Book 61 Chapter 12 – Staking All On One Throw
Feng Deyi went upstairs alone, after exchanging some pleasantries, he sat down and spoke cheerfully, “This time I’m …”
Laughing, Kou Zhong cut him off and said, “If this kid’s expectation is unmistaken, Tang Zhu [Master of Tang] should have asked Feng Gong to deliver a message confirming the alliance. The ceremony of the alliance will be held tomorrow morning, am I right?”
Greatly astonished, Feng Deyi said, “Shaoshuai indeed can prophesy with supernatural accuracy; it’s really hard to believe. Just now Huangshang summoned Taizi, Qin w.a.n.g, Qi w.a.n.g and a group of cabinet ministers to announce that tomorrow he will hold a solemn alliance ceremony with Shaoshuai outside Taiji Palace Hall, and ordered me to inform Shaoshuai that a carriage will be sent to welcome your great self tomorrow morning.”
And then he lowered his voice and said, “It seems that he made this decision hastily after breaking off relations with Bi Xuan, how did you know this one step earlier?”
The refined light in Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, he said, “If we could not even see through Li Yuan’s conspiracy, we would have no choice but to pack and quit and return home. Hereafter, whether we can enjoy the fruits of victory will depend on tomorrow morning. In order to subtract all unnecessary variables, we will now immediately stay at Qin w.a.n.g’s Yeting Palace, tomorrow morning I will enter the palace together with Qin w.a.n.g. Feng Gong, please inform Li Yuan, that old muddlehead who obstinately persist in going about things the wrong way.”
His expression blank, Feng Deyi said, “What exactly happened?”
After Xu Ziling explained it one time through, Feng Deyi understood, his relaxed mood was swept clean, knitting his brows, he said, “Do you have confidence? Since Li Yuan is standing completely on Jiancheng and Yuanji’s side, his soldiers strong his generals valiant, his martial art masters are as numerous as clouds, plus they hold overwhelming military strength superiority. Moreover, they have the help of Tujue martial art masters such as Bi Xuan and the others, the Palace City’s defense is even more firm and unbreakable. With your current strength and your splendid wonder troops scheme, you may have a chance to seek victory amidst the danger, such as this kind of grand disposition of troops in direct hard battle. I don’t think it was by a fluke.”
Having a card up his sleeve, Kou Zhong said, “As long as the enemy did not expect it, it will be a wonder troop. First of all, I want to make the other side give birth to underestimating-the-enemy heart. Tonight, I will quietly escape to Qin w.a.n.g’s Yeting Palace, to make people believe firmly without any suspicion that Ziling is seriously injured. Simply because people like Xiang Yushan will understand that I, Kou Zhong am only willing to do such a showing-weakness, stupid and cowardly thing for Ziling. Even more important is that tomorrow we will enter the Taiji Palace from Xuanwu Gate to partic.i.p.ate in the alliance ceremony. Qin w.a.n.g will unify the world and take the great undertaking of repelling foreign aggression, all will start from Xuanwu Gate.”
Feng Deyi’s countenance changed, he said, “Xuanwu Gate?”
Xu Ziling said, “Feng Gong, don’t worry, Chang He is our man.”
Feng Deyi was slightly relieved but he quickly frowned again and said, “The four major commanders of Xuanwu Gate take turns to be on duty. If Xuanwu Gate is under Chang He’s command, naturally there won’t be any problem, but if as the time draws near Li Yuan exchanges the generals and maneuvers the troops, won’t we lose all our advantages?”
Kou Zhong smiled and said, “Chang He has always been a member of the Taizi faction. He was recommended by Jiancheng to sit on this important position. This is also the period when he was in charge of the Xuanwu Gate, altering it at will certainly would arouse the vigilance of Qin w.a.n.g’s faction’s men and horses with deep knowledge of the palace operation, so exchanging the generals should not happen.”
Smiling wryly, Feng Deyi said, “Controlling the Xuanwu Gate can indeed resist Tang Jian’s army from Western Inner Park. However, if Li Yuan deploys all the imperial guards from the Taiji Palace to counterattack the Xuanwu Gate, under attack from inside and outside, Xuanwu Gate will not last long. In the end, Li Yuan is the Tang Master, Qin w.a.n.g’s generals may be willing to die for their master, but the soldiers and generals under Chang He will find it difficult to persevere. I am not optimistic about this.”
Kou Zhong spoke indifferently, “This situation will never happen. The key lies in the fact that the other side thinks that Xu Ziling, who is in bed and recovering from his injuries, his life is at dawn, not sure of lasting to evening [idiom: precarious state]. Their wariness completely gone, they will simply: in order to capture the thieves, one must capture their king first. Our target tomorrow will not only Jiancheng, Yuanji, but also Li Yuan.”
Feng Deyi stared fixedly at Kou Zhong, it was quite a while later that nodded and said, “It seems that Shaoshuai does have a detailed plan; on the City Army side, how are you going to deal with it?”
