Chapter 1361: and then the title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list of named entities

Black Sand City is just a small town three li in length and width; the place where Su Yuchi entertained guests is located at the Guanlan Tower near the east gate of Black Sand City, merely a two-story building, and also the only tower building within Black Sand City.

The interior and exterior of Guanlan Tower had already been cleared; tonight only one table was arranged.

Upon hearing Hu Xiaotian's arrival, Su Yuchi personally went to the gate to welcome him; even though they were on opposing sides, Su Yuchi couldn't help but admire Hu Xiaotian's boldness—he was the only one among the three invited parties daring to personally enter his controlled territory, and tonight's banquet he dared to attend with only a single attendant.

Su Yuchi clasped his fists and smiled: "It's been nearly half a year since we parted in Dongliang Jun; fortunately, Sir Hu, your bearing remains as before."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "General Su, you're growing stronger with age!"

Yuan Qing Shan behind Su Yuchi's face darkened; Su Yuchi is forty-one this year, not yet old, and Hu Xiaotian's remark clearly shows disrespect.

However, Su Yuchi didn't mind, making an inviting gesture and saying: "Please!"

Hu Xiaotian stepped into the Viewing Waves Pavilion; the group went up to the second floor where food and drinks were already prepared. Su Yuchi invited Hu Xiaotian to sit, while Yuan Qing Shan asked Huo Shengnan to go downstairs to take his seat—two tables of food had been specially prepared there, originally intended for Hu Xiaotian's attendants, yet unexpectedly he had brought only a single attendant on this trip.

Huo Shengnan said indifferently: "I'm not hungry!"

Actually, Yuan Qing Shan's true intention was to send her away, giving Hu Xiaotian and Su Yuchi a chance to speak privately.

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Shengnan, go wait for me."

Huo Shengnan then nodded and went downstairs together with Yuan Qing Shan.

Su Yuchi and Hu Xiaotian drank three cups together, then he said: "I originally thought Sir Hu wouldn't come in person."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Why would General Su think that? Do you think I dare not come? Or have you set a trap here so that I would go in and never come out?"

Su Yuchi chuckled: "Sir Hu, you really speak humorously!"

Hu Xiaotian gently set down his cup and said: "This isn't humor at all, and I rarely joke when discussing serious matters."

The smile on Su Yuchi's face gradually faded: "Sir Hu, are you doubting my sincerity?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Compared to sincerity, I need a reason that can convince me. I am a rebel minister of Dakang, while General Su is a senior official of the court, a loyal and steadfast general—the pillar of the Dakang state. You invite me to drink; surely you need a reason."

Su Yuchi nodded: "Of course there must be a reason; I invited you all here to achieve a ceasefire and halt hostilities, ensuring the autumn harvest proceeds smoothly."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "General Su, do you place great importance on this autumn harvest?"

Su Yuchi replied: "Dakang has suffered year after year from natural disasters, with famine never ceasing. After great difficulty we have welcomed this year's good harvest; if this autumn yields a bumper crop, the people of the Donghua Plain will be able to fill their stomachs. Regardless of whether our positions align, who would not wish to see the people suffering from hunger and cold?"

Hu Xiaotian asked: "After the harvest, will we still have to fight the wars we ought to fight?"

Su Yuchi fell silent; in fact, this peace talk was merely an expedient measure—Hu Xiaotian is a Dakang rebel. If the court were to order him to raise troops for suppression, he would surely give his all; it puzzles Su Yuchi that the court has not yet issued an order to launch a punitive expedition, perhaps because the court has fully considered the current national situation. Employing military force against Hu Xiaotian would be inappropriate and would only worsen the domestic crisis. Were it not for this autumn's bumper harvest, Su Yuchi could not possibly sit at the same table with this Dakang rebel, drinking and chatting happily.

Hu Xiaotian said: "General Su truly is compassionate toward heaven and pitying the people. For this autumn's bumper harvest he spares no effort to compromise and seek peace, gathering rebel ministers and traitors together. All he wants is for us to temporarily cease hostilities and lay down arms, but no matter how you look at it, this is merely an expedient measure. Even if we do not fight this year, what about next year? And if we don't fight next year, who can guarantee we won't fight the year after? To be frank, this round of talks of yours seems more like self-deception."

Su Yuchi said: "I only wish to grant the common people a moment's respite; if this autumn yields a bumper harvest, how many lives could be saved, how many people given hope, enabling them to muster the courage to rebuild their homes."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "General Su, do you not understand the principle that national peace brings people's well-being? When the state is not tranquil, where can the common folk find any peace and prosperity?"

Su Yuchi replied: "If it were not for your rebellion against the court, your carving out independent domains, how could the nation have fallen into today's chaos?"

Hu Xiaotian burst into loud laughter; a hint of displeasure appeared on Su Yuchi's face—was what I said not a fact? What's there to laugh about in that remark?

Hu Xiaotian said: "In this world, every effect has a cause; General Su only sees the result, not the cause that produced it. Continuous natural disasters, heaven's wrath and people's resentment—ultimately it stems from the emperor's foolish incompetence and the disorder of the court. General Su, surely you recall the rebellion of the laborers who were building the imperial mausoleum years ago?"

