Ever since the Emperor ascended the throne the previous winter, he had suffered from convulsions and dizzy spells brought on by fright. He had relied all along on Perfected Master Shenxiao’s rituals and medicines, with the Duke Protector of the State’s blood serving as the “medicinal catalyst.” If anything happened to the Duke Protector, it was no different from something happening to the Emperor himself. The Emperor therefore took exceptionally good care of him.
The Duke Protector had been born into poverty and was clever and sensible. He neither coveted luxury nor competed for favor, and he never asked the Emperor for gold, silver, or rewards. Instead, his sweet little mouth was skilled at saying pleasant things to make the Emperor happy, and he also treated “State Preceptor” Perfected Master Shenxiao with the utmost respect. From time to time, he had to offer his blood to the Emperor and accompany the State Preceptor in “performing rituals and praying for blessings,” yet he always gave willingly and never uttered a complaint.
Amid the noisy chaos of the imperial court, he was like a cool breeze blowing down from the north, soothing the Emperor’s anxious and frightened heart. Gradually, he won the Emperor’s absolute trust and affection. The Emperor now treated him like a living protective talisman, bringing him everywhere he went. Whether at court or away from it, he always ordered the Duke Protector to remain at his side and affectionately called him “Little Brother Shen.” The two appeared every bit a pair of loving blood brothers, the elder affectionate and the younger respectful.
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Because of his promise to Qiao Shen, the Emperor scraped together another five thousand new soldiers for Li Gang. Although he also sent some provisions, money, and silver, there were still no warhorses or military equipment. In truth, he had merely added five thousand more mouths to feed.
The Emperor waited for Li Gang to lead his twenty-five thousand “troops” into a decisive battle against Mo Han. Yet Li Gang continued hiding silently inside Jiao County. Whenever an envoy arrived from the capital to urge him into action, he entertained the man with fine wine and food, coaxed him for a while, and then sent him back.
Complaints about this filled the imperial court. Yet the Duke Protector’s Fire Root lay in Kuiyuan, and whenever anyone proposed ordering Li Gang to withdraw, the Duke Protector would vomit blood for the Emperor to see. Worried for his precious Little Brother Shen’s safety, the Emperor allowed Li Gang to continue dragging matters out day after day.
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The wind beside the cliffs blew from late spring into midsummer, then onward into early autumn.
The battle for the mountain road leading to Ant County scarcely ceased. Within the small city, every able-bodied adult, man or woman, either took up arms and joined the fighting or transported provisions and weapons back and forth behind the lines. Young and old, noble and humble alike, did whatever they could—mending clothes, washing garments, gathering firewood, and preparing food.
As the prolonged siege continued, the Xiao encampment gradually moved from the opposite bank of the Fen River to the foot of the mountain. They thoroughly searched the earthen fortress below and finally discovered traces of the secret passage. The Zhou brothers had originally been hiding in the sentry post halfway up the mountain. The younger brother, Zhou Ba, had excellent eyesight and wanted a clearer look at the Xiao camp’s formation so he could report it to Boss. The moment he pushed open the concealed door, however, a Xiao sentry lying in ambush discovered him and shot him through the chest.
His elder brother, Zhou Qi, dragged him back into the sentry post while sobbing. He intended to detonate the explosives hidden inside the secret passage and make the pursuing Xiao soldiers accompany the two brothers in death. But Zhou Ba, who had fainted from fright after being shot, opened his eyes and tremblingly pulled a battered bed warmer from inside his robe, an arrow lodged through it—it was the one Envoy Li had recovered for him from the earthen fortress, and it had happened to block the arrow.
The brothers blew up the secret passage and escaped safely back up the mountain. They showered Young Master Li with gratitude and praise, promising that after the war they would dig up ten nests of mole crickets for him—no, a hundred nests!
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The Xiao army’s attacks remained relentless, and the number of defenders steadily dwindled. Eventually, even Cook Wu’s husband picked up a woodcutting knife and went to the battlefield. Under County Commandant Liu’s supervision, even Junior Clerk Chen began practicing slashing and chopping in the side courtyard of the county yamen—although he could not even defeat a fifteen-year-old recruit, he might at least barely defend himself if the Xiao army broke into the city.
