Mister Ye studied the terrain ahead, then the surroundings of the great hall, and lowered his voice. “Tightly guarded. This may not be as easy as we hoped.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement. Up close, it was clear that the interior and exterior of this hall were far from ordinary.

Especially outside the hall — figures moving back and forth in a patrol pattern, and their dress was visibly different from the Eastern Mausoleum Way disciples.

“Black Wu men?”

Mister Ye glanced at Li Chi.

Truth be told, Li Chi’s direct experience with Black Wu fighters was limited. He had faced them in person only once. Whatever else he knew had come mostly from Xiahou Zuo.

If Xiahou Zuo were here, he would have recognized them at a glance — those figures patrolling in white brocade: Black Wu Sword Sect disciples.

“If these are Black Wu men, the intelligence clearly wasn’t complete,” Li Chi murmured to Mister Ye. “That woman never mentioned this many Black Wu people being here. Either she genuinely didn’t know, or she lied deliberately — determined, since she was going to die anyway, to set a trap and send us walking into Eastern Mausoleum Mountain on our own.”

“I lean toward the latter,” Mister Ye said. “She knew she was going to die, so she hoped we’d come here and walk into a snare.”

Li Chi nodded.

Whether Que Nan had truly been ignorant or had laid a deliberate trap was, in the end, beside the point.

“It’s been half a year. If that Black Wu man saw profit in it and sent word back, and if the Black Wu side learned there was a rebel army to be cultivated here — they would spare no effort.”

He looked toward the hall again. The outer ring was packed with grey-robed divine soldiers on guard; the inner guard consisted entirely of white-clad figures carrying broad-bladed swords on their backs.

“No need to take the risk,” Mister Ye said quietly. “We don’t know the terrain, we don’t know what’s inside the hall. Going in like this would be near-certain death.”

“I probably shouldn’t have boasted so loudly beforehand,” Li Chi said.

“Blame yourself — if not for you, a person of my temperament would never have joined in the boasting.”

The two looked at each other and both smiled.

“It wasn’t a completely wasted trip, at least. We’ve mapped the terrain and positions thoroughly.”

Li Chi took out paper and brush and began sketching.

“When Old Tang arrives, we go around the county seats and hit Eastern Mausoleum Mountain directly.”

He finished the terrain sketch and put it away, wishing he had brought the dog along. With the dog in the sky overhead, anyone drawing near would set off an alarm. And the dog was a natural killer — whoever it chose to ambush would be hard-pressed to answer it.

“Fall back first,” Li Chi said. “As for the boast we made ourselves—”

Mister Ye: “We forget it ourselves.”

The two exchanged a glance and both laughed.

They withdrew from the forest and returned to where Zhang Yuxu and the others waited. Peng Shiqī saw them come back and asked in delighted surprise: “You’ve already dealt with everyone that fast?”

Li Chi said with great solemnity: “We killed roughly ten thousand on the outer ring — but then it turned out the great hall had hidden reserves of over two hundred thousand. Mister Ye and I managed to take down seventy or eighty thousand, but we ran out of strength and had to temporarily retreat. Get some food in us, and we’ll go back and keep killing.”

Mister Ye sighed. “I can’t even dignify that with a response.”

Peng Shiqī: “I can’t dignify it by listening…”

Dantai Qi said, “If they’re squeezing several hundred thousand people into that hall, the Eastern Mausoleum Way must truly command great sorcery — flattening people into paper sheets to fit them all in.”

“Exactly so,” Li Chi said. “Mister Ye and I used martial arts to break the sorcery—”

Before he could finish, Dantai Qi was already in the saddle. “Let’s go — we’ll choose not to take offense at those hundreds of thousands of paper people for now. Spare them this once.”

“Well said!” Li Chi told him.

“I’m doing my best not to feel embarrassed,” Dantai Qi said.

—

At the same time — inside the great hall.

The sect master removed the veil from his face and asked his subordinate: “Has Fang Yuzhou and his group set out yet?”

The tall, powerfully built subordinate bowed. “Fang Yuzhou departed at dawn for his inspection tour of the five counties. He won’t be back for at least a month.”

