The things that had just shocked Gongsun Gu came crashing down on him one after another. Only after he had regained his composure did he realize that his words might have offended Song Chuyi. He immediately straightened up and cupped his hands in an apologetic salute.
“I spoke out of turn just now. Please forgive me, Master.”
“It is a small matter. May I ask what brings the general here?” Song Chuyi asked.
Longgu Buwang was somewhat suspicious. He had always thought Song Chuyi was rather petty. Surely she could not be so magnanimous?
“It is nothing of great importance. I came at the Chancellor’s behest to pay my respects to the Wey envoy. I had not expected it to be you.” Gongsun Gu paused to consider his words before asking, “May I ask what brings you on this mission to Wei?”
“This is a matter of great importance. I can only discuss it with the Lord of Zhao or the Chancellor in person. However, your country is currently at war, and I fear the Lord and the Chancellor may be too occupied to attend to this matter for the time being. I therefore intend to wait until the fighting has subsided before raising it. You and I are old acquaintances, after all. I would ask that you refrain from disturbing the Marquis and the Chancellor with this matter for now. I am most grateful.”
Song Chuyi bowed slightly.
Gongsun Gu shifted aside to avoid receiving the bow directly. “In that case, I shall do as you ask. Come to think of it, I owe you a great deal for pointing me in the right direction back then.”
Truthfully, Song Chuyi could hardly take credit for that. But since Gongsun Gu saw it that way, she saw no need to explain or refuse the praise. She merely smiled faintly and offered him a compliment in return.
“You are both talented and far-sighted. You have always had your own convictions. You were merely hesitating for a time.”
“You flatter me, Master.”
Gongsun Gu felt a little better. In truth, seeing Song Chuyi here had left him rather troubled. Back then, she had refused to take up an official post in Zhao, claiming that she was still young and had yet to complete her studies under her master. And now she had become an envoy from Wey?
Had those words simply been an excuse to fob him off?
Even if he had never been particularly invested in Song Chuyi, he disliked the feeling of having been made a fool of.
Song Chuyi had not expected to run into Gongsun Gu either. After losing a battle, he must surely have faced severe punishment. Otherwise, he would hardly have considered defecting to another state. Yet, to her surprise, he was still a general when they met again.
Since Gongsun Gu was willing to let the past go, she decided to brush the matter aside as well and turn to another subject. “I hear that Gongzi Fan of your state has rebelled. How are things progressing?”
“By now, the fighting has probably already begun,” Gongsun Gu replied airily, his tone tinged with resentment.
A war was breaking out, yet he had nothing to do? Song Chuyi understood. It seemed that although he had not been stripped of his title, he had been sidelined and deprived of his military authority.
In the Zhao army, a general was appointed for every ten thousand soldiers. There were at least thirty or forty generals in the state, so Gongsun Gu was merely one among many. The position was hardly unusual. The highest commander of all three armies, meanwhile, was known as the Senior General or Great General.
“Since you have time on your hands, General, how about a game of chess?” Song Chuyi suggested with a smile.
Gongsun Gu felt a bitter taste in his mouth. What satisfaction was there in battling over a chessboard compared with fighting on an actual battlefield?
Song Chuyi sent Longgu Buwang off to one side, then settled herself on a cushion before the low table and began clearing away the unfinished game.
“In this age of great contention, there is no shortage of wars to fight. Come, General, why not put your worries aside and wait patiently for the outcome?”
It was not that Gongsun Gu had no reservations about Song Chuyi. He had simply been feeling so frustrated lately, with nowhere to vent his feelings and no easy way to speak of them. He could not help sighing as he rose and took the seat opposite her, helping her gather the chess pieces.
Song Chuyi ordered wine to be brought in, then summoned two beautiful maids to pour for them.
Gongsun Gu accepted a cup of warm wine from one of the maids and could not help glancing back at Song Chuyi again.
“Who would have thought that even this post station would have such beauties?”
