Chapter 385
Chapter 385
Just as Qiu Hao was contemplating whether he should seek out another power, an envoy from the State of Wu appeared before him once more.
*Where's the money? Why didn't you bring the gold coins? How am I supposed to pay my men without money? If you don't fork it over, my brothers will revolt.*
"Lord Qiu Hao, have you given it some thought?"
Was this a time for Qiu Hao to be stubborn? He smiled and said,
"This is a grave matter. I need more time to consider."
The envoy from Wu said,
"Lord Qiu Hao, you reside on Skywind Island, so you may not be aware of the situation outside. You don't have any more time to consider."
"What do you mean?"
"First, Su Nan is on the verge of rebellion. The grand army of the State of Jiang is about to invade the State of Yue. Second, the King of Wu and the King of Yue are about to face off in a decisive battle. What do you think the outcome of this war will be?"
Qiu Hao was no military strategist, but he knew the combined forces of Su and Jiang numbered seventy or eighty thousand. Therefore, no matter how hard the Tianxi Province of Yue tried, they couldn't stop such a large army. Once the southern part of Tianxi Province fell, a perilous situation would surely unfold. The armies of Su and Jiang could march north to attack Zhong Yao's forces from the front and rear with the State of Chu, or they could advance west to strike the vulnerable capital. Whatever happened, with the King of Yue already charging forward without a backward glance, he was certain to lose the decisive battle against the King of Wu. The State of Yue might lose a quarter of its territory, or even more.
The envoy from Wu sneered.
"If Lord Qiu Hao pledges allegiance to our State of Wu now, you will receive favorable treatment. But if you wait until after the King of Yue suffers a great defeat, won't you receive worse treatment than before?"
Indeed, his words made sense.
*But to pledge allegiance to Wu so hastily? I can't do that.*
"Besides, the most important news is that Jin Zhuo is dead."
Hearing the Wu envoy's words, Qiu Hao trembled and asked,
"Is he... truly dead?"
He had, of course, heard the rumors of Jin Zhuo's death, and while he believed them, a part of him denied it.
"Gao Duhuan killed him."
"Isn't that strange? Gao Duhuan only kills the most heinous villains. Although Marquis Jin Zhuo is my enemy, everyone acknowledges his character. Even I, Qiu Hao, know this well. Why would Gao Duhuan kill him?"
The envoy from Wu sneered.
"Because Gao Duhuan is a sword wielded by a certain important figure in the State of Yue."
Hearing this, Qiu Hao jumped in surprise, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
"Lord Qiu Hao, haven't you found it strange? Why have both the Crown Prince of Yue and the Hidden Yuan Society suddenly stopped dealing with you? Weren't they afraid you would pledge allegiance to Jin Zhuo?"
*That's right. I, Qiu Hao, am clearly useful. Why did they suddenly abandon me?*
That was a point Qiu Hao couldn't understand.
"Taking Raging Tide City is something our State of Wu desperately wants, but the Hidden Yuan Society wants it even more."
Qiu Hao knew this as well. When his adoptive father, the Pirate King Qiu Tianwei, had held Raging Tide City, he had entrusted all trade rights to the Hidden Yuan Society. The faction that suffered the greatest loss when Raging Tide City fell was undoubtedly the Hidden Yuan Society.
"I will be frank. The military funds we gave you before were not from the State of Wu, but from the Hidden Yuan Society, passed to you through our hands."
Qiu Hao was astonished.
"For this battle, the Hidden Yuan Society has prepaid us an astronomical amount in military funds! A portion of that is a very substantial sum meant for you, Lord Qiu Hao. If you side with our State of Wu, we will give you that money immediately."
Qiu Hao asked in a trembling voice,
"How much?"
"Three hundred and fifty thousand gold taels!"
Upon hearing this, a chill ran down Qiu Hao's spine. He had never touched so much money in his life. With that amount, he could sufficiently pay his military expenses for years to come.
"To seize the entire Leizhou Archipelago, our King is playing along with that madman Ning Yuanxian's act. It will even appear as though a decisive battle between the two kings is imminent. To take Raging Tide City, the Hidden Yuan Society has prepaid over a million gold taels in military funds. Furthermore, they have also lent an astronomical sum of gold to that madman, Ning Yuanxian. Having paid such a high price, wouldn't both the State of Wu and the Hidden Yuan Society be determined to take Raging Tide City? Do you believe you can stand against this tide, Lord Qiu Hao?"
The Wu envoy's tone was no longer polite but carried a hint of threat, and Qiu Hao was genuinely frightened by his words. He was not an arrogant hero like Qiu Tianwei. Both the Hidden Yuan Society and the State of Wu were colossal powers, and they had paid such a great price to seize Raging Tide City. Could someone like Qiu Hao possibly stop them? No! If two great wheels rolled forward, Qiu Hao would be powerless to stop them. What's more, certain figures within the State of Yue were secretly cooperating with Wu and had cast him aside. With a great disaster about to befall Yue, Qiu Hao had no other choice. Besides, he couldn't even pay his own troops.
"If I surrender to the State of Wu, can I become the Lord of Raging Tide City?"
The envoy from Wu shook his head.
"Impossible. Our King has paid such a high price to obtain Raging Tide City; how could he possibly hand it over to you? He will surely send a trusted subordinate to govern it."
"Then there's no benefit for me."
"Skywind Island will still be yours."
Qiu Hao said in a shaky voice,
"Skywind Island is already mine."
"We will give you Wang'ai Island as well. After the Jin Clan is destroyed, Jinsan Island and Wang'ai Island will no longer be theirs, will they?"
"But Jinsan Island and Wang'ai Island are in Yue territory, too close to the Yue mainland."
