Luo Geng, general of Youzhou, had a single son named Luo Jing. At nineteen years of age, Luo Jing had already earned the title of the foremost martial warrior in the northern frontier armies — not a title he had claimed for himself, nor one bestowed by his father, but one he had fought his way to.
In that year, Luo Geng issued a challenge throughout Jizhou: he was raising a new army and recruiting men of valor, and whoever ranked first in the trials would be appointed on exceptional merit as the commanding general of the new army’s Tiger-Leopard Cavalry.
The announcement called for all able-bodied men across Jizhou who thought themselves capable to come to Youzhou and compete. But the response was not limited to Jizhou alone. Even from the neighboring province of Yanzhou many outstanding young men came, among them no few who already enjoyed considerable reputations within the military.
From the very first day of the trials, however, Luo Jing stepped onto the platform. He said only one thing: *I will not allow any of you to become the general of the Tiger-Leopard Cavalry, because I intend to have it myself.*
Thirty platforms had been set up for the tournament. After ten days of fighting, only thirty-two men remained standing.
These thirty-two were to draw lots to determine their opponents for the next round — but Luo Jing flatly refused. He pointed at the platform beneath his feet and said: *Come at me one at a time.*
Every one of those remaining thirty-one men was a master among masters. And yet in thirty-one consecutive bouts, not one of them could beat Luo Jing.
From that day forward, the name of the northern frontier armies’ foremost martial master spread across the land.
Three years had passed since that great tournament. After it, Luo Jing declined to accept the rank of general. He told his father Luo Geng that in three years, if the Tiger-Leopard Cavalry he had trained could defeat his father’s light cavalry in battle, he would accept the general’s seal then.
It did not take three years. Two years later, Luo Geng’s light cavalry faced the Tiger-Leopard Cavalry in an exercise. The light cavalry lost all three rounds.
Prince Yu Yang Jixing had long coveted this young general. He had always wanted to bring Luo Jing under his banner, but he also understood that a wily old fox like Luo Geng would never willingly send his only son to serve him. So, beginning more than half a year prior, Prince Yu had instructed Military Commissioner Zeng Ling to gradually squeeze and reduce the grain and supply allocations sent to Youzhou.
This was precisely why, after Zeng Ling arrived in Youzhou, Luo Jing had said he was willing to come and serve Prince Yu — but only if the grain shortfalls were made good in full.
Zeng Ling had once remarked that with Luo Jing, every battle would be won.
In truth, during the tournament three years prior, Prince Yu had also instructed Zeng Ling to select the finest warriors from the Jizhou army and from across the province and send them to compete — reasoning that if he could win over a cavalry unit from Youzhou, it would be greatly to his advantage when the uprising came.
The hand-picked warriors Jizhou’s army sent had fared respectably: seven of them were among the final thirty-two still standing when all was said and done. But those seven had been no more immune to defeat at Luo Jing’s hands than anyone else — and not a single one of the seven claimed they had any grounds to dispute the outcome. When a defeat comes by a hair’s breadth, a man may refuse to accept it. When the gap is as vast as a canyon, indignation becomes mere self-delusion.
Now that Luo Jing had arrived in Jizhou with several thousand Tiger-Leopard Cavalry in tow, Prince Yu had, despite everything, taken some comfort in it.
Military Commissioner Zeng Ling came unhurried through the outer door, carrying a bowl of polished rice porridge in his hands. He looked over Prince Yu’s complexion, then said in a quiet voice, “Your Highness, please — your health must come first. Please eat something, even a little.”
Prince Yu pointed to the table at his side. “Set it down. I have no appetite.”
Zeng Ling placed the bowl on the table and composed himself before bowing. “Your Highness has acquired an unrivaled commander, and the Jizhou army is all the stronger for it.”
Prince Yu gave a quiet sigh. “Please entertain Luo Jing on my behalf. Tell him I am genuinely unwell and ask him not to take offense at my absence.”
“Your servant understands.”
