A Pawn’s Passage

After several days of arduous negotiations, the representatives of the Daoist Order and the Tenmon Sect conducted substantial consultations, drafting the final revised version of the Fenglin Peace Agreement. Both parties agreed to sign it formally on March 3rd.

Whether the Tenmon Sect could accept the Daoist Order's nine conditions hinged on two fundamental issues: the punishment of war criminals and the royal family, and the transfer and reorganization of power and military forces.

Zhang Qihan made some concessions to accommodate the sentiments of the Tenmon Sect, dividing war criminals into two categories. The incorrigible would be strictly punished, but those who could repent sincerely and demonstrate actions conducive to resolving the Fenglin issue through peaceful means would be pardoned and granted leniency.

For example, if the Saio agreed to sign the peace agreement and give up on resistance, sparing Fenglin from devastation and benefitting the people, she would be granted amnesty for her meritorious service.

If the royal family ceded power, they could retain the title of emperor, as it was just an empty name of little importance.

However, since the Daoist Order had already compromised on the issues of war criminals and the royal family, it refused to concede on matters of authority and the military. Most of the Sonno-joi faction's powers had to be handed over to the Toyotomi government, and all their armies were required to undergo reorganization. This reorganization was to be centralized and unified under the Chancellor's Office, not carried out separately in different regions or batches.

Finally, Zhang Qihan declared, "The Tenmon Sect must declare whether they will sign by the 3rd of March. If the deadline passes, the Daoist Order will regard it as a rejection."

On the Daoist side, Zhang Qihan, as the Great Sage of the Fenglin Daoist Mansion, had full authority to decide without consulting others. The Tenmon Sect representatives, however, needed to seek instructions from the Saio in the Ise-jingu. Thus, they departed from Tsu Castle and returned to Mie District for further consultation with their higher-ups.

With the departure of the Tenmon Sect delegates, the Sonno-joi forces had fully withdrawn from Tsu Castle via sea routes.

To prevent the Tenmon Sect from accusing them of sabotaging the peace talks, the Donghai Navy did not obstruct their withdrawal.

On March 3rd, the Saio refused to sign the finalized Fenglin Peace Agreement, proclaiming that the Daoist Order's nine harsh conditions were proof of their insincerity.

On March 4th, Sage Commander Li Wugou and Great Sage Zhang Qihan issued the order to attack, stating, "By rejecting this agreement, the Tenmon Sect and the Sonno-joi faction have resolved to resist to the end. Their so-called peace talks were nothing more than a delay tactic to buy themselves time to recover and hinder the pacification army."

With the headquarters' orders, the Daoist army, together with the Toyotomi forces, launched a full-scale assault.

Tsu Castle had already become an empty city, having surrendered without bloodshed. There, Great Sage Zhang Qihan gave a speech. "The Daoist Order's proposed terms were exceedingly generous. The people of Fenglin should now clearly see who is truly at fault and who is the one instigating war and undermining peace."

Meanwhile, Sage Commander Li Wugou arrived at Mount Suzuka. After meeting with Suzuka Gozen, he convened a council and resolved to launch a three-pronged assault on Kobe—by air, land, and sea—leaving North Ise with no chance to catch its breath.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were also allowed to attend this council meeting, but since neither of them was skilled in military command, they mostly listened in silence and refrained from voicing opinions.

After the meeting concluded, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu took a walk together through Mount Suzuka.

It should have been a good moment for tender sentiments between them, yet with a great battle looming, neither of them was in the mood for such things.

"Who exactly is this Saio?" Qi Xuansu asked as they walked along the mountain path to a pavilion halfway up the slope. He leaned against the railing, with white mist drifting in the wind behind him.

Zhang Yuelu did not sit down but paced within the pavilion. "I've done some reading about her, though most of what I've found are rumors. Before becoming the Saio, she was known as Princess Hisako, the elder sister of the current Fenglin emperor. Apparently, she had personally led troops in her youth and held great prestige in the army.

"Once, during a mutiny, she went alone to confront the troops. Every soldier who saw her knelt before her, begging to serve as her guard. These tough, battle-hardened men knelt in reverence, with tears streaming down their faces as they cheered, 'Banzai!' As she marched toward the city, countless soldiers from every direction raised their weapons and joined the growing army behind her. By the time she reached the city gates, tens of thousands of soldiers followed her. She removed her armor and walked forward in plain clothing. Though arrows rained down like a storm, not a single one landed within 10 meters of her."

