The seventh day of the sixth month, afternoon.

Xi Junyu was walking through the camp, taking stock of the situation, when Ou Peng and Jiang Jing came from up ahead. The three chatted for a while before parting ways, and shortly after, he ran into the “Heaven-Flying Sage” Li Gun, who was taking a brief rest in camp.

Xi Junyu’s chief sponsors in coming to Liangshan had been Ou Peng, Jiang Jing, and the others, and his relationship with them remained good. But recently he’d grown closer to Li Gun as well, a friendship formed since returning from Jiangning.

“I see the men below still talking about this Lei Feng, wondering what he’ll pull next — is that going to be a problem?”

“They say it sounds impressive, but there’s really no defending against it — this Lei Feng really has pulled it off with some style.” Li Gun laughed. “Still, everyone can see it’s already too late for them. Better to let the men know than to try and forbid them from talking about it — Zhu Family Manor hardly has the time left to shake our morale that way… Some of those released men are hedging their bets, sure, but even the dullest of them knows which side to stand on by now — how could this possibly change the big picture…”

What Li Gun said was reasonable enough. Talk among the lower ranks didn’t mean their loyalty had actually changed; among the mid-level commanders, when the matter came up privately, they still mostly scoffed at it. The enemy had, admittedly, landed a blow on a genuinely sensitive spot, but without enough force behind it — impressive as it was, it could never turn the tide.

“Still, once we’ve pulled back from this campaign, there’ll need to be a real crackdown on discipline — the strategist and Brother Gongming were both discussing it today. This battle at Dulong Ridge needs to be finished properly, step by step, and then we tighten military discipline… This can happen once, but never again.”

As the two of them talked this over, they both understood that great undertakings always came with hardship and trial. That this campaign against Dulong Ridge had run into something like this, giving everyone a sharp wake-up call, was, if anything, a good thing in the long run — after all, the fighting was nearly at its end, and looking back on it later, it would only add to the sense of having carved out a great achievement through genuine adversity. This Lei Feng was a trial sent down from heaven, but he would soon enough be swept aside.

“We still can’t afford to underestimate him for now — this fellow keeps pulling out one petty trick after another. Let’s not waste effort on anything fancy ourselves; just press straight forward and crush them.”

This, too, had become the shared consensus among Liangshan’s men. As they discussed this, the smell of wine drifted over from nearby; turning to look, they saw Yan Qing walking past carrying a wine jar. Seeing the two of them sitting there, he came over and sat down on a large rock.

Ever since the setback on the canal, when Lu Junyi had been killed by the authorities, Yan Qing, back on the mountain, had taken to drinking often. In earlier days he had been carefree and easygoing on the mountain, with a bright, open temperament, and nearly everyone got along well with him; seeing him like this, people tried to console him, telling him there would surely come a day to avenge Squire Lu. After a period of despondency he had come to terms with it, though he no longer paid much attention to his appearance, and had let a short beard grow along his jaw, unconcerned as before. Those on the mountain skilled in martial arts could tell that even when Yan Qing was somewhat drunk, the sharp light in his eyes never dimmed — he kept himself constantly at peak readiness, and with the weight of Squire Lu’s death upon him, a genuine killing edge had emerged in him. Several times when Li Kui had sparred with him bare-handed, he had come away worse off than ever before.

For now, Yan Qing simply listened as the two of them talked. After Xi Junyu and Li Gun had chatted a while, Li Gun patted Yan Qing’s shoulder as a gesture of friendship and comfort. Yan Qing laughed. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Brother Li, if you and I actually squared off, the outcome’s still anyone’s guess.”

Li Gun laughed too. “Even that thick-skulled Iron Bull gets knocked around under your hands, Brother Yan — how could I possibly be your match?”

