Eight men sat in two rows inside a secret chamber at the Prince of Badong's Residence.
On the left were Tao Rui, administrative officer of the provincial deliberations bureau (director of the provincial policy research office); Xue Shao, recording adjutant (director of the Military Headquarters' general office); Liu Chaozhi, Army Commander of the Guangmu Army; and Feng Quanzu, Army Commander of the Jiang'an Army.
The four on the right were the Prince of Badong's private advisers: Kong Changyu, Li Jingxuan, Chen Qiming, and Guo Wenyuan. Apart from Kong Changyu, who held a nominal appointment, the other three had no official posts.
The men traded arguments back and forth, locked in a heated dispute. The Prince of Badong sat at the head, tapping his fingers against the Ring-Pommel Long Saber, his expression unusually grave.
"...Mr. Chen, saying that only shows your unfamiliarity with the workings of the Imperial Court.
"The Wenyang Man may be a small tribe, but they are not a commandery or county.
"The eight extremities and nine wildernesses, the myriad lands and peoples beyond the four borders-these were called the myriad kingdoms in ancient times.
"In terms of territory, they lie within our borders; in terms of customs, they are truly outside our realm.
"What is so strange about sending an envoy bearing a staff of authority?
"Besides, this concerns the Hedong Liu Clan, and the captive is a duke's son. First, the Imperial Court wishes to negotiate his rescue. Second, it wishes to warn the other tribes not to follow suit. Without a staff of authority, how could the envoy establish his credentials? And how could he make decisions as circumstances demand-"
"Decisions-that is precisely the crux!"
Chen Qiming cut Tao Rui off, speaking rapidly:
"Those decisions could concern the tribes, or they could concern Jingzhou. How