Within the entirety of Jizhou, there was not a single person—save for children too young to understand the world—who did not know the name Yu Chaozong. The common folk all said: of the ninety-nine great bandits of Jizhou, the one who dared call himself Heavenly King was Yu Chaozong.

The reason he was different from other rebel leaders was not merely because he was skilled in warfare, but also because his origins were unlike theirs. His father had once been a prefectural magistrate, and he had been born into a wealthy and privileged household.

Yet the misfortune was that the world offered no guarantee of safety even to the wealthy and privileged—for there were always those of even greater wealth and power who would swallow you whole like a whale, and there were commoners who had been reduced from human beings to wild beasts by the desperate need for a single meal, gnawing away at you like silkworms devouring mulberry leaves.

Someone once said: why do schools teach children to read and write? Why do rules exist? Why do institutions exist? Why does culture exist? Because no one understands human nature better than humans themselves.

Without the education that comes after birth, human nature is inherently wicked—no different from that of wild beasts.

Yu Chaozong had studied literature and practiced martial arts from childhood, and his father had taken great pride in him. Yet the world’s people were treacherous, and great misfortune befell his family. Unlike other fallen official’s family members who simply accepted their fate, Yu Chaozong chose to resist. His learning and martial arts ensured that he would rise above the rest within the rebel forces.

He grew his forces from a band of a few hundred to an army of over ten thousand, yet he never once harmed the common people. Unlike other rebel leaders who, upon gaining power, immediately set their sights on plundering great cities, from the very day he decided to resist, he had been methodically consolidating his strength. He did not seek momentary satisfaction—he sought a lifetime of development.

So he led his forces deep into the Yan Mountains. Within just two years, over a dozen rebel bands came to pledge themselves to him. Yet he did not accept everyone who came. He first made things clear: only those who could endure hardship and accept discipline were permitted to stay. If anyone felt that life in the Yan Mountain Camp was less free and easy than elsewhere, they were welcome to leave—no one would see them off.

Had he thrown open his doors and turned no one away, his forces would likely have surpassed one hundred thousand.

In the Yan Mountains he cleared land and grew grain. With gold, silver, and cloth captured in battle, he traded with the steppe tribes outside the mountains to obtain warhorses. Throughout Jizhou there were hundreds of rebel forces large and small, with the most powerful numbering tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand. Yet only the Yan Mountain Camp possessed a formal cavalry unit of eight hundred riders.

This man also set great store by brotherhood. For those he recognized as brothers, he could truly stand with them through life and death. He was a born leader.

And so whether rebel or commoner, all held Yu Chaozong in deep admiration and called him the Heavenly King. Even rebel forces in the Jiangnan regions had heard the name of Heavenly King Yu Chaozong.

Moreover, this man was born with eyebrows the color of dark green ink. Many of his subordinates followed his example and dyed their own eyebrows, and so this fighting force—the most battle-hardened rebel army in Jizhou—came to be known as the Green-Browed Army.

—

The Yan Mountains.

The camp had now stretched for over ten li, its walls built from felled timber following the contours of the mountain terrain, formidably solid. The soldiers standing guard upon the walls all looked sharp and full of vigor—in this single respect alone, no other rebel force could compare.

—

The Great Hall of Brotherhood.

Yu Chaozong listened as his scouts reported the intelligence they had gathered. When they finished, he nodded and said: “Let’s start with the difficulties we face. Prince Wu Yang Jiju is said to have never suffered a defeat. He has commanded troops for thirty years, and in all that time, not a single person has managed to hold their ground against him.”

Yu Chaozong rose to his feet and continued: “Brothers, you have all heard—Prince Wu’s Left Martial Guard army has already departed Jizhou and is heading in our direction. In addition to the Left Martial Guard, there are also the twenty thousand garrison troops of Jizhou Jiedushi Zeng Ling, and the combined garrison and auxiliary troops from Xinzhou and Daizhou, totaling thirty to forty thousand, who have also set out.”

He paused and looked at the expressions on his brothers’ faces.