Kou Zhong said, “Liu Hongji has just surrendered to Qin w.a.n.g. When the time comes, he will hold back his troops without moving, and will act according to the situation.”
Feng Deyi was finally persuaded, he spoke heavily, “In that case, how should I cooperate with you?”
Kou Zhong said, “Feng Gong must have a set of speeches perfected, so that Li Yuan is convinced that we have no suspicion about the alliance. In this aspect, Feng Gong should have no problem. After the incident, Feng Gong must spread the news for us, so that the ministers and generals gathering in Taiji Palace will hear that Jiancheng and Yuanji, intending to plot a rebellion, murder us and Qin w.a.n.g, and destroy the alliance. They meet the misfortune of being struck back and executed. Qin w.a.n.g has succeeded to the throne as the Taizi. The words coming from Feng Gong’s mouth, who would dare to think that it was not Li Yuan’s imperial decree, and Li Yuan would never have a chance to declare it untrue.”
Xu Ziling asked, “Every day before the morning court, where does Li Yuan usually go?”
Feng Deyi replied, “Usually he would go to the imperial study first to review official doc.u.ments and important memorials to the emperor. But tomorrow morning the situation is unusual, so I’m not sure.”
Xu Ziling said, “To make other people not to suspect that he is involved in the ambush operation, everything should be business as usual.”
Feng Deyi rose up to his full height, the four men hurriedly stood up to see him off.
Feng Deyi said, “Not afraid of ten thousand [yi wan], but afraid of contingency [wan yi, lit. one in ten thousand]. If the situation does not develop as Shaoshuai expected, you must save your life and escape, only then will you have a chance to roll the dirt and start over [make a comeback]. You must not just show off your courage and strength.”
Xu Ziling remembered the reason behind Shi Zhixuan pa.s.sing on the Bu Si Yin Fa to him, it was precisely for him that when he knew that the situation was out of his control, he was to break the siege and flee for his life relying on the Yin Fa, so that he could grow old together with Shi Qingxuan.
Kou Zhong smiled and said, “Thank you very much Feng Gong for your guidance, but this will never happen. Tomorrow’s Chang’an will be Li Shimin’s Chang’an, and also our Chang’an.”
The carriage drove out of Xing Qing Palace, w.a.n.g Xuanshu-led Flying Clouds Guards escorted them ahead and behind, galloping towards the Yeting Palace.
Hou Xibai went to Ling Yan Pavilion one step ahead to notify Fu Junyu to postpone the appointment to tomorrow night. Ma Chang left in secret, he was in charge of making arrangement of various actions according to the plan. Two other imperial guards stayed at Xing Qing Palace to wait for Ba Fenghan, who went out and had not returned.
Inside the carriage, Kou Zhong looked out through the curtains, he said, “The sun is setting! I hope Song ErGe, Xiao Jun and the others can leave safely, nothing will go wrong.”
Xu Ziling said, “The only ones who know their ident.i.ties are Shi Zhixuan and Wanwan. At this moment, they should not want a new branch grows out of a knot, by arousing our vigilance. I am confident that Song ErGe and the others can leave safely and cooperate with Lei DaGe to deal with Xiang Gui.”
Kou Zhong turned his head around to cast him a glance, before returning his gaze outside the window again, he said, “Wanwan treated you like that, are you brokenhearted?”
Xu Ziling spoke indifferently, “Frankly, although she wants to kill me, I don’t blame her. The desire to revitalize the demon school is deeply rooted in her heart [orig. the stem is st.u.r.dy, the root deep], it is hard to change. Shi Zhixuan’s situation is precisely the same, until this moment, Shi Zhixuan still does not willing to give up the ideal, only because of Qingxuan that he was willing to let me go.”
Smiling ruefully, Kou Zhong said, “Thinking about Shi Zhixuan, I immediately have a headache. Do you think he will make his move personally tomorrow?”
Xu Ziling said, “Li Yuan detests him bitterly, Yin Zuwen and the others will never let Li Yuan know their connection with Shi Zhixuan, plus they have to conceal their ident.i.ty as belonging to the demonic school. Therefore, although for the time being Shi Zhixuan or Wanwan are exerting themselves for Li Yuan behind the scenes, they can’t possibly directly partic.i.p.ate in this matter. Besides, Shi Zhixuan has to protect Qingxuan, so that she can be together with the still-alive me.”
Kou Zhong heaved a sigh again, he said, “I wonder if I could ask you a question: how much do you think our odds of success are?”
Xu Ziling smiled and said, “Kou Zhong is good in offense, Li Shimin is good in defense, such a combination is hard to find in the world. The Dark Armored elite cavalry is the most elite unit within the Great Tang army. Ma Chang’s 3,000-man elite squad combines top talents from both the Shao Shuai and the Song Clan, two sides. One straight, one wonder [this is hard to translate succinctly, basically it means one was in the open/proper, the other was in the dark/ambush]. Even more wonderful is that Chang He and Liu Hongji, one inside, one outside, cooperate with us like seamless heavenly clothes, we will definitely win this battle.”
