After the battle for Anyang, midsummer had only just arrived.

For the Ning Army, this was the finest season to march on Yuzhou. Yuzhou was the breadbasket of the Central Plains, and that granary was now at harvest time.

Precisely because of this, Tang Pidi wasted no time. A few days after the battle, he led the great army out of Anyang.

Before setting out, Tang Pidi said to Li Chi at the city gate: “On this southern campaign, the greatest obstacle isn’t the enemy — do you know what it is?”

Li Chi sighed: “Whatever it turns out to be — your point is, I can get back to raising money.”

Tang Pidi laughed loudly. He pointed toward Nanping River and said: “Crossing the river with a great army, we’re still relying entirely on fishing boats. I see that Anyang’s shipyard is small, but it can build warships. Even if it only produces two a year, there’s no reason to leave it idle.”

He said to Li Chi: “Yuzhou doesn’t have many waterways — our Ning Army battle soldiers won’t face much difficulty there. But if we ever push to Jingzhou, where waterways crisscross in every direction, we’ll need ships. Those small fishing boats won’t do.”

Li Chi said: “To build large ships, we’d need the big shipyards in the south. Anyang’s shipyard is too small. I’ll start building here for now, and do the real work once we reach the south.”

Tang Pidi gave a nod: “If the Chu Army had a fleet on Nanping River…”

Li Chi paused.

Since the Chu Army had no fleet, the thought had simply never occurred to him.

Now that Tang Pidi raised it, it struck him.

If the Chu Army had truly maintained a large-scale naval force on Nanping River, the Ning Army would never have been able to cross freely.

“The Chu Army barely has any navy — especially in the north.”

Tang Pidi said: “Build whatever we can. Maybe we’ll never need them. But if we do, the effect will be decisive.”

Li Chi nodded: “I’ll follow your judgment.”

With that, Tang Pidi led his army across Nanping River, aimed at Yuzhou.

Li Chi assigned a force to garrison Anyang, then led the remaining units back toward Jizhou.

Jizhou was the Ning Army’s foundation. It needed to be stabilized first. That was why Li Chi and Tang Pidi could not go south together.

All the powerful generals — every one of them had been given to Tang Pidi. Dantai Yajing, Gao Zhen, Cheng Wujie, and Mister Wu among them.

So when Li Chi returned to Jizhou City, only Yu Jiuling was at his side.

In the carriage, Yu Jiuling sat there, having found himself a bag and filled it with grapes, hanging the bag around his neck and eating as he went.

He had been eating the whole way back, and the grapes were nearly finished — the bag now full of seeds.

Yu Jiuling ate and muttered to himself: “Mm… bursting with juice. Wonderful.”

“Nine-Mei.”

“Right here.”

“You did great work taking Anyang. What would you like as a reward?”

“What I’d like… honestly haven’t thought about it.”

Yu Jiuling smiled and said: “Actually there’s nothing I really want. I just feel like I was useful — that feeling alone is wonderful.”

Li Chi said: “How about this — when we get back to Jizhou, I’ll buy you that place with the two bright stars and have it handed over to you.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Boss, what kind of thing is that to say? As if my mind is entirely taken up with these matters — makes me look like such a disreputable person. Think of something else.”

Li Chi asked: “Then what should I think of?”

Yu Jiuling said: “Think about building a new one. A big one — just like that old Cui Family establishment back then. We’d search for beautiful women from all the countries of the Western Regions, and find some from that place Old Tang talked about, that Sang Country — and figure out a way to have Xiahou bring us some tall, fierce ladies from the Black Warrior tribes too. Just thinking about it makes me excited…”

He talked with great enthusiasm, then noticed Li Chi had narrowed his eyes. Yu Jiuling immediately gave a sheepish laugh.

“Forget I said anything…”

Yu Jiuling turned away and went back to his grapes.

Li Chi said: “I heard some merchants in Anyang mention that if you follow the Great River south, you pass through a place called Deer City.”

Yu Jiuling asked: “What’s special about that place? Is it a strategic location?”

Li Chi said: “It is — for you.”

Yu Jiuling said: “For me… oh! Boss, you truly are on a different level.”

Li Chi said: “I just said it casually. How is that on a different level?”

