Chapter 63: Perhaps There Is Still a Turning Point?

As the saying goes, absolute force subdues all tactics. When one's sheer power is enough to overwhelm the opponent, there is no need for twists, turns, or underhanded tricks. Therefore, the creed of the strong has always been these six words: "Simple, direct, and effective!"

Zhi Yao was a strong man, and a devout believer in this creed. Thus, when he coveted the lands of the Han, Zhao, and Wei clans, he reached out his hand directly, smiled, and told them, "Hand them over!"

The first to suffer Zhi Yao's extortion was the Han clan, whose head at the time was Viscount Kang of Han. Historical records concerning Viscount Kang are extremely scarce, making it impossible to draw a clear picture of his personality. However, one thing is certain: compared to the head-on confrontation-seeking Zhao Wuxiui, Viscount Kang was a flexible man inclined toward yielding and softness.

The ultimatum from Zhi Yao lay right on the table. Viscount Kang was at his wits' end, sighing endlessly. He was reluctant to hand over his territory, but who could guarantee this would be Zhi Yao's final demand? Yet if he flatly refused, this tiger might swallow him whole right away. He was truly caught in a dilemma, worried to distraction!

A strategist in Viscount Kang's service named Duan Gui stepped forward at this moment to share his lord's anxieties. Duan Gui addressed Viscount Kang, saying, "In terms of strength, we are no match for the Zhi clan. Given Zhi Yao's greedy and tyrannical nature, if we refuse his unreasonable demands, he will likely deploy his troops against our Han clan immediately. The remaining two clans, seeing an opportunity for profit, will likely join the fray to carve up our lands. With enemies before and behind us, the consequences would be dire. Therefore, it is best to comply with Zhi Yao's demand for now. In my view, Zhi Yao will not stop here; he will undoubtedly proceed to demand land from the Wei and Zhao clans as well. We should guide events according to the circumstances and wait quietly for changes."

Finding wisdom in Duan Gui's words, Viscount Kang "readily" ceded his land to Zhi Yao.

Just as Duan Gui had predicted, Zhi Yao was not satisfied after acquiring the land. As the saying goes, once you taste the meat, you crave more; a single success is enough to tempt a second attempt, especially since this "attempt" had been part of Zhi Yao's plan all along! Consequently, Zhi Yao's greedy paws stretched out once more before the head of the Wei clan, Viscount Huan of Wei. Viscount Huan and his retainer Ren Zhang repeated the "calculation" of Viscount Kang and Duan Gui, and thus "graciously" offered up their land.

Yet when Zhi Yao extended his hand before Wuxiu, Wuxiu taught Viscount Kang and Viscount Huan a lesson: in this world, there is more than just compromise and submission; there is also striving and resistance!

"To want my territory of Gaolang is utterly shameless! On what grounds? I simply refuse to let you have your way!" Wuxiu was furious inside, yet his face remained completely calm and unruffled.

Having been rejected by Wuxiu, Zhi Yao had no choice but to launch an immediate military campaign to crush and subdue the Zhao clan. Otherwise, the lands he had previously extorted from the Han and Wei clans would suddenly become questionable. If threats were merely empty words, why would anyone willingly hand over their territory? Viscount Kang and Viscount Huan were no fools; they would also ask, "On what grounds?"

Wuxiu had anticipated all of this and had prepared for a fight to the death. To his utter astonishment, however, in his struggle against Zhi Yao, Viscount Kang and Viscount Huan—the very victims who had been bullied by Zhi Yao—once again stood by Zhi Yao's side! In truth, foolish as Viscount Kang and Viscount Huan were, they had their own logic. In the ultimate showdown between the Zhi and Zhao clans, they clearly favored the Zhi clan, whose absolute superiority in strength was evident. Thus, they reached an agreement with Zhi Yao, forming a tripartite alliance in the hope of dividing the Zhao territories among themselves and growing stronger after destroying the Zhao clan.

Were the ambitious calculations of the Han and Wei clans destined to succeed?

