By Marquis Zheng’s grace, Zhù Ying had long prepared herself for this appointment as Commissioner for Military Supplies.

It was both a difficult task and an opportunity. For someone like her, without a powerful patron, the only way to live and thrive was to do more work.

Over the past few months, she had already dealt with the official army on a number of occasions and had quietly made some preparations. She had also anticipated that the Emperor would send someone to make an inspection — she had simply not expected him to send someone to have her control Marquis Zheng’s supply lines and keep an eye on the old man.

Out of a desire to avoid suspicion, after arriving she had not investigated Marquis Zheng or the official army, but had only gathered some information related to local administration. She was still far from understanding the army’s situation.

She needed to meet Marquis Zheng as quickly as possible and learn the details of the military’s circumstances. With so large an army, once the supply lines ran into problems, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She arranged for Shi Xi to rest in the guest quarters, then immediately summoned Su Zhe and the others, along with the northern youths and the distinguished local men: “I’m afraid we can’t let everyone enjoy a peaceful New Year — we’ll need to relocate.”

When Shi Xi came to issue the imperial order, all of these people had been present to witness it, so no one was surprised by the command she gave. They all waited for her specific arrangements. The addition of the Commissioner for Military Supplies post left her other two commissions unchanged, and division of labor would inevitably be necessary. They all waited quietly.

Zhù Ying made her assignments quickly. She left Su Zhe, Zhuo Jue, and a portion of the northern youths behind at the field office to handle routine affairs, while she herself took the others to Marquis Zheng’s main camp. Jin Liang also traveled with her, though the soldiers under Jin Liang’s command left half their number behind at the field office.

Early the following morning, Shi Xi had barely rested one night before Zhù Ying dragged him along and set out for Marquis Zheng’s main camp.

They had barely left the field office when Zhù Ying was forced to pause — Gu Tong had arrived, blocking the very entrance.

Zhuo Jue was sending Zhù Ying off at the field office entrance and, on catching sight of Gu Tong, his face broke into visible delight.

Gu Tong first paid his respects to Zhù Ying, then greeted Su Zhe and the others. Gu Tong had recently grown a beard, giving him a somewhat more mature and composed appearance.

Zhù Ying was pressed for time. She said to Gu Tong, “You’ve come at just the right moment! Spring planting is nearly here — get to work! Zhuo Jue, take out his portion of the documents and have him review them; once he’s done, set off immediately to take up his post. If anything is difficult or anyone causes you trouble, come tell me.”

Gu Tong was heaped with assignments before he could quite process them and simply said, “All right…”

Zhù Ying said, “Let’s go!”

It was so swift that Shi Xi barely had time to register that Zhù Ying had just concluded a meeting with a newly arrived official.

The lingering effects of the previous night’s wine had not fully cleared. He sat in the carriage rocking and swaying, and his attendant placed a cup of strong tea in his hands. Shi Xi asked, “How much farther?”

The attendant said, “This morning I asked them — they said from here to the camp by fast horse can be done in a day, but with us traveling at this pace, it will be tomorrow.”

Shi Xi said in surprise, “So close?”

The attendant said, “Yes.”

Shi Xi shifted his fingers in discomfort. His lips also moved, but he said nothing. His attendant waited for an instruction, and when none came, eventually took it upon himself to ask, “What does the Adjutant-Prince intend to do?”

Shi Xi said, “What else is there to do? I’ll see and decide!”

Another exhausting day of travel. Shi Xi did not sleep well that night — young men going to a military camp were always somewhat stirred up.

The following midday, they arrived at Marquis Zheng’s main camp.

The camp had an air of grim, martial severity.

Marquis Zheng had just achieved a victory, and morale had received a boost. Yet no one dared be too jubilant — the previous string of three campaigns followed by a major defeat had made the generals considerably more cautious.

Word had already reached the camp that Shi Xi was coming. Marquis Zheng, upon hearing it was him, smiled and said to Tang Shan, “Make the proper preparations!”

Tang Shan understood at once and went ahead to give orders. He selected a number of soldiers who looked particularly robust — all tall men — and lined them up at the camp entrance in formation. In addition, he picked out as many mean-looking, battle-scarred veterans as he could find and stationed them at the front, with the aim of thoroughly intimidating Shi Xi.

