Chapter 2738: The Crack in the Heart

Seeing that he did not take it, Bai Shan rose and placed the jade pendant in his palm, smiling lightly as he said, “The reason Five gave me this token was precisely so that I might pass it on to Second Prince. Among those who have surrendered to our Great Jin, there are many, and quite a number were once princes and marquises. Without speaking of those far away, General Ashina, General Heli of the Qibi—these men were once figures of great renown. After submitting to Great Jin, they remain men of great renown, and their achievements surpass their former ones; in fame, in power, in wealth, all is only greater and more abundant. Why should Second Prince cling so stubbornly to a mere empty title?”

Bai Shan closed his fingers around the pendant, making him grasp it, and said with deep meaning, “In this regard, Fifth Prince sees farther than Second Prince. If he can persuade the king of Goguryeo, then the merit he establishes will be enough to earn him a marquisate. Is that not more glorious than being a prince of Goguryeo?”

Second Prince Gao tightened his grip on the jade pendant in his hand, wishing he could smash it to the floor right before Bai Shan’s eyes. Yet he did not. Instead, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, “However round the moon of another land may be, it can never be as beautiful as the moonlight of one’s own country.”

Bai Shan said, “In truth, there were never any countries in this world; it was only that men came and staked off land, and thus there came to be tribes, and thus there came to be states.”

“The region of Liaodong was originally one with the Central Plains. It was merely that, due to warfare in the Central Plains, the Gao Clan seized the chaos to rise in rebellion. In the previous dynasty, the court ought already to have taken back this land.”

Gao Zhi said sharply, “Which is why the previous dynasty perished.”

“But this dynasty will not,” Bai Shan met his edge without flinching, replying coolly, “His Majesty is benevolent, and is unwilling to stir up needless strife. After His Majesty ascended the throne, your Goguryeo also submitted a memorial acknowledging vassalage. But count carefully: in these twenty-odd years, how many times have you violated the borders? Obstructed other states from presenting tribute, slain commoners and raided the frontier, governed without benevolence, oppressed the people—on any one of these counts the court has grounds to campaign against you. That you have been spared until now is only because His Majesty is compassionate and wished to grant you yet another chance.”

“And now, that I stand here urging you to surrender is likewise a chance His Majesty grants to you, to the Wang Ting of Goguryeo.” Bai Shan locked eyes with him, his gaze keen as he said, “The assault on East Third Street is being waged by State Duke Zhao. In Great Jin, not everyone is inclined to swallow this breath in silence. The officers and men of the army must accumulate military merit; they need marquisates, they need distinctions won in war. How many in the court do you imagine now advocate accepting your surrender?”

“Barely half at most,” Bai Shan said. “If you persist in obstinate folly, there are many who would gladly use you as the stepping stone for their military achievements.”

Gao Zhi bared his teeth in a grin, his eyes full of ferocity as he fixed them on Bai Shan and said, “Then let them come. What have I to fear?”

He pronounced each word with deliberate weight: “I will drag you all down with me.”

Bai Shan rose, giving a cold laugh. “That counts only if Second Prince makes it to the battlefield. State Duke Zhao is at this very moment on East Third Street. Does the prince wish to go and meet him?”

Second Prince Gao sprang to his feet with a sudden shout, barking, “Attendants, escort the envoy to rest.”

Then he strode swiftly down the steps, snatched his own sword from the hands of his personal guard, and headed out.

Seeing this, the others immediately took fright and hurried out in pursuit.

The supervisor did not leave, but instead summoned men and said, “Escort the envoy back to the guest quarters. Receive him well, and do not slight the envoy.”

“Yes.”

The minor official who received the order glanced timidly at Bai Shan standing on the steps, then lowered his head in some apprehension and bowed. “Envoy, please.”

Bai Shan smiled, exchanged a courteous salute with the supervisor, then turned and departed with the officials assigned to attend him.

