Ch.280Proxy (5)

General Fan You of Dai Viet received the emperor’s orders and headed north. As his army moved, the Dali forces naturally began to respond.

Eventually, the two forces met at one location.

As they faced off against each other, the Dali general stepped forward.

“Halt! You are trespassing on the sacred land of Dali!”

When the Song language echoed through the air, Fan You didn’t even bother to respond.

Instead, he nonchalantly picked his ear as if annoyed, showing contempt for his enemy.

“How-how dare you! You invade another country and then act so rudely!”

“I don’t understand Song language. Say it again.”

The Dali general gritted his teeth at Fan You’s feigned ignorance despite clearly understanding.

However, with the Mongol army potentially attacking from the west at any moment, the Dali general patiently responded in the Dai Viet language.

“You are trespassing on the sacred land of Dali. Withdraw your troops immediately.”

“No.”

“If you refuse, war is the only option!”

Unable to contain himself any longer, the Dali general drew his sword.

To this, Fan You continued speaking as if expecting this reaction.

“If war breaks out, the responsibility lies with you, not us.”

Fan You replied casually.

The Dali general was about to give the attack order in response to his nonchalance.

At that moment, his advisor stopped him.

“Please calm yourself, General.”

“Let go of me. Only cutting off that man’s head will quell my anger.”

“I completely understand your anger. But judging by the enemy’s calmness, there must be a trap.”

“A trap…”

At the mention of a trap, the Dali general gritted his teeth.

Then he glared at Fan You and spoke.

“Does Dai Viet know no shame? How can you not only invade another country but also set such a vicious trap?”

“We have no intention of attacking Dali.”

“What nonsense is this? You bring an army and claim you don’t intend to attack?”

“We brought our army to borrow a path to attack the Song Dynasty.”

Jeongsong-gado.

At Dai Viet’s words, the Dali general’s expression turned incredulous.

“The path to attack Song is faster if you go south. Don’t you even know that?”

“We know. However, Dali sits in the middle of that attack route, so we must take this into consideration.”

“So you’ve come to threaten us not to interfere with your attack on Song?”

“Exactly.”

After saying this, Fan You pointed to his soldiers.

“We have no quarrel with Dali. Just let us pass.”

“Why should we believe you?”

“Are you refusing to clear the path?”

“Yes. This is Dali territory and… how many times must I say this? I have no interest in playing word games with you. Get out.”

“We made a reasonable request to Dali. But Dali has refused.”

“Are you trying to shift the blame to us?”

“Since you won’t clear the path to Song, Dai Viet has no choice but to attack Dali.”

“How dare you! Kill these vile Dai Viet men immediately!”

The Dali general gave the order.

With that, the Dali army began to move.

Seeing this, Fan You also immediately ordered his troops to respond.

“The enemy has ignored Dai Viet’s request and desires battle with our nation! Warriors! Do not yield!”

At Fan You’s command, the Dai Viet soldiers charged at the Dali soldiers.

Thus began hand-to-hand combat between the two countries on Dali territory.

“Stupid Dai Viet fools!”

“You’ll regret coming here!”

“This will be your grave!”

The morale of the Dali soldiers was indescribably high.

As a result, the Dai Viet soldiers gradually found themselves on the defensive.

“We-we’re being pushed back!”

“R-run away!”

As their formation collapsed, Dai Viet soldiers began to desert.

Seeing this, the Dali general smiled and continued giving orders.

“Stupid country bumpkins! Chase down the enemy immediately!”

The emboldened Dali soldiers pursued the Dai Viet forces to the end.

The Dai Viet soldiers, suffering additional casualties, were even abandoning their weapons as they fled.

It was clearly Dali’s victory.

Despite this defeat, Fan You, the Dai Viet general, wore an inexplicably satisfied smile.

* * *

“There has been a battle between Dali and Dai Viet, Your Majesty.”

The Song Emperor nodded at the Chancellor’s report.

Since both countries were tributary states to Song, the Emperor had a duty to mediate between them.

“Tell both countries to cease fighting. If they disobey, they will bear the consequences of their actions.”

The Emperor spoke these words, displaying his authority.

Showing his presence as the Emperor of the Central Plains, the officials bowed and received his solemn command.

“More importantly, what is the current state of the war?”

At this, one official stepped forward.

He bowed and began reporting to the Emperor.

“Currently, General Meng, who serves as the Military Commissioner of Huainan, Military Commissioner of Hunan, and Commander-in-Chief of Hebei, is facing off against the Jin Dynasty with a large army. In this situation, the Commander-in-Chief, following Your Majesty’s orders…”

Additional explanations followed.

After listening carefully, the Emperor questioned the reporting official with a suspicious expression.

“No significant battle has occurred yet. Explain in detail what’s happening.”