When Zhù Ying arrived at the camp this time, she could see immediately that it was different from the last. This time the soldiers’ eyes clearly held a hint of lethal intent — as though they were truly capable of killing. Compared to before, it was like a rusty blade that had been sharpened to an edge.

In contrast, the few dozen imperial guardsmen accompanying Shi Xi looked very much like showpieces.

Before they had even drawn fully abreast of the camp, a general came out to receive them. This time it was also someone named Leng — a cousin of Leng Yun. Having witnessed his older clansman’s lesson, this man wore an expression of earnest seriousness.

He first paid his respects to Shi Xi, then came to greet Zhù Ying. As he brought his fists together in a salute, Zhù Ying caught in his eyes a trace of sizing-up. She simply gave him a nod in return.

The young General Leng suddenly let out a great shout — as though giving the pitch for a chorus — and the soldiers behind him all shouted together in welcome to the imperial envoy. The noise startled Shi Xi so that he gave a little jump on the spot.

Shi Xi’s face flushed red. Back in the capital he had also heard the great shouted chants of “Long live the Emperor,” which had that kind of resounding, vast power. But he had not expected that the military’s shouting could be so soul-shaking. He peeked at Zhù Ying and found her perfectly composed. She gestured for Shi Xi to go ahead, inviting him to walk in front.

After a round of mutual deferring, Zhù Ying still kept Shi Xi in the lead position. Shi Xi was thus compelled to take the front. He had the constant feeling that the eyes of the soldiers on both sides were glowing green. He said to Zhù Ying with some effort, “Truly a formidable and awe-inspiring force!”

Zhù Ying said, “Since the Marquis arrived, it has been considerably stronger than before.”

Marquis Zheng was waiting for them before his tent. Shi Xi hurried forward. “Why have you come out? Please go inside and sit comfortably.”

Marquis Zheng’s seniority was high and his authority great; even as Adjutant-Prince, Shi Xi dared not act presumptuously. They went inside. Shi Xi first formally conveyed to Marquis Zheng Zhù Ying’s appointment as Commissioner for Military Supplies, and then declined to stand in the seat of honor, hastening to invite Marquis Zheng to sit above, while he himself took a seat to one side of Marquis Zheng.

And so Zhù Ying and Shi Xi took places to the left and right, listening as Marquis Zheng spoke. First came the formal pleasantries: Shi Xi conveyed the Emperor’s condolences for the Marquis’s hardships; Marquis Zheng replied that it was his inescapable duty. Then came a welcoming banquet. Zhù Ying was surprised to discover that Marquis Zheng had actually provided wine!

Marquis Zheng said, “It is inconvenient to drink in the camp, so I and these men do not. But the Adjutant-Prince has traveled far as a guest. Young Leng, come and drink with the Adjutant-Prince.”

Young General Leng stepped forward and gave Marquis Zheng a fist-and-palm salute. “We have little by way of entertainment in the camp. Allow me to perform a sword dance.”

Marquis Zheng gave a nod.

Young General Leng performed a set of swordsmanship. The blade opened like silver blossoms, swift as lightning. Marquis Zheng asked Shi Xi, “What do you think?”

Shi Xi clapped along and said, “Magnificent!” He also invited Young General Leng to take his seat and drink. Shi Xi and Young General Leng were previously acquainted; Young General Leng was also of his father’s generation, and the two men soon fell into toasting.

Behind Shi Xi, an imperial guard officer also stepped forward to perform a sword dance, and Marquis Zheng awarded this officer food and drink as well.

Then followed a wrestling contest staged as entertainment, with prizes offered by both Marquis Zheng and Shi Xi. Marquis Zheng asked Zhù Ying, “Are you not offering something?”

Zhù Ying said, “I’m not sure what everyone would like. But I imagine, with a great battle imminent, I will offer a suit of armor.”

Marquis Zheng said, “Excellent!”

Two bare-chested, muscular men stepped forward and began grappling inside the marked circle, to a roar of cheers from all around.

Shi Xi drank himself into a deep stupor and was carried off and laid down in another large tent.

Marquis Zheng picked up his chopsticks and said to Zhù Ying, “You’ve been busy quite a while. Come — open up and eat something hot.”

Zhù Ying smiled. “While watching them drink just now, I already sneaked my way to a half-full stomach.”

