Li Chi had been turning Old Zhang Zhenren’s words over in his mind ever since. Even when sitting on the wall watching the sun set, he was still thinking about the three wolves.
As for any talk of suns — one sun or another — Li Chi wasn’t particularly concerned.
Right now, the only thought in Li Chi’s mind was this: he had worked his bones to dust to make Jizhou flourish, to give its people peaceful and prosperous lives. Three wolves?
Three wolves of any kind were not going to cut it. Not thirty, not three hundred, not three thousand. No number would do.
And as for what Old Zhang Zhenren had said — that within this Four-Direction Tribulation, there could be a genuine threat to his life — Li Chi didn’t dwell on that either.
A threat to his life? How many of those had he faced already?
For that matter, which battle had he fought where death wasn’t one wrong move away? Which clash with an enemy hadn’t been a brush with mortal danger?
“Perhaps…”
Gao Xining, sitting back-to-back with Li Chi on the wall, spoke quietly: “Should we bring back one of them — Luo Jing, Gao Zhen, or Cheng Wujie — from Yuzhou?”
Li Chi shook his head. “No.”
Gao Xining said softly: “I knew you’d say that.”
Li Chi said: “Old Tang is facing far greater danger than I am. And what I’m dealing with is only the old Zhenren’s prediction — whether it will truly become the Four-Direction Tribulation that was described is still uncertain. Even if it does, it won’t come together all at once. Old Tang in Yuzhou is having a far harder time than we are — he just doesn’t say so.”
Gao Xining understood. Tang Pidi’s forces were stretched thin — barely enough to hold the territories already taken.
It was said he had one hundred thousand combat soldiers, but in truth the men he kept directly at hand numbered no more than thirty or forty thousand.
Li Chi’s bold venture into the capital of Dachu had dismantled Emperor Yang Jing’s Assembly of Heroes and relieved some of the pressure on Tang Pidi.
But Old Tang’s real pressure wasn’t coming from Dachu’s court — it was coming from Yang Xuanji watching from Jingzhou. Yang Xuanji was barely seven or eight hundred *li* from Yuzhou, and he would never allow Old Tang to be the first to march into Jingzhou.
Was Yang Xuanji blind to the fact that Dachu’s court had almost no military force left to obstruct him?
What was giving Yang Xuanji a headache was Tang Pidi — not Emperor Yang Jing, and certainly not Prince Wu Yang Jiju who sat far away in Yangzhou.
The situation was this: if Tang Pidi advanced first on Jingzhou, Yang Xuanji would attack him. And if Yang Xuanji advanced first on Jingzhou, Tang Pidi would ensure Yang Xuanji’s rear was anything but comfortable.
The two men watched each other, each wary of the other, each unwilling to move — and so Jingzhou had been given a breathing space.
Emperor Yang Jing was no fool. Why had he organized the Assembly of Heroes? Precisely because he had read the situation with perfect clarity.
With Tang Pidi and Yang Xuanji locked in mutual wariness, Yang Jing had to use that window to expand his new forces as quickly as possible.
Even if those new soldiers were little better than cannon fodder, he absolutely could not allow Tang Pidi or Yang Xuanji to march to the walls of Daxing unopposed.
Cannon fodder in sufficient numbers is still useful.
Dachu’s present situation was the most desperate of all. Prince Wu had been pinned down by Li Xionghu in Yangzhou and had no way to break free.
With his force of some hundred and twenty or thirty thousand, Prince Wu was holding back what amounted to over two million men — between Li Xionghu’s armies and the irregular forces following in his wake. That was already the limit of what Prince Wu could sustain.
Prince Wu had personally trained the Left Martial Guard, and they could fight — but consider how many of those veteran soldiers still remained after years of campaigns across the length and breadth of the realm.
And yet Prince Wu’s most formidable quality was his ability to take green recruits, forge them into soldiers, put them into battle, and have them win. That was where his real terror lay.
Li Chi said: “If anyone were pulled back right now, it could disrupt Old Tang’s entire deployment in Yuzhou — it could even put a hundred thousand troops at risk.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want Old Tang distracted by what’s happening in Jizhou.”
