A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

When Su Heng arrived, Yang Hu spread the picture out on the stone.

The drawing was made by Cui Ting based on the records from February: the location of the three tampered waters, how many livestock were buried that day, how many stones were placed on the pits, and where the two poles with dried sheep heads hanging from them were stuck.

"Can these three bodies of water still pose a danger to people right now?"

Su Heng stared at it for a long time.

"We dug the pit, it's about one and a half people deep, with two layers of quicklime, and then weighed down with stones. The things in the pit can't get out," she said. "But the things in the water didn't leave."

"speak."

"The sick animals were soaked in the water for several days, and their excrement sank to the bottom of the mud. When the ice thawed in the spring, a layer of mud rose to the surface," Su Heng said. "I dare not say for sure, but if the general asks me whether I dare to let the brothers drink from those three places, I say I dare not."

"You won't dare for at least three months?"

"I wouldn't dare for at least three months."

Yang Hu turned the picture over, and on the back was the area drawn by Liu Ye: a spring thirty miles to the northwest, a depression one mile east of the spring, and more than twenty long, horizontal imprints.

"Their horses are here." He pressed his finger to the spring. "Clean water, lush grass, and about a hundred men watching over them."

He drew a line with his finger to the southeast, all the way to the three spots on the water.

"I'm going to drive them here."

Su Heng's expression changed.

No one spoke for a moment by the rock. Cui Ting and Liu Ye were both there, watching her.

"General," she finally spoke, "those three pools of water were polluted by themselves."

"Yes."

"If the horses drink from those three places, they will end up like those eleven animals in February."

"meeting."

"The barbarians will ride the horse that has drunk water, eat its flesh, and drink its milk." Su Heng's voice lowered. "General, then it's not just a horse anymore."

"Not just horses."

Su Heng raised her eyes.

"So what's the difference between this and them driving sick animals onto our road?"

Upon hearing this question, Liu Ye's hand twitched. Cui Ting opened his mouth to say something, but Yang Hu stopped him by raising his hand.

"There are two differences," Yang Hu said. "First, I didn't put anything in the water. Those three spots of water were already polluted in February, and I didn't add a single drop."

"And the second one?"

"The second thing is that I'm driving a horse."

Su Heng did not respond.

Yang Hu folded the picture in half and then unfolded it again.

"But that's not what you're asking," he said. "You're asking whether I know in my heart what will happen next."

Su Heng's eyes reddened.

"Does the general know?"

"Know."

The wind blew in through the gap in the earthen ridge, lifting a corner of the picture on the stone.

"Su Heng, I'm not going to argue with you." Yang Hu pressed the map down. "I have plenty to say if we were to argue: they attacked first, I lost more than 2,800 people this time, and those 67 people were incapacitated because they drank their medicine. These are all true, but they can't make what I'm doing look clean."

He lifted his hand off the drawing.

"This isn't clean. I'll do it."

Su Heng stood there, a tear falling down her cheek, which she wiped away herself.

"What if the general doesn't do it?"

"No way. Right now, these six thousand people have to rely on 1,100 horses that can run, and they'll have to wear down 20,000 horses on the grasslands," Yang Hu said. "By summer, they'll have recovered, but we won't. By then, I won't be able to bring back a single one of the people lying under the earthen ridge."

"So the general traded their horses for our men."

"Yes."

Su Heng took a deep breath.

"General, I won't stop you," she said, "but I have something to say beforehand."

"speak."

"If any shepherds accidentally drink from those three water sources, or if any shepherds' children graze their sheep there," Su Heng said, enunciating each word clearly, "General, you must remember that it's not only barbarian soldiers who live on the grasslands."

Yang Hu stared at her for a long time.

"Remember that."

He rolled up the picture and tucked it into his sleeve.

"There's one more thing you should remember," Yang Hu said. "What you said today is right. If there's ever a day when I forbid you from saying such things again, then you should leave."

Su Heng paused for a moment, then looked up.

"General."

"Go and prepare," Yang Hu said. "Starting tomorrow, assign two more people to guard the wounded soldiers' camp at night. Things will change in the next few days."