Marquis Zheng laughed. “Eating by one’s own abilities — excellent.”

Young General Leng returned shortly, rock-steady on his feet, not looking at all like a man who had drunk himself drunk. He came back and reported to Marquis Zheng, “All settled. People have been posted outside to keep watch.”

Marquis Zheng said, “Very good. Sanlang—”

He drew out the syllable. Zhù Ying knew he had something to say, and set down her chopsticks: “Yes, I’m here. Just say what needs to be said, Your Lordship.”

“The Commissioner for Military Supplies is not an easy post. Even the cleverest cook cannot make a meal without ingredients.”

Zhù Ying picked her chopsticks back up. “While you haven’t finished saying that, let me eat a few more bites first.”

Marquis Zheng burst into laughter, then frowned again. “I’m not complaining to you. There are genuine difficulties.”

Young General Leng said to Zhù Ying, “We have fought any number of battles with the Ministry of Finance — they only know how to stall and make excuses! We keep a death-grip on what’s given out below! If things go on this way, starving men will eventually lose all regard for military discipline, and when that happens, the north will suffer, the common people will be victimized, and we will have failed in our sacred duty — to say nothing of any hope of resisting the barbarians.”

When he finished that string of words, all the generals and officers in the tent looked toward Zhù Ying.

Lin Feng, seated below her, was so tense his hand went to his sword hilt.

Zhù Ying said, “When we set out northward, didn’t the Ministry of Finance give the full allocation?”

Tang Shan moaned mournfully, “That one time, yes. Ever since then, they’ve never given the full amount.”

Marquis Zheng also set down his chopsticks, looking as though he had lost his appetite. “I reorganized the army — culled the old, the weak, the sick, and the infirm, had them take over some of the civilian laborers’ work at the rear, and selected the able-bodied among the young to train.”

“A credit to Your Lordship.”

Marquis Zheng shook his head. Young General Leng said, “And then the Ministry of Finance said that since there has already been a culling, there is no need to give the full ten parts.”

Zhù Ying already understood.

Marquis Zheng had done the work and done it properly — but at the court, people had grown so accustomed to padding the payrolls that when he asked for ten parts, the court would drag its feet and give seven. Ask why, and the answer was “roads are steep and difficult,” transport is awkward. Say the north is flat and level, and Minister Dou would tell you the north has seen enormous expenditures over the past several years and there is no surplus grain left — all of it must be transported from the south, which makes things even more complicated.

Zhù Ying said, “But the ones who have been culled still have to work and still need to eat, isn’t that right? If they are not used, then the common people must be conscripted instead, which would disrupt local life and interfere with the farming season. Correct?”

One sentence made it plain to all. Jin Liang, caught between the two sides with nothing he could comfortably say, finally allowed the worry on his face to relax slightly. He slapped the table. “Exactly right! Those people sitting far away in the capital — what do they know of a frontier commander’s difficulties?”

Zhù Ying raised her teacup toward Marquis Zheng. Marquis Zheng raised his cup back at her.

The generals and officers below began to murmur among themselves, and their view of Zhù Ying softened a little. They had originally been resistant to an “outsider” being involved in the affairs of the camp — all the more so since this “outsider” was clearly controlling their lifeline. No one was happy about it.

They had tolerated it only because Zhù Ying and Marquis Zheng had a good rapport and she held official position, and so they had not made trouble. Now they found themselves thinking her at least sensible — someone barely tolerable. At the same time, each was already scheming privately about how to press for more supplies for their own unit.

They could only regret that they were unable to drink right now, because otherwise they would certainly have taken turns raising toasts and drunk themselves into the kind of frank, open friendship with this Commissioner for Military Supplies that would lead to an uninhibited supply of provisions.

But Marquis Zheng had already shifted the subject, saying to Zhù Ying, “You have a clear head — that sets my mind at ease. Come now — official business is for tomorrow. Today, let us be at ease.”

The able-bodied men had another round of grappling. Officers displayed their martial skills. It was utterly unlike the previous time Zhù Ying had visited.

Young General Leng, emboldened by a little wine, said to Zhù Ying, “My lord’s brave subordinates — might they also show their skills?”

Lin Feng was champing at the bit.

