Xu Ziling bade farewell to Li Shimin. Three days after leaving Luoyang, he boarded the ship to rendezvous with Kou Zhong and the others at the appointed place on the Huai River. Xu Ziling recounted in details his meeting with Li Shimin.
Under the illumination of the candle, Xu Ziling took out the Chang’an city map and spread it flat on the round table inside the cabin. Kou Zhong, three men were emotionally moved at the same time.
Bending his head to look carefully, Hou Xibai praised, “Li Shimin indeed has talents in large number under his command, this came from the miraculous hands of a first-class cartographer, the accuracy is not bad at all. Hey! The writers should be Fang Xuanling [579-648, Tang dynasty historian, compiler of History of Jin dynasty] and Du Ruhui. You can see there are two different handwriting styles, I recognize their penmanship.”
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were the most famous imperial strategic advisers within Li Shimin’s Heavenly Policy Mansion, so to infer that it came from their pens would be reasonable and fair.
Ba Fenghan said, “In that case, this map should only be known to Li Shimin and a limited number of his trusted aides, otherwise, they would not have troubled Fang and Du, men with such status and position, to spend considerable time and effort to create such an arduous work.”
Knitting his brows, Kou Zhong said, “Didn’t Li kid say that the Chang’an outer city and the imperial palace’s defenses are changed from time to time, and that only the commanders of the imperial guards know about the situation?”
Xu Ziling smiled and said, “Different broth but the same old medicine [idiom: a change in form but not in substance]. Only the high-ranking military officer in charge and the schedule are constantly changing, plus there are many superficial changes but no departure from the original stand [idiom]. The fixed security measures, the stronghold gate garrison will not change.”
Pointing at the Imperial Guard general headquarters at Xuanwu Gate, the northern main gate of the imperial palace, Ba Fenghan said, “Li Shimin is right, Xuanwu Gate is the most important military fortress in Chang’an. Currently, it is one of the two entrances to Taiji Palace. One day the Xuanwu Gate has not fallen into our hands, the control of Chang’an is still in the enemy’s hands.”
Hou Xibai said, “The layout of Chang’an city street is like a big chessboard. The streets only have east-west and north-south directions. The former has fourteen main streets and the latter eleven. The most important is of course the Vermillion Bird Boulevard, starting from the Ming De Gate of the Outer City, linking the Imperial City’s Vermillion Bird Gate straight through the Palace City’s Cheng Tian Gate, located in a section of the Imperial City that is also known as Heavenly Street, ending at the public square traversing across, separating the Palace City and the Imperial City. If we have enough military strength, as long as we could control the Xuanwu Gate and the entire Vermillion Bird Boulevard, half of Chang’an will fall into our pockets.”
Smiling wryly, Xu Ziling said, “If we want to control the entire Vermillion Bird Boulevard, we need at least 30,000 men.”
Kou Zhong shook his head and said, “No! According to Song Que’s estimate, we need 60,000 men, only then will we have a chance to win this battle.”
Hou Xibai’s countenance changed, he said, “The maximum number of soldiers that we can hide in the Duke Yang’s Treasure-house is three thousand, plus Li Shimin’s Dark Armored Personal Guards, at most we only have around six thousand. Using this meager force to launch a mutiny, isn’t it like striking a stone with an egg?”
Ba Fenghan smiled and said, “If we don’t have Li Shimin standing on our side, and it will be him corresponding and providing support to us, we would definitely be like striking a stone with an egg. Fortunately, Li Shimin’s position in the eyes of the House of Tang’s ministers, generals and the people is lofty, plus our Shaoshuai’s fame for fighting prowess, it will constitute formidable-even-beyond-our-imagination cohesiveness and appealing power. As long as we make good use of this point and carry out a splitting apart strategy before the mutiny, it will definitely achieve miraculous results.”
