Chapter 664
Chapter 664
“Our State of Yue does not have the capacity to fight two wars at once. Rejecting the Great Nan army’s truce is tantamount to national ruin! Shen Lang, you say you can win? But we see no hope at all. You think you can defeat their hundred-thousand-strong army with your mere ten thousand rear-guard troops? You have indeed worked many miracles in the past, but we truly cannot believe this! You personally may be able to take such a risk, but the State of Yue cannot. The nation will truly fall.”
The silent throne hall was filled only with the roaring voice of Royal Uncle Ning Ji. Shen Lang wasn't angry with him in the slightest. He was a man widely recognized for his good nature and upright character. While the other court officials also thought Shen Lang's words were absurd and laughable, they kept it to themselves. Royal Uncle Ning Ji was simply speaking his mind. He knelt before Ning Yuanxian, prostrating himself.
“Your Majesty, you must not take such a risk! Ceding five commanderies in exchange for peace in the south and focusing all our strength on the decisive battle with Chu is the wise and correct decision. Otherwise, the Great Nan army will be enraged and march their forces north, and the State of Wu will not miss this opportunity. When that time comes, the three states will carve up Yue, and we will bring the disaster of our own destruction upon ourselves!”
Zhu Hongzhu said nothing, simply kneeling and pressing his forehead to the floor. The hundreds of officials in the hall knelt in an orderly fashion, all agreeing to cede the five commanderies for a truce with the Great Nan army. Only Shen Lang and Ning Zheng remained standing, once again facing the entire world.
King Ning Yuanxian was silent for a moment before speaking.
“Court is dismissed. Shen Lang, you will come with me!”
* * *
In the study.
Ning Yuanxian said.
“Any other king would have signed the truce with the Great Nan army. No king would dare to take such a risk.”
Shen Lang nodded. That was certainly true. Only a madman like himself would attempt such an insane feat—to fight a hundred-thousand-strong army with only ten thousand troops. Moreover, not mobilizing the First Nirvana Army meant that Shen Lang only had the thirty-eight hundred soldiers of the Second Nirvana Army at his disposal.
“Shen Lang, can you win?”
Shen Lang was silent for a moment, then spoke.
“I cannot be entirely certain, but I am sixty to seventy percent confident of success.”
Originally, Shen Lang had been about eighty percent confident, but after learning of the situation in the south, he had lowered his confidence to sixty or seventy percent. The Great Nan army was a formidable, truly formidable opponent.
“And that seventy percent is because their commander is a man of great talent and strategy. I believe that at a critical moment, he will choose to withdraw on his own to avoid further losses to his main force.”
“Does that mean you think you cannot defeat him in a direct confrontation?”
Of course, he couldn't. In a direct confrontation, how could Shen Lang possibly defeat a hundred-thousand-strong army with just thirty-eight hundred men? That was truly a fantastic tale, like something from *One Thousand and One Nights*.
“This war will not be fought with just our armies. It will require more wisdom and unpredictable imagination. The one who loses in thought will also lose the war.”
Ning Yuanxian closed his eyes. The moment had come to make a life-or-death decision. If Shen Lang won, not only would the five southern commanderies be saved, but Ning Yuanxian’s reputation would be preserved, and the nation’s prestige would no longer be diminished. But if Shen Lang lost, the kingdom would fall. The current situation in the State of Yue was very clear, and the Great Nan army had shown considerable restraint. But if their offer was rejected and their wrath incurred, they would strike with the fury of a thunderstorm, and the flames of war would engulf the entire south. At that point, nothing would stand in the way of their army marching north. The capital of Yue would be attacked directly, and after the three states carved up the kingdom, the State of Yue would surely be annihilated.
Shen Lang's proposal was a gamble where the reward was not commensurate with the risk. The risk was enormous, but the reward was only five commanderies. Of course, on a larger scale, it was a way to protect the dignity of the nation and the king. But in a time of life and death, what did a king’s dignity matter? Any other king would refuse to take such a gamble.
“Of course, it doesn't matter if Your Majesty disagrees. I will still fight this war. But in that case, I will fight under the name of the Jin Clan.”
This was because the lands to be ceded included Xuanwu City. Ning Yuanxian closed his eyes in anguish.
*The kingdom will fall, it will fall! I cannot commit such a mad act. Shen Lang is a madman, but I am not. Then let Shen Lang fight the Great Nan army in the name of the Jin Clan. For the sake of the lands passed down by my ancestors and for the State of Yue, it doesn't matter if I act like a coward for once. Just this once, I'll back down!*
Ning Yuanxian’s hands trembled more and more violently. He took a deep, ragged breath.
“Hah, hah… Shen Lang, do you realize? If you lose this war, Ning Zheng is finished, I am finished, the State of Yue is finished, and your Jin Clan is finished. Even if we cede the five commanderies to the Great Nan army, your family still has Raging Tide City. The foundation of the Jin Clan will remain intact, will it not?”
“I know. But I still have to take this gamble.”
With the Crown Prince already finished, defeating the Great Nan army in this war would truly save the State of Yue from a perilous situation and rescue the nation’s destiny. This would be tantamount to Ning Zheng taking a giant leap forward, one step closer to the throne. Of course, if they lost, the country would be completely finished.
Ning Yuanxian gritted his teeth.
