By now, the forces Li Chi had assembled in Jizhou numbered at least five or six hundred — and every last one of them was among the finest fighters to be had.
From the very beginning, Zhuang Wudi had brought over a hundred men with him, veterans of the battles against the Black Wu invaders.
Then came the hundred soldiers that Gao Xining had borrowed from Yu Chaozong — his personal guard unit.
After that, on the road to Yunyinshan, they had encountered and befriended over a hundred sworn brothers from the Hanging Blade Sect. Then there were the additional recruits taken on later, until the size of the force had grown to something considerable.
These five or six hundred men answered to Tang Pidi, who organized them along military lines.
Following the steppe tradition, the force was divided into five companies of a hundred each — in practice somewhat more than that — with five centurions appointed to lead them.
Zhuang Wudi, Jiang Ran, Jia Ruan the eldest sworn brother of the Hanging Blade Sect, and two skilled fighters formerly of the Azure Formation — Ruan Chen and Ruan Mu — each commanded one company.
Tang Pidi naturally held overall command. In Yu Jiuling’s words, Tang Pidi was a “five-centurion.”
Yu Jiuling had also raised the question: why couldn’t he be a centurion?
Tang Pidi told him: you rank just below me. You oversee intelligence and reconnaissance — the most critical work of all. So at the very least you are worth half of me: a two-fifty-turion.
Yu Jiuling resigned the post on the spot.
—
The underground vault had taken on enormous importance. Li Chi had estimated that Luo Jing must have already sent men back to Youzhou, which meant that Luo Geng’s army could very well arrive before long.
Luo Geng had long had his eye on Jizhou. He had not dared to act before because in all things — above all in the matter of grain — Jizhou held him by the throat.
But things had changed. He had defeated the Yanzhou army and seized massive quantities of grain, supplies, and surrendered troops. Then, with Prince Yu’s forces, he had struck and broken the Qingzhou army — gaining yet more grain and soldiers in the aftermath.
Whether measured in troop numbers or the abundance of provisions, Luo Geng’s Youzhou army stood at its absolute peak.
So Luo Geng now wanted more than ever to press further. Take Jizhou, and he would no longer be what everyone called the Youzhou warlord. He could command the entire northern frontier. Even if he declared himself King of Jizhou, who could stop him? Even the court would have no recourse.
Such was the tide of the age — especially here in the north, far from the capital, where every man dreamed of carving out his own domain.
—
That evening, when Li Chi emerged from the vault and stepped into the rear courtyard, he found it nearly empty — unnervingly quiet.
He asked around and learned that Gao Yuanzhang had called everyone to the front courtyard for the first lesson of a new regimen.
Prior to this, Li Chi had also invited Mister Zhou Huaili over. In both learning and character, Mister Zhou was a man fit to teach. And with Jizhou on the verge of turmoil — with no way to know when the three outside forces might launch their assault — Li Chi had thought it best to bring Mister Zhou here for safety.
Gao Yuanzhang was strict on matters of propriety; Mister Zhou was no different. So for this first session, the lesson was on the fundamentals of proper conduct and etiquette — aimed squarely at these rough-and-ready men.
The assembled fighters sat in a row on low stools, listening attentively. Gao Yuanzhang had taken special care in preparing this lesson: in the front courtyard he had hung up a large wooden board and was teaching with a charcoal brush.
“I have heard something of what you all do,” Gao Yuanzhang said, clearing his throat. “I understand that your chief, Li Chi, wishes for all of you to develop yourselves broadly and hopes you will one day be able to shoulder greater responsibilities.”
“Plainly put — no matter what role you are asked to play, you must be able to do it convincingly. For example, when disguising yourselves as scholars, a long robe alone will not be sufficient. You must genuinely carry yourselves with a scholar’s bearing — otherwise you will give yourself away the moment you open your mouth.”
Gao Yuanzhang said, “Let us begin with basic etiquette.”
The assembled men all stared at him with visible tension — clearly convinced he was about to call on each of them to compose and recite a poem.
