Chapter 40: One Hundred Twenty Thousand Cavalry

“Lord Dongjun, Yan Dan has recently gone to Liaodong to supervise the army and is unlikely to return anytime soon.” In a modest inn, a peripheral disciple of the Yin-Yang School was respectfully reporting to Yanfei.

“Very well. You may leave.”

Having entered the State of Yan and heard various rumors, Yanfei only now realized that the Donghu had already been annihilated in a two-pronged assault led by Lin Shu and the Moon Goddess.

“So the Northern King of Lin has massed his army in Liaodong. Does he intend to wage war against Yan?”

The Snowfield Northern Army could sweep across the desert, but in the Seven States, with their numerous cities and fortresses, they would find it far more difficult to crush their foes as easily. The Seven Warring States: each a hegemon, their foundations and latent power are not to be underestimated!

Liaodong... Perhaps it is time to go there, and to visit the Moon Goddess as well.

Having made up her mind, Yanfei decided to set out for Liaodong the following day.

...

With the war concluded, it was time to bring order to the conquered territory.

Jingni, the Moon Goddess, Shaoshao, and the others were busy dividing and organizing the various tribes, while Lin Shu rode his carriage from place to place, overseeing the construction of new cities.

The four corners of the Greater Khingan Range were the main activity zones of the Donghu tribes, so Lin Shu erected four county seats—east, west, south, and north—atop the mountain's perimeter.

On the borderland with the Xiongnu and Zhao State, he also built five towns. Of course, each lay dozens of kilometers from the boundary, never so close as to provoke the neighbors.

In the eastern plains, where the tribes were more scattered, only townships were constructed in each locality.

Changbai Mountain belonged to the Dahai Baishan tribal alliance, a populous region; thus, Lin Shu built a Baishan County there, as a reward for being the first to rejoin the Empire.

Finally, just a few dozen miles behind Yan’s Great Wall, ten more towns were established in a line.

These cities had only their walls, roads, and primary drainage completed; the houses within would need to be built by the Donghu people themselves.

The land of Donghu, abundant in forests and timber, provided most of the building materials. Only a small amount was stone; the majority was processed wood.

The wooden buildings could rise two or three stories high, allowing the cities to accommodate more people.

After a month and ten days of toil, five county seats and over thirty towns had been completed.

Such miraculous speed inspired awe and reverence among the Donghu people!

...

Overnight, towns sprang up everywhere, and soon the Yan scouts took notice.

“Your Highness, in just a few days, ten sizable cities have arisen along the Liaodong-Liaoxi line, a few dozen miles out. Many Donghu are already building houses there!”

The Northern Army had not moved, but General Wuyangjing was more anxious than ever.

Ten cities had appeared almost overnight—an impossible feat!

With the Donghu settling peacefully along the border, northern Liaoning would be even harder to pacify henceforth.

“How many troops has the Northern Hu army gathered now?”

Having lingered for a month, Yan Dan had wanted to return to Jidu to report, but the north had started reinforcing just days ago.

General Wuyang frowned. “Your Highness, their numbers should be around a hundred thousand, not exceeding a hundred and ten thousand.”

Yan Dan frowned as well. They had gathered very little intelligence in this period! If not for some fleeing Donghu refugees, they wouldn’t even know the origins of the Northern Army of the Snowfields.

“Your Highness, our scouts simply cannot penetrate deeper!”

General Qing Qin of Liaodong spoke with concern; more than half of his elite scouts had been lost by now.

Yan Dan’s brow furrowed even more! He had no great masters at his side. Was he to go in person?

“Suspend all reconnaissance for now. I suspect someone will come to us soon.”

Though they had no crucial intelligence, Yan Dan sensed the severity of the situation. Ten days earlier, he had been forced to write to the Juzi, seeking support from the Mohists.

As the crown prince pondered, General Qing Qin recalled a rumor from half a month before.

“Your Highness, half a month ago, Yan’s heroes called for volunteers to defend the Great Wall in Liaodong against the Hu cavalry. If there truly are masters among them, perhaps they could be tasked with deeper reconnaissance.”

Qing Qin was not certain; who’s to say these wandering swordsmen weren’t just putting on airs?

So-called heroes were often mere vagabonds. Normally, Yan Dan would have looked down on them, but now, he was willing to try anything.