The Wu envoy sneered.
"After Yue suffers a great defeat, do you think Ning Yuanxian will care about Wang'ai Island and Jinsan Island? What's more, by then, our Wu army will be stationed in Raging Tide City. Do you think Ning Yuanxian will be able to send his navy to attack you?"
"Is there nothing more?"
"Lord Qiu Hao, a man shouldn't be too greedy."
Qiu Hao licked his lips and asked,
"Can you give me a title of nobility?"
The Wu envoy was stunned.
*Why is a pirate chieftain drooling over a noble title?*
Qiu Hao certainly coveted a title. The last time Zhang Chunhua came to persuade him, she had offered him the title of Marquis of Raging Tide, and he had taken the bait. Of course, since he ended up losing the city, the title of Marquis of Raging Tide came to nothing. People of humble birth like Qiu Hao yearned to become nobles.
The envoy from Wu gave an awkward laugh.
"We have indeed prepared a title for you."
"What title?"
"In the upcoming battle to seize Raging Tide City, you, Lord Qiu Hao, will deal with all of the Jin Clan's naval forces. If you achieve great merit, our King will ennoble you as the Count of Skywind."
Qiu Hao closed his eyes. Hot blood began to surge through his veins.
*I have no other choice. I can never stand against the two colossal powers of Wu and the Hidden Yuan Society.*
Qiu Hao gritted his teeth, then bowed low.
"This subject pledges his loyalty to His Majesty, the King of Wu."
The Wu envoy rose from his seat and said,
"Qiu Hao, receive the royal decree!"
Qiu Hao knelt.
"Qiu Hao is hereby appointed as the Lord of Skywind of the State of Wu and the General Who Pacifies the Seas. By royal command!"
"I thank Your Majesty for your immense grace! This subject will repay you, though my body be ground to dust!"
The Wu envoy was overjoyed. With Jin Zhuo dead and Qiu Hao pledging his loyalty, the great undertaking of destroying the Jin Clan and seizing Raging Tide City was already half-successful. All was now in place, and the east wind had begun to blow; soon, the grand enterprise would be realized. The State of Wu would gain another commandery. Moreover, this new territory would jut out like a nail, menacing the coastal regions of the State of Yue.
The Wu envoy said,
"General Who Pacifies the Seas, make your preparations swiftly. Soon, our grand army of Wu will march south and gather at Skywind City to rest and reorganize. After that, tens of thousands of troops will majestically destroy the Jin Clan and seize Raging Tide City and the Leizhou Archipelago!"
Qiu Hao responded with a loud voice,
"This subject, Qiu Hao, will make all preparations to welcome the southward march of His Majesty's army!"
***
The main city of Baiye Commandery.
Su Zhan was truly on the verge of going mad. When he led his army to charge the main gate tower of Baiye, he saw a large banner hanging from the city walls. Looking up at the ramparts again, he saw Shen Lang and Zhang Chong standing side by side. Zhang Chong's troops were packed tightly along the walls, standing guard. The sight before him made him so furious he was about to explode.
*That old bastard, Zhang Chong? Wasn't he already dead? How is he still alive and in control of Baiye's main city? Did he sprout wings? He just entered the city last night, and he took over the entire place overnight? Did Su Wushang eat shit? Weren't the Baiye Commandery office and garrison all dogs raised by the Su Clan? Did Zhang Chong overthrow them all by himself? How on earth did he do it?*
***
What was even more maddening was that Su Zhan couldn't easily decide what to do next. His ten-thousand-strong army had surrounded Shen Lang's twenty-thousand-strong mob but hadn't attacked. Why? It was a shepherding strategy. The mob was too large; if they attacked suddenly, the rioters would scatter in all directions. The plan was to quickly pen them in so that not a single one could escape. Moreover, Su Zhan had to execute his master's plan to kill three birds with one stone: kill all the rioters to seize the gold they had plundered, and in the process, use the pretext of suppressing the mob to take control of Baiye's main city.
Of course, Su Nan had devised a more unspeakable plan. He intended to let the rioters storm Baiye's main city first and go on another massive looting spree. That way, the merchants would be ruined, and in the end, only Su Nan would profit. Furthermore, when Su Nan's army cut down the rioters, wouldn't the people of Baiye be moved to tears, welcoming his army into the city as their saviors? That was the plan, but who would have thought things would turn out like this?
Besides, according to Su Lu's report, Zhang Chong was already dead. Last night, Zhang Chong had attended the banquet with only a single attendant, while dozens of Su Clan experts lay in ambush at Snow Mountain Pavilion. He should have been a dead man, so why was he alive? Everything was in disarray, and the original plan had almost completely collapsed. The nearly twenty thousand rioters hadn't entered the pen. The idea was to let them into Baiye City, where Su Wushang and three thousand garrison troops were inside, while Su Zhan's ten-thousand-strong army was outside. The two forces would coordinate from within and without to easily trap the rioters like rats in a jar. That bastard Shen Lang and his twenty thousand rioters would have been caught with no way to escape.
But what now? Things hadn't gone according to Su Nan's plan, and the twenty thousand rioters were scattering in all directions like startled beasts. How were they supposed to catch them in the dead of night? The biggest problem was that Zhang Chong's army was on the city walls. If Su Zhan's army got too close to the walls to catch the looters, Zhang Chong's men would rain arrows down on them. Moreover, some of the looters, in their panic, ran headlong into Su Zhan's army and were cut down in an instant. From the top of the wall, Shen Lang shouted.
"You fools, stick to the wall and run that way!"
Shen Lang's voice was too quiet, so Big Dummy acted as his loudspeaker and bellowed,
"You tools, stick to the wall and run that way!"