This might have been an age of extraordinary chaos — the collapse of Dachu causing warlords to rise and wars to erupt without end, while Dachu’s enemies all sought to seize a share of the spoils.

This might also have been an age of extraordinary brilliance — in this era, countless figures of dazzling talent had emerged.

Setting aside hatred and enmity and evaluating each person’s ability with pure objectivity: those who had made a name for themselves in this age were none of them weak.

On Dachu’s side, Emperor Yang Jing had simply been born into the wrong era. Had he appeared within the first hundred years of Dachu’s founding, he might already have changed the dynasty’s course.

Prince Wu — a peerless battle deity of his generation. Place him in any era of history, give him the opportunity, and he would be a battle deity still.

On the Heiwu side, the Southern Encampment’s Grand General Ye Fulie was a formidable figure. Had his southward push encountered not Li Chi and Xiahou Zuo but the old Dachu border army, within the very year that Li Chi fought him, he might already have seized all of Jizhou and taken Yanzhou for good measure.

Had things truly unfolded that way, even in the worst of luck he could have taken the entire northern half of the Central Plains as Heiwu’s domain. With better luck, he might have led a million troops straight into the Jiangnan territories.

One must also speak of the Tiehe Khan Ligo — also a formidable figure. How else could he have brought the Tiehe nearly to a unification of the entire outer steppe?

Across the steppe, hundreds of large and small tribes — before the Tiehe cavalry he personally commanded, they either submitted or were destroyed.

Before he became the Tiehe Khan, the Tiehe’s power on the steppe was in truth far from overlord-level.

This time, to avenge his younger brother Wur’wa, Ligo personally led two hundred thousand Tiehe elites south.

After the surprise attack, killing tens of thousands of Nalan herders, he had not pressed the advantage to strike at the Nalan royal court — and that was precisely what a seasoned campaigner would do.

His two hundred thousand men had come a great distance. Falling on those herders had naturally been no challenge. But then to march another great distance and attack the Nalan royal court — his two hundred thousand cavalry would arrive utterly exhausted before the fight had even begun.

Now he was simply waiting here. In the normal course of events, the Nalan could have gathered their forces and waited at the royal court for his army to come to them, with the advantage of rest over a spent enemy. But now it was he who held that advantage.

His subordinates had all grasped the Khan’s strategic thinking, and each one was filled with confidence.

To protect their grassland, the Nalan forces would come as quickly as they could — drawn from various places, converging here. And so for Ligo, there was ample opportunity.

A force’s strength was inseparably tied to its commander. The same army under different leaders produced entirely different outcomes.

Take Dachu’s forces at present: short on clothing and food, equipment nothing to speak of, and outnumbered without question. Were it not for Prince Wu’s command, could they have held off Li Xionghu’s million-strong army? Could they have chased Yang Xuanji into a humiliating retreat?

That army, under a mediocre commander, would long since have been annihilated.

—

Inside the command tent.

Ligo raised a cup of fermented mare’s milk and drank, closing his eyes to savor the flavor of this Nalan brew.

On the table before him were food and drink seized as plunder. A rack of roasted mutton sat steaming.

“My Khan.”

One of the Tiehe generals — and one of Ligo’s trusted officers — a man named Duanmu Rikui smiled and said, “Scouts have been reporting in from every direction. Nalan cavalry are approaching from multiple fronts — the large groups are only four or five thousand, the small ones a few hundred. So scattered and disorganized — in the next battle, we’ll chop them all to pieces and spread them across the grassland as fertilizer.”

His words brought laughter from every general in the tent.

“Bürte Chino is no fool.”

Ligo was cutting meat with a sharp knife as he spoke. “He cut a path through and back across the Heiwu Southern Encampment — that alone proves he is a warrior, and a clear-headed warrior at that. I have told you all countless times: underestimate your enemy before the battle begins, and defeat is already close.”

As he spoke, he put the cut meat into his mouth.

“The Nalan lamb — excellent.”

Ligo looked at his subordinates. The generals had all stopped laughing.

“My own younger brother, Wur’wa, was killed by Bürte Chino at the northern frontier. Fifteen thousand Tiehe warriors could not return home — because Wur’wa underestimated his enemy. When he set out with his troops, I told him: do not look down on your opponent. He must have forgotten what I said. So he died.”

Ligo continued eating and talking. “So if I hear anyone again saying how easily the Nalan can be beaten, I will have that person boiled and fed to my mastiffs.”

Outside his tent were four enormous mastiffs. The smallest of the four came up to a man’s waist — that alone was enough to inspire dread.

“Shurige has already circled around.”

Ligo said, “Whether this battle can settle the score, whether we can make the Nalan pay — that does not rest with our side here. It rests with Shurige.”

He swept his gaze around the tent. “So now, do you all know how to fight this battle?”

Duanmu Rikui, who had spoken a moment ago, quickly bowed. “My Khan, we hold the Nalan main force in place, and let Shurige destroy the Nalan royal court down to the last man.”

Ligo said, “Since you already know how to fight it, I’m giving you a task now.”

