Yuwen Shangyun was deep inside his command tent, working through his plan for the coming battle, when his personal guard called out behind him. He turned. “What is it?”

The guard outside spoke with urgency. “General Yuwen Jing has sent an urgent report from the south wall. Scouts have confirmed that the Ning Army is preparing to cross the river.”

“What?!”

Yuwen Shangyun’s expression shifted at once. His assumption had been that the Ning Army intended to hold their position south of the Nanping River — their purpose being to cut off his retreat.

Because in this engagement, on this terrain, both sides understood perfectly: whoever crossed the river first was at a disadvantage. Whoever crossed first risked the annihilation of their entire force.

The Ning Army suddenly moving to cross the river was not what he had expected — and it did not follow any rational logic.

He knew how many soldiers were in the Ning Army under Dantai Pojing’s command: only fifty thousand combat troops.

However formidable they were, forcing a crossing of the Nanping River would mean catastrophic losses. Had the Ning Army simply run out of patience?

“I am going now.”

Yuwen Shangyun threw down the charcoal pencil in his hand and ran out of the tent.

Before long, Yuwen Shangyun had made it to the top of the south wall, standing there with a spyglass trained on the Nanping River.

He could see it clearly: on the southern bank, large numbers of Ning Army soldiers were gathering boats.

“Commander, something doesn’t seem right.”

Yuwen Jing said, “The Ning Army only needs to hold the southern bank and cut off your retreat to hold the absolute advantage. Why would they suddenly move to cross?”

Yuwen Shangyun thought for a moment before answering. “The Ning Army is making a show of it.”

He continued to observe the Ning Army’s movements as he spoke. “Yuwen Dian is in secret contact with the Ning Army, feigning defection. Tang Pidi has ordered the Ning forces south of the river to make a show of crossing — that divides our attention.”

“Tang Pidi is worried we might be playing a trick, and is using this to force us to split our forces. It is rather clever.”

Yuwen Jing considered this, then nodded. “Whether the Ning Army is genuinely crossing or not, we have no choice but to split our forces to defend against it. Fifty thousand Ning soldiers moving to cross will draw more than half our army to respond. Pull one or two more units away for a feigned defection, and the forces remaining in the city are dangerously thin.”

He looked at Yuwen Shangyun. “This Tang Pidi — his moves are genuinely extraordinary. No wonder Prince Wu regarded him so highly.”

Yuwen Shangyun said, “But the current plan is no longer about Yuwen Dian bringing his troops over to defect. It is about luring Tang Pidi into the city.”

Yuwen Jing began working through the calculation again. After a moment he said, “In that case, the forces available to us for an ambush within the city come to roughly fifty thousand.”

Yuwen Shangyun said, “Tang Pidi will not bring more than forty thousand men in total. And he would not commit all of them to entering the city at once — he would not stake everything on the first move. That means at the outset, perhaps twenty thousand enter.”

“And moreover, he would not be the last one through the gate — he would not wait until all twenty thousand were inside before entering himself. So the Ning Army forces trapped within the city will not be as numerous as you might think. This is not fifty thousand men against forty thousand — this is fifty thousand men surrounding a few thousand, ten thousand at most.”

He looked at Yuwen Jing. “I am giving you half my forces. Lead them out through the south gate and establish a defensive line along the river. That will pressure Dantai Pojing’s Ning Army to pull back. He will not dare force a crossing.”

Yuwen Jing replied, “Understood.”

Yuwen Shangyun said, “Tang Pidi’s purpose with this move is not to have Dantai Pojing actually cross the river. The objective is to split our forces. Once his scouts see you leading your army out of the city, Tang Pidi personally attacking the city becomes a near certainty.”

“Since he wants to take a risk, I will give him the opportunity. I will let him see us divide our forces.”

Yuwen Shangyun said, “You do not need to press hard. Just take up position and hold it. If the fighting inside the city turns difficult, you will still have forces available to send back.”

Yuwen Jing cupped his hands again. “Yes!”