“The Commander-in-Chief appears to be conducting small-scale battles to increase his influence in the region.”

This was a strategy mentioned in military texts.

Therefore, the Emperor nodded in understanding.

Just as he was about to move on, another official stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, his actions are logical and reasonable, but I believe they are not appropriate for the current situation.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the Jin Dynasty has occupied Sichuan. Sichuan is both a natural fortress and a granary. If Jin’s influence grows stronger there, it will be extremely difficult to recapture the region.”

Sichuan was a land where many dynasties had established themselves.

In the past, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, built his foundation there. His distant descendant Liu Bei established Shu Han.

Later, the state of Cheng Han emerged, followed by Former Shu and Later Shu. Many countries had established themselves on Sichuan’s fertile land.

Because it was such valuable territory, there was a significant possibility that the powerful Jin Dynasty could use Sichuan as a base for resurgence.

“Indeed. The Commander-in-Chief’s choice is very reasonable, but it seems unsuitable for the current situation.”

“If we cannot reclaim Sichuan, tax revenue will decrease, posing a great risk to the nation’s operations.”

As they criticized General Meng, an official from the opposing faction stepped forward.

“While Jin poses a significant threat, the greatest threat to our country now is not Jin but the Mongols.”

“If we fight with Jin, the cunning Mongols will end up swallowing both countries.”

“We must temporarily join hands to face the greater threat.”

“Ha! Have you forgotten how we lost everything north of the Yangtze River after temporarily joining hands?”

“To forget the past is utterly foolish.”

As the conflict between the two factions intensified, the Emperor had to intervene.

“Enough! That’s enough!”

At the Emperor’s shout, the officials had no choice but to back down.

The Emperor looked at the officials with angry eyes.

“I have not forgotten what happened that day. How dare you speak so carelessly before me!”

The official who mentioned the Jingkang Incident turned pale with fear.

This was understandable, as many of the Emperor’s relatives had been captured by Jin during that incident and suffered greatly.

Of course, thanks to this, Emperor Gaozong, the only one among the previous emperor’s 35 sons who wasn’t captured, became the rallying point for the establishment of the Southern Song.

But regardless, this remained an indelible and terrible memory for the entire imperial family.

Therefore, the official who mentioned it could only tremble like an aspen leaf.

“I-I only meant to offer advice about not forgetting the threat of Jin…”

The Emperor could no longer contain himself.

He gestured to the imperial guards, ordering them to drag the official away.

“P-please spare me! Your Majesty!”

As one official was dragged away screaming, the hall fell silent as a grave.

Even though Song was a state where “the military is strong and the emperor is weak,” openly defying the Emperor’s mood was still inviting death.

“If anyone mentions that incident in this hall again, I will punish them with the most painful method at my disposal.”

The officials bowed, showing with their bodies that they would obey the Emperor’s words.

As their response calmed his excitement, the Emperor straightened his robes and sat back on his throne.

“Furthermore, the Commander-in-Chief was appointed by me. If anyone slanders or speaks ill of him, they will face unpleasant consequences.”

“We will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

With these words, the Emperor showed his trust in General Meng.

His firmness made the corrupt officials who had received bribes from the Mongols extremely anxious.

* * *

General Meng sat in a tent lit by flickering candles.

He was receiving a report from a messenger about what had happened at court.

“…That is what occurred, General.”

“That’s unfortunate. More importantly, the situation between Dali and Dai Viet seems urgent. Do you know what’s happening?”

“I apologize, but that’s not within my jurisdiction, so I cannot say.”

General Meng nodded in understanding.

“I see. I’ll have to look into this matter myself. You’ve worked hard. I’ll provide meat and wine, so go back and rest.”

“Thank you, General.”

The messenger bowed and left the tent.

As soon as he left, Li Zhengzhi, General Meng’s right-hand man, approached.

“Unfavorable rumors are circulating at court, General. It seems we need to send more gold and treasures.”

General Meng shook his head at Li Zhengzhi’s words.

“We no longer need to use bribes. It would be better to use that money to feed more soldiers.”

After saying this, General Meng stood up.

“I need to visit the court.”

“General, you cannot leave your post. The enemy will seize that opportunity and…!”

General Meng patted Li Zhengzhi’s shoulder reassuringly.

“The Jin army will attack soon.”

“The… Jin army, you say?”

“Yes.”

“But didn’t you say that a war with them would only benefit the Mongols?”

“That’s correct. That’s why Jin will only pretend to fight.”

“Pretend… so… they’re not really fighting?”

General Meng nodded.

Then he looked at Li Zhengzhi and spoke quietly.

“I have a regrettable request for you, General.”

“What is it? I’ll do anything for the country.”

“Good attitude. Then…”

General Meng turned around and murmured softly.

“Please allow yourself to be captured as a prisoner in the battle against Jin.”