“Since these heroes act with such righteousness, Yan cannot treat them with indifference. Arrange for them, Qing Qin. This afternoon, I shall personally receive several of these heroes.”

There were many heroes, but for Yan Dan to meet even a few was a great honor.

“Yes, Your Highness. I shall make arrangements.”

Qing Qin was growing worried; perhaps these heroes were all just wine-bibbers and gluttons.

...

After more than a month of hurried journeys, Lin Shu finally returned to camp, elated.

During this period, Jingni had been calming the tribes in various places; they had only met briefly three times, barely enough time to enjoy each other’s company, and Lin Shu had not had the chance to voice the words he’d been holding in his heart.

As the royal carriage arrived at the camp gates, Jingni was already there, waiting with the assembled generals.

“Good! You’ve all returned!”

Not only Jingni and the Moon Goddess, but even Shaoshao, who had been missing for a month, was present. At this moment, Shaoshao seemed to be gradually adjusting to her new identity.

“Greetings, my lord!”

With all the generals present, Jingni dared not run over and pinch his waist.

The Moon Goddess glanced at Lin Jun, then swiftly lowered her gaze. Ah, my king, you won’t be able to smile for long! Serves you right for being so slow and not telling your elder sister for so long.

Lin Shu clasped his fists in salute to everyone. By now, he had three competent generals under his command.

General Imu, though called a wastrel by the Donghu people, was in fact their finest general.

General Siter was the vanguard of the new generation of Donghu elites, possessing both courage and wisdom.

The Dahai chief, though timid and fearful of death, was exceedingly cunning and flexible—fit to be a regional commander or minister.

All three were still of only major rank, while Halong, though promoted to lieutenant general, was inferior to Imu in strategy, to the Dahai in intellect, and to Fuyu Siter in talent and valor.

Lin Shu understood that the chieftain of the Snowfield East Sea savages was best suited as a vanguard leader.

With Jingni and the Moon Goddess returning with twenty thousand cavalry, the entire camp now had one hundred and twenty thousand troops.

There were forty thousand savage infantry, twenty thousand savage cavalry, and sixty thousand Donghu cavalry. All eighty thousand cavalry were double-mounted.

The sixty thousand Donghu cavalry had also been rearmed with steel sabers, iron bows, and iron arrows; their armor was two layers of leather and one of chainmail.

Their sabers were lighter than those of the savages—not because Lin Shu was holding back, but because the Donghu were simply smaller and less robust.

The savage tribes were nearly beast-like in physique, whereas the Donghu, who lived by herding and hunting, merely scraped by.

Lin Shu did not dismount upon entering camp; instead, a door appeared on the side of his carriage.

“My lords and generals, please board the carriage.”

When he said “lord,” Lin Shu surreptitiously glanced at the silent, downcast Shaoshao.

She is a beauty, yet she cannot love her little uncle!

His gaze burned like fire; Shaoshao didn’t even need to look up to know who it was.

“As you command, my lord!”

Halong and his fellow generals were both startled and delighted! They had not expected the chance to enter this legendary, terrifying “demon carriage.”

As the door opened, Jingni and the Moon Goddess boarded first, followed by the couple Xuan Zhan and Shaoshao. At last, Dahai, looking left and right and seeing no one behind him, braced himself and went in.

Siter had expected the carriage to be cramped, since over ten people were boarding together, but upon entering, they found themselves in a meeting room ten meters wide and long.

Its décor was of feudal style: the seat of honor at the head, ministers and generals to left and right.

The only difference was that behind the lord’s seat was a row of sofas, where Jingni, the Moon Goddess, and the Assistant to the Fate were seated, like the king’s personal aides.

The generals seemed to realize: all three were royal consorts.

Xuan Zhan and his wife sat to the left of the throne, while Halong, Leiming, Imu, Siter, and Dahai took the seats to the right.

Though in most states the right was considered the place of honor, Lin Shu preferred the left. Xuan Zhan was already used to the king’s printed decrees, always reading from the left.

Lin Shu could not write the characters of this era, nor could he practice calligraphy, but he could have his Heart’s Shadow print directly.

His printed royal edicts were impossible to forge in this age—more effective than the imperial tally.