Elder Sister left Brother-in-law at home sewing shoe soles. She herself put down the kitchen cleaver, picked up a broad saber, and went to the rockfall.
Zhang San was beside her the first time she struck an enemy. He watched her cut down a Xiao soldier and kick him between the rocks. Afraid that Elder Sister might lose her nerve and be ambushed in return, Zhang San hurried over with his saber to help. Instead, he heard her shout, “Third! Tell me honestly! How did Second die back then?”
Heat surged into Zhang San’s eyes as he roared furiously, “They cut off his head!”
Elder Sister’s saber rose and fell. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the tears she had suppressed for eight years burst from her eyes.
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The siblings fought side by side and slew the enemy with fearless courage. Elder Sister hacked while she wept, her tiger eyes webbed with blood, making her look terrifyingly ferocious.
After the fighting ended, she feared frightening her timid husband if she returned home looking like that. She first went to the county yamen and changed into a set of Cook Wu’s clothes, then squatted in the courtyard with Zhang San and scrubbed furiously at the blood on her hands.
Even Zhang San was startled by her bloodshot eyes and wondered whether they should summon a physician to examine her. Li Si’s colt-like instincts were even sharper. He did not dare provoke the fierce beast, yet he was worried about her and did not dare approach. He hid behind Brother Xiao with only his eyes peeking out to watch Elder Sister. Even when washing his hands, he shared Brother Xiao’s basin rather than touching the water in Elder Sister’s.
The three lowered their heads and washed their hands in silence. Zhang San coughed and cautiously began, “Sis, actually, Second Brother back then… wasn’t killed by the Xiao army… We were fighting Western Xia at the time…”
“I know,” Elder Sister said with her eyes lowered.
A droplet fell into the basin before her, sending a pale red ripple across the surface. She scrubbed hard at the bloodstains on the back of her hand and said hoarsely, “If I didn’t deceive myself into hating them this much, how could I bring myself to strike? I’m not truly a man-eating tiger. If we didn’t live in times like these…”
She sniffed and wiped another streak of blood from her face, then told her two younger brothers, “Don’t tell your brother-in-law. It would frighten him. Just say I spent the whole day helping move stones.”
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At the beginning of the eighth month, after nearly a month of attacking and defending, the Xiao army had lost countless pieces of equipment and several thousand soldiers in wave after wave of assaults. At last, they tore a great opening through the towering rockfall on the mountain road and broke through Ant County’s first defensive line.
The Xiao army completely occupied the mountain road and forced Ant County’s defenders back inside the southern gate.
Mo Han knew he could not give the little city any chance to catch its breath. He ordered the entire army to attack in rotating waves, launching savage assaults day and night. No matter the cost, they had to break through the southern gate.
He feared that if “Zhang San of Ant County” were driven into a corner, the man might devise another rotten scheme of mutual destruction. He therefore sent several capable generals to lead the fighting at the front while he himself remained far below the mountain behind layer after layer of defenses, observing the battle from a distance.
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The siege at the city gates continued for another ten days and ten nights. Every arrow, catapult stone, oil pouch, and rope net inside the mountain city was exhausted, and the defenders suffered heavy casualties. Ant County had finally been driven to the end of its strength…
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The night was deep and dark as still water. Burning arrows and flying catapult stones churned across its surface like ceaseless ripples. Between the mountain ridges, the cries of slaughter shook the heavens, frightening every bird and beast into hiding.
Zhang San stood silently between the parapets, gripping his treasured saber, whose blade was now so badly chipped it could no longer be repaired. Blood was splattered across his face as he watched another wave of Xiao troops approach the city gate carrying yet another round of scaling ladders.
Rapid footsteps came from behind him. Turning, he saw Li Si running toward him, panting. In his left hand was his cracked longbow, while his right held his bloodstained horizontal saber. The quiver on his back had long since been emptied.
“Brother Xiao!”
“Is everything ready?”
