The Black Martial forces, after a full two-week period of rest and reorganization, launched yet another assault on North Mountain Pass. Having apparently been unable to devise any better approach, they fell back on the same tactic of human-wave attacks.

Without the threat of the siege ramps this time, the difficulty of holding North Mountain Pass for the Ning Army had been significantly reduced compared to before.

After three days of relentless assaults, the Black Martial forces had no choice but to fall back to their main camp once more to regroup.

“You can see it clearly — the Black Martial forces are now of two minds.”

Xiahou Zuo looked toward Li Chi and said: “If they simply withdraw now, they’ve mobilized an army of nearly a million men, suffered enormous losses — and whoever commanded this campaign will face consequences when they return. But if they press on, they no longer have the certainty of victory they once had.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement: “It looks like the Iron Crane tribe’s forces have also undergone some changes — they’ve pulled their camp back roughly ten-some li.”

From the movement of the steppe cavalry’s main camp retreating rearward, one could infer that the Black Martial forces already had thoughts of withdrawal — only no one yet dared to be the first to make that call.

One could only imagine how great the expectations had been when the Black Martial forces rode south, and how immense their confidence must have been riding in on those expectations.

But that confidence had been trampled underfoot, again and again, by the Ning Army beneath the walls of North Mountain Pass, until by now it had been ground entirely to nothing.

Xiahou Zuo smiled: “By now, the Black Martial general commanding this campaign probably no longer sees North Mountain Pass as a great fat piece of meat.”

Yu Jiuling chimed in: “That’s that line from the storytellers, isn’t it — how does it go… like chicken bones — a shame to throw away, but not worth eating.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “Little Ninth has come a long way.”

Little Ninth smiled: “So doesn’t that mean I deserve a raise?”

Xiahou Zuo looked toward Li Chi: “What use is there in keeping this treasonous creature around any longer?”

Li Chi said: “She deserves the raise. Little Ninth eliminated the Black Martial Southern Court Grand General Chizhu Liuli — that alone isn’t just a matter of a raise in pay. It’s the kind of thing that gets written into the historical record.”

Yu Jiuling looked at Xiahou Zuo: “See? I really have come a long way.”

Xiahou Zuo let out a sudden laugh.

“Now let’s talk about the other matters.”

Xiahou Zuo looked toward Li Chi and said: “Yesterday I heard you and Gao Xining discussing — it seems the bandit forces from Yanzhou and Qingzhou have both taken advantage of the depleted forces in Jizhou to launch large-scale offensives.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement, and smiled: “It’s nothing to worry about.”

Xiahou Zuo shook his head: “You should still go back to take charge of the overall situation. The Black Martial forces are already showing signs of wanting to withdraw — they’ll probably hold out at most until late autumn before pulling back. Go back to Jizhou and see how to drive off the Yanzhou and Qingzhou bandit forces.”

Li Chi shook his head: “What if the Black Martial forces are doing this deliberately? Feigning signs of withdrawal to lull us into letting our guard down, then launching a ferocious assault the moment we relax?”

Xiahou Zuo said: “I can handle that.”

Li Chi said: “I can’t handle it.”

Xiahou Zuo was taken aback.

Li Chi said: “Every soldier available to deploy within Jizhou is right here. If you were asked to make this choice right now — take the soldiers and go defend Jizhou, or leave them here to resist the Black Martial forces?”

Xiahou Zuo was momentarily at a loss for words.

Li Chi said: “Wait until the Black Martial forces have withdrawn, then deal with everything else. I’ve taken back Jizhou once — I can take it back a second time.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “Perhaps Old Tang has already gotten word and is leading his forces back as we speak.”

“He won’t.”

Li Chi said: “I told him — no matter what happens on the Jizhou side, he is not to withdraw his forces lightly. Once he retreats, those hundred thousand soldiers on the southern campaign will suffer catastrophic losses. Even getting half of them back to Jizhou would be uncertain — Yang Xuanji would be after Old Tang like a wolf, snapping at his heels the whole way back…”

He looked at Xiahou Zuo and said: “Whoever holds Yuzhou holds the realm’s granary. Yang Xuanji will not give Old Tang the chance to withdraw intact.”

Hearing this, Xiahou Zuo could only let out a long sigh.

