*Spring breezes cross ten li of road —*

*all the peach blossoms pale beside you.*

No one has ever claimed the summer wind is anything special — for all it brings is heat.

Yet the summer wind has a boldness the spring wind lacks. When the summer wind gusts down a street, every lane fills with gauze skirts ten times more beautiful than any peach blossom.

Li Chi sat at a roadside tea stall in such perfect leisure because he had been held down.

This fellow who thought himself so clever had used the trick of one thing against another to keep Gao Xining pinned in Youzhou — Chancellor Gao had spoken, and Gao Xining had no choice but to obey.

But Li Chi had not anticipated that Chancellor Gao had no intention of letting him leave Youzhou either.

A single remark — that a Prince Ning who repeatedly exposed himself to personal danger was engaging in reckless and undignified conduct — had been enough. The Chancellor even proposed to Daoist Changmei that a code of household rules be established: should Prince Ning continue in this manner, household rules would stand in for the law of the land, and he would be beaten according to whatever measure was deemed appropriate.

And it wasn’t only the Chancellor who said so. Even Advisor Wu and Advisor Yan both urged restraint in similar terms. Li Chi knew then that his plan to go south had transformed into an impossible journey.

In truth, Li Chi knew himself that with his current standing, racing off repeatedly behind enemy lines was genuinely inappropriate.

But staying in Youzhou left him feeling like a man with nothing to do.

All authority had been delegated. Everything was running in good order. If he tried to insert himself into any of it, he would only be in the way.

This was perhaps a state of affairs that had never arisen anywhere outside of Li Chi’s own people — and yet it was exactly the state of affairs that should arise. A ruler who handles everything personally, who is everywhere at once — what need has he for so many subordinates? What need has he for the talented people of the realm?

And then, while Li Chi was still making his losing argument, Tang Pidi sent a letter saying that the Heaven’s Mandate Army was likely to advance north in full force before long, and advised Li Chi against going.

Tang Pidi’s meaning was more direct: even if you go now, there’s probably not much you can do. Whatever major event might unfold behind the Heaven’s Mandate Army’s lines, once the war begins, that army will not turn back.

In essence, Old Tang’s message was the same as the others — with eight hundred thousand enemy troops, if Prince Ning went over there and something went wrong, the war would be lost before it even began.

So Li Chi truly became a man at leisure.

Tang Pidi said: once the grain and supplies were assembled, please have Li Chi personally lead the escort convoy to the front. That way, morale could be bolstered as well.

The supply convoy assembled from Anyang would take a few more days to arrive. Li Chi had little choice but to idle away those days.

With truly nothing to do, Li Chi found himself a small pushcart and wheeled Yu Jiuling out for some fresh air.

Yu Jiuling suspected Li Chi was planning to sell him — though he also reckoned he probably wasn’t worth very much.

Li Chi sat at the roadside tea stall watching people pass in the street, his mind still turning over ways to cause trouble behind enemy lines.

Against the enemy head-on, Tang Pidi had fewer than one hundred thousand men to hold against Yang Xuanji’s seven or eight hundred thousand. Even if Old Tang were the reincarnation of a war god, a battle like that wouldn’t be easy.

The best approach was still to stir things up behind the enemy — to force them to divide their attention. Since Li Chi couldn’t go personally, he still needed to send someone.

Yu Jiuling had far fewer grand thoughts on his mind. He simply felt that the scenery out here on the street was ten thousand times better than anything in the Plum Garden.

The Plum Garden was full of black-robed Tingwei officers. The street was full of gauze skirts and long legs.

“My dear chief — you really do understand me.”

Yu Jiuling slouched in the chair, sipping his tea with great contentment, passing judgment on the passersby.

Li Chi glanced sideways at him, then smiled and said: “Let me ask you something. If we had only ten people and the other side had a hundred — how do you fight that kind of brawl?”

Yu Jiuling said: “Hit dirty. In a fight like that you’ve got to go dirty. They outnumber us — every move has to count. Low blows, cheap shots — if the situation calls for it, you use them.”

Li Chi gave him a look.

Yu Jiuling said: “Averaging out to one against ten — your first kick absolutely has to show how vicious you are. Go straight for the groin. My dear chief, let me tell you, nothing puts more fear into a man than a groin kick as your very first move.”

