Sunlight poured down.

The eighth day of the sixth month. Dulong Ridge, near noon. A brief lull settled over the battlefield.

Under Liangshan’s siege, the terrain advantages outside the estate could no longer be held, and Luan Tingyu and the others had finally withdrawn entirely back inside the walls. Several of Liangshan’s units held the four gates, but reinforcements were slow to arrive. Liangshan’s camp stood stern and quiet, as if quietly gathering strength. The people inside Zhu Family Manor used this window to rest and regroup behind the stone walls, some climbing up to look out before coming back down.

“Are they about to attack again?”

“Didn’t someone say there’s infighting over there…”

“Infighting or not… they’ve still got over ten thousand men…”

Murmurs and whispers were unavoidable, and some discussed whether this Master Lei’s strategies were actually working. Over the past several days, the deliberate rumors Ning Yi had spread among the people of Zhu Family Manor had genuinely helped bolster morale—including Wu Yong’s setbacks, the steady release of captured prisoners to cause trouble on the other side, and this morning’s display of Liu Tang’s severed head, all of which had given Zhu Family Manor’s side a real shot of confidence.

But the ongoing casualties over these days of fighting had taken a heavy toll on the estate’s people. They weren’t regular soldiers, and despite their generally hardy temperament, the constant shadow of death weighed enormously on them. The propaganda surrounding this Master Lei perhaps offered a glimmer of hope, but the true foundation of everyone’s resolve to keep resisting was really the sheer brutality Liangshan’s men had shown in the early days.

Before this, Liangshan had almost never imagined Dulong Ridge might prove impossible to take. Under this mindset, they’d treated the entire campaign as little more than a training exercise, fighting with reckless abandon.

What felt exhilarating to Liangshan’s side felt, to Zhu Family Manor and Hu Family Manor, like merciless, unrestrained slaughter—no matter how you fought back, they came at you with the crushing weight of a mountain collapsing. It was like a martial arts master toying with an opponent before the kill: struggle all you want, go hysterical if you must, it makes no difference to me, I’m not in a hurry, get as angry as you like—I’ll kill you eventually anyway.

One side’s attitude is always felt by the other. When your own family and friends are being slaughtered without mercy, what Dulong Ridge had ultimately been pushed into wasn’t a broken remnant force but a grieving, vengeful one—and this was the real reason the whole of Dulong Ridge had managed to hold out this long.

Of course, in matters of life and death, a grieving army alone couldn’t overcome everything. Dulong Ridge had no direct view into what was happening within Liangshan’s camp, and even if some chieftain there had truly defected to the court, how much difference that could actually make remained an open question.

On the other hand, if court officials were really here, why hadn’t the army shown up yet—was this side simply being used as a pawn? Such doubts naturally surfaced too. Still, Zhu Family Manor as a whole had managed to hold together without any major rupture.

For this reason, Ning Yi felt that only now had the situation truly been leveled out. Even if Liangshan later fractured from internal strife because of this, right now, this side might still be facing a brutal battle ahead.

“…Over there, they’re already panicking. Making this decision must be hard for them—some of their chieftains might already be pulling their men out. Honestly, a large-scale split isn’t really possible right now. Most of their people still have family and belongings up at Liangshan. If it comes to fighting, they’ll fight, sure, but it’ll be an army constantly watching its own back, suspecting the man next to it might turn traitor at any moment. The Liangshan of today isn’t the Liangshan of three days ago anymore. This army won’t have that same unstoppable momentum again. Honestly, by now, they’re no different from any regular Wu Dynasty army. And you can see it on the battlefield yourselves—every moment you hold out, they get a little weaker. From here on, you’re actually the strongest fighting force anywhere near Liangshan…”

A butterfly drifted past the sunlit stone wall. Behind it, the young man named Ning Yi sat talking with the people around him. Liangshan’s movements had slowed, and others had come to ask him about the situation; he’d offered a few casual remarks, and people had begun gathering around him.

Over these past two days, scenes like this had played out repeatedly with Ning Yi. Partly it was because his words carried genuine logic, but for the relatively simple or hot-tempered villagers, few could truly grasp the deeper meaning behind what he said. Still, when Ning Yi spoke, he carried a certain presence that easily won people over. To these villagers, hearing new terms, or seeing familiar situations mapped against unfamiliar ones, it all seemed to add up somehow. In their hearts, their impression of this Young Master Lei had become something like sophisticated, imposing, and impressively high-class.

Words could be a weapon, and words could also persuade—in later ages, such a figure would have a specific title: political commissar. As Ning Yi spoke, people recalled that during the last retreat back from outside the walls, Liangshan’s men hadn’t seemed to fight as fiercely as before, perhaps already suspicious of one another.

“Of course they’re suspicious, they should be careful too… You all know why the Wu Dynasty’s hundred thousand men lost to the Liao’s ten thousand—it’s because… the first charge is fierce, the second wanes, the third is spent. In warfare, what matters most is morale! From the very start, we’ve been attacking their morale. They were shortsighted, thinking we were just playing tricks. Now they’ve realized there’s nothing they can do about it, and the more they realize this, the faster they’ll collapse—you’ll all see it for yourselves shortly… Brothers, if they dare fight this battle, it’ll be over by tonight, they’re finished…”

He sat beneath the wall, expounding his views with calm ease. Not far off, Zhu Long patrolled the stone wall on alert, while Zhu Biao sat on a nearby boulder, slurping down noodles from a large bowl. Once finished, he picked up his steel spear and swung it a few times, the motion crackling with force.

Farther off on the steps, Luan Tingyu sat quietly in the sunlight, watching a filthy little girl bring him water to wipe the blood and bits of flesh from his octagonal bronze-cored staff. As she walked away, a butterfly drifted down from the sunlight and landed on that battle-worn bronze staff…

Then he turned to look back. From the distance behind, three thunderous shouts erupted from Liangshan’s camp. “Kill!” “Kill!” “Kill!”