Qi Xuansu chuckled helplessly. "I don't understand military affairs, but I can't believe a commander could inspire such devotion. It sounds more like a fabricated tale by a religious quack, meant to heighten their mystique and divine aura. Besides, this story sounds very familiar. Wasn't it attributed to a Western emperor? Perhaps it's just an adaptation of his deeds. I recall that the emperor bared his chest before his troops, shouting for them to fire at him. Considering the Saio is a woman, disrobing wouldn't be proper, so the tale was altered to her wearing plain robes instead."

"Or perhaps this Saio truly possesses extraordinary powers, able to bewitch thousands and deflect a storm of arrows away from herself. Even I could do that, though," Qi Xuansu added.

Zhang Yuelu questioned him, "Since you don't understand military affairs, how can you be so confident this story is made up? After all, you admitted that the Western emperor did this before."

Qi Xuansu replied, "I may not understand military matters, but I understand human nature a little. That Western emperor's prestige came from leading his nation to become the strongest in the Western Continent, instilling in his army a profound sense of honor. Soldiers longed for their past glory, and the contrast with their current defeats made them desperate to regain it. So when the emperor returned, they flocked to his side willingly. Oftentimes, honor is more precious than gold.

"But look at the Saio—Fenglin hasn't even shaken off Daoist rule, much less overthrown the Toyotomi government. She certainly hasn't led Fenglin to become the strongest nation in the Eastern Continent. So on what grounds could she command such reverence?"

Zhang Yuelu smiled. "That's a very good answer."

Qi Xuansu sighed. "In the past, I dismissed the idea of honor as something trivial. But after experiencing the war in Fenglin, I've changed my view. An army must have honor. Otherwise, it will decay. I once studied some of the Western political systems while in the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace. Over there, they have parliaments, elections, political parties, and a rotation of power, so they require the military to remain strictly neutral to prevent the army from seizing real power or manipulating parliament."

"In this context, they demand the army to be like a mere weapon, devoid of independent thought, stripped of faith, and trained only to obey orders. Of course, a weapon has no sense of honor.

"Once you strip away faith, thought, and honor, what's left of the army? They call it professionalization. But then, how is such a professionalized army any different from a band of mercenaries? If fighting is merely their occupation, then the state is just their employer. Soldiers become men who risk their lives for money rather than to protect their homeland. So how does that differ from wandering swordsmen in Jianghu who live life on the edge of their blades?

"Without honor, they can never hold real standing, as they are nothing but hired thugs. To make such people fight, one cannot appeal to honor, only to money. Pay them less, and no one will risk their lives. Since they never know if tomorrow will come, they indulge in pleasures while they can, like drinking and prostitution. It's easy to imagine how easy it is for morality and discipline to collapse, then. How could such an army ever possess true combat strength?"

Zhang Yuelu gave Qi Xuansu an approving look. "That's quite an analysis. We must strive to prevent such a situation, so we must have faith and uphold honor. Honor is always tied to righteousness and winning hearts. That's why, before the Daoist Order decided to wage war, great effort was spent addressing one question: why do we fight? We need just cause. Once that was settled, we had to emphasize another point during the war, which was to win over the hearts of the Fenglin people. That's why we target only the nobles and not the common folk, reducing bloodshed as much as possible. Even when we knew Tenmon Sect's peace talk was a stalling tactic, we still humored them.

"The Western armies, on the other hand, are the opposite. Since they need not speak of honor, they can act without restraint. They don't ask why they fight, nor do they care about righteousness or winning hearts. As long as they are paid, they march. But without honor, their armies become indistinguishable from bandits, scraping everything clean.

"These are two completely different approaches. The Daoist Order advocates morality and equality internally and proclaims civility externally. So naturally, we cannot follow the Western path."

Qi Xuansu waved his hand. "We've gone off topic. We were discussing the Saio. How did we end up talking about armies?"

Zhang Yuelu said, "There's actually not much to say. At the very least, this Saio is at Sage Qingwei's level. Or perhaps, she's an Immortal. Even if the Daoist Order besieges her, the two of us won't be able to take part in the mission. At most, we'd just be there to make some noise on the sidelines."

Qi Xuansu asked, "By the way, there are rumors that the Imperial Preceptor will leave Qizhou's main base and come to Fenglin. Is that true?"

Zhang Yuelu nodded. "It's true."

Qi Xuansu was taken aback. "The Imperial Preceptor is going to fight personally?"

Zhang Yuelu said, "Maybe...it depends on how the Three Great Kami respond. Though Immortals are restricted by heavenly tribulations and rarely leave their divine kingdoms, with enough divine power, they can descend to the mortal realm in person. So if the Three Great Kami decide to intervene in person, the situation could change."

Qi Xuansu finally understood. "I see...the Imperial Preceptor is here to hold the line."