Chapter 940: Parting Ways

Wang Yu pondered for a long time, unconsciously drinking several cups of wine until his cheeks flushed slightly.

Dang!

He set the wine cup down heavily on the table and angrily snapped: "This lousy wine from Nan Jun is all fame and no substance; after just a few cups, my head is already spinning and swelling."

"You say wine doesn't intoxicate people, people intoxicate themselves; Nan Jun has many fine wines, but this is the best I've ever had—too bad it's a bit young, lacking depth." Guo Shuhan shook his head.

Wang Yu neither agreed nor disagreed, letting out a soft sigh and saying: "Maybe."

He paused, glanced at Guo Shuhan, and asked: "Is this truly the only road we can take?"

"After thinking it over, I suppose this is the only way." Guo Shuhan said.

"Our two prefectures' forces combined are no more than thirty thousand; even with massive recruitment, we likely won't exceed a hundred thousand in the short term."

"Even with a hundred thousand men, who do you think we could stand against? It would be a waste of money and lives. Though we don't yet know the combat strength of the Court's Bīngmǎ, its numerical superiority is clear—four times ours—making victory unlikely."

"As for Chen Wuji, even less need to mention—his troops are all forged from countless battles. They previously fought the Qiang people, skilled in horse archery; even if our numbers matched theirs, raw soldiers who've never seen battle and veterans of countless fights are worlds apart."

"Brother Ningyuan, I don't believe you haven't considered this simple question? You're just muddled right now—since the facts are laid out, accept them; don't struggle in vain."

Guo Shuhan seemed to see through everything; after speaking, he continued to focus on the bunch of grapes, occasionally pairing them with a glass of fine wine.

By then, little wine remained, and only the very tip of the grape bunch was left.

Wang Yu glanced, rose, took another bottle from the box in the corner, and set it aside, remarking: "Their bottle design is actually not bad—much more pleasing to the eye than those wine jars."

Da Yu had no concept of bottled wine; everywhere, liquor was stored in uniformly sized jars, even bamboo-tube wine was first placed in a vat then transferred to a bamboo tube.

Wang Yu never imagined that the things he praised and worried about at this moment all came from one person's hand.

After pouring and drinking a cup, Wang Yu heaved a bitter breath and said: "I truly don't want to be a traitorous official; I know Da Yu is nearing its end, and the court is held by a gang of corrupt officials, yet I still wish to persevere..."

"In life, one should not seek profit above all; I wish to leave a name of loyalty and righteousness for my descendants, so that when they speak of me as their ancestor, they will raise their brows proudly, heads held high, rather than being pointed at and cursed as a traitor."

Guo Shuhan nodded, saying: "But if you now choose loyalty and righteousness, your allegiance would not be to the Court but to those corrupt officials; moreover, if nothing unexpected happens, you'll likely have to pick one of them to side with."

Wang Yu shook his head, saying: "What I mean is, I won't ally with anyone—I am loyal only to the Court!"

Guo Shuhan abruptly stopped, looked at Wang Yu with astonishment, and said: "Brother Ningyuan, you're courting death—what good does that do?"

"Yes, the two words loyalty and righteousness are enough!" Wang Yu, as if having made up his mind, gave a relaxed smile and raised his cup in a toast to Guo Shuhan.

"Before coming to see Brother Qingming, I had already properly settled my family; my children are decent, they haven't misbehaved because of my status, and they should be able to carry on the Wang family's incense."

"Whether I live long or short makes little difference to me. Just as I once devoted myself to building waterworks and roads in An Sai Zhou, I believe only meaningful pursuits are what a person should truly strive for in life; everything else is mere fleeting clouds."

"I can't utter those flowery phrases, but in my view, a person's life amounts to three things: doing meaningful work, enabling others to do meaningful work, and continuing the family line."

"The first two constitute living; the third proves we have lived."

Guo Shuhan clapped his hands in admiration, saying: "Brother Ningyuan, that grand argument of yours is truly astonishing."

"Just a modest opinion—Brother Qingming certainly saw my earlier hesitation and anguish; this decision, though it's what I truly want in my heart, is still extremely hard to commit to." Wang Yu raised his cup again, saying: "I'm not afraid of death, but of pain; being struck by knives and axes would surely be agonizing, and I don't know if they could grant me a somewhat easier death."

Guo Shuhan didn't drink that cup; instead, he flipped his hand and poured the wine onto the ground, saying: "I'll now offer an early memorial to Brother Ningyuan; for the rest of my life, I'll miss you."

Wang Yu's expression froze, his face darkening: "Guo Shuhan, you beast!"

"Brother Ningyuan, don't get angry—no one knows what death is like; even if I memorialize you every anniversary, you wouldn't know. Let's do it now, though it's a bit abrupt and rude, but at least you'll see my sincere heart." Guo Shuhan soothed.

Wang Yu's mouth twitched violently: "Where's your sincerity?"

"My heart is sincere, yet sorrowful." Guo Shuhan lamented.

"I have few true friends in life, and you, Wang Yu, are the one I've opened my heart to most; how could I not grieve that you'll leave before me? But since you're still sitting here alive and well, I can't bring myself to kneel before you and weep openly—just consider that I've already cried."

……

Wang Yu clenched his fists, really wanting to beat that damned thing to death.

The good mood and the words he had prepared to say were scattered by his tossing about, vanishing instantly, impossible to recall.

Rolling his eyes in speechlessness, Wang Yu chose to ignore Guo Shuhan and ate his vegetables in silence.

Already dizzy and swollen-headed from drink, Guo Shuhan's few words made it even worse.

He needed to eat a bite of vegetables to calm down.

"Don't advise me like that—I'm often indecisive, but once I make up my mind, I never change it!" Wang Yu cleared both plates, wiped his mouth, and spoke seriously.

Guo Shuhan looked at him calmly, nodded, and said: "I know you well enough; I know advising you is useless, so I'll stop. Shall I pour you another memorial cup? I'll keep it stored underground—this wine is superb, and I fear I may not find such a bottle later."

"Thanks, but no—I don't like this wine; it's too strong!" Wang Yu grunted.

Guo Shuhan laughed heartily, but his laughter soon turned into long sighs.

"Having eaten and drunk my fill, I should go now; since I've made this decision, there'll be plenty to keep me busy." Wang Yu rose, gave Guo Shuhan a deep look, and said: "Whatever you plan to do, give me a heads‑up beforehand."

Get lost!

Hmm!