—

Half a day later, at Yuwen Dian’s camp.

Yuwen Dian said to Yu Jiuling, “It is not that I distrust General Yu, nor that I distrust General Commander Tang. But if I open the city gates, how do I know my safety will be guaranteed? How do I know my soldiers will be safe?”

Yu Jiuling said, “Since I have come here representing Prince Ning, I will naturally give you assurances. Here is one: I will remain in your camp myself. If anything goes wrong, you can kill me outright.”

Yuwen Dian thought it over and nodded. “Then I must impose on General Yu.”

Yu Jiuling gestured toward the personal soldiers he had brought — several dozen men in total.

“Every one of my guards is a brother to me — people I hold dear. I have always said I would stand with them in life and death. But for today’s matter — I ask that General Yuwen make one accommodation. Keep me here alone. Send all the others back outside the city, so they can report our agreed arrangements to Prince Ning.”

Yuwen Dian felt a jolt of realization: Li Chi was already north of the city.

Which meant this battle might not only deliver Tang Pidi — it might take Li Chi as well, in one fell sweep.

He pretended not to have picked up on it and smiled. “General Yu is a man who values loyalty and friendship. I admire that. I will see General Yu’s people safely back to the Ning Army camp.”

Yu Jiuling said, “I will remain here. But… there is one small request, entirely unrelated to the battle at hand.”

Yuwen Dian said, “I wonder what is troubling General Yu?”

Yu Jiuling dropped his voice. “It has been a while since I have been with a woman, being on campaign and all…”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

Yuwen Dian laughed openly. “I thought it was something serious! That sort of small matter is easily handled. General Yu, just wait here — I will have someone send the ladies over shortly.”

Yu Jiuling immediately brightened, laughing broadly. “Thank you, General Yuwen! Once Prince Ning and the General Commander enter the city, I will certainly put in a good word for you before both of them.”

Yuwen Dian thought to himself: *this brute* — in a situation like this, the man had slept peacefully through the night with snoring to rattle the rafters, and now he was asking for women.

That Prince Ning, Li Chi, and General Commander Tang Pidi would send someone like this on such a mission — he truly could not fathom what they were thinking.

He found it absurd yet could not show it. And as for Yu Jiuling, whatever wariness Yuwen Dian might have felt had all but evaporated.

A man like this — there was simply nothing to be wary of.

Before long, Yuwen Dian’s men had found several women and sent them to Yu Jiuling’s quarters.

Yu Jiuling showed not the slightest effort to hide his eagerness — he came out to meet them at the door, looking them up and down with an expression of unabashed appreciation, his face lit with a shameless smile.

Leering and swaggering all at once.

Watching from a distance, Yuwen Dian’s contempt deepened further.

A short while later, sounds of laughter and teasing drifted from the room. Yuwen Dian shook his head and sighed. *A man like this, actually entrusted with important responsibilities under Prince Ning.*

Not long after, Yuwen Dian had made his way to Yuwen Shangyun’s camp and gone through the entire account in detail.

“I know this Yu Jiuling.”

Yuwen Shangyun listened, then nodded. “Even back in Jizhou I had heard of him. Under Prince Ning Li Chi, this man’s position rests entirely on flattery and fawning. The Ning Army is not short of talent, but this one is a genuine waste of space.”

He looked at Yuwen Dian. “I once heard that Li Chi simply knew him back when Li Chi was still a nobody in the wilderness, and so looks after him out of old acquaintance. The man is outrageous in every way — lecherous, greedy…”

He smiled. “All the better. Let him enjoy himself in his soft pleasures. We will take our time arranging the ambush.”

Yuwen Dian said, “It is agreed. Three nights from now, when I take my turn commanding the watch, I will open the gate at midnight. Tang Pidi will lead his army in — and Li Chi is also in the camp, so he will almost certainly come in alongside him.”

Yuwen Shangyun said, “When the Ning Army enters the city, we will not set fire immediately — but we will light several fires in the city ourselves, so the Ning forces on the southern bank can see them.”