The sect master nodded, visibly more at ease.

“The Khan-Emperor dispatched you here — did he give any specific instructions?”

The tall man answered: “His Imperial Majesty commanded that you be appointed Conquest-South General and enfeoffed as Marquis of Pierced Wilderness. We are here to obey your commands entirely. Those who defy you may be dealt with at your discretion.”

In fact, these Black Wu men had only arrived today.

“Kan Luoshi.” The sect master addressed the tall man. “You are a Sword Sect sword-master and a commander of a thousand in the Azure Office both. At your age, to have risen so high — you must have your pride. I am of imperial blood, yet your previous rank already surpassed mine by far. Now you are required to take my orders. Is there resentment in your heart?”

Kan Luoshi gave a slight bow. “General, I came on His Majesty’s command. His Majesty is never wrong. His Majesty is beyond question.”

The words stated his position clearly while preserving every ounce of his arrogance.

Huo Miluoluo slowly exhaled and said: “You should also understand — if we can truly use Chu men to break Chu, there is no greater achievement in history.”

He glanced at Kan Luoshi and adjusted his tone.

“You are not yet thirty, yet you hold rank as both sword-master and commander of a thousand. Without a further towering achievement, His Majesty will not promote you further. That is why His Majesty sent you here — to give you an opportunity. If you grasp it, what sort of reward awaits the one who achieves the first merit in the destruction of Chu?”

Kan Luoshi said: “General, rest easy. His Majesty placed me under your command. Whatever you order, I will carry out. If you worry that the men I brought cannot be directed, there is no need — our objective is the conquest of the Central Plains.”

Huo Miluoluo let out a long breath and nodded. “Good.”

After a brief silence: “I know you hold Chu people in contempt. But treat Fang Yuzhou with courtesy — we still need him alive, for now.”

“Understood.” Kan Luoshi said: “He believes the General is the puppet. He doesn’t know it is he who is the puppet.”

—

About ten miles from the great hall, on the main road, a large escort of grey-robed divine soldiers surrounded several carriages moving steadily forward.

Inside one carriage, Fang Yuzhou’s expression was dark. “Black Wu suddenly sending this many people — Huo Miluoluo wants to make a puppet of me.”

The man beside him said: “Master, play along for now. Once we have the upper hand, disposing of a few Black Wu men will be easy.”

Fang Yuzhou looked at this young man — his most admired disciple.

“Of your six senior brothers and sisters, five are gone already. Que Nan’s temperament was never suited to great responsibility. When the realm is won, I will pass it on to you.”

The young man’s surname was Ju; his name was Ju He.

He said to Fang Yuzhou: “If only senior brother were still here — he was truly someone who could share your burdens, Master. Inconceivable that he, too, should have fallen in the Central Plains.”

“Your senior brother was truly gifted,” Fang Yuzhou said, “but compared to you, somewhat lacking. His talent had limits, and so he could only specialize in one of my arts. You far exceed him in aptitude — you’ve learned all of them. So you must bear more of the weight.”

He paused before continuing: “Whatever happens, military authority must not be handed to Huo Miluoluo’s people. Those Black Wu men can serve as personal guards at most.”

Ju He nodded. “I understand. If they overstep, I’ll make them understand what cannot be crossed, and what crossing means.”

“On this journey,” Fang Yuzhou said, “first go see your senior sister, then assemble the armies of all five counties at Linbing County. Let Huo Miluoluo see that without me, he cannot command so much as a single soldier.”

—

A few days later.

Eight thousand elite soldiers of Yanshan Camp advanced in a great column.

—

Youzhou — the Grand General’s residence of Luo Geng.

Yanzhou Military Governor Zhou Shiren stood before Luo Geng with an air of almost servile humility, nothing at all like the bearing expected of a frontier governor.

“I have long admired the Grand General above all others, and have told my men countless times that whatever I know of leading troops was learned, if indirectly, from Grand General Luo — so to call you my mentor would not be wrong.”

Such an attitude genuinely pleased Luo Geng.