“Mm! The last group of civilians helping with the defense has withdrawn. Brother Liu is already in the mountains beyond the northern city. He’s only waiting for your order!”
Zhang San released a long breath. His gaze passed over Li Si’s shoulder and settled upon the little mountain city behind him.
The night was murky. Zhang San could see only layers of black rooftops fading into the mountain’s shadows. On this final night of parting from the homeland that had given him life and raised him, he could not even look upon it clearly one last time.
＊
Amid all the endless mountains and rivers beneath Heaven, this was only one insignificant little city.
Within the surging river of history, this was only one insignificant night.
This insignificant battle might not even merit a place in the histories. Perhaps a few sparse lines would be enough to account for every joy and sorrow that had unfolded here.
Yet this city of ants had exhausted every last measure of its strength and endured until the final moment it could possibly endure.
＊
Reluctantly, Zhang San withdrew his gaze and looked toward Li Si. Seeing another strand of Sisi’s hair loosened by the night wind, he raised his hand and gently tucked it behind his ear.
“Sisi.”
Li Si tilted his head slightly and naturally rubbed his cheek against Zhang San’s palm. “Mm.”
“Have you ever heard the sound of ants crying out?”
Li Si shook his head in confusion.
Zhang San smiled. “I’ve heard it in the mountains.”
＊
Ants have no voice. They spend their entire lives laboring and crawling beneath the earth. Only when driven into a desperate corner do they gather together and rub their bodies against the ground, creating a thunderous vibration in their struggle to survive.
This is what is called the Ants’ Cry.
＊
Beneath Yuquan Mountain, beside the Fen River, near the abandoned fortress, stood the Xiao army’s camp.
Mo Han raised his head and looked doubtfully toward the mountainside. The glow of flaming arrows, the crashing of catapult stones, and the shouts of both armies seemed to vanish in the same instant.
He had fought for many years and knew this was the deathly silence before a storm, the stillness before a sandstorm swept across the land. Slowly, he placed one hand on the saber at his waist—then abruptly froze.
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The sound began.
It seemed to come from the horizon, from within the mountains, and from beneath the earth.
At first, the vibrations were low and weak. Then they grew louder and denser, from a faint hum to a rumble, until finally they rolled like thunder, deafening the ears.
The ground trembled endlessly beneath him, and Mo Han could no longer stand steadily. He stared wide-eyed at the dark, swaying forest as it shook violently and finally realized what was happening. He screamed himself hoarse, “It’s a landslide! Retreat! Quickly retreat!”
＊
At the foot of the mountain, the Xiao troops left behind in camp fled in all directions. They leapt into the Fen River and desperately scrambled toward the opposite bank.
Meanwhile, halfway up the mountain, the Xiao soldiers who had first scaled the walls were stunned to discover that the city was completely empty. The defenders of Ant County, who had been fighting them fiercely only moments earlier, seemed to have vanished into thin air. The immense black shadow of the mountain loomed over Heaven and earth as the ground shook and thunderous vibrations filled the air.
The Xiao troops attacking the city turned and fled in terror. They leapt back down from the walls and ran down the mountain road.
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Only after fleeing in panic for a long time did they finally discover that it was not a landslide.
There was no landslide, no raging fire, and not even a single maddened cow or horse.
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Mo Han reassembled his army in a wretched state and returned. The generals on the mountain also sent word that the Great Xuan people had completely withdrawn from the city. They had departed calmly, leaving not a single person behind—not even one chicken, one handful of millet, or one bundle of firewood for the Xiao army.
The entire mountain city had become a strange and deathly silent ghost town.
Mo Han sent two or three death squads into the city to investigate and confirm that there were no ambushes or mechanisms. Only when daylight fully broke the next morning did he dare enter personally and examine the situation.
＊
Mo Han rode from the southern end of the city to the north. Although the mountain city was small, it possessed everything it needed: a market, teahouses, restaurants, apothecaries, schools, temples, and Daoist shrines. Winding alleys crossed one another, and stone steps rose and fell throughout the city. Everything was empty yet clean and orderly, as though the townspeople still lived there.
