Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1030: The Threats Arise

Li Kexiu continued to exchange pleasantries with the Southern Song representatives before taking his leave. 

Song Qingshu planned to stay here a bit longer, hoping to gather more information from the Southern Song envoy. 

After sending off Li Kexiu, Lu You wore a worried expression as he turned to Han Dingxiao and asked, “After getting Li Kexiu on our side, are we really going to follow through with the agreement to march north against the Manchus as promised to Wu Sangui?”

Song Qingshu was taken aback; if the Southern Song really did march north, the Golden Serpent Camp in Shandong would be the first to bear the brunt. 

Would they allow passage or not? If they did, the Manchus would be caught in a pincer attack from both Wu Sangui and the Southern Song, and they would likely collapse entirely. If they refused, it would inevitably lead to war with the Southern Song. Not to mention the state of the battle, the impact on their reputation would be significant. 

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Southern Song was the only remaining Han Ch!nese regime in the world. A northern expedition would represent political correctness; if the Golden Serpent Camp obstructed this, they would likely be reviled by all Han people, leaving them with no way to express their grievances. 

Worried, Song Qingshu quickly perked up his ears to listen further. 

Han Dingxiao said, “Our Great Song has no conflicts of interest with the Manchus, so why should we help Wu Sangui make a profit for himself? Instead of facing Wu Sangui head-on after destroying the Manchus, it would be better to sit back and watch them both suffer.”

Lu You frowned and replied, “But this opportunity is rare; if we miss it, it would be quite regrettable. Moreover, Wu Sangui’s daughter is now a favored concubine of the emperor. If we break our promise, it would be hard to explain.”

Han Dingxiao gazed at the moonlight outside and asked, “Minister, who do you think our Great Song’s enemy is?” 

“Of course, it’s the Jin state!” Lu You blurted out. 

The Jingkang Incident was etched in every Song person’s memory, as it was a tremendous humiliation. 

“Because even if we do march north, our target is definitely not the Qing Dynasty but the Jin Dynasty,” Han Dingxiao continued, “Back when the army went north, many concubines and princesses were captured and taken to the Jin Dynasty. This great enmity is something I wish to avenge at all times. I have been planning for this day for over a decade. Heaven bless our Great Song; now the Mongols are distracted by the Western powers, moving their main forces westward. The Jin Dynasty’s ally, the Manchus, is also being stretched thin by Wu Sangui and the Golden Serpent Camp. Now is the perfect time to march north against the Jin Dynasty and avenge our past disgrace!”

“With this, Wu Sangui won’t be able to say much, as the Jin Dynasty and the Manchus are brother nations. Our expedition against the Jin Dynasty will prevent them from sending troops to assist the Manchus, which is already a huge help to Wu Sangui.”

Song Qingshu was secretly astonished; this person truly had far-reaching thoughts. He had sent his clansman Han Qianye to infiltrate the Jin Dynasty over a decade ago, clearly waiting for this day. 

If Song Qingshu were still the person from the future, upon hearing that the Southern Song was going to march north against the Jin Dynasty, he would undoubtedly applaud, as the Jingkang humiliation represented shame and anger for every Han person. Unfortunately, he had worked hard to finally grasp power in the Jin Dynasty, and now the Southern Song was planning to march north, which would render all his previous efforts meaningless.

Although Song Qingshu understood that history would ultimately lead to the Mongols unifying the world, making the enemy of all nations the Mongols, this reasoning could not be voiced. The enmity between the Song and Jin was too deep to resolve.

‘It’s truly one wave after another,’ Song Qingshu couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. He had just been troubled about how to sabotage the cooperation between Li Kexiu and the Southern Song, and now he faced an even greater dilemma.

After hearing Han Dingxiao’s words, Lu You deeply bowed to him and said, “Minister Han, your dedication is truly admirable. I must thank you on behalf of the subjects who unjustly perished under the iron hooves of the Jin Dynasty.”

Han Dingxiao quickly helped him up and said, “Minister, there’s no need for such formalities; we are all on the same side, so there’s no need for such courtesy.”

The usually silent Linghu Chong finally spoke up, “Minister Han’s actions are for the sake of the common people, so he naturally deserves this bow. However, I have a doubt that I’m not sure whether I should voice.” 

Han Dingxiao, who had been saved by him and greatly admired his martial arts skills and character, smiled and said, “General Wu, please feel free to speak.” 

Now even Song Qingshu became curious and quickly perked up his ears to hear what Linghu Chong would say. 

Linghu Chong nodded, “As far as I know, ever since the wrongful execution of Yue Wumu back in the day, the pro-peace faction has gained the upper hand within the Song Dynasty, while the pro-war faction has faced severe repression. After enduring for so long, the treacherous Qin Hui, the leader of the pro-peace faction, finally died, and the likes of Wan Qi and Zhang Jun were dismissed. But then, Zhao Ruyu from the royal family came to power, and he turned out to be another pro-peace surrenderist.” 

“Minister Han had to expend great effort to oust Zhao Ruyu as well, and just when it seemed he was about to take over the Central Secretariat, who would have thought that the treacherous Jia Sidao and Shi Miyuan would collude and obstruct him, forcibly bringing Wan Qi and Zhang Jun back to the Central Secretariat as the left and right ministers. You, sir, could only settle for being the vice minister. Although the main culprits were Jia Sidao and Shi Miyuan, without the emperor’s approval, how could the two surrenderists who caused Yue Wumu’s death return to the center of power?” 

“I’m just afraid that Minister Han’s pro-war stance contradicts the current emperor’s intentions, and it may bring disaster upon you in the future.” Hearing Linghu Chong analyze the political situation of the Southern Song Dynasty so thoroughly, Song Qingshu, who was on the roof, couldn’t help but show a surprised expression. Indeed, it’s true that a scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days apart. 

