The Contest of Chaos, Chapter Eighty-Nine: Lan Ke's Resolve

At night, all the generals of the Heavenly Kingdom gathered together to discuss their next objective. As supreme commander of this campaign, Blue Yuxiang sat at the head of the assembly, with Princess Yun Luoxuan of the Heavenly Kingdom on one side and the vanguard general Blue Ke on the other. Beneath them sat the many commanders.

Old General Blue’s face was grave. In a deep, weighty voice, he said, “After more than two years, through the bitter struggle of every soldier and every general, we have utterly defeated the Song Kingdom and unified the eastern part of the continent. It may seem a great feat, a triumph worthy of celebration, but I must remind you all: we cannot relax because of this. Song has fallen, yes, but even greater challenges are coming. Within the continent, six other kingdoms still eye us like tigers watching their prey. More importantly, all the eastern coastal lands now belong to the Heavenly Kingdom, which means the burden of resisting invasions from the Sea Kingdom will fall entirely upon our shoulders. None of you must take this lightly. Next, let the Princess explain our strategic plans from here onward.” With that, he turned to Yun Luoxuan.

Yun Luoxuan spoke at once. “General Blue is right. The challenges before us will only grow harsher. At present, two issues stand before us. One is the pacification of Song’s people and the governance of its lands. The other is strengthening defenses along the coast to prevent a sudden strike from the Sea Kingdom.”

“As for the first matter, my imperial father had already determined the policy beforehand, and I will now explain it in detail. The people of Song must be treated according to the principles of equality and justice. Since we have taken Song, its people are now the people of our Heavenly Kingdom. We are not to interfere in their daily lives, nor are we to bully or humiliate them at will. Those who deliberately sow chaos are another matter, of course. This point was already emphasized before the campaign began. I hope every general here keeps it firmly in mind.” Then she looked around and asked, “By the way, who is currently managing the people of Lin’an City?”

“Deputy Commander Blue is overseeing them in a unified manner.”

Yun Luoxuan turned to Blue Hao. “Then I hope Commander Blue will restore them to normal life and production as swiftly as possible. There must be no violence toward Song’s people. Their conflicts and grievances must be handled earnestly and properly.”

“I... understand.” Blue Hao answered, sounding thoughtful.

Yun Luoxuan sensed something amiss, but did not press him. Instead she added, “Before long, all matters of Song’s livelihood will be handed over to Chancellor Huai Zhun. Commander Blue need only manage things temporarily for a few days.”

“Yes.”

After that, Yun Luoxuan looked again at the assembled generals and returned to the main business. “As for Song’s political and economic administration, it will be taken over by Chancellor Huai Zhun and the Lin family.”

“The Lin family Your Highness speaks of—is that the Lin family of Song?” one general asked in confusion.

Yun Luoxuan nodded. “Exactly. The Lin family defected to us before the war even began. During this time, they also provided us with much of Song’s classified intelligence. Even this surprise assault was made possible because they supplied the deployment map of Song’s forces, allowing us to take Lin’an City with minimal losses and the greatest speed. General Blue can attest to this.”

“That is correct,” Blue Ke confirmed. “This deployment map was delivered to us personally by the Lin family’s Dragon Fist Grandmaster.”

“In addition,” Yun Luoxuan continued, “the tasks ahead for our forces will divide into two directions. One part of the army will accompany Old General Blue to the Eastern Sea coast and establish tight defenses against seaborne attacks. The other part will remain in Song under Commander Blue Ke. On one hand, they will continue dealing with the remnants of Song’s official forces; on the other, they will use Song as a base while awaiting the next battle plan. That is the general outline. Is there anything any of you still do not understand?”

When Blue Ke heard that he would remain in Song rather than return home in triumph, he felt a trace of unease. “Luoxuan, what about you? Where will you go next?”

“I will depart tonight at once and return to the Heavenly Capital,” Yun Luoxuan answered simply.

“Is that so? I understand.” Blue Ke spoke with visible disappointment.

Yun Luoxuan seemed to understand what lay in Blue Ke’s heart, but she also knew this was not the time to speak of such things. After giving a few brief instructions, she left Song in haste. Her urgency was not without reason: word had already come from the Heavenly Capital that Qin had sent envoys bearing a message. After this meeting, the relationship between the two nations was bound to change.

Late that night, Blue Ke stood alone outside, gazing at the moon above a foreign land, his heart bitter beyond words.

“Little Ke, what is it? Out here admiring the moon all by yourself?”

Blue Ke turned and saw his grandfather. In a listless tone, he said, “Nothing. I just feel unsettled.”

The old man walked to his side and lifted his gaze to the sky as well. “Is it because of Her Highness the Princess?”

“Not only that.”

“Oh? What else could put such a troubled look on the face of my genius grandson?”

Blue Ke sighed. “As for Luoxuan... when we eventually return to court, there will naturally be an answer. With her wisdom, and with all I have done for her, she sees it with her own eyes. What truly worries me is this: this time, the main strength of our Blue family has been left outside, far from the center of power. And now the Lin family has come over as well. I fear the Heavenly Emperor has no small designs for the balance of power within the Heavenly Kingdom.”

The old general casually handed him a bottle of wine. “Here. Drink.”

Blue Ke took it and swallowed more than half in one draught. “So fierce.”

