Nirvana In Fire

Preamble:

So, although the author didn’t split this chapter, I decided to take the liberty to do so, simply because it was so long and I thought maybe you’d like to read this sooner than later. This chapter is taking some time because I’ve been watching (too much) Chinese dramas in between – have you seen King’s Avatar? I really enjoyed it. No romance, some bromance, but mostly good old-fashioned feel-goods because it showcases the protagonist’s growth and coming into himself, and how he moves from the past into his present glory.

In any case, enjoy this half-chapter! The next half may come sooner than you think, but I’m going to take my time with it and savour every last minute of this excruciatingly painful final chapter like the masochist that I am.

”Da Yu launched a surprise attack on the border with 100,000 troops. Ganzhou has fallen!”

“Shangyang Army has been defeated. Hezhou and Xuzhou have fallen. Hangzhou has been surrounded, and they are calling for reinforcements!”

“The Donghai Navy has invaded the Linhai prefecture, plundering at will. We have had difficulty keeping the situation under control. Please send help!”

“50,000 mounted cavalry from Northern Yan have broken through Yinshan pass and have headed directly to Hetao, pressing towards Tanzhou. Please send urgent assistance!”

“Yeqin has rebelled. The governor general has been murdered. Please send troops to suppress them!”

Reports requesting for urgent assistance stacked up like a small mountain on Xiao Jingyan’s desk, with many more on the way, each announcing a worsening state of affairs. Three neighbouring countries had attacked almost at the same time, and rebellions were breaking out within the country. Had this happened during Da Liang’s golden age, this would have been a great crisis, what more now that it has happened during this period of Da Liang’s decline. Following Prince Qi’s failed attempt to reform the system, the government and military, especially, fell into great decline. For the past almost one year, although Xiao Jingyan expanded great effort to put everything in order and things had improved, it wasn’t possible to fix more than a decade’s cumulative weakness overnight. Facing such strong enemy troops now, if one didn’t have a good defence strategy or go all out to resist them, territories would be lost and the country would be unstable, causing the people to suffer the loss of their homeland.

“Your Highness, apart from the troops that must remain to defend the various regions, the deployable troops number 170,000, 100,000 of which are from the Xingtai Army and the other 70,000 from Zhufang Army. To add to that, the Southern and Western Border…..”

“The Southern and Western Border Armies cannot be deployed. First of all, they’re too far away. Mobilizing them from such a distance will wear them out. Secondly, Da Chu and Xi Li are not just going to sit by and observe the unfolding of events. We must maintain our forces to deter them.” Xiao Jingyan took the report from Lilin, the shangshu of the Ministry of War and quickly reviewed the distribution of troops. “The Xingtai Army aside, how prepared is the Zhufang Army?”

“Not too bad. About 20,000 people are without armour, but the Ministry of War has them in stock and will be able to quickly allocate them.”

“What about money and food?”

“In this time of crisis, your servant will spare no effort to raise funds,” responded Shen Zhui immediately, “Your servant has come up with a few methods to raise funds. As long as Your Highness approves, your servant will perform his duty to implement them.”

“There’s no need to go into detail. Request granted. Hurry and expedite it.” Xiao Jingyan’s hand clenched around the report he was holding, muttering again, “70,000….what do all of you military officers think?”

His words were clearly aimed at the imperial military officials who had been summoned to discuss the matter. They looked at each other in dismay and were momentarily speechless. In the end, it was Duke Hengguo who stammered, “Your Highness, your servant would like to push for a peaceful settlement….it would be good to first send someone to discuss this……”

“Peaceful settlement?” Xiao Jingyan sneered. “Usually, it’s the civil officials who sue for peace while the military officials advocate war. How is it that it’s the other way round for us in Da Liang? The fires of war are already swiftly burning across our rivers, yet it’s our civil officials who are advocating war while all of you military officers are suing for peace?”

“Your Highness, Lord Liu and Lord Shen are of course speaking up for the country and the people. It’s just that, it’s all very well to talk, but reality is quite another matter. It’s not that your servant is afraid to go to war, but we have only 170,000 troops, which are insufficient to face Da Yu, Dong Hai, Bei Yan and Ye Qin all at once……”

Xiao Jingyan’s face was like cold iron, his eyes like icy needles piercing into the face of that old military official. “Whether the army is sufficient or not depends on our calculations.”

