Chapter 138

Chapter 138

Book 3, Chapter 30 (Part 2)

Duan Ling doesn’t spend any more time shooting the breeze with Shi Qi either and summons Lin Yunqi without further delay to check over the bookkeeping with Shi Qi. Duan Ling tells him to go get a bath in a little bit and to take up his post as soon as he finishes bathing.

As they’re speaking, Wu Du arrives. He nods at Shi Qi, and Shi Qi’s about to bow to him when Wu Du raises a hand and points at the desk to indicate he should remain seated. He sits down nearby and waits for breakfast to be served. A guard brings tea and serves him. Wu Du doesn’t say a word at all as he listens to their conversation.

They’re all afraid of Wu Du; this air of authority seems to have existed ever since his arrival as though he’s the one with the most power here. Duan Ling has also gradually realised this fact.

Once he finishes letting everyone know what has to be done, Shi Qi leaves to clean himself up and get ready to start work, leaving Zheng Yan, Wu Du, and Duan Ling in the main hall. The servants serve them breakfast and the three converse as they eat.

“What did you come here for?” Wu Du asks.

“To search for something. You know what that thing is.”

Duan Ling glances at Zheng Yan before turning his gaze towards Wu Du. He asks, “What, the Zhenshanhe?”

Neither of them answers him, each lost in his own thoughts. Well that must be what it is then, Duan Ling thinks, and does not press him.

“How long are you staying for?” Wu Du asks.

“Until I find it,” Zheng Yan replies unhurriedly.

That’s wonderful. I must keep Zheng Yan in Ye, Duan Ling thinks. That way, Wu Du will be able to leave and lead the troops into battle. Lately, the more he thinks about it the more he feels that not having been prepared in advance for this is truly a miscalculation on his part.

“Where are the Mongols?” Wu Du asks.

Zhang Yun tosses out a sheepskin parchment; there’s still blood on it. “A messenger was crossing the border last night heading towards the northeast. I can’t read what’s in the letter. You can have it.”

Duan Ling takes it from him at once and finds it covered edge to edge in Mongolian. It’s a letter written by Batu, asking to borrow five thousand soldiers from Ögedei to the west, and in a fortnight he will conquer the city of Ye.

After Duan Ling finishes translating it, all Wu Du makes is a sneering sound of disdain. “Borjigin knew he couldn’t take the city in ten days, so he’s going to borrow some troops now.”

“They have five thousand men.” Duan Ling says, “And if they transfer another five thousand, that’s ten thousand altogether. Seems he’s really set on conquering Ye.”

Zheng Yan says, “The messenger died in my hands. Looks like this message won’t be delivered.”

“There are multiple messengers.” Duan Ling says, “Each of them had left separately to prevent their messages from being intercepted. I’ll write a letter to Han Bin now and tell him he should brace himself. Should a Mongolian army pass by, he needs to ambush them immediately.”

If Ögedei’s reinforcements want to come to Batu’s aid, there’s no doubt they’ll go by way of Yubiguan. It’s an extremely difficult path to take — even when he went to Shangjing all those years ago, his father had not gone by way of Yubiguan. It’s exceedingly easy to be ambushed in that area. As long as Han Bin wants to, he’ll surely be able to intercept the Mongols’ cavalry for the city of Ye.

“But how are you going to make Han Bin help you?” Wu Du says, “If I were him I wouldn’t necessarily help.”

“I’ll find a way.” Duan Ling rises from his seat and paces around the room. “I’m just worried that the Mongols won’t attack Ye if their reinforcements don’t arrive. Also, even without reinforcements, these five thousand men that Batu has with him will be difficult to deal with regardless.”

Wu Du sets down his chopsticks. “We must push the Mongols back to the north shore of the Xunshui this time. As long as the army coming to lay siege to us doesn’t exceed five thousand, I can beat them. Zheng Yan, draw out the path you took on your way here on a map. I’ll be leaving the security of the estate in your hands for now — I don’t trust anyone else with it.”

He turns his eyes on Duan Ling. Duan Ling ruminates on this for a moment before he nods. And so Wu Du takes his sword and leaves, off to convene a meeting with his centurions. Obviously, he has too many things to take care of, and they cannot tolerate another moment’s delay.

Duan Ling hasn’t been able to let out a breath of relief until Zheng Yan’s arrival. He can finally let Wu Du out to get work done.

“What are you smiling about?” Zheng Yan looks Duan Ling up and down, saying, “Miss me that much? C’mere and let’s have a kiss?”

Watching Zheng Yan, Duan Ling just finds him more adorable by the second. He’s never found him so handsome, so charming before. “From this moment on, just stay here and don’t leave again.”

“If you want to marry me I’d totally consider it,” Zheng Yan says, deadpan, “once we’re married of course I’d keep you safe and never leave your side. I won’t fool around with anyone else either.”

