Chapter 99: What Defines a Hero?

Yang Lian walked out of the鸿胪寺 (Ministry of Protocol) and let out a long breath. He had many matters to attend to over the next few days and would not pay attention to Liu Xin and his entourage for the time being. Furthermore, until the Wuyue Kingdom withdrew its troops, he would never meet with Liu Xin again, delegating all affairs to Lin Rinzhao. If Liu Xin dared to make any reckless moves, Lin Rinzhao would certainly be able to stop him.

Just as expected, around noon, Lin Rinzhao came in person to report. Although Liu Xin was furious, with several squads of Shenwu Army soldiers stationed at the Ministry of Protocol—all heavily equipped and as fierce as lone wolves of the grassland—Liu Xin still had some reservations. After pondering the matter, he compromised by letting Zhao Kuangyin lead men out to procure provisions.

Sensing that Liu Xin might still harbor some hidden schemes, Yang Lian reminded Lin Rinzhao to remain vigilant and on no account allow Liu Xin to stir up trouble. Two days later, news arrived from Changzhou that the Wuyue forces not only had failed to withdraw but were actually showing signs of reinforcement. At this, Yang Lian merely offered a cold smile without the slightest trace of anxiety. He believed that the people of Wuyue were no fools; although they had nominally submitted to the Han Dynasty, the Han regime had just been established. Unless Han troops were massed along the Tang border, the Wuyue Kingdom would never dare to launch an unsolicited attack on Changzhou.

At times like this, it was a contest of nerve and endurance. And in this regard, Yang Lian, who had prepared well in advance, was naturally leisurely and completely unhurried. Li Jing, on the other hand, was somewhat anxious, becoming even more nervous especially as reports of Wuyue reinforcing Suzhou arrived.

Li Jingsui persuaded him that since he had chosen to trust Yang Lian, he should let him try; judging at least by Liu Xin's behavior over the past few days, Liu Xin had been reasonably well-behaved. After some thought, Li Jing decided to wait a little longer.

Initially, Liu Xin believed that Yang Lian was merely trying to break his spirit with a show of force. However, as the Wuyue Kingdom reinforced Suzhou, he assumed that this young general would surely buckle under the immense pressure and come seeking him out in person to beg for an opportunity. Yet, several days passed by, and Liu Xin did not even catch a glimpse of Yang Lian's shadow, let alone anything else.

After seven or eight days, Liu Xin grew somewhat helpless. Feeding and housing such a large retinue required a considerable sum daily. Although he was not short on money, Zhao Kuangyin led the guards out every day to buy food and brought back copious amounts of provisions, turning the Ministry of Protocol into something resembling a bustling vegetable market. At first, Liu Xin managed to hold his ground, for his objective was to stall—to drag things out until his imperial elder brother captured Weizhou, which would be a magnificent achievement.

However, after seven or eight days, instead of seeing the proper envoy Yang Lian, Liu Xin only encountered Lin Rinzhao, Chen Tie, and others. Deeming this improper, he dispatched Zhao Hongyin to find out what Yang Lian was up to and whether he still intended to negotiate at all.

Having gone out to gather intelligence, Zhao Hongyin quickly returned with shocking news: the envoy from the Khitans had also arrived in Jinling.

Moreover, rumor had it that the Khitan envoy was treated as an honored guest by Yang Lian, wining and dined sumptuously. For two people holding the same rank as envoys, the disparity was simply too vast. Upon hearing this news, Zhao Hongyin remained relatively composed, but Zhao Kuangyin could hardly contain his agitation and prepared to go find Yang Lian to demand an explanation, cursing what kind of person he was after having admired him so greatly before.

Zhao Hongyin stopped him, pointing out that confronting Yang Lian would be useless since this was clearly a deliberate maneuver on Yang Lian's part. He hurriedly led Zhao Kuangyin back to the Ministry of Protocol.

Standing on a tall building not far away and witnessing this scene, Yang Lian smiled and said, "I refuse to believe that Liu Xin can hold out much longer."