They chatted a while longer before finally parting ways. Xi Junyu went back to attend to military matters, and by nightfall, what occupied his mind was still Liangshan’s own vital interests. By this point he had set his sights on the wider world; of course, somewhere along the way he still intended to go back and kill that adulterous pair, but that no longer mattered so much. Though he was somewhat wary of Wu Yong for now, Liangshan’s great cause was only just taking shape, and there would be plenty of time and plenty of room for him to make his own mark. What occupied his thoughts was Liangshan’s future path of development.

In the midst of this, he found himself thinking, almost unbidden, of that “adulterous pair,” and from there, of Ning Yi. That fellow really was a formidable opponent — ruthless and calculating, with a genuine gift for strategy. He hadn’t had much direct contact with him back then, but he vaguely recalled, from the affair of the Su family’s imperial merchant status, Ning Yi once saying something like: “One must think a matter through both forward and backward.” Something suddenly seemed to flash through his mind, but when he tried to pin it down, it slipped away again, hard to grasp clearly.

The camp had lit its bonfires by now; outside, the fighting still continued, but the mood in camp remained fairly good. Liangshan didn’t ban drinking outright on campaign, though the ration allotted to each man was limited. Outside, the fighting went on, units heading out and returning in waves, and so the night wore on. Xi Junyu went to sleep, then woke again in the small hours, unable to fall back asleep. He stepped out of his tent into the faintly cool night air, turning things over in his mind as he took in the state of the camp.

Everyone kept talking about something… talk among the lower ranks couldn’t shake overall morale — but leave the lower ranks aside. Among the mid-level and upper-level men, in their murmured exchanges, what exactly were they saying…

No, this is overthinking it — I’ve already let him get to me. Only clever men overthink things this way, and by thinking about it like this, I’m the one shaking my own army’s morale. I shouldn’t even be bringing this up…

He walked back into his tent, then out again, rubbing at his head.

In those murmured exchanges, what people were really saying… were those claims that looked so easy to scoff at — too naive, too obviously bluster, nothing anyone would actually believe. Hearing it, the first thing anyone did was pick out what was wrong with it, and then tell the men under them so, to steady morale… but if that’s how it works…

He looked around at the bonfires stretching across the camp. If that’s how it works, then the ones truly being affected weren’t only the lower ranks. Why was the news spreading so fast, growing so quickly? In just two days, the people most invested in these rumors were the mid- and upper-level men in the camp. They were the ones talking, the ones refuting it in their murmured exchanges — and yet no one was bringing the matter out into the open, because on first hearing, the information seemed far too naive to take seriously. Everyone focused on how vicious the scheme itself was, but as long as discipline was tightened and vigilance kept up on the battlefield, it couldn’t shake morale among the lower ranks…

So then, what could truly shake morale… and who, exactly…

He looked out over the camp, thinking of what occupied his own mind, of every fragment of murmured mockery among his comrades that had crossed his notice. And what came into view now looked like a vast, hidden powder keg, still unlit — and if it really could be set off, if this had been the enemy’s plan from the very beginning…

No — this is backward reasoning, working from the conclusion to the cause. I’ve already let him get inside my head. I shouldn’t be thinking about this…

…

Thump.

A chair, turned backward, was set down on the ground in front of the cell. The wealthy young master, holding a steamed bun, sat astride it, the lamplight bright and golden around him.

“Good morning. It’s not even light out yet, and here I am again to bother you all.”

This was Zhu Family Manor. In the cell ahead were held Suo Chao, Qin Ming, Huang Xin, and several other Liangshan commanders. Since this was hardly Ning Yi’s first visit, they had grown somewhat used to it, and merely glared at him with hatred.

“Want a bun? Not giving you one either way — this one’s mine. You lot get fine wine and good food… I do that on purpose, you know — give you good food and wine so you won’t want to die. Which is why I won’t let you anywhere near this bun, the kind of good, plain fare that lets a man face death without fear.” Ning Yi sat astride the chair, took a hard bite of the bun, then flung it into a corner of the cell, chewing with visible distaste. “— God, that’s disgusting!”