Facing the overwhelming momentum of the tripartite alliance, the courageous and decisive Zhao Wuxiui had no choice but to temporarily retreat. Where could he retreat to? Wuxiu recalled the dying instructions of his father, Zhao Yang: "If trouble arises, fall back to Jinyang!"

There was good reason why Zhao Yang placed such high value on Jinyang.

Dong Anyu was a retainer of the Zhao clan, most deeply trusted by Zhao Yang. Jinyang had always been the foundation of the Zhao lineage, so Zhao Yang naturally dared not neglect it. Thus, when selecting the person in charge of fortifying the city of Jinyang, he chose Dong Anyu. Dong Anyu's ancestor was the renowned "virtuous historian of antiquity," Dong Hu.

The city of Jinyang fortified under Dong Anyu's direction was quite extraordinary. When building the Jinyang palace city, he used smelted bronze as the pillars for the halls, while the main body of the palaces was constructed from thorns and brambles harvested from the mountains. At the time, this was truly an unprecedented venture because building a city in this manner incurred exorbitant costs and invited ridicule and criticism regarding "extravagance." People would ask: palaces are meant for living in; is it necessary to expend such vast material wealth and resources on them?

Yet Dong Anyu's actions were far from redundant. First, if the descendants of the Zhao clan were to retreat to Jinyang and find themselves besieged by enemy troops, once their arrows and supplies were exhausted, the Zhao army could dismantle the bronze pillars, melt them down, and cast them into arrowhead tips. Furthermore, because the thorn-wood of the palace framework was exceptionally sturdy—so tough that "even strong bamboo cannot pierce it"—it served as excellent material for making arrow shafts.

Regrettably, Dong Anyu did not live to see the completion of the Jinyang city he had personally planned. His tactical brilliance was simply too formidable, repeatedly devising strategies for Zhao Yang that helped the Zhao clan escape crises. Consequently, he was viewed as a thorn in the side by Zhi Yao, who harbored ambitions of swallowing all three clans and dominating the State of Jin alone, and who was determined to eliminate him at all costs. Zhi Yao repeatedly pressured Zhao Yang to execute Dong Anyu, but Zhao Yang rebuffed every attempt. It was not until Zhao Wu violated Zhao Yang's orders, prompting Zhao Yang to execute him upon Dong Anyu's advice—thereby triggering the rebellion of the Fan and Zhonghang clans—that Zhi Yao finally seized an opportunity. Zhi Yao branded Dong Anyu as the primary instigator of the chaos. By this time, worn down by years of warfare, the Zhao clan had suffered severe vitality, and Zhao Yang could no longer withstand the pressure from Zhi Yao. Yet Dong Anyu shared a deep bond with him and had rendered monumental service to the Zhao family; Zhao Yang could not bring himself to kill Dong Anyu under any circumstances. Consequently, he found himself torn between two loyalties, suffering from worry day and night.

At this critical juncture, Dong Anyu saved the Zhao family once more, and his method was to sacrifice his own life. Legend has it that before his death, he exclaimed with a sigh, "Only by my death can the Zhao clan find peace, and the State of Jin find peace. I have died too late!" Such loyalty, courage, and unyielding spirit truly evoke profound admiration.

Though Dong Anyu was dead, the fortification of Jinyang had to continue. Before departing this mortal coil, he recommended his subordinate Yin Duo to Zhao Yang. Trusting Dong Anyu implicitly, Zhao Yang appointed Yin Duo as the supervisor of Jinyang. Yin Duo was not a man bound by convention; rather, he possessed a sweeping, macro-level perspective. He asked Zhao Yang, "What is Jinyang ultimately meant to be? Is it to be built as a production-oriented capital that provides grain and taxes, or should it be built as a fortress for self-preservation and defense in times of crisis?" Realizing that Dong Anyu's judgment of character had once again proven infallible, Zhao Yang answered joyfully, "I want Jinyang built impregnably, to become a coordinate upon this vast land, a monument standing unshaken through ten thousand generations!" With his course set, Yin Duo spared no expense and threw himself entirely into the construction of the city.

