It is snowing?
Indeed, it is snowing.
Chen Xiliang, a scholar from a humble family in Jiangnan who had risen to the upper echelons of Beiliang’s bureaucracy, stood side by side with Yang Guangdou, the governor of Liuzhou, atop the city walls, both gazing at the whitening sky brought by the snowfall.
Compared to the towering and majestic city walls of the Central Plains, Qingcang City’s low walls appeared almost absurdly comical. Yet this lonely city stood precisely at the northwestern frontier, like a frail woman thrust to the edge of a flood-swollen river, in constant danger of being swept away by the next wave. Chen Xiliang extended his hand to catch the sparse and delicate snowflakes, murmuring, “In Tai’an City, the snow sees the courtiers departing; crimson and purple robes belong only to dukes and marquises.”
Yang Guangdou nodded with a smile. “Yes, it’s not quite the same here. Snow covers bows and blades, armor heavy and swords heavier. But the rough men here can’t recite verses about crimson and purple robes; at most, they might shout a few lines of doggerel about a black hole at a well.”
Chen Xiliang smiled slightly and asked, “I once heard of this anecdote in Jiangnan. Was it related to the Great General?”
Yang Guangdou rubbed his hands together. “Back when the Prince was still the young Master, the Great General was enjoying the snow at Tingchao Lake with his family. But the young Master forced him to write a poem. In a panic, the General couldn’t compose one. After scratching his head for quite some time, he finally managed a verse. If I recall correctly, the poem went like this: Snowflakes as big as fists, a black hole at the well. Yellow dogs don new white coats, white dogs…”
Chen Xiliang chuckled and asked, “What comes next?”
Yang Guangdou sighed helplessly. “The Great General clearly couldn’t continue. At the time, he was chased and beaten by our young Master for quite a while. Such absurd scenes were common back then at Qingliang Mountain; everyone in the Prince’s Mansion had long since become accustomed to it.”
As Yang Guangdou spoke, a note of sadness crept into his voice. He whispered hoarsely, “Back then, the Great General’s legs were still quite nimble; he could run for his life quite swiftly.”
Chen Xiliang exhaled a puff of mist and smiled. “Among all the Princes of Liyang, only our Beiliang dares to be so ‘rebellious,’ right?”
Yang Guangdou laughed. “Indeed!”
Li Mofan hurriedly ascended the city wall. As the deputy commander of the Longxiang Army, he truly lived up to his reputation as a fierce and untamable warrior. Since arriving in Liuzhou, he hadn’t even stepped foot into the governor’s mansion. But today, he had actually come to see the governor in person, which surprised the soldiers on the wall. Recently, the Longxiang Army had violated the military orders of the Protectorate by splitting their forces to launch an unauthorized attack, creating a tense atmosphere between the military and civil authorities in Liuzhou. Yang Guangdou turned his head to look at Li Mofan and said with a smile, “Oh, what an honor to see you here, General Li. Do you also have the refined taste to appreciate the snow from a high vantage point?”
Li Mofan furrowed his brow but didn’t dwell on the governor’s sarcasm. He spoke solemnly, “Earlier, the first signs of purple qi and the sound of crossbows slicing through the air were unknown to me, so I won’t comment on them. However, just now, our scouts from the front line reported that three cavalry units have been dispatched from Lü Gui’s camp at Gudong Beach, all heading toward Linyao City. Among them, generals Huyan Keqin and Yelü Zongtang each lead five hundred light cavalry, while Lü Gui’s trusted subordinate, Lin Fu, commands ten thousand elite cavalry of the Lü family, including even the two hundred heavy cavalry units hidden within, ready to charge at any moment, fully armored.”
Yang Guangdou’s expression turned serious as he asked, “Are they heading toward your Longxiang Army’s commander?”
Li Mofan nodded, “Hmm,” and rubbed his chin fiercely, his eyes darkening. “Looks like that Qiang cavalry that infiltrated between Qingcang and Linyao was just bait.”
As soon as Yang Guangdou heard this, his anger flared, and he was about to utter some bitter words about how things would inevitably turn out this way. Chen Xiliang, who was temporarily serving as the governor’s advisor with a low rank, grabbed Yang Guangdou’s sleeve and stepped forward, calmly asking, “General Li, assuming Prince Xiao’s Longxiang Army has already engaged that ten-thousand-strong Qiang cavalry, if the Qiang cavalry avoid direct confrontation and deliberately lure our forces deeper, can the Longxiang cavalry achieve success in the pursuit?”
