Outside Jizhou City.

Qingzhou Military Governor Cui Yanlai and Yuzhou Military Governor Liu Li stood waiting together. They spotted a cavalry column approaching from the distance, glanced at each other, and moved out to meet it at the same moment.

Both wore smiles. Both carried an air of deference.

There was something faintly absurd about this reception. In terms of rank and station, Cui Yanlai and Liu Li both far outranked Luo Geng. Luo Geng had been elevated to Third-Rank General less than a year ago; these two were First-Rank officials — regional governors of the highest grade.

Two First-Rank governors paying their respects with such deference to a Third-Rank general was the kind of thing that could never have happened in an age of prosperity.

And yet here, it seemed perfectly natural.

“General Luo!”

Cui Yanlai and Liu Li spoke at the same time and saluted together.

Luo Geng gave a gracious return of face, immediately jumping down from his horse and saluting in return: “This humble officer Luo Geng pays his respects to the two Governors.”

Cui Yanlai and Liu Li each took one of his arms to prevent the bow, and Cui Yanlai smiled: “The General is far too modest — we have already said between us, let’s not stand on rank here. What matters between us is friendship; and in the field, what matters is ability. In that regard, the two of us are no match for you.”

Liu Li smiled: “When it comes to leading armies, General Luo is head and shoulders above us both — so my colleague and I have already discussed it, and we would like to name the General as our commander for this campaign. We are prepared to follow the General’s orders.”

Luo Geng was inwardly quite pleased. These two were obviously speaking for the occasion, and nominating him as commander was probably half to get the Youzhou forces to carry the brunt of the assault — but even so, this kind of treatment was worth a little private satisfaction.

Luo Geng looked at Jizhou City and sighed: “Scholar Zhou was a sage, and the sage once said that war is the most dangerous instrument of state; the ancients warned that weapons are tools of ill omen, to which the sage only resorts when there is no other way… Were it not for the sake of peace in Jizhou, this is a battle I would never want to fight.”

Cui Yanlai said: “The virtue required to possess Jizhou is something only the General commands — for who in the world has a finer reputation? As for Zeng Ling, that wretch is not fit for the position he holds. The suffering of Jizhou these many years is entirely his doing.”

Liu Li added: “The General must also know — there was no banditry in Jizhou’s territory originally. All of it was deliberately allowed by Zeng Ling. The havoc he has wreaked upon Jizhou — we, thinking of the common people, cannot sit by and let it continue.”

Luo Geng smiled: “Since the three of us share the same conviction — all of us wishing to deliver the people of Jizhou from suffering — I will do everything in my power in this fight.”

Cui Yanlai said: “The General has only to give the order. My colleague and I will follow the General’s lead.”

Luo Geng nodded: “In that case, let me first go and observe the situation in Jizhou, and we can decide how to proceed from there.”

With that, he swung back onto his horse. Cui Yanlai and Liu Li did not follow. The two exchanged a glance and both smiled.

Before long, Luo Geng had spurred his horse to within an arrow’s flight of the city wall. He made a signal with his hand toward the wall. Zeng Ling had of course been watching him for some time.

“Is Governor Zeng on the wall?”

Luo Geng called out.

Zeng Ling shouted back from the wall: “General Luo — it’s been a while.”

Luo Geng called: “Governor — is my son well?”

Zeng Ling smiled: “The General can set his mind at ease. Young General Luo and I are old friends who have grown close despite the difference in our ages. He’s staying in my residence right now, eating well, sleeping soundly — the General has no need to worry.”

Luo Geng said: “Then might I ask the Governor to fetch him? I would like to have a word.”

Zeng Ling said: “Better skip that. If the General has something to say, I can relay it.”

Luo Geng smiled: “If my son is staying in the Governor’s residence, why won’t the Governor let him come out to see me? I haven’t seen him in a long time — I miss him greatly. I hope the Governor will oblige.”

Zeng Ling said: “If you miss him, General, why not come inside the city? I can order the gates opened. Surely it’s better to meet your son in person, rather than shouting from this distance?”