Luo Geng smiled. “Commissioner Zhou is far too generous. Though you are somewhat younger than I, we are peers — let us speak as equals.”

He asked: “How many troops did Commissioner Zhou bring?”

Zhou Shiren answered: “One hundred fifty thousand.”

Luo Geng said: “That’s all of Yanzhou’s forces, is it not?”

Zhou Shiren naturally wouldn’t tell Luo Geng the truth. He smiled. “Grand General doesn’t know — I’ve long since built my forces to three hundred thousand. I’ve only brought half.”

Luo Geng laughed inwardly. *You dare speak such nonsense without even blinking.*

“Regarding Jizhou…”

Zhou Shiren ventured a careful probe.

“Commissioner Zhou may attack freely,” Luo Geng said. “As I made clear in my letters — all I want is provisions. Nothing else. If you take Jizhou, I will guard your northern flank.”

Zhou Shiren laughed heartily. “Grand General is truly magnanimous!”

“My son Luo Jing is brave and skilled,” Luo Geng said. “I’ll have him guide Commissioner Zhou — you may go without any worries.”

The two reached their agreement, and Zhou Shiren heaped gifts of provisions and silver upon Luo Geng, who immediately arranged for Luo Jing to lead three thousand light cavalry as an escort and guide.

Luo Jing came with only those few thousand troops; Zhou Shiren brought fifteen full. He had little cause for worry.

Zhou Shiren’s Yanzhou army set off eagerly for Jizhou, and another great battle in the north was close at hand.

Three days after Zhou Shiren’s departure, another guest arrived at Luo Geng’s Grand General’s residence — even more deferential than Zhou Shiren.

This man was Lao Shui Ze, the great chieftain of the White Mountain Army — Yanzhou’s notorious bandit king.

The White Mountain Army had begun as people of the laboring class, killing corrupt officials and seizing granaries to distribute the grain, winning the hearts of the people. To the northeast, the Bohai Kingdom was a vassal of Black Wu, and its king had always paid tribute to Black Wu. Learning of the White Mountain Army’s existence, the Bohai side had made contact.

Over the past few years, the Bohai Kingdom — a far from wealthy country — had poured enormous resources into supporting the White Mountain Army. This was naturally at the Khan-Emperor’s behest.

For years now, Black Wu had been relentless in its efforts to destroy the Central Plains’ Dachu. It had failed when the Khan-Emperor Kuokedi Dashi led his armies south and could not breach the frontier passes. So they moved to covertly nurture rebel forces inside Chu.

Fully eighty percent of the credit for the White Mountain Army’s rise to its current strength belonged to the Bohai Kingdom’s unstinting backing. When you considered just how poor and sparse that country was, and the sheer scale of what they had given — it was nothing short of all they had.

Lao Shui Ze was born of humble origins. Even now that he was the great chieftain, the ingrained awe of the powerful had never left him. Before Luo Geng, he was nervous and at something of a loss.

“Grand General…” Lao Shui Ze swallowed, stumbling slightly over his words. “I’ve brought quite a few gifts for the Grand General…”

He hadn’t even finished before Luo Geng waved it aside. “No need to stand on such ceremony. No need for all this formality. Since we have agreed to act together as allies, I regard you as a friend.”

Luo Geng rose and began pacing slowly. “How many troops did you bring?”

Lao Shui Ze answered promptly: “The White Mountain Army marches in full strength — at least two hundred thousand!”

Luo Geng nodded. “Zhou Shiren doesn’t yet know I’ve already allied with you. Let him go and attack Jizhou first. When his campaign is nearly done, I’ll lead my forces with yours and surround the Yanzhou army. As agreed — I take Jizhou, you take Yanzhou.”

Lao Shui Ze said immediately: “All as the Grand General commands. You need only give the order — I will do exactly as instructed. If you worry that I cannot be directed, there is no need for concern.”

Luo Geng smiled. “Do your men have experience fighting — breaking formations in battle?”

Lao Shui Ze shook his head. “Truthfully… that is a bit lacking.”

“No matter,” Luo Geng said. “I’ll give you a chance to train them first. Do you know — there is a force called Yanshan Camp?”

—