“Sixty to seventy percent confidence… Even you only have sixty to seventy percent confidence? I cannot allow it. The kingdom will fall. I absolutely cannot allow it. I cannot let the lands passed down by my ancestors be destroyed in my hands. I absolutely cannot allow it!”
As he shouted, Ning Yuanxian suddenly paused, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Then, he abruptly slapped his thigh and cried out.
“No! Yes, let’s do it that way! To hell with it, let the kingdom fall!”
Ning Yuanxian shot to his feet, roaring.
“Twenty-two years ago, when Princess Jiang Li fell, I faced a fatal disaster. I begged the Zhu Clan to save me, and after that, I became a king with a broken back, never able to hold my head high again. From then on, the Queen looked down on me, Zhu Hongzhu looked down on me, the Crown Prince looked down on me, and Ning Han looked down on me. Twenty-two years ago, I didn't hold out to the end; I caved! This time, I will stand tall and straight. So what if it goes wrong and the kingdom falls? What’s the big deal about a kingdom being destroyed! Even if I truly become the king who destroyed his own country, I will not grovel on my knees and beg to live!”
As Ning Yuanxian roared, he slammed his hand on the table. His entire body was trembling violently.
“What more do I have to fear? I’ll soon be unable to move anyway, so what is there to be afraid of? Shen Lang, you go. Go and fight! Don't fight in the name of your Jin Clan; fight in the name of our State of Yue. If you win, that’s wonderful! If you lose, to hell with it, let the kingdom fall! It is decided!”
This was Ning Yuanxian. When a critical moment arrived, he became a gambler, one who charged forward without looking back. He was far from being a wise and brilliant king. But he was a king truly worthy of admiration. He was willing to play a hand even on a gambling table where the kingdom itself was at stake, daring to go all-in in such a terrifying game. It was a gamble that, on the surface, seemed to have no hope of winning. In contrast, Crown Prince Ning Yi, once in a perilous situation, didn't know whether to advance or retreat and was at a complete loss. In the end, he couldn't even bring himself to make a decision, ceding the authority to Zhu Lin. But Ning Yuanxian, no matter how insane the decision seemed, could make the call himself.
* * *
At court the next day, the envoy from the Great Nan army appeared in the throne hall once again.
“Your Majesty of Yue, have you considered our offer? A full day has already passed!”
Ning Yuanxian said calmly.
“I have already made my decision. I reject the Great Nan army’s proposal and will not cede a single inch of land!”
The Great Nan envoy was taken aback.
*Is… is this man truly a madman? I presented such generous terms, and he still refuses? The entire southern part of the State of Yue is empty right now; we could send troops to attack at any time and conquer half the kingdom. King of Yue, are you refusing to accept a gesture of goodwill?*
But at that moment, the ones even more shocked than the envoy were the civil and military officials of Yue. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
*Has His Majesty truly gone mad? If he rejects the Great Nan army's proposal this time, there will be no more chances. After their army conquers half of Yue, will he be able to make them spit out the land they've taken? What sweet words has Shen Lang used to bewitch His Majesty this time?*
The Great Nan envoy asked.
“Your Majesty of Yue, is that your final answer?”
“It is!”
“Are you aware that this means declaring war? Our Great Nan Kingdom’s army will easily conquer half of Yue and could even march straight to your capital gates!”
“Yes. War, you say? Then let there be war!”
The Great Nan envoy looked at Ning Yuanxian once more, as if trying to commit the face of this madman to memory.
“Very well. Understood. Until we meet again!”
With that, the Great Nan envoy left the throne hall. A stunned Zhu Hongzhu quickly ran after him. The king may have lost his mind, but the Grand Secretariat and the Bureau of Military Affairs of Yue had not. The hall full of civil and military ministers stared blankly at King Ning Yuanxian. They simply could not believe what they had just seen and heard.
*His Majesty has lost all reason. Does he truly believe Shen Lang can defeat a hundred thousand with ten thousand? Aren't they just rear-guard troops? And Shen Lang isn't even taking the First Nirvana Army with him!*
Royal Uncle Ning Ji suddenly dropped to his knees, striking his forehead on the floor until it bled. The Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Zhong Yue, also knelt and kowtowed, and soon the entire hall of ministers was on their knees, foreheads to the ground.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please retract your command. You must not gamble with the fate of the nation.”
“Shen Lang, you are truly a traitor! You really intend to bring ruin upon our State of Yue.”
Ning Yuanxian looked down at the kneeling ministers and slowly rose to his feet.
“Isn’t the kingdom destined to fall anyway? There’s no need to mince words. At worst, its fall will only come a little sooner. Besides, even if it falls, it is the State of Yue of my Ning Clan that falls. The esteemed officials present here are full of experience, and many are talented in both civil and military affairs. No matter what happens, you will continue to enjoy wealth and honor. If the kingdom falls, it is my Ning Clan that will be exterminated, and it is I, Ning Yuanxian, who will die.”
“But if we win, I will regain my dignity, and the State of Yue will preserve its territorial integrity. If we lose, the State of Yue will fall, my Ning Clan will be annihilated, and I will have no place to be buried even in death! That is all! Anyone who wishes to submit their resignation may do so now! As for the rest, let there be no more discussion. My mind is made up!”
Ning Yuanxian’s voice echoed throughout the great hall, and all the high and low officials trembled, unable to even breathe properly.