Zhù Ying smiled. “They are young and high-spirited — do not rouse them so that they lose their composure. Before the Marquis, let me make a modest display myself.”

A target was erected.

She stood with a bow in one hand and three arrows nocked in the other. Generals and officers who did not know her murmured among themselves. Watching her unhurried composure, she released the arrows in rapid succession. Lin Feng was the first to leap up and cry out, “Bravo!!!”

The generals and officers nodded repeatedly, shouting their approval in rhythm.

A few officers also stepped forward to try their hand.

But then Zhù Ying drew a silk kerchief and bound it across her eyes, and the officers were instantly excited: “Now this is worth watching!”

Zhù Ying turned in place three times, then drew three more arrows from the quiver with unerring accuracy and nocked them in her hand — and again hit the center of the target. This time the cheering became scattered and off-rhythm. Zhù Ying’s lips curved slightly. She accurately passed the bow into Zhù Wen’s hand, pulled down the silk kerchief, and slowly opened her eyes, then sat back down.

Marquis Zheng said, “Ahh — I forgot to offer a prize!”

Zhù Ying said, “I won’t forget the suit of armor I promised.”

Marquis Zheng laughed again.

The atmosphere grew lively. Lin Feng also went to spar with the young officers. He was on the shorter side by northern standards, and relied on sheer brute force — battering head-on and matching blow for blow — and managed only to fight to a draw. Zhù Ying watched him sulk and said with a laugh, “Made a fool of yourself, did you?”

Lin Feng said grumpily, “They were going easy on me.”

This sentence actually made the officers look at the rambunctious little short man with considerably more warmth.

Elder Sister Hu remained quietly to one side the entire time. The competitive spirit so natural to martial practitioners was seldom seen in her. Zhù Ying did not have her show off either. After watching the officers’ skills, Elder Sister Hu was inwardly shaken: my abilities are only good enough for making a living in the martial world. Truly there is always a sky beyond the sky, and always someone more capable beyond oneself.

After the banquet, Marquis Zheng gave Zhù Ying a look.

Zhù Ying understood and accompanied him to the inner tent, with no one else present but the Marquis, Tang Shan, and two personal guards.

Zhù Ying and Marquis Zheng sat facing each other.

Marquis Zheng said, “It’s a difficult situation!”

Zhù Ying asked, “Asking for ten parts and receiving seven — is that actually enough? I would estimate there are still gaps from the old padded payrolls.”

Marquis Zheng said, “I was careless! I didn’t keep that much back. If there was to be a culling, it had to look like a genuine culling — the way they were doing things before was truly beyond the pale! But then — we can’t harass the common people, and fighting the barbarians in winter is brutal, with less plunder than expected. It’s not easy to manage. And there are also some veteran soldiers — sending them home naked as they came seems too heartless of me.”

“Yet asking the court for more would also be embarrassing. Ask again, and Minister Dou may say nothing, but His Majesty will run out of patience as well,” said Zhù Ying.

“Exactly.”

Zhù Ying said, “What is your actual true headcount? How many are elite, how many are old and weak? Among your officers — are there any who are voracious?”

Marquis Zheng couldn’t help but smile at the word “voracious.” “Right now no one dares, but one also cannot make it so that no one gets anything at all!”

Zhù Ying said, “Spring has already come. I intend to open up wasteland. If there are men in your camp who are difficult to place for the time being, please hand them over to me. I will refit and organize them — one part to accompany the civilian laborers in transport, one part to clear land. I have had a look at the land here and it is truly excellent! Nothing like the south, where finding a flat, uncultivated patch of wasteland is exhausting and the ground is all stones and tree roots.”

Marquis Zheng said, “Military farming?”

“Not exactly. Annexation of land will happen — it cannot be stopped. So other ways of making a living must be found. Sending veteran soldiers home just like that, in this cold — who knows what they might encounter along the way? And moreover, the northern population has suffered losses. With the Barbarian Lord working to invigorate his realm — that is a long-term problem. In the future, the north will still need to rely on its own population to sustain the fighting. Rather than shifting people from elsewhere to settle the frontier, it would be better to simply keep the veteran soldiers here. Those who want to go home can be given traveling expenses; those who want to stay can be given land and be exempt from taxes for five or ten years. Should conscription ever be needed, they still have experience.

