Among Liangshan’s commanders at this moment, feeling genuine anger over what had happened that afternoon was, in truth, a fairly common sentiment.

Liangshan had spent a full year preparing for this campaign against Dulong Ridge, determined to see it through to victory. In the days of fighting so far, however fierce Dulong Ridge’s resistance had been, Liangshan’s men had already weighed the relative strength of both sides, and their morale had risen to its peak because of it. Who could have known that on this eighth day, so close to the end, they would suddenly run into some petty troublemaker who’d taken a stick and rapped them across the shins, forcing the whole army to a momentary halt?

Though the business of preparing for a full assault that evening only to have it called back felt distinctly unpleasant, once people learned the full picture, few believed the matter could genuinely shake Liangshan’s foundations. Still, the whole situation left people feeling oddly unsettled.

Nearly two hundred men sent back, a needlessly elaborate scheme, all manner of bizarre claims… Liangshan had no shortage of sharp-minded men, but most of its commanders were rough sorts at heart, and once they had roughly grasped what the trouble was about, they couldn’t help but frown.

The whole situation was, indeed, exactly what that man Lei Feng had said — an exposed scheme laid out plainly before them, and anyone who thought it through carefully would have to admit there was, in truth, no real solution to it. No one could guarantee that not a single man in their ranks harbored some hidden agenda. But even so —

“So what if that’s true!” Yang Zhi said with a frown. “Is this really going to shake our overall position!”

“It’s only that this fellow really has cost us a day’s delay in the attack…” The “Dragon in the Clouds” Gongsun Sheng stroked his beard, shaking his head with a smile. He hadn’t taken part in the fighting for the time being, and so had the leisure to mull the matter over slowly.

“It’s bought them half a day, a day at most of clinging to life — what use is that!”

To everyone present, this was certainly a strange and unprecedented scheme, but few genuinely admired it. Over these past several days, they had already braced themselves for Zhu Family Manor trying all sorts of tricks to turn the tables. But this scheme… it had no real answer, and none of the questions or points it raised about Liangshan could be directly refuted, and yet it also had no real teeth. If the whole thing had been simpler, people might have felt genuine sympathy for how hard the other side was struggling — but as it was, the sheer convoluted cleverness of the scheme left everyone dizzy, and it came across less like a worthy opponent than like some clownish figure racking his brains to produce every ugly trick imaginable, purely to be irritating.

No one could ignore it, and yet once they had faced it head-on, they couldn’t help but feel a little foolish, as if the scheme’s greatest value lay simply in being infuriating. Just as Guan Sheng had put it: “Charge out my ass!”

Of course, no one could be entirely certain the enemy was merely a fool with no further moves in reserve. But for now, the overall strategic direction still rested with Wu Yong, and most of the men were content to grumble and curse among themselves. Wu Yong and Song Jiang murmured together for a while, and then Wu Yong stood and cupped his hands to the assembled men.

“What everyone’s saying isn’t wrong. That we had to pull back today was to avoid unnecessary losses — but I’ve thought this through carefully since coming back. As for what follows, at the very least, I’d guess that over the next day or two, they’ll release the rest of Brother Suo Chao’s men to further disrupt our rhythm. It’s a simple, direct move, and it may well work — I’m sure everyone here can see that coming.”

Wu Yong gave a cold laugh. “But in this world, nothing is more simple and direct than the strength actually in your hands. This man has gone to enormous trouble, and tonight his scheme did work once. But using clever tricks is only the last resort of a man with no other options — if he truly believes he can keep this up indefinitely, he is gravely mistaken. He plays the unorthodox hand; we play the orthodox one. As already planned, within five days we will break Dulong Ridge. As for how to counter his scheme — it’s actually simple. Starting tonight: tighten military discipline! Brothers, go down and make things clear to the men under you. Anyone who hasn’t come forward yet should do so at once. On the battlefield, everyone stay alert, and set up proper military inspectors. Most important of all — when you come across anyone who’s been sent back, record it and gather them together.”

