Lulou Town.

Li Chi, Xiahou Zuo, and Zhuang Wudi had all changed into plain clothes and walked through this town, which teetered on the edge of turmoil.

When Yang Xuanji’s Army of Heaven’s Mandate had entered Jingzhou, they had come through this very place. Xie Xiu had led the Jingzhou Army in a battle against Yang Xuanji here.

At the time, the destruction Lulou Town suffered had been devastating. Yet the resilience of its people had also shown itself in the aftermath of that battle.

After the great war, the common folk rebuilt their homes. By now, Lulou Town showed almost no trace of having once been nearly razed to the ground.

The great fire could burn away what had been built, but it could not burn away hope.

Walking along the streets, Li Chi watched the people here still living in calm and quiet. They did not yet know that another great war was about to descend upon them.

“If we want to deceive Han Feibao, the common people here cannot be evacuated.”

Xiahou Zuo glanced at Li Chi.

Li Chi naturally understood what Xiahou Zuo meant, and so he smiled and said: “Are we fighting this war in order to win?”

He walked and spoke at the same time: “From the very beginning, we fight because we must win — for the sake of the common people. If the day ever comes when we pursue victory without regard for the common people, then we are no different from those others.”

Xiahou Zuo smiled as well.

Li Chi said: “I have already arranged for people to prepare in Hecheng. In a moment, officials will be dispatched to go door to door. Everything — including the houses — will be assessed and converted into silver, then doubled and given to the people here. The original value is compensation for their losses; the added amount is compensation for their suffering.”

Xiahou Zuo gave a firm nod.

Li Chi said: “No matter where our forces go, we cannot invite people’s curses. That has always been our founding purpose.”

Xiahou Zuo asked: “Then, after the common people have all been relocated, should we arrange for our own people to disguise themselves as ordinary folk? Perhaps it might still serve some use.”

Li Chi said: “If the Landscape Seal and the Cloud-Mist Map are working in reverse to monitor us, who exactly could we fool?”

Xiahou Zuo let out a soft sigh.

Li Chi laughed: “If it were anyone else, they would certainly be frowning by now. Fortunately, we are truly something extraordinary.”

Xiahou Zuo also laughed: “When enemies rack their brains plotting against us, thinking about it is actually quite gratifying — isn’t it precisely because we are so extraordinary?”

Zhuang Wudi followed with laughter. Though he was not one for clever words, that same sense of pride welled up naturally in his heart all the same.

After Li Chi and the others had passed through, a large number of people had already entered the town behind them, going door to door to explain the situation to the residents.

They assessed the value of the residents’ possessions, arranged compensation, then dispatched carriages and horses to help the people move away.

As Xiahou Zuo walked, he mused aloud: “Say, if the enemy were to win in the future and they came to write the history books, how would they evaluate us?”

Li Chi said: “If they win and write the history books, how they evaluate us would be beyond our control. But what I strive to ensure is this — when they speak their nonsense, even if the common people dare not stand up and say so, they would at least think it in their hearts: go to hell with that rubbish.”

He then shifted his tone: “But that kind of thing is forgotten within a few decades, and within a hundred years no one will remember what we did. So those history books — it is still better that we write them ourselves. Just how extraordinary we are, we write it down ourselves. Even without embellishment, just recording things as they truly were, people in later ages who read it would still cry out in astonishment: my goodness, how could anyone be this extraordinary — surely it must be fabricated?”

Zhuang Wudi and Xiahou Zuo burst out laughing.

Xiahou Zuo said: “It doesn’t matter if later generations say that — but when they mention it to outsiders, their spines will certainly be ramrod straight, and they would add one more line: do you know how extraordinary our ancestors were? You don’t? Then let me first tell you what things were like when our forebears were just starting out.”

Zhuang Wudi, who had not said a word this entire time, heard this and shook his head: “That’s not right.”

Xiahou Zuo asked: “What’s wrong with it?”

Zhuang Wudi said: “Their ancestors — that is, us — were already so extraordinary from the very beginning. By later generations, how could there possibly be any outsider who doesn’t know how extraordinary we were?”

Xiahou Zuo thought carefully over Zhuang Wudi’s words and nodded: “You make a fair point.”

Li Chi laughed: “In the future, when our descendants speak to outsiders, do they need to say, let me tell you how extraordinary we are? Any outsider, whoever they may be, would wave their hands and say: no, no, no need — let’s just reason things through.”

Zhuang Wudi said: “By then, reason would be on our side.”

Li Chi laughed: “Reason is on our side now, too.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “Having reason on our side means — when we want to reason with you, you had better listen. When we choose not to reason with you, you take out your little notebook and write it down, because that is the new standard of reason.”

All three men burst out laughing.

This was no idle boasting.

For this was precisely what they were doing — and they had already done quite a lot of it.

Just imagine how beautiful that scene would be: when we choose to reason with you, you must take out your little notebooks and write it down word by word — in our script, no less.

When we choose not to reason with you, you still have to write it down in that little notebook as the new standard of reason, never to be crossed again in the future.

The measure of a nation’s strength… ought to be this: we reason with you while possessing the power to be as unreasonable as we please.

Whether you listen is up to you. If you don’t listen, we will find a fresh batch of subordinates to reason with you — the current batch may be discarded.

The three men walked from one end of Lulou Town to the other, covering the whole town on foot. Behind them, households had already begun loading their belongings onto carts.

Li Chi’s concerns were not without foundation. News of the residents of Lulou Town being evacuated quickly reached the Yongzhou Army’s main camp.

