My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

Yang Xuangan stood in the middle of the grain pile, his face ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

He looked at Li Mi, his voice low but filled with barely suppressed anger: "Lord Pushan, tell me—when did he start setting up this scheme?"

Li Mi squatted on the ground, grabbed a handful of sand, and let it slip through his fingers.

The wind blew up sand and dust, which blinded people.

"Before the conquest of Liao," he stood up, patting the sand off his hands, "when he wrote that poem at the Luo River gathering, he had already foreseen this day."

Yang Xuangan's pupils contracted slightly.

"A fortified city may be impregnable, but ants can burrow into it." Li Mi recited these two lines again, emphasizing each word. "He wasn't writing about the previous dynasty, but about the Sui Dynasty. He wasn't seeing the present, but the future. He knew the campaign against Liaodong would fail, he knew the world would descend into chaos, and he knew that you and I would rebel."

He turned around and looked at Yang Xuangan.

"A person who can see the future would never rebel with you. He joined the canal transport not for the court, but for himself. What he wanted was grain, soldiers, territory, and the capital to contend for the world in the future."

Yang Xuangan's face turned from ashen to purplish-red, and he suddenly kicked over the grain sack beside him.

Sand spilled all over the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Li Ju!" he gritted his teeth. "I treated him well! We swore a blood oath, father and son made a pact, I gave him a thousand taels of gold and a token—and he dared to lie to me!"

Li Mi did not respond.

He recalled Zheng Guanyin's refusal to marry him. That fifteen-year-old girl, after reading Li Ju's poem, concluded that Li Min was not worth marrying.

What she understood was not poetry, but people.

She saw Li Ju's foresight and also foresaw Li Zixiong's inevitable defeat.

"That girl from the Zheng family," Li Mi said slowly, "was also awakened by that poem."

Yang Xuangan was taken aback.

"She refused the marriage not because she looked down on Li Min. It's because she understood Li Ju, and she understood you too." Li Mi looked at him. "A fifteen-year-old girl has this kind of insight, yet you and I have been kept in the dark by him for so long."

Yang Xuangan took a deep breath and was about to speak when an aide stumbled in, his face pale.

"My Lord! Something terrible has happened!"

"explain!"

"Liyang Granary... all the granaries, except for the few near the military camp, have been switched. Sand, all sand! Not just the granaries, but also the dozen or so transshipment warehouses along the route in Wu'an County, Ji County, Lingchang, etc., are all empty!"

Yang Xuangan swayed and grabbed the grain sack next to him.

"Where's Wei Feng?" He looked up abruptly. "Where is Wei Feng?"

"Wei Feng... took his three thousand soldiers last night and sailed south by boat under the pretense of transporting grain. He also took all the boats at the dock with him."

"Arrest him! Arrest him!" Yang Xuangan roared. "Send men to arrest Li Ju!"

The advisor knelt on the ground, his voice trembling, and said, "Your Excellency, it's too late. Li Ju has already retreated to Luoyang and blocked the Yongji Canal. All the docks, ferries, and granaries are in his hands."

Yang Xuangan punched the grain sack, causing it to shatter and sand to splatter all over his face.

Li Mi stood to the side, his face calm, but a hint of coldness had already appeared in his eyes.

He turned and walked back to the camp.

Yang Xuangan caught up: "Lord Pushan, what should we do now?"

Li Mi sat down at his desk, spread out a map, and pointed to Luoyang.

"Immediately lead the army south to attack Luoyang."

Yang Xuangan was taken aback: "Didn't you mention three strategies back then? The best strategy was to occupy Zhuojun in the north, the middle strategy was to enter Guanzhong in the west, and the worst strategy was to take Luoyang in the south. Now what—"

"The premise of all three strategies is Li Ju," Li Mi interrupted him, his voice turning cold. "The best strategy is to occupy Zhuojun in the north, hoping he will cut off the supply lines and prevent Yang Guang from retreating. The middle strategy is to march west into Guanzhong, hoping he will use the Grand Canal to supply the army. Now that he has betrayed us and the supply lines are cut off, what will you use to occupy the north? What will you use to enter Guanzhong?"

