The wind and sand blew in increasingly fierce gusts.
Inside the hall, a hollowed-out bronze incense burner with crane motifs was lit. The smoke of the agarwood was scattered by the draft passing through the hall, breaking into wisps that drifted beneath the roof beams, lingering for a long time.
Tie Lanshan was not wearing his armor.
A washed-out dark teal cloak was draped over his shoulders. Only the top frog button at the collar was fastened, revealing a half-worn black inner garment underneath.
He sat in the seat of honor, his right hand resting on the armrest. His thumb absentmindedly stroked the polished patina of the wood at the end of the armrest.
Below, a man dressed in black martial attire knelt on one knee upon the blue brick floor. With his forehead pressed against the ground, he kept his voice extremely low.
"...When the Imperial Envoy arrived at the border market, the very first thing she did was order someone to kick down the door of the Superintendent's Office. The managers of the Demao Firm, Wantong Merchant House, and Jufeng Manor were driven out on the spot."
Tie Lanshan's thumb paused.
"And then?"
"The Imperial Envoy met privately with the Helian tribe merchant, Sarhan, at the Border Council Hall. For about an hour, all four doors of the hall were tightly shut. Her personal guards cleared a radius of thirty paces, not even allowing the runners from the Superintendent's Office to approach."
The spy's voice dropped even lower.
"This subordinate spent some silver to coax a few words out of a handyman in the office. He said that when Sarhan went in, his back was straight as a ramrod, but when he came out, he was hunched over, walking faster than a rabbit. He was holding a red sandalwood box, clutching it tightly to his chest, not even letting his own attendants touch it."
Tie Lanshan said nothing.
The kneeling spy waited for a moment before adding another detail.
"This subordinate investigated Sarhan's background. His uncle, Sartak, oversees the Great Khan's inner treasury at the Helian Royal Court. In recent months, he has been relentlessly pressured by the Right Luli King. Of the three keys to the inner treasury, he now holds only one."
"In recent months, the Right Luli King has repeatedly impeached the inner treasury for corruption within the Royal Court, taking down two deputy managers who were both personally promoted by Sartak. Right now, of the three keys to the inner treasury, Sartak only has one left in his hands."
"Next month is the Great Khan's birthday ceremony. Rumors are spreading throughout the Royal Court that this is Sartak's last chance. If he fails to present a gift that pleases the Great Khan, the position of inner treasury manager will change hands."
Having finished his report, the spy pressed his forehead back to the ground and remained motionless.
The hall fell silent.
Tie Lanshan slowly leaned back in his chair.
His gaze fell upon the map hanging on the opposite wall. In the flickering candlelight, the location of the border market on the map shifted between light and shadow.
"You may leave."
The spy withdrew silently.
As the door curtain fell, a figure emerged from behind the folding screen in the side chamber.
It was the strategist of the Commander-in-Chief's estate, Bai Yushu.
Tonight, the strategist wore a grayish-blue straight-cut robe, holding his customary folding fan in his hand.
In May, the night winds at the border were harsh and full of sand, leaving no reason to fan oneself. Yet he kept it firmly in his grasp, occasionally tapping the bamboo ribs gently against his palm.
Bai Yushu walked to the side of the long table, poured himself a bowl of tea, and held it in his hands for warmth.
The nights in the Northern Frontier were piercingly cold.
"Did you hear clearly, my lord?"
Tie Lanshan gave a gruff sound of acknowledgment.
Bai Yushu snapped his folding fan shut, pointed the tip downward, and tapped it three times against his palm.
"What a brilliant move to pull the firewood from under the cauldron."
Tie Lanshan raised his eyes to look at him.
Bai Yushu spoke slowly, each word crisp and clear:
"Sarhan's uncle is already on the edge of a cliff, with the Right Luli King pressing him at every turn. The Great Khan's birthday is his only chance to turn the tide."
He paused, the sharp gleam in his eyes receding into a grave solemnity.
"However, my lord."
"The Imperial Envoy deliberately chose this exact juncture. She didn't seek out merchants with a way out; she specifically targeted someone in desperate straits."
Bai Yushu placed his folding fan on the table and tucked his hands into his sleeves.
"Though this move is clever, the future repercussions are significant."
"Speak."
"For Sarhan to gather a massive herd of cattle and sheep to transport south, the commotion will not be small." Bai Yushu walked over to the map, pointing his finger north of the White Horse River.
"The Right Luli King issued a ban just last month, strictly forbidding cattle and sheep from leaving the pass. Nominally, it is to prepare for war; in reality, it is to force the various tribes to pick a side."
His finger traced south from the White Horse River, stopping at the location of the border market.
"If Sarhan takes the risk and forces his way through the pass, the moment word leaks out, the Right Luli King will have ironclad proof to deploy his troops—"
Bai Yushu's finger thrust downward, tapping heavily on Zhenbei City.
"The flames of war will burn right to our doorstep."