Kou Zhong read out a paragraph in the upper right corner of the city map that summarized the distribution of the military strength throughout the city, “There are the Left and Right Long Wu Jun [dragon military/martial army], the Left and Right Shen Wu Jun [divine military/martial army], and the Left and Right Shen Ce Jun [divine policy military/martial army] in the palace, collectively referred to as the Six Armies of the Palace City; plus the Left and Right Yu Lin Jun [imperial bodyguards] of the Imperial Palace’s Jin Yuan [lit. Forbidden Park/Garden], the Left and Right Shen Wei Jun [divine might army], collectively referred to as the Left and Right Ten Armies, combined together they form the Imperial Guards. I remember that Chang He’s official duty is the Left Yu Lin Jun. No wonder at that time he said the competition for this position was so fierce, turns out it is one of the four military branches directly responsible to guard the Taiji Palace. Ten Armies, two thousand men each, the total is twenty thousand. Without any wonder-plan, marvel-scheme, merely these ten armies alone are not something that can take. Oh! This city map is very useful, we must study it carefully.”
Ba Fenghan was still studying the map carefully. Frowning, he said, “Changan’s tight city defense must be the best among the various cities in the Central Plains. The bigger city gates have a hundred men stationed for a long term, while the smaller city gates have twenty men, and sixteen guards patrolling the whole city day and night nonstop. As soon as our hidden troops show themselves out of the storehouse, they will immediately alert the whole city and attack us from four sides, eight directions, using ten-thousand-jun–-thunderbolt momentum, and thoroughly wipe us out.”
Hou Xibai pointed to the supplementary annotation in the lower left corner, he said, “This section is talking about emergency measures, which will be implemented when necessary, guided by the evening drums of the Cheng Tian Gate. When the evening drum is sounded, the drums on every street will respond; with eight hundred drums, pedestrians must return inside their own houses, close the doors, and not allowed to go out at night, unless they have official document.”
Xu Ziling said, “That is one problem that give us a headache. Another headache is that Qin Wang may be forced to move to the Hongyi Palace in the west side of the city to keep him away from the imperial palace. Not only it will be highly disadvantageous to our operation, but it will also be a clear target for the enemy’s firearms.”
Kou Zhong stretched out his limbs and said with a laugh, “Our fate has always been hard life, each time we are in the enemy-strong, we-are-weak, using-the-few-to-fight-many inferior position. His granny’s bear, we are using less than six thousand men to fight thirty thousand, not counting the troops stationed outside the city. But this is precisely the fun part, how to seek victory in this overwhelmingly inferior situation; it will depend on us, brothers’ ability.”
Ba Fenghan said, “We must minimize the area of attack as much as possible, otherwise, even if we win, everyone will be killed or injured, practically nothing is left, our vitality greatly damaged. At that time, how are we going to deal with Xieli’s allied armies?”
Kou Zhong nodded and said, “You are right, let’s take his Niang’s sleep first and talk later, we should reach the Flying Horse Ranch tomorrow afternoon!”
Hearing that Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Ba Fenghan, and Hou Xibai were coming to pay a visit, Shang Xiuxun, leading the Da Guanjia [the big/first housekeeper] Shang Zhen, the Four Zhishi [manager, see Book 9, Chapter 4] Liang Zhi, Liu Zongdao, and so on, came out to welcome them. Naturally they could not do without Luo Fang, who was familiar with Kou and Xu, giving them enough face.
After welcoming them into the ranch, Shang Xiuxun received them in the study room, which fully demonstrated her different close relationship with Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. On the other hand, it also seemed to show that her relationship with Song Shidao had progressed one step further.
Taking care of them was a group of maids under Big Sister Fu’s leadership, including Xiao Juan, so that the spacious study room was clamorous. Shang Zhen and others knew that one doesn’t visit a temple without a cause [idiom], hence they all tactfully asked to be excused, leaving the reminiscing to be retold later at the dinner banquet.
In the past, the two boys looked into the distance from the other side of the garden toward this place and sighed in admiration, but this moment they were sitting in the study room, looking at the couplet ‘There is delight in the Five Confucian Relationships [ruler-subject, father-son, brother-brother, husband-wife, friend-friend]; there is no hidden meaning outside the Six Classics [Book of Songs, Book of History, Book of Rites, the lost Book of Music, Book of Changes, Spring and Autumn Annals] – from a close distance. There is a sighing-with-sorrow feeling of the changes in human affairs, and of the impermanence of the affairs of life.’
Kou Zhong held the fragrant tea, offered by Xiao Juan, with both hands, he could not help but ask Shang Xiuxun, sitting at the host seat, “Where is Song ErGe?”
Shang Xiuxun cast him a side long glance in displeasure; slightly miffed, she said, “Are you looking for me or for him?”
