23

When Yang Chen returned to Qudu, he was summoned to the office of his father, Grand Marshal Yang Tianhu. Yang Tianhu asked:

"Tell me what's going on? Did Wasoku really has any plans to start the war?"

"Upon arrival in Songdan Town, we had a feeling that there was something going wrong. So we clandestinely entered Wasoku and went to a town, a normal small town in a peaceful and tranquil.

However, the policemen rigorously scrutinized our pass cards. We split up, and while I was checked twice, Zaihua not only underwent inspection but was also taken to the police station for interrogation. Fortunately, we had stolen three passes in advance, enabling us to safely cross the border. However, we observed something unusual, witnessing numerous young people undergoing military drills at night."

Yang Chen briefed Yang Tianhu on all the information gather in Songdan Town and what happened in Tongliao. Yang Tianhu queried:

"So, did Chen Yufeng and you make a verbal agreement privately?"

"Yes, that was our private agreement, frankly speaking, because I trust him more than Chen Yutian. Chen Yutian doesn't have much experience in the battlefield. After all Chen Yufeng holds the position of commander." 

"Based on what I know of Chen Yutian, he is not one to hesitate when it comes to handling this kind of thing. If he's acting out of character, I think something must have happened to him. But what could it be?"

"This is probably a confidential matter for Chen Yutian. Even Chen Yufeng is unaware of it. But in Shengjing, I overheard a conversation between two people from Wasoku while I was at a teahouse near Wasoku's embassy. It seemed like they were training Wosaku women. Although I couldn't fully grasp their intentions, I had Tian Zhen, who is my contact in Shengjing and understands the Wasoku language, to look into it further. My suspicion is that they are probably being trained as spies to gather more intelligence."

Yang Tianhu speculated:

"If it is like what you say, I don't think it is a trivial matter. Chen Yutian is not interested in anything but the women. Do you think there is a woman from Wasoku, who has be on Chen Yutian's bed?"

"Would he really throw caution to the wind for the sake of a woman?"

"It depends on which kind of woman she is. I think this matter is likely far from simple. If there is really a woman from Wasoku in Chen Yutian's bed, it's unlikely there is only one woman in the northern. Chen'er, we need to investigate whether, in our territory, there are some officers and officials who have married or taken the concubines recently, especially senior military generals and officials. I will handle the officials and you'll look into the officers in the military. Once we find out....., damn, it's really troublesome. Do we really have to be suspicious of everyone in a state of extreme nervousness, even making them divorce or kill their concubines?"

"I think it is best for us to handle it this way. Once we find out the person who has involved with his wife or concubine from Wasoku, let him to choose what he wants, his position or the woman, so we do not need to kill the woman."

"If they agree outwardly but disagree inwardly, how shall we know his true intentions and what actions should we take?"

"We have to explain this clearly to our staff. Once we find out anyone who dares to deceive us, sorry, I wouldn't dare to use the person like this. We not only dismiss him from his position but also announce his behaviour in public. If there is a violation of discipline and law, he will be punished or even death penalty according to the law. Apart from within our territory, I think it is better for us to inform Uncle Liao in the south and Feng Xiao in the west, as well as Chen Yufeng."

"Of course, we have to do this. It is not a matter of internal fighting among ourselves. This is about defending against external enemies and no one can stay out of this defending. That is, if one is harmed, all are harmed."

"The only one what I worry about is the Feng family in the west. They are far away from Wasoku and have no connection with Wasoku. I am afraid that they will do nothing but watch our fighting with Wasoku."

"It would indeed be preferable if they just stayed out of the war. However, according to what I know about Feng Xiao, he's likely to seize this chance to attack anyone in danger. It is not the first time for him to do this. Although we have disagreements, Liao Feng, Chen Yutian and I maintain occasional contact sometimes, especially Liao Feng. Actually, after Erhua got married to his second son, Liao Yuanfang, we have formed an alliance with the Liao family. But it seldom for Feng Xiao to contact with three of us and even distain associating with us. To be honest, if Wasoku were to attack us, Feng's army is one of the best troops to defend our country due to their formidable fighting capabilities, which will yield twice effect with half the effort."

Yang Tianhu made the conclusion, acknowledging the strategic value of potential support from the Feng family. Yang Chen asked:

"Shouldn't we send the person to contact Mr. Feng?"

"I think it is me who is the right person to contact him. If you were to approach him, they would kill you without doubt. At Tongyi Pass, with five thousand men, you wiped out his thirty thousand soldiers and Feng Quan'an, Feng Xiao's eldest son, almost lost his life."

"But dad, I think it would be more appropriate for me to go there."

"Let me think about it carefully. By the way, what about Jin Quan?"

"There is another point of concern for me. Jin Quan's people are quite close to the Wasoku and Chen Shubing in Shengjing appears unable to fulfill the purpose to monitor Jin Quan as assigned by Chen Yutian. On the contrary, Chen Shubing seems to have developed closer ties with Jin Quan's people. Of course this is just what I observed on the surface. I'm not particularly familiar with him. As you know, although I frequently go to Shengjing, my social circle is not the same as Chen Shubing's so we rarely interact each other. But this time, during the party hosted by Jin Quan for me, Chen Shubing also unexpectedly came to the party with Jin Quan's staff. Of course it wasn't unusual for him to attend this party and it was surprising that he took the initiative to have a chat with me for a while." 

"Where there is smoke, there must be fire. So did he do anything else?"