Huang Xin snarled through gritted teeth, “What in the hell do you actually want, coming here every day to babble at us…”

“You want to talk to me.” Ning Yi pointed at him, grinning, showing his teeth. “No use hiding it anymore — you see, whether you want to test your own chances of survival, or whether you’re just putting on a tough front to keep from being scared out of your wits, either way you want to talk to me. Because, like I said before, I’m just here to give everyone a status update.”

He clapped his hands together. “Today’s the eighth day of the sixth month, as you all know — we’ve reached the critical moment where it’s life or death. Every last trap and fortification outside Zhu Family Manor has been destroyed, there’s hardly any room left to maneuver — we can hold out for half a day at most. The Liangshan bandits — sorry, let me be polite for your sake — the good men of Liangshan are about to storm the manor. Do I sound like a storyteller yet?”

Qin Ming looked over. “Not even close.”

“You want to talk to me too.” Ning Yi smiled, pointed at him, mouthed something silently, then stood and spread both hands. “It’s like every wicked scheme secretly hopes someone out there can appreciate it! And while a scheme is actually being carried out, what the schemer wants most of all is to watch its progress firsthand. You’re all elites of Liangshan, and you know the state of things on the mountain inside and out — so I’m telling you all this, inviting you to witness my methods at work. Whether it’s actually working or not, you’ll know in your hearts. So if you genuinely believe, deep down, that Liangshan is in real trouble, then I’ve won… and maybe, because of that, you’ll give up on Liangshan and work with me instead, and make sure those wretched dogs lose even more badly…”

As he spoke, he picked up a crossbow, walked to the front of the cell, and pointed it at one of the men in a separate holding pen. “Short-Legged Tiger, Wang Ying!”

“You — what are you going to do…” The stout, short man inside the cell sat up. “I — I’ll surrender…”

“Oh? That fast?” Ning Yi blinked, then, after a moment: “Sorry — I have a bit of a… personal bias against you.”

He pulled the trigger. Suddenly, from a nearby cell, voices erupted at once: “Brother Wang!”

Ning Yi was already walking back with the crossbow. “It’s because every time you look at that Brother Wang standing next to me, you get this lecherous look on your face… Why are you all shouting so loud! I really do have a bias against him! Every single time, that lecherous look you give my Brother Wang, like some horny old turtle! Look at him — short, squat — is my Brother Wang here not a real man! Being good-looking isn’t a crime! Besides, you two share the same surname — you’re destined never to be together anyway!”

Ning Yi ground his teeth, glaring back. From within the cell, someone stared wide-eyed. “He said he surrendered, and you killed him anyway…”

“Surrendered? You think anyone can just surrender and that’s that?” Ning Yi’s face turned cold as he smiled. “Surrender and everything’s fine? What about the debts already owed! Oh, I see — kill people, burn things down, and then get amnesty and a promotion for it! How are decent people supposed to live! Want to die? You’ll get your chance — in the next couple of days, when the time comes, I’ll come ask you all. Just shake your heads, and you can die. Since ancient times, who among men has never died — no need to make too much of it, really, it’s quite simple. Now, back to the matter of the scheme. You’ve all seen what’s happened these past two days — this morning, we’ll be releasing the last batch of prisoners…”

Suo Chao gave a cold laugh. “You really think this ragtag little scheme of yours can shake Liangshan’s very foundation?”

“I do love it when someone asks a clever question.” Ning Yi shook his head, smiling. “Not yet, though — as you can see, you all know it hasn’t worked yet. Sure, releasing all these men has caused plenty of trouble, but everyone knows that if you just hold out, this will all be over soon. So the actual impact on the fighting hasn’t been that significant. Which is why what I’m bringing back today is some very important news — after all, after today, I won’t be able to use this particular scheme anymore, so I’m going to lay everything bare, all at once.”