Most had come from humble backgrounds. Before arriving at the courier station, few had known how to read — they had only started learning to read and write here, under compulsion.
Gao Yuanzhang smiled warmly. “None of you need to be anxious. This is simply a way of getting a sense of where you stand. I want to understand what you already know about etiquette and proper behavior — and we will work from the simpler matters first.”
He pointed to one of the men. “You — say, you are walking into the city and want to ask someone for directions to the courier station. You come across a woman on the road. How do you address her?”
The man gave an awkward laugh, then ventured tentatively, “Madam, might you know which way to the Yongning Tongyuan courier station?”
Gao Yuanzhang nodded slowly. “Passable — not a complete breach of manners. But if the woman happened to be a young girl, she might find it slightly rude.”
The man looked deeply relieved — *passable is fine by me, class is terrifying* — and thought: didn’t expect school to be like this. Unspeakably dreadful.
Gao Yuanzhang looked across the group and spotted someone trying to sink back behind the others. As any teacher worth his salt instinctively knows, the student trying hardest to disappear is always the first one to be called.
“You there — Yu Jiuling, is it?”
Yu Jiuling immediately jumped to his feet and began to tremble visibly.
“Yes, Director Gao — just call me Ninth — er, call me Deputy Director Yu.”
Gao Yuanzhang: “…”
He coughed a few times, then said, “And how would you handle it?”
Yu Jiuling swallowed hard, several times, his eyes spinning like tops. He had never, in all his years, been this nervous.
*I should know how to ask for directions*, he thought frantically. *I do this all the time. So why, the moment the Director asks me, do I have no idea what to say?*
“Well… miss… I would be willing to provide some compensation, and I’d like to ask you…”
Before he finished — Jiang Ran, seated next to Tang Pidi, remarked under his breath, “If he stopped right there and never said another word, that sentence would be a completely different kind of story.”
Tang Pidi: “…”
Gao Yuanzhang gave Yu Jiuling an encouraging look. “Try to be brief and to the point. The courier station and the young lady — those are the essential elements.”
Yu Jiuling swallowed again. His throat worked up and down. He held the words *brief and to the point* in his mind, focused on the key elements: courier station, girl…
He looked at Gao Yuanzhang. His answer: “Yah! Miss!”
Dead silence.
Tang Pidi sat there in frozen shock for a long moment. He almost applauded — stopped himself, afraid of the consequences.
Gao Yuanzhang sat in silence for an equally long moment. His throat also worked up and down. Then he managed to produce the ghost of a smile.
“Let us move on to the next question.”
—
Li Chi came around from the back courtyard just in time to witness the whole scene. Yan Qingzhi was leaning in the doorway between the front and rear courtyards. After hearing this exchange, he looked over at Li Chi. “How do you rate that?”
Li Chi thought for a moment and said, “Some men have a weakness for fine wine. Some have a weakness for poetry. I’m different. I just need to lay eyes on Ninth Sister and I’m flat drunk.”
He asked Mister Yan, “And what is your verdict, sir?”
Yan Qingzhi considered it, then replied, “You have your brambles in bloom, I have my peach blossoms — and Yu Jiuling has that enormous mouth of his that everyone wants to smack.”
Li Chi said, “One smack and you ascend to the ninth heaven.”
Yan Qingzhi said, “Just listening to him, and you can already make the ascent.”
At that moment, they noticed Gao Yuanzhang glancing over in their direction. The look in the Director’s eyes was full of hope and confidence.
“Mister Yan, you have years of experience, and the academy students all respond well to your teaching — they say no one is better at working with each student’s individual strengths. Yu Jiuling here has no small amount of natural talent. He is a moldable piece of material. From now on, I leave him specifically in your charge.”
Hearing those words, Yan Qingzhi’s throat also moved up and down.
—
Just at that moment, the attendant on duty at the front gate came hurrying in, found Tang Pidi, and reported that someone was asking to see him — a general by the name of Jinzu.
