Chapter 85 |
After the Mid-Autumn Festival.
An urgent dispatch, marked for eight-hundred-li expedited delivery, landed on Emperor Chongzhao's desk.
The next day at court.
He passed the memorial down for the assembled officials to review.
"Two conflicts of no small scale have erupted in the border region adjoining Nanning and Great Zhou. A magistrate from their side was killed, and they are demanding compensation."
The Minister of Revenue instantly seized upon the key word: "Compensation? Was that magistrate killed by our soldiers?"
Emperor Chongzhao shot him a glance, amused. "Naturally not. If a Great Zhou soldier had killed a Nanning official, the conflict could escalate to a matter of state. Their magistrate was killed by villagers from a Great Zhou village."
That magistrate had trampled on vegetables planted by the commoners, destroying several plants. Afterward, he not only failed to apologize but also behaved offensively. In the ensuing clash, he was accidentally killed.
After taking turns reading the memorial, the officials were momentarily at a loss for words.
The Minister of Revenue stated, "Compensation is out of the question. If we pay, wouldn't it make Great Zhou appear spineless?"
The Minister of Rites examined the memorial carefully and said, "This is a letter of censure issued by the Emperor of Nanning. Regardless, it was our side, Great Zhou, that killed their official. Not offering compensation would damage the dignity of a great nation."
Emperor Chongzhao tapped his fingertips on the armrest of the dragon throne.
His gaze fell upon his three eldest sons below.
"What do you three think? Should we pay compensation or not?"
The ministers ceased their discussions and looked toward the three princes standing at the front.
Seeing that none of them stepped forward voluntarily, Emperor Chongzhao began to call on them. "Eldest?"
The Eldest Prince hesitated. "Your son feels that offering compensation would be somewhat... humiliating."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Second."
The Second Prince: "Great Zhou is a land of propriety and righteousness. If the other side's posture is sufficiently sincere, Great Zhou compensating them somewhat would be acceptable."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Third."
The Third Prince: "I agree with eldest brother. I believe it is better not to compensate."
"Good."
Emperor Chongzhao swept a glance over them and said calmly, "We grant you two days to consider this carefully. In two days, submit your memorials and debate your answers in court. Ensure your arguments are substantive. Do not disappoint Us."
This was the first time he had used a friction point between nations as an examination question for the princes in open court.
"Yes, Father Emperor!"
-
East Garden.
After classes at the schoolhouse ended.
Grand Tutor Fang detained Qu Dubian under the pretext of giving him a private tutorial.
The two went to a side hall.
Grand Tutor Fang: "In court today, His Majesty asked the Eldest, Second, and Third Princes how to handle the matter of the Nanning magistrate being killed by Great Zhou commoners."
"This can be considered the first formal examination question His Majesty has set for them. The princes are taking it seriously, and the court ministers are as well. Your Highness, do you think compensation should be given?"
Qu Dubian sat cross-legged opposite him, chin propped in one hand, idly tossing an empty cup with the other. After thinking, he said,
"Actually, what we think isn't that important. In the end, it's Father Emperor who will make the decision."
"Hmm."
"Our Great Zhou shares borders with both the Northern Frontier and Nanning, while Nanning and the Northern Frontier are separated by mountain ranges serving as a natural barrier. This is more disadvantageous than advantageous for Great Zhou, as it leaves us vulnerable to being caught in a pincer attack."
"Currently, the unrest among the various Northern Frontier tribes from a few years ago was suppressed through the joint efforts of Princess Axiang and the Old Marquis. Although there are still disturbances, the situation is barely stable. Furthermore, General Xia Hong is now garrisoned there as well. So, the situation in the Northern Frontier, at least for the next few years, need not be a concern."
Grand Tutor Fang spread out a sheet of paper and drew three circles on it, representing Great Zhou, Nanning, and the Northern Frontier tribes respectively.
Qu Dubian leaned in to look, quite interested.
This was the first time Grand Tutor Fang was explaining the broader national situation to him. Although he couldn't intervene, it was essential to understand it. Living in an ancient dynasty, ignorance of the larger picture and choosing to remain blind and deaf was a sure path to an early demise.
"The Emperor of Nanning is ambitious. Since his ascension, he has displeased His Majesty on several occasions. Frictions have occurred repeatedly at Zhennanguan Pass; the people on both sides are already like mortal enemies. This killing of the magistrate is merely the accumulated resentment of the past suddenly erupting."
