“It’s time for you to leave.”

In the bedroom, the spilled ink lay in dark blotches across the floor. Zonghan sat there and spoke with a sigh. Wanyan Yindan raised his head, faintly puzzled, but in the end bowed and accepted the order.

“On the last southern campaign, we suffered a great defeat in the Southwest, and it was only then that Xiyin and I first understood the wonder of studying natural principles. Since you’re the one among the younger generation most drawn to this path, I’ve kept you at my side — but for the subtleties of this learning, and the gap it must close, we can’t catch up relying only on the Han captives we’ve seized.” Zonghan spoke slowly.

Wanyan Yindan bowed slightly: “Nothing under heaven is too hard for one with resolve. When Father and Gushen returned, they pointed the Great Workshop in a new direction, and by—”

“We can’t catch up!” Zonghan raised his voice, then slowly drew a small bamboo tube from a nearby drawer — the very water-gun Ning Yi had given him years ago at Lion Ridge. “Back then in the Southwest, Ning Yi said that we Jurchens were already several generations behind him. The great flowering of the study of natural principles began with him. Since returning to Yunzhong, Xiyin and I went over it again and again, but all we found were a few simple principles… Our craftsmen are all Han captives taken from the south. To survive, they can manage simple work — but by the Southwest’s own standard, they lack initiative. Compared to the Southwest, we can’t catch up…”

“…”

“But fortunately, a new opportunity has arisen…”

Zonghan set the bamboo tube aside, and Wanyan Yindan looked up.

“Two years ago or so, near Bianliang in the Central Plains, a new power arose — a direct disciple of the Huaxia Army, who broke away from the Southwest. Last year this man allied himself with Dai Mengwei, killed Liu Guangshi, and took over his territory. Several months later, he sent men to reach out to us — to me, to Zongbi, and to Zongfu as well. He spoke of the threat posed by the Southwest, and laid out the Jin state’s problems in earnest to Zongbi and Zongfu, and this dispelled Zongbi’s aggressive urge for internal strife…”

Wanyan Yindan’s eyes went wide: “So — this southern campaign, then…”

“This southern campaign has his hand in it too. He urged Zongbi to first reclaim the lands north of the Yellow River, replacing internal strife with a campaign of conquest, and also urged him to wear down the western faction in the process. This suited Zongbi perfectly, and it suited my own purposes as well — that’s why we could agree on it so readily. This is also the last chance I could win for the western faction — otherwise, if the western faction falls, none of your lives would be worth much.”

“And these dealings… are there documents, proof?”

“For something like this, how could there be any proof left behind…”

Zonghan smiled, then took out several documents from the drawer.

“Whether he can be kept in check hardly matters for now. Just a few days ago, this man made his move and threw the Central Plains into chaos. He struck suddenly, seized the whole of Guanzhong, then took several hundred men across the Yellow River himself into the Jin region, striking at the Lady Chancellor Lou, hoping for a single decisive blow. Unfortunately, the Lady Chancellor’s luck held, and now she has thrown up a net across the whole region — it’s his turn to flee through the Jin region now…”

He handed the intelligence documents to Yindan, who stood there leafing through them.

“For this matter, I’ve already ordered Huonü south to Yanmen Pass, to put pressure on the Jin region and hopefully give this man a way to survive. As for you — I’ve arranged a company of men for you, to set out today alongside Huonü. Once you reach Yanmen Pass, continue south on your own and find a chance to join his army. You may state your identity and your purpose openly — he will take you in.”

Wanyan Yindan looked over the record in the intelligence report, his breathing growing quicker, and he raised his head: “This man… is a true hero…”

“That you understand this much shows some insight.” Zonghan coughed lightly. “Once you’re in the south, you needn’t concern yourself much with Jurchen affairs anymore. You must take him as your master and learn the Southwest’s learning, the study of natural principles. The Wu Dynasty was once nothing much to speak of, but since Ning Yi emerged, everything has changed. The future holds an age of great contention. As for what’s to come, neither Xiyin nor I could see clearly. Yindan, in sending you south, I hope to leave a thread of life for the Jurchens to come. Once you’re past Yanmen Pass, how you proceed from there is your own decision — but understand this one thing: if you learn nothing worthwhile, there’s no need to come back…”

His words came slow and low, as though there were still much more to say, but in the end they trailed off at his lips. Wanyan Yindan rose, walked over, and took the dyeing brush from the steward’s hand. “Let me attend to Father,” he said quietly. Zonghan gave a nod, sitting up straight and solemn, like a white-maned lion.

Outside, the sky’s wind grew ever fiercer.

“Zhenzhu…” At some point, Zonghan murmured the wrong name under his breath, but after a moment’s hesitation, he did not correct himself. “If one day… you must remember… your father’s bearing…”

“Yindan will remember,” the young man said. “So will my brothers.”

Like the blizzard once falling, in which those once-mighty men had gone from woodpile to woodpile through the howling snow, they now placed their hopes in new champions — to conquer the monsters they themselves could not conquer, to withstand the storms they themselves could not withstand.

