Xu Fengnian and Huang Chang engaged in a game of cryptic conversation. Aside from Ning Zong, whose age granted him a faint grasp of the hidden meanings, most present believed the two were simply bored with drinking and imitating the pretentiousness of scholars. To someone like Duan Chunan, a rough man, the exchange felt uncomfortable, so he dismissed it as idle chatter. He lowered his head and drank in silence, thinking each extra sip was a gain. Outside, nearly eighty elite cavalrymen from the Iron Hut stood ready, not to mention countless infantrymen. It was a classic case of catching a turtle in a jar. Thinking of this, Duan Chunan harbored fresh resentment toward the young nobleman who had led their group into this inn. He felt it would have been better to charge forward boldly than to sit idly awaiting their fate.
The coarse, rugged man who had received two silver ingots remained expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the deeper meanings in their words. His gaze was dull, yet the white-haired youth beside him continued to chatter merrily, saying, “After the defection of Gu Zhun, the Grand Commander of the Dongyue Navy, the Liyang Navy gained strength like a tiger with wings, sweeping forward irresistibly. When the Liyang forces of over a hundred thousand troops reached Boyang Lake, even the massive warships Chenglong and Fuxie anchored outside the lake numbered more than sixty. The newly appointed defender of Boyang Lake feigned the execution of his loyal comrade Du Jiankang, who had sworn to fight to the death, and took command of Du’s fleet. He then ordered a forced retreat from the strategic strongholds of the lake’s mouth and Lianhuazhou. The Liyang Navy, mistaking this for a desperate attempt to break through, rushed to claim glory. The heavy Chenglong and Fuxie ships remained anchored in the outer river, while only the swift, nimble sampans ventured into the inner lake. Unbeknownst to them, the defender had secretly revived Du Jiankang, who led a surprise counterattack. The defender himself led three thousand elite guards to block the narrow strait at the lake’s mouth, cutting the Liyang fleet in two, leaving the front and rear unable to support each other. Then, his two sons led small boats filled with oil jars into the Chenglong and Fuxie ships, setting them ablaze and perishing alongside the great vessels. This decisive blow ensured the Liyang Navy, once unstoppable, was completely annihilated at Boyang Lake. The great fire, visible across the entire Southern Tang kingdom, raged for three days and nights. Not only did the defender lose both sons, but his two daughters-in-law, born into martial clans, donned armor and died beside their husbands in the lake. One man’s white hair sent off an entire family of black-haired youths. His lineage was severed, a grave act of unfilial piety.
After this victory, the Boyang Lake Navy disembarked, determined to die defending the capital. Yet the Southern Tang emperor had already been tempted by the offer of the title of Duke of the Southern Realm from Liyang. He denounced the defender as disloyal and sent secret envoys to deliver two jugs of poisoned wine. The Boyang Lake Navy surrendered without a fight. The eighty-year-old general Du Jiankang was executed, his head severed and placed in a wooden box. The Southern Tang emperor, clad in coarse hemp, opened the city gates, presented the box, and knelt in submission to the Liyang emperor’s victorious army. On that day, the Southern Tang kingdom fell.”
Huang Chang poured oil onto the fire, continuing the tale. “Afterward, the fallen Southern Tang emperor, along with the rulers of the other defeated Spring and Autumn states, traveled to Tai’an City. The late Liyang emperor joked that the deaths of a hundred thousand naval troops were still not enough to balance the life of Du Jiankang. The emperor granted him the title of Duke of the Southern Realm, only for Du to die the same day at his new estate, becoming a laughingstock. When the Song family’s old scholar compiled the official history of the Spring and Autumn states, he argued with the former prime minister over whether to bestow Du with a laudatory or derogatory posthumous title. In the end, a neutral title was chosen. The Hong surname, once the royal name of Southern Tang, is now a source of shame for all who bear it.”
The innkeeper’s face, full of coarse features, twitched a few times. He seemed to want to speak but held back. He rubbed his face with his hand, smiled faintly, and his eyes, once clouded, now cleared. He approached the table quietly and asked with a soft chuckle, “Gentlemen, will you grant this humble countryman a bowl of wine?”