Qu Dubian said keenly, "Are you suggesting that Great Zhou is going to war with Nanning?"
Grand Tutor Fang smiled. "This old minister was appointed as Grand Tutor during the late Emperor's reign and instructed your father. I watched him grow step by step and have some understanding of his temperament. If this were ten or eight years later, when His Majesty is older, he would seek stability."
"But now, His Majesty is still in his prime."
No ambitious emperor fails to desire adding another line to his achievements in the history books.
Qu Dubian: "Your conjecture lacks proper evidence."
Grand Tutor Fang winked. "Care to make a wager with this old man?"
"No, you've tricked me twice already. This time, I happen to share your view."
Qu Dubian smiled and poured him a cup of tea. "Please drink."
Grand Tutor Fang laughed heartily. "You little fox."
-
Eldest Prince's Residence.
The Eldest Prince was deep in thought.
A sheet of paper before him remained completely blank.
His advisor, Dou Shun, said, "Your Highness, perhaps I could draft something. Then, if you find it acceptable, you could rewrite it in your own words. How does that sound?"
The Eldest Prince glared. "Wouldn't that be cheating?"
Dou Shun: "..."
He smiled.
Weren't your cheating episodes in school as a child plentiful enough?
The Eldest Prince seemed to guess his thoughts and coughed awkwardly. "That was in childhood. Now I'm married, a man who must take responsibility. Besides, I am thinking right now. Stop interrupting and disturbing my train of thought."
Dou Shun: "Your Highness, His Majesty will ask for your answer in court tomorrow. If you still have no ideas by then, it will be too late."
The Eldest Prince: "Let me think a bit more. If I haven't figured it out by tonight, you'll have to stay up and help me write it."
Dou Shun: "..."
-
Elsewhere.
The Third Prince arrived at the Second Prince's residence.
He was there for a visit.
The Second Prince was currently hunched over his desk, surrounded by many sheets of paper that appeared to be discarded drafts.
The Third Prince looked around. "Second Brother, working so diligently."
Hearing his voice, the Second Prince seemed to startle awake and hurriedly tidied up his surroundings.
"Third Brother, please find a seat anywhere. This place is truly a mess."
He shook his head and sighed. "Not diligence, but rather, I'm completely at a loss. Look, I've wasted so much good paper, and I still haven't figured out what to say tomorrow."
The Third Prince: "I'm actually without a clear idea myself. That's why I came here to clear my head a bit."
In truth, he had already prepared his draft, but felt something was missing, which was why he had come to visit.
The Second Prince: "You know I chose 'compensate' in court, but I haven't decided whether to compensate with silver or something else. It's truly a headache."
He pressed his temples and casually tossed a stack of written papers aside. "What my study companion wrote is useless too. I've analyzed it; it holds no reference value."
"Indeed," the Third Prince nodded. As his gaze swept over the papers the Second Prince had discarded, it suddenly fixed on one spot.
He pulled out the sheet in the middle, looked at it for a moment, and a faint light sparked in his eyes. Suppressing the excitement in his voice, he asked, "Second Brother, may I take this paper back with me?"
"Which one?"
"This one."
"What use is this? It doesn't even state a conclusion," the Second Prince frowned and said. "Do as you please. If there's anything else that might inspire you, take it as well."
He was always like this, not one to fight or compete, nor to strive to be the best or strongest.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince viewed each other with disdain, yet both could get along with the second brother.
The Third Prince didn't stand on ceremony with him either: "Thank you, Second Brother."
With that, he hurried away, even forgetting to close the study door.
The Second Prince sat amidst the scattered papers on the floor, looked up at his retreating back, and gave a faint, slight tug at the corner of his lips.
-
The next day at court.
The three princes presented their arguments on the issue of whether or not to pay compensation to Nanning.
The Crown Prince advocated not paying. The Great Zhou, he said, even its common people, could not be trampled by Nanning. To pay compensation would undermine the Great Zhou's national prestige and chill the hearts of the people.
Regardless of whether he wrote it himself or not, his tone was forceful and impassioned, winning the approval of some military officials.
The Second Prince advocated paying. The Great Zhou, he said, was a land of propriety and should not quibble over minor details. Since we were at fault, an apology with compensation was due. As for Nanning's other unreasonable demands, they could be ignored.
The Third Prince advocated not paying. First, he agreed with what the Crown Prince had said, then added: "However, refusing to pay might provoke Nanning's anger and lead them to declare war. In that case, the just cause would lie with them, not with the Great Zhou. Whether we pay or not, the Great Zhou must secure the moral high ground."