Several hundred li to the south, as night fell, another army lit its campfires in the darkness, its soldiers watching their wounded commander deliver a speech beside the flames.

“…My teacher is a great man. He built a great army… Do you know how he built it? Perhaps some of you do, because some of you were there at the great battle of Xiaocang River long ago…”

“…In that battle, we withstood wave after wave of attacks, but every man who wasn’t killed that day would sit down that evening in a circle to think over and reflect on the day’s events… One man had his hand cut off — why? Because I was nervous. So they’d all sit together and figure out how not to be nervous next time… Someone was wounded — why? He tripped while running, so from then on, before every battle, everyone made sure their shoes were fully laced… One by one, the things that happened to each person looked like small matters — some could be fixed, some couldn’t — but after that kind of reflection, in the next battle, every single one of us was a little better than before…”

“…Friends, we’re an army, a collective, and so often, if every single person can just be a little better, we’ll far surpass the army across from us… My teacher built today’s Southwest Black Banner through reflection like that, again and again… He said, more than once, that if one day the two of you were captured, and the enemy planned to kill you the next day, you should still, that very night, gather together and reflect on your own mistakes, sum up the lessons, and set them down in writing — men like that would be unstoppable…”

“…So my teacher, Ning Yi of the Southwest, is a truly formidable man… But even the most formidable of men, once he’s achieved something great, starts to grow soft. Once, back in Bianliang, he risked his own life to help hold off the Jurchens’ first southern campaign, alongside Qin Siyuan. Qin Siyuan was thrown in prison, later dragged out and beaten by the people of the whole city, made to endure their filth — my teacher went to the golden throne hall and killed Zhou Zhe for it. When people asked him, don’t you care about the greater good, what of the fate of all under heaven? — he said, I fight for the people I believe in. As for the others who chose wrong — they deserve to die.”

“…Now that he’s grown old, and beaten the Jurchens, he says — you men of ability, you have to give up what’s in your hands. He carries out land reform in the Southwest, and won’t allow his officials or soldiers to hold too much money… So what does that leave, friends? Is there anyone left in this world willing to fight to the death? Can’t they all just sit at home and wait to be handed their share of the land? Just like you… when you serve as soldiers, you’re paid, and today you risk your lives, and tomorrow you go to Guanzhong, and the great fields, the gold and silver, will be yours — because you risked your lives for it, and that’s what you deserve!”

“…But in the Southwest, if you had none of that — if, after scrimping and saving to marry three wives, you were still made to give up your land — and had to give up two of your wives along with it! — how could that possibly work? No one in the world would be willing to do anything anymore—”

“…So we broke away—”

“…Everyone… comrades all! A moment’s hardship is nothing to speak of… I will lead you out of here, and I promise you, once we’re through, you will become the finest army under heaven. Is the Lady Chancellor formidable? Is the Jin region formidable? In truth, you all know the Jin region isn’t formidable… because the one at the top is a woman, and she has no heir, so every household of every clan in the Jin region has to look out for itself — and so when we strike, they’ll retreat… These past few days of fighting, you’ve seen it yourselves — some fought hard, but others… were just putting on a show…”

The rousing words burned in the firelight, but after a moment someone stood and asked: “Have you… colluded with the Jurchens…”

Zou Xu raised his hand: “I, Zou Xu, swear to heaven — the Jurchens and I share a mortal enmity that cannot be reconciled… But the situation has changed now. The Jin region is in turmoil, and they’re watching with hungry eyes — how could they not make some move? And we — we will use the calculations of every side, and in these very cracks between them, carve a path out for all of us. That is what’s called using alliances and stratagems against one another…”

“Friends, just follow my lead, and I will lead you out onto… the brightest road in this world. You all know I’ve already taken Guanzhong — eight hundred li of fertile plains along the Qin River, boundless rich land. Once we cross the Yellow River, I will share it all with you—”

The burning flames lit face after face, ambition after ambition.

Back at camp, Ding Songnan tended his wounds again — the fervent speech just given had split open the wound on his body once more.

“I saw Xu Rongzhi. When we come through, he’ll make way for us as he sees fit. And things are settled with Sun Qiu as well,” Ding Songnan said quietly, relaying the intelligence. “Though — they both asked whether we’d colluded with the Jurchens…”

“…What did you tell them?”

“Our intelligence agents did in fact notice movement in the Jurchens’ two factions. After they killed Xiyin, the two sides began discussing reclaiming the Yellow River line — and they’re actually rather puzzled as to why we didn’t detect it. Most likely, they were blinded by the Lady Chancellor’s attempts at reconciliation.”

