The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

"Any place where the mountain breaks off is called a pass." Di Renjie explained to Zhang Rui, tracing a line on the wall with his finger. "The places where the mountain breaks off are called passes. The Taihang Mountains stretch for thousands of miles, and east-west transportation relies entirely on eight broken valleys. These are the Eight Passes of Taihang. Jingxing is the most dangerous of them all. It is a narrow passage with two walls, and in some places, it can only accommodate one cart."

After explaining the terrain of Jingxing, Di Renjie dipped his finger in tea and drew several circles on the table, marking the positions of Zhao Jun and Chen Yu, and then pointed towards the entrance of Jingxing.

"The Han army was positioned with their backs to the river, cutting off their own retreat. Their backs were to the Mianman River, and in front of them were 200,000 Zhao soldiers. Chen Yu probably laughed when he saw this formation. As the art of war says, 'A man with his back to the river is in a death trap.' Han Xin was walking into a death trap, committing a cardinal sin in military strategy."

Zhang Rui watched the watermarks slowly spread: "Then why did Han Xin still fight like that?"

With their backs to the river, the army cut off their retreat, facing 200,000 Zhao soldiers.

"Because he was thinking on a different level: 'Put yourself in a desperate situation and you will survive.' This saying also comes from military strategy, but different people use it and the results are different." Di Gong put his teacup aside. "The army under Han Xin's command was not built by him; it hadn't undergone proper training. The best way to command an army that doesn't know each other is to leave them with no way to retreat. With a river behind them and the enemy in front of them, they either fight or die. Without the general's orders, everyone will charge forward on their own."

After saying that, he stretched out his index finger and gently traced a watermark on the table from Jingxing Pass eastward.

"The result is this line: a victory against overwhelming odds, decided in one battle."

In the afternoon, the carriage continued its journey. After passing Jingxing Pass, the mountain terrain suddenly narrowed.

The official road winds its way up the cliff face, with a bottomless river valley on the other side. The sound of water comes from afar, rumbling so loudly that it can be heard even inside the carriage.

Li Yuanfang reined in his horse and turned back to say, "My lord, the road ahead is narrow, I'll proceed slowly." Di Renjie responded and leaned back against the carriage wall.

The caravan stopped to rest in an open area in a mountain valley. Di Chun jumped off the carriage shaft to feed the horses, and the copper bells on the shaft jingled gently.

Li Yuanfang found a rock by the roadside, sat down, unscrewed the water bag, and took two gulps.

Di Jinghui did not dismount, but turned his horse to face the way he came, habitually keeping watch.

Judge Di stood in the shade of a tree for a while and stretched his limbs.

The valley was quiet, with only the rustling of the wind through the bushes and the clear sound of the stream crashing against the rocks in the distance.

Just then, two people walked up the mountain path.

One carried a load on a shoulder pole, the other walked empty-handed, shouting as they went.

The one carrying the load had a flushed face, and the carrying pole swayed precariously on his shoulder; the one empty-handed spoke loudly, pointing and gesturing as he walked.

When the two reached the fork in the road at the foot of the mountain, they simply stopped and started arguing back and forth.

"You stole my firewood!"

"What makes you think I stole it? I chopped this firewood myself!"

"I recognize my firewood! I chopped every single piece myself, and they're all the same length!"

"There are plenty of pieces of firewood of the same length in the world, do you think they're all yours?"

Di Renjie did not step forward immediately. He stood there for a while, looking at the two red-faced and thick-necked woodcutters, and then suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Rui.

"How do you think we should make a decision?"

Zhang Rui was staring blankly at the bundle of firewood when he was suddenly asked a question, and he was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses.

"First ask when and where the firewood was cut. If the two people's stories don't match, one of them will give themselves away. If they both say the same thing, then find a witness."

"Now that we've got the right approach, what else is there?"

"Look at the knife marks? Every machete is different; the chipped, broken, and jagged edges are all different. If the cut patterns don't match, it's fake. But you need an axe to compare them; talking about it won't help."

Di Renjie raised his eyebrows slightly, offered no comment, and turned to walk towards the two men.

First, separate the two men, each taking three steps back. Then, squat down, untie the hemp rope from the carrying pole, pull out a few pieces of firewood, and examine the cross-section against the sunlight.

Those carrying loads eagerly claimed that the firewood was chopped that morning, and those empty-handed were not to be outdone, also insisting that it was chopped that morning.

Those carrying loads said they cut the wood on the south slope, and those empty-handed also said it was on the south slope.

The two were about to push each other together again when Di Renjie stood up and held the firewood in front of them.

"The cross-section is dry, the cut is fuzzy, and it's been chopped for at least three days. You both say it was chopped this morning, but that's not the truth."

The two men fell silent at the same time; the one carrying the load lowered his head and looked up at the sky empty-handed.

"Leave this load of firewood here with me. Go back and get your axes, and I'll compare the knife marks before I say anything." Di Gong put the firewood back on the carrying pole. "If none of you can produce an axe, then this firewood wasn't cut by you at all; you just picked it up."

The two glanced at each other but neither spoke.

After a moment, the one carrying the load muttered, "Never mind then," and the one empty-handed waved his hand. They walked along the mountain path one after the other, much faster than when they came.

"Sir, your judgment is truly remarkable—" Di Chun stepped forward, looked at the load of firewood on the carrying pole, and then at Di Gong, "Others run themselves ragged trying to solve cases, but you get a load of firewood and a carrying pole for free with just a few words."

Di Renjie dusted off the bits of grass from the corner of his robe and said irritably, "Then you can carry it back."

"There's no need to carry it; just put it in the back of the carriage."

Di Chun walked over and lifted the bundle of firewood; it was indeed quite heavy.

He squatted down and re-tied the knot, muttering as he did so: "This firewood is enough to cook at least two meals at the post station. When we get to the post station, I'll tell the kitchen that this is what our master solved in the mountains, so we can save on firewood costs."

Li Yuanfang sat by the roadside, screwed on the cap of the water bag, and casually replied, "That's right, that's why we say our master is amazing."

Di Gong ignored their teasing and returned to the shade of the tree.

"The knife mark comparison I mentioned earlier is somewhat different from what you asked. I thought it was about solving a case, but you noticed the firewood was old first."

"You mentioned comparing knife marks, which is a good idea, but you missed a step." Di Renjie sat down on the rock. "First, look at the physical evidence. The bundle of firewood was crooked and the knots were loose, unlike what someone who chops wood regularly would do. The cross-section is dry, not freshly cut. You don't need to ask anyone; you can tell just by looking. Asking people isn't impossible, but people might lie. Objects won't lie. Examine the objects first, then ask people. Remember this order."

Zhang Rui nodded and made a note of it.

After resting for about half an hour, we continued on our way.

The carriage wound its way through the valley for another half day. In the afternoon, the terrain gradually opened up, and the outline of Taiyuan City could be seen in the distance.

The city wall was made of gray rammed earth, and several faded flags hung on the flagpoles on the city tower. They would occasionally flutter in the afternoon wind and then droop down again.

Once inside the city, the streets were much more bustling than the main roads.

Vendors selling vinegar, noodles, and mutton offal soup called out their wares one after another, filling the air with a faint aroma of vinegar mixed with the smoky scent of firewood and stewed meat.

The carriage traveled through a main street paved with bluestone slabs. The shop signs on both sides fluttered gently in the evening breeze, some indigo from the cloth shops, others apricot yellow from the pharmacies, and still others vermilion from the taverns.

A few teenagers chased a spotted dog that darted out of the alleyway, nearly crashing into Li Yuanfang's horse, before running off laughing and joking.