Duan Ling says, “Stop messing around, Zheng Yan. You’re always joking — how are two men supposed to get married?”

“In the Northern Min regions of Huaiyin, men can have a traditional ceremony and get married.” Zheng Yan shows him a downright thuggish smile and says, “they can even make their vows to the heaven and the earth. What, you didn’t know?”

Duan Ling is flabbergasted — actually, he’s never heard about that custom.

“If you want me to stay with you, you’ve got to at least give me something, no?”

“This is the only thing I can’t give you. But if there’s anything else you want, I’ll make sure you won’t go without.”

Zheng Yan stops to think about this for a moment before saying, “Then why don’t you give me a bath.”

Duan Ling is speechless.

One hour later, Zheng Yan is soaking in a big wooden tub in the courtyard while the Governor of Hebei with his sleeves rolled up, rubs his back for him, looking rather bored.

Zheng Yan’s silk gloves are resting by the tub, his eyes narrowing as he sunbathes, revealing the White Tiger tattoo on his hand.

“What does this tattoo mean?”

“Wu Du never told you?”

“I know where it came from. But how come yours is on your hand, Wu Du’s on his neck, and Chang Liujun’s on his face?”

“Aiyoh. You’ve seen Chang Liujun’s too? Don’t they say that everyone who’s ever seen it is dead? Have you seen Wuluohou Mu’s? Want to take a guess at where it is?”

Good thing I didn’t say that Lang Junxia’s is on his arm, Duan Ling thinks. Otherwise, Zheng Yan would definitely suspect something.

“He’s my apprentice. The kind of apprentice I teach reading and essay writing.”

“You mean he still can’t read?” Zheng Yan adds.

Duan Ling is rather speechless for a moment. Must you try to worm facts out of me this way?

Zheng Yan laughs, as though rather enjoying teasing Duan Ling. He says in dead earnestness, “Now, the place where the tattoo is drawn is carefully chosen, and you can’t let just anyone see it. Only one thing is supposed to happen to the person who sees it — die.”

Duan Ling stares at him in silence.

“Think about it yourself.” Zheng Yan says, “Doesn’t Wu Du usually cover it up with his clothes?”

“But I saw your tattoo too and you didn’t kill me either.”

“I can hardly bear to kill you. So all I can do is let you look at it all your want. Go bring me the clothes in my bundle.”

Duan Ling opens up Zheng Yan’s travelling bundle and finds a pile of iron caltrops. He picks one up and holds it up to sunlight. It shimmers with the blue gleam of poison.

“Don’t go touching that now.” Zheng Yan says absentmindedly, “Even though your man is a master of poisons, if you cut your hand open with that he can’t come back in time to save you.”

“I didn’t know you used poison too.” Duan Ling puts the caltrop back and takes out a robe.

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“That’s not mine.” Zheng Yan says, “I picked some up along the way.”

Duan Ling stops moving. An idea occurs to him — is it possible that these concealed weapons with poison on them actually belong to the Shadow Guard? Did Zheng Yan kill members of the Shadow Guard on his way here?

The idea merely flashes by in his head before it’s gone. Duan Ling adds, “You left just like that? Don’t you have to stay with His Majesty?”

“His Majesty asked me to go. Xie You will make sure he takes his medicine.” Zheng Yan steps out of the bathtub and runs a hand over his crotch, and seeming not caring at all that Duan Ling’s in the room, strokes himself a couple of times. Duan Ling can but pretend he didn’t see anything and tosses Zheng Yan his clothes to him before taking his dirty clothes away for laundering.

By the time Zheng Yan finishes bathing, Wu Du has also returned. It’s extremely hot today, and Wu Du had come back covered in sweat. He’s washed himself in the courtyard, so he’s dressed in snow-white underclothes just like Zheng Yan as they sit down in the main hall. Duan Ling glances at Wu Du and Wu Du nods back at him to let him know that everything is in place, and there’s no need for him to worry.

“So?” Wu Du asks.

Duan Ling knows what’s he’s asking about is the letter.

“I checked over the records of this city’s soldiers,” Duan Ling says. “Send a team made up of those who’s followed the late emperor for the longest period of time, including Sun Ting. They would also be Han Bin’s former subordinates. Let them take Benxiao to Yubiguan and convince him to intercept the Mongols for us with troops. For sentimental reasons, though Han Bin had betrayed the late emperor, it was because he had no other choice, and not because of some blood feud. Someone who can be a great general should have some strength of character.”

Wu Du says, “Not necessarily true when it came to Bian Lingbai.”

“I don’t think Han Bin would do that.” Duan Ling says, “He’s been stationed in Yubiguan for many years, and whenever his name came up at court there has been little criticism. For logical reasons, he can’t let Ye fall into Mongolian hands either. Otherwise, once the Mongols cross the Xunshui, Yubiguan will have to face having to defend itself against both the east and the west. He should be well aware of that fact. What do you think?”