Gao Xining gave a soft sound of agreement, then said: “I’ve already sent people to Liangzhou to seek an audience with General Dantai and inform him to be on guard. I’ve also sent word northeast to tell Elder Brother Zhuang and Dantai to watch for any movement from Yanzhou’s Mountain Sea Army.”
Li Chi suddenly smiled. “We’re sending word to them — and whether it’s General Dantai or Elder Brother Zhuang, they’ll take it seriously. But if they ask why we’re warning them, and we say it’s because Old Zhang Zhenren had a dream…”
Li Chi’s smile grew until he couldn’t contain it, and he laughed out loud.
He looked at Gao Xining. “Isn’t that just a tiny bit absurd?”
Gao Xining laughed too. But she knew that Li Chi was laughing to ease the worry in her heart.
She always feared he was carrying something heavy inside. And he — didn’t he feel the same way about her?
“If three wolves come at once, it will be the Black Wu who drives the move.”
Li Chi said: “Only the Black Wu have the power to set the Western Regions people, the steppe tribes, and the Bohai people in motion at the same time.”
He looked at Gao Xining. “Have you sent word to Youzhou yet?”
Gao Xining said: “The first rider I dispatched was the one going to Youzhou to inform Xiahou.”
Li Chi let out a long breath, laughed softly, and said: “With such a wife by my side, what more could a man ask for?”
Gao Xining sighed. “You are far too easily satisfied. And you don’t even have me yet… if you already feel this way, then once you do…”
Li Chi said earnestly: “You’re welcome to test that hypothesis.”
Gao Xining said: “Hmm… let’s wait a little while. First it was two old men to manage, now it’s three… life is truly difficult.”
Li Chi laughed out loud again.
—
One month later. Youzhou.
The moment Xiahou Zuo received the message from Jizhou, he immediately began making arrangements — mobilizing troops, deploying forces toward the border to reinforce its defenses.
He didn’t care in the least how Li Chi had come by the information. He only knew one thing: if Li Chi sent word, it had to be taken seriously.
He didn’t even need to explain the reason to his subordinates. He only needed to treat Li Chi’s warning as a signal that a great battle was imminent — that was enough.
No matter how pressed Li Chi had been, no matter how short on troops, he had never once schemed to take Xiahou Zuo’s frontier soldiers for himself.
The new soldiers taken from Youzhou that one time had been forces that Li Chi had asked Xiahou Zuo to recruit and train specifically for that purpose — they were never frontier troops.
Why had Li Chi always been so careful about this? Because he understood the weight of what the frontier gate meant.
“Pass down my orders to all positions: reinforce the troops, begin immediately stockpiling and preparing supplies and materials. Spring has come — if the Black Wu are going to move, it won’t be more than a month before they do.”
Xiahou Zuo stood before his assembled officers and spoke with quiet severity: “Let me say this plainly, so every one of you carries it in your heart. You will be dispersed to your respective stations to prepare for battle. Anyone who is lax or negligent — anyone at whose position a gap appears because of insufficient preparation — this time I will kill them.”
“Yes, sir!”
Every officer answered in unison.
Xiahou Zuo paused, then continued: “Pass word to all frontier garrisons: send scouts north in depth. Go as far as they can go. Do everything possible to determine in advance where the Black Wu are coming from, how many men they are bringing, and who their commanding general will be.”
“Yes, sir!”
Another chorus of voices.
Xiahou Zuo continued: “Prince Ning has spent years of relentless effort to bring Jizhou to what it is today. He gave the people good lives. He gave the families and loved ones of every person here something to hope for. And now — it falls to us to protect the peace that Prince Ning worked so hard to build!”
“Fight!”
“Fight!”
“Fight!”
The officers raised their voices three times. Every face was burning with resolve.
Xiahou Zuo let the moment breathe, then said: “In the past, when we were short on soldiers and short on grain, we still held against Black Wu armies numbering in the tens of thousands. We held against the Khan Emperor himself leading his forces in person. This time — we lack for nothing. We have grain enough for years. We have weapons and armor enough for years. Every defensive artillery piece produced by Jizhou’s military works has been sent by Prince Ning to the frontier armies — and General Tang Pidi set out on his southern campaign with far less than we have here.”
