The sinkhole that housed the Hall of Inquiry was kidney-shaped. Its rim was fringed with green, its floor held a crystal-clear pool, and a single shaft of daylight slanted down from above to strike the round boulder at the water’s center.

That boulder was the lectern. Thanks to the unique terrain, every speaker enjoyed natural surround-sound.

Along the cliff walls, people had chiseled out tier upon tier of stone paths, creating seating for the audience and passageways for entry and exit.

It was simple yet charming.

He Lingchuan and his companion arrived late; the seats were all but taken. From where they stood, the encircling cliffs showed more than a dozen levels of terraces, every tier thronged with people. It was a stirring sight.

From boys of eleven or twelve to men in their fifties and sixties, every face was alight with thirst for knowledge.

“So many people!” A single misstep or a panicked shove, and someone could tumble straight into the deep pool below.

Hu Min murmured to He Lingchuan, “This is nothing. You’ve never seen it when the Red General holds court; that’s what’s packed. Two people squeeze onto a seat, some would rather hang there in mid-air just to listen, and even the pool at the bottom is jammed with boats!”

He Lingchuan’s eyes brightened. “The Red General gives lectures, too?”

“Mm-hm, but there’s no set schedule. It all depends on your luck.” Hu Min sounded regretful. “Last time the Red General spoke, I happened to be on duty and missed it.”

That reminded He Lingchuan of something. “By the way, has any master or expert ever come to teach the principles of divination?” If so, he could consult the expert in private, as that would likely prove far better than relying on that unreliable old turtle monster.

Hu Min looked blank. “I don’t think so?”

“Are you sure?”

“The topic of a lecture is posted ten days in advance outside the government office and the barracks,” Hu Min told him. “I’ve been reading those notices for ages, and I don’t recall anyone ever lecturing on divination.”

“Oh, forget it then.” That’s strange.

As they spoke, Officer Xiao, Xiao Maoliang, appeared. He stepped onto the round stone, clasped his hands behind his back, and said, “Ahem, good afternoon, colleagues of today and tomorrow alike. On Commander Zhong’s orders, I’m here to brief you on the situation in the Panlong Wasteland and the campaigns our army is conducting…”

Who would have thought that Xiao Maoliang, who was so composed on the battlefield, would be nervous enough to stutter while lecturing in the Hall of Inquiry?

Is this his first time doing a lecture?

He Lingchuan could not help but smile. Still, the content mattered too much. However shaky Xiao Maoliang’s speech, He Lingchuan listened with full attention.

“As you all know, Wei City fell a few months ago. Some of you here are from Wei City yourselves. The State of Baling has continued to press eastward. Starting a month ago, they’ve been raiding Puxi Gully…”

* * *

Two days later, He Lingchuan visited Sun Hongye.

The youth’s color had returned. With the poison drawn out, only a flesh wound on his shoulder remained. The physician at Jinghe Hall had prescribed five days’ worth of medicine for him to decoct at home.

Seeing He Lingchuan again, Sun Hongye was warmer than he had been two days prior. He bowed low and said, “Young Master He, I can never repay your care while I was ill.”

He Lingchuan waved it off. “It’s only right. You saved someone from my family.”

Sun Hongye smiled. Ever since he had been injured in Luming Garden, only He Lingchuan had come to see him.

He poured a cup of water for He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan noticed that the other party’s home was a single-storey house. The furniture was worn, the windows were small, and half the courtyard lay under snow—no one had swept it clear.

“You live by yourself?”

Sun Hongye nodded. “This is my third year since moving down from the northern border. The uncle I’d turned to has since passed away.”

“What are you planning to do next?” He Lingchuan asked. “The Hé Family had people at Luming Garden the day before yesterday. They already know you sought out General Ke to volunteer.”

Sun Hongye gave a wry smile. “Yeah, and my carriage broke down on the way down the mountain.”

The two matters sounded unrelated, but he had a quick mind and two idle days on a sickbed to think it over. It was not hard to deduce that He Su had someone tamper with his carriage just to make things difficult for him on a snowy, windy night.

He Lingchuan walked over to the room’s only square table. “I’ve got a problem, and I’d like Brother Sun to help me solve it.”

“Go ahead.”

Dipping a fingertip in his cup, He Lingchuan sketched a rough map on the tabletop.

“Puxi Gully lies about fifty kilometers west of Long City, with a population of around fifty thousand and just over two thousand troops. A strong enemy frequently attacks Puxi. Whenever they launch a major incursion, Puxi requests aid from Long City.” He gave a concise briefing. “Over time, the enemy changed tactics. Instead of attacking en masse, they send several detachments to harry the outskirts. The moment Long City’s reinforcements arrive, those detachments withdraw at speed. Their raids come thick and fast, taking place six or seven times in ten days. If Long City doesn’t send help, they merge their forces and attack Puxi head-on. As a result, the fishing, hunting, farming, and trade of Puxi Gully can’t function normally, creating massive losses. And Long City is run ragged providing relief; a single round trip is over a hundred kilometers, after all. Brother Sun, what strategy would you propose for Long City?”

“The enemy is using low-intensity, high-frequency attacks.” Sun Hongye tapped a blank stretch on the makeshift map. “Can’t Long City establish an outpost or auxiliary town near Puxi Gully and garrison troops there?”

He Lingchuan shook his head. “Other than the site where Puxi Gully sits, the fifty-odd kilometers of steppe around it are flat as a board. There’s basically no terrain to hold. Worst of all, there’s no water.”