Duan Ling’s last question had been for Wu Du.

“Let them come,” Wu Du says. “This is a battle we have to fight sooner or later. From what I saw on my patrols of the city today, even though they’re all veteran riffraff, on a real battlefield, in a real fight, they’re not going to lose to the Mongols. I’d be worried if they were all new recruits, actually. What they lacked before was a commander and that’s why they couldn’t fight well. The former commandant and governor didn’t know what they were doing and gave nonsensical instructions, so the soldiers got resentful of them. That’s why Ye kept reporting in one state of emergency after another.”

“Fewer enemies is always better than more,” Duan Ling says. “We’re not going to get any new recruits from now until the new year, so we must be cautious and calculate every step.”

“If Han Bin lets the Mongols through,” Wu Du says, “Ye is done for. It’s just a matter of time. There’s no way one city with two thousand men can resist the Mongol army. We must retreat with everyone in the city to Hejian before they come and combine the forces of two cities in order to resist them.”

“That would be our last resort,” Duan Ling says. “But I believe that won’t happen.”

Sun Ting sets out with the letter that very day so as to get to Yubiguan as quickly as he can. If nothing goes wrong, with Benxiao’s speed, he can get there within four days.

“Benxiao won’t let me on.” Sun Ting says, “I’ll bring more horses, and if they die on the trip so be it.”

Duan Ling waves a hand, meaning he should wait nearby. He gives Benxiao’s head a pat, and whispers to it, “Benxiao, take Sun Ting to Yubiguan. He’s going to bring a message over there that’ll save our lives.” Then he beckons Sun Ting over to get on the horse.

Surprisingly, Benxiao isn’t displeased at all. It turns its head to glance at Duan Ling, as though puzzled, waiting for him to get on as well. Duan Ling hurries it, “Go! Get there fast, and come back as soon as you can!”

Carrying Sun Ting, Benxiao charges out of Ye like a gust of wind, heading towards Yubiguan.

In the following days, Zheng Yan remains in the estate all the time while Wu Du is out planning strategy. The two lieutenants he’d hurt before have climbed out of bed with their wounds to command and train the troops with him.

Duan Ling goes to see him several times. It’s the army his father trained long ago, after all, so when they start taking things seriously they take orders without complaint and possess excellent proficiency at breaking and storming the enemy ranks. It’s obvious at a passing glance that they’ve fought many battles and know how to survive on a battlefield.

Most of the time Duan Ling is racking his brains trying to figure out some way for everyone in these two cities to survive through the winter. He orders a prohibition on further woodcutting to make charcoal, to give a chance for the woods on the southern shore of Xunshui to recover. Right now, the commoners are going through their store of charcoal. Consumption of coal at the start of autumn is always high, and if they keep burning it away like this, they’re going to run out before winter begins.

There’s also their grain … The messenger he’s sent to Liao hasn’t come back yet. If they travel both day and night, by now they should have almost reached Zhongjing. If Batu shows up now, he hasn’t come up with countermeasures.

This feels like the most challenging time in his life; before this, all he had to do was survive, but now he has to guide all of these people and make sure they all survive together.

Here’s what Wu Du thinks about that, though: you just worry about the city — charging at enemy lines and fighting on the battlefield is my business. If everything has to trouble you, then what do you need a commandant like me for? But Duan Ling can’t relax regardless.

“Stop worrying.” It is Zheng Yan in the end who tries to persuade Duan Ling. Ever since his arrival, there’s always been something novel and good for Duan Ling to eat. Yesterday it was soup stock made with simmered ox bones, sweet pork belly meat sauce with mushrooms on knife-shaved noodles, while today it’s fried river shrimp with salt and a side of okra soup. Duan Ling seems a bit preoccupied, and he heaves a sigh.

“This is actually the first time he formally leads an army,” Duan Ling says.

Zheng Yan replies, “As an official in a high ranking position, there are some matters in which you must share the burden with others. Did you think that Wu Du is a man who can’t afford to lose? I don’t think that’s necessarily true. You have no idea how many times he’s lost before — he’s lost everything. He only slowly got back on his feet after he met you.”

Duan Ling knows Zheng Yan actually understands Wu Du even better than he does, so he can only agree with a nod. Duan Ling believes that if there’s a need, he can lead troops as well, but one army cannot have two marshals, just as one country cannot have two rulers. Rather than give Wu Du ideas, he’s better off handing him the reins entirely.

Throughout these days, Wu Du is so busy that he doesn’t come back until quite late at night. Duan Ling would go to bed first to wait for him, and Zheng Yan would sit in the courtyard and stare at the moon, and he doesn’t go back to his own room until Wu Du is back. When Wu Du comes back, he’d lie down to sleep at Duan Ling’s side without disturbing him.

By the time he opens his eyes the next morning, Wu Du would be gone again.

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