Chapter 147: With Mastery in Hand, Invincible Under Heaven

The Governor of Yizhou certainly had a name and a background, and he was called Mao Qu.

Initially, when Qin Bo mentioned that there were many former generals of the Xie clan scattered throughout Shu, Lady Wang had already made arrangements when sending Young Master Zhang into Shu. Should the need arise, they merely needed to raise their arms and shout, and followers would surely gather in droves.

This was by no means an idle boast; there were indeed numerous former generals of the Xie clan within Shu, and even the Governor of Yizhou, Mao Qu, was one of them.

Years ago, Mao Qu had served as a strategist under Xie An, and he had also contributed to the Battle of Fei River. When the Beifu Army shattered the formations of Fu Qin, the general responsible for the relentless thousand-li pursuit that struck such terror into Fu Jian's forces—making them hear enemies in every rustling leaf and cry of the wind—was none other than Mao Qu.

Logic dictated that since the Xie clan had recognized his talent and given him his chance, he ought to feel deep gratitude and repay the favor. Yet, after so many years, the Xie clan had waned in power while he had firmly established himself as the undisputed overlord of Yizhou, ruling the region independently. Naturally, he could no longer bow to the commands of the Xie clan.

To ensure his own survival in these chaotic times, he had chosen to lean upon the towering tree of Huan Xuan from Jingzhou.

It is easy to enjoy the cool shade beneath a great tree. If he welcomed the Huan clan into Shu, his power within the region would become truly unshakeable.

However, when Huan Xuan ordered him to eliminate Zhang Chi, he genuinely hesitated.

First, he was, after all, a former general of the Xie clan. Second, would getting rid of Zhang Chi truly serve his best interests?

These military warlords who dominated their respective regions were all masters of assessing the times and calculating every move. Although he wished to welcome the Huan clan into Shu, if he allowed Huan Xuan to take control of the region too easily, his own value would go unrecognized.

Allowing himself to be treated like a fish on a cutting board, at the mercy of others, was simply not his style. He needed to make himself indispensable during Huan Xuan's takeover of Shu so that he could secure the upper hand in future political maneuvers.

Zhang Chi's recent success in the Northern Expedition had the common people buzzing with excitement. The moment he heard that Zhang Chi had returned to Chengdu, Mao Qu decided to pay a visit and test the waters to see what intentions Zhang Chi harbored.

Thus, just as Zhang Chi cradled Niangniang's delicate, painting-like face and gently said, "Rest assured, I will never let you suffer any more grievances," the Dark Blade shattered the tender moment by announcing, "Young Master, the Governor of Yizhou is here to see you."

"Oh?" Zhang Chi asked with a hint of surprise. "Why has he come? Though, his timing is rather convenient."

Unlike Zhang Chi, Lady Ruoshui truly resented the Governor of Yizhou for showing up at such an inopportune moment. She had gone to great lengths to persuade Niangniang to come and have a heart-to-heart with Zhang Chi, only for the Governor of Yizhou to interrupt. How could she not feel a twinge of resentment?

The reason Zhang Chi felt the timing was convenient was that even if the Governor of Yizhou had not come to his estate, he would have eventually gone looking for him.

Zhang Chi's primary objective upon returning this time was to eliminate the Governor of Liangzhou. The Governor of Liangzhou had colluded with the enemy and sat directly behind his own army's supply lines; if he was not removed, he would forever remain the greatest hidden threat to Zhang Chi.

As the saying goes, "It is hard to clap with one hand." Bringing down the Governor of Liangzhou single-handedly would not be easy, and Zhang Chi naturally thought of the bitter, long-standing rivalry between the Governors of Yizhou and Liangzhou over power. Perhaps he could exploit this friction to his advantage.

He was planning to seek out the governor himself, only for the man to deliver himself right to his doorstep. It seemed he and the Governor of Yizhou were truly on the same wavelength.

At that moment, the Governor of Yizhou, Mao Qu, was waiting in the main hall. The moment he saw the Dark Blade lead Zhang Chi into the room, he stopped stroking his goatee, stood up to greet him, and said with a smile, "As the Grand Marshal of the military forces in Shu, Your Excellency has achieved extraordinary merits in this Northern Expedition. The moment my humble self learned of your return to Chengdu, I hastened here to offer my congratulations."