Tang Pidi couldn’t help but smile. He nodded, rose, and headed out.
Outside the courier station, Jinzu was waiting at the gate. Seeing Tang Pidi emerge, he smiled and clasped his hands in greeting. “Young Master Tang.”
Tang Pidi returned the salute. “General.”
Jinzu asked with a grin, “I could hear quite a commotion from your courtyard just now. What is going on in there?”
Tang Pidi said, “Riddles.”
Jinzu said, “Refined entertainment.”
Tang Pidi gave a nod. “Remarkably refined.”
He asked, “What brings the General to me? Is there something urgent?”
Jinzu smiled. “I was out on an errand and happened to be passing the courier station. It suddenly struck me that it has been quite a while since I’ve seen you. I wanted to check if you’d had your dinner yet — if not, perhaps you’d be willing to join me for a drink.”
Tang Pidi smiled. “I’ve already eaten. But a drink — well, one can hardly refuse such a fine invitation from the General.”
Jinzu roared with laughter. “Shall we fetch Young Master Li as well?”
Tang Pidi said, “Why not.”
Before long, Li Chi came sprinting out of the courtyard as well — looking for all the world as though he were making his escape. This piqued Jinzu’s curiosity.
“Young Master Li, you look as though…”
Li Chi grabbed Jinzu by the arm. “Get in the carriage. Don’t ask questions. Ask why — wine. I was thirsty.”
Tang Pidi broke into a laugh.
—
At the same time. The Office of the Viceroy.
In his study, Zeng Ling looked at the woman standing before him and wondered whether she might be the kind of unexpected solution he needed.
“You were first with the Xu family, then with the Cui family. You have seen great events unfold — and through it all, you have come through each time alive. That is your skill.”
Zeng Ling said, “Gongshu Yingying — why have you not left Jizhou?”
Gongshu Yingying stood before Zeng Ling. It must be said: if one had never seen her kill, she would appear to be a woman of understated, delicate beauty — the kind one might find in a modest household.
Her figure was petite, though elegant in its proportions, the balance nearly perfect, her only shortcoming being her height.
Yet there were men who were entirely without defense against a woman like her.
Gongshu Yingying was silent for a moment before answering, “I want to kill someone. It has been a very long time since I killed anyone. And I want money. It has been a very long time since I earned any.”
Zeng Ling was taken aback. He had not expected such frank honesty from her.
“You enjoy killing?”
Zeng Ling asked.
Gongshu Yingying nodded. “Not the first time. Not the second time either. Much like certain other pleasures between men and women — it took repetition before I began to enjoy it.”
Zeng Ling was taken aback again. He had even less expected Gongshu Yingying to say something like that.
What he could not have known was that her willingness to say it to him had not a little to do with the fact that Gongshu Yingying was drawn to older men.
Zeng Ling was quiet for a moment, then said, “Killing and silver — I can provide both. But how can you prove to me that you are the kind of person I need?”
Gongshu Yingying said, “Give me a target. The first one — consider it my gift to you, free of charge.”
Zeng Ling fell into another silence, turning over in his mind what sort of target he should name. If Gongshu Yingying truly proved useful, there were certainly situations ahead where she could have an element of surprise that no one would see coming.
“Find a target…”
Zeng Ling paced slowly around the room. He glanced at her and then said, “You seem very confident in your own abilities?”
Gongshu Yingying said, “Killing is not simply a matter of martial skill. I am confident in my skill. I am even more confident in my methods.”
Zeng Ling paused mid-step, smiled slightly, and said, “Then go choose someone yourself. Li Chi has quite a few capable people around him. If you can kill any one of them, come back and I will keep you on — and once you succeed, I will pay you. Using silver to buy a life is always a profitable transaction.”
He smiled and added, “But…”
Zeng Ling looked at Gongshu Yingying. “If rather than killing someone, you could slip inside the courier station and work your way into Li Chi’s circle — earn their trust and become one of their own — I would pay you ten times what a killing would fetch. Fifty times, even.”
Gongshu Yingying smiled.
—