Yuwen Dian caught on at once. “That way, the Ning Army on the southern bank will take it as a sign that fierce fighting has broken out inside. Dantai Pojing will estimate that Yuwen Jing’s forces have their attention drawn back toward Anyang City, and will move to force a river crossing.”

Yuwen Shangyun said, “If it all goes as planned, we kill the Ning Army inside the city — and we destroy the Ning Army south of the river.”

Yuwen Dian received his orders and returned, directing his people to quietly escort the dozens of Ning Army soldiers out through the city walls and back to Prince Ning Li Chi and General Commander Tang Pidi with word of the agreed arrangements.

—

At the Ning Army camp.

Li Chi listened as the personal guards described everything from start to finish, then sent them off to rest.

He looked at Tang Pidi. “Yuwen Shangyun is desperate for a decisive battle, yet he doesn’t dare come out of the city to fight one. So he will put everything on a trap inside the walls. You—”

Tang Pidi said placidly, “I’ll go into the city and take all his chips.”

Li Chi laughed and shook his head. “I have never once seen you worried about anything.”

Tang Pidi said, “I have already made the arrangements with Dantai. What is there to worry about? And you have seen my preparations these past few days. There will be some losses — but the losses are not worth fretting over.”

He looked at Li Chi. “Problems that money can solve are not worth losing sleep over.”

Li Chi sighed. “Easy for you to say.”

Tang Pidi laughed openly. “Didn’t you say that anything involving money is yours to handle?”

Li Chi said, “You reckless spendthrift!”

Tang Pidi: “Hm!”

—

On the southern bank of the Nanping River, at Dantai Pojing’s camp.

After the messenger finished relaying Li Chi’s verbal message, Dantai Pojing nodded. “Over the past two days I have already received the General Commander’s orders and made preparations. Go back and tell His Highness Prince Ning that my forces are ready and nothing will go wrong.”

The messenger bowed. “Then I will return north immediately to report.”

South of Anyang City, Yuwen Jing’s army was spread along the river in defensive formation. For the messenger to cross the river, he needed to take a roundabout route, disguise himself as a fisherman, and slip across quietly.

As long as he avoided the Chu Army’s river patrol riders, it was manageable.

The messenger carried no written documents — everything had been verbal.

Dantai Pojing walked the messenger out, then called loudly, “Pass the order: send more men along the river to gather boats — any size, bring them all in.”

His subordinates acknowledged and immediately dispatched teams to carry it out.

Dantai Pojing said, “Summon all unit commanders to my tent for a briefing.”

In short order, every unit commander had assembled in Dantai Pojing’s command tent.

He laid out the situation, then rose and paced the tent as he spoke. “If we can take Anyang and destroy the Chu Army’s hundred thousand troops in this engagement, Yuzhou will be ours for the taking.”

He looked around at his commanders. “So the river crossing in three days — I am counting on every one of you.”

He cupped his hands. “The General Commander’s side has barely more than thirty thousand men. We must move quickly. My own troops will cross first on the night of the third day. As for what comes after — it rests with all of you. You have three days.”

—

Three days later.

At dusk.

Tang Pidi stood on a rise and gazed in the direction of Anyang City. Luo Jing stood beside him, and after a moment’s silence said, “In this battle — I take the vanguard again.”

Tang Pidi looked at Luo Jing and shook his head. “You stay with the rear guard. When the fighting starts, lead the charge in to reinforce.”

Luo Jing curled his lip. “Then strip me of the vanguard title, or take me with you.”

He said to Tang Pidi, “With Prince Ning commanding the rear guard forces, I am useless there. Killing the enemy at the front is far more satisfying.”

Tang Pidi smiled. “You really are Luo the Madman.”

Luo Jing said, “I am Luo the Madman — what does that make you?”

Tang Pidi said, “What I am — surely you know by now…”

He looked out toward Anyang City, exhaled a long breath, and said, “I am… the King of Gamblers.”

—