Luo Geng said: “If I entered the city, I suspect the Governor would keep me in his residence as well, and I’d get to eat well and sleep soundly alongside my son.”

“Hahahaha—”

Zeng Ling laughed out loud. “There’s no need for us to test each other like this. If the General moves to attack, Young General Luo will of course no longer be eating and sleeping soundly.”

Luo Geng also laughed. They looked nothing like two men about to go to war.

Zeng Ling said: “Then please, in a few days, I’ll bring Young General Luo out to meet you in person — I’ll find the two of you a private place for your reunion outside the city.”

Luo Geng laughed: “A few days, is it? Perhaps it’ll be me taking Young General Luo back, to meet you outside the city walls — I’ll arrange a place where just the two of you can be alone.”

Luo Geng didn’t take offense. He wheeled his horse and returned.

Cui Yanlai saw him coming back and immediately asked: “General — how is it?”

Luo Geng smiled: “Zeng Ling says my son is in his hands. If that were really true, he’d have had him bound to the city wall for me to see long ago.”

Cui Yanlai was elated: “In other words, Young General Luo is safe and sound inside the city, just waiting for the General to begin the assault so he can launch his attack from within and help take Jizhou.”

Luo Geng smiled with total confidence: “My son’s talent and courage are unmatched in the north. You think Zeng Ling could just casually capture him?”

He paused briefly, then said with great seriousness to Cui Yanlai and Liu Li: “I was in contact recently with the men my son dispatched to Youzhou. He told them he would launch a fierce attack on the southern gate on the night of the full moon. I suggest this: I bring the Youzhou forces to the southern wall of Jizhou, and the two Governors take your forces and encircle the other three sides.”

Cui Yanlai glanced at Liu Li. Liu Li quickly said: “How many men has the General brought?”

Luo Geng said proudly: “Fifty thousand veterans.”

Liu Li said: “My Yuzhou forces number over a hundred thousand, and Governor Cui’s Qingzhou forces likewise. The hardest point in any siege shouldn’t fall to the General with the fewest troops. I say let me take the southern gate.”

Cui Yanlai said: “No — I should take the southern gate.”

Luo Geng’s expression darkened somewhat. “This was something I agreed on with my son. If the two Governors attack instead, the coordination is bound to break down at a critical moment. How can you rearrange things like this at the last moment? Didn’t the two of you just say you would follow my orders?”

Cui Yanlai said: “Of course we’ll follow the General’s orders — but since the southern gate is the main assault point, it naturally falls to us to attack. The General’s Youzhou forces are fewer, and if they also have to lead the main assault, the losses will be devastating.”

Liu Li smiled: “What if the General takes overall command and directs us in the attack on the southern gate from there?”

Luo Geng gave a cold snort: “Don’t think I can’t see what you two are up to. You just don’t want me to be the first inside the city… If we’re really going to work together as one, how can you be so suspicious?”

The other two simply denied it, each insisting they were only concerned about Luo Geng’s smaller numbers bearing the brunt of the assault.

Luo Geng argued at length. The two wouldn’t budge. And before Jizhou had even been attacked, the alliance of three armies was already on the verge of open hostility.

“Fine.”

Luo Geng seemed genuinely unwilling to force an open break this early. He let out a long breath and said: “Then whichever of you wants the southern gate can have it. But you have large forces — you can’t only attack the south. The western gate and the northern gate — take those as well, both of you. You’re looking out for me with my smaller numbers and my long march, so I’ll spare myself the trouble of going around to another position. I’ll take the Youzhou forces and attack the eastern gate.”

“The eastern gate?”

Liu Li’s eyes flickered briefly. He smiled: “The General is right — your men have marched the furthest and are newly arrived. Committing to battle right away is inadvisable, not to say unkind. Let them rest first.”

He looked at Luo Geng directly: “The western gate has the best terrain and access to water — a river runs past the western side of the city, ideal for making camp. Why not have the General lead his forces west, near the river?”

