Li Chi’s forces were now caught between two equally bad choices. With insufficient troops, he had no ability to split them further.

Han Feibao’s main force kept pushing east — clearly designed to draw Li Chi along.

Li Chi had no choice but to keep following. Leave it alone, and hundreds of thousands of Yong Zhou soldiers would pour into Yu Zhou and pillage it to the bone.

But keep following Han Feibao’s main body, and the detached Yong Zhou force could still do the same in Yu Zhou.

Yu Zhou, like Ji Zhou, had no garrison large enough to stand against the Yong Zhou army in open battle.

And at that moment, an urgent report arrived from the northwest.

Lian Xiwu, commanding Ji Zhou, had sent an emergency dispatch: the Nalan Tribe was calling for help. The Tiehu, who had suffered heavily on the Nalan steppe not long ago, had now massed nearly five hundred thousand cavalry and were pushing south through the northern wastes once more, bearing down on the Nalan royal court.

The Nalan Tribe’s main cavalry force was with Li Chi’s army. If he didn’t send Boertiechina back, the Nalan steppe would be in mortal danger.

This was a chain strategy — exploiting the southward deployment of the Ning army’s forces for the Shu Zhou campaign, the emptied rear, the volatile situation in the northwest.

When Li Chi received the dispatch, he immediately ordered Boertiechina to take the forty thousand cavalry and ride north at full speed.

At the same time, he sent riders toward Shu Zhou, asking Grand General Tang Pidi to detach cavalry and drive to the Nalan steppe as relief.

But the mountains and rivers lay long between them. By the time Shu Zhou cavalry reached the Nalan steppe, the gods alone knew what the situation would look like.

By now, Han Feibao’s plan had become visible to Li Chi in its broad shape.

Using hundreds of thousands of Yong Zhou soldiers, force the Shu Zhou-bound Ning army to divide. The detached force would then be tied down by Han Feibao’s maneuvering.

By deliberately abandoning Kaoshanpass and carrying off all of Qingmian County’s supplies, Han Feibao had painted a vast and tempting picture for the Ning army.

With Kaoshanpass holding almost no supplies, the Ning army attacking it was a historic opportunity.

Yuan Zhen — the strategist beside Han Feibao — had calculated that Tang Pidi could not possibly pass up an opportunity this favorable. Once battle began, ending it quickly was never simple.

Acting in his capacity as the Heiwu Great Khan’s envoy, he had maneuvered the Tiehu Tribe into riding south against the Nalan steppe — forcing Li Chi’s cavalry northward.

Whether their return would matter or not, they had to go.

With all the cavalry stripped away, while it made little difference to Tang Pidi’s assault on Shu Zhou, for Li Chi’s detached force it was a critical blow.

They were now far from the Ning main force. Li Chi had only forty thousand men, little grain left — and now Boertiechina was gone. Han Feibao could very likely turn about and encircle Li Chi.

Four hundred thousand against forty thousand. Even if Han Feibao were below average, his odds were nine in ten.

And Han Feibao was only below average compared to Tang Pidi — against ordinary commanders, he was considerably stronger.

With the brilliant and resourceful Yuan Zhen at Han Feibao’s side, Li Chi was now completely on the back foot.

The forty thousand Ning soldiers were trapped in the northern reaches of Jing Zhou.

“I cannot leave.”

Boertiechina looked at Li Chi. “If I take the cavalry back to the steppe, Your Highness will have too few men. Once surrounded, without cavalry, even breaking out would be nearly impossible.”

Li Chi shook his head. “You must go. Leave now. I’ve already sent riders to Ji Zhou to have Lian Xiwu mobilize every available soldier and come this way as relief. And I’ve sent riders northwest to Grand General Antai Qi, asking him to send Liang Zhou iron cavalry to reinforce you.”

Boertiechina only shook his head. “If I leave now, Your Highness’s position is genuinely precarious.”

“If you don’t go, I will march north with the army myself.”

No matter what Boertiechina said, Li Chi would not yield. With no other option, Boertiechina took the great majority of his cavalry and rode back north.

He left behind three thousand of his finest Nalan warriors — hoping that if the worst came and they were entirely surrounded, those three thousand could help Li Chi break through.

Meanwhile, in the Yong Zhou main camp.

A scout arrived at the tent entrance and bowed. “Your Highness — the Ning army has split. All the steppe cavalry has moved out heading north.”

When Han Feibao heard this, his eyes lit up.

“Master Yuan’s planning is truly beyond mortal reckoning!”

Han Feibao’s admiration for Yuan Zhen at this moment bordered on reverence. The design had been laid without Yuan Zhen ever being in the Central Plains — yet operating from thousands of li away, he had arranged every piece with perfect precision.

Yuan Zhen smiled faintly. “Striking an enemy with ten thousand preparations against their total unpreparedness — if even then one cannot control the situation, one is truly a useless planner.”

He rose and began pacing the tent.

“Li Chi has not lost — he’s not even at a disadvantage. He simply does not know his opponent’s hand at all.”

“He doesn’t know I can mobilize the Tiehu’s hundreds of thousands of cavalry to drive south. He doesn’t even know that a person like me is at the General’s side.”

Yuan Zhen turned to look at Han Feibao. “Now — the perfect configuration has been achieved. Four hundred thousand surrounding Li Chi’s forty thousand. If the General cannot win this engagement, I will have no choice but to return to the Tiehu royal court. I could not face my tribe’s Khan.”

Han Feibao struck his chest. “Master Yuan, rest assured. If I can’t win a battle like this, never mind your contempt — I’d have contempt for myself.”

Yuan Zhen said, “The General must remember — this battle looks easy, but the greatest difficulty is speed. It must be fast.”

Han Feibao said, “I understand. If we drag this out a month, Tang Pidi’s relief force will arrive.”