Only after they had gone did the supervisor stride out in haste. Second Prince Gao, in truth, did not lose his head to the point of rushing to East Third Street to seek a life-and-death struggle with State Duke Zhao. He was not so foolish as that. He was certain he could not defeat State Duke Zhao; even with thousands of troops between them, speaking only of commanding the army, he did not believe his leadership in war surpassed that of State Duke Zhao, seasoned by a hundred battles.

Thus, after storming out with great show of fury, he entered a side hall.

The supervisor soon arrived. By then only three trusted ministers remained; Second Prince Gao had found pretexts to dismiss all the others.

When the supervisor came in, Second Prince Gao was toying with the jade pendant in his hand. As the supervisor entered, he tightened his grip and hurled the pendant viciously to the floor.

The pendant shattered, fragments scattering, startling everyone in the room. The supervisor’s steps too faltered for an instant, then he schooled his expression and stepped forward to salute, saying, “Prince, the envoy has been settled in the guest quarters.”

Gao Zhi gave a cold snort and asked, “Do you truly think Gao You has surrendered to Great Jin?”

The others looked at one another and kept their heads lowered, saying nothing.

The supervisor said, “At first we suspected Fifth Prince had already met with misfortune. In fact, the current situation is better than we initially predicted.”

Gao Zhi sneered. “Better in what way? He’d be better off dead.”

At the outset, they had surmised that Gao You had either been seized and thrown into a dungeon or had committed suicide.

He was, after all, an envoy; Great Jin should not kill him. But they could imprison him, humiliate him. Never had they imagined that Great Jin would bring him along to Goguryeo, accompany the army all the way, and even turn him—so that he now served Great Jin as envoy, coming here to persuade them to surrender.

It was infuriating—so infuriating that Gao Zhi was nearly bereft of reason.

The supervisor asked, “Prince, how should we deal with this matter?”

“The troops are nearly at the domestic capital; what can we still do?” he said. “Our urgent task now is to hold Anshi City. Five’s efforts are all for nothing; Father King will never surrender.”

He let out a cold laugh. “Does he think that just by becoming an envoy of Jin Kingdom his fortunes are secure? Great Jin may not kill him, but Father King will.”

Whatever envoy he may be, Gao You is still a prince of Goguryeo, the Great King’s son. For a father to kill a son—that is ordained by Heaven and Earth.

The supervisor pondered aloud, “The words came from Jin Kingdom’s envoy; they may not be entirely true. Prince, why not immediately dispatch someone back to the domestic capital to inquire, so that we may know the Great King’s intentions?”

Gao Zhi fell silent in thought.

Yuan Yi said instead, “If we send someone back, how are we to answer should the Great King ask about the battle at Anshi City?”

Gao Zhi lowered his gaze.

Catching sight of Gao Zhi’s expression, Yuan Yi said in a low voice, “Besides, in the matter of surrender, Fifth Prince has already taken the lead. If in the end… his investiture as marquis and appointment to office would be as easy as reaching out his hand.”

For the first time, the supervisor turned a stern gaze upon Yuan Yi. The sharpness in his eyes so frightened Yuan Yi that he lowered his head at once, instinctively shrinking from his look.

Second Prince Gao remained silent, making it plain that in the depths of his heart he was not as strong as he had seemed before Bai Shan, not truly one who would rather be shattered jade than intact tile.

The supervisor’s facial muscles twitched; for a long moment he could not speak, and the room sank into silence.

After a long time, it was Second Prince Gao who spoke: “Father King’s health is poor. Let us suppress this matter for now. My Goguryeo still has three hundred thousand troops; Father King will not listen to Gao You’s slander and surrender. Our urgent task is to hold Anshi City.”

Hearing this, the supervisor hesitated, wanting to speak yet holding back. After a while, he still said nothing.

How could Goguryeo still have three hundred thousand troops?

Setting aside that there is still one Jin army rampaging through their heartland, even this force from Liaodong has already cut down so many of their men. Where would three hundred thousand soldiers come from?

Could Second Prince truly be unaware of this situation?