Karma
Lu Yuanfeng pondered for a moment. "How about we just head north instead? Did you at least come up with a fake name?"
Sima Ping nodded. "Ma San!"
...Why did everyone have to be a "San"? Even allowing for a false name, how lazy could a man get?
"Change your clothes first. We're heading straight to the recruitment camp outside the north gate and signing up on the spot."
As he spoke, Lu Yuanfeng shrugged off the pack on his back and pushed a fresh set of clothes into Sima Ping's arms. "Come on, hurry! Change, and we leave at once!"
Sima Ping stared at what Lu Yuanfeng was wearing — a garment practically radiating dust — then looked down at the ragged thing in his own arms, not a sound patch left on it. He was reluctant, but there was no helping it; these dusty clothes were what he would have to wear.
Before Sima Ping had left home, his father had made him promise to stay glued to Lu Yuanfeng's side at all times. Chancellor Yu would surely have assigned discreet guards to the boy, and so long as he shadowed him, he would be safe.
Of course, Lu Yuanfeng could hardly be sent off alone to a war on the northern frontier anyway. His grandfather's heart would never rest.
Sima Ping got along, on the surface, with every young noble in Dadu — but the only person he truly counted as a friend was Lu Yuanfeng, gullible and none too bright Lu Yuanfeng. He could not afford to lose him.
The road to the northern border was long and perilous. If he did not follow, Lu Yuanfeng might well be sold off without ever realizing it.
Having thought this far, Sima Ping carried the clothes behind a tree and changed. Not a trace of the elegant young lord remained anywhere on him.
Lu Yuanfeng, similarly transformed into something drab and dusty, clapped a hand over his mouth to smother his laughter at the sight.
But when Sima Ping realized that the fine horses and luggage were gone and only a sword remained tucked in Lu Yuanfeng's coat, he frowned. "Where are the horses and the packs?"
"Oh, a couple of beggars walked by, so I just gave them away."
Sima Ping drew a long breath, closed his eyes, and forced the boiling fury back down. "Yuanfeng... that luggage had our travel money for the two of us inside! Five hundred taels of silver!"
Lu Yuanfeng flinched, then rallied and cleared his throat. "Oh, come on! We're joining an army — we'll be following a great host, are we going to starve? And honestly, neither of us looks the least bit serious about enlisting. We've changed into ordinary commoners' clothes to sign up — would it look right to be carrying five hundred taels of silver on us? Ridiculous! Let's go already."
"Fine."
Sima Ping hugged the brocade clothes he was holding and managed a strained smile. "Just don't come crying to me later!"
The Jin army camps were nothing like the Bai Family Army's. No silver changed hands there, and if you did not reveal your status and ask for protection, the filthiest, hardest labor would fall to your lot. He could only hope Lu Yuanfeng would bear it when the time came.
Sima Ping pawned his own clothes and Lu Yuanfeng's luggage at a pawnshop in the city, then set off on foot toward the north of the city.
But they had barely gone any distance when they ran into friends they usually caroused with. One of them dismounted, gave Sima Ping and Lu Yuanfeng a long, thorough looking-over, then shook his head back and forth, laughing.
"What on earth are you two doing?"
"Enlisting under false identities!" Lu Yuanfeng declared proudly. "We're going to the northern frontier to drive out the Liang swine!"
Perhaps stunned by such blazing fervor, the others all dismounted as well. Since when had Lu Yuanfeng possessed anything so manly?
Swept up in the moment, one of them began clamoring to come along. "Hey! We've caroused together all this time — so let's all enlist together!"
"Don't talk nonsense! We're going to war, not on an outing!" Lu Yuanfeng drew himself up and lifted his chin. "Now that you've said that, I'm all the more determined to go! Boys, if even Lu Yuanfeng, the laziest layabout of them all, is off to enlist, can we keep wasting our years here in Dadu? Let's go! We'll drive out the Liang swine, come home, and celebrate together! Then we'll finally have something to boast about to the pretty girls of the pleasure quarters!"
"Easy for you to say. You think your grandfathers and parents would simply let us go?"
Sima Ping folded his arms and raised an eyebrow with an easy smile.
"Then how did you two get permission?" someone asked.
"It's simple — we just sneaked out. We even hid our identities. I'm Wang San! Sima Ping here is Ma San!" Lu Yuanfeng answered, swelling with pride.
"Then we'll just sneak out too! The conscription notice says anyone can enlist, no restrictions on background — it even said beggars could come. If we say we have no household registration, they'll register us on the spot, won't they? I'll go by Li San!"
"Where did you get those clothes?"
"Yeah, where? We should each get a set."
"Then I shall be Yu San!"
The young dandies chattered and laughed among themselves. Whether out of momentary impulse or simply because they wanted to play alongside Lu Yuanfeng and Sima Ping, every last one of them changed into plain commoners' clothes and shoes — and marched off to enlist, heads held high.
When Yu Xiang returned from his audience at court and heard that the noble scions, led by his own grandson Lu Yuanfeng, had all changed into commoner's garb and gone to the recruitment camp north of the city to sign up, his blood pressure seemed to climb on the spot.
He had entrusted the matter to Ye Yuanjing, told him explicitly to send Lu Yuanfeng off in secret! So why had the boy gone and stirred up this whole mob?
News that the young dandies of the capital had all enlisted spread until there was no one in Dadu who had not heard it.
Yu Xiang was driven to his wits' end by a grandson so whimsical, so forever outside all expectation.
