While the Spring Snow Tower hosted a grand feast that would determine the fate of the Central Plains, a humble gathering in Qing Cang City of Liu Zhou, with its simple fare, was equally pivotal in shaping the future of the Liang-Mang conflict.
Governor Yang Guangdou couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the young faces crowded around a single table. The old man was genuinely happy, his heart brimming with pride.
Among them were Chen Xiliang, newly promoted to Deputy Governor of Liu Zhou; Kou Jianghuai, General of Liu Zhou; Xie Xichui, who had just arrived from beyond Liangzhou’s borders to take command of the Linyao and Fengxiang garrisons; Yu Luandao, leading ten thousand cavalry from Youzhou; Cao Wei, soon to depart for the distant Lantuo Mountain in the Western Regions; and, of course, Xu Long Xiang.
To the old man, these vibrant youths were like five rising stars suddenly emerging in his own household.
It was as if, in the midst of a snow-white winter, he had stumbled upon clusters of fresh green—overwhelming, yet filling his heart with joy.
Cao Wei, short in stature and unremarkable in appearance, was nonetheless brimming with arrogance. Even seated among his peers, his voice was the loudest, his demeanor the most cutting.
The stocky fellow chewed on a mutton pancake and grumbled to Yang Guangdou, “Old Yang, just wait patiently to submit my victory reports to Qingliang Mountain and the Protectorate. Honestly, you might as well start writing now—go big on the military merits, and I guarantee you won’t be wrong!”
Chen Xiliang smiled faintly. “We should still follow protocol.”
Cao Wei shot him a sidelong glance. “Old Chen, don’t tell me you doubt General Cao?”
Chen Xiliang could only shake his head helplessly.
Yu Luandao sneered. “Don’t forget, Zhong Tan took ten thousand elite Southern Dynasty cavalry to Lantuo Mountain. You’ve only got ten thousand troops yourself—victory isn’t guaranteed. And you’re already dreaming of military merits? Is this how you lead an army? Should I write a secret letter to the Prince right now?”
Every bully has his master. Cao Wei was irreverent with everyone, but he simply couldn’t get along with Yu Luandao, the prodigal heir of the Yu Clan who had defected from the Central Plains. Rolling his eyes, he muttered, “Damn woman, I won’t stoop to your level!”
The dashing Yu Luandao rested a hand on the famed saber at his waist and raised an eyebrow. “Care to step outside?”
Cao Wei swallowed the last of his pancake and suddenly clutched his stomach. “Ugh, ate too much. Today, I’m only at twenty or thirty percent of my usual strength. Fine, Yu Luandao, I’ll fight you at thirty percent—and still knock you flat!”
Yu Luandao scoffed. “You think I’m scared?”
Xie Xichui chuckled knowingly.
Kou Jianghuai, meanwhile, silently chewed his mutton pancake, sipping water occasionally, paying no mind to the bickering between Cao Wei and Yu Luandao.
Barefoot and clad in black, Xu Long Xiang grinned. “Why don’t you two fight me together?”
Yu Luandao and Cao Wei exchanged a glance, then spoke in unison: “Only one hand!” “Only one leg!”
Xu Long Xiang laughed. “Sure.”
Yu Luandao looked eager, while Cao Wei remained hesitant.
Yang Guangdou sighed in exasperation. “You damn brats! Stop fooling around!”
The old man shot a meaningful look at Chen Xiliang, who set down his pancake, straightened his robes, and said gravely, “The latest intelligence from the Fushui Bureau confirms that the true battle for Liu Zhou will be fought in the Southern Dynasty of Northern Mang. This is the finalized strategy. Ning Emei will lead six thousand Iron Pagoda cavalry to Qing Cang City to reinforce the Dragon-Elephant Army. Meanwhile, Liangzhou General Shi Fu and the White Feather Light Cavalry stationed near Qingyuan Garrison can enter Liu Zhou at any time to assist in pinning down Huang Songpu’s Northern Mang main force.”
Cao Wei frowned. “Didn’t the Iron Pagoda lose all but two thousand men at Longyan’er?”
Chen Xiliang smiled. “Eight hundred White Horse volunteers just joined, and nearly three thousand more cavalry were drawn from two Liangzhou passes.”
Cao Wei slapped his thigh and shot Yu Luandao a sidelong glance, deliberately whining, “Damn it, so the Iron Pagoda is Xu Fengnian’s favorite after all!”
Yu Luandao, who had once ridden north with the young Prince from Ji Zhou to Hulu Pass, snapped, “Cao Wei! Watch your damn mouth!”
Chen Xiliang turned to Kou Jianghuai and Xie Xichui. “To ensure the annihilation of Zhong Tan’s cavalry, aside from Cao Wei’s ten thousand as the main force, we’ll need another cavalry unit to flank.”
Kou Jianghuai cut straight to the point. “I don’t bother with small fry.”
Xie Xichui said calmly, “I’ll handle it. The Fengxiang and Linyao garrisons know the Western Regions terrain well.”
Yu Luandao narrowed his eyes. “Then I’ll strike straight into the heart of the Southern Dynasty’s Gusa Province—right for their Western Capital?”
Before Chen Xiliang could respond, Xu Long Xiang answered, “The Dragon-Elephant Army will engage Huang Songpu’s main force head-on at Liu Zhou’s border. We’ll fight and retreat. By the time Huang Songpu sees Qing Cang City’s walls, it’ll be after three or four major battles.”
