A Pawn’s Passage

On the eve of Daoist forces launching their offensive against North Ise, the Ise-jingu, in the name of the Tenmon Sect, proposed peace talks with the Daoist Order.

It was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that this negotiation was nothing more than the Ise-jingu's attempt to buy time, reorganize, and prepare for a counterattack.

Thus, the Xiujing field camp convened a special council meeting, presided over by the Sage Commander himself. All personnel stationed outside, including the three Deputy Commanders, participated in the meeting, joining remotely through mother-child mirrors even if they could not return in time.

Qi Xuansu also attended this council meeting.

During the meeting, Sage Qingwei used the Western fable of The Farmer and the Snake as an analogy.

In the story, a farmer returning from the market on a cold winter day found a snake by the roadside, thinking it was frozen stiff. Out of pity, he placed it in his bosom. When the snake fully awoke, it was startled and bit the farmer, instantly killing him. As he lay dying, the farmer regretted his foolishness, lamenting that his ignorance led him to his death even though he wished to do good. This was his retribution for showing kindness to a deadly animal.

In this scenario, the Daoist Order was the farmer, and the Tenmon Sect was the snake.

Sage Qingwei emphasized that the Daoist Order must never pity villains like snakes. Evil must be eradicated completely. Fragrance and stench could not share the same vessel.

The day after the meeting, the Xiujing field camp issued its response to the Tenmon Sect's proposal, sternly declaring that ensuring the legitimacy of the Ise-jingu and its rebel regime was absolutely not a condition for peace.

It further stated that although the Daoist army was fully capable of annihilating the remaining Sonno-joi forces, in order to swiftly end the war, achieve true peace in Fenglin, and reduce the suffering of the common people, the Xiujing field camp was willing to negotiate on behalf of the Daoist Order based on nine conditions.

Punish those guilty of instigating war.

Disband all Sonno-joi ronin.

The faith of the Three Great Kami may remain, but the Tenmon Sect's status as a state religion must be abolished.

Reorganize all armies according to Daoist standards.

Reform the noble system.

Reform the land system.

Abolish the status of the Fenglin emperor, demoting him to a king.

Integrate Fenglin's Ashihara no Kuni into the tributary system, acknowledging allegiance to the Great Xuan Empire.

Reduce the royal family to a purely symbolic role with no actual power, while transferring all authority of the Heian Court and its offices to Chancellor Toyotomi's Office.

The Daoists declared that only under these nine conditions could true peace be achieved. If the Ise-jingu and the rebel forces behind it truly sought peace, they must accept these minimum conditions. Otherwise, their so-called proposal would be nothing more than a trap.

To show sincerity, the Xiujing field camp ordered a temporary halt to the assault on the port city of Tsu Castle in Anno District.

The Tenmon Sect did not reject the Daoists' nine conditions outright. After brief contact, both sides agreed to hold peace talks in Tsu Castle.

Sage Qingwei appointed Zhang Qihan, the Great Sage of the Fenglin Daoist Mansion, to represent him and the Daoist Order in the negotiations.

Although this Great Sage bore the Zhang name, he had no connection with the Zhang family from Shangqing County or even with the Zhengyi Sect. He was a true descendant of the Taiping Sect.

In the days of the Taiping Rebellion, their Great Teacher also bore the last name Zhang. At that time, the Zhengyi Sect and the Taiping Sect stood in the south and north, respectively, and the two Zhang families shared no blood ties.

It was worth noting that during the Taiping Rebellion led by the Taiping Sect, the Zhengyi Sect once briefly responded to their call. This counted as the first alliance between the two Daoist sects.

The reason this support was fleeting led back to one man named Zhang Xiu, who once held a high position within the Zhengyi Sect. However, his existence was erased by the Zhengyi Sect, leaving only scattered mentions.

Though the Zhengyi Sect purged all records of him, the Taiping Sect retained notes of Zhang Xiu, for it was during his leadership of the Zhengyi Sect that they answered the call to the Taiping Sect's uprising.

Later, during the Zhang-Li struggle, the Li family exposed the matter of Zhang Xiu to attack the Zhang family, bringing it back into the public eye.

Only then did the Daoist world learn that after the Second Heavenly Preceptor passed away, the Third Heavenly Preceptor was still too young to assume leadership. Thus, Zhang Xiu took charge as regent. The mother of the young Heavenly Preceptor, in seeking protection, allied herself with the then Prince Shu, clearly fearing that Zhang Xiu might kill her son before he could grow into his throne. Ultimately, under Prince Shu's protection, the Third Heavenly Preceptor inherited his title, struck down Zhang Xiu, and reclaimed leadership of the Zhengyi Sect.

In short, much like the Deposed Heavenly Preceptor, it was considered internal strife and power struggles within the Zhang family.

As for why the Second Heavenly Preceptor passed away so hastily before his son could succeed him and why he seemed the most obscure among the three generations—whether he ascended to immortality or died by foul play—only the Zhang family themselves would know.

This usually low-profile Great Sage, Zhang Qihan, hailed from the Taiping Sect and was a direct descendant of the Great Teacher.

