Fates Parallel Chapter 343 - Politic

Over the next week, more delegates arrived at the sect each representing the interests of their respective sects. The Bai clan patriarch was among the first to arrive, naturally joined by Bai Lin—Yoshika didn’t bother meeting with them.

As they arrived, Yoshika was forced to bear strategy meetings with Yue as they discussed the complicated political web they were about to walk into. Joined by Xin Wei and Guan Yi, the four of them sat around a dining table covered by a large map of the empire while Yue tried to break it down for Yoshika.

“We’ll start with the ones you already know. We’re here, in the center of Qingchuan province. This and the surrounding areas are controlled by the Spiritual Flowing Purewater Sect.”

Yue indicated a place on the southeastern side of the map, not nearly as far from the edge as she’d expected. It had taken months of travel to arrive here from the border—just how huge was the Qin Empire?

“The Great Sects can very roughly be split into northern and southern regional factions. While the Flowing Purewater is no longer treated as a great sect, we are nevertheless one of the most powerful groups in the southern region.”

Xin Wei chuckled.

“‘We’? You speak as though we’ve already married, dear fiancee.”

Yue smiled sweetly as she retorted, her words dripping with a kind of saccharine venom that only she could manage.

“Don’t be so silly, dear. If we were married, I’d be calling it the Awakening Dragon.”

Xin grimaced, but Yue ignored him as she went on.

“Speaking of which—they are located here, at Coiling Dragon Peak within the Panlong province, right at the heart of the empire.”

Sure enough, she indicated an area practically dead center of the map.

“The Great Awakening Dragon is the most powerful of the northern sects, and probably the most powerful sect period. The northern sects generally have close ties to the imperial family and have a very internally focused viewpoint. Never mind the fact that they are all allied with Yan De, it will be difficult to convince them to take external threats seriously.”

Yue moved back down to the lower half of the map, indicating the region right below the Flowing Purewater.

“Among the southern sects, you’ve already met the Bai clan’s Labyrinthine Forest of Unbreakable Threads. Normally they wouldn’t be worth mentioning, but they’ve been trying to take the Flowing Purewater’s place as a great sect ever since they lost their status.”

Xin Wei crossed his arms and grumbled.

“They’re only ‘southern’ in terms of geography. They are more closely aligned with the northern sects politically.”

Yue nodded.

“Which, along with their unorthodox cultivation methods, is probably what has held them back from achieving the status they sought until now. However, with the explicit support of the Awakening Dragon, they have a much stronger claim to legitimacy. Even if Yan De fails to conquer the Flowing Purewater via my marriage, should the Bai achieve the status of a great sect, we’re just as doomed.”

Yoshika scratched her head.

“How does that work?”

Xin Wei sighed.

“Technically we still control the territory beyond our province only because the other southern sects are giving my father face by not claiming them. We are a great sect in name only, but we have a strong reputation and good relationships within our faction.”

“Really? I was starting to think we only had enemies within the empire.”

Yue shook her head.

“Not at all—let’s discuss potential allies, starting with the last of the sects you already know. The Austere Mountain Sect controls the southernmost territories, and appropriately represents exactly what defines the southern faction.”

She traced a finger along the southern border of the map, following the line east towards the edge of the map before continuing back upwards.

“The ‘frontier,’ as it’s officially known—or simply the border. The empire is large, and northerners tend to forget that there’s an entire world that exists outside of it.”

Xin scoffed.

“You’re a northerner.”

“Yes, which means I have first-hand experience. Try to keep up. The southern sects, on the other hand, have no choice but to face that reality on a regular basis. When Yamato tries to expand northward, it is the Austere Mountain that must fight them back. When unchecked magical beasts invade from Goryeon lands, it is the Silver Orchard that drives them off.”

Yoshika cocked her head.

“Silver Orchard?”

“We’ll get to them. The point is, the southern faction takes a much more keen interest in foreign affairs. Did you know that the Austere Mountain isn’t controlled by a single clan or lineage? They choose their elders by undergoing strict trials, and even their grandmaster is chosen the same way. Apparently inspired by Yamato’s military leadership.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t sound like ally material. And aren’t they already fighting with the Flowing Purewater over Bai’s territory?”

Yue nodded.

“They are, but that’s actually good for us. They don’t want to see the Bai’s status uplifted any more than we do, and that territory can be a good bargaining chip. Furthermore, they’ve been forced to bear most of the burden of the empire’s increased aggression, which has been pushed on them by Sovereign Shen and the northern faction. The other sects send them token support, but it’s not enough.”

“So they’ll be interested in a peace agreement so that they don’t have to keep spending their own resources on continuing the war.”

“Exactly. We’ll have to take care with that angle, though. They do harbor a certain level of resentment for the foreign ‘barbarians’ responsible for those losses, and it’s possible that the northern factions will sway them with promises of increased support. They’ll also be irate about somebody killing one of their branch sect’s grandmasters, but Xiulan and Ienaga are already handling that.”

Yoshika rubbed her temples, grimacing. This was already getting to be too much.

“Okay...who else should we pay attention to? You mentioned something about Silver Orchard?”

Yue pointed at the eastern edge of the map.

“The last of the major players we need to consider. They are...a complicated one. Their full name is the Illustrious Gate of the Silver Orchard. And where the Austere Mountain is actually quite weak for a great sect, the Silver Orchard is a serious rival to the Awakening Dragon.”

Yoshika sat forward.

“Really? How come I’ve never heard of them?”

“Two reasons—first, you’re a country bumpkin who is willfully ignorant of anything not directly in front of her face.”

“Ouch...”

Yue ignored her protest and went on.

“Second, they are quite insular. They did not send a single disciple to attend the Grand Academy of Spiritual, Marial, and Arcane Arts, and were quite vocal against it before, during, and after its rise and fall. They don’t like cooperating with other sects, much less foreigners, and largely keep to themselves unless forced to do otherwise.”

“Yue, that sounds like the exact opposite of a potential ally. How are we supposed to get a bunch of raving xenophobes on our side?”

“Normally I’d agree, but there’s an important factor in our favor—they hate Sovereign Shen. They’ve begrudgingly accepted the authority granted him by the God-Emperor, but vocally expressed their disdain for him as a foreign influence. There was an incident last year where Shen took several of their most promising young demon hunters on an expedition east, and the entire unit was wiped out—they’ve refused to cooperate with him since.”

Yoshika went pale.

“Uh...that...might have been us...”

Yue blinked.

“I beg your pardon?”

“We were attacked by a group of demon hunters on our way from Yamato to Goryeo last year. They were being led by Sovereign Shen, but he didn’t intervene until after we’d killed them. We only escaped because Jianmo showed up and distracted him.”

There was a long, awkward silence before Guan Yi quietly cleared his throat.

“Perhaps you should keep that detail to yourself during the talks.”

Xin Wei snorted incredulously.

“You think?!”

Ignoring their banter, Yue furrowed her brows and bit her thumbnail in a familiar expression of deep contemplation.

“No, maybe we shouldn’t...”

Xin’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you kidding me? ‘Oh, hello there! I know you’re isolationists, but I just wanted to say that I killed a bunch of your star pupils last year, in case that makes you more inclined to support me.’ Yue, you’re a brilliant woman, but I don’t see it working.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Not if we frame it like that, you dullard. Think about it—they were already chafing under Shen’s authority, and they don’t support any foreign interference. He not only used their prized demon hunters for a political assassination, but he didn’t provide any aid until after they’d all been slain!”

Guan Yi nodded.

“Yoshika and company were only defending themselves against something the Silver Orchard would have never ordered their elites to do in the first place. It might not earn us their favor, but it would be a significant blow to Sovereign Shen’s influence in the southern faction—and Yan De’s by extension.”

“Exactly. Besides, they are the sect nearest to the demonic enclave, and I’ve heard rumors that they’ve suffered some severe losses from the raiding. I think they might be more open than usual to any arrangement that moves towards ending that threat.”

Yoshika let out an exasperated sigh.

“Great. So our ‘allies’ are actually just people who might hate us slightly less than our outright enemies—if we can talk them into it—our enemies are the most powerful groups in the country and have the authority of the actual emperor on their side, and we need to somehow navigate forming a peace treaty while also stopping Yan De from completing his real objective—which we don’t actually know—oh, and also stop your shitty marriage from happening.”

Xin Wei bowed dramatically.

“Welcome to the Qin Empire.”

Yue covered her mouth and giggled.

“I did warn you that coming here was a trap. The simple fact of that matter is that we are not going to win everything. We will have to make concessions and let some matters go. It’s just a question of figuring out what we can afford to lose, and what we stand to gain. We may not know Yan De’s real objective, but everything is a means to an end for him. Stopping him from taking over the sect will be a good start.”

“Oh, is that all? Misun was right—we’re doomed.”

“Our chances of success are vanishingly small, yes. But that’s never stopped you in the past, and I don’t imagine it will stop you now.”

Yoshika slumped down in her seat and buried her face in her hands.

“This is different. I can’t hide from this problem until I get strong enough to punch it in the face, or blow it up. Unless—”

“No. Whatever you were about to say, perish that thought. You’re right, this is not something you can cultivate your way out of, but you are not powerless. You have more leverage than you think. Most of the grandmasters don’t know that you have the Yan clan’s awakening stone, and Yan De would very much like to keep it that way. Besides that, you have the weight of two entire nations at your back—act like it!”

“The way Kaede pulled the strings, I don’t know if Yamato is as committed to it as all that, but I see your point.”

Yue crossed her arms and nodded.

“Indeed. You are not Lee Jia, the street orphan or An Eui the exile. You are Ambassador Yoshika of the Yamato-Goryeo alliance! When you speak, you carry the words of Shoguns and Queens—and by the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be able to wield that power with eloquence and grace.”

Yoshika buried her face in her hands and groaned.

“Why not just kill me now and get it over with?”

Unfortunately for Yoshika, Yue was not nearly so merciful.