Xu Fengnian shrugged. “Sit.”
The innkeeper rubbed his hands together and sat down, turning to Xu Fengnian. “Are you one of those powerful figures in the Zhao Gou of Liyang, young master? Truly, you are talented beyond your years. Not just anyone can step foot in such a place.”
Xu Fengnian shook his head and smiled. “I’ve had dealings with Zhao Gou, barely survived them, and crossed swords with the Zhuhwang of Beiman. Both are dangerous foes, the kind that will strip your skin if you touch them. I avoid them when I can. Don’t worry—I’m just traveling, and happened to pass through Longwei Slope. At first, I was simply curious why someone would build an inn in such a remote wilderness. If it was for profit, the location was terrible. If it was for peace, then it made more sense. Master Huang said he knows something of physiognomy, and I dabble in it too. You, innkeeper, are clearly over sixty, yet your face appears much younger. Coincidentally, someone in my household is skilled in crafting facial masks. When we first met, I was a little puzzled. Truth be told, maintaining a face is quite different from jade. Jade grows smoother with time, but a priceless ‘rooted’ face mask is hard to wear for twenty years. Still, I thought to myself, every family has its own secrets. We met by fate, shared a drink, and that should have been enough. But when I stepped outside the inn to admire the view from the thatched hut, I realized that on a clear day, one could see Boyang Lake in the south. And your speech, though you tried to hide it, still carried traces of the old Southern Tang dialect. Isn’t that curious? I’m just a pretentious young noble, picking up bad habits rather than good ones. But I happen to know a little about the old Southern Tang music and tones, so I grew more curious.”
The old innkeeper glanced at the bewildered Duan Chunan, then burst into hearty laughter. “Young master, your learning is deep, your knowledge vast. You make an old man like me, halfway into the grave, feel he must bow to youth. Truly, the young are to be feared.”
Huang Chang, who had been watching the innkeeper’s expression closely, felt a chill run through him. He quickly tried to make amends, saying gently to Ning Zong and Duan Chunan, “Brother Ning, why don’t you take Master Duan to check the situation outside?”
Ning Zong, drenched in cold sweat, hurriedly grabbed Duan Chunan’s arm and dragged him toward the door.
The old innkeeper no longer bore a trace of his former merchant’s air. He smiled faintly and said, “May I ask a question that might seem impolite? Young master, you are curious about me, but I am curious about you as well. You claim to know both Zhao Gou of Liyang and Zhuhwang of Beiman. That’s not something an ordinary nobleman’s son would experience.”
Huang Chang, about to take up a post in the capital, suddenly interjected, “Today, I’m only here to enjoy a free drink. In the future, I’ll only speak of this drinking session. If you two trust me, I’ll stay and enjoy the wine. If not…”
Before Huang Chang could finish, Xu Fengnian laughed and raised the wine jar, refilling both Huang’s and his own half-empty bowls. They were all clever men; no further words were needed.
The innkeeper’s gaze softened slightly. He muttered something, drank deeply, then looked up at Yuan Zuozong, who had remained silent. He spoke directly, “Yuan Baixiong, I’ve long admired the fierce battle at Gongzhufeng.”
Yuan Zuozong narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Compared to the Battle of Boyang Lake, we were far inferior.”
Huang Chang was first stunned, then suddenly understood. He smiled bitterly, then laughed softly, muttering to himself, “I always knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. But this wine, though fiery, warms the heart. Sitting here today, I have no regrets for the rest of my life.”
The innkeeper fixed his gaze on Xu Fengnian, speaking words that would shock the dead. “I’ve heard that the heir of Beiliang has traveled three times, through both Liyang and Beiman. Surely, he didn’t do so out of boredom? Young master Xu, would you be so kind as to enlighten this old man?”
Xu Fengnian stopped drinking and folded his hands into his sleeves. “At first, it was to escape. Later, I wanted to walk the path my father once walked, see the vast lands he conquered. As for why I went to Beiman… well, the little bit of wine left in this jar wouldn’t be enough to explain it all.”