Yu Jiuling said: “I assumed the boss’s meaning was that if we want to build the finest establishment in all of Jizhou — first class across the entire Central Plains — we’d need to travel to various places, experience them firsthand, study the local approaches…”

Li Chi said: “I know what reward to give you now.”

Yu Jiuling’s eyes lit up: “What is it?”

Li Chi said: “When we’re back in Jizhou, I’ll have someone go to the Shen Medical Hall and have them prepare some tonic medicines for your body. I’m afraid you’ll work yourself to death at this rate.”

Yu Jiuling waved a dismissive hand: “Not a chance. True, I was very sheltered when I was young — even the younger kids around me knew about men and women, and I didn’t — but now I am absolutely a master of the craft. A dashing young gallant, swift as a charging horse. So when you say ‘great things come to those who wait’ — that’s me.”

Li Chi said: “When you were young — were you particularly small?”

Yu Jiuling froze. Then his expression changed entirely: “Ugh!”

Yu Jiuling said: “Boss, don’t brag. Everyone’s small when they’re young.”

Li Chi said: “Me? I was born magnificent.”

Yu Jiuling sat in silence for a moment, then silently extended one middle finger.

“But there is something I genuinely need to give you.”

Li Chi said: “Old Tang is leading the army south. Jizhou is thin on troops now. Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yanzhou — and beyond the northern borders too — countless eyes will be eyeing Jizhou.”

Yu Jiuling said: “Boss, just give the order.”

Li Chi said: “I want you to expand our intelligence network. Gang Gang and Chen Dawei will help you. Don’t be selective about background — anyone suited to intelligence work can be brought in. But this kind of unit is hard to lead and still needs strict discipline…”

Yu Jiuling said: “No problem — leave it to me!”

Li Chi said: “I’ll be allocating a large sum of money for you.”

Yu Jiuling’s eyes lit up: “Are we really building an establishment in Jizhou after all?”

Li Chi raised his hand and knocked Yu Jiuling on the head: “Build your establishment…”

He smiled and said: “We will build — yes. But not in Jizhou, and not only establishments of that kind.”

“Taverns, establishments, gambling houses, teahouses — these places, these identities — all of them can serve as cover.”

“Into Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou — key strategic locations in these places — deploy capable people. I’ll have your Ning-elder-brother from the Bureau of Investigation send men to assist you.”

Li Chi looked at Yu Jiuling: “But let’s be clear about one thing — the money is allocated to you, and once these operations are set up, the businesses still need to be run properly. They still need to turn a profit.”

Yu Jiuling patted his chest: “Leave it to me.”

Li Chi said: “There is one more thing you must take seriously.”

“Boss, just say it.”

“The people you deploy — all their names must be kept on record. You keep one copy, the Bureau of Investigation keeps one copy. Do your utmost to keep our people safe. They’re out there living on edge every day — at the very least, when they come back, they deserve to have an identity waiting for them.”

Li Chi gazed at the sky, speaking as if to himself: “You send children out into the world. They work hard, they take risks — sometimes they give everything they have. And if the records are lost, when they come back, their home doesn’t recognize them. How heartbreaking is that? So the records must be kept in absolute secrecy — and they must be kept.”

“Understood!”

Yu Jiuling answered and took those words to heart.

—

One month later. Jizhou.

Ning Wang’s Residence.

Lian Xiwu and other officials presented a detailed proposal outlining the civil governance affairs of Jizhou.

Li Chi read it through, made minor adjustments, and issued orders for it to be enacted.

“The hearts of the people are where the foundation lies. Everyone says Jizhou is our base right now — and that’s because the people of Jizhou believe in us.”

Li Chi looked at the assembled officials, paused briefly, then continued: “If we can reach the point where the people of every region believe in us, then every region becomes our foundation.”

“Military affairs at the front; civil governance at the rear. Without strong military affairs, not a step can be taken. Without sound civil governance, everything trembles in the wind.”

Li Chi was speaking when a thought suddenly struck him — this would be quite interesting to try.

In the early days, the officials placed in Jizhou’s various prefectures and counties had not always been ideal appointments.

Most had been holdovers from before, or people of local prestige who had been selected for the post — done out of necessity to quickly establish control across all of Jizhou.