Linghu Chong, who was originally just a wandering man from the rivers and lakes and never cared about political matters, had now become very eager for a powerful force after suffering the humiliation of a broken engagement. Thus, he subconsciously changed himself, actively seeking out relevant information. Moreover, during this time spent with Han Dingxiao, he had gained a vastly different perspective. 

Han Dingxiao interrupted Linghu Chong’s words, “Young Master Wu, it’s fine to say these things in front of me, but once you return to Lin’an, you must never mention them again. Speaking ill of the emperor behind his back is a great disrespect, and if someone reports it, I won’t be able to protect you.” 

“Thank you for the reminder, Minister Han,” Linghu Chong replied, but in his heart, he was dismissive. Ever since he could remember, the Central Plains had already fallen, and with the Mount Hua Sect located within the Jin Dynasty, he had been influenced by the environment and had a great disdain for that cowardly emperor of the Southern Song, which made his words inevitably a bit disrespectful. 

Han Dingxiao sighed, “The emperor has been seeking peace with the Jin Dynasty, and I’ve heard that he deeply regrets this in recent years. Moreover, with the increasing calls from the people for a northern expedition, it’s a trend that cannot be stopped by those pro-peace factions.” 

After listening for a while longer, Song Qingshu saw that there was no more useful information and quietly left, covering the tiles back up. 

*****

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in the Jia residence of Geling in Lin’an, Jia Sidao slammed his teacup heavily onto the table, “Hmph, they are indeed unreliable. They previously guaranteed with great confidence that Han Jiefu would never survive to reach Yangzhou, yet he is now living well in Yangzhou!” 

Beside him, his chief aide Liao Yingzhong smiled bitterly, “The young prince has many experts under his command, and the people sent this time had thoroughly calculated Han Jiefu’s escort strength, thinking it was foolproof. Who would have known that a Quanzhou deputy general, Wu Tiande, would suddenly appear midway?” 

“Hmph, even a lion uses all its strength to catch a rabbit. They should have had a backup plan,” Jia Sidao snorted coldly, “Have you found out about that Wu Tiande’s background?” 

“It’s been clarified; he is from the Wu family,” Liao Yingzhong said with a serious expression. 

“Which Wu family?” Jia Sidao immediately sat up straight. 

“Which other Wu family could it be? It’s of course the Longgan Wu family,” Liao Yingzhong replied with a bitter smile. 

“The descendants of the Wu brothers?” Jia Sidao’s fingers tapped irritably on the armrest of his chair, “Is he from the Wu D line or the Wu U line?” (G: It seems strange, but it was like this: 他是吴d一脉还是吴U一脉？in my version of the raw.)

“The lineage of Prince Xin, Wu U, should be considered the grandson of Prince Xin,” Liao Yingzhong replied. Jia Sidao seemed to be talking to himself as he said, “Although the Wu brothers have died, the Wu family’s influence in the military is deeply rooted and cannot be underestimated. If the Wu family truly sides with Han Dingxiao, then things will get troublesome.” 

The Wu brothers he mentioned were the renowned generals Wu D and Wu U from the Southern Song dynasty. Back when the Northern Song was destroyed, the Jin cavalry was unstoppable, and the Song army was on the verge of collapse until Han Shizhong managed to trap Jin Wuzhu at Huangtiandang, which led to the first somewhat respectable military achievement. 

However, the battle at Huangtiandang was a naval engagement, where the Jin cavalry could not leverage their advantages. Moreover, despite the chaotic process, in the end, Jin Wuzhu turned the tables and completely annihilated Han Shizhong’s forces. 

To call that battle a victory is quite a stretch. It wasn’t until later, when the Jin army attacked the territory defended by the Wu brothers in the Sichuan and Shaanxi regions, and suffered a significant defeat at the Battle of Shangyuan, that the Southern Song truly celebrated its first victory. 

This was also the Jin dynasty’s first major defeat since they began their campaign against the Liao and Song dynasties under Aguda. Jin Wuzhu personally led a hundred thousand elite troops and was left in utter disgrace. 

After that, he was never willing to set foot on the Wu brothers’ territory again, and their reputation spread throughout the land. 

From then on, the Wu family became the western shield of the Southern Song, and could even be considered the true masters of the Sichuan region. Unfortunately, the Wu brothers passed away one after another, and the court, in order to prevent Sichuan from becoming a state within a state, no longer appointed the descendants of the Wu family to guard Sichuan. 

Then the Mongols rose to power and took the opportunity to capture the previously impregnable Sichuan. It wasn’t until recent years, when the Mongols changed their previous strategy of making enemies everywhere to concentrate their forces for a westward campaign, that they intentionally returned Sichuan to the Southern Song and agreed to a ceasefire. (Note: Historically, Sichuan was reclaimed by the Southern Song general Meng Gong, but this is adapted for the novel’s world, and readers are advised not to take it literally.) 

Although the Wu family was no longer the kings of Sichuan, their former students and officials were spread throughout the military, making their influence still significant. The possibility of them aligning with Han Dingxiao made Jia Sidao cautious. 

As if making an extremely important decision, Jia Sidao suddenly stood up: “No, this opportunity is rare; we absolutely cannot let Han Dingxiao return to Lin’an alive.” 

Liao Yingzhong hurriedly said, “The young prince has already sent reinforcements over. This time, all the experts under his command are out; Han Dingxiao will definitely not escape death.” 

“Hmph, you said the same thing last time,” Jia Sidao snorted heavily, “No, this matter is of great importance; only our people can handle it to ensure our peace of mind.”