Duke Hengguo choked, his face turning red. He hurriedly got up and said, “This old servant is ignorant. Your Highness, please advise your servant.”

“Da Yu, Dong Hai, Bei Yan and Yeqin have all deployed their troops at almost the same time, so it would seem that the winds of war are blowing from all directions. But do we absolutely need to put them down all at the same time? We need to prioritize them, observe how the situations develop and their outcomes. Dong Hai’s naval invasion limits the number of troops they can bring onto land. Our garrison troops should actually be able to deal with them, but the local officials have enjoyed too long a period of peace so they’re a little rusty when it comes to naval warfare, nothing more. As such, the court does not need to dispatch troops over, just a general who is well-versed in naval warfare to plan the overall strategy would suffice. Most of the garrison troops stationed in the coastal provinces have already settled down there. Compared with troops dispatched from elsewhere, they would spare no effort to defend their homes.” Xiao Jingyan looked directly at the various court officials, his voice completely calm. “Moreover, Yeqin is located in the western frontier and their military strength is weak. It’s just a local rebellion that will reach no further than the Chaoyang Ridge, like suffering a skin irritation. We can first mobilize the troops in the neighbouring provinces to control the situation, and put everything in proper order when we can free up more troops.”

After hearing Xiao Jingyan’s words, the chaotic court atmosphere calmed down. The Zhongshuling*, Liu Cheng held his beard in his fingers and said, “Your Highness’s analysis is quite right. The real threat to Da Liang are Da Yu’s 100,000 strong army and Bei Yan’s 50,000 mounted cavalry. Looking at our numbers, there’s no need for us to be so apprehensive.”

*Head of the Secretariat

“But military strength is not just a number game.” Xiao Jingyan’s gaze sliced like a knife as it moved slowly across the faces of the imperial military officials. “The military might of the same soldiers will differ under different leaders. What’s lacking now are not soldiers. The organization of the junior officers is also complete. What we lack now are generals and commanders. Gentlemen, Da Liang is now at war. As the highest ranking military officials in the country, it’s now time to step forward to help the country and accomplish military merits. Who would like to volunteer? Recommendations are also welcome.”

At his words, the imperial military officials tensed up and silently lowered their heads. For the past decade, Da Liang’s battles were mainly focused on the Southern borders flanking Da Chu and the Western borders flanking Xili. All other battle fires elsewhere were mostly stamped out by Xiao Jingyan when he was Prince Jing. Most of the high-ranking officials gathered here today had not experienced war in a long time. What’s more, some of them were there because they inherited their titles. Although they were high-ranking, they were useless, corrupt and neglected their duties, embezzling funds meant for the troops. When civil riots happened, or when bandits staked out the mountainside, and the court commanded them to manage these matters and earn military merits, they left the job completely to the mid-level officers but claimed all the benefits. So, seriously speaking, in Xiao Jingyan’s eyes, they were not really considered military men. To hope that they would go into battle was as good as sending the soldiers on a suicide mission. But these men had good connections in the capital and came from influential families. Without the right opportunity or justification, he could do nothing about them.

“Why are you all not saying anything?” Xiao Jingyan’s voice was like ice. “Duke Hengguo. Speak.”

“Your….your servant is already old and unable to bear such heavy responsibilities. Your Highness, please….”

“The Marquis Huaiyi, what about you?”

“Your….your….your…your servant is also old. As long as there’s anything your servant can do, your servant would risk his life to do it, but to lead soldiers to face the enemy….though your servant’s heart is willing, your servant does not have the strength….”

“Marquis Huaiyi, I was just about to tell you,” interjected Shen Zhui, aren’t you rearing more than 700 steeds on your Yulong pasture? I heard that they have all been raised to be warhorses. During the Spring Hunt, you even mentioned that generations of nobles and aristocrats have been there to buy your horses….”

“Aiya,” responded Marquis Huaiyi swiftly, smacking his forehead, “If Shen da ren hadn’t reminded me, I would have forgotten about it. I had even instructed my household manager to inspect the horses in the pasture this morning. The court can definitely make use of them!”

Xiao Jingyan’s face was cold, as if he didn’t hear what had been said, but his gaze had moved on to others, and soon, these “old” or “weak” imperial military officers began to wrack their brains, vying with each other to offer their own personal assets for the court’s use….