Now Jizhou was stable, and talented people who had come from across the land drawn by reputation were not few in number. Under Yan Qingzhi’s care, quite a group had already gathered.

So it was time to put Jizhou’s administrative governance in proper order.

The old Dachu officials — obedient on the surface, unchanged at the bone.

“I may be leaving Jizhou City for a period of time — perhaps four or five months. I’ll be back before the year ends.”

Li Chi looked at everyone: “While I’m away, matters in Jizhou City — Gao Yuanzhang, Elder Yan, Magistrate Liu, and Commissioner Lian, the four of you will deliberate and manage.”

At this time within Jizhou’s territory, Yan Qingzhi held the post of Military Commissioner of Jizhou, Liu Yingying’s father held the post of Prefectural Governor of Jizhou, and Lian Xiwu had also been entrusted with important responsibilities.

Yan Qingzhi was taken aback and quickly asked: “The Prince of Ning just returned to Jizhou — and now he’s going out again?”

Li Chi gave a nod: “Old Tang is heading south and needs a great deal of money. I need to go find ways to raise it. Also…”

Li Chi looked around at everyone once more and said: “I’m taking the Bureau of Investigation troops on an inspection tour — no fixed route, no fixed direction. You are not to inform the local prefectures and counties. I simply want to see whether the governance of our Jizhou territories is any different from how it used to be.”

Yan Qingzhi looked over at Gao Yuanzhang. Gao Yuanzhang gave an appreciative nod.

With Gao Yuanzhang’s eye for people, he was especially impressed by what Li Chi was doing, and he recognized in it the mark of a truly enlightened ruler.

From his initial dismissiveness toward Li Chi, to his current admiration — the shift had not taken long.

“Elder Yan.”

Li Chi said to Yan Qingzhi: “Please draft a talent roster as soon as possible — a reserve list of capable people. Note the strengths and weaknesses of each person. Ideally I’ll have it before I set out.”

Yan Qingzhi said: “Three days will be enough.”

Li Chi nodded: “Then it’s settled. Civil governance matters — I’m in your hands, everyone.”

Li Chi rose and clasped his fists.

All the officials bowed together.

Coming out of Ning Wang’s Residence, Li Chi returned to the carriage and transport yard.

It seemed this was where he felt most at ease — both the atmosphere and the people.

The moment he stepped inside, the divine eagle came waddling over on that plump little rump, circling around him.

This habit and movement learned from dogs — it was more dog than a dog.

If you crouch in front of a small dog and hold out your hand, the small dog will place its paw in your hand.

If you crouch in front of the divine eagle and hold out your hand, the divine eagle will shove its great big paw straight into your face.

The meaning being: come here — I’ll let you lick it.

The eagle dropped from the sky, but did not land on Li Chi.

Gao Xining had a thick leather sleeve over her arm, and the eagle landed on it.

Li Chi smiled: “We’re heading out in a couple of days for a trip. Do you want to come?”

Gao Xining gave a goofy grin. She walked over to Li Chi, first stood shoulder to shoulder with him, then bumped him with her hip.

“Hey, great king.”

Gao Xining blinked at him: “The great king wants to take me out on a trip — do you want me to be a little fawning and flattering?”

Li Chi: “Ugh!”

Gao Xining said: “Great king, what’s that expression? I’m very skilled at flattery. I’ve even learned a new dance recently.”

Li Chi: “What are you randomly learning…”

Gao Xining raised her arm, and the eagle launched itself into the air, landing on a perch nearby.

She shifted her hip to the left. Then to the right. Then spun in a few circles and nearly wobbled herself right down to the ground.

She asked: “How was that?”

Li Chi sighed: “Other people’s dances can make a king miss morning court. Your dance can make a king skip the entire palace — not come back, no matter what.”

Gao Xining said: “Hmm… so I danced badly?”

She looked at the divine eagle: “Eagle — if I danced well, open your mouth and make a little sound.”

The divine eagle raised its head, looked at her, looked at Li Chi, then trotted off to one side to dig at the ground.

Gao Xining looked at Li Chi.

Li Chi shook his head: “Bear with it…”

Gao Xining said: “We might as well just eat it.”

—