Su Yuchi nodded; he certainly remembered. The imperial mausoleum conscripted laborers' revolt: fifty thousand laborers attacked and killed the mausoleum guards, then fled northwest to seek refuge with Guo Guangbi of Prosperous Prefecture. At that time he was responsible for suppressing these rebels; later the court secretly issued a secret edict ordering him to slow his march, make a show of force, and drive the laborers into Prosperous Prefecture's territory—even so, along the way he also saw countless laborers' corpses lying in the wilderness from hunger and cold; the scene remained vivid in his memory. Whenever he thought of it, Su Yuchi felt deep remorse, believing the deaths of those fleeing laborers were closely tied to him. Yet duty bound, he could not disobey the court's orders.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Those laborers rebelled because of the court's oppressive policies—their property was confiscated, the money squandered by the emperor, not only that, they were also conscripted to build the imperial mausoleum; the emperor supersticiously believed in immortality, and for the construction of this mausoleum how many more people starved or died from overwork, moreover countless perished under torture by the overseers. If they could not endure the oppression, how could they avoid taking the road to rebellion and treason? As the saying goes, officials force the people to rebel, the people have no choice but to rebel."

A twitch crossed Su Yuchi's lip as he coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian: "The court has treated your father and son well; why then did they rebel in succession?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; as a subject one must willingly be the emperor's pawn, whether what he has you do is right or wrong we must obey absolutely—this so-called loyalty lets us set aside our principles, discard morality and conscience, disregarding right and wrong, good and evil; it is foolish loyalty, certainly not righteousness."

Su Yuchi snapped: "It's merely an excuse you're looking for to justify your treason!"

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Treason? What constitutes treason? When Long Yelin usurped the throne and drove the former emperor from it, was that not treason? After his ascension, civil and military officials submitted to his lascivious might, performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows, honoring him as emperor—are these officials not guilty of treason?"

Su Yuchi was left speechless by Hu Xiaotian's question; in fact, when Long Yelin drove the former emperor from the throne, he too had chosen to submit—in that case he is merely a go‑with‑the‑flow rebel minister.

Hu Xiaotian added: "After Long Xuan'en successfully restored the throne, how many officials immediately changed their ways, and how many rushed to absolve themselves by throwing stones into the well? Upon returning to power, Long Xuan'en not only failed to feel remorse and mend his ways, but instead exacerbated the situation, doubling down on exploiting the people, disregarding Dakang's plight and caring only for his own private interests—is he not in the wrong?"

Su Yuchi lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp; after a long while he said: "Indeed, the emperor has done things improperly."

"You know the emperor is wrong, yet you still serve him—are you not helping a tiger to do harm?"

Su Yuchi sighed: "I have indeed done many things against my conscience, but as a Dakang official I ought to obey the emperor's orders—if the sovereign commands a minister to die, the minister cannot refuse to die."

Hu Xiaotian scoffed: "General Su, you are truly loyal—if the emperor now issued an order for you to immediately attack me, would you carry it out?"

Su Yuchi fixed his gaze on Hu Xiaotian's face and slowly nodded.

Hu Xiaotian said: "You just spoke of caring for the populace of this region and of ceasing hostilities—hehe, it turns out it's all deceitful nonsense."

Su Yuchi said: "I have not deceived you; I am merely a martial officer in charge of Yunyang City, with only tens of thousands of troops under my command—I only wish to do what lies within my ability, merely to help these people." His words were sincere and heartfelt, utterly devoid of any falsehood.

Hu Xiaotian, however, knew Su Yuchi was merely indulging in wishful thinking; he lifted his cup but did not hurry to drain it, and said softly: "Even if I agreed to your proposal, I doubt Guo Guangbi would consent; as far as I know, the situation in Prosperous Prefecture is bleak—they missed the spring planting, so this autumn they cannot expect a good harvest, and their stored grain is already running low. Do you really think they will willingly cooperate with us to finish this year's autumn harvest? What's in it for them?"

Su Yuchi replied: "If he resorts to burning, killing, and looting, it would be a lose‑lose situation."

Hu Xiaotian said: "He might not loot now—aren't you afraid he'll bide his time and seize the grain when the harvest comes?"

Su Yuchi clenched his fists and said: "If he dares, I will make him taste the bitterness of violating the agreement."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "You're not afraid I'll stab you in the back?"

Su Yuchi, astonished, opened his mouth wide and remained unable to close it for a long while; Hu Xiaotian did not seem to be joking with himself—given his intellect, he would certainly not let such a good opportunity slip.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Guo Guangbi cares for no principles; as long as he can survive, he doesn't mind whether the grain is home‑grown or seized. In fact, people are all like that—isn't our emperor likewise plundering the people? The only difference is that he sits on the throne, wielding supreme power, which makes such action seem natural; he and Guo Guangbi are both thieves, with no real difference between them."

Su Yuchi said: "You must not slander His Majesty in my presence."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Do you know I gave up a fine position as prince consort to become a rebel hated by both gods and men?"

Su Yuchi gazed at Hu Xiaotian; although he strove to control himself, his eyes still betrayed his anticipation for the answer.

Four more—this chapter goes to my alliance leader, a dull blade sharpened over ten years; Zhangyu is an old reader and old alliance leader who has followed me from the medical arts all the way to now—nothing more to say, it's all in my heart. Precisely because of brothers like you supporting me, Zhangyu has been able to persist to this day; together I thank all brothers and sisters who have supported me. Um, if you have monthly tickets and recommendation votes, don't forget to cast them for me! (To be continued... ~^~)