"Yes. You know this time I went to Shengjing under the pretext of buying a birthday gift for mom so I often went to the auction and came across a porcelain, Guanyin statue in its brochure and planned to bid on it. But to my surprise, this piece was not shown at the auction. So I sent Zaihua to investigate the reason. Chen Shubing had bought it by force. What's unexpected is that when I returned from Shengjing, I found this piece had actually been delivered to my mansion, accompanied by a letter from Chen Shubing. So I was curious how he knew that I had taken a liking to this Guanyin."

Yang Tianhu chuckled and said:

"It's not strange. You were quite vocal about wanting to find a suitable birthday present for your mom, and your mom's faith in Buddhism isn't secret. You are a filial son so it isn't surprising that he could guess your intentions. Even if you didn't intend to buy this Guanyin status, it would still have been sent to you anyway. But it's a bit unusual for Chen Shubing to personally send it to you. What did his letter say?"

"The letter wasn't particularly special. As a junior, he wants to express his regards to my mother, knowing she believes in Buddhism and asked me to hand over to my mother."

"The gift from Jin Quan has also arrived now, sent in the name of his wife, a completely set of pearl jewelry. I've heard from your wife that it is quite valuable. Of course, I have no idea about this. But the interesting is that this year is not the significant birthday for your mother but the gifts which they've sent to us are somewhat different, especially from Chen Shubing. In the past it was customary for younger generation to accompany their parents' gifts as a form of the congratulation, but Chen Shubing's behaviour is indeed a little abnormal."

"You are correct. As soon as I saw this Guanyin, I began wondering what would be going on. From my opinion this Guanyin status would be more than enough even if it were sent in the name of Chen Yutian. What could his purpose be? I don't have figured it out yet. Does Chen Yutian's gift have arrived yet?"

"Not yet. Don't think more about this. Let us take it step by step. If overthinking, maybe it is easy to cause the misjudgment which leads the mistake or failure."

After saying that, Yang Tianhu couldn't help but ponder, seeming to consider something. Yang Chen remained silent for a while. They remained quiet until Yang Tianhu spoke again:

"I'm thinking about the matters concerning the Feng family and the Liao family. It's crucial that we must establish effective communication with them, so I need to go to the west and speak with Feng Xiao. We should make use of your mom's birthday banquet as an opportunity to gather the four of us for proper negotiations. Meanwhile, you go to the south and talk with Liao Feng, inviting them for your mom's birthday in my name."

"Dad, I think it is wiser for you to refrain from traveling. Instead, you could just write personal letters to Feng Xiao and Uncle Liao. With your letter I will visit the Feng family and let one of your trusted staff, like Uncle Zhang, with your letter and our invitation card, visit Uncle Liao. At the same time mom also can write to Erhua. I'm sure Liao Yuanfang and Erhua must come back for mom's birthday. Liao Yuanfang can help us to have a talk with his parents. I think it is no problem for Uncle Liao and Aunt Liao to come here."

Yang Tianhu expressed his worry and asked:

"If you go to the west, aren't you afraid that they might kill you?"

Yang Chen smiled reassuringly and replied: 

"I'm bringing gifts and extending an olive branch. It is known that you never strike a person who is smiling at you. Besides, I'm carrying your letter, which makes me your ambassador. In times of war, we don't harm envoys. Additionally, I'll first apologize to Feng Quan'an and present him with the desired gift. Zaihua will follow me. Dad, you know how much Zaihua has enjoyed collecting various pistols. I managed to get Chen Yufeng's pistol for Zaihua, which's the only one in our country, in exchange for our pistol which Jing had bought from Ferceland. We issue them only to our trusted personnel, under strict regulations. "

"Oh, that pistol. It is good pistol."

Yang Chen continued:

"Dad, as you know, this pistol isn't widely produced in our country, so it remains rare. Those outside our circles, especially from other warlords, don't have any chance to own this pistol. If Feng Quan'an, who has a passion for the gun, will probably be enamoured with this pistol if he sees it. Additionally, the Feng family also has to consider not only our power but also the Liao family's. After all, Erhua is the daughter-in-law of the Liao family. I doubt the Feng family has the capacity to fight against both sides, so I believe I'm completely safe in my visit there. However, if you were to go, it would be a different story. You'd likely go directly to Feng Xiao, who might give you a cold reception, seeking to embarrass you or even assert dominance, making it difficult for you to engage in constructive dialogue. But it's different for me. I'm a junior to Feng Xiao so no matter how he treats me, I won't feel embarrassed. If necessary, I can persistently and shamelessly engage with him, regardless of what I do."

Yang Tianhu shook his head with a sigh, expressing his concern for his son:

"My boy, I can't quite figure out whose character you take after, neither your mother's nor mine. No one can understand what you are going to do at all, and I'm always baffled by your actions. Everyone thinks you are a troublemaker no matter whether they are your enemy or friend. Chen'er, this trip is really too dangerous. If something happens to you, how could your mother and I live?"

"Dad, don't worry about me and don't let mom know more about this trip either. I have explained my advantage and my special status to you. As long as I can convince Feng Quan'an, there is no danger for me. It is said that Feng Quan'an is a reasonable man, not one to hold grudges. If he can start to think about this from the overall situation, he might even help me to persuade Feng Xiao. That is why I want to visit Feng Quan'an first."

Yang Tianhu said helplessly:

"Let you venture into danger. I really don't know how to face your mother. My child, please be cautious and come back safely. Otherwise your mother will surely hold me accountable. Oh, by the way, why did you go back to Yucheng a few days ago?"

Yang Tianhu tried to minimize his worries by abruptly changing the topic. Yang Chen's heart darkened but he didn't express his depression on his face, saying:

"I had left something behind at the villa so I had to go back to retrieve it."

"Zaihua is usually very meticulous. How could something like this happen?"

"It was my fault that I forgot to inform Zaihua."