Having been made to look somewhat foolish by that afternoon’s events, Wu Yong — normally a mild-mannered scholar — spoke now with real severity. “Within five days, does he really think he can turn heaven and earth upside down with this scheme of his? At the very latest, five days from now, Dulong Ridge falls, and all of this simply evaporates. Then I’d love to see just what kind of man this fellow really is!”

What Wu Yong said was, in fact, entirely sound. The scheme the enemy had deployed was aimed precisely at their side’s discipline, and the truest, most fundamental solution was simply to tighten that discipline. Even if the problem couldn’t be solved outright in the short term, so long as every commander made a conscious effort, how hard could it really be to hold the line for five days?

Once he had made his decision, the others naturally nodded in agreement, and that night each went back to steady the resolve of the minor commanders under them. Wu Yong also called for Dai Zong, asking him to keep a close watch on conditions throughout the camp.

While Liangshan was making these preparations, Hu Sanniang was also escorting several dozen soldiers captured by Hu Family Manor, along with the Liangshan commander Wang Ying, over to Zhu Family Manor.

Hu Family Manor had already been under siege that day and had been prepared to shut its gates and hold firm, but the strange turn of events on Liangshan’s side had reached them only vaguely, through people coming from Zhu Family Manor after nightfall. Most were baffled as to how two hundred-odd Liangshan prisoners could have driven the enemy to withdraw, but all they could say was that the scheme was extremely complicated and clever, beyond what an ordinary person could work out. After handing over the prisoners to Wang Shanyue, Hu Sanniang went to observe the ongoing interrogation in the small courtyard square, then went to ask Squire Zhu and the others a few questions. By the time she left, she still hadn’t fully grasped the reasoning behind it all — only that these men from the court had made some move that had, for now, frightened off the fierce Liangshan raiders.

What was happening in the small square was not so different from the night before, except that Zhu Family Manor had also sent out two well-traveled stewards to help identify the prisoners.

As the separated interrogations continued one after another, in a small building nearby, Ning Yi was working with Wang Shanyue and Qi Xinhan to organize the “answer sheets.” Drawing solid intelligence from these sheets required careful cross-comparison, but at the same time, what they really revealed was whether each man was steadfast, slippery, or weak-willed. Sketching an overall picture from this required a reader with real experience and sharp judgment.

Wang Shanyue, a disciple of Qin Siyuan, was certainly clever enough, and among the three Qi brothers, only the youngest, Qi Xinhan, had the sharpest mind and greatest aptitude — which was why Ning Yi had called on the two of them for help.

This time, over four hundred prisoners had been gathered, though only some two hundred-odd were being questioned for now. Though Wang Shanyue and Qi Xinhan had some talent and experience of their own, in many respects they were still far from matching Ning Yi’s seasoned skill, and in order to bring the two of them up to speed, Ning Yi gave them detailed explanations, laying out in full the principles behind his methods of weighing and analysis.

Though he claimed not to care who defected and who didn’t, in practice, he still wanted as many potential defectors as possible, and could not afford to be careless about it — which meant the work went even more slowly than the night before. By the small hours, the three of them ate a late-night meal and kept working. Wang Shanyue and Qi Xinhan brought up their doubts about what lay ahead. Qi Xinhan, who had spent some time on real battlefields, spoke of what would happen once the enemy’s overwhelming, disciplined forces simply rolled forward.

“…As things stand, this can plant a thorn in their side, but it can’t drag things out much longer. In four or five days, if they play it safe, even with whatever else you have up your sleeve, Liheng, there’s no way they’ll pull back over mere rumors, is there?”