He sat back down on the chair, thinking it over. “Words are a strange thing. Sometimes they seem to have little effect. But just like right now, as I’m sitting here talking — you can act like you don’t care, but you can still hear everything I’m saying. And once you hear it, it gets into your head. And once it’s in your head, it’s bound to start you thinking about something. Understand that, and you can choose exactly what to plant in someone’s mind. So… here’s where we stand now. I’m giving you good wine and good food, and in the end, maybe I’ll even give you a choice. Since all you can do is sit in there anyway, you might as well be a little more honest with yourselves — think it over carefully, whether what I’m saying makes any sense. Because the outcome of this battle isn’t something any one person’s will can decide.”

The cell fell silent for a moment. “From the very start, once men were sent back, that side received the most tangled, complicated information imaginable. Liangshan’s manpower can’t all be devoted to investigating this. A hundred-odd men, hearing bits and scraps of things — I doubt they’ve even managed to sort it all out by now. A straightforward full assault was the right call; in their position, I’d have done the same.”

“For their army, talk among the lower ranks won’t cause much real damage — they’ve done what they can to isolate the returned men, kept them off the battlefield. Even the ones who managed to hide, they won’t dare act rashly on the battlefield either; they’re still waiting to see how things go. The only ones who might actually act at this point are the small handful whose identities have been exposed and whose families haven’t yet reached the mountain — and once you strip out those too afraid to act, or who can’t find an opportunity to act… whatever’s left has no real bearing on the overall battle. It’s nowhere near enough to make anyone jump at shadows.”

“But the ones who could truly sway the outcome — who are they?”

Ning Yi smiled, pausing briefly. “Every group has its clever one, its backbone. The clever man tells the others below him: we won’t lose! And as long as he says that, morale won’t truly collapse. These are the men who make up the middle ranks in your army — Liangshan’s minor and mid-level commanders. They know the major developments on the battlefield, and they discuss them with the men below them — don’t tell me they don’t. You all know it perfectly well. In fact, ever since that public withdrawal the other night, you’ve all been helping me spread the word.”

“In any undertaking, every single link matters — but the most important thing is what happens once one link connects to the next, they can produce… hm, a kind of chemical chain reaction, one plus one equals three. What I’m really waiting for, in sending them back, isn’t whatever those men do under my threats, and it isn’t even the mutual suspicion among your ranks, stirring up old grudges — that’s only a minor annoyance, far too small a thing on its own. What I’m waiting for is for every clever man among you to receive, in his own heart, the seed I’ve planted for him. That seed isn’t in the two rounds of interrogation, and it isn’t in the final tasks either. What matters most is what I said to the men I sent back, before I ever gave them their tasks…”

Ning Yi looked around at them all. “The current Right Chancellor wants Liangshan wiped out — you’re interfering with our dynasty’s northern campaign, shaking the very foundations of the state! The Emperor himself is furious. The Wu Rui Battalion’s been given a death order… You lot on Liangshan have more factions than you can count — aren’t you afraid the man beside you might turn on you? Afraid someone might stab you in the back the moment you let your guard down on the battlefield? Afraid of defection? Your boss wants amnesty and reinstatement, Song Jiang doesn’t get along with men like Lin Chong and Wu Song, those court commanders forced up the mountain still nurse their grudges, and so on and so forth — does all of that sound a little naive to you? A little like empty bluster?”

Ning Yi smiled. “The moment you hear it, you can tell right away, and inside you sneer — this fellow’s throwing out empty threats before he even hands out the tasks. You see through it immediately: my goal is to make you all suspect one another — so you decide not to! And you go tell the men under you: sure, Liangshan has its problems, but this fellow’s just putting up a last, desperate fight. See? Everyone can see through it, can’t they — I just laid it all out in a slightly naive way, that’s all… Ah, the human heart, the human heart.”

