The group ascended the newly constructed northern wall of the city via the horse path along the city wall. Among them was Li Gongde, the Northern Liang’s Governor-General, a man who had once lived a life of luxury in Lingzhou as the foremost civil official of the Northern Liang. Since taking charge of the new city, he had personally overseenearly every task, shedding nearly twenty pounds in the process. Though weary, he exuded a rejuvenated spirit, his vigor undiminished compared to younger men. For the past six months, Li Gongde had rarely donned his official robes—not because he no longer cared for the grandeur befitting a high-ranking official, but because this notorious penny-pincher couldn’t bear the cost of replacing them. Eventually, he simply appeared in plain attire, and even his boots, rumored to have been replaced over a dozen times, gradually shifted from ostentatious to practical, sturdy footwear.
Today, however, Li Gongde wore his official second-rank robe embroidered with golden pheasants, walking alongside Yuan Zuozong, the highest-ranking military officer of the Northern Liang cavalry, flanking the young Prince Xu Fengnian. Beyond these two leading civil and military officials, the entourage was formidable. Aside from Chu Lushan, the Protector-General of Northern Liang, who was occupied with monitoring the northern border near Hutou City, and the two veteran infantry commanders, Yan Wenluan and Chen Yunchui, who were absent due to the reconstruction efforts in Hulukou, nearly all other key figures were present. These included the two deputy cavalry commanders, He Zhonghu and Zhou Kang; the deputy infantry commander, Gu Dazu; the Governor of Liangzhou, Tian Peifang; the newly appointed Liangzhou General, Shi Fu; the Governor of Youzhou, Hu Kui, who oversaw both military and civil affairs in the region; and the Youzhou General, Huangfu Ping. Representing the Longxiang Army was Li Mofan, while Liu Zhou was represented by Chen Xiliang and the newly appointed Liu Zhou General, Kou Jianghuai (who used an alias publicly). From Youzhou, there was also the cavalry commander Yu Luandao, the architect of Hulukou’s fortress system, Hong Xinjia, and the controversial general Cao Xiaojiao, who had earned the nickname “Swift Blade” during the Hulukou campaign. It was Cao Xiaojiao who, leading four thousand cavalry alongside Yu Luandao, had decisively cut off the retreat of the Northern Mang Grand General Yang Yuanzan’s personal guard—and personally beheaded Yang Yuanzan.
The top of the city wall featured a proper horse path, with the northern outer parapet already completed and the inner parapet, colloquially known as the “sneering wall,” nearing completion. Next would be the construction of the gate tower above the northern main gate. Xu Fengnian stood at a crenel, gazing northward. From here, the terrain stretched flat all the way to the Huaiyang Pass and the Liuya-Fuling defense line, ideal for cavalry maneuvers. He Zhonghu’s Left Cavalry and Zhou Kang’s Right Cavalry were stationed here. In Xu Xiao and Li Yishan’s original plan, if Northern Mang breached Hutou City, these two main cavalry forces would suffer the heaviest losses. Yet, due to the devastating Northern Mang casualties in the first phase of the war—particularly at Liu Zhou’s Qingcang City and Youzhou’s Hulukou—the enemy had failed to gain a foothold. As a result, the Northern Liang’s seventy-thousand-strong cavalry had miraculously emerged unscathed, a fact that bolstered their confidence for the second phase of the war.
Xu Fengnian multitasked, listening to Li Gongde’s detailed report on the city’s progress while contemplating cavalry redeployments. Initially, to secure Liu Zhou and expand the strategic depth, Xu Xiao had expanded the Longxiang Army from ten thousand to thirty thousand troops, drawing elites from the Left and Right Cavalry—inevitably weakening the main border forces. Now, with the Longxiang Army nearly annihilated outside Qingcang City, Liu Zhou’s importance had only grown, especially with Youzhou’s relative peace. The dilemma? Even a martial grandmaster like Xu Fengnian couldn’t conjure soldiers out of thin air. He had no choice but to requisition more troops from He Zhonghu and Zhou Kang—not just for the Longxiang Army, but also for Kou Jianghuai’s new forces and Yu Luandao’s depleted Youzhou cavalry. Even the usually accommodating He Zhonghu had privately expressed concerns: “I can spare men, but don’t cripple the Left Cavalry.” Cao Wei’s request for two thousand was manageable, but Kou Jianghuai and Li Mofan’s demands—eight thousand and fifteen thousand veterans, respectively—were exorbitant. Zhou Kang, the other deputy cavalry commander, was even more intransigent, refusing outright to meet Kou and Li, declaring, “Take my life if you must, but not a single soldier from the Right Cavalry!”