The deployment that night took only half an hour.

They did not send troops or engage in battle. Liu Ye led a scout team of 62 men and another 300 cavalrymen, for a total of about 360 men.

"A hundred or so guards will set fires in three locations." Yang Hu marked three points on the map. "You won't attack these three locations."

"Where should we hit?" Liu Ye asked.

"No," Yang Hu said. "You have three things to do. First, after midnight, light a fire from the northwest side of the spring. The grass is dry, and the wind is blowing from northwest to southeast."

Liu Ye nodded.

"Secondly, find the lead horse," Yang Hu said. "Those eight shepherds said that when watching horses, only keep an eye on the lead horse. You should also only keep an eye on the lead horse. Once the fire starts, drive the lead horse southeast. Once the lead horse moves, the whole herd will follow."

"And the third one?"

"The third thing is the most important." Yang Hu pressed his fingers on the three spots of water. "After you drive them here, you must leave. Do not linger for even a moment, do not drink from those three spots, and do not touch the fallen horses."

"Don't worry, General."

"I'm not at ease," Yang Hu said. "I'm going to sign a pledge for this. Anyone who touches a fallen horse will be dealt with according to military law when I get back."

The 360 ​​people set off before the fourth watch of the night.

On the night of March 24, a fire broke out in the northwest.

The fire started upwind of the spring. The grass was just turning green in March, and underneath it lay withered grass from the winter, so the fire spread extremely quickly. By the time the barbarian guards noticed, the fire line had already stretched for more than two miles.

The horses were initially in disarray, then they started running.

The lead horse was a green steed. Liu Ye kept an eye on it for most of the night. After the fire started, he led his men around its north side, using torches and shouts to keep it in check as it headed southeast.

Twenty thousand horses followed it.

The sound of horses galloping across the grassland seemed to come from underground. Thirty miles from this ridge, the muffled thuds could be heard.

Yang Hu didn't sleep that night. He stood on the earthen beam until dawn.

At daybreak, Liu Ye returned. Of the 360 ​​people, 358 returned; the two missing were from falls from their horses, not from injuries.

"General, we've arrived."

"Where are we?"

"We've passed the second waterway." Liu Ye's face was blackened by the smoke. "The herd of horses ran more than forty miles overnight, and when they reached the water's edge, they scattered to drink, and we couldn't stop them. We retreated as ordered by the general."

Where are their people?

"The guards chased after them for a while, but couldn't catch up. Before dawn, a troop of cavalry from the north arrived, about three or four hundred strong, but they couldn't catch up with them either."

Cui Ting did some calculations from the side.

"General, the horses have left Quanzi and run more than forty li south. The human camp is sixty li to the north. Right now, the men and horses are more than a hundred li apart."

"More than a hundred miles apart," Yang Hu repeated.

He looked south. In the direction of those three bodies of water, there was a thin layer of ash on the horizon, the remnants of last night's fire.

"General Choi."

"Your subordinate is here."

Write this down.

Cui Ting was taken aback: "Which one?"

"On the night of March 24th, we set fire to drive 20,000 barbarian horses into the three polluted areas set up between February 19th and 23rd." Yang Hu spoke slowly, sending out each word clearly. "Write the facts as they are; there's no need to explain why."

"General..." Cui Ting's pen stopped in mid-air, "Write this down, and you'll be held responsible in the future."

"Bear the burden."

"Then I will also write down the cause of events. They first drove sick animals to pollute our water in three places, forcing us to detour seventy li, and then..."

"I won't write it," Yang Hu said. "If I write about the background, this point will become a defense."

Cui Ting put down his pen.

"General, I don't understand. If you're not going to explain, why record it?"

Yang Hu looked at the layer of gray to the south.

"I'll have you copy those four pages of forms for signing up to carry the stretcher and keep them safe," he said. "If anyone asks me in the future why I didn't abandon those 403 people, I'll show them those four pages."

"Yes."

"But if it's only those four pages, then it's not me," Yang Hu said. "Make a note of that too. Keep both of them together."