And yet, on reflection, it was arguably for the best. The affair had grown too big for the Emperor to suspect anything. No one would imagine hidden motives behind sending the boy to war. The story would be that Lu Yuanfeng had run out of the house on his own whim and dragged the young lords along to enlist — and with him trumpeting everywhere that he would drive the Liang soldiers from Jin soil, the Emperor would be delighted. Fortunately, Lu Yuanfeng had never breathed a word about following the Bai family's daughter to war. If the Emperor heard that, he would surely begin to suspect Lu Yuanfeng as well.
Yu Xiang lifted his teacup, took a small sip, and let out a long, deep breath.
Lu Yuanfeng was famous even in Dadu as the archetypal idle young lord, so the Emperor would not take his enlistment to heart — he would merely hope the boy did not come scurrying home the moment hardship bit. Though of course, if he did distinguish himself in the army... that, too, would be a karmic debt for the Yu family to shoulder.
"Chancellor! Chancellor, there's trouble! Patrol Division Commander Fan Yuheng has come in tears — his only son is throwing a fit, insisting on going to war following Young Master Yuanfeng. He says if he sends his son, his aged mother will never stand for it!"
"Chancellor! Chancellor! Lord Shoushan has come in person! Young Master Yuanfeng has made off with the family's great-grandson!"
The teacup in Yu Xiang's hands trembled violently. He shot to his feet. "Show Lord Shoushan and Commander Fan in at once."
Bai Jingyan rode at Liu Hong's side, waiting for Xun Tianzhang at the Longmu River, midway between Longyang City and the Liang army camp.
The sky was overcast today, and the wind blew harder than usual.
Before long, Xun Tianzhang came slowly toward them standing atop his war chariot, while Zhao Sheng rode alongside the elite troops.
Liu Hong had ordered the head of a Zhao Family Army spy, captured the previous evening, delivered to Xun Tianzhang. Smiling, he spoke first. "General Xun, if you were curious about the Jin army's movements, you need only have asked me or General Bai directly. Why trouble yourself by sending a spy? Had you asked us in person, we would have told you everything."
Before coming here, Bai Jingyan had instructed Liu Hong: they must appear utterly aggressive, must show that it was the Jin army, if anything, eager to force an early battle — and they must give the Liang army a deadline, for only then would the Liang come to believe the Jin reinforcements had truly arrived.
Xun Tianzhang, his gaze fixed on the severed head, gripped the chariot's rail hard. Then he turned his eyes toward Bai Jingyan, who sat in silver armor with a cold, unreadable expression.
Such boldness — perhaps the Jin reinforcements really had arrived. Had they not, the commander would surely have hesitated, as Zhang Danyue had.
Zhao Sheng clenched his reins and fixed Bai Jingyan with eyes sharp as a hawk's. He wanted nothing more than to tear the woman who had captured his brother limb from limb on the spot.
"Our men spent all of yesterday resting and resupplying. I don't suppose your soldiers rested as well, General Xun? Are you fit to fight?" Liu Hong went on with an easy smile, like a man who already held victory in his palm. "Ah — but General Xun's grain has all burned, hasn't it? I suppose you cannot fight until your provisions arrive?"
At the mention of the grain, Xun Tianzhang's chest ached with fury. He had given special orders to move the provisions into the main camp for fear of losses should the Jin army raid — and they had come all the way there to burn it anyway.
Xun Tianzhang looked at Bai Jingyan with a composed smile. "I once made a thorough study of Xiao Baixiu's methods of war. I hear you favor surprise attacks. And yet, even with the Jin army's commander replaced, you held back — burned only our grain and attempted no raid at all."
Bai Jingyan met his stare, her sharp eyes carefully veiled. "If you want it badly enough, today will do."
The hand Liu Hong had resting on his reins went taut, and he pressed his lips inward to keep his composure.
Xun Tianzhang, who had been watching Liu Hong's reaction, burst into loud laughter and raised cupped hands in salute to Bai Jingyan. "Then this evening, our camp shall await Xiao Baixiu!"
Before Bai Jingyan could answer, Liu Hong spoke to Xun Tianzhang. "You would rather wait for your grain before giving battle, General Xun, but my Jin army has no patience to wait that long. Three days — no more. If you do not meet us in battle after three days, we will attack by force!"
Bai Jingyan kept her head lowered and said nothing. Seeing Liu Hong mention the grain again and again, pressing aggressively for battle within three days... it seemed the plan was to seize the Liang army's provisions.
"Naturally," Xun Tianzhang replied, and ordered that the Zhao Family soldier's head be collected. The two sides returned to their respective camps.
Liu Hong frowned at Bai Jingyan. "Commander, do you truly mean to raid their camp tonight? Then why warn Xun Tianzhang in advance? They will be prepared for it."
"Xun Tianzhang is a very cautious man. Since I said today, he will certainly lay an ambush and wait for me. Let him waste his strength. Once Generals Lin Gangluo and Wang Xiping return, and word of Huoshan Mountain is sent, Xun Tianzhang will conclude that we were there tonight."
"Xun Tianzhang spoke of the tactics you habitually employ, Commander. What if we lie in ambush along the route where the Liang grain passes and seize or burn the provisions instead? Without grain, the Liang army will be beaten," Liu Hong said, eyes narrowed.
"I considered that as well, General. But the route from Liang to Mount Chunmu, and from there again to the Liang camp, is not the only road there is. To intercept the grain, we would have to lay ambushes at many points, and our forces would inevitably be split thin. The enemy could use the grain as bait, scatter our Jin army — and then swallow us piece by piece," Bai Jingyan replied.
Liu Hong nodded. "You're right, Commander. But throwing away a chance like this will work against us when the grain actually arrives."
"Then we seal every other supply road, leaving only one open. Of course, to employ such a strategy means breaking through the Liang main force head-on — but if one is confident of victory, it is worth attempting."