Zhang Zongshi said, "The masters of the two halls and two lands cannot give Void Sage Fang direct help in this matter, but they still count as part of Void Sage Fang's strength—enough to make the Miscellaneous School wary of acting rashly."
The old Academy Student said helplessly, "You previously served in the Governor-General's Office, so you should know Qing Kingdom's current situation. Now, Qing Kingdom's scholars and major forces have twisted themselves into a single rope, launching their final counterattack. Succeed, and they live; fail, and they die trying. The Miscellaneous School is their last chance. Others may not know it, but we of Xiang Prefecture should be able to see that Qing Kingdom and the Miscellaneous School have already gone all out."
A Provincial Graduate echoed, "I just returned from Qing Kingdom a few days ago and found that anti-Jing sentiment within Qing Kingdom was running extremely high. Even those who had previously approved of Void Sage Fang stopped saying a single good word about him in order to support Qing Kingdom. Many Qing Kingdom people now shared similar views. They believed Qing Kingdom had indeed been wrong before, but they also believed Jing Kingdom's punishment had been too harsh, leaving Qing Kingdom's people unable to see any hope and forcing them into a battle with their backs to the river."
Zhang Zongshi froze for a moment. "So that was it. I left the Governor-General's Office not long ago and spent these past days at home reviewing the Classics of the Sages, so I did not understand Qing Kingdom's domestic situation. Could it be that, under Jing Kingdom's pressure, Qing Kingdom was actually roused awake and became even more united?"
The old Academy Student sighed. "That is exactly what worries me most. Once Qing Kingdom and the Miscellaneous