Li Chi said: “While the border gates stand, Jizhou belongs to whoever holds it — and it will still be mine. If the border gates fall, Jizhou belongs to the Black Martial forces. Do you think those bandits from Yanzhou or Qingzhou could hold back the Black Martial army?”

Li Chi said: “When I was young and traveling the land with my Shifu, I would see men in fine clothes and on fine horses and think they were all great figures.”

He paused, then slowly let out a breath.

“Once I surveyed the realm, I saw it filled with heroes and men of valor… I look again now, and I see nothing but a rabble.”

He looked out over the base of the city wall, and after a moment said: “At first I thought — in this age of chaos, surely there would be men of valor who would rise up to save the common people. Now I see they are nothing but a pack of bloodsucking beasts…”

Li Chi pressed his hands against the wall, his fingers tensing with quiet force.

“The bandit Mei Yan of Yanzhou, the bandit Gan Daode of Qingzhou, the bandits here and the bandits there… If the realm and its people are to be handed over to any of you, I would rather take it for myself!”

Ever since Li Chi had learned that the Mountain and Sea Army of Yanzhou, the bandit forces of Gan Daode of Qingzhou, and great and small bandit chieftains from across the land were all marching their armies toward Jizhou hoping to seize it — at that very moment, the ambition to contend for the realm, which had never been firm within him, became utterly and unshakably set.

Whoever takes this heartland — better it be me than any of them.

“First deal with the Black Martial forces, then deal with them.”

Li Chi smiled: “The Black Martial forces couldn’t do anything to me. These scattered rabble…”

Li Chi raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

“In one sweep — reduced to ash and smoke.”

Xiahou Zuo murmured, repeating the words Li Chi had just spoken: “Once I surveyed the realm, I saw it filled with heroes and men of valor — I look again now, and I see nothing but a rabble.”

He looked at Li Chi, and smiled as well: “Good. Very good.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement: “I know how good I am. Before long, more and more people will know it too.”

—

Twenty-some days later.

An urgent military report arrived from Dragon Head Pass. Counting the days, Zhuang Wudi had already held Dragon Head Pass against two hundred thousand Mountain and Sea Army troops for two full months.

Counting the days further — if Zhuang Wudi had not been pinning the Mountain and Sea Army down at Dragon Head Pass, those rebel forces, which may already have been infiltrated and controlled by Black Martial spies, might well have reached North Mountain Pass by now, closing in on the Ning Army from inside and outside at once.

The military report, written in Zhuang Wudi’s own hand, contained exactly sixteen characters.

*Forces halved in losses. Mountain Pass still stands. Though bandits are many, they are chickens and clay dogs.*

Li Chi passed the report to Xiahou Zuo. Xiahou Zuo read it and felt a deep ache in his heart — because Zhuang Wudi had no reinforcements.

Every unit Li Chi could deploy was already at North Mountain Pass.

—

At the same time, at Dragon Head Pass.

Old Zhang Zhenren’s face had grown somewhat haggard. He had sat atop Dragon Tiger Mountain, observing the world, knowing all things under heaven — but he had not known how truly terrifying war was.

These past two months, what he had witnessed with his own eyes was the greatest calamity in this world. No natural disaster could compare to the disaster of war.

“Zhenren.”

Zhuang Wudi handed Old Zhang Zhenren a flask of water: “You really should leave now.”

Old Zhang Zhenren shook his head: “Not leaving.”

Zhuang Wudi fell silent.

Old Zhang Zhenren said: “Two months ago, when you first urged me to go, it was because you feared that once the fighting started, stray blades would have no eyes and I, an old man, might be harmed. Now you’re urging me to go again — it’s because you think the pass is no longer secure, isn’t it?”

Zhuang Wudi shook his head: “Secure.”

Old Zhang Zhenren said: “Then why should I leave?”

Zhuang Wudi was just about to speak when he saw a soldier running up rapidly from the base of the wall, gasping for breath.

“Grand General!”

The soldier cried out: “Come quick and look!”

Zhuang Wudi thought something terrible had happened, and immediately followed the soldier running down from the wall.

When he saw what lay before him, this hard and unyielding man — Zhuang Wudi — felt his eyes grow faintly wet.

From the direction behind the pass, people were arriving in group after group — common folk, carrying whatever they had to hand: pitchforks, sickles, even rolling pins. Their column was rough and uneven, in twos and threes, gathering into clusters, but it stretched without end as far as the eye could see.