Zeng Ling continued, “Your servant also comes to seek Your Highness’s instruction. Luo Jing currently holds the rank of Tiger-Leopard Cavalry General of Youzhou, which is rather low in terms of formal grade. If Your Highness wishes to secure his wholehearted service, he should be rewarded generously and granted a prestigious appointment.”
Prince Yu asked, “What rank do you suggest?”
Zeng Ling replied, “Promote him first to Associate Third Grade General. His father holds the Senior Third Grade; granting him Associate Third Grade is not excessive, and it allows his father Luo Geng to save face as well. When the day of the uprising arrives, appoint him Vanguard General…”
Prince Yu nodded. “Do as you say. Additionally, reward him with a thousand taels of gold, ten beauties, three hundred bolts of brocade, and a grand estate here in Jizhou.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Zeng Ling went on, “However, the consort’s funeral arrangements are not yet complete, and I believe a hasty call to arms would actually be ill-advised. It might be better to wait a month or more. During that month, we can have Luo Jing lead troops on a circuit through the north — this would apply some pressure to Yu Chaozong, and also sweep away what remains of the scattered bandits to secure our rear.”
Prince Yu considered this. Launching the campaign now would invite reproach, so he nodded. “Make the arrangements as you see fit… Also, send someone to call on Zuo’er. He has returned, and I cannot go to him myself. Go in my stead.”
Zeng Ling bowed. “This evening, when I host a banquet on Your Highness’s behalf for Luo Jing, shall I also invite Xiahou to attend?”
Prince Yu scoffed. “As if he would come. You had better eat with Luo Jing first and then go to call on him yourself.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Zeng Ling said, “Then your servant will take his leave.”
Prince Yu nodded. “You have worked hard as well. Finish your duties and rest early.”
Zeng Ling backed out of Prince Yu’s study, and the moment he stepped past the threshold he let out a breath of relief. The tragedy in the Prince’s household had left much in disarray — but for him, it carried no ill consequences. If anything, there was something to be gained. The consort’s death had swept away all the Prince’s other concerns, leaving Prince Yu with no option but to hand everything over to him. That suited Zeng Ling just fine.
Having left the Prince’s residence, Zeng Ling spoke to his subordinate. “Tomorrow, draw two ten-thousand-man units from the army and transfer them to Luo Jing. Have the arrangements underway tonight.”
The subordinate started. “Committing twenty thousand soldiers to him — His Highness may not be pleased.”
“Do as I say,”
Zeng Ling said with a slight smile. “With Luo Jing here, I need him to know who it is he can trust. I have already advised the Prince not to see anyone for now, Luo Jing included. Luo Jing may not say so aloud, but he will be nursing a grievance over it. I want him to have that grievance. If I let him bypass me and go straight to the Prince, becoming the Prince’s personal confidant, then the awkward one will be me.”
He closed his eyes to rest and spoke in an unhurried tone. “When we meet, I will tell him the Prince wants him to take up a temporary posting on the frontier — specifically, to serve under Yu Chaozong. The moment Luo Jing hears that, he’ll be furious. He may well turn straight around and head back to Youzhou.”
A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth. “And at that point I will say that I urged the Prince most strenuously against such an arrangement, but His Highness had made up his mind and would not be moved — and so, unable in good conscience to stand aside, I took it upon myself to privately allocate two ten-thousand-man units from the Jizhou army to him, so that he can lead troops against those scattered rebel bands rather than go and serve under Yu Chaozong. He will feel at least some measure of gratitude toward me.”
Zeng Ling continued, “Same situation — it all comes down to how you tell it. What I say to the Prince: let Luo Jing take troops north to suppress bandits. What I say to Luo Jing: the Prince wants him to serve temporarily under Yu Chaozong. Both of them head north — but the meaning could not be more different. And then I tell him that I defied the Prince’s wishes at my own peril and assigned him troops so he could go suppress bandits rather than report to Yu Chaozong — and he’ll be beside himself with gratitude.”
The subordinate laughed. “And Luo Jing will never suspect a thing. He’ll only think it’s the Prince trying to put him in his place.”
