Chapter 919: Peace Talks
Sage Qingwei saw matters with perfect clarity. The Tenmon Sect had no true intention of peace. This so-called negotiation was nothing more than a delay tactic. They required time to fortify their defenses and expand their forces. If the Daoist Order were lulled by this talk of peace, pinning their hopes upon negotiations, then they might well hesitate in launching their next offensive, as they would seek victory without battle, thereby missing their best opportunity to strike.
Yet the Daoist Order’s own intent was equally clear. They sought to claim the mantle of righteousness. The Tenmon Sect could play its own game, while the Daoist Order played its own. Each of them would take what they needed.
For the Daoist Order, quelling a rebellion was not difficult. The challenge lay in winning the people’s hearts, in ensuring that all of Fenglin would turn their allegiance once the war was over. So it did not matter if their enemy built fortifications for another three more months.
Tsu Castle, being one of Ise Province’s strongholds, was filled with shrines. But negotiations between the Daoist Order and the Tenmon Sect could not be held within a shrine. Fortunately, there were also many Buddhist temples.
In the end, the Daoist Order chose to hold the talks at Shitenno-ji, located outside the city walls.
Beyond its convenient location outside the city, Shitenno-ji was modeled after the monastery layouts of the Central Plains, aligned along a north-south axis: beginning with the Central Gate, followed by the Pagoda, the Golden Hall, Lecture Hall, Six-Times Hall, Prince’s Hall, Five Wisdom Light Hall, the Great Master Gansan Hall, and the Abbot’s Quarters.
Shitenno-ji, or the Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings, encompassed four institutions. Kyoden-in functioned as a monastic training hall; Shiyaku-in was a dispensary providing food and medicine to the needy; Ryobyo-in housed sick patients; and Hiden-in sheltered the elderly and poor.
This time, the negotiations were to be held in the Kyoden-in, which was located in the Golden Hall.
A gentle breeze swept the wheat fields, and a fine spring drizzle bathed the groves of plum trees.
“The nine so-called ‘peace conditions’ proposed by the Daoist Order might as well be renamed as a demand for surrender!” An elderly jokai-rank shinkan scoffed as he stood upon the steps before the Central Gate of the Shitenno-ji. He did not wear a headdress, and his long white brows quivered in the spring breeze. “Or, to borrow the words of the Westerners, this is nothing but an ultimatum!”
Another shinkan wearing a tall headdress added, “In warfare, only those who can defend are fit to attack. In governance, only those who can wage war are fit to negotiate peace. To attempt offense without defense is swift defeat; to make peace without the capability to fight is mere surrender. In simpler terms, as long as one can hold firm, there is always recourse. Yet, we failed to hold our ground.
“Maeda Masao proved inept. Nearly 100,000 troops were lost in a total rout. Sosen, Katsura Yoshiyuki, and Amemori Unko all fell in battle. Princess Tamako was captured. Only Sarutobi Shosai managed to escape. How can we gain what we couldn’t win on the battlefield at the talks? That’s why the Daoist Order’s nine harsh conditions are neither unexpected nor unreasonable.”