Zhang Chi quickly cupped his fists and demurred, "You are too kind, Your Excellency. Speaking of which, my victory on the front lines was largely due to the staunch support provided by you in the rear."

***

Zhang Chi's words were somewhat insincere—the Governor of Yizhou had hardly provided any notable support—yet Zhang Chi uttered them with an expression of utmost sincerity.

The Governor of Yizhou possessed a skin thick enough to match: "We are all exerting ourselves for the country, so why should the Marshal be so modest? Whatever my humble self has done is merely within the line of duty. It was only right and proper."

Listening to their exchange, one might mistake them for old friends.

Zhang Chi smiled. "Take the fifty thousand troops Your Excellency lent me last time, for instance. When facing the thirty thousand barbarian soldiers, they performed with legendary valor. Therefore, to express my gratitude to Your Excellency, I have indeed prepared a generous gift for you upon my return."

At the mention of those fifty thousand troops, the Governor of Yizhou felt his blood boil with fury. The original agreement was that these fifty thousand men would merely put on a show of force without engaging in actual combat; yet, while fifty thousand had marched out, the vast majority had returned battered and bruised. How could the Governor of Yizhou not be angry? Still, now was not the time to haggle over petty grievances. "Oh? And what gift has the Marshal prepared for me?"

Zhang Chi smiled cryptically. "Your Excellency is well aware that I recently captured Hanzhong. However, Hanzhong originally fell within the territory of Liangzhou. According to old precedent, Hanzhong and its surrounding commanderies should be annexed by Liangzhou. It wouldn't matter much if I were left without a foothold, but if the Governor of Liangzhou is allowed to grow too powerful, it would spell great trouble for Your Excellency."

Urgency dictates priorities. Although the Governor of Yizhou had no desire to see Zhang Chi grow powerful—especially since Huan Xuan had ordered him eliminated—his immediate and greatest enemy remained, without a doubt, the Governor of Liangzhou.

These two had been locked in a bitter struggle for years, and deep-seated animosity had long since taken root between them.

The Governor of Yizhou glanced to the left and right. Of course, there was no one else present; apart from the two of them, only the Dark Blade stood guard.

Sensing the governor's caution, Zhang Chi smiled and said, "Your Excellency may rest easy. This person is my most trusted confidante; there is nothing that cannot be said in her presence."

Only then did the Governor of Yizhou ask, "Then what does the Marshal mean to suggest?"

Zhang Chi leaned in closer to the Governor of Yizhou and lowered his voice. "My meaning is, how about the two of us join forces to bring down the Governor of Liangzhou? What does Your Excellency think?"

To topple the Governor of Liangzhou was something Mao Qu desired above all else. Yet, compared to his grudge against the Liangzhou governor, dividing the spoils was far more important. Thus, he feigned indifference and replied, "Even if we bring down the Governor of Liangzhou, I won't gain any real benefits from it."

"Since I said I would offer Your Excellency a generous gift, how could I leave you empty-handed?" Zhang Chi now played the part of someone entirely consumed by the pursuit of power and profit. "Once we bring down the Governor of Liangzhou, I only require Hanzhong and a few surrounding commanderies, while all territories south of Mount Ba and the current Liangzhou lands shall be placed under the jurisdiction of Yizhou. How does Your Excellency find this arrangement?"

At this, the Governor of Yizhou's eyes lit up. "Is the Marshal speaking the truth?"

"Your Excellency, although I am favored by the Prince of Chengdu and appointed as the Military Marshal of Shu, the forces I can actually mobilize are truly limited. Holding a single city is already difficult enough; I simply cannot digest too vast a territory," Zhang Chi explained.

Such a division of spoils was quite satisfactory to the Governor of Yizhou.

Although Hanzhong had been seized by Zhang Chi, it had just been wrested from the barbarians—how could the barbarians let the matter rest? Furthermore, border regions between states were invariably plagued by frequent warfare. He would have flatly refused to take over such a troublesome area.

Yet now, Zhang Chi was content merely with Hanzhong, leaving everything south of Mount Ba to him. How could he not be overjoyed? He chuckled inwardly: although he was letting Zhang Chi acquire territory on the surface, in reality, Zhang Chi would be helping him guard the gateway to Shu. Why would the Governor of Yizhou decline such an offer?