“You can communicate all these to Shen Zhui later,” Xiao Jingyan cut them off curtly. “The most urgent task at hand is to quickly reinforce the north, to prevent Da Yu and Bei Yan from progressing southwards, and recover our lost territories. Our northern Shangyang army has just been defeated, Marshall Qi has died in battle, and the army’s morale is low. The 170,000 reinforcement troops need to go north and achieve a swift victory to stabilize the current situation. So, I have decided….”

Before he could continue, the hall fell into an uproar. Shen Zhui rushed forward, clamoring, “Your Highness, please reconsider! The country is currently in danger, and His Majesty is…his health is unstable. At this time, we really need Your Highness to keep watch over the capital. You must not leave!”

Ten more ministers stepped forward one after another to exhort him, and the military officers followed suit, saying repeatedly, “You must not”. Xiao Jingyan sighed and said, “Of course I understand where you’re coming from, but if the country is not protected, won’t all of us perish as well*? Isn’t the life and death of Da Liang more important than my own safety?”

*the actual idiom reads something like: without the skin, where will the hair attach to?

Be that as it may, none of them could tell how the situation would unfold if Xiao Jingyan went out to battle at this point in time. All his trusted ministers were in a furore. Unfortunately, there really weren’t many that the court could appoint to lead the battle. What’s more, these weren’t small battles, which one could suppress by just temporarily promoting a few mid-level officers. It was Da Liang’s biggest crisis in more than a decade. To find someone to replace Xiao Jingyan in such a short time was truly not easy.

“By the way, Your Highness,” said Cai Quan. After wracking his brains, he seemed to have a sudden inspiration. “We can make use of the reinstated Chiyan generals. Although….to send them out to war so soon after the case was redressed….er….but the country is in a desperate situation. They also have a responsibility…..”

The previous Chiyan generals represented the military system and leadership guidelines from Prince Qi’s era. In peacetime, all these high-level military officials would do all they could to hinder their advancement, but it was now wartime, and the fires of war were pressing on them. They were on the brink of crisis. As long as there were people willing to take the lead in this bloody battle, they would of course support it wholeheartedly.

Upon hearing this proposal, Xiao Jingyan thought briefly to himself. With the current state of the country, it was impossible for the old Chiyan generals to remain uninvolved. This had already crossed his mind earlier, but after careful analysis, only Nie Feng could assume this responsibility. Yet he had problems with his speech and will inevitably have problems issuing commands. As for the rest, as far as he recalled, they were competent generals, but were not sufficiently qualified to be commander-in-chief.

At this point, Xiao Jingyan’s gaze inadvertently shifted towards the eastern corner of the hall, where a screen with a detailed map of the northern border had been set up. A tall and thin figure stood before it, his hands clasped, observing it with full concentration, apparently unperturbed by all the commotion.

“Mister Su, come and persuade His Highness too.” Shen Zhui felt that the Crown Prince’s manner had changed recently, for he seemed to especially favour this Qilin talent, so he spoke without thinking twice. “If there’s no one taking charge of matters in the capital, the people would experience instability.”

Hearing Shen Zhui call out to him, he turned his head and asked blankly, “What did Shen da ren say?”

“His Highness says he wants to personally lead the battle!”

Mei Changsu frowned and glanced at Xiao Jingyan. Although he didn’t speak, his objection was apparent.

Xiao Jingyan knew that time was really pressing now, and that nothing good would come from continuing this discussion with these people, so he ordered them to attend to their respective matters. After everyone withdrew, he got up, walked towards Mei Changsu and said, “From your expression, it looks like you already have an opinion on who should be the commander-in-chief?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell me you want to go. Even if I go, I won’t let you go.”

“Then let’s talk about other matters first,” Mei Changsu didn’t argue. “You must use the old Chiyan generals in this war. Your Highness doesn’t object to this, right? I’m not trying to boast, but with Chiyan’s reputation, even if the troops are men they are unfamiliar with, there’s no need to worry about acceptance of their leadership.”

“Of course. As far as the old Chiyan generals are concerned, it will not be difficult to establish them in positions of power as they are already well-admired,” said Xiao Jingyan in agreement. “Furthermore, taking on leadership in this time of crisis immediately after their names were cleared, this will garner a lot of admiration. If we assign this to anyone else, the troops’ first thought might be that they have to sacrifice their lives so that some other noble can claim credit….”