Finished listening, Kou Zhong stretched out his limbs in the carriage seat, looking at the carriage roof, he spoke slyly, “With Ziling’s a.s.surance, immediately my confidence soars. Would you say that Wanwan already disclosed the Duke Yang’s Treasure-house secret to Yin Zuwen, Zhao Deyan and the others?”
Xu Ziling spoke slowly, “I have a strange thought. The only person who can make Wanwan leak the treasure-house secret is Shi Zhixuan. Because she wants to win Shi Zhixuan’s unreserved full support, which is not impossible, and because she knows that Shi Zhixuan admires her the most, furthermore, because she knows that the contradiction between Shi Zhixuan and Zhao Deyan is only temporarily suppressed, but will never be eliminated, besides, no matter whether it is Wanwan or Shi Zhixuan, definitely neither is willing to let Zhao Deyan’s faction’s Liang Shidu to sit on the throne. Since Wanwan made her move against me, it will be difficult for the Duke Yang’s Treasure-house to be useful for us. Based on Wanwan’s conduct, she should keep the treasure house for her own use. In the future, when the demonic school are ma.s.sacring one another, it may be able to play an unexpected marvelously effective use for her.”
Kou Zhong said, “With your, LaoGe’s thorough a.n.a.lysis, I can set my mind at rest! His granny’s bear! I really hope time can go faster, because Xiaodi’s hands are very itchy.”
Xu Ziling laughed and said, “You, this kid has never had any patience since you were little, just take a good rest obediently in Qin w.a.n.g’s mansion for me, to preserve and nurture your spirit to deal with tomorrow, it will be enough to keep you busy!”
The carriage stopped for a moment before it galloped pa.s.s the Vermillion Bird Main Gate and continued the journey.
Kou Zhong closed his pair of eyes and said, “Can you guess whether Ge Suwen and the others will wallow in the mire with Jiancheng and Yuanji to partic.i.p.ate in the operation against us tomorrow?”
Xu Ziling sighed and said, “It’s hard to say. Since Ge Suwen and Han Chao’an joined hands with Yang Xuyan to ambush me outside the Yu He An, naturally they could directly partic.i.p.ate in this matter.”
The carriage increased its speed and rushed towards the Yeting Palace.
Kou Zhong suddenly sat up, his spirit greatly aroused, he said, “I am thinking of an interesting thought. The one who should take a good rest obediently in Qin w.a.n.g’s mansion is you, not me.”
Knitting his brows, Xu Ziling said, “What ghost idea are you thinking? Don’t make a new branch growing out of a knot for me, it will ruin the important matter.”
Kou Zhong said, “Don’t forget that I am the third-generation disciple of the Bu Si Yin Fa, I can’t possibly return to the Western Paradise.”
Xu Ziling spoke in displeasure, “Sit down for me!”
Kou Zhong said, “Have you ever thought about another possibility, which is Qiang Yi, concealing it from Shigong, joins in the fun tomorrow with Ge Suwen and the others. Sabers and arrows have no heart, someone kills her by mistake. At that time, will we be worthy of Niang?”
Xu Ziling wanted to speak but had nothing to say, quite a while later he sighed and said, “I give up! You go quickly and come back quickly.”
Upright and unafraid, Kou Zhong stepped out of the Vermillion Bird Main Gate, turned left and strode in the direction of the Tonghua Gate.
A drizzle of rain suddenly fell from the sky, the city of Chang’an was covered in misty-rain haze, it was like a gauze to shroud the people’s eyes and ears, so that pa.s.sersby would not recognize that the person just brushing past was the Shaoshuai Kou Zhong, who could dictate the honor and disgrace of the Central Earth, whose name shook the world.
His mind entered the Moon in the Well, obtaining the saber and forgetting the saber, the Heaven, Earth and Man merged into one – realm, no victory, no defeat, but any figure must be a subject and bow at his feet.
After the battle against Bi Xuan, the benefit he derived from witnessing the confrontation of Ning Daoqi against Song Que was transformed from his thought into practical experience. He even resented Li Yuan a little bit for interrupting their decisive battle that he was unable to see the real movement against Bi Xuan.
Liang Yuan [lit. cool garden] appeared ahead.
Kou Zhong remembered the heroic feeling and the strong air, the calm and the grandeur when Song Que was climbing over to the Jingnian Chanyuan. He laughed aloud, came to the courtyard gate, and shouted loudly, “Kou Zhong is here, Ge Dashuai, roll out for me!”
The Moon in the Well left its scabbard, fast as lightning it hacked down, like splitting a piece of thin paper, it entered the narrow slit on the door, and cut open the door bolt, and then he raised his leg to kick the door. [Note: the door bolt in those days was made of a horizontal bar to hold a door closed.]
The middle door of the Liang Yuan was immediately wide open, revealing several panicked faces.