“That’s right, we really don’t have much time to spare.” Ning Yi, still reading through an answer sheet, nodded at Qi Xinhan’s question. “They won’t play petty games of misdirection with us — with the gap in strength this wide, going by the book is the right approach for them. But we came here to play dirty tricks from the start, and there’s only the one way to do it — either it works or it doesn’t, simple as that. They need to break Zhu Family Manor within a few days; before that happens, we need to sever their chain of trust. In a straightforward contest of strength, neither of us really has the advantage — I can only do my best. The one advantage we do have is that, at least at first, they shouldn’t yet be able to see the consequences coming…”

“Chain of… trust?”

“Ha, let me give you an example.” Ning Yi finished reading a sheet, looked up with a smile, and reached for the next one. “Somewhere there’s a young lord who gets arrested by the authorities, charged with gang-raping a girl along with his friends. He’s a young dandy, up to no good — nothing surprising about that, so everyone believes it.”

He paused. “Not long after, word gets out that the young lord says it wasn’t rape — he was asleep at the time and didn’t do anything. Then he says, actually, it was consensual. Think about it — he’s rich, powerful, not bad-looking, why would he need to force anyone… Then, further on, he says actually he didn’t do anything at all, that the authorities framed him, that he confessed under torture. Then he says someone deliberately set him up, framed him on purpose… And the funny thing is, every single one of these stories finds people who believe it.”

“Of course some people would believe it.” Wang Shanyue’s usually detached face broke into a faint smile. “So what’s the truth, then? What actually happened?”

“The truth is… I don’t know either, because the truth was never really the point.” Ning Yi smiled. “A rape case, or even a murder case — once it’s judged, it’s judged. If you’re trying to draw the real lesson, it’s this: you can see that one very important link in the chain has already broken down. The evidence? How many people genuinely care about the evidence? How many people genuinely care whether the outcome is just? Every single version of the story… finds someone who believes it.”

Wang Shanyue thought this over, a little puzzled. “This case you’re describing… a young lord getting arrested by the authorities in the first place is already suspicious. Of course the evidence could be fabricated. As for justice — I’ve spent enough time in the Secret Investigation Bureau by now that you surely don’t expect me to believe there’s never anything shady going on with cases like this?”

“You’re right, Brother Wang. Honestly, I don’t believe it either,” Ning Yi said, smiling. “That’s the so-called principle of assuming the worst possible malice in judging the world. As far as we’re concerned, however corrupt the people around us turn out to be, however vast the conspiracy — as long as you can put it into words, I’ll believe it might well be true. The men of Liangshan are the same way… and that’s really the whole point.”

Ning Yi flipped over another page. “When our dynasty fights the Liao, it’s not as if we lack for truly elite troops — a hundred against a hundred, the outcome could go either way. But ten thousand against a hundred thousand, and we get routed. It’s really because everyone assumes the man next to him will run for his life the moment things get dangerous… Deep down, everyone knows that if they held firm, they could beat the Liao — but when it comes down to it, everyone runs anyway. What matters isn’t what the facts actually are, but what everyone believes the facts to be. Both rounds of interrogation, and even the tasks handed out afterward — all of it, really, was aimed at the fools. The fools set the mood. But what actually decides the outcome of the battle are the clever men on their side… The most important thing I’m trying to pass along is meant for them. If things go well, it should already be taking root over there…”

Qi Xinhan considered this, then asked quietly, “What is it, exactly?”

“Ha, I was just about to tell you both — this is the most important part, and for now, hardly anyone should be able to spot it. When the two of you do this later, whatever you do, don’t make it look deliberate…”

The lamp’s yellow glow fell across the window, shadows leaning close together inside the room, their murmuring voices sounding, faintly, like the whispered incantations of demons.

The night was still deep, and on both sides of the battle lines, people prepared for what daybreak would bring. For the people of Zhu Family Manor, the previous evening’s turn of events had served, more or less, as a welcome tonic. The manor folk who rose early murmured among themselves about matters they didn’t fully understand. Luan Tingyu and the others met with Ning Yi to ask what they needed to watch for.