Tie Lanshan's brows slowly furrowed.
Bai Yushu did not stop.
He pressed on relentlessly: "What's more fatal is that the Imperial Envoy's actions bypass the Ministry of War and are unreported to the Ministry of Revenue. She is privately conducting massive trades with foreigners. My lord, would He Minghu and Ma Jin'an ever let go of such evidence of colluding with the enemy?"
Tie Lanshan's thumb stopped moving.
He slowly stood up and paced back and forth across the hall. Walking to the map, he paused for a couple of breaths, then turned back to his armchair.
Bai Yushu did not rush him. The strategist understood his patron too well—Tie Lanshan had spent thirty years in the military, fighting his way from a mere Centurion all the way to Commander-in-Chief. He had seen more flashing blades and blood than the number of military manuals Bai Yushu had ever read.
Before a man like this made a decision, what he needed wasn't advice, but time.
Seven steps.
Tie Lanshan took exactly seven steps, finally coming to a halt before the window.
He reached out and pushed open half of the window.
Yellow sand carried by the night wind rushed against his face, flooding the room. The blue smoke from the agarwood burner was blown in all directions, and the candlelight flickered wildly, nearly going out.
Outside the city walls, the Gobi Desert, Wild Fox Ridge, and the White Horse River were all swallowed by the darkness.
But Tie Lanshan knew that right there in that darkness—the vanguard camp of the Helian Khanate was sharpening their blades.
"Yushu."
"Here."
"Everything you've said, I have already calculated."
Tie Lanshan did not turn his head; his gaze remained fixed on the darkness outside the window.
"But you missed one thing."
Bai Yushu was slightly taken aback.
"How many more days can the soldiers of Zhenbei City afford to go hungry?"
Bai Yushu fell silent.
Tie Lanshan turned around. The candlelight reflected on his face, lined with the deep crevices of wind and sand, revealing both a terrifying cold glint and a profound weariness in his eyes.
"We haven't received military pay in half a year, and we've barely seen meat in nearly two months. Have you ever eaten the horse-feed porridge from the Southern Camp? I have."
He strode back to the desk.
"I don't care what traps He Minghu and Ma Jin'an want to set. But there is one bottom line that I am crystal clear about. Crystal clear."
Tie Lanshan slammed his palm onto Zhenbei City on the map.
"In ten days, once the army completely runs out of food, the first person the mutinying soldiers will tear to pieces is me, Tie Lanshan. It won't even be Xu Qinghuan's turn!"
Bai Yushu's lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Xu Qinghuan went to secure provisions. I don't care what shady methods she uses or how much risk she takes on—Zhenbei City must secure this batch of grain!"
Tie Lanshan's tone was surprisingly calm, as if speaking of a matter he had already thought through completely.
"If He Minghu wants to bite her, that's a problem for later. Right now, keeping our people alive is what matters!"
He exhaled a long breath of stale air.
"That girl Xu Qinghuan is bold enough. Kicking down the yamen doors, driving away merchants, killing in the streets, breaking into death row to save her brother... even I might not have been able to do all that when I was young."
Tie Lanshan's gaze darkened slightly. "She... should be able to hold her ground."
He said this without much certainty, as if trying to convince himself.
Hearing the underlying tone, Bai Yushu said, "My lord is worried about..."
"These past few days, the Right Luli King has been frequently moving troops over at the Royal Court. I can't help but feel—"
Tie Lanshan's voice lowered, so low that it was almost drowned out by the wind and sand outside the window.
"A great war is coming."
He slowly sat back down in his armchair. The hem of his cloak dragged on the floor, gathering a layer of fine sand.
"I only hope this imperial envoy can truly shoulder the heavy burden of breaking this deadlock."
...
The relay station, west wing.
Xu Qinghuan sat at the desk, a mostly finished list spread out before her.
The number of cattle and sheep, the types of grain and fodder, the delivery routes—each item was densely listed in tiny, neat calligraphy.
The writing brush rested on the inkstone, the ink already nearly dry.
After taking a trip to the border market today, Sarhan's reaction was even more eager than she had anticipated.
With that glazed wolf sculpture and half a bottle of strong liquor thrown down, the Helian merchant had fallen to his knees right then and there.
The opening to raise provisions had finally been torn wide.
Yet Xu Qinghuan knew clearly in her heart that while making the opening was easy, every step moving forward would be fraught with peril.
She set down her brush and rubbed her aching wrist.
The wind outside the window picked up again, the yellow sand rustling as it battered against the window paper.
Xu Qinghuan's movements paused slightly.
The wind howled mournfully, pouring from the city walls all the way into the alleys, over the courtyard walls, and into this modest wing room.
The hairs on the back of Xu Qinghuan's neck stood on end.
The feeling was indescribable, but that chilling sensation of having a prickle at her back seeped clearly into her bones—
Someone was hiding in the dark, watching her.
