Chapter 64: Staying as Guests in Fengyang City (3)

Zhang Yunyin said, "Is Master Fang being too modest? Outside the Dushikou Pass, Master Fang arranged the Tianyuan Formation with Go pieces, repelling twenty thousand fierce cavalrymen. Using the game of Go to ward off enemy forces with divine skill is something beyond the reach of any Go master or military strategist, past or present. In these chaotic times, Master Fang should carry this art, choose a wise lord, and set the realm right."

Upon hearing this, Fang Guohuan could not help but be greatly startled. He cast a puzzled glance at Zhuge Rong, wondering why his host's guest would utter such wild words and attempt to push him into a position of extreme peril.

Seeing the look of shock on Fang Guohuan's face, Zhuge Rong hurriedly smiled and said, "Master Guohuan, have no doubt. Apart from the brothers of the Alliance, everyone present here is my closest and most trusted friend, so what is spoken of will never reach outsider ears. Mr. Yunyin merely hopes that Master Fang can apply his great mastery of Go beyond the chessboard, fully displaying your peerless learning."

Shaking his head, Fang Guohuan replied, "Mr. Zhuge is quite mistaken! Aside from sitting before the board to play for the joy of it, Fang has no other abilities. Deploying the Tianyuan formation with Go tactics outside the Dushikou Pass was merely a makeshift measure to handle an emergency. How could I ever dare to pull off such a dangerous stunt again?"

Zhang Yunyin tossed his head back and continued, "Why is Master Fang so weighed down by scholarly inhibitions? Today, the realm is already fraught with crises; treacherous ministers hold power, the common people cannot make a living, regional princes hoard their military power, and the Jurchens lord over the lands beyond the pass, glaring like tigers. The Great Ming Dynasty is nothing more than an empty shell. The moment a single person raises the banner of rebellion, the entire realm will respond in unison, rebuilding the nation and bringing forth an era of peace and prosperity."

Hearing this, Fang Guohuan recognized it as the frantic talk of a reckless adventurer, yet instead of being alarmed, he grew remarkably calm, which caught Zhang Yunyin, Zhuge Rong, and the others off guard. Zhang Linping, standing to the side, was filled with sheer terror, realizing that Zhuge Rong had already harbored rebellious intentions.

In his heart, Fang Guohuan thought to himself, "If the Alliance wants to rebel, it should be led by Sister Lian. How could it ever be stirred up by reckless fools like you who know neither the depth of the earth nor the height of the sky?" Growing somewhat displeased with Zhuge Rong, he calmly said, "You are all men of blood and spirit, naturally wishing to accomplish earth-shaking deeds. Unfortunately, Fang is merely a humble scholar without grand ambitions. Apart from playing Go well, I truly have no other skills and cannot conspire in grand matters with you all. I appreciate that you hold me in high regard and speak your innermost thoughts before me—words that others would consider treasonous and wouldn't even dare to hear for fear of implication. Though I do not share such views, I hope you will not utter such reckless discourse in the future. The imperial court has eyes and ears everywhere; if this is detected, it could make the Alliance look like a gathering of rebels, a responsibility no one could bear."

His words left the entire company speechless. Only Zhang Linping almost cried out in applause.

After a brief, heavy silence in the grand hall, Zhuge Rong suddenly burst into laughter and said, "It seems Master Guohuan took it seriously! What Mr. Yunyin said just now was merely a jest, meant to test Master Guohuan's grand aspirations. Now it is clear that Master Guohuan, like the rest of us, simply desires peace across the land. Since this is your first time in Fengyang, such a joke was perhaps a bit too heavy. Please do not take it to heart."

Fang Guohuan gave a faint smile and replied, "That is for the best. It seems Mr. Zhuge's friends are all fond of heavy jokes."

Zhuge Rong chuckled awkwardly, "And Master Guohuan is certainly someone who can withstand heavy jokes."

Only then did the crowd break into a unified, boisterous laughter, dissolving the awkward atmosphere.