Before the land produces crops, their grain and pay will of course still need to be issued. That part I will negotiate with the Ministry of Finance.”

Zhù Ying thought it through. What prospects did those veteran soldiers actually have, returning home? That was unlikely to amount to much.

Now she was offering them land — it meant clearing it themselves, but once cleared, it would be their own. If there were any worn-out military horses that had been put out of service, those too could be kept behind for farming. Up here in the north, cattle and horses were more readily available than in the south. She intended to coordinate support to help those opening the new land survive the hardest first year. At the very least, to see them through the spring planting.

Marquis Zheng said, “Making you Commissioner for Military Supplies was exactly the right call!”

Zhù Ying said, “I only hope the generals will refrain from stabbing me in the back. I wish to conduct a thorough audit of the military’s accounts.”

Zhù Ying was in truth inheriting a mess — above, she had to argue with Minister Dou; below, she had to tear through the generals. She looked at Marquis Zheng with steady seriousness. Marquis Zheng replied frankly, “After a major battle, the accounts have been cleared up somewhat.”

Zhù Ying said, “My audit is different from theirs.”

Marquis Zheng said, “How do you propose to go about it?”

Zhù Ying smiled. “I brought some people with me. A few of them, over the next two days, will be going in and out of the military camp — I would ask that you arrange passes for them. They are all local people and have been away from home for several months; I’m letting them return for a visit.”

Marquis Zheng sighed. “You are someone who truly knows how to get things done.”

Zhù Ying said, “Please hold a formal assembly tomorrow, Your Lordship.”

Marquis Zheng said, “I can do that. Oh — what is the story with Shi Xi?”

“He still needs to go to the border cities. I could see he was not very keen.”

“Let him make the trip. Otherwise people will talk. Out on the road, one must make sure His Majesty is informed.”

“Indeed!”

The following day, Shi Xi dragged himself up, holding his head. He left the tent to see Marquis Zheng, and all along the way encountered battle-scarred soldiers with a dangerous air about them. He also saw a group of soldiers eating — they were eating porridge mixed with miscellaneous vegetables, and biting into flat cakes so dry they crumbled.

Shi Xi’s stomach grumbled. He had drunk wine on an empty stomach yesterday, and now he was hungry.

An officer hospitably invited him to eat. Shi Xi was somewhat tempted. The officer served him a bowl, much the same as what the soldiers were eating.

Shi Xi first drank the porridge. His expression immediately became the same color as that porridge. He looked at the flat cake in his hands with hesitation, his instincts telling him that taking a bite would be a regret. He took a bite, and sure enough, regretted it. But with everyone watching, he could not very well spit it out, so he forced it down. He managed a strained smile. “You all go ahead and eat. I’ll go find the old Marquis.”

At Marquis Zheng’s main tent, Zhù Ying had already exchanged cold looks with the generals once. Upon hearing that Zhù Ying wanted to take over the accounts, the generals’ faces had turned sour again.

Still it was Marquis Zheng who said, “Do as she says.”

Zhù Ying continued pleasantly, “I came to the north to assist Marquis Zheng. Right now we have only one path — working together with full cooperation to win this battle. Everything I do is aimed at winning. I have no wish for any enterprise I participate in to end badly. So I will never hold back any of the generals. You are the military side; I am the civil side. Once we leave the north, I’m afraid we will rarely meet.”

She brought her index finger and thumb together in a tiny gap: “Right now there is only this small thread of connection between us. I am willing to make it a good one. In everything I do, I will never deliberately make things difficult. As for the past — turn the page. If in the future you run into something onerous, just come and see me, blade in hand.”

Young General Leng, who knew more about her than the others, said at once, “Good! I’ll trust you on this!”

Zhù Ying smiled slightly. “Then do we have an agreement? I will contact the Ministry of Finance first and arrange the grain and supply disbursements as quickly as possible. May I also ask that the generals organize the veteran and wounded soldiers to be rotated out, arranged in squads of ten men each, so that we can receive them conveniently?”

Young General Leng said, “Agreed.”

By the time they had sorted through the main points, Shi Xi had also arrived. Marquis Zheng again offered him breakfast. After breakfast, Zhù Ying asked him whether he intended to go to the border cities.

Shi Xi hesitated briefly and still said he would go.