Duanmu Rikui immediately rose and bowed. “My Khan, your orders.”

Ligo said, “I expect Bürte Chino’s force will arrive within three days at most. The Nalan cavalry coming in from scattered directions are ragged, but they have come prepared, so someone must lure them into an ambush. That task falls to you.”

He looked at Duanmu Rikui. “Starting from tomorrow, on the first day you may only win, not lose. Actively go and strike the larger enemy groups — I’ll give you ten thousand cavalry. On the second day, you may still only win, not lose, and you must fight arrogantly — even when the enemy retreats, pursue relentlessly. On the third day…”

He pointed toward the southeast. “You will encounter Bürte Chino’s forces over there. On that day, you may only lose, not win — when you flee back, draw Bürte Chino’s men in behind you.”

“Understood!”

Duanmu Rikui bowed. “I’ll go prepare now.”

Ligo pointed at the table before him. “Eat your fill first. Such fine roast lamb — it would be a shame to miss it.”

“Understood!”

Duanmu Rikui immediately sat back down.

Ligo watched him, smiling — a smile that made Duanmu Rikui’s heart uneasy.

“Eat well.”

Ligo rose. “I’ll go out for a walk. You all eat.”

He walked out of the tent.

“Langbie.”

Once outside he said, “Come walk with me.”

His subordinate general Langbie immediately rose and followed.

Walking on the grassland, Ligo breathed in deeply and pointed into the distance. “Look how well the Nalan tend their grass. Such fine grassland — if it cannot become ours, what a pity.”

Langbie immediately understood what the Khan meant.

Originally this campaign against the Nalan had been purely about revenge for Wur’wa and those fifteen thousand cavalry. The plan as first laid out was focused chiefly on killing.

But now the Khan had set his sights on this grassland.

“Do you think we can take this place?”

Ligo asked.

Langbie immediately lowered his head. “Taking this grassland, for the Khan, would be like pointing a finger.”

Ligo smiled faintly. “Don’t pick up the bad habit of flattery from those Central Plains merchants. Besides, they flatter to survive. You don’t need to.”

Langbie immediately said, “Taking the Nalan Steppe is indeed not the difficult part. What is difficult is holding it.”

Ligo smiled. “Correct. Taking it is not hard. Holding it is — this place is too close to the Central Plains.”

His gaze moved toward a farther point. “And yet we have arrived at a good moment. Because the Central Plains people are killing each other.”

His steps stopped. He looked at Langbie. “So when you say it will be difficult to hold — that depends on how quickly we can take it.”

Langbie said, “This time we pin down Bürte Chino’s main force while Shurige goes to strike the Nalan royal court. If all goes smoothly, within one month the Nalan Steppe could be ours — and Prince Ning Li Chi’s relief forces won’t have even arrived yet.”

“No.”

Ligo looked at Langbie, his voice carrying a calm that made Langbie afraid. “Shurige does not matter. Duanmu Rikui does not matter either.”

Langbie immediately tensed, because he had already begun to guess at the Khan’s intent.

“I said just now — Bürte Chino is no fool. He is a warrior and a leader who knows how to fight. He would not leave the royal court exposed. That would be an elementary mistake.”

Langbie’s color drained somewhat. “But my Khan — then why send Shurige to attack the Nalan royal court?”

“Because it is necessary.”

Ligo’s answer came with the same calm. And without mercy.

“If he succeeds, all the better. If he fails — if he walks into Bürte Chino’s ambush — then that is the moment he makes his greatest contribution to the Tiehe.”

Ligo walked on, speaking as he went. “I suspect there is certainly a prepared force over there. Bürte Chino has sent so many scattered detachments — only to mislead us into thinking all the Nalan forces are on the march here.”

“Shurige will be surrounded. But he has fifty thousand elites, and he is a warrior, a general who knows how to lead troops. So his fifty thousand will hold out for a while.”

“Tomorrow Duanmu Rikui goes out with ten thousand cavalry. For the performance to be convincing, the Nalan will fight and retreat — but by the third day, they’ll know that if they keep retreating, they’ll give the game away. So they’ll send a force pretending Bürte Chino is with them, mounting an imposing attack on Duanmu Rikui.”

Langbie asked, “My Khan — so when Duanmu Rikui retreats back here, we annihilate that Nalan force in pursuit?”

“No. Let them chase.”

Ligo said, “After Duanmu Rikui’s force sets out tomorrow, you prepare. I’ll give you fifty thousand cavalry. Swing wide of Duanmu Rikui and make for the Nalan royal court. By the time you arrive, Shurige should still be fighting hard. You attack from the left; I’ll bring troops from the right. Bürte Chino must break.”

Langbie almost asked what would become of Duanmu Rikui — but stopped himself before the words came out.

“Go prepare.”

Ligo looked at Langbie. “Everything is for the Tiehe. Everything is so we can become the true and undisputed masters of the steppe.”

“Understood!”

Langbie answered, turned, and strode quickly away.

“Duanmu Rikui is also a warrior.”

Behind him came Ligo’s voice. Langbie’s heart tightened once more.