Upon receiving the news, Han Feibao was somewhat taken aback. He could barely believe the accuracy of the intelligence report.

“How many people can one town possibly have?”

Han Feibao asked his subordinates: “Have you checked?”

A man wearing a gray mask on his face bowed and replied: “In reply to the Young Master — it has been checked. Lulou Town has fewer than two thousand residents in total, though it is already considered a sizable town.”

Han Feibao frowned: “For a town of fewer than two thousand people, is it necessary to go to such lengths to evacuate the residents — and in doing so, expose the Ning Army’s troop dispositions? Is it truly necessary for Prince Ning Li Chi to do this?”

No one answered. The question was not an easy one to answer.

Yet all of his subordinates knew — if it had been Han Feibao, he would certainly never have evacuated the common people.

If it meant defeating Prince Ning Li Chi, never mind fewer than two thousand people — even if twenty thousand commoners died, Han Feibao would not have given it a second thought.

Twenty thousand common people dead — in exchange for the realm and the throne. Han Feibao believed this was an account he could not possibly calculate wrong.

“All for the sake of a so-called reputation for benevolence?”

Han Feibao let out a cold snort.

“That is something to consider only after one has become the victor — not something to put on a performance about right now.”

Han Feibao asked: “Is there any other intelligence?”

The man with the gray mask bowed: “In reply to the Young Master — Prince Ning Li Chi has dispatched a large number of agents to Liangzhou. The Spy Guard Army’s commander, Gui Yuanshu, has issued orders for these agents to operate primarily along both banks of the Tuotuo River.”

Han Feibao thought for a moment, then smiled: “Just as I expected. He has guessed it.”

Though he had just mocked Prince Ning Li Chi a moment ago, he could not help but feel a measure of admiration now.

Li Chi had guessed that he intended to gather ships in Liangzhou, which was why he had arranged for a large number of agents to go there.

“Then let them have a good look.”

Han Feibao looked toward the man in the gray mask: “Yan Lu, go to Liangzhou in person and make the arrangements. Collect the ships according to plan.”

This man was the commander of Han Feibao’s Skypiercing Listener intelligence network.

Just as Li Chi had his Spy Guard Army, Han Feibao also had a unit dedicated solely to gathering intelligence, known as the Skypiercing Listener.

In truth, the great majority of the Cloud-Mist Map agents who had gone over to Li Chi’s side were also Skypiercing Listener operatives. They all carried dual identities — gathering intelligence for Li Chi on the one hand, and relaying Li Chi’s information to Han Feibao and the Marquis of Guanting on the other.

The Skypiercing Listener did not fall under Han Feibao’s direct command; only a portion of it was placed at his disposal. Whatever intelligence the Skypiercing Listener gathered was shared jointly between himself and the Marquis of Guanting.

On the Marquis of Guanting’s side, there was also a leader of the Skypiercing Listener.

These two individuals held a special status — even Han Feibao and the Marquis of Guanting could not deal with them directly.

Yan Lu bowed: “If the Ning Army divides its forces downstream, I will send word to the Young Master as swiftly as possible.”

Han Feibao gave a nod: “Go.”

Yan Lu saluted, then turned and departed.

The man addressed as the Holy Master, who had been seated in a chair the entire time, had not spoken a single word throughout. He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed.

Han Feibao turned to look at him: “Holy Master, was it unwise of this Li Chi to expose his movements rather than evacuate the common people?”

The Holy Master, eyes still closed, asked him in return: “What do you think yourself?”

Han Feibao shrugged and said nothing, but his attitude had already made his answer clear.

The Holy Master slowly exhaled: “If his benevolence is not genuine, then he has already sensed something and feels that concealment is futile regardless.”

Han Feibao said: “Your disciple believes the likelihood of such a possibility seems rather small.”

The Holy Master said: “So long as there is even a one-in-ten chance, it should not be dismissed. I have told you many times — I have taught you, yet you deem it unimportant, and it will cause problems at a critical moment.”

Han Feibao quickly bowed: “Your disciple understands the error. However… even if Li Chi has sensed something, it would ultimately be of no use. The Yongzhou Army’s method of attack is something the Ning Army does not understand.”

The Holy Master said: “This time he doesn’t understand — what about next time?”

He looked at Han Feibao: “I have also taught you this — if you reveal your hand from the very beginning for the enemy to see, you may win this round, but next time, the enemy will tear your hand apart completely.”

Han Feibao bowed again: “Your disciple understands. Which is precisely why your disciple intends to eliminate Prince Ning Li Chi in this engagement.”

The Holy Master said nothing more. He closed his eyes: “I need to rest. You may leave.”

Han Feibao assented, then strode away.

He was, by nature, a man of fierce and fiery temperament. In Yongzhou, he had never met his match, and had always been supremely self-confident.

Yet this man was by no means a reckless brute. Those who are self-confident and accomplished are truly formidable.

Yan Lu, the Skypiercing Listener’s commander, departed the main camp and led his men toward Liangzhou. They needed to reach the riverbank to board a boat. They dared not travel by day, so they could only wait by the river until nightfall.

At that very same moment, Gui Yuanshu was also leading his men downstream in haste.

Li Chi had told him that the outcome of this battle would hinge greatly on what happened in Liangzhou.

Either they would be fooled by the enemy — or they would fool the enemy.

Both sides were in the same line of work. Gui Yuanshu had no intention of conceding to his opponent.

Even though he had no way of knowing how many people within the Spy Guard Army were the enemy’s operatives, Gui Yuanshu was determined to see this matter through.

If he succeeded, the likelihood of the Ning Army winning the battle at Lulou Town would increase considerably.

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