Li Chi thought to himself: *Eight hundred thousand groins — that’s a lot of kicking.*

Yu Jiuling asked: “Are you fretting over Old Tang’s situation? This kind of battle is hard for anyone to fight. If you and Old Tang together can’t think of a way, neither can I — but the way I see it, the only thing that can really put fear into them is grain and supplies. If we could find a way to destroy their supply lines, this battle would still have a chance.”

He thought a moment, then continued: “They used breached dikes and floodwaters against us — we could do the same. Breach the Great River’s dikes, stop them from crossing. Drown these sons of dogs.”

Li Chi shook his head: “Yang Xuanji will certainly have people guarding the upper river closely.”

Yu Jiuling fell silent. He was starting to feel genuinely inadequate — at the critical moments, he never seemed to be able to help share his chief’s burdens.

A long while passed. Li Chi exhaled slowly.

With nearly a million troops bearing down, and no possibility of blocking the upper river to release the floodwaters during the crossing — no favorable terrain or heavenly circumstance to exploit — there was only human effort left.

For the frontal battle, it would come down to how Old Tang faced the enemy.

“If Old Tang can hold them off for a stretch…”

Yu Jiuling looked at Li Chi: “Could the people we send — could they loop around behind and cut their supply lines? Even if all eight hundred thousand cross the river, once they’re on this side, they can’t possibly loot enough grain from us to feed an army that size. Their rear logistical support would still have to cross and re-cross the river…”

Li Chi’s eyes lit up when he heard this.

“Ninth Sister — you’re something else.”

Li Chi smiled: “Let’s head back.”

He scooped Yu Jiuling up and set him in the pushcart. With so many people on the street, Yu Jiuling couldn’t help but flush a little.

—

At the Plum Garden.

Li Chi summoned Advisor Ye, along with two young Senior Officers from the Tingwei forces: Fang Xidao and Shang Qingzhu.

After Li Chi laid out his thinking in detail, Advisor Ye nodded: “I believe it’s feasible. It’s a matter of repaying them in their own coin.”

Li Chi then looked toward Yan Qingzhi and Advisor Wu, who sat to one side. These two were meticulous and cautious — if they also thought it sound, the matter could be acted upon immediately.

Yan Qingzhi said: “If this can succeed, the results won’t be felt until a month from now at the earliest. So it still depends on whether Tang Pidi can hold against the Heaven’s Mandate Army’s assault.”

Advisor Wu said: “I’ve already dispatched the Nalan cavalry back. Given how Tang Pidi commands troops, a month is certainly no problem.”

Li Chi said: “Then let’s go make some trouble.”

He looked toward Ye Zhangzhu: “I’m counting on Advisor Ye.”

Ye Zhangzhu rose and clasped his fists: “Within my abilities, I will not fail this trust.”

—

Meanwhile, at the Ning Army camp.

Tang Pidi stood on the bank of the Great River, watching the Heaven’s Mandate forces assembled in vast numbers on the far shore. He appeared to carry little worry.

Every preparation had been made. What lay ahead was to proceed step by step, fight battle by battle. No more clever maneuvers — from here, it was a matter of what heaven allowed.

Along this bank, the Ning Army had dug a great number of pit traps to slow the enemy’s charge.

Along the riverbank they had also erected many rows of chevaux-de-frise, so that enemy forces would be bottlenecked and clogged up at the water’s edge.

“General.”

Young officer Gao Zhen clasped his fists: “I request to lead our forces in holding the bank against the enemy.”

Tang Pidi waved a hand, indicating he should wait.

His attention shifted from the river surface to a cluster of sparse trees to one side.

A moment later, a faint gleam entered Tang Pidi’s eyes: “I’ll personally command the bank defense. I have another task for you — an equally important one.”

Gao Zhen immediately asked: “General — what task?”

Tang Pidi said: “I’ll detach five thousand men from the Nalan cavalry for you. Take them north along the upper river to patrol and guard — though the current there is swift and crossing is difficult, we cannot be careless. And there is one more thing…”

Tang Pidi leaned close to Gao Zhen and spoke a few quiet words in his ear. Gao Zhen’s eyes immediately lit up as well.

