Han Ji

White Wolf Mountain.

The snow on the mountain hadn't completely melted. The snow on the sunny slopes had melted, revealing withered, yellow grass roots. The shady slopes were still white, the snow crust so hard one could stand on it. The tents at the foot of the mountain were densely packed, looking like a patch of white mushrooms growing on the ground when viewed from the mountainside.

Tadun's large tent was pitched on a flat area halfway up the mountain. The tent was made of cowhide, and a large white yak-tail banner was stuck on the top of the tent, the tail fluttering wildly in the wind. Nine horse posts stood in front of the tent, each with a warhorse tethered to it. The horses were all gelding stallions, broad-chested and long-legged, with their manes braided.

The tent was full of people. There were more chieftains present today than last time. Pufulu of Loubanbu sat in the third seat on the left. His father, Louban himself, was also there. He was an old chieftain in his sixties with a face full of age spots and droopy eyelids, but the light shining through his eyes was very bright.

Nengchen sat in the first seat on the right. He was a short, stocky middle-aged man with a neck thicker than his head and an old scar on his chin that ran from the corner of his mouth to his ear.

Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang sat at the very bottom, close to the tent flap. When the flap was opened, a gust of wind rushed in, causing the hems of their robes to flutter.

Tadun sat in the main seat, a roasted leg of lamb in front of him. He used a short knife to slice the meat off the leg, putting each slice into his mouth. Lamb fat dripped down his chin, which he wiped away with his sleeve.

"Liu Bei has arrived in Ji County." Tadun spoke through chewing meat, his voice muffled. "Our scouts spotted a long supply convoy from the Jieshi Road, stretching all the way from Ji County to the sea. He intends to slowly advance along the Jieshi Road."

The capable minister asked, "How many men did you bring?"

"The scouts say that judging from the size of the caravan, it's at least 50,000 men's supplies." Tadun tossed a sheep bone onto the table, the bone clinking against the bronze plate. "50,000 Han troops, taking the Jieshi Road. The Jieshi Road is along the coast, the road is easy to travel, but it's a long detour. They'll travel 30 li a day, it will take them ten days to reach Bailang Mountain."

Lou Ban raised his droopy eyelids. "Ten days is enough for us to gather all our troops along the Jieshi Road. He'll take the main road, and we'll ambush him along the roadside. When he's halfway there, our cavalry will charge in, kill him, and then we'll leave."

Yuan Xi spoke up from beside the tent entrance. His voice wasn't loud. "Will Liu Bei take the Lulong Pass?"

The tent fell silent for a moment. The Wuhuan leaders exchanged glances.

Tadun laughed. "The road to Lulong Pass has been cut off for years. The plank roads are rotten, and the mountain paths are so narrow that only one person can pass at a time. Liu Bei's 50,000-strong army, with armor and supplies, how will they get through? Not a single one of his supply wagons can make it." He stuck his short sword into a lamb leg and swung the hilt twice. "If he really dares to take Lulong Pass, we don't even need to fight him; the number of people falling off the cliffs and dying in the mountains will be enough to give him trouble."

Nengchen said, "But we can't leave no one to keep watch. Send two sentries to the exit on the north side of White Wolf Mountain, so that we'll know in advance if someone sneaks in from there."

Tadun nodded. "Pufulu, take your men and set up camp at the mountain pass. Thirty li north of the pass is the northern gully of White Wolf Mountain; you'll guard it there."

Pufulu stood up and responded.

Yuan Shang leaned close to Yuan Xi's ear and whispered, "He doesn't believe Liu Bei would go through Lulong Pass."

Yuan Xi replied in a low voice, "I don't believe it either. But last time in Hebei, Liu Bei did things that we didn't believe."

Yuan Shang remained silent.

The mountain road leading north from Lulong Pass.

As dawn broke, the group began their ascent into the mountains. The mountain pass was narrow, the mountain walls on either side clamping it shut with only a narrow opening. Morning light filtered through the gap, illuminating the mountain path and splitting the light into slanted beams. Fine dust motes floated within these beams, swirling and tumbling endlessly.

Qian Zhao walked at the front. He leaned on a sharpened hardwood stick, testing each step by tapping the ground with the stick. The gravel on the mountain path had been frozen overnight, with a thin layer of frost on its surface, making a crunching sound underfoot.