He pointed to Luoyang on the map and said, slowly and deliberately, "If we capture Luoyang, there's still a glimmer of hope. If we fail, our entire army will be wiped out."

Yang Xuangan remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Head south!"

Li Zixiong stood to the side, his face cold, and suddenly spoke up: "I've said it before, Li Ju is not human. None of you believed me."

Yang Xuangan turned his head sharply, staring at him with eyes as sharp as knives.

"You impeached him in court because you hated the Wei family for refusing the marriage, not because you saw through his intention to rebel!" He said, emphasizing each word. "What's the use of this hindsight now?"

Li Zixiong's face flushed red, his lips trembled a few times, but he ultimately did not refute.

Li Mi did not participate in the argument.

He recalled the words he had spoken when he first met Li Ju: "If this man is not a confidant, he will be a great threat."

At the time, Yang Xuangan didn't take it seriously. Now it seems his words have come true.

No, he is neither a confidant nor a major threat.

He was a gravedigger.

He silently uttered a sentence to himself, but didn't say it aloud. But he already knew—this battle was doomed to failure.

He returned to his desk, picked up his pen, and began to write a letter.

The letter was written to family. It wasn't a suicide note, but it was more like one.

Yang Xuangan ordered the entire army to march south and attack Luoyang.

An army of 100,000 advanced south along the Yongji Canal. Lacking boats, they took to the land. Lacking provisions, they plundered villages and towns along the way. Morale was low, and the army was wavering, but Yang Xuangan couldn't afford to worry about that.

Banners fluttered atop Luoyang city walls.

Li Xiaochang led the imperial guards to the city wall for defense. He stood on the city wall, looking at the official road to the north, his expression complex.

This illegitimate son dragged him into the quagmire of rebellion, and then pushed him onto the general's platform to defend the city.

He sighed, turned to his deputy and said, "Pass down the order to be on high alert. No one is to open the city gates without my command."

Wei Feng's three thousand soldiers from Liyang had arrived in Luoyang ahead of him and were arrayed in the north of the city. He sat on his horse, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his gaze cold and stern.

Wei Kuangbo mobilized grain, money, and silk in Luoyang to support the defense of the city.

The Wei family members, servants, and caravan members—anyone who could wield a knife—all went up to the city wall.

Wei Gui sat in the backyard, a half-finished magnolia embroidery spread out in front of her. Her fingers trembled slightly as she listened to the sounds from the front yard.

Yang Xuangan has truly rebelled.

Wei Nizi pressed her face against the window, straining to hear what was happening outside.

"Sister," she whispered, "Will you be alright?"

"Nothing will happen," Wei Gui said softly, whether to comfort Wei Nizi or himself, it was unclear.

In the duty room of the Water Conservancy Bureau, Li Ju sat behind his desk, with a defense map of Luoyang spread out in front of him.

Du Chen checked the accounts beside him, while Wang Yu and Zhang Yi stood at the door, waiting for orders.

Outside the window, dusk was falling.

The sound of war drums came from afar, deep and urgent.

Li Ju put down his pen, took out the jade from his pocket, glanced at it, and put it away.

"Pass down the order," he stood up, "all city gates are to be opened for entry only, no exits allowed. The grain transport team and the river embankment battalion are to be deployed to the city walls to assist in the defense."

"Yes!" the three answered in unison.

Li Ju walked to the window and looked north.

Yang Xuangan, you've arrived.

I've been waiting for this day for a long time.

King Yang Tong of Yue summoned his ministers to the court to discuss strategies for defending the city.

Fan Zigai reported, "Your Highness, the reason we were able to hold out in this battle was entirely due to the uninterrupted grain transport and sufficient supplies. If Li Ju had not blocked the grain routes in advance and transported grain into the city, Luoyang would have collapsed without a fight."

Yang Tong nodded and immediately issued an edict: "Li Ju, the Attendant on the Riverbank, is commendable for his loyalty and bravery, and his contributions to the nation are immense. Without you, Luoyang would have fallen."