If this battle wasn’t won, Liangshan would face collapse. At this point, they had finally made their decision, and now they were coming.

Banners unfurled. At the head rode Song Jiang—by this point, only he could rally Liangshan’s morale once more through sheer reputation. The earlier silence had clearly been this famous “Timely Rain” addressing the entire army in camp.

Following him was the strategist Wu Yong, with Liangshan’s chieftains trailing behind—”Little Li Guang” Hua Rong and “Black Whirlwind” Li Kui leading the flanking guard, followed closely by “Marvelous Traveler” Dai Zong, “Sickly Guan Suo” Yang Xiong, and “Hunjianglong” Li Jun.

On the western road, “Panther Head” Lin Chong led the vanguard, with “Blue-Faced Beast” Yang Zhi, “Twin Spears” Dong Ping, and “Featherless Arrow” Zhang Qing at his flanks.

To the east, “Big Blade” Guan Sheng led the way, with “Prodigal” Yan Qing, “Flowery Monk” Lu Zhishen, and “Desperado” Shi Xiu accompanying him.

Along the winding roads around Dulong Ridge, Liangshan’s elite forces had already gathered densely together. The sickness had already broken out violently within their ranks, but just as Ning Yi had said, with their families and belongings still up at Liangshan, they could still organize a battle like this. Some of the mid- and low-ranking chieftains were still setting up defenses on nearby roads, preparing to isolate Hu Family Manor—things had gone too far now, and he no longer had the option of picking them off one by one, nor enough time to wait for Hu Family Manor to fall before attacking Zhu Family Manor.

The terrain in front of Zhu Family Manor was rugged and uneven, with only a few spots suitable for a direct assault. Even so, as Liangshan’s forces gathered, the densely packed soldiers still formed a massive unbroken mass across the sunlit slopes and low ground, banners unfurling everywhere, generals converging by the dozen. A force of over ten thousand, against Zhu Family Manor’s cobbled-together three thousand still capable of fighting—roughly a five-to-one advantage in this battle. By this point, the sheer weight of that presence alone was suffocating.

Whatever mood had prevailed within Zhu Family Manor before this moment, everyone now held their breath. The villagers atop the stone walls raised their bows and crossbows, gripped their blades and spears tightly, a solemn hush falling over them.

Around Ning Yi, the forty-odd men led by Wang Shanyue and the Qi brothers had gathered, armed with crossbows, blades, and armor. Some carried large shields, and most had wooden or paper megaphones hanging at their waists. Zhu Biao came striding over from not far away, swinging his steel spear.

“Brother Lei, if we win this battle, I, Zhu Biao, will go out and conquer the world with you.”

“Heh, didn’t you say you had to get married first once the family business here was settled?”

“Marriage is a small matter—a real man should aim for the four corners of the world, always seeking out great deeds to do!” Zhu Biao leaned in closer. “Actually, San Niang’s temperament is a bit too fierce for my taste—fighting since childhood, acting like a man. I prefer the gentler type of girl, the kind you find in the pleasure houses…”

“Heh, women turn gentle once they’re married.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Oh.”

Luan Tingyu had also come over. “This battle won’t be easy, Master Lei. You’re facing Wu Yong head-on now—remember to protect yourself.”

“Of course.” Ning Yi pointed to the shields around him. “I’m terribly afraid of dying.”

Luan Tingyu said nothing more, patted Zhu Biao on the shoulder, and climbed up onto the stone wall.

A heavy weight settled onto everyone’s shoulders. In this moment, Ning Yi too held his breath and waited. Beyond the stone wall, from the other side of the battle formation, a drum began to sound. Looking out from atop the wall, Song Jiang and Wu Yong sat mounted beneath the banner reading “Acting on Heaven’s Behalf,” gazing this way. Under the noonday sun, it masked the paleness of Wu Yong’s face and the tension in his nerves—he had exhausted himself convincing everyone to launch this all-out assault, building up this show of force, but however imposing it appeared, Liangshan now had no way back. Just before this, he’d already sent men to escort away all the prisoners this side had released; and now, the captives they’d taken from Zhu and Hu Family Manors were being brought forward as well.

“…Our army is currently plagued with internal troubles, and the situation at Zhu Family Manor is far from good either—their pressure is certainly no less than ours. I underestimated that vile Lei Feng before, but I won’t make that mistake again. In fact, I’ve already prepared countermeasures against them, waiting only to unleash them on the battlefield. And now that the attack has begun, we can employ multiple approaches at once—if they can use both military and popular sentiment, so can we…”

The drumming stopped. Wu Yong looked up, his gaze cold and sharp, scanning the wall for his adversary. Song Jiang spurred his horse forward a step, pushing the tension to its peak. “We heroes of Liangshan…”

At the most tense stage of battle, using words to warn, rally spirits, or falsely urge surrender was a common tactic on both sides. Given his standing, Song Jiang’s speech naturally carried weight of its own. As his booming, dignified voice, resonant and forceful, rolled across the battlefield between both sides, everyone listened to this proclamation calling for the estate’s people to turn against their own and wipe out the chief culprits. But behind the stone wall, Ning Yi, who had been quietly waiting to see how things would unfold, slumped his shoulders the moment the first word rang out, then lifted his head, clapped his hands together, and turned to walk away.

“…how can he even say that, so foolish.”

A moment later, from atop Zhu Family Manor’s stone wall, Zhu Biao’s shout rang out: “You’re scared!”

In the sunlight, a butterfly took flight into the sky.

At Dulong Ridge, the first exchange of Zhu Family Manor’s final decisive battle began—with shouted words.