Yuan Zhen said, “There may not even be a month. Tang Pidi is an extraordinary talent — you cannot gauge him by ordinary thinking.”

He looked Han Feibao in the eye with full seriousness. “You have ten days, General. If Li Chi’s forty thousand men are not destroyed within ten days, you must begin the northern march according to plan without delay.”

“Ten days is more than enough!”

Han Feibao wheeled and looked to Kuobieulie. “Take your division — turn back now. Do not attack Li Chi directly. Head southwest. Cut off his retreat into Jing Zhou’s interior.”

Kuobieulie bowed deeply. “Your subordinate obeys.”

Han Feibao turned to another general, Li Jin. “Take your division. Move west along the river. Seal off any route Li Chi might use to cross north.”

Li Jin cupped his fist. “Your subordinate obeys.”

Orders given, Han Feibao commanded the main force to reverse course and drive straight at Li Chi.

Three days later, the Ning army was forced to withdraw.

After Boertiechina’s cavalry left, forty thousand men had no ability to fight a decisive engagement against the Yong Zhou forces.

Li Chi’s intention was to fall back south and link up with the Jing Zhou Military Governor Xie Xiu.

Jing Zhou’s garrison was thin — but a few tens of thousands could still be rapidly assembled. Rally the county and prefectural militias and local troops, and a usable combat force could take shape.

He had already sent messengers flying toward Xie Xiu’s position, ordering him to bring all Jing Zhou’s battle-hardened soldiers north to rendezvous.

But two days into the withdrawal, the scouts brought disturbing news: enemy forces had appeared from the west — a substantial column, cutting diagonally across their path and blocking the road southwest toward a junction with Tang Pidi’s main army.

This was the Yong Zhou force that had crossed the river northward. Not heading for Yong Zhou after all. Not heading for Yu Zhou either. They had been waiting for the moment the Nalan cavalry was stripped away — and then they closed the circle on Li Chi’s infantry from behind.

Gao Xining stood at Li Chi’s side. Seeing his furrowed brow, she said softly, “Ahead lies Huxing Mountain — about eighty li. At the foot of Huxing Mountain is a small county town, built along the contours of the hillside. We can hold there and wait for relief.”

Li Chi nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Unless I’m wrong, Han Feibao will already have deployed forces to the south as well to cut off any retreat in that direction. His manner of command on this campaign is entirely unlike before. That strategist surnamed Yuan — whoever he is, whatever world he came from.”

In terms of early-stage prediction, the design had been no great mystery — once the Ning main force reached Kaoshanpass and learned that Han Feibao had marched north, it was obvious that Li Chi would go in pursuit rather than Tang Pidi.

If Li Chi had not been personally accompanying the army, it would not have been Tang Pidi who gave chase either.

The strategist couldn’t kill Li Chi — but he could swallow an entire Ning force of tens of thousands in a single motion.

And after that, turn the army to relieve the Shu front, striking at Tang Pidi from behind — catching Tang Pidi between Pei Qi’s forces and Han Feibao’s in a double envelopment.

If there was opportunity to fight, fight. If not, march north to strike Yu Zhou — using Yu Zhou’s grain as the logistical base, then swing toward Ji Zhou.

After a moment of silence, Li Chi issued orders: “The entire army reaches Huxing Mountain within one day and establishes a defensive position.”

He looked at Gao Xining. “Have the Tingwei Black Cavalry escort you out first.”

Gao Xining shook her head. “Don’t even think about it.”

Li Chi said, “I will not abandon these forty thousand brothers. But you must go back.”

Gao Xining held his gaze without a word. He knew nothing he could say would matter.

He looked past her. “Han Shanzhi — take your Tingwei unit back to Da Xing City!”

Han Shanzhi stepped forward at once.

Gao Xining looked at Li Chi. “The Tingwei Black Cavalry is one of the few mounted units we still have. Combined with the three thousand steppe cavalry, they could be decisive in the right moment. Think clearly.”

Then she turned to Han Shanzhi. “If we leave, and something happens to the King of Ning — what then?”

Han Shanzhi’s steps stopped.

Li Chi said flatly: “Take her out.”

Han Shanzhi was silent for a long moment. Then shook his head.

Li Chi had no choice. He ordered the army to begin withdrawing toward Huxing Mountain, while additional riders were sent across Jing Zhou to gather forces. Other messengers were dispatched at top speed to Tang Pidi’s camp with a full account of the situation.

The Ning forces had barely reached Huxing Mountain before the scouts returned with fresh intelligence: a Yong Zhou column had swept in from the southeast, sealing the southward road.

From the northeast, the Yong Zhou main force was less than a hundred li away.

The encirclement was forming, closing in with seamless precision. Han Feibao’s plan was proceeding beyond all expectation.

At the end of the ninth month, Li Chi led his forces into Huxing Mountain.

Huxing Mountain had treacherous terrain. At its foot sat a small town — Xianlai County, with a total population of barely thirty thousand.

The town was built on a hillside, which made it defensible.

Better still: two years without war, good harvests in both seasons — the county’s stored grain, rationed carefully, could sustain both the townspeople and the Ning army for about a month.

But everything had its trade-off. Once inside Xianlai County, with the Yong Zhou forces blocking the front, there was no other way out.

Mountains at the back. Flatland at the front. All the Yong Zhou forces massed for a frontal assault. The Ning forces had nowhere to go.

On the thirtieth day of the ninth month, Li Chi stood on the city wall and raised his spyglass.

Enemies approaching from all directions.

Like a black cloudbank skimming along the earth, changing the very color of the land.

It had been a long time since the Ning army had fought a battle this passive.

It had been a long time since Li Chi had been besieged.

The last time he had faced a siege like this — that had been against Heiwu.