Blue Yuxiang burst into hearty laughter. “Fierce is the point. Never drank this on the mountain with your father, did you?”

“No. Father never let me touch this sort of thing.”

Blue Yuxiang tipped back his own bottle and drained it in one go. “Little Ke, do you know where you surpass your father?”

“I don’t think I surpass him.” For the first time, the ordinarily confident Blue Ke showed an expression so lacking in certainty.

Patting his grandson on the shoulder, Blue Yuxiang smiled. “That’s true enough. Whether in talent or intellect, you are not his equal. But in one thing, you surpass him by far: your heart is many times stronger than his. Yes, your father truly was praised by all as the number one Sword God under heaven—but what was he like after he lost? You should know better than I do. Of course, I bear no small share of the blame. In those days I cared too much for his talent, drove him to place all his focus on the martial path, and neglected his character and his grasp of the greater picture. But you are different. Tell me, Little Ke—if you failed in the thing of which you were proudest, what would you do?”

Blue Ke thought in silence for a long while before answering, “I would keep growing stronger and win back my pride.”

Blue Yuxiang smiled in satisfaction. “Exactly. That is who you are. And your vision is far higher than your father’s as well. In his eyes, there was only the martial path. In yours, there is the world, the family, and other people.”

“Shouldn’t one devote oneself wholly to the martial path in order to become stronger?” Blue Ke asked, puzzled.

Blue Yuxiang shook his head. “Do you think the Overlord was a man who had only martial arts in his heart? If your heart is directed toward nothing, then why pursue the martial path at all? Only those who bear heavier responsibilities in their hearts can seek martial power without ceasing.”

Blue Ke fell into contemplation. Those words seemed to illuminate many confusions long buried within him.

“Little Ke, it is good that you care for the family. But your grandfather is still here, and your father—the peak Saint Martial warrior—is still alive. The Yun family does not yet dare disregard our wishes. On that point, you may set your mind at ease. But you must understand this: the Blue family and the Yun family together make up the Heavenly Kingdom. No matter how things end, you must remember that you are first a man of the Heavenly Kingdom, and only then a man of the Blue family.”

“Thank you, Grandfather. I understand.”

Looking at his grandson, Blue Yuxiang finally felt a measure of relief. In truth, he had not told the boy that being moved away from the center and sent to guard the coastal frontier had not been the Heavenly Emperor’s decision at all, but his own choice.

Already well past seventy, he saw the present state of the continent with sharper clarity than most. If Qin sought to unite all under heaven, then the Heavenly Kingdom too would inevitably become one of its targets. Though Heavenly and Qin had maintained relations for a hundred years, and though their ties might indeed be called friendly, what did any of that matter before the current Emperor of Qin?

Only two roads lay before the Heavenly Kingdom: either submit utterly to Qin, or resist it to the very end. And yet the present Heavenly Kingdom had no strength to confront Qin head-on. First, the Heavenly Emperor was gravely ill and near death, with no successor capable of bearing the great burden. Second, though the Heavenly Kingdom’s army was not weak by continental standards, neither was it among the strongest. In hard power, it could not match Qin or Chu; in the number of military branches, it fell behind Tang; in the level of top experts, it was inferior to Zhou; it was only somewhat stronger than Han and Song. As for battlefield experience, the Heavenly Kingdom had long excelled more in naval warfare, and in land war it surely could not compare with the other kingdoms.

Thus, an emperor who truly cared for his people would most likely choose submission. And not long ago, Blue Yuxiang had received word that Qin’s chancellor had already come bearing a marriage proposal. Was that not, in itself, a righteous and proper road by which the Heavenly Kingdom might yield?

At that moment he had also understood the Heavenly Emperor’s dilemma. As for himself, so long as his descendants lived well, that was enough. Whether his grandson could win the heart of Princess Yun, he knew the chances were very slight—but he did not wish to say it outright: You and she are impossible, so give it up.

“The future belongs to the young. How it turns out, let them decide for themselves,” Blue Yuxiang thought as he looked at his grandson. Just as he had said, Blue Ke’s heart was incomparably resilient. He would never let this matter drive him to abandon life altogether. So long as his grandson did not become like his son, then he could rest easy.

A week later, after riding without pause, Yun Luoxuan finally returned to the Heavenly Capital. Though her father’s letter had not directly stated why she must come back at once, considering the present situation, Yun Luoxuan had already guessed part of the reason.

Inside the imperial study of the Heavenly Palace, a pale-faced man sat upright upon the dragon throne. His thin, withered fingers still trembled as he wrote. This was the reigning Heavenly Emperor. Once he had been a man of grand ambition, but a single grave illness had reduced him to his present state.

Years ago, when the Heavenly Emperor was unexpectedly afflicted with Cold Bone Syndrome, the most renowned physicians in the world had helped him battle the disease for several years. But as his body weakened more and more, his condition grew increasingly perilous. The healers could do no more than barely sustain him; they had no means to ease the illness itself. Fortunately, his only daughter had brought back a medical text for him. By following the records in that book, the Cold Bone Syndrome that plagued him was finally cured. Yet after so many years of struggling against sickness, after consuming such quantities of medicine, his body had already suffered damage that could not be remedied. Day by day he continued to weaken, and no one could say on which day he might pass from the world.