That evening, Zhuge Rong hosted a banquet for Fang Guohuan, Zhang Linping, and the others. Several chieftains under Zhuge Rong took turns offering toasts to Fang Guohuan. Though Fang Guohuan had a weak tolerance for alcohol, he could not resist their enthusiasm and, unwilling to dampen everyone's spirits, reluctantly drank a few cups. During the banquet, feeling the alcohol surge to his head and growing dizzy to the point of fainting, Shui Mingsan personally supported Fang Guohuan back to his room to rest.

At that moment, Zhuge Rong raised a cup of wine to Zhang Linping and said, "Chieftain Zhang was fortunate enough to cross paths with Master Guohuan in Xuzhou and has had a hard journey escorting him all the way to the chief headquarters. Why not rest here in Fengyang for a few more days?"

Zhang Linping, who had long harbored the desire to leave quickly, hurriedly replied, "Thank you for Mr. Zhuge's kind intentions, but the Chief Chieftain gave strict orders to escort Master Guohuan straight to headquarters the moment he was found. I am afraid of delaying the schedule, so tomorrow..."

Before Zhang Linping could finish, Zhuge Rong interrupted, "It is only a delay of a few days. It will also allow me to properly host Master Guohuan, fulfill the duties of a host to show my respect, and it certainly will not ruin the schedule."

Fearing that a prolonged stay would breed complications, Zhang Linping quickly said, "Please do not take offense, Mr. Zhuge. I am merely acting on orders and dare not linger."

Hearing this, Zhuge Rong said with a trace of displeasure, "Since Master Guohuan has just arrived in Fengyang, letting him leave immediately would make the brothers of Fengyang seem utterly lacking in loyalty and warmth. Master Guohuan is a great benefactor of the Alliance and a friend of Chief Chieftain Lian. Since he is passing through my territory, I must seize this opportunity to host him properly so that I can face Chief Chieftain Lian with a clear conscience in the future."

Though unwilling, Zhang Linping found it difficult to refuse further and could only say, "In that case, I shall stay here with Master Guohuan for just two days."

Zhuge Rong shook his head. "Two days is too short. Let us make it ten."

Knowing that Zhuge Rong harbored ulterior motives and fearing that a prolonged stay would prove detrimental to both Fang Guohuan and himself, Zhang Linping hurriedly said, "It is not that I am being stubborn, but Poyang Lake is still a great distance away, and there are many days of travel ahead. I truly fear that some mishap might befall Master Guohuan on the road, leaving me unable to account for it to the Chief Chieftain. With such a heavy responsibility on my shoulders, I hope Mr. Zhuge can understand my difficult position."

Seeing how persistent Zhang Linping was, Zhuge Rong found it inconvenient to press further. He therefore said, "Since it is truly not easy to meet Master Guohuan, I ask Chieftain Zhang to grant me this small favor and extend the stay by three more days."

Unable to argue further, Zhang Linping could only reply, "Then let it be four days. After four days, I must escort Master Guohuan on the road."

After a brief hesitation, Zhuge Rong said, "Very well, let it be as Chieftain Zhang says."

The company drank a few more rounds of persuasion before the banquet was dismissed. Zhang Linping, Qi Xiaoshi, and the others returned to their respective guest rooms to rest.

Inside Zhuge Rong's study, Zhuge Rong and Shui Mingsan were deep in conversation.

Shui Mingsan said, "This Fang Guohuan possesses an extraordinary ability to deploy troops and form arrays through Go; he will undoubtedly be of great use in the future."

Zhuge Rong replied, "Indeed. This man is a rare talent. Not only has his Go reached the realm of perfection, but he also helped Sun Qi solve several extremely difficult formations from Sun Wu's military strategy diagrams. After experiencing the great Tianyuan battle, Fang Guohuan has become just as familiar with Sun Wu's wondrous legacy of military formations as Sun Qi, and he applies them with even greater skill. Particularly with his talent for laying out grand Go formations, a single man can suffice to hold back a million soldiers. With his help in the future, things on the battlefield will be much easier."

Shui Mingsan said, "This is an excellent opportunity. We must find a way to keep him here so that he can be of service to you in the future, sir."