Lin Rinzhao hesitated slightly and said, "Commander Yang, although Liu Xin is unreasonable, he represents the Central Plains court and is fundamentally different from the Khitans. If we befriend the Khitans, I fear it might ruin our reputation."

Yang Lian shook his head. "Not so. Although Liu Xin is the envoy of the Central Plains court, Liu Zhiyuan is of Shatuo origin and distinct from the Chinese. Were they not deeply sinicized, they would be no different from the Khitans."

Lin Rinzhao nodded, deeply agreeing with Yang Lian's words, yet he wondered why Yang Lian sought to collude with the Khitans. Did he not know that cooperating with the Khitans was akin to seeking a tiger's skin?

Yang Lian sighed softly. "Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains dynasties have mostly been founded by Shatuo people, changing rulers every decade or even every few years. The common people of the Central Plains have suffered long enough. The Great Tang inherits the realm of the Yang Wu court and is the most powerful force in the south, possessing the wealth of the Huai River region. To the north, it can advance into Shandong and the Central Plains; to the west, it can push into Jingxiang; to the south, it can control Wuyue and Lingnan. It ought to have had a wonderful opportunity to unify the realm—what a pity, what a pity."

A stir rippled through Lin Rinzhao's heart. In truth, he knew very little about Yang Lian, having almost no knowledge of his past. The only thing he could be certain of was that Yang Lian was an ambitious and aspiring man. Furthermore, having caught glimpses of clues in Yang Lian's relationship with the Prince of Qi, he had already prepared to pledge his allegiance to him.

"Whether it is the Han Dynasty or the Khitans, both are enemies. However, the Khitans are further away. We must first recover the Central Plains, and then retake Youyun from the Khitans. But before that, we need a vast number of warhorses from the Khitans," Yang Lian stated, revealing his objective.

Lin Rinzhao nodded. Indeed, without warhorses, the Great Tang's army would hold no advantage in field battles; even if they achieved victory, they would be unable to annihilate the enemy's effective forces.

"Treating the Khitans to good food and drink over these past few days is meant to coax them, so that we may obtain a large number of warhorses from them to prepare for a future campaign into the Central Plains, and even the recovery of Youyun," Yang Lian said calmly.

Never having imagined that Yang Lian's foresight reached so deep, Lin Rinzhao immediately cupped his hands and said, "Commander Yang's strategic vision is profound; Rinzhao falls short."

Yang Lian shook his head. "You and I are brothers, and we must support one another in order to carve out a domain of our own in this chaotic world."

Lin Rinzhao narrowed his eyes. This was the first time Yang Lian had revealed his inner aspirations. At least two interpretations could be drawn from these words: was he fighting to serve the Great Tang and carve out a domain, or was he carving out a domain for himself? Emotionally speaking, Lin Rinzhao felt no sense of identification with the Great Tang at this moment. The Min Kingdom had fallen only recently, and he had yet to transition his identity from a man of Min to a man of Tang. Instead, he felt a special affinity for Yang Lian. Over the course of nearly a year, the two had forged a friendship, and Yang Lian had won the approval of both Lin Rinzhao and Chen Tie.

Although the three had not sworn formal oaths to become sworn brothers, their relationship was closer than that of blood brothers.

With a solemn expression, Lin Rinzhao said, "No matter what happens, I, Lin Rinzhao, will stand on Commander Yang's side."

Yang Lian smiled. "Rinzhao, with those words from you, I can rest easy."

As they spoke, Yang Gun walked up. Yang Gun was a native of Youyun. When Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to the Khitans, Yang Gun consequently became a Central Plains person under Khitan rule. He also bore another name, Yelü Dilu, bestowed upon him as a reward for meritorious service when Yelü Deguang marched south. However, Yang Gun disliked this name entirely and continued to declare himself as Yang Gun to the outside world.

Though his body was in Khitan territory, Yang Gun's heart remained turned toward the Central Plains, hoping that the Central Plains court would recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Yet, Shi Chonggui had fallen short of success at the very last hurdle, causing his plan to defect to the Central Plains court to fail. This time, accompanying Mada's son Yelü Haili to Jinling, he wished to contact the Great Tang to jointly deal with the Han Kingdom. In his heart, Yang Gun hoped to forge an alliance with the Great Tang, but even more so, he hoped the Great Tang would launch a northern expedition into the Central Plains to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.

