Han Ji

Early March. Ji County.

The north wind was still harsh, scraping against my face like the back of a knife. The willows at the entrance of Jixian County hadn't sprouted any buds; their branches were dry and withered, whipping against each other with a crisp, crackling sound when the wind blew.

Guan Yu waited outside Ji County. His troops from Youzhou, numbering three thousand, were already lined up on both sides of the official road. The soldiers' armor was worn, some plates re-strung with hemp rope, their condition varying, but their spears were gleaming, their tips reflecting a cold light in the morning sun. Guan Yu stood at the very front, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade resting on the ground, the cloth strip on its hilt fluttering in the wind.

Dust rose from the distant official road. First to appear were the cavalry, with Zhao Yun's Liangzhou Qiang cavalry leading the way. The Qiang horses were tall, their hooves clattering heavily on the frozen earth. The Qiang soldiers wore leather armor, some with fox-fur hats, others bald with their hair braided and coiled around their necks. Their spears were longer than those of the Han army, their shafts carved from mulberry wood, black and gleaming with an oily sheen.

Zhao Yun rode at the very front. His horse, a four-year-old chestnut red with a white spot on its forehead, was chosen last year from the Liangzhou horse farm. When the horse reached the gate of Jixian city, it snorted, its white breath spraying into the cold air like a cloud of mist.

Liu Bei's central army followed behind the cavalry. The great banner fluttered in the wind, the character "Liu" on it taut. Liu Bei rode on his jade-white horse, his blue robe covered by light armor. The armor plates were newly forged, their edges not rounded, reflecting a blinding glint. His face was covered in dust, his lips were dry and chapped, but his eyes were bright.

The people of Ji County crowded both sides of the street. After Liu Bei took Youzhou last year, he reduced taxes, and the price of grain in Ji County was nearly half that when Yuan Shikai was in power. Some people recognized the large banner and knelt down to kowtow.

Someone brought out a bowl of water, but was stopped by the guards on the side of the street. An old woman held the bowl above her head, and the water spilled out and splashed onto her sleeve, but she didn't care, muttering "General, drink water."

Liu Bei turned slightly to the side on his horse and nodded to the old woman. He didn't stop the horse; it continued forward, its hooves clattering on the stone slabs of the street.

The county government office of Ji County was converted into a temporary central command tent. The desks in the hall were moved away and replaced with a large square table, on which were spread maps of Youzhou and Liaoxi. Guan Yu placed the roster of the county soldiers on the table.

"There are 3,000 soldiers from Ji County, 1,200 from Yuyang County, and 800 from Shanggu County. The total is less than 6,000. Less than half of them have seen combat; the rest are newly recruited last year."

Liu Bei took the roster and flipped through it. "Zilong's two thousand cavalry, plus the fifty thousand we brought from Ye City. A little over sixty thousand."

Jia Xu stood beside the map. He had changed his chess piece today to a white one, which he flipped between his fingers. "Sixty thousand against thirty-five thousand—that's a numerical advantage. But in battle on the grasslands, numbers don't guarantee victory. The Wuhuan cavalry are swift as the wind; we can't catch them, nor can we stop them. The key is still the same old saying: kill their commander in battle."

Qian Zhao came in from outside. He had come back from the direction of Lulongsai, having ridden all day, and his legs were trembling when he dismounted. He walked to the square table and took out a sketch drawn on a piece of sheepskin from his pocket.

"We surveyed the situation outside Lulong Pass. Heading north from Lulong Pass, the mountain road is about 250 li long, with four water sources along the way. The first is in a valley 30 li outside the pass, a stream with a small flow, barely enough for 5,000 people to drink. The second is in Laoyinggou, 80 li away, a spring with a large flow. The third is in Songziling, 140 li away, a mountain stream. The fourth is in Yemapo, 200 li away, a well with little water."

"What happens after Wild Horse Slope?"