However, days turned into weeks, and money and grain flowed away like water, yet the completion of Yin Duo's Jinyang seemed infinitely far off. At this point, Zhao Yang sent messengers to instruct Yin Duo to dismantle the perimeter walls that would seemingly never be finished—walls whose construction Dong Anyu had initiated fifty years prior. Yin Duo ignored Zhao Yang's command, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the ultimate goal of an "impregnable" stronghold, steadily pressing forward step by step. This act of insubordination naturally enraged Zhao Yang, who, consumed by anger, even contemplated putting Yin Duo to death. At this, various senior ministers stepped forward to advise Zhao Yang: "One is born in adversity and dies in comfort. Yin Duo remains constantly vigilant, having once said: 'To reflect on joy and be kind, to reflect on sorrow and be fearful, is the way of human beings.' He raised the city walls to guard against unpredicted calamities and to display utmost loyalty to the Zhao clan. We hope the General will think thrice before acting." Zhao Yang suddenly saw the light. Not only did he cease blaming Yin Duo, but he also commended his loyalty and bravery. Encouraged by this affirmation, Yin Duo further reduced taxes, attracting people from all directions to Jinyang. Because Yin Duo cherished the strength of the common folk, the residents of Jinyang felt profound gratitude toward the Zhao clan. They lived in terror that Jinyang might suddenly fall into other hands, instantly washing away their previous peaceful and happy life like flowing water, never to return.

Having secured every advantage of terrain and human harmony, the city of Jinyang was now fully prepared, waiting simply for Zhi Yao to arrive for a decisive battle to the death.

True to expectations, despite Zhi Yao's repeated and aggressive assaults, Jinyang stood unyielding like a wall of bronze and iron. The banners of the Zhao army fluttering in the wind atop the ramparts appeared to Zhi Yao as nothing less than a mocking sneer of contempt.

Yet Zhi Yao, a master of offense, soon devised a method to crack Jinyang: diverting the Fen River to flood the city.

This development dealt a severe blow to the Zhao army stationed within the walls. Wuxiu and his men relied entirely upon Jinyang—upon the sturdiness of its ramparts and the united will of a populace sharing a single purpose—to systematically annihilate the enemy's vital forces until their vigor and combat effectiveness were completely exhausted, forcing them to withdraw of their own accord.

Yet now, all these plans had fallen through. Wuxiu and his followers found themselves reduced to a passive position, while Zhi Yao felt no further anxiety. Aside from the monthly provisions for his troops, he no longer needed to incur any expenses or sacrifice the lives of his soldiers. All he had to do was pitch his magnificent canopy, sit beneath it drinking wine and playing the zither, and casually admire the desperate, doomsday-like expression of Wuxiu whenever he periodically appeared atop the city walls.

Indeed, Wuxiu was in a truly wretched state. After the Fen River flooded the city, everything inside was turned upside down. The flood-stricken residents of Jinyang were forced to hoist iron cauldrons into mid-air with ropes just to make a fire and cook their meals, as their original hearths were already submerged in water. The faces of the city's inhabitants no longer beamed with the smiles of a happy life; their eyes were filled with dread and anxiety for the future. Everyone in Jinyang felt their lives were hanging by a thread!

Even more critically, apart from Gao Gong, who continued to perform his duties and offer formal greetings with unwavering ritual propriety, Wuxiu noticed that the retainers of the Zhao clan were beginning to cast sideways glances at him, as if he were no longer the true master of the Zhao family!

"Fortresses are always breached from within." Wuxiu began to contemplate surrender and peace negotiations, but his most vital strategist, Zhang Mengtan, urged him not to lose heart: "Perhaps there is still a turning point."

Wuxiu asked, "Do you have a plan?"

Mengtan replied, "Just let me out of the city, and let me see if I can persuade the Han and Wei clans to turn against Zhi Yao."

Things having reached this desperate pass, Wuxiu had no alternative; he could only treat a dead horse as if it were still alive. After Zhang Mengtan slipped out of the city, Wuxiu patrolled the ramparts every single day, anxiously yearning for the sight of his return.