Kou Zhong took a sip of the hot tea, emotionally moved, he said, “I have never had such a fragrant, thick and just right – fine tea.” And then he smiled and said, “To be precise, should be looking for you [plural].”
The word ‘you’ two characters [ni men], was spoken with special emphasis.
Xu Ziling, Ba Fenghan, and Hou Xibai all were unable to take their eyes off and watched attentively at Shang Xiuxun’s reaction, because it was Kou Zhong’s tossing-a-stone-to-find-out-what’s-ahead [idiom] move to sound out her and Song Shidao’s latest development.
Immediately rose-tinted-sky-at-sunset color grew on Shang Xiuxun’s jade cheeks. She cast a furtive glance toward Xu Ziling first, and then said, “How could you have spare time to come here to visit? Isn’t the situation very tense right now? Shaoshuai ought to know that I must adhere to the wish of my deceased ancestors, I cannot get involved in the disputes outside.”
Kou Zhong winked to signal her with his eyes, Shang Xiuxun understood, she sent Big Sister Fu and the maidservants outside the study room to wait for orders, and then she asked, “What is so mysterious?”
Hou Xibai stood up suddenly, he walked over to a scroll of calligraphy hanging on the east wall to look at it with pleasure; he sighed in admiration, “Turns out Song ErGe’s calligraphy is this good, he did it with such poise; strict method implied within the unrestrained, this is extremely rare. Poems with good characters are even finer – the color of the long day passing through the stream, like snow and reed catkin carrying a full boat; where is the old man on the river going? Mist covered water is still in the Han’s [dynasty] autumn. Whether writing about scenery or emotion, it is an ingenious writing.”
Shang Xiuxun could not hide the joy in her heart, she spoke cheerfully, “Is it all right to have this scroll hanging in here?”
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling suddenly put down the load on their minds. Shang Xiuxun and Song Shidao were obviously like fish back in the water [idiom], as long as they had a chance to continue interact with each other, certainly the clap of thunder in the sky would still be unable to separate them.
Shang Xiuxun was no longer lonely.
Before Hou Xibai had any chance to answer, Kou Zhong rushed to flatter her, he said, “Impossible to have anything better! It is so fitting that practically it’s a match made in heaven.”
His play on words teased Shang Xiuxun mercilessly that the roots of her ears turned red, her expression was touching to the extreme point. Hou Xibai, who had just turned his head around, was momentarily unable to look away. The beauty glowered fiercely at Kou Zhong and said, “If you keep babbling nonsense, I don’t care if you are Shaoshuai or Laoshuai [young/junior commander and old commander, respectively], you will be treated according to my family law.”
His brows raised in delight, his eyes laughing [idiom: beaming with joy] Kou Zhong said, “Meiren’er Changzhu, please calm down. Getting back to the main point, we are here this time is to report the latest situation to our number one close female friend. Changzhu, please understand, things have changed, ha!”
Being addressed deferentially by Kou Zhong as the ‘number one close female friend’, immediately Shang Xiuxun’s displeasure changed into laughter, but then she heard that things have changed, she was at a loss, “What has changed?” she asked.
Putting on a deadly earnest expression, Kou Zhong said, “Li Shimin, that kid and us have turned enemies into friends, we even prepare …”
Shang Xiuxun’s pretty face suddenly turned pale, she spoke in shock, “Don’t joke around, I just refused to supply warhorses to Li Yuan, and then you came to me and told me that you have established friendly relations with the House of Tang.”
Blurted out laughing, Ba Fenghan said, “Shang Changzhu, please do not misunderstand, Xiaoren [the lowly ones, plural] only wants to support Li Shimin to ascend to the emperor’s throne, we absolutely have no wish to surrender to Li Yuan.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Shang Xiuxun frowned and said, “So what exactly is it?”
After listening to Kou Zhong explaining everything clearly, Shang Xiuxun’s pair of beautiful eyes stared at Kou Zhong without blinking at all for quite half a day, and then she nodded and said, “That is indeed the most beneficial solution for the world, it’s rare that you, Kou Zhong said that you would accept it and immediately accepted it, plus you seem to be much happier than before. Ay! What are we going to do with Xiuning?”
Everybody understood what she meant by her last sentence. If Li Shimin broke off relations with his family, Li Xiuning would be in the middle, left and right would be difficult to manage, no matter which side won, she would be distressed and heartbroken.