“Good. Lou Shuwan sued for peace first — now, if they want to throw that filth at us, we have grounds of our own to answer.” Zou Xu leaned back, closing his eyes slightly. “That’s how the Jin region has always been — while Tian Hu lived, they played lapdog to the Jin state the whole time, and only when the fourth southern campaign came did Tian Shi try to rise up in rebellion — and you’ve seen how that ended for him. Lou Shuwan wants to take up the banner of national righteousness, but without a thorough, bloody purge, did she think it would be so simple?… They’ve already missed their chance…”

Once his wound was bandaged, outside the tent, the various officers were holding their own after-action review sessions. Zou Xu tried to force himself up, and Ding Songnan said: “Days of hard marching, and with a wound like this — you should rest a while.”

“This is nothing. Back at Xiaocang River, my teacher took worse wounds than this.” Zou Xu waved this off, unconcerned. “My teacher was right — a man just has to grit his teeth and push through, Songnan. This time, though we didn’t achieve total victory, coming this far, I feel more alive than ever. The soldiers of the Jin region are good stock — simple, resilient. If we can carry them through this round of fighting, they’ll be far better soldiers than any won through easy victory.”

Ding Songnan sighed: “This world is hard going, like scaling a great mountain…”

“Only by scaling the mountain can one be crowned.”

Zou Xu laughed.

“— So if the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.”

This was a saying they’d coined together, back in harder days. Murmuring it now, they lifted the tent flap and walked out into the ranks of the army…

…

Weisheng…

Candlelight glowed in the deep of night within the Green Palace.

Since her confrontation with Zou Xu on the fifth, Lou Shuwan had lain in bed for days, drifting in and out of consciousness.

When she woke, she would give orders and listen to her attendants’ reports, learning that Zou Xu was fleeing ever farther north.

The people of Weisheng kneeling that day had been a moving sight, and it meant that she, as a woman, had at last put down roots of her own in the realm of the Jin region. But that support alone could not sweep away every problem, and now, looking back, the countless deep-seated troubles of the Jin region lay before her with unusual clarity.

She received Zhan Wu and Xue Guangcheng, and Yu Yulin had returned as well. He and Wang Juyun came, one after another, to speak with her. They discussed a great many matters concerning the Jin region — how to deal with Madam Jin and Tian Shan and her son, and the idea of launching a great rectification campaign across the Jin region. Yu Yulin stood on her side in this, but Wang Juyun pointed out the looming threat of the Jurchens’ eastern and western factions.

During the Jurchens’ fourth southern campaign, Lou Shuwan had been able to direct her opponents toward Liao Yiren, and had even been able to burn the whole of Weisheng to the ground if need be. But if she launched a rectification campaign now, the Jin region might not withstand even a single round against the western faction’s army.

Nearly everything Zou Xu had said was true.

And thinking it over more carefully, with a woman’s keen intuition, she could sense something else, something uglier, mixed in among his words.

At the parley before Weisheng’s walls, she had been permitted to bring one companion out of the city. Given that she had only just returned, the one she brought would naturally be the person she trusted most — she had brought Hu Changshu, the guard commander of Dingyuan Gate.

And there, before the enemy lines, Zou Xu had spoken at length about the Jin region’s troubles — words which, if they ever spread, could well drive a wedge between her and Hu Changshu.

From the moment she’d crossed swords with Zou Xu, what Lou Shuwan had felt was exactly that kind of sting — an edge so cutting it left her feeling like a hedgehog turned inside out.

Of course, set against the whole present state of the Jin region, this was already a trivial matter.

Over the years, she had exchanged some seventeen letters with the Southwest, and now she took them all out and read through them again, carefully, again and again.

Meanings she had once missed, hidden between the lines, she could now finally understand, at least in part.

She felt angry.

Like a cold, aloof face standing on dry land, looking down all this time upon her as she struggled in the mire below.

All this time — had he thought of her as a slow-witted disciple? Or as nothing more than a foolish pet?

And between the two of them… there was a father’s blood unavenged—

She tossed and turned in the dark of night, by turns furious, by turns struggling within herself.

On the table by her bed she spread out paper, took up her brush, and prepared to write, this time, a letter to the Southwest. She hesitated for a long while, and tore it up more than once.

In the end, she reined in her emotions, and in respectful, measured words, set down Zou Xu’s scheme, the crushing defeat in the northwest, the stirrings within the Jin state, and the complicated present state of the Jin region.

She wrote: The Jin region is in grave peril. I beg the Huaxia Army, for the sake of our bond as kin and comrades-in-arms, to send troops in support.

By Zou Xu’s own reasoning, it would not be easy for the Huaxia Army to send troops for this campaign — from south to north, several thousand li, and an army that couldn’t live off the land as it went would struggle to sustain so long a supply line. Even Liu Chengzong’s leap into Shandong back in the day had suffered greatly from hunger. If he sent his army into the Jin region, logistics would fall into his own hands — he might as well simply swallow her whole…

In this world, everyone was caught between hard choices; everyone had their own mountain to climb.

…To hell with your land reform.

This was the letter she was most satisfied with.

After reading it over several times, she sent it off toward the southwest…

Outside the window in the deep night, a light rain had begun to fall…