“I’ve made a rough line-up. Nie Duo would be the most suitable for Dong Hai, so you don’t have to worry about it. There’s nothing much to discuss about Yeqin, so we can leave that aside for now. Bei Yan’s Tuoba Hao has rushed over like a whirlwind with his 50,000 cavalry so he would have a problem with reserves. It doesn’t look like he has made a lot of effort nor is it a large scale attempt. His objective is most likely to negotiate with us after gaining the upper hand, for riches or perhaps for the return of the three provinces they ceded to us forty years ago. Tuoba Hao is a firm supporter of their seven princes. Bei Yan values military skill. If he can reclaim these lands with one battle, the reputation of the seven princes would increase. If not, obtaining more riches can’t hurt. With this in mind, he won’t be able to bear any defeat. Therefore, to handle him, we need to crush his spirit. Once he realizes that the gains are not worth the losses, he will naturally retreat. For a strong and swift victory, this is where Nie dage, known for being the “strong wind”, can come in. Although others cannot understand his speech now, Dong jie already understands him completely. Working together with a few good military officers and lieutenants, Tuoba Hao won’t be able to get away so easily.”

“Yes, I share the same view. Divide the troops into two. Nie Feng will lead 70,000 against Bei Yan. I will lead the rest against Da Yu.….”

“Jingyan,” Mei Changsu put his hand on his arm and gently shook his head, “Hear me out first, okay?”

“Okay. Continue then.” Xiao Jingyan raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see how convincing you can be.”*

*the literal translation of this was “let’s see how big a flower you can speak”

“First of all, you cannot go. In such a big battle, besides those fighting in the frontlines, the dispatch of back end supplies are even more important. It’s not that I don’t trust His Majesty the Emperor. It’s just that he absolutely cannot be trusted. I have no doubt that if you are reckless enough to go, the consequences would be too terrible to contemplate. On this point, you absolutely cannot leave it to chance.”

“This hasn’t occurred to me. However….”

“Since you can’t go, the next question we need to consider is who would be the right person to go,” said Mei Changsu, swiftly cutting him off. “From the perspective of lower ranking officers and the soldiers, what kind of chief commander will they need? It must be someone who wholeheartedly desires to resist foreign threats, who is popular, capable, someone they would be willing to follow. Apart from Nihuang and Grand General Zhang from the Western garrison, whom we cannot mobilize, I can only think of one person.”

“Who?”

“Meng Zhi.”

Xiao Jingyan wrinkled his brows and immediately began to object, but Mei Changsu raised his hand, stopping him. “When Meng dage was in the army previously, he was widely known for his courage and strength in combat, and there were many legends and anecdotes about him. He has a great reputation, and he is also Da Liang’s top ranking martial arts master. For the soldiers, he is like a god. If you send him, he would have full control of the situation.”

“But whether or not someone is good in the battlefield, and whether or not he is suitable to be a chief commander, these are two different things, right?” Xiao Jingyan looked incredulously at him. “You know this fully well. It’s true that Meng Zhi is a valiant leader, but to take on the role of the chief commander, he’s still…”

“Yes, I know. The high-level considerations for appointing a chief commander are completely different from that of the soldiers. As a chief commander, his primary duty is to have an overall perspective of the situation, plan accordingly and position soldiers for battle. This is really not something Meng dage is good at, so we need to try to make up for this….”

At this point, Xiao Jingyan suddenly understood. “Oh. Are you trying to tell me that as long as there is someone by Meng Zhi’s side who is able to have an overall perspective of the situation, plan accordingly and position the soldiers for battle, that would be enough? Is that person you?”

Mei Changsu smiled faintly at him and replied softly, “Jingyan, don’t be so quick to reject this idea. I didn’t suggest this on a whim. Thinking back to those days, wasn’t Nie Zhen shushu* also frail in health with little martial arts ability? He was in the frontlines all the time, and apart from that time when nobody escaped, was he ever in danger? If you let me go this time, it’ll be just like it was for him. With Meng dage and Wei Zheng around, what do you have to worry about?”

*uncle

“But how can these reinforcements compare to the Chiyan army back then? You and I both understand the challenges and terrible dangers of the battlefield. I’m not worried that you’re unable to deal with the war situation. In fact, that’s the least of my worries. But Xiao Shu, marching to war, that requires physical strength!”