This moment, Big Sister Fu rushed in like a gust of wind and reported, “Song Er Gongzi is back!”
As she was heading out, Song Shidao, in high spirits, floated in. Letting out a long laugh, he said, “I have come really at the right time! A bit early or a bit late, I will miss it!”
Shang Xiuxun blissfully said, “They have a startling-the-heaven-moving-the-earth big thing to tell you.”
Naturally Song Shidao’s party sat down in the imperial tutor chair by Shang Xiuxun’s side, opposite to the four men; he smiled and said, “Die has also told me this shocking-the-world, exceeding-all-expectations changes and turn for the better. Kou Zhong, you have done very well, you can raise it, and you can put it down, this is the mark of a real hero.”
Everyone understood suddenly, turned out Song Shidao was rushing back to Lingnan to see Song Que. Needless to say, he must have begged forgiveness to Song Que and asked for his consent to his marriage with Shang Xiuxun.
How could Kou Zhong be willing to miss this opportunity? He spoke with a straight face, “This time we made special trip to the Ranch pay a formal visit to Changzhu, other than to report the latest situation, the more important reason is … Ha! We are afraid that Song ErGe is too shy to ask Changzhu’s hand in marriage, ha! Hence we are going to do it for you. The dowry will be the future peace and happiness of the Flying Horse Ranch.”
Finally Shang Xiuxun could not take it anymore, the blush penetrating her cheeks, she spoke in great displeasure, “Just look at you, Kou Zhong, the big-headed ghost! I don’t have time to talk nonsense with you!” Finished speaking, like a gust of fragrant breeze, bashful and happy, she cast them away and slipped outside.
The five big men remained, you looked at me I gazed at you, all had some kind of happiness and joy that bubbled up from the bottom of their heart.
Song Shidao sighed and said, “Thank you very much y’all! Especially Ziling, only this moment I began to deeply understand the true meaning behind your advice.”
Astonished, Hou Xibai asked, “Ziling, what did you say to Song ErGe?”
Xu Ziling cheerfully said, “I’ll tell you later, ay! Frankly speaking, I don’t know if I can repeat it. Under certain circumstances, some words can rush forth like running water, but under different environment, it cannot be expressed. What I said to Song ErGe is of this kind.”
Hou Xibai said with delight, “Then I want to know even more, it must be very touching.”
Kou Zhong quietly cleared his throat and said, “Don’t change the subject too far, we came this time, originally it was to invite ErGe to leave the mountain [idiom: to come out of obscurity to a government job], but now I have to dispel this thought. Tonight, we all have dinner with happy heart, and then we will leave tomorrow.”
Song Shidao spoke indifferently, “If I disregard the future peace and happiness of the Central Earth because of my own happiness, how do you think Xiuxun would think of me? No need to have any misgivings, we all enjoy blessings and endure misfortune together. On the way back, I went to the little valley to offer sacrifice to Junchuo, and to engrave something on her tombstone, if you want to know what I wrote, when you go to the little valley to pay your respects, you will find out.”
In the evening that day, ten banquet tables were arranged inside the main hall of the Flying Horse Ranch. Everyone in the ranch with a bit of position and status attended the banquet, including Lan Gu, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling’s archenemy when they were servants, but naturally right now she could not fawn on them enough, but Kou and Xu were also very polite and respectful toward her.
Shang Xiuxun was obviously in a very good mood, she did not avoid arousing suspicion at all, together with Song Shidao, they toasted everybody else.
After the banquet, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Kou Zhong pulled Xu Ziling aside, he said, “We have come from afar, we ought to go pay our respects to Lu Dashi, to thank him for cultivating us, and tell him that it is totally thanks to the underground military warehouse of his, the Senior’s design that the world has the hope of peaceful reunification.”
Xu Ziling already had this intention, so without saying anything further he followed him towards the rear courtyard. Along the way, the guards only saluted them respectfully, without saying half a word.
It was another clear night with many stars filled the whole sky, but the mountain tops, near and far, were adorned with new snow-white covering, the trees in the garden were full of hanging icicles.
All around was quiet with no one in sight.
Revisiting old haunts, the two boys recalled the scenes of the past, they were overwhelmed with emotional stirring.
