Yu Jiuling recounted everything to Li Chi. Li Chi laughed so hard his stomach hurt, then knocked Yu Jiuling on the head. “Don’t go driving the man into a fit.”

Yu Jiuling said with a pout, “He deserved it. He thought I was ugly — did he ever take a look at himself? He’s far uglier than me.”

Li Chi said, “Nonsense. Where are you ugly? You possess a subtle, understated beauty.”

Yu Jiuling broke into a grin.

Li Chi asked, “Tell me honestly — when he offered you the jade pendant, did you feel any temptation?”

Yu Jiuling shook his head emphatically. “Absolutely not. How could I possibly be moved by a keepsake his late mother left him? But those few scraps of broken silver — I’ll be honest, I really was tempted.”

Li Chi said, “This must never leave this room. It would disgrace our entire camp.”

Yu Jiuling grinned, then said, “It seems the Commissioner genuinely means to come over and submit. That’s wonderful news.”

Li Chi nodded. “If we can take Jingzhou without a drop of blood spilled, it is a blessing for soldiers on both sides, and for the people of Jingzhou.”

Yu Jiuling said, “If we’re pushing nine hundred li, it does seem like we’ll need to move fairly briskly. Can’t have our boast fall flat.”

Li Chi let out a hearty laugh.

He turned to his personal guard. “Go and invite Dantai Yajing here.”

Before long, Dantai Yajing came hurrying in. As soon as he saw Li Chi, he began to bow, and again Li Chi stopped him.

Li Chi smiled. “All those court formalities — they don’t apply here with us. This isn’t a formal occasion. No need to bow.”

He pointed at the map. “Come and look at this with me.”

Dantai Yajing stepped forward quickly and, following Li Chi’s direction, looked at several locations already marked on the map.

“Up ahead is Yingzhou. Scouts have reported back that Xie Di has gathered the remnants of his defeated forces and is garrisoned there. It is not a large city. I plan to entrust the assault to you.”

Dantai Yajing understood this was inevitable. If he had come over to submit and didn’t demonstrate his abilities, he would earn nothing but contempt from others. Prince Ning was giving him the lead attack — an opportunity to earn the recognition of Prince Ning’s officers and troops.

So he clasped his hands together. “I will return at once to put my forces in order. Tomorrow I will march out to assault Yingzhou.”

“Your men have come a long way and are exhausted. They are also newly arrived recruits. They will be unsettled having just reached a new place and being asked to fight again.”

Li Chi smiled. “I’ll have General Dantai assign you a full division — twelve thousand men. Lead those twelve thousand as your main assault force, and use the men you brought as your rear reserve.”

Dantai Yajing quickly said, “For the main assault — my own men can be used.”

Li Chi said, “Let them rest. After General Dantai assigns you the division, he will also lead troops on the flank in support. In this battle, you are the commanding general. That’s how military matters will be arranged — no need to argue further.”

After saying this, he looked at Dantai Yajing: “Write a letter to Xie Di. When he receives it, he will certainly hesitate and waver. Station your forces outside the city and apply pressure on him.”

Dantai Yajing clasped his hands. “Your subordinate obeys.”

One day later, Dantai Yajing led the troops Dantai Yajing had assigned him, combined with his own twenty-four thousand soldiers, and marched in a great column toward Yingzhou.

As support, Dantai Yajing led twelve thousand soldiers on the flank in parallel, responsible for providing backup.

Two days after Dantai Yajing’s forces departed, Li Chi led the main army and marched south. He had promised to meet Xie Xiu nine hundred li away, and so he would be there nine hundred li away.

More than ten days later, at the Jingzhou army’s main camp.

After Xie Xiu had dispatched Luan Tang to Prince Ning’s side, he had also moved his army northward. If Prince Ning agreed, his forces could continue pushing north to work with Prince Ning in a pincer attack against the Tianming forces still holding the river bank.

Luan Tang caught up with the Jingzhou army on his way back and quickly entered camp to report the news.

After explaining the whole sequence of events in detail, Xie Xiu frowned slightly. He paced back and forth within his main tent, his expression clearly one of disbelief.

“Nine hundred li… You said just now — how many troops does Prince Ning currently have?”

He stopped and asked.

