Chapter 31: Drawing a Blade to Sever the Flowing Water

This is no alarmist talk! It is a distinct possibility.

The crux of the matter is that for the Second Prince, there is absolutely no loss to be incurred. On the contrary, he could watch the spectacle like a man observing monkeys, reveling in the misfortune of others, clapping and roaring with laughter. Given the consistent malice of this "Eight-Pearl Prince," he would likely have these individuals—the ones tasked with first blocking and then breaching the Ying River confluence, and shouting amidst the chaos—spirited away to hide, or even silenced permanently. That would be done without a trace, leaving no one the wiser.

By then, the floodwaters would have receded, and the Great Xu nation would not have suffered a true disaster. It would merely have been an unexpected, short-lived "anomaly"—a sudden surge of water appearing when it should not have. As for the cause, no one would know, and it would be impossible to investigate. It could simply be dismissed as a small joke played by the heavens after being summoned by the newly crowned monarch of Great Xu.

The severe consequences, such as mass casualties and the total loss of public support, would have nothing to do with the Second Prince. Conversely, he would seize the opportunity to exacerbate the situation, fueling rumors that the Ninth Prince is a "great disaster star." At that point, never mind making a profit; the people themselves would drown the Ninth Prince in a sea of spittle!

Finally, the Second Prince would leverage his close relationship with the Emperor to submit a memorial: "The Ninth Prince, blinded by a desire for quick success and instant glory, sought only to line his pockets by opening a restaurant during the sacrificial rites. His heart was insincere, and he brought down divine punishment. He has implicated civil and military officials and the common people, leading to a stampede with heavy casualties. I suggest stripping him of his titles, seizing his fiefdom, demoting him to a commoner, and exiling him to the bitter cold north, or confining him for life in a palace for the disgraced."

If it truly came to that, dreaming of a comeback would be nothing but a fool’s errand.

***

This prediction, arrived at through Chai Xiao's careful deliberation, was one he considered uniquely his own. He had not expected that his mentor, the busy Junior Tutor, had already calculated the same scenario well in advance. However, losing to one's teacher is no disgrace. Especially when that teacher is someone whom the entire world wishes to study under but few can.

Chai Xiao held a twig, pointing to the intersection of the moat and the Ying River on the city defense map. "If I were Chai Huo, I would station ten men here, seal the channel now, and release the water at noon!"

Su Zhongjing’s eyes lit up, and like a game of word association, he provided the next line: "The floodwaters overflow! Yet we would claim it is the heavens favoring Great Xu, sparing us from a deluge!"

Chai Xiao nodded, flicking the twig incessantly as if it were being controlled by an unseen, frantic force. "At that moment, I would arrange for several people to cry out in panic, 'The Ninth Prince is a disaster star, run for your lives!'"

Su Zhongjing continued the "chain": "The crowd would panic and stampede, descending into chaos and causing casualties. The scene, once solemn and harmonious, would turn into a landscape of misery, filled with cries of grief!"

Chai Xiao snapped the twig in his hand in two. "The Great Xu royal capital would become the next Taizhou! All the talk of raising a million taels of silver for emergency relief or personally rushing to Taizhou to oversee the repairs would become a joke. How could one look after others when one cannot even protect oneself?"

Su Zhongjing picked up a broken piece of the twig and tossed it into the nearby lake, letting it spin in an eddy formed by the rising wind. "The Second Prince would then step out from behind the curtain and strike from two sides. On one hand, he would accuse you of harming the people and failing in your duties, demanding your titles be stripped and you be exiled, leaving you with barely a sliver of hope for survival. On the other hand, he would hypocritically plead for mercy, citing your willingness to take on responsibility and your loyalty to the country, suggesting you be spared exile and instead confined for life, allowing you to live out your days in seclusion."

A perfect match! The thoughts and considerations of the master and disciple were identical, down to the last detail. If this were a modern game show of "telepathy" or "charades," they would surely score a perfect ten!