“Understood! I’ll carry it out at once!”

Gao Zhen gave his answer and turned to leave immediately.

Tang Pidi then looked toward Zhuang Wudi and Cheng Wujie.

“General Zhuang — take your own troops and hold the left flank. Remember: form your battle line at a full hundred zhang from the riverbank.”

Zhuang Wudi paused: “General — a hundred zhang from the bank means our archers cannot cover the river. We’ll have no way to stop the enemy from crossing. And giving them such a wide landing area means they’ll be able to form up and charge in formation.”

Tang Pidi smiled: “Just follow my arrangements. And one more thing — if the enemy presses hard on my center, do not bring any forces to reinforce me until you see my signal. Even if the center line breaks, do not move without orders.”

Zhuang Wudi clasped his fists: “Yes, General.”

Though full of doubts, Zhuang Wudi knew Tang Pidi’s generalship was touched by something divine. The general’s military orders were as immovable as mountains — and so he said nothing more.

“Cheng Wujie — lead your army to hold the right flank, same formation as General Zhuang. A hundred zhang from the bank. No action without the signal.”

“Yes!”

Cheng Wujie gave his answer immediately.

Tang Pidi glanced back at the line of trebuchets behind him. After Li Chi had developed them, he had dispatched men from Jizhou to deliver them to Youzhou at the greatest possible speed.

But time had been limited, and the machines were not easy to build — so the number of working trebuchets currently available was only around forty.

“The enemy doesn’t know we have this weapon — I intend to save it for a critical moment.”

Tang Pidi looked toward his young general Zhuo Qinglin: “The trebuchets in the rear are in your hands. Do not fire a single stone until you see my signal — same as the other two.”

Zhuo Qinglin was a man Tang Pidi had trained personally. This young man had a sharp mind and formidable skill in arms, and had already risen to the rank of fifth-grade general.

This young man had once been Tang Pidi’s personal guard, and when Tang Pidi recognized his potential as a general, he immediately had him transferred out of the guard detail.

Zhuo Qinglin had not been pleased at the time — he had wanted to stay by the General’s side.

After Tang Pidi had made all his arrangements, he raised his far-seer once more and scanned the far bank.

The Heaven’s Mandate Army had collected a great number of vessels — large and small, packed densely together, already assembled on the southern bank in readiness.

The past several days had been overcast, with no heavy rain but occasional drizzle, and so it could be inferred that the Heaven’s Mandate Army was still waiting — waiting for clear skies.

If a downpour were to arrive mid-crossing, the river would surge and the current would quicken — practically a gift of divine aid to the Ning Army.

“What must come will come. What must be fought must be fought.”

Tang Pidi said: “Looking across the whole realm, the men worth fighting seriously are not many. South of this river, no one thinks we’re capable. They still see us as nothing but bandits.”

Tang Pidi smiled: “I rather enjoy it when the enemy underestimates us. Because when we win — it’s doubly satisfying.”

—

On the far bank.

Yang Xuanji spurred his horse to the water’s edge. His warhorse was a magnificent steed beyond compare — purchased at great price, its temper ferocious. It had taken Yang Xuanji a full half-year to break it.

Broken — but not completely. Its wild nature still rose at times and made it difficult to control.

The horse was bred in the Western Regions, standing far taller than a steppe horse, its coat pure black, its mane flowing like a waterfall. Proud men have a look of lordly disdain — and this horse was proud, with the posture to match.

Yang Xuanji had named it Wulin.

The man who had sold the horse to Yang Xuanji said: in the Western Regions, there are four great named steeds, and Wulin is one of them — known there as Heiyun, the Black Cloud.

Aside from Wulin, another of the four had also come to the Central Plains — brought by a Western Region envoy several years ago as tribute to the Dachu Emperor. Its name was Jueying.

The man had said: in all of the Central Plains, the only horse that can match the Black Cloud is Jueying.

Now, seated atop Wulin, Yang Xuanji felt a surging, boundless pride rise within him.

He raised a hand and pointed to the far bank: “We — with a million troops crossing the river northward — would they still dare call themselves *Ning*? We say there is no calm, and there will be no calm. Not for men, not even for heaven!”

—