Zhuge Rong shook his head. "Unfortunately, Zhang Linping is escorting Fang Guohuan to the chief headquarters under the direct orders of the Chief Chieftain. It is not convenient for us to detain him by force."

Shui Mingsan said, "Although the Chief Chieftain's orders cannot be openly violated, we can still keep him here for a few days. During this time, we can capture his heart with sentiment and favor. Furthermore, this Fang Guohuan is a close, sworn friend of three important figures within our Alliance—namely Luo Kun, Bu Yuan, and Lü Zhufeng, all of whom possess the valor of ten thousand men. If you, sir, can secure Fang Guohuan, those three will naturally follow. You will undoubtedly gain three more fierce generals."

Hearing this, Zhuge Rong nodded and said, "Now that Gai Shijie's Zhao Qingyang is under my command and obeys my orders, if I can also secure these three heroes along with Fang Guohuan, our great enterprise can be achieved!"

Suddenly, Zhuge Rong's expression turned dejected as he muttered, "Chief Chieftain Lian is a woman after all, forever burdened by feminine benevolence. She is incapable of accomplishing great things; otherwise, she would have already achieved an eternal enterprise long ago. If she will not do it, I will! Once I seize the realm in the future, will this Chief Chieftain still be in a position to command me?"

With a sigh of deep emotion, Shui Mingsan said, "The battle outside the Dushikou Pass nearly destroyed the Alliance. At that time, I urged the Chief Chieftain to seize the opportunity to rise in rebellion and make herself a second Wu Zetian, but alas..." He shook his head and sighed.

Striking the table with his hand, Zhuge Rong declared, "A woman lacks grand ambitions and only holds back our talents! The moment the time is right, I, Zhuge Rong, will raise the banner of rebellion and lead the forces of the twenty-four strongholds to declare our cause. By then, the Alliance will already be dragged into the waters, forcing the Chief Chieftain to submit—she will have no choice but to rebel. Once the Alliance moves, the entire realm will move, and the rivers and mountains of the Great Ming can change hands!"

Shui Mingsan hastily added from the side, "At that time, Sir's mighty reputation will shake the earth, and you should..." He paused, smiling silently without finishing his sentence.

Zhuge Rong asked, "Should do what?" The two exchanged a knowing smile.

Early the next morning, just as Fang Guohuan had finished dressing, he heard Zhuge Rong's voice outside the door: "Master Guohuan, are you awake?"

Fang Guohuan hurried to open the door to welcome him, and Zhuge Rong walked in with a wide smile, followed by a maidservant holding a bowl of bird's nest soup.

As soon as he stepped inside, Zhuge Rong asked, "Master Guohuan, did you sleep well last night?"

Fang Guohuan replied, "Quite well. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhuge."

With a smile, Zhuge Rong said, "It is only right, only right." He then personally took the bowl of bird's nest soup from the maid and handed it to Fang Guohuan, saying, "This is freshly brewed bird's nest soup. Please partake of it while it is hot, Master Guohuan."

Startled, Fang Guohuan hurriedly received it with both hands, saying, "How could I dare trouble you to serve me, sir!"

Zhuge Rong replied, "You have rendered great service to the Alliance, Master Guohuan; everything we do for you is no more than you deserve. Do not stand on ceremony—please enjoy!"

Shaking his head, Fang Guohuan said, "Really, you shouldn't!" Zhuge Rong's overwhelming warmth made Fang Guohuan feel entirely out of place and at a loss, forcing him to accept it awkwardly.

Zhuge Rong then waved his hand to dismiss the maid, closed the door tightly, turned back, and sat down. "Master Guohuan," he began, "there are some things I, an old man, still wish to speak to you about from the bottom of my heart. The days of the Great Ming Dynasty are nearly exhausted, and the realm is about to descend into chaos."

Leaning forward and speaking right beside Fang Guohuan's ear, he continued, "I once invited a master of the hidden arts to carefully inspect the imperial tombs here in Fengyang. The dynastic luck of the Zhu family's realm is nearly spent; there are only a dozen or so years of spiritual energy left to sustain it, and in the end, it will inevitably be destroyed by someone of an outsider's surname."