The reason Yang Gun looked down upon Liu Zhiyuan was actually quite simple: just like Shi Jingtang, Liu Zhiyuan was a Shatuo man and failed to win Yang Gun's approval.

Even with such an attitude, however, Yang Gun could not easily reveal it. Upon meeting Yang Lian, Yang Gun cupped his hands in the manner of a Central Plains scholar and said, "General Yang."

"Jun'ai, have you eaten yet?" Yang Lian asked with a smile.

Yang Gun shook his head. "Not yet."

"Since you haven't, let us dine together," Yang Lian said, stepping forward.

Lin Rinzhao followed him down, while Yang Gun hesitated briefly before following as well. Yang Lian found a wine tavern, ordered a few small side dishes, and had wine served.

"Jun'ai, please!" Yang Lian said. Treating Yang Gun in this manner was also driven by a desire to win him over. Regardless of anything else, Yang Gun was not a true Khitan; perhaps his heart still leaned toward the Central Plains. Yang Lian vaguely remembered that Yang Gun seemed to be the father of Yang Ye—the ancestor of the Generals of the Yang Family? His impression, however, was faint and not entirely clear.

Before long, the tavern waiter brought out the dishes, steaming hot and exhaling an enticing aroma. Yang Lian raised his wine vessel and said, "Rinzhao, Jun'ai, come, I toast the two of you."

"I wouldn't dare!" Yang Gun hastily said, raising his cup and draining it in a single gulp.

Yang Lian laughed heartily. "Refreshing!" With that, he also downed his wine in one go.

Putting down his cup, Yang Gun remarked, "Though this is fine wine, the flavor is somewhat mild."

Lin Rinzhao chuckled. "The northern lands have a fierce folk custom, and the wine they drink is exceptionally potent. Jun'ai is perhaps unaccustomed to this?"

Filling their cups again, Yang Lian looked at Yang Gun and said, "It is precisely for this reason that the true character of heroes is revealed."

Yang Gun burst into laughter, drank another cup of fine wine, and then looked at Yang Lian with an inquiring glint in his eyes. "Dare I ask, General Yang, what constitutes a hero?"

"A hero is one who harbors soaring ambitions in his breast and possesses the breadth of spirit to embrace the four seas. In times of chaos such as this, he should all the more rescue the common people from water and fire, deliver them from upside-down suspension, unify the realm, and restore the rivers and mountains of the Han house, so as not to fail the stature of a seven-foot frame. Jun'ai, what do you think?" Yang Lian said, casting a meaningful glance at Yang Gun.

Yang Gun smiled faintly. With the world in great turmoil today, anyone with such ambitions deserved to be called a hero. Yet, since he was currently serving the Khitans, some thoughts were inconvenient to voice aloud, leaving him no choice but to smile and say, "What General Yang says is entirely true; such indeed is a hero."

Lin Rinzhao glanced at Yang Gun and frowned slightly. No matter what, Yang Gun was after all a Khitan envoy, and certain things ought not to be spoken.

Yang Lian continued, "With the world currently embroiled in strife and heroes emerging in droves, who does Jun'ai consider to be a hero?"

After a brief meditation, Yang Gun replied, "The Great Liao's Grand Progenitor united the Khitans, defeated tribes such as the Yuewu, Wugu, and the Six Xi, and was hailed by his countrymen as 'Azhu Shali'. The Shiwei, Jurchens, and Bohai all submitted to him—can he be considered a hero?"

Lin Rinzhao took a small sip of wine, feeling somewhat displeased in his heart. Strictly speaking, Yelü Abaoji, the Grand Progenitor of Liao, could indeed be considered a hero, but from the standpoint of a Han Chinese, he believed Yelü Abaoji was nothing more than a butcher.

Yang Lian waved his hand and said, "Though the Grand Progenitor of Liao was remarkable, in Yang Lian's heart, he is still not counted as a hero!"