This seemingly balanced answer delighted Emperor Chongzhao, who praised the Third Prince in the Qianji Hall for his thorough consideration.
The Crown Prince looked with great displeasure at the beaming Third Prince, who smiled back, the corners of his mouth lifted.
"I actually just thought of it, inspired by Eldest Brother's answer."
The Crown Prince smiled a thin, insincere smile: "How clever of you."
In the Crown Prince's view, the Third Prince choosing 'not to pay' like him was a direct challenge. Now that the Third Prince had won praise, he himself had lost a round.
The Second Prince stood silently in his place, as usual, never involving himself in the rivalry between his elder and younger brothers.
-
The Great Zhou did not immediately pay compensation to Nanning, delaying again and again.
The Emperor of Nanning grew increasingly dissatisfied, sending multiple diplomatic missives to express condemnation.
Meanwhile, conflicts along the border between Nanning and the Great Zhou grew more severe, and grievances between the two nations piled up.
Qu Dubian had been waiting for news of war.
A month later, the Emperor of Nanning, furious, wrote in a missive:
"Nanning seeks only compensation, yet your monarch disregards this to such an extent, it is utterly shameless!"
He then forcefully suppressed the anti-war faction within his court and prepared to declare war on the Great Zhou under the pretext of 'appeasing popular indignation.' His actions were swift, clearly prepared long in advance.
Yet, right at this moment, Emperor Chongzhao suddenly agreed to pay, offering a thousand taels of gold as compensation to Nanning.
The accompanying envoy was even a respected member of the imperial clan, making the Great Zhou's apology seem full of sincerity.
The Emperor of Nanning was momentarily choked. His reason for war was gone, and the anti-war faction within his country instantly counterattacked.
He had no choice but to temporarily suppress his ambitions.
Unexpectedly, when the Great Zhou envoys delivering the gold reached the Nanning border, that respected imperial clansman was suddenly killed by Nanning commoners, in an extremely brutal manner.
Emperor Chongzhao was enraged, writing in a missive:
"The Great Zhou wished for reconciliation. To show solemnity, we prepared for months and delivered compensation over a thousand li. Yet your monarch kills a Great Zhou envoy? This is the height of injustice!"
The officials of the Great Zhou all felt deeply humiliated. Public sentiment ran high. Subsequently, under the righteous banner of 'punishing injustice,' they declared war on Nanning.
The Emperor of Nanning: "..."
What a dog. Such a performance.
Could Nanning commoners bypass all those layers of defense to kill your imperial clansman? Who would believe such a blatant lie?
The Emperor of the Great Zhou truly has no shame!
-
"This is the necessity of having a 'just cause' for war. It is crucial. If we are punishing injustice, the Great Zhou army is a righteous force. If we are the ones being attacked, we are morally weakened by three parts."
After listening to Grand Tutor Fang's account.
Qu Dubian asked, "So that unlucky imperial clansman...?"
Grand Tutor Fang: "Oh, His Majesty had long been displeased with him. He assigned him this mission, and the man thought it was a good, lucrative posting, planning to skim some profit."
"His death was to fulfill the Great Zhou's 'punishing injustice.' As for how he died... there are a thousand ways for a man to live or die. As long as the ultimate goal is achieved, no one will care about the details."
Qu Dubian: "How long will this war last?"
Grand Tutor Fang pondered: "A short while, a month; a long while, half a year."
Qu Dubian looked out the window at the hibiscus flowers.
A low branch stretched diagonally into the window.
"We should win, right."
...
In the autumn of the sixteenth year of Chongzhao's reign.
The Great Zhou went to war with Nanning. The battle was fierce, dragging on for three months without respite. Xia Hong, bearing a secret decree, infiltrated Zhennan Pass to take command of its three separate military divisions.
That year, snow fell early.
A light layer of thin snow covered the capital city.
A courier on a post-horse galloped in from eight hundred li away, shouting as soon as he entered the city gates:
"Great victory—! A great victory at Zhennan Pass!!"
Qu Dubian pushed open the window and leaned on the sill to watch the falling snow.
In the winter of the sixteenth year of Chongzhao's reign.
The Great Zhou achieved a great victory at Zhennan Pass. The State of Nanning was defeated and offered a hostage prince to the Great Zhou. Envoys entered Zhou to negotiate.