260 Counterattack (1/2)
Chapter 260: Counterattack
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
That afternoon's debate in the Imperial Study went just as Prime Minister said it would - sparks flew the moment it started.
Moyang was keen on firing the first salvo. ”Your Majesty, your humble subject was already aware of this messenger's motive. He wants to convince you that the Jade City is in a precarious situation, and that the Golden Roc Fort would either ally itself with the Central Plain or Norland, endangering Shu-lik's national security in the process. He wishes to replace the Supreme King with the Great Snow Mountain, and 'borrow' our money, supplies, and soldiers along with free passage through our lands with Your Majesty's blessings. I say 'borrow' with inverted commas as I believe that they will never pay us back for what they owe.”
Fang Wenshi was shocked upon hearing Moyang's opening statement. This old fellow has correctly deduced almost all of my intentions. So, that's why he did not rebut in the first debate session; he wanted to probe into it more, he thought. He gently waved his duster and replied with a smile, ”Let's not discuss my motives first. Do you feel that the Golden Roc Fort is in a very stable position, Sir?”
”Whether or not the Golden Roc Fort is in a stable position, our King will have a way to handle any issues that come our way. Now let's talk about you - how can we expect a mercenary such as yourself to have the best interests of Shu-lik at heart? Your Majesty, don't for a moment doubt that this man is devious and wishes to scare us into submitting to his will, thereby profiting from our fear. You should chase him away now. Let's see if he is still loyal to the Great Snow Mountain after our great army has exterminated the Snow Mountain Gang,” said Moyang.
The King of Shu-lik did not reply. He had been trained since a young age, and knew the importance of remaining silent in such situations.
Fang Wenshi clapped and shouted, ”Good, good, good!” His voice was so loud that it shocked Moyang and the King, the latter even shaking a little. The counselor did not have any reason to behave in this manner, but he needed time to re-think his strategy. ”You, Sir, are indeed worthy of the title 'Master'. You are right. There are some things which cannot be said in court. I shall speak plainly now, since there are only three of us, and there is no scribe here to record everything. There is no doubt that I would want to be repaid after studying hard for so many years. Yes, I have sold my services to the Great Snow Mountain. I am speaking up on its behalf here today, but none of what I said were 'lies'. There is a saying that goes 'To benefit others is to benefit yourself', and I would not have spoke today if my ideas would not help Shu-lik as well.”
”Hrumph,” Moyang grunted, and was about to rebut when Fang Wenshi quickly cut him off by continuing, ”A loyal subject might not give the best advice to his king. The world is like a chess set, and the audience would have a more objective view as compared to the players. To be so particular about the concept of loyalty, and to not be receptive of ideas which are not to your taste, thereby shutting yourself off from the opinions of others, do you, as the 'Master', imply that to be loyal is to shield His Majesty from other sources of ideas and to only listen to you?”
Moyang's face grew red upon hearing Fang Wenshi's statement. He pointed at the counselor and chastised, ”Are you saying that I am preventing the Majesty from hearing the opinions of others?”
Fang Wenshi bowed slightly as a sign of apology before continuing. ”Of course not, I meant that you, Sir, always have the best interests of His Majesty at heart, but may not always choose the best options available. By focusing too much on loyalty, you may have filtered out crucial information from His Majesty.”
Moyang flew into a rage, but managed to calm himself down quickly. He laughed sarcastically before replying, ”How clever of you to turn my loyalty against myself. I suppose that you will now be saying the 'hard truths'?”
”One can only decide which is the best option after considering multiple ideas. There are also benefits of hearing the 'hard truth',” replied Fang Wenshi.
Moyang glanced at the King before tilting his head away. ”Let's see what you can come up with.”
Fang Wenshi coughed a little to clear his throat, before continuing his train of thought in the earlier debate session. ”Jade City is located strategically at the heart of the Western Region. To its west, you have the Kingdom of Shu-lik, Norland to its north, the Central Plain to its east and about 20 other small to big countries, to its south. The Golden Roc Fort sprang up as a force to be reckoned with during the past few decades of war amongst the various countries, securing a foothold with its killers. After peace was achieved, there was still conflict over who should govern the city. The Central Plain and Norland nearly fought over it, and it was the late King of Shu-lik who managed to prevent such a border conflict by stepping in with the suggestion that all three countries should take turns governing the Jade City. This, however, caused the power of the Golden Roc Fort to grow exponentially, allowing it to control land amounting to a hundred miles. Today, it only lacks the official title of a kingdom, but in reality it can already be considered as one.”
”By recounting such a history, you have proved yourself as a scholar,” interrupted Moyang sarcastically. He could not really come up with any rebuttal as the opponent had not broached his main topic.
Fang Wenshi continued. ”In reality, the alternating governance of the Jade City became that of non-governance. Everyone knows that the post of Governor of Jade City is a position whereby one does nothing but becomes very rich at the end of three years. The Supreme King is taking advantage of the fact that Shu-lik, Norland and the Central Plain are curtailing each other's influence in the region. It is for this reason that he grows uneasy when any of the three nations make an unexpected move. You, Sir, are not entirely correct when you said that the Golden Roc Fort will ally itself with either the Central Plain or Norland. You have underestimated the Supreme King's ambition. All signs have shown that the Shangguan Family wishes to take control of the Jade City and be officially considered as royalty before chaos breaks out in the Western Region. During that time, Norland can rely on its natural advantage in Tianshan mountain, while the Central Plain will be protected by the vast expanse of the desert. Only Shu-lik will be stuck in the middle of the chaos, and to make matters worse, another power - the Golden Roc Fort - would have sprung up, becoming another force to contend with.”
”The Supreme King wishes to become a real king? Haha, what a joke that is. His title of 'King' is similar to that of your master - the 'King' of the five peaks. Both titles are only recognised by its own base, and no country would ever recognise the Supreme King as a true king. Shu-lik would be the first to reject such an idea.” Moyang grew confident that Fang Wenshi was only beating around the bush and had nothing concrete to present.
Fang Wenshi replied coldly, ”What if Norland has already officially recognised him as a real king?”
”That is even less likely than Shu-lik and the Central Plain recognising the Golden Roc Fort as an official kingdom. When our late king alternating governance over Jade City, Norland was the party that was strongly opposed it. You have also mentioned that Norland has the strategic buffer of Tianshan from the other countries in the Western Region. If Shangguan Fa wishes to establish the Golden Roc Fort as a kingdom, he will need to block off the two mountain passes from his east and west. The Central Plain could still reach him by crossing the Gobi desert, but Norland would have been blocked off from the West Region without having any access to the passes. It has no reason to acknowledge him as a true king,” Moyang replied while shaking his head continuously, growing increasingly confident.