In those days, when people spoke of a beauty, they did not necessarily mean a woman of extraordinary, breathtaking looks. After all, truly stunning women were rare. Any woman whose appearance made a man want to look twice after his first glance would likely earn the title of beauty.
The two women Song Chuyi had selected were merely above average in appearance. As this post station accommodated envoys, its maids were hardly likely to be unattractive. Before Song Chuyi took an interest in them, the two had blended into the crowd. Aside from being just a little prettier than most, they had hardly stood out. Song Chuyi had simply taken to instructing them in her spare time, training them little by little. She usually assigned them to attend to Zi Ya, observing and learning from her every word and action.
Although Zi Ya was not as accomplished in the arts as Zi Zhao, she had received a nobleman’s education from childhood. The poise and innate dignity that shone through her were qualities that ordinary women could scarcely hope to match.
“How about that? Of the hundred maids at this post station, I’ve inspected every single one and handpicked the two prettiest.” Song Chuyi said smugly. “One of them is a slave who does menial work. Can you tell which one? Raise your heads, both of you.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Gongsun Gu’s eyes. Both maids before him were deferential and respectful, just as ordinary maids should be. He could not see the slightest trace of the timidity one might expect from a slave.
“Hold out your hands,” Gongsun Gu ordered.
Both maids extended their hands, which had been partially concealed by their sleeves. To his surprise, both pairs of hands were reasonably fair and smooth.
“It must be her.” Gongsun Gu pointed to the maid whose palm bore calluses.
“Heh.” Song Chuyi smiled, picked up a black stone, and placed it on the board. “I am a guest, so I’ll make the first move. Your turn, General.”
Gongsun Gu glanced at the board and placed a stone of his own. “You’ve trained these two maids yourself, haven’t you, Master? What made you think to take them under your wing?”
“Beauty is a joy to behold. The more beautiful women you look at, the longer you’ll live. Why not give it a try yourself, General?” Song Chuyi replied.
Gongsun Gu made his next move, looking unconvinced. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
The two of them traded moves back and forth, gradually filling the board with more and more stones. Before long, they fell silent, each wholly absorbed in the battle unfolding before them.
Gongsun Gu played every move by the book, his style steady and meticulous.
At first, Song Chuyi’s play was much the same as his, favoring a cautious, methodical approach. But in the latter half of the game, her moves began to take on a decidedly unorthodox character. To Longgu Buwang’s astonishment, he realized that Song Chuyi had been laying numerous traps all along, hidden among those seemingly cautious moves. Once triggered, they swept away large groups of stones in an instant. The sheer force of her assault, as though she were routing thousands of enemy troops in a single sweep, was immensely satisfying to watch.
“Your mastery of Go is truly impressive, Master. I concede.” Gongsun Gu set down his stone.
Longgu Buwang looked down on him. He admired men who would rather die than yield, and had the utmost contempt for those who surrendered before the final moment had arrived.
Song Chuyi, however, said, “General, you have a kind heart. I believe your present adversity will prove only temporary.”
Gongsun Gu fell silent in thought for a long while before replying, “Let us hope your kind words prove true, Master.”
Song Chuyi had deliberately avoided leaving Gongsun Gu with no way out. Instead, she had wiped out his forces in large groups. Had he refused to surrender, his entire army would have been annihilated. Clearly, the gap between their skills was enormous. Continuing the game would only mean letting her slaughter his stones at will, so he might as well recognize the inevitable and concede while he still could.
Gongsun Gu took a sip of wine and let out a long sigh, his expression heavy with gloom.
Knowing when to yield and when to stand firm was a virtue, but he still harbored a deep-seated resentment.
“General,” someone called from outside the door.
“Speak,” Gongsun Gu replied.
“Reporting to you, General. Gongzi Fan’s forces are attacking the city, launching a pincer assault from the south and west. We have yet to determine how his troops are distributed.”
“Understood.” Gongsun Gu tipped back his head and drained the wine, now lukewarm, from his goblet. He turned to Song Chuyi. “You’ve just treated me to a battle on the chessboard. Allow me to return the favor by letting you witness one on the battlefield. Dare you come?”