No water meant no way to build a fort, as well as no way to station men and horses.

That piqued Sun Hongye’s interest. “Then what about stationing a Long City detachment directly in Puxi?”

The name Puxi Gully rang a bell; he just could not place it for the moment.

“They’ve already added a thousand men and hauled in a good amount of grain. But that steppe is barren, and water is precious. Any more troops and you can’t keep them fed and watered.”

This time Sun Hongye thought longer, then asked, “How far are the enemy’s outposts from Puxi Gully?”

“About fifteen kilometers west of Puxi, so closer than Long City is.” Fortunately, He Lingchuan had paid close attention to last night’s lecture and could answer smoothly. “A few months ago, Wei City fell to the enemy and became their bridgehead for pushing east. That’s why Puxi turned into the front line.”

From Wei City, it’s only about a thirty-kilometer round trip. A horse could cover it in less than two hours. Naturally, that was far more convenient than riding all the way from Panlong City.

“How many people and how many troops are in Wei City?”

This kid was nothing if not thorough. “When Wei City fell, the common folk fled en masse to Long City. There are very few civilians left. Wei City has essentially become a military fort. The exact number is hard to say, but it should be somewhere between fifteen hundred and three thousand.”

“Is there no way for Puxi Gully and Long City to negotiate peace with the enemy?”

“For now, that’s not on the table.” At least, not in the part he had seen in his dream.

“In other words, the enemy won’t give up its bite on Puxi.” Sun Hongye raised a finger. “One last question: does Puxi Gully ship out any specialty goods that are in high demand elsewhere?”

“It does. Several rare medicinal herbs grow on the steppe there and can be refined into powerful tonics. Puxi also produces very pure saltpeter, which is used by the state for artillery and by wealthy households and merchants to make ice. That’s why caravans are still willing to brave the steppe.”

Having asked about everything he wanted to, Sun Hongye said, “All right, then I have two plans.”

“The inferior one will put out the immediate fire. Pull it off once, and the enemy should lie low for a while.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Use troops to impersonate a caravan or set up an ambush, with a caravan as bait. Draw the enemy in to plunder, then hit them hard,” Sun said. “You said Wei City has fewer than three thousand troops. One ambush that bloodies them will sap their strength and force them to keep quiet for a good stretch. That buys Puxi Gully time to recover.”

“Mm-hm, the standard play.” He Lingchuan had heard plenty of listeners offer this very tactic in the Hall of Inquiry. Hence, hearing it did not surprise him. “And the superior plan?”

“You can play the thief for a thousand days, but you can’t guard against thieves for a thousand days. Pure defense is second-rate. The best course of action is a single decisive stroke. Retake Wei City, pull out that thorn, and be done with it.”

“How do we make that happen?”

“Let the enemy haul away fat spoils a few more times so they relax. To cover your intentions, stage several pitched skirmishes, and those skirmishes have to look fierce. After that, leak some information that Puxi Gully is organizing a large-scale convoy to ship goods out and that Long City will assign a special escort. They’ve surely planted eyes and ears inside Puxi Gully, haven’t they? Anyway, this shipment must be precious, and the escort should be at least a thousand men. The bigger the show, the better.”

“Lure the snake out of its hole?” said He Lingchuan, understanding at once.

“Exactly. To swallow that shipment, the enemy will need to dispatch at least two thousand elite troops to have any confidence. At that point, Wei City will be down to only a few hundred in garrison, meaning that the walls will be all but empty. If Long City sends a surprise strike force, the chances of taking the city are high!”

“Sounds simple enough.” He Lingchuan smiled. “But if the raid fails? Not only do we fail to seize Wei City, but the bait convoy could get wiped out. That would be the classic backfire, trying to steal a chicken but ending up losing the rice.”

“Victory and defeat are often a hair’s breadth apart. Whether it’s a masterstroke or a blunder depends on the result,” Sun Hongye replied with a smile of his own. “Who leads men to war and dares claim they’ll never lose?”

He then added, “I’m only sketching the outline. All the ways to mislead, confuse, and kill the enemy—the operational details—have to be worked out by the commanding general. In war, pull one thread and the whole tapestry shifts. The accidents along the way aren’t mine to foresee.”

He Lingchuan nodded and said, “Whatever the outcome, the bait force is in for a hard fight.”

“Of course,” Sun Hongye said evenly. “Since when did war come without a price?”

Looking at him, He Lingchuan remembered the youth’s earlier proposal to General Ke to seize Bao Pass and destroy the Qing Dike. It was a strategy that exacted a heavy toll in ruined fields and lost lives.

In other words, an offense against Heaven’s balance.

Sun Hongye then went on, “My job is to offer plans. Weighing the pros and cons, as well as whether to act or not, that’s the commander’s duty.”

“Makes sense.”

He glanced again at Sun Hongye’s bare house, then finally made the offer, “We’re setting out for Xia Province in about four hours. Brother Sun, come with me. I’ll treat you as a staff adviser.”

Sun Hongye was not surprised. “So my plans are very much to Young Master He’s liking?”

During two days of recuperation, he had heard the street talk: the new Governor-General of Xia Province was posting proclamations everywhere, recruiting capable people to follow him to Xia Province.

“Nothing’s perfect, and war moves are always risky. Your plans are already excellent,” He Lingchuan said, smiling slightly. “Stay here in Shihuan, and you’ll either be squeezed by petty men or watch your talent waste away. In Xia Province, you’ll be able to put your skills to use.”