Luan Tang replied, “After entering Prince Ning’s camp, I watched carefully. Counting all the banners, I could only make out four divisional standards. Based on Prince Ning’s army’s established strength of twelve thousand per division, I estimate the total strength cannot exceed fifty thousand.”

Xie Xiu’s expression shifted. After a moment of silence, he said, “Prince Ning is likely putting on a performance for you.”

Luan Tang asked, “Why does Your Excellency reason so?”

Xie Xiu said, “If Prince Ning only has four divisions, I do not know how he managed to defeat an army of over a hundred thousand Tianming troops. Even if it’s true, the Tianming army’s losses could not have been severe — they would have simply fallen back to garrison Yingzhou. I know Xie Di’s abilities as a commander well. He is the rising talent of his clan, a man of great potential. What likely happened is that the battle at the river was a slight setback, so he pulled back to hold Yingzhou.”

Luan Tang felt that what his lord was saying might not be pure conjecture.

He thought it through carefully and understood: after Xie Di’s defeat, he would certainly have sent word to his elder clansman seeking reinforcements — but unable to admit he had been beaten, the letter would have been carefully worded, with events glossed over and presented in the best possible light.

He chose his words carefully and asked, “My lord — has Xie Di sent a messenger to you?”

Xie Xiu knew he could not hide this from Luan Tang. The man might have an uncommonly plain face, but his mind was quick and razor-sharp.

“Yes, he did send someone to me.”

Xie Xiu said, “In the letter, he wrote that he had employed a stratagem of luring the enemy deep, drawing Prince Ning’s army across the river. He says the plan has already succeeded, that Prince Ning’s forces are now an isolated army stranded beyond the river, and he invites me to come — to hunt together at Yingzhou, and share the glory of capturing Prince Ning alive.”

Luan Tang was so angry his beard practically bristled upward. Then he burst out laughing, and bowed deeply: “Your subordinate offers his advance congratulations, my lord. For rendering a service of the ages to the Tianming King, you will henceforth be the most favored man at the Tianming King’s court — destined to become a great regional lord. Truly, good fortune shines upon you, Your Excellency, and the stars align in your favor. Congratulations, congratulations.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

This little speech left Xie Xiu furious as well. He let out an angry snort: “Are you mocking me?”

Luan Tang, still walking, said, “How would this humble one dare mock Your Excellency? From this day forward, Your Excellency will soar to greatness, unstoppable in your rise. I, alas, have no such fortune, and cannot share in your glory — so I will take my leave first. May Your Excellency flourish in all things and ascend step by step.”

“Stop right there!”

Xie Xiu bellowed: “Have I been too lenient with you all this time? How dare you speak to me like this.”

Luan Tang stopped, turned back to look at Xie Xiu, then dropped to his knees with a thud. “If Your Excellency is angry because I have seen through your true intentions, then go ahead and have me killed.”

Xie Xiu erupted in fury, strode forward intending to kick him — then held himself back. In the end, he simply let out a long breath and reached out to pull Luan Tang up. “You blunt fool. Hear me out before you jump to conclusions. I already had Yang Songshi killed — do you think I could turn around and go back to Yang Xuanji?”

Only then did Luan Tang rise. “What if Your Excellency believed the service was grand enough that Yang Xuanji would overlook Yang Songshi’s death?”

Xie Xiu spat in disgust. “You, with that venomous mouth of yours — one day I’ll have someone pull your tongue out.”

Luan Tang smiled. “Then what is Your Excellency’s true intention?”

Xie Xiu said, “In my view, this is Prince Ning’s stratagem.”

Luan Tang asked again, “What stratagem?”

Xie Xiu paced as he spoke. “In truth, Prince Ning does not have the certainty to annihilate Xie Di’s entire force in a single battle. Whether Xie Di truly suffered a defeat or truly laid out a luring stratagem, his strength remains considerable. Furthermore, while Yingzhou is no grand city, there are walls to defend. With superior numbers holding the defenses, it would be no easy matter for Prince Ning’s army to break through.”

He looked at Luan Tang. “My guess is that Prince Ning deliberately named a meeting place nine hundred li south of his current position, in order to prompt me to force-march northward.”

Luan Tang considered this. His lord’s reasoning seemed to have some merit.