Li Mofan sneered coldly. “As long as our Longxiang Army catches them, unless the Qiang cavalry immediately turn and flee upon seeing us, they will be completely annihilated within an hour!”
Li Mofan placed his hand on the wall. “What worries me is that the Qiang cavalry, masters of evasive maneuvers, might avoid battle entirely, allowing them to wait until they join forces with Lin Fu’s army.”
Li Mofan turned to look at Yang Guangdou, the nominal highest official in Liuzhou. “I didn’t come into the city to request battle orders. I merely came to inform you. I will dispatch ten thousand Longxiang soldiers to follow Lin Fu. If Lü Gui’s main force at Gudong Beach advances southward, I will personally lead the remaining ten thousand Longxiang cavalry to confront them. Qingcang City will not fall.”
Yang Guangdou finally lost his temper, exclaiming, “With a major battle imminent and our forces already at a disadvantage, you dare to split our forces again—again and again! Li Mofan, even though you were highly regarded by the late Great General, I, Yang Guangdou, who have barely read a few military treatises, know this is a grave mistake in warfare. The importance of Liuzhou lies not only in our determination to hold Qingcang City to contain Lü Gui’s forces but also in maintaining the three ten-thousand-strong Longxiang cavalry as a deterrent against the entire Southern Court of Beiman. Both are indispensable. Without either, the first major battle between Liang and Beiman is already lost. No matter how many enemies your Longxiang cavalry can kill, no matter how many achievements you accumulate, Prince Beiliang will have your head! Your death would be of little consequence!”
Li Mofan’s expression remained cold as he spoke stiffly, “Governor Yang, I told you Qingcang City will not fall! Even if that ten thousand Longxiang cavalry are completely wiped out, as long as the commander and Wang Lingbao can safely return near Qingcang City, Lü Gui will still be forced to play the turtle. The most important thing now is to ensure that our Longxiang Army’s commander does not encounter any mishaps on the battlefield east of Linyao.”
Yang Guangdou took a step forward. “Li Mofan! Prince Beiliang has granted me, Yang Guangdou, the authority to act with discretion in Liuzhou. Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to act first and report later?!”
Li Mofan’s face was filled with undisguised contempt. He slightly tilted his head and pointed at his own neck. “Go ahead and try, old man Yang. With your skills, do you think you can sever my head?”
Chen Xiliang did not attempt to mediate or play the peacemaker. Instead, he gazed toward Gudong Beach and slowly said, “Governor Yang and General Li are both right. However, matters have varying degrees of urgency and importance. Right now, we must prepare for the worst-case scenario. The initial appearance of the Qiang cavalry may have been a trap set by Beiman. Now that our Longxiang Army has taken the bait, we must consider that Beiman’s target is not just a few thousand soldiers, but a more crucial one—their commander, Xu Longxiang! Therefore, I believe the Southern Court of Beiman will certainly activate a sinister backup plan, possibly involving a small group of Beiman’s top martial artists, who would be capable of challenging the young Prince. If Beiman succeeds, the loss would be one that our Qingcang City, the entire Liuzhou, and even all of Beiliang could not bear.”
Chen Xiliang continued, “Given this, I believe that deploying ten thousand Longxiang soldiers to support is not excessive but insufficient. We should also mobilize all available scout cavalry, the city’s White Horse Volunteers, and even the covert agents and spies hidden within Qingcang City to urgently leave the city.”
Li Mofan nodded.
Yang Guangdou remained silent, his expression grave.
Chen Xiliang turned to face Li Mofan. “General Li, I don’t ask for any military pledge, nor do I want to hear any grandiose words about bringing your head if you fail. I only want to ask you one question: if you have only ten thousand Longxiang cavalry at your disposal, and if Lü Gui’s main force launches a determined southern advance, can you guarantee that Qingcang City will hold out until the return of the twenty thousand Longxiang soldiers?”
Li Mofan’s gaze was unusually resolute as he solemnly replied, “Yes!”
Li Mofan smiled, heavily slapping the sword at his waist, and pointed outward with his other hand. “Chen Xiliang, if you don’t trust me, Li Mofan, that’s fine, but please trust this Beiliang sword! If one isn’t enough, there are ten thousand more outside the city!”
Chen Xiliang nodded. Li Mofan turned and strode away.
Suddenly, Chen Xiliang called out to the retreating figure of this formidable Beiliang border general. “General Li, the soldiers of the Longxiang Army are from Beiliang, and the people of Liuzhou are also Beiliang’s people.”
“I never thought of it that way before, but from now on, I will remember it!”
After saying this, the general, with his back to the two “civilian officials,” suddenly raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up.
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