“If I didn’t have confidence in my body, I wouldn’t have asked you to allow me to go into battle. Think about it. I know very well that Meng dage lacks the talent, yet I advise you to appoint him as chief commander. If I suddenly fall ill and lose consciousness at a critical moment of the battle, wouldn’t that bring harm to Meng dage and more so, let down all the troops and the people of Da Liang?” Mei Changsu gazed at his good friend. “Jingyan, believe me. My first consideration is the state of my health. It will not pose a problem. Faced with such a critical situation, I wouldn’t act rashly!”

Xiao Jingyan pursed his lips, unable to find the words to refute him, but in his heart, he was anxious. Unwilling to agree, he kept his face blank and did not speak.

Mei Changsu did not try to persuade him further, but slowly walked towards the window and looked out at the dreary late autumn scenery outside. He had a faraway look, as if looking back in time, thinking of the youthfulness and vigor of the past.

“The Northern border is the battlefield I am most familiar with, and Da Yu is the enemy I am most familiar with.” After a long while, Mei Changsu slowly turned around, his thin smile coldly arrogant. “Maybe it’s because deep inside, I’m still a soldier. Even though I was on the long road to clear the injustice these past thirteen years, I would still follow Da Yu’s military movements relentlessly. Don’t get angry with me, but even you may not grasp this as well as me, much less others. The primary duty of the sovereign is to choose and use the right person. What we have between us are just personal considerations. Jingyan, it’s a matter of life and death for Da Liang. Isn’t it more important than my safety?”

Mei Changsu had not paid attention to the debates going on earlier, but his last few words were exactly the same as Xiao Jingyan’s when he was trying to persuade the court officials. This caused the heart of the Crown Prince, who bore on his back the heavy responsibility of running the country, to tighten.

If it was Lin Shu standing before him, all of this would be logical and only to be expected. Nobody would ever think of keeping Lin Shu from the battlefield. He was a natural God of War, the undefeated young general, the legend of Chiyan, the pride of Da Liang, the most trustworthy friend and the most dependable chief commander….but reality is always cruel. Even the most resolute and intrepid mind couldn’t resist the ravages of a body burdened with illness. Whenever he recalled that night when his friend was all dazed and confused due to his illness, Xiao Jingyan’s heart would clench up tightly. When all is said and done, Mei Changsu is, after all, no longer Lin Shu……

“Wei Zheng mentioned that you have a Mongolian doctor?” After a long moment of contemplation, Xiao Jingyan thought of an excuse to refuse his request. “I would like to meet him. If he says you can go, I will agree….”

Upon hearing this requirement, a complex expression flashed in Mei Changsu’s eyes but it disappeared in an instant. If one looked closely, one would only see a face whose expression was perfectly held in check.

“Alright. I’ll go back and speak to Lin Chen,” said Mei Changsu, half rising from his seat. “Your Highness still has a lot to do in order to raise funds for the war. I’ll take my leave first.”

In the wake of Mei Changsu’s composure, Xiao Jingyan felt a little nervous. He couldn’t help feeling that things were going to unfold that were going to be beyond his control, but when he looked closely, he was frustrated, for he couldn’t detect anything.

But this unusual feeling did not last long, because a fresh wave of urgent reports from the frontlines came in, instantly occupying his thoughts. Mobilizing the troops, reorganizing personnel, raising funds for supplies, ministers who came in one after another to make their reports. The crown prince who was now regent of the country was kept so busy his feet barely touched the ground that he didn’t even notice when Mei Changsu quietly withdrew.

Compared to the tense and busy atmosphere in the Eastern Palace, the Su Residence appeared extremely quiet and peaceful. But the shadow of war had already pervaded the entire capital, and the Su Residence was no exception. When Mei Changsu passed through the doors and got off his palanquin, even though everyone did their best to keep their composure, they couldn’t help casting uneasy glances at him.

“Please send Master Lin in.”

Afterthought:

“The crown prince who was now regent of the country was kept so busy his feet barely touched the ground that he didn’t even notice when Mei Changsu quietly withdrew.”

I had complex emotions reading this, and thought back to the time during the Spring Hunt when XJY felt all alone. This scene felt like a parting at the fork of the road, when XJY now has to walk his path alone, and MCS/LS his own path. They parted as teens and time stood still for them. But in this moment, they would part as grown men, each with his own path to walk.