exceptional, I could not bear the itch on my hand and chase after him, that’s all!”
Puzzled, Yin Xianhe asked, “How do you know that it was Song Xiong who is inside the relay station building and not anybody else?”
Ke Dazhi calmly replied, “So what if it were other people? At most, I would have to apologize. Ay! Actually, I found the wolf carcass, the cutting technique is the people outside the border’s usual practice, I also smell the aroma of wolf meat, so I guessed Song Xiong was eating inside the building.”
Still skeptical, Xu Ziling said, “You really won’t look for Song Xiong and his Xiongdi to settle the account again?”
Ke Dazhi spoke in displeasure, said “This is not the first day that you know me, did Ke Dazhi ever say anything that does not count?”
Turning to Song JinGang, he said, “Song Xiong had better leave immediately, go and hide as far away as possible, the demonic school’s power is enormous, I don’t know whether Zhao Deyan has any other operation to deal with you.”
Xu Ziling nodded and said, “This is not the time to show off to be a hero, Song Xiong can preserve your life, it could be considered you are already in Zhao Deyan’s wanted list, Dazhi’s words make sense!”
Song JinGang cupped his fist to salute, he said, “Very well! Two gentlemen’s kindness, I, Song JinGang will never forget. Goodbye!”
Finished speaking, he fetched his bundle, along with his men, they disappeared into the wind and the snow outside the door. A heroic and mighty man of this generation, unexpectedly ended up this way, it made people sigh.
Ke Dazhi laughed and said, “There is still leftover wolf meat, it can be sacrificed inside my Wuzang Miao [five internal organs temple].”
Xu Ziling asked in surprise, “Aren’t you wolf-worshiping people?”
Ke Dazhi said, “We worship Wolf God, but when hungry, we can even eat people, let alone beasts? Let’s sit down first and talk later, I want to reminisce the days when I fought side by side with you in Longquan!”
A burst of warmth grew in Xu Ziling’s heart, but when he remembered that one day he would fight a decisive battle against Ke Dazhi on the battlefield, he could not help sighing with myriad of emotions.
Nature [as the mother of all things] plays with people, nothing can surpass this.