“At first, what you thought was: there’s no way Liangshan could ever lose. Then you thought: sure, Liangshan has its problems, but it won’t lose this time — though even as you say it, you’re not entirely sure of yourselves anymore… That shift, from ‘there’s no way’ to ‘sure, but’ — that’s the single most important thing I’ve been trying to slip past you. Over a hundred men, and the first thing each of them does is tell the people closest to them. Wu Yong can’t suppress it, the officers and mid-level commanders throughout the camp will all be watching, wondering whether anyone’s actually been swayed — and then they talk about it among themselves, reassuring each other, telling themselves that once this battle’s over, everything will be fine. And the more they try to reassure themselves, the more they end up thinking about it. Congratulations — over the past two or three days, the clever men in your camp have probably gone over this dozens of times by now. The words I meant to reach them — that rumor no one was ever supposed to believe — have already sunk deep into their hearts…”

“Are you starting to think… that maybe what I’m saying makes a little bit of sense?” Ning Yi looked at the men in the cell, smiling. “Then what if I told you — every single one of the men we’re releasing this morning has already heard exactly what I’ve just told you.”

“These last men, each of them has a bit of standing of his own. All I told them was to go tell their commanders exactly how things stand, so they could think it over and pick a side. They may well be loyal to Liangshan — but a message still gets passed along, doesn’t it, since the decision ultimately rests with the higher-ups. I doubt even Wu Yong, sharp as he is, can seal it off completely… This morning, when all these clever men look around them, sensing what’s on everyone else’s mind, and then compare it against what I told them — how do you suppose that’s going to feel?”

“The fire’s already lit.” Ning Yi turned his head, glancing out at the darkness beyond. “Oh, one more thing — the men going out today are also carrying a few rumors with them, ones that sound quite naive too. Things like: Song Jiang wants amnesty and has already been in secret talks with the court — actually he doesn’t want it, but the men below him think he does… Huyan Zhuo has long harbored resentment, Wu Yong is an idiot who happens to have guessed my every move correctly and shuts out every other clever man around him, the commanders at Er Long Shan think Song Jiang has no business being their leader and are colluding with the authorities to overthrow him, the truth about Zengtou Market is that Song Jiang got Chao Gai killed, so some of Chao Gai’s old followers have also been in contact with the authorities, and Zhu Wu is rather fond of Shi Jin…”

“Among Liangshan’s great commanders, there are already some who long ago wanted to abandon the dark path and turn to the light. We’re acting on the Right Chancellor’s orders, and we don’t leave a single stone unturned — do you really think we only started plotting against Liangshan today? Right now, attacking Zhu Family Manor, they’ll strike at the critical moment and quietly destroy the lot of you…” Ning Yi rambled on, and just then, a knock sounded at the door outside. He walked over, listened for a moment, broke into a smile, and accepted a small wooden box, which he carried over and set down on the wooden table, opening the lid.

“Ta-da! A surprise!”

Inside was a severed head — one that everyone recognized. Ning Yi set the box’s lid down, leaned over the table, propped his chin on both hands, and gazed at it with rapt fascination. “Speaking of which, these secret Liangshan traitors, already colluding with the court, plotting to bring the whole lot of you down in secret… which ones could they be, exactly? Tsk, how utterly vicious…”

Having said his piece, he studied it a while longer, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and carried the head out with a beaming smile. “Ah… I should go show this to the men about to be released too. Bye-bye…” He stepped out, then poked his head back in.

“Oh, right — so, what do you all actually think? Today they’re about to close in and encircle the manor, morale on their side blazing high, and the gap in strength is still enormous. To try and level the playing field a bit, I’ve got a few more things planned — for instance, I’ve prepared some large megaphones, to have people shout messages outward during the assault. Heh, sounds a bit far-fetched, I know — so what do you think? Do I actually have a shot here, or is this all going to come to nothing? …I’ll come back later to hear your thoughts.”

Inside the cell, Qin Ming and the others sat there, their faces grim and solemn.

Not long after, dawn would break. Somewhere in the Liangshan camp, a man was missing his head.