The truth was, no one looked well. Prior to this, the only forces the Green-Browed Army had faced in battle were auxiliary troops or other rebel bands—none had been a match for them. But the Left Martial Guard was different. The Left Martial Guard was also known as the Butcher Army.

It was said that the Left Martial Guard of Dachu left no enemies alive—they never took prisoners. Upon the banner of the Left Martial Guard was written a single phrase: *All who stand against us as enemies shall not be suffered to remain.*

“The scouts report that Yang Jiju says he is coming to the Yan Mountains for a winter hunt. He brings over ten thousand troops in a great show of force. If he truly came for a winter hunt, he would not be hunting the pheasants and rabbits of these mountains—he would be hunting us.”

Yu Chaozong smiled. Not a trace of concern showed on his face.

“However, he does not dare attack directly. Even if he is the War God Yang Jiju, he is not coming to hunt with spear and blade—he is coming with words.”

Yu Chaozong walked to the map hanging on the wall and took up a wooden pointer, indicating a location: “No one knows the terrain of the Yan Mountains better than we do. The Left Martial Guard are capable fighters, that is true, but the terrain prevents them from deploying their numbers to full effect. The stretch we need to defend is less than one li wide.”

He tapped the location on the map: “This is our natural fortress.”

Setting the pointer down on the table, he paced back and forth as he spoke: “Unless I am mistaken, once Yang Jiju arrives, he will first send someone to meet with me—making a great show of strength and demanding my surrender. Surrender or die. If I refuse, the Left Martial Guard army will certainly advance to apply pressure, but he will not actually attack.”

The second-in-command of the Green-Browed Army, Bi Datong, looked toward Yu Chaozong and asked: “Brother, how can you be so certain that Yang Jiju would not dare attack our Yan Mountain Camp? What if he really does attack? We would certainly be unable to hold out.”

Yu Chaozong smiled and replied: “First, what season is this? Deep winter—the least suitable time for military operations. Second, as the scouts just mentioned, going by the speed at which Yang Jiju’s army has been advancing, they cannot have brought much in the way of provisions and supplies. Third, Yang Jiju has fought battles his entire life—does he not know that attacking the Yan Mountain Camp at this time of year is wholly unsuitable? He must have other intentions.”

He paused before continuing: “But those intentions most certainly do not concern our Yan Mountain Camp.”

Seeing his composure, the brothers all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The second-in-command, Bi Datong, had once been a rebel leader in his own right, commanding forty to fifty thousand at his peak. But his greed had led him to attempt an assault on Xinzhou, and the government forces had crushed him decisively. He never recovered from that defeat, so he had no choice but to bring his remnant forces—three to five thousand men—to seek refuge with Yu Chaozong, who at the time had fewer than a thousand followers.

Bi Datong’s subordinates all said that by rights Bi Datong should be the leader, with Yu Chaozong as second. Bi Datong responded by cursing out his subordinates and kneeling before Yu Chaozong to declare his willingness to follow his command.

At the time, Bi Datong had once asked Yu Chaozong: why was it that in their clashes with government forces, the soldiers always broke and ran at the first contact, yet when they attacked Xinzhou, the government forces seemed to have become entirely different people—their fighting capacity extraordinarily fierce, routing his army of tens of thousands?

Yu Chaozong had explained: attacking Xinzhou was difficult because you were going after the government soldiers’ home. When government soldiers are ordered out of Xinzhou to fight you, why would they give their lives? They do enough to go through the motions—kill a few people, or avoid fighting altogether and slaughter some refugees and commoners instead, and then return to report their victory. Why would they fight to mutual destruction with you?

But when you attacked Xinzhou, you were attacking their home. The Xinzhou soldiers had their families inside the city. Even those without family there—if Xinzhou were to fall to your assault, what future would those soldiers have? So of course they fought to the death.

When those present heard this, everything became clear to them—why other rebel forces, once they grew powerful enough, would always set their sights on attacking great cities, while Yu Chaozong alone chose to plant his forces in the Yan Mountains.

Now, with Yu Chaozong having explained why Yang Jiju would not truly commit to an attack, his subordinates finally understood the other layer of meaning behind Yu Chaozong’s original decision to establish himself in the Yan Mountains.

The terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they could be self-sufficient. If they did not go attacking government forces, the government forces were too lazy to come and fight them here.

Over the years, other rebel forces had risen and fallen. Some had their moment of glory, only to die in chaos the next day. Only the Green-Browed Army in the Yan Mountains had grown stronger and stronger, their forces ever more formidable.

There were seven leaders in the Green-Browed Army. Besides Yu Chaozong and Bi Datong, the one who commanded the most respect was the third-in-command, Zhou Daoshou. Unlike Bi Datong, who wanted a hand in everything down to the smallest detail, Zhou Daoshou concerned himself only with the eight hundred light cavalry under his command.

Yu Chaozong had once told him: those eight hundred light cavalry might one day become the sharpest blade the Green-Browed Army possessed—and its final trump card.

Zhou Daoshou respected no one but Yu Chaozong—arrogant and domineering, yet somehow inspiring nothing but admiration. First, he could fight. No one in the entire Green-Browed Army was a better fighter than he. Second, he was loyal to his brothers. He appeared cold on the surface but burned with warmth within.

After leaving the Great Hall of Brotherhood, the second-in-command, Bi Datong, looked up at the sky. The thick dark clouds on the horizon were as heavy as the dark clouds pressing down on his heart.

Back at his own camp, the moment he walked through the door he yanked off his weapons and threw them aside, the clatter startling everyone in the room.

His advisor, Guan Shanling, saw the dark look on his face and leaned in to ask in a low voice: “Sir, is it because you spoke to the General about the matter of accepting amnesty?”

“I didn’t say a word!”

Bi Datong snorted, dropped into his chair, and grabbed the teapot, gulping down several large swallows.

“How could I dare bring it up?”

Bi Datong said: “At first I thought, now that Prince Wu Yang Jiju has arrived—wouldn’t they be frightened? Who is Yang Jiju? He’s a killing star, curse it all. Whoever stands against Yang Jiju dies without a grave to be buried in.”

He looked at Guan Shanling: “A few days ago Prince Wu sent someone to meet with me in secret. I never dared say a word of it to the General. I was waiting for a moment like today—I thought they would be afraid. Instead, the General settled everyone’s nerves with a few words, and now they all believe Yang Jiju would not dare make a move.”

Guan Shanling said: “These people have no idea what they’re dealing with. When has Yang Jiju ever returned from a campaign empty-handed?”

Bi Datong said: “You know as well as I do—the General has great ambitions. He means to be emperor himself. He would never surrender to Yang Jiju. The terms Yang Jiju offered were actually quite favorable. But he will never agree. The man Yang Jiju sent said: as long as the Green-Browed Army surrenders, all will be pardoned, they can be absorbed into the government forces, and all the leaders will be awarded military ranks according to their level.”

He let out a long breath and said: “I genuinely want to find a good path forward for our brothers. But after today, I can no longer raise the matter.”

Guan Shanling asked quietly: “What if… we didn’t discuss it with the General? We take our own old sworn brothers, and those willing to follow you, and go over to Yang Jiju ourselves. That would still be over ten thousand men—Yang Jiju should honor his word.”

Bi Datong’s eyes went distant for a moment. After a long silence, he shook his head: “Let’s not talk about this for now. You all know the General saved my life. If he hadn’t taken us in back then, we would have had nowhere to go.”

He closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath.

“We’ll see as things develop. I’ll find an opportunity to speak with the General alone.”

—

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall of Brotherhood.

The third-in-command, Zhou Daoshou, looked at Yu Chaozong, was silent for a moment, then said: “Brother, have you noticed? The second brother seemed like he wanted to say something but held back. I’m afraid he has something on his mind. My men have told me that lately there have been unfamiliar people coming and going from the second brother’s camp. It may be that he has made contact with the government side.”

“Enough!”

Yu Chaozong’s brow furrowed.

He looked at Zhou Daoshou and said: “Never speak such words again. The second brother is not that kind of man.”

Zhou Daoshou opened his mouth, but in the end swallowed the words back down.

Still, he could not shake the feeling that Bi Datong had not been himself lately.

—