Luo Geng said furiously: “Is this what following my orders looks like?”

By now Cui Yanlai had worked out what Luo Geng was after: he’d been maneuvering toward the eastern gate all along, using talk of the southern gate as misdirection. But Liu Li had beaten him to the response, and for Cui Yanlai to say anything now would be too obvious.

“My army stays right here.”

Luo Geng declared. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m attacking the eastern gate.”

Liu Li said: “The General should put his soldiers first. Choose the most suitable ground for the camp, give the men a proper rest.”

Cui Yanlai and Liu Li had already formed a private alliance beforehand. They only needed Luo Geng for one thing: Luo Jing, his son, who was operating inside Jizhou City. Without an inside man, what hope was there of storming a fortress like Jizhou?

So the two of them had discussed this at length before Luo Geng arrived, and concluded: wherever Luo Geng wanted to attack must be the location where he and his son Luo Jing had agreed to strike.

“General.”

Liu Li smiled with something that fell short of warmth: “We all have the same purpose here — to bring relief to the people of Jizhou, to remove a threat to the dynasty, and to see Great Chu endure for ten thousand years. Since none of us has any private motives, let’s not let this turn into an argument.”

Luo Geng said: “I’m not the one turning it into an argument.”

Cui Yanlai said: “We’re both thinking of the General’s interests. The General just arrived, his forces are not yet reorganized — in that state, a battle will go badly. It only means throwing lives away for nothing.”

“My colleague and I have been here for several days already. Our armies are fully rested and at peak morale. I suggest — to avoid any bad feeling — the General move his forces to the rear for some rest, and watch how the two of us manage the siege. When it’s time to attack, the General still has command.”

Luo Geng’s face had gone from bad to worse; his eyes looked ready to bulge out.

Seeing him on the verge of explosion, Liu Li tried to smooth things over: “This way — the General goes to camp on the western side for now. My colleague and I will close off the south, north, and east. When to strike, we still defer to the General.”

Cui Yanlai had now confirmed that Luo Geng wanted the eastern approach. His own expression was no longer friendly; he smiled without warmth and said: “General — you only have fifty thousand men.”

The earlier battle in which Luo Geng and Prince Yu had joined forces to rout the Qingzhou army and kill tens of thousands — that was not something Cui Yanlai could easily forget. Had the situation not forced his hand, he would never have allied himself with Luo Geng.

He had barely finished speaking when Liu Li turned and barked at his men: “Pass the order — the army moves to the eastern gate.”

His personal guards immediately began signaling with their flags — clearly this had been prepared in advance.

The flags swept into motion, and from the Yuzhou forces came the answering sound of horns — one blast after another, as though openly mocking Luo Geng.

Luo Geng looked south, and saw that Liu Li’s Yuzhou forces were already pressing toward the eastern approach. His expression churned through several changes, growing darker by the moment.

After a long pause, Luo Geng gave an angry snort, wheeled his horse, and left.

Not long after, a volley of horns sounded from the Youzhou forces, and fifty thousand Youzhou troops began moving northward — heading, by the looks of it, toward the western side.

Cui Yanlai and Liu Li exchanged a glance and laughed.

On the city wall, Zeng Ling watched all of this unfold with perfect clarity, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

He was too far away to make out what had been said — but from the movement of the troops, he could read the situation plainly: Luo Geng had been squeezed out.

Zeng Ling smiled to himself: “And these three men in alliance are supposed to be frightening… Liu Li’s Yuzhou forces drove Luo Geng’s Youzhou forces off and took the eastern approach — so that’s where Luo Jing and Luo Geng had agreed to meet.”

Jinzu and Liu Ge both nodded beside him.

Zeng Ling said: “Those two are fools. If they’d truly been willing to follow Luo Geng’s command — if the three armies had been of one mind — Jizhou would be in real danger. But they’re all smiles on the surface and daggers underneath. This fight, we have a chance.”

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