“With the general by my side, what have I to fear?” Song Chuyi replied boldly.
Longgu Buwang silently cursed her shamelessness, yet he was also eager to see the battle for himself. Although warfare was raging across the various states and his own grandfather was a general, he had only witnessed two battles from a distance in his entire life. For once, he threw caution to the wind. “Master, I want to go too.”
Gongsun Gu looked mildly surprised. “Is this your student, Huaijin?”
“He is,” Song Chuyi replied.
“Then does that mean Gongzi Ke is also your student?” A glimmer of hope appeared in Gongsun Gu’s eyes. If he could persuade Gongzi Ke to surrender at this juncture, the enemy’s morale would surely collapse.
“How could that be? He can barely stand me.” Song Chuyi rose to her feet, allowing a maid to drape a cloak over her shoulders.
Song Chuyi was not exactly lying. Zhao Yilou did rather look down on her, especially at the beginning, when he had regarded her as nothing but a burden. Things had improved somewhat since then, but his attitude remained a curious mixture of dependence and disdain.
Hearing this, Gongsun Gu did not press the matter. He glanced at Longgu Buwang and said, “If Huaijin agrees, you may come along too.”
Longgu Buwang immediately sprang to his feet and ordered someone to fetch his cloak. His expression made it abundantly clear that Song Chuyi’s opinion was of little importance.
Ji Yu and Ji Huan were tasked with protecting the envoy. Since Song Chuyi and her student were both going out, the two of them had no choice but to accompany them. In the end, Gongsun Gu found himself taking along four people and a wolf.
Although Gongsun Gu had been stripped of his military authority, he still held his rank as a general and retained his command token. With it, he easily led the group up onto a section of the city wall not far from the western gate.
“This is a critical moment in the city’s defense. We mustn’t go any closer to that area,” Gongsun Gu said.
“We can see everything perfectly well from here!” Longgu Buwang exclaimed, his rough, croaky voice rising with excitement.
The enemy had already begun propping ladders against the battlements. No one knew how many troops they had, but below, the snow-covered ground was densely packed with soldiers surging forward like a rising tide. Arrows rained down upon them, and cries of agony and pain rang out without end.
The city walls stood at least thirty feet high. The moon kept appearing and disappearing behind the clouds, making it difficult to see what was happening below. This put the archers defending the city at a disadvantage.
Longgu Buwang felt his blood boiling with excitement, his eyes shining brightly.
Song Chuyi lowered her gaze to the scene below. White Blade was pacing anxiously beneath them, circling around in agitation. Unable to contain himself, the wolf rose onto his hind legs and braced his forepaws against the wall to peer down.
“This wolf is rather interesting,” Gongsun Gu remarked as he watched White Blade. He was just about to reach out when White Blade let out a low growl and lowered his paws, eyeing him warily.
“Of course he is.” Song Chuyi beckoned to the wolf. Seeing White Blade trot eagerly over to her, she felt a surge of pride and immediately rewarded him with a strip of dried meat.
“Oh! Master, look over there. Is that their commanding general?” Longgu Buwang asked.
Song Chuyi looked up and followed the direction in which he was pointing. In the vast, indistinct darkness of the night, a hundred mounted soldiers stood in the distance, roughly three hundred yards away. With her keen eyesight, she could just make out their clothing.
Behind the hundred horsemen was a light carriage, guarded by infantry on both sides and to the rear. Standing aboard the carriage was an armored figure who did indeed appear to be the commanding general. Beside him sat a man dressed in plain white robes.
The man wore a white fox-fur cloak, his ink-black hair cascading freely down his back. He leaned against the armrest, propping his head up with one hand, his gaze directed towards some unknown point in the distance.
Song Chuyi could not help hurrying a few steps towards the battlements, hoping to get a clearer look at the man’s face. But someone caught her by the shoulder and stopped her.
“Huaijin, you mustn’t go any further,” Gongsun Gu said with a frown.