He would walk a few steps and then squat down to feel the road surface with his hand. In places where the road surface was loose, the gravel would be slippery, so he had people move the loose gravel and pile it up on the side of the road. In some places, half of the road surface had collapsed, so he had the engineers cut down pine trees to build a temporary bridge. The pine trees were wet, and they creaked when stepped on.

Ahead was a muddy slope, not steep but deep, where one could sink up to one's ankles. Qian Zhao had the engineers move stones to cushion the way, so people could walk on them, but the horses couldn't keep their footing. When the horses' hooves sank into the mud, you could hear the dull thud of mud sucking on the horseshoes when they were pulled out.

A grain-laden horse got its hind legs stuck in a mud pit, and the more it struggled, the deeper it sank, the mud reaching its belly. Qian Zhao went over, unloaded the grain sacks from the horse's back, and carried them on his own shoulder. Several people nearby helped push the horse's rump, and it took several pushes to finally pull the horse out. The horse was covered in mud, and after shaking off the mud, mud splattered all over Qian Zhao's face.

Liu Bei rode on his jade-white horse. The mountain path was so narrow that the horse could only travel one at a time, and the horse moved very carefully, making sure its front hooves were firmly planted before stepping forward with its hind hooves. Liu Bei held the reins with one hand and gripped a protruding rock on the mountainside with the other. The rocks on the mountainside were cold and rough, and when he touched them, his fingernails scraped off grains of sand.

He glanced back. The column stretched out in a long line along the mountain path, winding its way from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain. Foot soldiers, carrying spears, walked one after another on the narrow path, the spear tips swaying in the sunlight.

The cavalrymen led their horses, their hooves wrapped in cloth, which was covered in mud and fallen leaves. Armor was removed and carried on the horses' backs; the riders, lightly equipped, walked faster than the horses.

After walking for half a day, they arrived at a slightly open valley. Liu Bei ordered his men to stop and rest. The soldiers sat on rocks, gnawing on dry biscuits, which were so hard they couldn't even bite into them. Some broke the biscuits into pieces and soaked them in their water jugs until they softened before eating. The water in the jugs was so cold it stung their teeth.

Jia Xu sat on a large rock, took off his boots and emptied the pebbles inside. His feet were blistered; the blisters burst, and blood stained his socks.

He turned his socks inside out and put them back on, saying to the guard beside him, "It's alright, I'm tough." He stood up and walked to Liu Bei's side, still holding the white chess piece in his hand.

"We've walked for half a day and crossed a ridge. Four more days."

Liu Bei remained silent. He stood on a protruding rock, gazing ahead. Before him stretched layers upon layers of mountains, ridges upon ridges, hazy and endless. A mountain wind swept up from the valley, causing the hem of his robe to flutter loudly.

Zhao Yun stopped behind him. He had been leading horses with the cavalry all morning, and his boots were covered in mud. He took out his water pouch and handed it to Liu Bei, who took a sip and then returned it to Zhao Yun.

"When cavalrymen travel this road, their horses suffer."

"The horses suffered, and so did the people. But the path of their suffering was one the Wuhuan could not have imagined."

Zhao Yun nodded.

The group continued onward. The afternoon's journey was more difficult than the morning's. One section of the mountain path ran along the edge of a cliff, less than three feet wide, with a mountain wall on the left and a bottomless abyss on the right.

At the bottom of the abyss was a river, its waters churning with white waves in the valley. The sound of the water was barely audible when it reached the bottom, like someone beating a broken drum in the distance.

Qian Zhao stood at the narrowest point, pulling people across one by one. He gripped the cracks in the rock face with one hand, while reaching out the other to catch them. Each person crossed sideways, their backs pressed against the cliff, heels on the edge of the precipice, toes digging into the soles of their shoes, afraid to let go. Someone glanced down and their legs went weak; Qian Zhao grabbed them by the collar and pulled them back.

When Zhang Fei walked across, he didn't turn sideways. He faced the mountain wall with his back to the abyss, using his hands to grip the crevices in the rocks and inching forward like a gecko. After he moved across, he turned around and shouted to the soldiers behind him, "Don't look down! Look at me!" His voice drowned out the sound of the water at the bottom of the valley.