Although the Li family claimed descent from the Primordial Daoist Ancestor and seized control of the Taiping Sect, they still preserved the bloodline of the Great Teacher.

The Taiping Zhangs were few in number, often continuing with only one heir per generation, and had teetered on the brink of extinction several times. They posed no threat to the Li family's dominance. Thus, the Li family was content to elevate the Taiping Zhangs' status, using it both to preserve tradition and to spite the Shangqing Zhangs.

In short, the message was clear that the Zhengyi Sect's Zhangs were not the only Zhangs in the world. The Taiping Sect also had a prestigious Zhang family.

This was precisely where the Li family showed their cunning. There were countless Lis in the world, but mainly from two great lineages: the descendants of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor and the heirs of the Qi Dynasty royal family. Thus, the Li family encompassed both lines at once. The Zhangs, however, could not find another Li family from the Zhengyi Sect to spite the Taiping Lis.

Of course, Zhang Qihan was not attending the negotiations alone. He was accompanied by a full retinue.

Sage Qingwei himself had named the attendees, including both Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu among them.

Before proceeding to Tsu Castle, Great Sage Zhang convened a small council.

Zhang Yuelu was the last to arrive, not because she deliberately sought to appear important, but because she had been stationed with the frontline army and was not at the Xiujing encampment.

The meeting chamber was not large, nor especially solemn. Instead, it appeared quite casual. Zhang Qihan had ordered all the chairs set against the walls in a circle, such that even distinctions of rank and station became somewhat blurred.

When Zhang Yuelu entered, she glanced around, seeing mostly familiar faces.

The Deputy Hall Masters of Ciji Hall were present, as they were specialists in negotiations and indispensable in external liaison. Also present were Li Zhuyu, representing Sage Qingwei, and Li Tiangang, the Second Deputy Fenglin Daoist Mansion Master.

Since this round of talks had been proposed by the Tenmon Sect, it was solely the Daoist Order responding. Both the royal family and the Chancellor's Office tacitly abstained from participation, so none of their high-ranking officials were present.

Then there was Qi Xuansu, with an empty seat next to him. Clearly, this seat was reserved for Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu did not feign modesty and went straight to the seat at Qi Xuansu's side.

Qi Xuansu wanted to exchange a few words with her, but before he could speak, Zhang Qihan began, "Since everyone is here, let us proceed with a brief discussion."

The room fell silent at once.

Seated alone in the central place of honor, Zhang Qihan spoke with ease. "The main aims, bottom line, and principles of these negotiations have already been clearly stated by the Sage Commander, so I won't repeat them. I will only stress one point—the Wa people are cunning and cannot be trusted. They have many factions, so it is common enough that one builds the stage for a performance while another tears it down.

"Let us set aside, for the moment, how much sincerity the Wa people may have in these negotiations. Even if they truly desired peace, their side is far from united. There will surely be those among them who seek to sabotage the talks. All the more so, since their present overture is made with scant goodwill. Though I am appointed to preside over the proceedings, I do not hold high hopes for their outcome.

"What we must negotiate is not for our own sake, but to let all of Fenglin see clearly that it is not the Daoist Order that rejects peace, but the Tenmon Sect and those behind them. They were the ones who first provoked this war, and now they refuse to end it. They are the true culprits. If we wish to establish a Fenglin that wins the hearts of the people, then we must negotiate. Even knowing it to be a pit of fire, we must still step into it.

"There is a saying in the Central Plains that a cornered dog will leap over the wall. The Sonno-joi faction of Fenglin now faces just such a plight. If the negotiations fail, there is no guarantee they will not make some desperate move. I hope you will all be prepared beforehand. Though this meeting is supposedly a 'peace talk,' in all likelihood, it will be anything but peaceful.

"A general is fated to fall upon the battlefield. Since this is war, how can there be no deaths? Yet I still hope that everyone will return to Jade Capital together. Thus, as we head to Tsu Castle for these negotiations, I ask that you all stay vigilant."

At this, everyone's expressions grew solemn, and they began murmuring among themselves.

Since these were formal negotiations, the Tenmon Sect would surely not strike openly with weapons. They would more likely resort to subtler ploys, such as assassination.

Though the Sonno-joi faction had failed to assassinate Sage Qingwei and had also failed in their attempt against Toyotomi Hidemochi, one could not afford to belittle their methods. After all, they had succeeded in assassinating the former Kampaku, Toyotomi Hidesugu.

Li Tiangang, Qi Xuansu, and Zhang Yuelu had all personally escorted Toyotomi Hidemochi during that attempt. It was true that the Daoist Order had won a great victory that day, but the crucial factor had been Sage Qingwei's personal intervention. Without him, they would have been perilously close to failing their mission.

When the murmuring subsided, Zhang Qihan continued, "We must not try to guess at the thoughts of the Wa people with our own mindset, nor prattle about how he who knows the times is a hero. If they truly knew how to yield or adapt, they would never have provoked this war in the first place. They won't rest until they are broken, and they will surely struggle like cornered beasts, seeking to salvage a strategic disaster with some small tactical victory. In particular, the so-called Bushido spirit of these Sonno-joi ronin makes them all the more deranged the nearer they are to defeat. Everyone must be on guard."