"It's a deal?"

"It's a deal!" Zhang Chi replied with an unwavering attitude.

***

"What the Marshal suggests is indeed sound, but how exactly can we bring down the Governor of Liangzhou?" The Governor of Yizhou mused for a moment before saying, "When the barbarians first invaded Shu, the Governor of Liangzhou refused to obey mobilization orders. Might we make a great issue out of that?"

Zhang Chi shook his head. "Your Excellency, that is a minor offense, insufficient to bring him down. If we are to act, we must do it thoroughly so that he can never make a comeback or see the light of day again."

This Zhang Chi was truly ruthless; it seemed he would have to be on guard against him in the future, the Governor of Yizhou thought to himself. Yet he still found Zhang Chi's suggestion entirely reasonable. "A minor offense won't finish him. What major offenses does he have, then?"

"Colluding with barbarians and committing treason!" Zhang Chi said in a deep voice.

"Is that so? Does the Marshal hold proof of his treason?" The Governor of Yizhou asked in great shock, marveling at Zhang Chi's capability. If such proof were in hand, things would become vastly easier.

To his surprise, Zhang Chi merely smiled. "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Your Excellency, we have already divided the spoils; surely we need not worry about fabricating evidence."

The Governor of Yizhou suddenly understood. "You mean... pointing to a deer and calling it a horse?"

Zhang Chi said with a stern expression, "Your Excellency, during my Northern Expedition, I indeed discovered signs that the Governor of Liangzhou intended to submit to the barbarians. No doubt he has long been in cahoots with them; it is only a pity that I lack concrete proof. But it matters not—even without proof, we can create it."

"A brilliant scheme, a brilliant scheme," the Governor of Yizhou repeatedly agreed.

With the plan settled, the Governor of Yizhou departed in high satisfaction. This visit had truly not been in vain; if the strategy discussed with Zhang Chi could be carried out tonight, he would emerge as the sole, undisputed power in Shu. Yet, as for Zhang Chi himself, precautions must be taken. The crafty and calculating governor already had his own ideas.

Not until the Governor of Yizhou had been seen out of the estate and Zhang Chi returned to his room did the Dark Blade coldly speak up: "The Governor of Yizhou is a corrupt official. Why are you wallowing in the mire with him?"

The Dark Blade's righteous nature abhorred evil, and she naturally despised Zhang Chi's methods.

"I've advised you long ago not to be such a naive idealist; hacking and slashing cannot resolve major affairs." Zhang Chi knew her deep-seated hatred for the corrupt officials of the imperial court, and he had previously accused her of only knowing how to kill—a typical idealistic firebrand. Now, he elaborated further: "There are countless corrupt officials in this world; can you possibly kill them all? Cooperating with a bad person does not make one bad; one can use him to deal with other bad people."

The Dark Blade seemed somewhat enlightened and remarked, "Your words are identical to something my grand-master once said."

"Oh? Who is your grand-master? What did they say?" Zhang Chi asked.

"Our Han Sect belongs to the Daoist lineage, and the Daoist school takes bringing about universal peace as its sacred duty. Yet our Han Sect alone has never participated in political rebellions. Does the Young Master know why?" she asked.

The influence of the Han Sect ran deep throughout Shu; the ease with which they took Mount Ba and Hanzhong with the help of Mount Emei gave a glimpse of their hidden strength. If the Han Sect were to rebel, the momentum would undoubtedly be overwhelming. Why they had一直 suppressed their ambitions and remained hidden was something Zhang Chi truly did not understand.

Seeing Zhang Chi shake his head, the Dark Blade continued: "It is because my grand-master is the highest-ranking elder in the Han Sect, possessing unrivaled martial prowess, yet he always insisted on forbidding our sect from carving out a separate domain in Shu. He said that no matter how high one's martial arts, one cannot win the empire."

The Dark Blade seemed to gain a deeper comprehension. "A saying he often repeated was: 'Martial arts can defeat a single man; the art of war can defeat ten thousand; but the art of statecraft and political strategy can conquer the entire world!' I never quite believed it until I met the Young Master, and only gradually have I come to understand the true meaning behind those words."