He swept his gaze across every face, then said: “Our frontier armies have never once been looked down upon. When it comes to fighting foreign invaders — no one fights harder than us.”
He finished, and with a single wave of his hand: “Each division — once your preparations are complete, you do not need to report to me. Move directly to your designated defensive positions.”
—
The next day. Jizhou.
Li Chi and everyone else were eating breakfast together. Gao Xining and the others watched him — spoon lifted to lips, forgotten, not yet tasted. No one spoke, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts.
He had clearly seized on something, and had forgotten to eat entirely.
“Send word to Elder Brother Zhuang and Dantai.”
Li Chi suddenly lifted his head. “Have Dantai bring his entire force — march immediately for Youzhou.”
Yan Qingzhi started. “But right now we have no confirmed news of Black Wu forces crossing the border. If we move Dantai away, and the Mountain Sea Army takes advantage to attack Dragon Head Pass, only Zhuang Wudi’s force will be there to hold it…”
Li Chi said: “Better to lose Dragon Head Pass than to lose the northern frontier gate.”
He straightened in his seat and said: “Whatever nation this land belongs to right now — Dachu or otherwise — the frontier gate of the north cannot fall.”
Yan Qingzhi pressed one more time: “But if Dragon Head Pass is lost, there will be nothing to stop the Mountain Sea Army. They could march straight to the walls of Jizhou City.”
Li Chi said: “Jizhou can be lost. If it falls, it’s still Central Plains soil. If the frontier gate falls, the Central Plains belongs to the Black Wu.”
He looked at Yu Jiuling. “When you send word to Dragon Head Pass, tell Elder Brother Zhuang: if it becomes truly impossible to hold, make the call and fall back directly to Jizhou City.”
Li Chi picked up his porridge bowl and drained it in one long drink.
“Pack everything. We’re going to Youzhou.”
He rose and walked out with long strides.
Everyone stared after him, momentarily at a loss.
They looked at one another — every face wearing the same expression of quiet surprise.
Old Zhang Zhenren placed a hand on Young Zhang Zhenren’s shoulder. “Just yesterday you asked me what distinguishes a man of heavenly destiny and sovereign mandate from a supremely gifted conqueror. I told you that in time you would see for yourself. Do you understand now? You don’t need to wait — you can see it right now.”
Young Zhang Zhenren rose. “Your disciple will go pack. Master, please take care of yourself.”
Old Zhang Zhenren nodded. “Dragon Head Pass is about to face a trial. I will set out at once for that direction. If it can be resolved, Dragon Head Pass will hold steady. If it cannot be resolved… remember that you are now Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Zhenren, and that you must do more for the people.”
He finished, then looked at the other disciples. “All of you will follow Prince Ning to the northern frontier. Even if it is only the few of you, Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Daoist lineage will have made its contribution.”
“Master!”
The disciples all leapt to their feet to try to dissuade him.
Old Zhang Zhenren raised a hand. “There is no need for any of you to accompany me. Do you think a few of you could manage better than I could alone?”
He smiled. “Remember this as well: in coming to Jizhou, you will see things in your lifetime that you must never forget. No matter whether you continue as part of the Daoist lineage or not — what you witness here will teach you what it means to be a person.”
Old Zhang Zhenren turned and walked out the door. His disciples hurried after him.
Gao Yuanzhang looked at Yan Qingzhi. “I’ll go back and prepare. I’ll write a proclamation to the people — I hope to let the common folk understand that this time, no one can stand apart and do nothing.”
Although it was only a dream Old Zhang Zhenren had spoken of, every person there had come to understand: when Li Chi takes it seriously, they all take it seriously. When the gate of the nation is at stake, better to believe than to doubt.
Gao Xining leaned close and murmured something brief to the person at her side. A moment later, soldiers from the Tingwei Army fell into step behind Old Zhang Zhenren as he departed.
Gao Xining walked to the doorway and called out.
“Tingwei Army.”
The Tingwei soldiers at the door turned in unison: “Here!”
Gao Xining called out: “Do you still remember — what is the Tingwei Army’s sacred duty?”
Every voice answered in unison: “All for Prince Ning!”
—