If Prince Ning lacked the confidence to take Yingzhou in one stroke, such a move — one that compelled the Commissioner to march his army north with urgency — would create a pincer situation around Yingzhou from both north and south.

At that point, Xie Di at Yingzhou would assume the Commissioner had come to reinforce him, and would not be on guard.

Prince Ning was exploiting this — using Xie Xiu’s Jingzhou army to help take Yingzhou and annihilate Xie Di’s forces.

Think about it: Prince Ning had fixed a rendezvous nine hundred li away. To avoid dishonor, the Commissioner would naturally press northward. Upon arriving at the agreed spot, he would find no sign of Prince Ning. What fool would simply stand and wait at the foot of Denglian Mountain? To show sincerity, he would of course continue marching the army northward.

Once that happened, how could Yingzhou possibly hold?

Xie Xiu said, “Prince Ning’s stratagem is indeed clever.”

Luan Tang asked, “Then what does Your Excellency think we should do?”

Xie Xiu said, “Wait a little. So long as we do not miss the appointed rendezvous at Little South Lake beneath Denglian Mountain, Prince Ning has nothing to say. Xie Di and I are clansmen — I will write to persuade him to surrender. There is no need to rush the march.”

He smiled. “If I can secure Xie Di’s surrender with a single letter, that itself is no small merit.”

He looked at Luan Tang. “Master Luan, take a day to rest. Tomorrow we continue the march.”

Luan Tang thought it over — his lord’s plan was steady and sound — and nodded in agreement.

Early the next morning, Luan Tang rose, stepped out of his tent, stretched his limbs, and then saw a scout come galloping on horseback into camp with urgent haste. To ride a horse inside the camp was a grave military offense — punishable by beheading under military law.

He hurried to the central command tent. When he arrived, he found Xie Xiu’s face pale, a sheet of paper in his hand, his hand faintly trembling.

The Commissioner was a man of vast experience who had fought in countless battles. For him to react this way meant whatever had just occurred was truly significant.

Luan Tang went over and asked what happened. Xie Xiu seemed to come back to himself, and handed the paper to Luan Tang. “Read it yourself.”

Luan Tang took the letter and read it, and his own expression darkened — becoming unspeakably grim.

The paper bore the report of scouts that had been sent out. Though the words were few, what they conveyed shook Luan Tang to the very core.

The scouts reported: Prince Ning’s army had suddenly appeared less than two hundred li to the north — and then just as suddenly retreated.

Working out the distances, Prince Ning’s army had not only taken Yingzhou, but had done so in fewer than twenty days — just over ten days — and had covered eleven hundred li. Then they had pulled back by two hundred li.

Was that an assault? That was a forced march. They had simply passed through on the way, planting Prince Ning’s blazing-red battle flags as they went.

Luan Tang looked at Xie Xiu. Xie Xiu was looking at him.

“Master Luan… what should we… what should we do?”

Xie Xiu asked, his voice stumbling slightly.

Luan Tang raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. “My lord, travel light, leave the main army behind, and make for Denglian Mountain’s Little South Lake as fast as you can.”

“Yes, yes, yes…”

Xie Xiu immediately gave the order: “Prepare several days of rations for me. The personal guard battalion, move out with me.”

His face had gone pale with shock. On the other side of things, Dantai Yajing was equally stunned beyond measure.

He had been given command of the main assault. Xie Di had refused to surrender, so they had fought. With the Tianming army’s morale in tatters, taking Yingzhou had not been especially difficult — exactly as Prince Ning had arranged. Dantai Yajing hadn’t even needed to intervene; he merely held the flanking position.

When it became clear that the fall of Yingzhou was a certainty, Dantai Yajing sent word to Dantai Yajing saying: *You keep fighting. I’m going to take a little ride south* — and then led those twelve thousand combat soldiers and simply left.

And then that man covered a thousand li in one breath…

The self-assured Dantai Yajing now truly understood just how formidable the generals under Prince Ning’s command were.

He had come newly to Prince Ning’s side, eager to demonstrate his worth and make these men regard him in a new light. Taking Yingzhou had been his opportunity.

Whether or not he had succeeded in making others see him differently he could not say — but he himself had been genuinely frightened by Dantai Yajing.

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