The rear courtyard was filled with fragrant and fresh air, the cold made the two felt tranquil and cozy.
The close and dear, familiar sound of waterfall from the mountain at the back was faintly heard.
They walked side by side along the winding corridors.
Kou Zhong said, “Nature is really amazing. Why is it that the water always flows down from its source on the high mountains? And it is inexhaustible all year round. I am afraid that no one in the world can answer this question. The water descends, but it always starts from high places.”
Xu Ziling looked up at the starry sky, he sighed and said, “There are too many things that we don’t understand! For example, what is the beginning? What is the end? Does the blue dome of heaven have an end? What kind of place is beyond that end?”
As they were talking, the two reached the square pavilion on the edge of the cliff at the end of the bamboo forest.
To their left was precisely the gravel path leading to Lu Miaozi’s little two-story building.
Kou Zhong said, “I have never been as carefree as I am at this moment. Song ErGe and Meiren’er Changzhu’s love will find a way [idiom], Ling Shao is settling down, and I don’t need to brace myself to be that pain-in-the-butt the emperor, Laotianye finally has a bit conscience.”
Xu Ziling said, “We should thank the Heaven and thank the Earth. Since you, this kid, wanted to fight for some kind of hegemony, we have never had a day with peace and happiness, fortunately, things have finally reached the best and the final stage.”
Kou Zhong said, “You seem to have more confidence than me. Actually, merely Shi Zhixuan, one person is enough to make us fail and wiped over the floor. Didn’t you say that he no longer has any flaw? The Shi Zhixuan with flaw already put us in deadly-danger-but-still-alive position several times, what would the no-flaw Shi Zhixuan put us in?”
Xu Ziling said, “If you absolutely want to deal with Shi Zhixuan, why bother Song ErGe? I also don’t have the heart to do this. Ay! Perhaps you won’t believe it, but in my heart, Shi Zhixuan is of course a vicious and merciless person, however, his unscrupulous means really is not because his natural disposition is evil, but because he wants to unify the demonic school, and then to rule the world. If my thought is correct, then he should not be the kind of person impervious to reason. When he can see clearly that he has no chance, that by destroying us he will only convenience Zhao Deyan or Yang Xuyan, he will most likely let us off.”
Smiling wryly, Kou Zhong said, “It is really hard for me to imagine that he is such a person. He was able to harden his heart to kill the woman he loved the most, naturally he can also harm anyone, including you and me.”
Xu Ziling spoke heavily, “If he is really a man without any human nature, he would not have had his mind and spirit sick because he killed Bi Xiuxin. After he saw Qingxuan, he said something very strange, which was he wanted to admit defeat to Bi Xiuxin. Therefore, I think things will take a turn for the better. After he said that, I could no longer feel his flaws.”
Revealing a deep-in-thought expression, Kou Zhong said, “When you told me about this, I started to feel that your views are supported by facts. If you were Shi Zhixuan, under the current circumstances, what can you do? Not only he let Wanwan off, he does not have any intention to kill his own daughter. The various factions of the demonic school definitely regard him as a traitor, even An Long, who has always admired him, also betrayed him.”
Xu Ziling said, “If I were him, I would be completely disheartened, but Shi Zhixuan is a firm and persistent, standing out above the masses – person, he can’t possibly give up easily.”
Kou Zhong said, “Since Zhu Yuyan passed away, the biggest faction of the demonic school, Yin Gui Pai has fallen into division, Bian Bufu was killed by Lao Ba, Xi Ying lost his life in your hands. In fact, the demonic school already faces the dispersed-and-lost fate of extinction, at least its vitality is greatly injured. The only ones remaining are Zhao Deyan, who attaches himself to the Tujue, Yang Xuyan, Yin Zuwen, and the likes who attach themselves to Li Yuan. Let us solve all these problems in Chang’an at once. As long as the Shi Zhixuan obstacle is removed, I have a way to deal with everything else.”
Casting his eyes on the waterfall over the opposite cliff, Xu Ziling spoke heavily, “What kind of person Shi Zhixuan is, we will have the answer very soon.”
Putting his hand on Xu Ziling’s shoulder, Kou Zhong walked towards the gravel path. Suddenly Ke Dazhi’s face appeared in his heart, his excellent mood immediately disappeared without any trace, leaving only infinite sadness and heartache.
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