Zhù Ying said, “Very well.”

Just as Marquis Zheng had done, she let Shi Xi look at the scorched earth, the white memorial banners, the fresh grave mounds, and the marks left on the city walls. Shi Xi made a whirlwind tour through it all. The weather was warming slightly.

Zhù Ying and Marquis Zheng saw Shi Xi off together. The two of them had prepared many gifts for him — fine horses, precious stones, and the like — and additionally prepared some gifts for Princess Mingyi and others, all to be taken back by him.

Having sent Shi Xi on his way, Zhù Ying set about taking over the management of the military’s supplies. She aimed to get matters at the main camp into some kind of order before the spring planting season began, and then proceed to dispatch the veteran soldiers in batches to open up new land.

The veteran soldiers had no homes in the north, and their housing also required her attention.

Fortunately, spring planting came somewhat later in the north, so she still had time. On the very day Shi Xi departed, Zhù Ying assigned tasks to Zhù Qingjun and the others: “You several, go to this area; you several, go to that one…”

They still carried the responsibilities of coordinating the post roads and managing transport. Every person was heavily loaded with assignments. The same went for Su Zhe, Zhuo Jue, and the others who remained behind — each had their own arrangements. The method was the same as the one Zhù Ying had used in Wuzhou: everyone was required to go down to the countryside personally and could not simply sit and process incoming and outgoing documents.

Zhù Ying herself also set up a small camp of her own within Marquis Zheng’s main camp and worked from there on the spot. She personally went through the entire process of grain and fodder allocation and distribution — from receiving the provisioned supplies to dispersing them.

First she established standard measures: how large a dou was, how full it should be packed with grain, how heavy a bundle of horse fodder was. She then set physical sample standards for what grain ought to look like and what quality horse beans should have. Random checks were made during inspection. Horse fodder could not be wrapped in mud and earth. One tent was taken as a reference sample — all others had to match the sample.

And so on in this fashion.

She then summoned the generals from each unit and coordinated with them: “Infantry and cavalry have different consumption rates; garrison troops and vanguard units have different reward scales. Let us first categorize, then count the number of each type of soldier. How many of which type of troops are stationed in which camp — let us work that out, and then allocate accordingly.”

Marquis Zheng’s records also had rosters for each unit — how many men, how many horses, and so forth — and the calculations were begun from there.

Zhù Ying’s method of calculation was the same as when dividing benefits in the past: officers and soldiers each calculated according to their rank. Generals received richer daily rations, and she also gave the generals a second, separate allocation on top of that. For example, the personal guards of each general received one ration on the regular payroll; Zhù Ying then gave them a separate second ration, and this duplicate portion was given directly to the generals: “Your own personal followers — run your own cooking, manage them yourselves.”

This double calculation applied not only to rations but to all weapons, armor, and equipment — a second calculation in the form of cash payment.

Without Marquis Zheng presiding above, she could speak more casually: “I will not pocket a single coin or a single grain of rice for myself — it all goes downward. If any of my people have dirty hands, come tell me straight. I will also be conducting spot checks in your camps. I’m giving each person their full daily rations — if they’re eating less than their proper share, I’ll boil the ones who embezzled it. At that point, everyone remember to come and have a share of the broth.”

Young General Leng laughed aloud at this: “Good! I’ll chop the firewood for you.”

Jin Liang chimed in: “I’ll tend the fire.”

Then Zhù Ying sent an official dispatch to the Ministry of Finance, writing out her plan along with the true situation in the military — now that the padding had been squeezed out, release the money. Then she wrote to the Ministry of Personnel: since she was to do the work, she needed to give her people “proper credentials.” Ten northern youths and two northern distinguished men were again given official appointments.

Zhù Qingjun and the others personally escorted the supply convoys. Whenever money and grain allocated by the court arrived, it would be delivered in its original amount, intact, to each camp, with clear handoff records. They were all run off their feet. Everything was in precise order, and Marquis Zheng was spared a great deal of worry.

The weather gradually warmed again, and the work of opening new land was about to begin. Throughout the main camp, all eyes turned to Zhù Ying’s small camp, through which a constant stream of people passed, each moving with hurried, purposeful steps.

Zhù Ying took her leave of Marquis Zheng and returned to the field office.