Zeng Ling made a sound of assent. “My days of ease are coming. The Prince thought that with the Yuwen clan behind him he could afford to grow cold toward me. But when he raises his banner — where does his foundation rest? On my Jizhou army, and nothing else. Now — with the consort dead, once the Yuwen clan learns of it, there’s no chance they’ll immediately continue their support of him.”
The subordinate said, “But hasn’t His Highness already issued orders to seal off all word of it?”
Zeng Ling said with a smile, “It was my timely counsel that led him to issue those orders — and I am the one who had Jing Yanli and his men killed to enforce them. And yet none of that prevents me from dispatching someone to inform the Yuwen clan myself.”
He shifted back slightly, settling himself more comfortably — the round trip to Youzhou, ridden day and night without rest, had left him genuinely exhausted.
“I need the Prince to understand, in the end, that without me he is nothing.”
Zeng Ling let out a slow breath.
Then he smiled again, murmuring as if to himself: “The wheel of fortune really does turn. Who could have foreseen that a minor county magistrate by the name of Yue Huanian could stir up such a tempest? The Prince must be full of regrets now.”
The subordinate echoed the sentiment: “Truly… a common county magistrate of no account, and even he could drive the Prince’s household steward to mutiny. Hard to fathom.”
Zeng Ling made a sound of acknowledgment, and said with his eyes still closed, “Speaking of that matter — I’ve just thought of something. Send someone to Pingchang County and have Jing Yanli’s body and the others transported there. Tell the people of Pingchang County that the ones who framed Magistrate Yue were these western-regions men, and that they have all been brought to justice. Console the people of Pingchang County.”
He smiled again. “The hearts of the people — you can’t see them or touch them, yet swaying them isn’t so very difficult. Those common folk, aren’t they led about by the nose by me just as I please?”
The subordinate bowed. “I will send someone to see to it tomorrow.”
Zeng Ling said, “If anyone from the Prince’s household asks, tell them we are taking the bodies outside the city for burial.”
He opened his eyes. Deep within them was a coldness that made one’s blood run chill.
—
Not long afterward, at the Military Commissioner’s residence.
When Luo Jing heard that Prince Yu wanted him to temporarily serve under a rebel commander, his expression changed at once. He struck the table with a crack, sending the food and dishes flying.
“Calm yourself, Young General, please calm yourself.”
Zeng Ling said soothingly, “His Highness had his reasons for making such an arrangement. After all, no one knows the rebel forces better than Yu Chaozong. His Highness thought that by sending you to Yu Chaozong’s camp for a time, you could more quickly put down the rebellion and settle the matter in Jizhou.”
Before Luo Jing could speak, he smiled and continued, “The Prince has his considerations. But how could I let you be treated so unfairly? You are someone I personally brought back from Youzhou. I made a promise to your father that I would look after you well.”
He looked at Luo Jing and said, “Here is what I will do. You need not go to Yu Chaozong. I will transfer twenty thousand men from the Jizhou army to you. If the Prince questions this, I will take full responsibility myself. You just lead your troops out and suppress the bandits and wait for the Prince to summon you back.”
Luo Jing’s expression changed once more, and he clasped his hands in salute. “Commissioner, for such consideration, I do not know how to express my gratitude.”
“It is as I have always said.”
Zeng Ling took Luo Jing’s hands in his. “Your father placed you in my care. It falls to me to look after you properly. If the Prince wishes to lay blame, let him blame me. You will not be made to suffer unfairly.”
He spoke with great earnestness. “Your father and I have been friends for many years — we are as close as brothers. You are my nephew in all but name. You are here in Jizhou now, and if I do not look after you, who will?”
Luo Jing stepped back and bowed deeply. “For as long as Luo Jing remains within the Jizhou army, I will follow the Commissioner’s direction in all things.”
Zeng Ling said, “No need for such formality — I told you, I regard you as a nephew. If you do not object, when we are in private you may address me as uncle.”
He let out a long breath and said, “On the Prince’s side, I will hold the line for you. On the battlefield — that is where I will have to rely on you.”
Luo Jing said with serene confidence, “I cannot speak for other matters. But on the battlefield — no one will ever take a single victory from my hands.”
—