"Go northeast for fifty li past Yema Slope, and you'll exit the mountains. Once you're out of the mountains, you'll reach the northern foothills of Bailang Mountain." Qian Zhao drew a line on the sheepskin map with his finger. "Bailang Mountain is the summer pasture of the Wuhuan people, and Tadun's main tent is located there now. The straight-line distance from the exit of the mountains to the main tent is less than thirty li."

Jia Xu placed the white chess piece at the location of White Wolf Mountain. "Five days' journey through the mountains. If we travel fast, we can get out of the mountains in four days."

Liu Bei asked, "Have the Wuhuan people set up sentry posts at the mountain pass?"

Qian Zhao said, "Yes, but not many. My men went to check and found three outposts at the mountain pass, each with five or six men. They don't seem to be guarding against a large army attack, but rather against small groups of spies. The Wuhuan people don't believe that a large army can come from the direction of Lulong Pass. They have deployed all their main scouts on the Jieshi Road side."

Liu Bei stood up and walked a few steps in the hall. His boots clattered on the brick floor with each step. He walked to the map and pointed to the map, starting from Ji County, heading northeast to Lulong Pass, then north through the mountains, straight to Bailang Mountain.

"Rest for two days. Depart on the third day. The supply wagons will travel along the Jieshi Road with great fanfare, so that the Wuhuan scouts will see them. The main force will take a side road to Lulong Pass and leave the pass at night. The supply wagons are the bait, and the main force is the knife."

Jia Xu nodded. "If the supply wagons travel along the Jieshi Road, the Wuhuan scouts will surely report back. Tadun will focus his attention on the coast, and we can take the opportunity to pass through the mountains via Lulong Pass."

Zhang He stood up. "This humble general is stationed at Ji County, leading the Jizhou garrison to secure the rear supply lines. The supply wagons will depart from Jieshi Road, and this humble general will personally escort the convoy."

Two days later. Late at night.

The north gate of Ji County opened quietly. There were no torches, no drums. The cavalrymen's horses had cloth-wrapped hooves, and their hooves pounded the ground with a dull thud, like tapping on a cotton quilt. One by one, the infantrymen left the city. No one spoke; only the sound of footsteps and the occasional soft clinking of weapons could be heard.

Liu Bei rode his jade-white steed, watching the procession leave from the city gate. Jia Xu rode beside him on horseback, wrapped in a thick robe, still holding the white chess piece in his hand.

"We should be able to reach Lulong Pass before dawn," Jia Xu said.

"Walk."

The caravan began to move northeast. The night was dark, moonless, with only a few scattered stars. Bare fields stretched between the official road, the wind whistling as it blew along the field ridges. Someone stepped into a puddle, splashed mud on their foot, cursed, and continued on their way.

In the darkest hour before dawn, the troop reached Lulong Pass. Lulong Pass is an old pass on the Great Wall, repaired during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, but abandoned for nearly two hundred years.

Several sections of the gate wall had collapsed, and the gaps were haphazardly filled with rubble. The city gate was long gone, leaving only an empty doorway, the top of which was covered with withered grass that trembled in the wind.

Qian Zhao was already waiting outside the pass. He led the special forces battalion to clear the first stretch of mountain road after leaving the pass, moving away the rubble and dragging the fallen dead trees to the roadside. He squatted by the roadside, and when he saw Liu Bei's horse approaching, he stood up and patted the dirt off his knees.

"There are no Wuhuan sentries within ten miles of the pass. You can travel with peace of mind. But the mountain roads are dangerous, especially the Songzi Ridge section on the third day, where there is a mountain wall on one side and a cliff on the other. The plank road on the cliff has been rotten for two hundred years, and wood chips fall down when you step on it."

Liu Bei dismounted and entered the empty doorway of the closed gate. The stones in the doorway were cold, and his hands felt damp and musty to the touch. He passed through the doorway and stood outside the pass. Beyond the pass lay a dark expanse of mountain shadows. Mountain winds blew in from the valleys, carrying the scent of pine resin and snow.

"Pass down the order. Enter the mountains at dawn."

As he turned around, a sliver of gray-white light had just emerged on the eastern mountain ridge. The morning light outlined the silhouettes of the mountains, dark and layered, stretching all the way to the horizon.