Kou Jianghuai nodded. “Three is the minimum. If the thirty thousand Dragon-Elephant troops can hold out for four battles, I’ll make sure that new Southern Court King never returns—just like Yang Yuanzan at Hulu Pass. If we manage five…”
He paused, then shot Yu Luandao a challenging look. “Then I’ll be competing with you over who beheads more Southern Court officials.”
Chen Xiliang cautioned, “Though the elite Northern Mang scouts were decimated at Longyan’er, Huang Songpu was Southern Court King for nearly twenty years. He still has reserves, and Zhong Tan is the Zhong Clan’s great hope. So in Liu Zhou, no matter where the battle is fought, we cannot afford carelessness. That’s why I specifically requested at least six hundred White Horse scouts from Liangzhou’s border forces.”
His tone sharpened, eyes piercing. “Gentlemen, though I’m no strategist, I know one thing for certain: in the interconnected battlefield of Liu Zhou, no amount of Northern Mang corpses can compensate for a misstep. Let me be blunt—if anyone jeopardizes the greater strategy for personal glory, I, Chen Xiliang, will make it my life’s mission to ensure they regret it. Cao Wei! Yu Luandao! Kou Jianghuai! Xie Xichui!”
Cao Wei sighed and reluctantly lowered the leg he’d propped on the stool. “Alright, alright, old Chen, we get it!”
Yu Luandao said solemnly, “Understood. My ten thousand Youzhou cavalry will focus solely on the Western Capital, bypassing garrisons like Junziguan and Wazhu, no matter how vulnerable they seem.”
Xie Xichui nodded.
Kou Jianghuai remained silent but, under Chen Xiliang’s unwavering gaze, finally nodded along with Xie Xichui.
Xu Long Xiang scratched his head. “Xiliang, nothing for me?”
Chen Xiliang raised a fist and slammed it down. “General, you just focus on crushing Huang Songpu’s main force!”
Xu Long Xiang grinned. “That’s no problem at all.”
Cao Wei smacked his forehead. This simple-minded young Prince—how did he end up with such a cunning older brother?
Xie Xichui chuckled, then grew pensive.
Back in Guangling, despite his improbable victories, he’d always felt uneasy—as if ninety-nine wins meant nothing if the hundredth was a loss.
But here in Northern Liang, in Qing Cang City, even outnumbered, he felt an unshakable calm. Even among strangers like these, they were now comrades.
Just then, a dust-covered young man in light armor strode in and clasped his fists. “White Horse Scout Captain Li Hanlin, reporting with twelve hundred cavalry in Qing Cang City, awaiting orders!”
A stunned Chen Xiliang stood. “Captain Li, why so many scouts? What about Liangzhou’s borders?”
Li Hanlin kept a straight face. “Protectorate’s orders. I just follow them.”
Then the last remaining White Horse Captain of Northern Liang’s border forces winked at the room, grinning. “There’s barely any Northern Mang scouts left out there anyway. Huang Songpu’s private scouts, though—those are worth hunting.”
Kou Jianghuai looked up. “You’re Li Hanlin? Governor Li Gongde’s son?”
Cao Wei immediately perked up, eager for drama. Kou Jianghuai, always acting like the world owed him, was finally meeting his match in Li Hanlin—this was going to be good!
Li Hanlin blinked, then laughed. “That’s me. And you’re General Kou Jianghuai, right? Back when you were fighting the Imperial Court, I exchanged letters with… the Prince. He said if we ever got you and Xie Xichui on our side, it’d be a dream. And here we are! I’m a blunt man, so here’s my promise: if we all make it back alive, I’ll treat you to a year of brothel-hopping in Lingzhou! And that goes for all of you—Cao the Melon, Yu Luandao, Xie Xichui—no one’s getting out of it!”
Cao Wei, now nicknamed, scowled. “Where’d you get that kind of silver? A decent courtesan in Lingzhou costs two or three hundred taels!”
Li Hanlin laughed. “No worries—I’ll borrow from my dad. If I can’t pay him back, I’ll just give him a bunch of grandsons instead.”
Kou Jianghuai smirked. This infamous White Horse Captain was far more likable than Xie Xichui or Yu Luandao.
Xie Xichui sighed. “Captain Li, drinking’s fine, but a year of brothels? I’d be kneeling on a washboard for life.”
Chen Xiliang, known for his seriousness, grinned. “I’m better off—no wife yet. So brothels are fine, but I’ll stick to Green Ant Wine. As for courtesans…”
He feigned solemnity. “I do care about quality.”
Kou Jianghuai shot him a look. Damn southern scholar.
Yang Guangdou let the banter continue, occasionally popping a peanut into his mouth, eyes crinkled with amusement.
Finally, he clapped his hands and stood, hands behind his back, walking to the door. Pausing at the threshold, he turned to the youths and said slowly, “Only in Northern Liang, only in my Governor’s residence, would a farewell feast for generals consist of nothing but a basket of mutton pancakes. My apologies.”
With that, the old man strode away.
Cao Wei tugged Chen Xiliang’s sleeve, grinning. “Old Chen, did you see? Was Old Yang crying?”
From down the hall, the old man’s voice roared back, “Nonsense! It’s just the damn Northern Liang wind!”
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