Chapter 82 - The First Battle with the Crown Prince

"Ancestors were once a major family in the martial world; back then, the Dongshan Tie family, before entering the imperial court, was also a force to be reckoned with." Tie Butian never turned around, continuing to speak slowly, "But once a martial force becomes the ruler of the court, it must follow the rules of the court; the methods of the martial world can govern a family or a region, but they cannot govern a country; this is the limitation of the martial world."

"Therefore, at such a moment, one must give up some things to gain others. And what is often given up is... the meritorious ministers! The martial world is a world of brothers, while the court is a world of lords and ministers! If a minister treats the lord as a brother, he will inevitably be purged by the lord! Throughout history, when the cunning rabbit is dead, the running dog is cooked; when the flying bird is gone, the fine bow is hidden; when the war is over, the iron cavalry is disbanded; when the lord and minister rise, the brothers fall!"

"This may seem heartless, but it is necessary! All those who lament the fate of the running dog are failures. A lord, after giving up these, must also bear the eternal condemnation; only by bearing all this can one be a qualified lord! Governing a country cannot rely on emotions or brotherhood; it must rely on means and law. This is the greatest contradiction between the court and the martial world!"

Chu Yang furrowed his brow, deeply pondering these words, trying to guess what Tie Butian meant by saying this.

"Therefore, the king must be heartless!" Tie Butian concluded, "Because if the king has feelings, he cannot govern the country well. Everyone knows the value and reliability of brothers; but when a brother becomes arrogant and powerful, even if it is clear that the brother remains loyal, one must still painfully remove him. Only in the dead of night, when one is alone, can one shed silent tears, or face the world's condemnation in broad daylight!"

"Such a price is paid to ensure political stability and peace in the world!"

Tie Butian turned around and looked at Chu Yang, "Mr. Chu has no interest in the court. Mr. Chu came to Tieyun to use the power of Tieyun, as a martial person, to bring down the Fifth Qingrou!"

Tie Butian said deeply, "This is Mr. Chu's greatest purpose in coming to Tieyun!"

"Mr. Chu does not want to be a minister to Butian, but to cooperate with Butian. To become a different kind of brother; what Butian cannot do, Mr. Chu will accomplish in the way of the martial world; this is Mr. Chu's method, approach, and mindset!"

"The reason is that Mr. Chu has the pride of a martial person! This pride will not let Mr. Chu willingly submit to anyone! Nor will he willingly be controlled by others."

He smiled slightly, with a hint of sorrow, and asked slowly, "Mr. Chu, does Butian speak correctly?"

Chu Yang was startled, looking into Tie Butian's clear, seemingly pure eyes, his heart trembling. This Tie Butian had, in their first conversation, figured out his thoughts.

Such a keen mind made Chu Yang's evaluation of this Crown Prince Butian rise to a new level immediately!

"The Crown Prince is correct," Chu Yang said with a half-lowered gaze, "That is exactly what I mean."

"Ha ha..." Tie Butian smiled bitterly, lost in thought for a moment, then said, "Today, in my first meeting with Mr. Chu, I want to make this clear. Because if Mr. Chu acts with this mindset, there will be a conflict between us, and this conflict is the irreconcilable contradiction between the court and the martial world."

"The Crown Prince worries too much," Chu Yang said coolly, "The conflict the Crown Prince is concerned about is a conflict after the world is at peace; but I have no interest in the power of the court. Once the Fifth Qingrou is defeated, from that moment on, the Crown Prince will never see me again!"

"I know, I know Mr. Chu will make this choice!" Tie Butian sighed deeply, "But I also know that once that moment comes, there will be countless places and countless links in Tieyun that cannot do without Mr. Chu! If Mr. Chu leaves, it will cause irrepressible turmoil within Tieyun!"

"Crown Prince, may I ask how old the Crown Prince is?" Chu Yang asked.

"Nineteen years have passed," Tie Butian's eyes held a faint melancholy and disappointment.

"The Crown Prince is too deeply immersed in the art of power and the ways of the emperor," Chu Yang said sharply, "Everything is measured by the court, judged by cunning, evaluated by interest, and viewed from the perspective of the big picture; this is too tiring and unnecessary!"

"The Crown Prince has so many concerns, but there is one thing the Crown Prince should consider most now, yet lacks sufficient consideration, and that is life and death, victory and defeat!" Chu Yang said coldly, "Now, Tieyun is like a flickering candle in the wind, on the verge of collapse. The Great Zhao is ten times stronger than Tieyun! With a powerful army and many generals, the ten great generals of the Great Zhao are all capable of winning battles from afar, and the Fifth Qingrou is even more dominant in the Great Zhao, with no miscalculations, a heart as cold as ice, and a view of the world from above, manipulating the chessboard at will!"

"Tieyun may fall at any moment, and the lives of sixty million people hang in the balance. Faced with such a great crisis, the Crown Prince is considering the politics after the world is at peace..." Chu Yang laughed coldly, "I do not know where the Crown Prince gets such great confidence, or perhaps arrogance! But if the Crown Prince faces the Fifth Qingrou with this belief, then I, Chu Yang, might as well retire to the mountains, to avoid the sight and the trouble."

Tie Butian's expression changed, he was startled, and he looked deeply at Chu Yang, then suddenly bowed deeply, "Mr. Chu's words are correct. Butian has learned. Now is indeed not the time to consider these things."

After the meeting, the two had already engaged in a verbal battle.

From the current situation, Chu Yang had a slight advantage.

What Tie Butian said was to dispel Chu Yang's original beliefs, making him willing to be a minister; although what he said was true, it was also overly severe and biased.

Chu Yang's counterattack clearly expressed his unchangeable decision and pointed out the error in Tie Butian's mindset. What he said was also exaggerated; even without Tie Butian's rebuttal, Chu Yang himself knew that Tie Butian, under the pressure of the Fifth Qingrou, could not possibly not consider life and death and victory and defeat.

Tie Butian probably considered it every day, every hour, every moment.

So Chu Yang's counterattack was just exploiting the verbal loopholes, not that Tie Butian really thought that way.

Tie Butian used the entire national situation to pressure Chu Yang, and Chu Yang used the Fifth Qingrou to intimidate, using the life and death of the sixty million people of Tieyun to pressure him.

Both were somewhat exaggerating, but they both understood each other's true intentions and did not directly say them. Because direct speech would be too sharp. Tie Butian could not afford to lose, and Chu Yang could not afford to break ties. A subtle situation formed between the two.

Pushing and pulling, Tie Butian's final show of weakness marked the end of this first verbal battle, indicating that he would not make further efforts in this area today.

"Mr. Chu's words are indeed like a knife," Tie Butian smiled.

"The Crown Prince is also very cautious," Chu Yang smiled in return.

"Mr. Chu, on this journey, has gone to great lengths. First, you appeared with a thunderous impact, making Butian's heart tremble and arousing the desire to recruit you. Then, by helping Doctor Du along the way, you made Doctor Du speak on your behalf, exploiting Butian's eagerness for talent to further arouse my urgency!"

Tie Butian sighed and smiled, "After completing all this, Mr. Chu did not come to see me directly, but used the Heavenly Soldier Pavilion, an offer Tieyun could not refuse, to further increase your weight; directly shaking the upper echelons, making my uncle come to see you in person, and also demonstrating Mr. Chu's insight into the current world, your incisive analysis of the world situation, and your superior wisdom of knowing both yourself and your enemy! Then Mr. Chu sat in the Heavenly Soldier Pavilion, waiting for me to come and invite you, step by step, all according to Mr. Chu's arrangement, proceeding in an orderly manner!"