“Grand General!”

A powerfully built man spotted the figure in iron armor and didn’t recognize him — but he guessed it must be Zhuang Wudi, the commander holding Dragon Head Pass.

He shouted: “Every man from our village has come!”

He raised the sickle in his hand: “These past years it’s been Prince Ning’s army protecting us. Now we’ve come to protect you!”

A young man who looked sixteen or seventeen shouted: “Every inch of Jizhou belongs to Prince Ning. Every one of us common people belongs to Prince Ning too. Anyone who tries to come and take it — we won’t stand for it!”

A roar burst from the crowd.

“We won’t stand for it!”

Old Zhang Zhenren watched this, and suddenly threw back his head in great, booming laughter: “Those miserable demons and monsters — they thought they had calculated everything. But what they failed to calculate was the most fearsome force in all the world… the common people of the realm!”

—

Outside Dragon Head Pass.

In the Mountain and Sea Army’s main camp, Hai Xiao Wang Mei Yan was already growing restless. He didn’t like this place — it was desolate, and had nothing to amuse him.

Back in the Western Capital, he could spend every day in carefree pleasure, night after night in a blaze of lights and music. Here, there was nothing but yellow earth and yellow dust.

At first, watching the assaults on the city had been entertaining enough, but now even that had grown dull.

“Master Mu!”

Mei Yan said with irritation: “When exactly do we get to go back?”

Mu Fengliu frowned. A flash of killing intent passed through his eyes.

Seeing Mu Fengliu say nothing, Mei Yan looked toward the man standing on the other side: “Master Hu, you say something!”

This man appeared to be around forty, dressed in a long scholar’s robe, giving off quite a scholarly air.

“In reply to the King.”

Hu Buyu said: “At this point, the Ning Army inside Dragon Head Pass has reached its absolute limit. Their forces have been cut by more than half — a few thousand men trying to hold back King’s two hundred thousand — that is nothing but a madman’s dream. Within three to five days more at the most, Dragon Head Pass will certainly fall.”

Mei Yan said: “I don’t want to wait even one more day. This wretched place — I can’t stand it anymore. No singers, no dancing girls, no good wine, nothing else to pass the time… I don’t want Jizhou anymore. What I want right now is to go back to the Western Capital.”

Hu Buyu looked toward Mu Fengliu and said: “Master Mu, perhaps…”

Mu Fengliu shook his head: “Absolutely not. We cannot withdraw at this juncture — all our efforts would have been for nothing.”

Hu Buyu said: “This campaign of ours never had the support of the people to begin with. If we drag it out any further, even within Yanzhou there will likely be trouble — those people from the White Mountain Army might well seize the chance to cause an uprising.”

“No!”

Mu Fengliu immediately raised his voice, his face white with anger.

He said furiously: “What kind of way to fight a war is this? Is a two hundred thousand-man army a trifling matter?!”

Hu Buyu said: “And is it not Master Mu himself who made this a trifling matter?”

Mu Fengliu said: “No matter what, we cannot withdraw. I’ve already arranged for men to slip inside Dragon Head Pass and assassinate Zhuang Wudi — there should be news soon.”

He looked toward Mei Yan and said: “If the King finds it dull, why not take some men and ride around the surrounding area? There are a few large towns nearby — you might just find something to your liking.”

Hu Buyu’s face changed: “Master Mu, what are you saying?! Are you actually encouraging the King to forcibly seize women from those towns?!”

Mu Fengliu said: “All under heaven belongs to the King — what of it?”

Hu Buyu immediately looked toward Mei Yan and said: “King, this absolutely cannot be done. If it were, the King’s standing and reputation would be utterly destroyed!”

Before he had even finished speaking, Mei Yan fixed him with a glare: “And you call yourself my late father’s close old friend — you don’t give a thought to my wellbeing, while Master Mu is the one who truly looks after me.”

He stood up: “Enough talk. The fighting, I leave to you. I don’t care how you handle the war, and you won’t interfere with me.”

He laughed as he said this: “Summon the personal guard battalion. I’m going out to have some fun.”

Hu Buyu glared at Mu Fengliu in fury: “Master Mu, can it be that your intentions are not good?”

Mu Fengliu smiled indifferently: “Master Hu, you’re reading too much into things. I have no interest in explaining myself. Everything I do is for the King’s sake.”

With that, he also turned and left.

—