The innkeeper shook his head. “There’s no more wine.”
He rubbed his face and, sitting by the window, looked outside and softly laughed. “Gazing at the great lake of Southern Tang, descending from the nine-story tower, connecting with the air of eight directions, supporting half the sky. The accent of home never fades, never fades. When the wind is clear and the clouds are wide, bring out a few jugs of cheap wine, discuss the affairs of two dynasties, roam through history like a dragon. Feast and drink to wash away the bitterness in one’s heart. Isn’t that a joy? Isn’t that a joy?”
Xu Fengnian said softly, “History records right and wrong, but the scales of good and evil are weighed by King Yama.”
Huang Chang, who should have remained silent, heard these words and drank a full bowl of wine. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and sighed, “History is but the thoughts of emperors. The victor is king, the loser is a thief—just five words.”
The old innkeeper repeated the words “loser is a thief,” tears streaming down his aged face. Suddenly lifting his head, he drank the bowl in one go, wine and tears mingling. “It’s fine if the whole Gu family died, for there are still old Southern Tang loyalists to speak kindly of them. But my emperor, bearing the blame, died unjustly! In five thousand years of history, how many emperors, possessing the throne, chose to shame their ancestors rather than betray their people?!”
The world says Du Jiankang cursed the emperor in his final moments, calling him a fool. Lies! They say Du tore out his own eyes before drinking the poison, throwing them into Boyang Lake so he could watch the emperor’s downfall. Lies! They say General Gu Dazu, commanding troops beyond the Southern Tang borders, could have preserved the dynasty for twenty more years. Lies! ‘The scales of good and evil are weighed by King Yama,’ indeed! ‘The victor is king, the loser is a thief,’ indeed! Gu Dazu, surviving for twenty years in disgrace, has finally heard two words of truth today!”
Xu Fengnian stood calmly. “I am Xu Fengnian of Beiliang. My father Xu Xiao once said General Gu was a man of great courage, and that the Southern Gu far surpassed the Northern Gu, a Li Chungan of the court. My master, Li Yishan, held your *Wuji Huiji Ji* in the highest regard, calling it the finest military treatise of the age, surpassing even the ancients.”
The old innkeeper shook his head without speaking.
Huang Chang placed his bowl down gently and asked, “There are those in the capital who say that no hoof of Beiman shall ever tread upon Zhongyuan. Is this true?”
Before Xu Fengnian could speak, Yuan Zuozong behind him sneered, “Master Huang, do you know of the six hundred farewell cries from the old soldiers of Beiliang?”
Huang Chang smiled. “I’ve heard whispers, but never believed them.”
Xu Fengnian turned his head and said, “Yuan Er’ge, half a bowl of wine’s time.”
Yuan Zuozong laughed and left, heading for the inn’s entrance. “More than enough.”
Huang Chang’s expression shifted slightly, and he sighed softly. Gu Dazu, now an innkeeper in hiding, rubbed his temples, a knowing smile in his eyes.
Xu Fengnian’s next words struck like a stone dropped into a lake. “The Beiliang infantry still lacks a deputy commander. General Gu, since you accepted two silver ingots, you must give me something in return. As for Master Huang, don’t go to the capital to die. There are plenty of administrative posts in Beiliang—choose whichever you like. Whether you go or not isn’t your choice. Xu Fengnian is determined to proceed with force first and courtesy later. If I must, I’ll knock you out and drag you there. After all, the Iron Hut soldiers died because of you. No matter how many times you jump into Boyang Lake, you’ll never wash away the stain.”
Gu Dazu laughed heartily. “Swift methods indeed! No wonder you’re Xu Xiao’s son. I like it. But let’s be clear—one coin, one service. Deputy commander? Make me commander of the infantry instead. Let that useless Yan Wenluan serve as my assistant.”
Huang Chang helplessly replied, “Then I beg the young prince to knock me out first.”
Xu Fengnian folded his hands into his sleeves and smiled like a fox.
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