“I don’t know the first thing about warfare, but the next few days are likely to bring brutal fighting. Drillmaster Luan, gentlemen of the Zhu family — do take care to preserve yourselves; the longer you can hold out, the better. The method of releasing prisoners may not go on affecting them as strongly as before. But there’s one thing to keep in mind—”

Ning Yi went on: “They might try turning the tables on us with some scheme of their own — that’s the most obvious way to think about it. If no one signals to this side, that’s the normal case. But if someone does try to send some prearranged signal our way, please, whatever you do, don’t trust it — it’s certain to be a trap. When I hand out these tasks, I always pick the die-hard loyalists for it… If Drillmaster Luan plays it right, you might even turn the tables on them a second time — but know when to quit while you’re ahead. That’s really all there is to it…”

At around the same time, Wu Yong stepped out of his tent and looked over the few soldiers Dai Zong had brought with him.

“Since they want to play games, let’s return the favor and turn their own trick against them. Once the fighting starts, have them follow Brother Lin, Brother Hua Rong, and the other commanders, and at the right moment, have them carry out the plan — send the signal, lure the enemy into the trap.”

Dai Zong laughed. “The strategist’s plan will make them pay dearly for this.”

Wu Yong shook his head with a smile. “We already hold the winning hand in a straight fight. This is only a small demonstration on my part — clever tricks can never carry the day on their own.”

As he finished speaking, a soldier came hurrying over, saying something had happened in the camp — someone had been killed in the middle of the night. Wu Yong and the others rushed over, only to find the dead man was the very soldier who had been assigned the task of “reporting everything honestly to the higher-ups, then fleeing quickly.” Dai Zong had already ordered extra protection for these returned men the night before, but sometime in the night, this man had been killed alone in his tent, his head cut off.

The incident stirred up talk among the nearby tents, and Dai Zong had the rumors suppressed. When Wu Yong arrived, he stood before the tent looking at the body, fist pressed against his mouth, silent for a long while.

Dai Zong said quietly, “There must still be someone here being coerced by the other side.”

Wu Yong frowned, likewise keeping his voice low. “There must be, certainly — those whose families haven’t yet come to Liangshan. If their identities were exposed, they could well be threatened.”

“So far, all we know for certain is that Liu Fu of the Twin Blade Sect exists… but the count of the lower-ranking soldiers, though it was ordered last night, surely isn’t finished yet. Whether anyone slipped away unseen after killing someone — that’s hard to determine right now.”

“What task was Liu Fu assigned?”

“He says he wasn’t given one.”

“…This will need a thorough investigation from you, Chief Dai.” Wu Yong clenched his jaw, then reached out and pressed a hand to Dai Zong’s shoulder. “Don’t touch Liu Fu — just keep him under watch. This is a bald-faced attempt to sow discord, and yet on the small details, that fellow has locked down every single link in the chain. He knows full well that Liu Fu’s identity has already been exposed to everyone, and he deliberately leaves him as the most obvious loose thread — clearly meaning to put us in a position where investigating him or not investigating him both play into his hands… A pity his vision is so small!”

The headless corpse on the ground felt like some enormous mockery sent over from the other side. Though Wu Yong called the man’s ambitions small, standing there now, he couldn’t help grinding his teeth in frustration. Then more news arrived.

Upstream of the creek the camp used to boil its morning meal, a small red cloth marked with the character “Zhu” had come floating down, and someone had tossed several packets of something into the water — possibly poison, possibly a knockout drug. Though the creek kept flowing, if the substance had been sealed in cloth, its potency might still keep leaching into the water for some time, so a small squad was sent upstream to search while the army physicians checked the water.

The results came back normal. In the end, only these two strange incidents occurred that morning, but because of the second one, the entire army’s breakfast was delayed by half an hour.

As dawn broke, Wu Yong walked toward the battlefield with a dark expression, then suddenly looked up with a smile, his tone cold and terrifying, brimming with authority.

He looked around at everyone. “Kill them all!”