Chai Xiao picked up the last fragment of the twig and continued tapping the confluence of the Ying River and the moat. "Chai Huo’s move of 'drawing a sword to stop the water only to have it surge harder' is truly vicious and ruthless! Then we shall fight ruthlessness with ruthlessness and poison with poison, and let him 'raise a cup to drown his sorrows only to find them multiplied'!"

Su Zhongjing moved his left hand forward and his right hand back, miming the motion of drawing a bow. "I will arrange fifty men to form an arrow formation. Anyone who dares to block the river to store water and then release it to flood the city shall be executed on the spot!"

Chai Xiao widened his eyes, seemingly surprised that such a "ruthless" tactic could come from the lips of such a refined gentleman. Su Zhongjing curled his lip, looking as if it were nothing. "What? Do you think this is too cruel? Can't bring yourself to do it? Do you intend to conquer the world through 'gentleness'?"

Chai Xiao shook his head. "What I have in mind is even more ruthless than that!"

Now it was Su Zhongjing's turn to widen his eyes, his pupils nearly popping out. "Even more ruthless? Tell me! How so?"

Chai Xiao nodded slightly but did not answer immediately; instead, he bent down and began picking up fallen leaves from the ground. One. Then another. Fortunately, the Junior Tutor had a good temper and simply watched him pick them up. Had it been anyone else, they would have slapped him across the face by now.

Not until he had picked up the tenth leaf did Chai Xiao place them all on the table. He selected two and placed them on either side of the confluence of the Ying River and the moat.

"Five men per leaf, stationed on both sides. I’ll pick those with the best archery skills, have them wear armor, and set up an arrow formation—but these are ambush troops, prepared but not to be used immediately!"

"Because the men Chai Huo sends to block and then breach the river mouth will not dare to draw attention to themselves; their numbers will certainly be small, and they will be dressed in plain clothes. A few arrows each will be enough to wipe them out completely!"

After saying this, he picked up two more leaves and placed them in the "Ying River" just ahead of the confluence. "These ten men will be chosen for their strength, dressed as farmers, carrying picks and crowbars so that those breaching the blockage will think they are reinforcements from their own side. We will be among them, and they will be among us!"

Su Zhongjing’s eyes widened further, as if these two leaves had been stolen from his own home. Chai Xiao placed down two more leaves. "These ten will be chosen for their swimming ability, dressed in tight-fitting gear, ready to dive in and save people."

"Chai Huo is vicious; he is likely to silence these saboteurs directly, just as those who dig graves are often buried along with the deceased! Once these people are pushed into the water, we pull them out immediately!"

"We must capture the one who pushes them in alive; we can extract some secrets from him. The arrow formation can reveal itself then to intimidate them and force them to surrender!"

"Saving these people will be of great use! In the short term, they can serve as witnesses for the joint trial by the Three Ministries! In the long term, these are men who will have no choice but to fight to the death against Chai Huo later!"

Su Zhongjing’s expression softened considerably as he stroked his beard and nodded slightly. People always say that the student surpasses the master. Now it seems he hasn't just surpassed the master—he has completely "crushed" him.

Capturing these saboteurs alive is far better than a pile of cold corpses! If there were a pile of cold corpses, the Second Prince would push all responsibility away cleanly. "They were just a group of bored fools blocking the river to fish; what does that have to do with me?"

But by capturing them alive, the Second Prince might remain outwardly calm, but his heart would be in turmoil—like a bucket being lowered into a well, constantly swinging. "These damned fools! Not only did they fail to finish the job, they didn't even have the decency to die, and now they've been caught red-handed, all alive."

"Isn't this a 'fire bomb' that could explode at any moment? As long as they are alive, I will never have a moment's peace!"

"I must admit, this strategy of 'blocking and rescuing' is indeed far more ruthless than my tactic of 'execute on the spot.' Truly, heroes are born in youth!"

Unexpectedly, Chai Xiao continued to place two more leaves down. "There is something even more ruthless. Do you want to hear it?"