In this matter, only three people in Northern Liang had the authority to intervene: Chu Lushan of the Protectorate, Xu Weixiong of the Wutong Courtyard, and Xu Fengnian himself. Even Yan Wenluan, the veteran of the Spring and Autumn Era whose achievements overshadowed his lord, stayed clear as an infantry commander. Gu Dazu, the strategist, might have weighed in, but his fallout with the border army’s war faction after Hutou City’s fall left him isolated. Yuan Zuozong, despite his status and influence, remained conspicuously silent—likely out of deference to Chu Lushan’s unspoken stance. As for Xu Weixiong, Xu Fengnian refused to let her shoulder this burden.
*Northern Liang is not like Liyang. Deciding others’ fates brings no joy—only responsibility.*
*As long as a man of the Xu family remains, Xu Weixiong will not bear this burden.*
Xu Fengnian gazed into the distance. In the martial world, he had faced death many times, often escaping by the skin of his teeth, yet rarely felt lingering fear. His duel with Tuoba Pusa had left him craving more, while deflecting Qi Jiajie’s sword and slaying the celestial beings in Tian’an City’s Qin Tian Observatory felt like closing an old ledger. But this war with Northern Mang was different. For the first time, he truly felt the weight of survival—because Huang Man’er had nearly died outside Qingcang City. If not for Deputy General Wang Lingbao, his brother would be gone. When Huang Man’er heard Xu Fengnian was coming to the new city, he fled back to Liu Zhou overnight, perhaps fearing reprimand or burdened by unspoken guilt. He dared not return to Liangzhou’s Qingliang Mountain either, where his second sister, Xu Weixiong, awaited. To Xu Longxiang, her anger carried more weight than Tuoba Pusa’s full-force strike.
*The sun sets beyond the long river, a perfect circle of fire.*
*The border is free of beacon smoke—for now.*
But in six months, or sooner, war would reignite.
Even if Hulukou saw no major battles, the emergence of the unpredictable Shu King Chen Zhibao in southern Lingzhou’s Shu added another variable. If Northern Mang still targeted the western front, Northern Liang’s peril remained unchanged.
*It will still be lives traded for lives. The only question is how many Northern Mang barbarians each Northern Liang life can take.*
Xu Fengnian exhaled softly, his back still turned. “Zhou Kang!”
The “Golden Pheasant” stepped forward, clasping his fists. “Your subordinate is here!”
Xu Fengnian’s tone was calm. “Transfer eight thousand cavalry from the Right Cavalry, including the Dasui Battalion’s two thousand, to Yu Luandao’s Youzhou forces.”
The old general Zhou Kang remained silent. Xu Fengnian didn’t press him, and the wall fell into tense stillness.
Finally, Zhou Kang gritted his teeth. “I obey!”
Xu Fengnian turned to Yu Luandao. “All Youzhou border cavalry will relocate to Liangzhou’s outer defenses, stationed near Kou’er Pasture. You have six months to integrate them.”
Yu Luandao responded firmly, “Your subordinate obeys!”
Xu Fengnian then issued a rapid series of orders:
“He Zhonghu, aside from the two thousand cavalry assigned to Cao Wei, transfer ten thousand, including the Iron Stele Old Camp, to Liu Zhou’s Longxiang Army.”
“Yuan Zuozong will no longer command the Jibei Cavalry Camp. Transfer them to General Kou of Liu Zhou.”
“Shi Fu, you are granted the authority to mobilize five thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry from Northern Liang’s reserves to garrison Mabeipo.”
“Hong Biao is promoted to commander of the heavy cavalry’s Rouge Army.”
“Cao Xiaojiao will concurrently serve as Youzhou’s deputy general.”
“Youzhou General Huangfu Ping assumes full authority over the eastern Helan Mountains.”
“Chen Xiliang is promoted to Liu Zhou’s Deputy Administrator, tasked with recruiting six thousand local youths within three months—three thousand to defend Qingcang City, three thousand to reinforce Lingzhou. These recruits and their families will receive Northern Liang military status.”
…
One by one, acknowledgments echoed along the wall.
Finally, Xu Fengnian turned to face them—the aged like He Zhonghu and Zhou Kang, the middle-aged like Yuan Zuozong and Shi Fu, the young like Yu Luandao and Cao Xiaojiao.
*Three generations of Northern Liang’s generals.*
He spoke slowly. “Gentlemen, in the coming year of Xiangfu’s third reign, even if we must die, let it be before this new city is completed.”
No grand speeches, no impassioned vows.
Only silence.
And then, as one, they clenched their fists in salute.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage