Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Wei Song and the Central Plain’s wishful thinking was to let Norland fall apart as soon as possible. Whomever benefited from its division was not particularly important.
For a long time, the main threat to the Central Plain had been Norland. No other power, whether it be the Dragon King or the many small kings inside Norland, was more powerful than the entirety of Norland. So, no one alone was a deadly threat.
Wei Song had long been wishing to prove his power. Naturally, he thought of resorting to assassinations. The Central Plain had quite a few skillful kung fu masters, but he had learned over the years that martial arts were not the only requirement to be a killer, nor was it even very important for the job.
He needed a professional killer.
Golden Roc Fort was an impossible choice. The only remaining candidate he could think of was Gu Shenwei, the “son of a friend”, who met all the requirements of an outstanding killer.
Before the Dragon Army won the battle, Wei Song had not been able to come up with a reason to persuade the Dragon King to abandon his existing troops in pursuit of a different army. Since he was on the northern bank of Xiaoyao Lake, he had hoped the Dragon Army would win this crucial battle more than any of the Dragon King’s other “friends”.
Now that the Dragon Army had won with a brilliant (yet not very strong) army, Gu Shenwei’s biggest enemy changed from Golden Roc Fort to Norland. A good opportunity had finally come for Wei Song to offer his conditions and reasons to the Dragon King.
“He said that some people in Norland are secretly supporting the Central Plain, and those people control a large number of soldiers. As long as I can do it, these soldiers will pledge their loyalty to me.” Gu Shenwei told Prime Minister Zhong Heng and Left General Dugu Xian after he had summoned them to discuss the matter.
Gu Shenwei continued, “Of course, this is an assassination. We must make sure it will not be linked back to me. He said he believed in my ability.” The reason that Gu Shenwei had not imprisoned or killed Wei Song was that he had been observing the killer principle during his pursuit of revenge. He would never make a move hastily unless he was sure all the enemies would be eradicated without any errors.
To kill Wei Song at that time would have been tantamount to a public revolt against the Central Plain. Without any connection to the Central Plain, the Dragon Army would no longer be important to Norland, which would impact his seeking revenge on Golden Roc Fort.
Zhong Heng and Dugu Xian were relieved by the trust given to them by the Dragon King. However, both of them doubted the feasibility of Wei Song’s bold plan and opposed it at almost the same time.
Zhong Heng was eager to make up for his fault of “introducing” Wei Song. He spoke first, “Wei Song is a crafty, old scoundrel. He can’t be trusted. It’s highly probable that he is waiting to betray you once you accomplish it. His real plan is to have the Dragon King bear the crime so that he can kill two birds with one stone.”
Dugu Xian also thought Wei Song was unreliable. “I know the Norland troops very well. In the past few hundred years, although there have been many splits within Norland, the soldiers have never turned against the Khan family, and those who finally reunite Norland are always the descendants of the Khan. I don’t believe that the soldiers can ever be owned by the Dragon King,” he argued.
The two men then put forward many other reasons to not to follow Wei Song’s persuasion. Zhong Heng even had a long term plan, saying, “We should close Xiaoyao Lake to separate it from the Western Region, and then widen the road to connect more closely with the Land of Fragrance. Then we should wait patiently to allow the people to flourish. In ten to twenty years, the Dragon King will have a rich source of soldiers. If the two leading powers fight endlessly during this period, it will be a godsend.”
For the first time, Gu Shenwei hesitated. He expressed his concerns, “I am afraid that Wei Song’s information about the imminent split of Norland is accurate. If that’s the case, Golden Roc Fort has probably already taken action.”
Gu Shenwei had been fooled once. When he first came to the Stone Kingdom to propose marriage, he thought it was a place that the Supreme King would fight for. He had not expected the Supreme King would just use the Stone Kingdom as bait to attract the other forces, while Shangguan Yun secretly crossed the border of the Xiaowan Kingdom to the north. Both the Dragon King and the Central Plain had been fooled.
Wei Song had inadvertently reminded Gu Shenwei of one thing — everyone thought that Golden Roc Fort would come back with borrowed troops from Norland, while the Supreme King had probably already shifted his strategic focus to Norland itself.
Gu Shenwei vaguely saw the figure of Mr. Zhang Ji, the teacher.
“Golden Roc Fort will not get its wish. Once it is found out that the Khan was assassinated by Golden Roc Fort, even with the smallest sign, all the Lords in Norland will immediately take revenge instead of falling apart,” Dugu Xian said affirmatively. He knew the Norland soldiers respected the Khan and his family lineage to the point of infatuation. Compared to the loyalty of swordsmen from the Great Snowmountain to the Dragon King, the Norland soldiers’ loyalty was only greater in number and longevity.
“Golden Roc Fort will not do such a stupid thing as an assassination. The Supreme King may choose to bind himself with Norland more firmly through marriage or by controlling the powerful ministers through blackmail,” Gu Shenwei said.
Gu Shenwei was talking about the Supreme King, but he was thinking about Zhang Ji. He had analyzed his opponent and learned his tactics. “A counsellor is the sharpest sword,” Gu Shenwei said, as he had always remembered this motto. Assassination was not Zhang Ji’s strong point. As long as he had influence over the Supreme King, the Supreme King would not resort to assassination.
“Your Grace, what are you going to do?” asked Zhong Heng. After giving his opinion, he was waiting for the Dragon King’s decision.
Gu Shenwei looked up, thought for a moment, and then said, “I want to meet the Norland messenger.”
The messenger of Norland had sent messages via Dugu Xian in the past. He had never talked directly to the Dragon King. Gu Shenwei wanted to find out Norland’s bottom line in this negotiation. Between alliance and assassination, he wanted to make a comparison and choose the one that would benefit him the most.
Zhong Heng and Du Guxian excused themselves. It was late, so the meeting with the Norland messenger was scheduled for the next afternoon.
Gu Shenwei sat in the tent, rubbing his fingers gently on his scabbard, not realizing that the candle had gone out.
“You have revealed your intentions in this matter. Now it is even harder to take action. You know they will not keep the secrets forever,” a voice said. In the dark, Maid Lotus’s voice sounded ethereal and unreal, as if it were a hallucination in Gu Shenwei’s mind.
While the others might still be speculating about the Dragon King’s thoughts, Maid Lotus had guessed most of them. The only thing she did not understand was why he had discussed these things with the two officials. That was not typical behavior for a killer.
“Secrets can’t be kept forever. Even if those two do not reveal the secret, Wei Song will let it out sooner or later. Therefore, it is better to let them hear it from me,” Gu Shenwei said, seeming to be talking to himself.
Maid Lotus understood Gu Shenwei’s intentions. He had pretended to be hesitant because he was waiting for Norland and the Central Plain to up the ante and gradually show their real hand.
“Are you going to calculate like this forever?” she asked.
Gu Shenwei turned to look in surprise at the figure of Maid Lotus in the dark. Even when the trust between the two of them was at its peak, she had never talked to him like this.
“Forever,” Gu Shenwei answered coldly. “The enemy is all-pervasive. I don’t have advantages in martial arts or troop numbers. The only way to beat them is by always thinking a step ahead of them,” he continued.
Gu Shenwei looked cold, hard and heartless. These were all things that were attractive to Maid Lotus. “What do I need to do?” Maid Lotus asked, softening her voice.
Gu Shen sat silently for a moment as if he hadn’t heard her question. “Last time, I let Wei Song run away and almost couldn’t catch him again. This time, I still have to release him, but I hope he will deliver himself to me one day when I want to catch him again,” he said.
“I can do it,” Maid Lotus whispered and disappeared.
Gu Shenwei had only a little knowledge and understanding of the secret techniques of the New Moon Hall. Still, he trusted Maid Lotus’s promise.
Wei Song could play all the tricks he had plotted, but one day he would regret using them on the Dragon King in a way he could never imagine.
Gu Shenwei could not remember how long it had been since he had thought about his dead relatives. Wei Song’s arrival had opened the door to these memories. His father had left too many things unknown to him, leaving him with the truth wrapped in mystery.
Zhong Heng often said that “solving problems is different from finding out the truth”. It was true. Gu Shenwei had been trying to solve all kinds of problems for a long time, but regarding the matter of his family’s extermination, he only needed the truth.
The next afternoon, Gu Shenwei met the Norland messenger.
The messenger apparently had heard that the Central Plain had sent someone unusual, who had likely already persuaded the Dragon King. He looked a little impatient and went straight to the point without formalities.
“The Dragon King must have heard that the Khan doesn’t have much time, and once he dies, Norland will be torn apart,” the messenger said.
“Well, many people think so,” answered the Dragon King.
“Does the Dragon King know that during nearly 300 years since the founding of Norland, the country has split up almost every time a long-serving khan has died? The divisions lasted from several months to several years, but Norland continued growing stronger and stronger. Why? Because this is the way we choose a new Khan — only the best prince with the most supporters will be eligible to rule the whole grassland. Naturally, the Northern Court continues to become stronger. If the Dragon King only sees the split, but ignores the unity behind it, he will make a big mistake. If anyone says something like that to you, you should kill him immediately, because he is setting you up,” continued the messenger.
The messenger was a young man that that looked to be less than 30 years old. He claimed to be in the same clan as the Governor of Jade City, indicating that he was also a noble. But he looked rough, like a person who had been through a lot of ups and downs his whole life. On top of that, his words were blunt and always sounded a litle like a threat.
Perhaps this was the style of the Norland people. Gu Shenwei remembered that the old man Mo Chu had also spoken this way.
“I understand what you mean. Over the years, everyone said I wouldn’t live to see another day, but I not only survived, I lived better and better,” said Gu Shenwei.
The messenger of Norland paused, and then burst out laughing, as if he liked the Dragon King very much.
This meeting did not do much to help. The status of the Norland messenger was too low to be able to make any real decisions. He could not do anything to really woo the Dragon King except give lofty speeches.
Norland was either playing tricks to delay the war, or it had made a hasty decision without a well thought out plan. In short, compared to the Central Plain, it showed little sincerity.
Gu Shenwei summoned Wei Song for the second time that evening. The meeting was brief and direct.
“I agree with your plan,” said Gu Shenwei.
“The Dragon King will benefit from it,” replied Wei Song.
“But in addition to the support of provisions, fodder, weapons and armor, I want to add a condition,” said Gu Shenwei.
“Please say what you want,” said Wei Song.
“Bring me Shangguan Nu’s head,” Gu Shenwei said flatly.
Shangguan Nu was directly responsible for the massacre of the Gu family and had been hiding under the wings of the Central Plain for years.
Wei Song agreed without hesitation. The Eighth Young Master of Golden Roc Fort had long lost his value and was of no use to him.
After sending Wei Song away, Gu Shenwei summoned Dugu Xian immediately and said, “Tell the Norland messenger that I am willing to form an alliance with Norland, and tell him about Wei Song’s plan. Since we are forming an alliance, we should be open and honest.”
For the time being, Gu Shenwei had given both messengers affirmative answers.