Stopping his horse beneath the northern gate, he slowly raised his head and furrowed his brows.
The blasted rocks had completely sealed the narrow passage between the cliffs. Broken stone and earth were piled so high they seemed to obscure the sky, leaving almost no possibility of excavating the route again.
That had been the source of the earth-shaking roar the previous night.
＊
Mo Han dismounted and stood silently beside the fallen rocks, unable to make sense of it. Since the city had possessed an escape route, since it had not truly been indestructible and could not genuinely “destroy ten thousand troops with the soldiers of a single county,” why had “Zhang San of Ant County” humiliated him? Why had Zhang San deliberately drawn his wrath and enticed him into attacking this little city so fiercely?
During the month of siege, Mo Han had suspected more than once that this was a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain and that the Great Xuan army might attack from the south while he was absent from Kuiyuan. He had therefore ordered the southern camp to remain on strict guard and transferred a large contingent of Iron Pagodas there.
Yet the southern camp had continued reporting that the reinforcements remained huddled inside Jiao County and had never advanced north.
Mo Han’s heart grew increasingly restless, but he could not unravel the mystery.
＊
Rapid hoofbeats sounded behind him. Mo Han turned and saw a messenger galloping toward him, panic written across his face.
“Deputy Marshal!”
“Has something happened at the southern camp? Has the Great Xuan army advanced north?”
“The Great Xuan army has not advanced north! But this morning, scouts from the southern camp discovered one or two thousand Great Xuan people who looked like ordinary villagers. Several hundred soldiers were escorting them out of the forest beside Jiao County toward some ruins near the Fen River to the north. The scouts secretly followed them and discovered that those were not ruins at all, but an entirely new city built at some unknown time! Its walls are already four zhang high, and it stretches twenty or thirty li across. They cannot see what lies inside or determine how many troops are stationed there!”
Mo Han’s body jolted, and a chill instantly ran down his spine.
From childhood, he had harbored great ambitions, wishing to help Xiao’s founding emperor contend for the Central Plains and establish an everlasting dominion. He had therefore learned the Great Xuan language, studied Great Xuan history, and understood the realm’s strategic geography, past and present.
North of Jiao County, south of Kuiyuan, beside the Fen River, lay an inconspicuous ancient ruin long forgotten by the world. Its terrain was strategically vital and easily defended, yet difficult to attack. It had served as the capital of several dynasties and possessed a celebrated name recorded in the histories, until Emperor Taizong of Great Xuan burned and flooded it, relocated its inhabitants, and destroyed his own natural bulwark…
That was the true ancient city of Kuiyuan—Jinyang, the Dragon City.
＊
Inside Jinyang City at that very moment—
Its newly built walls towered toward the clouds. With the Lüliang Mountains to the west and the Fen River guarding the east, this Dragon City overlooked a thousand li of fertile river valley to both the north and south, bringing the warfare of every direction within sight.
Upon the walls, soldiers moved back and forth, repairing the parapets and erecting frames and rope nets. Below, craftsmen continued rushing to complete the defenses, while civilians carried shoulder poles and transported supplies. On the drill ground, the new troops trained in orderly formations, their blades rising like a forest and their battle cries shaking the sky.
Li Gang had already arranged personnel and lodgings, ordering County Commandant Liu and Junior Clerk Chen to take Ant County’s people to settle in the “western city.” He himself led Commander Zhang and Envoy Li around while explaining the city’s layout.
Pacification Commissioner Li explained as they walked, “Jinyang City is constructed differently from Kuiyuan. It is long and narrow, divided into the western, central, and eastern cities. The western city rests against the mountain. In ancient times, Jinyang’s imperial palace stood there; we now use it for government offices, warehouses, and civilian housing. The central city is smaller and contains the ironworks, wagon yards, and other workshops. The eastern city houses and trains the army…”
He was speaking earnestly when a round, plump, yellow object was suddenly thrust before his face, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Li Si’s eyes shone. “Commissioner, my sister made these plain steamed buns. There was one left from yesterday, so I specially brought it for you to try. It’s very fragrant.”
Li Gang immediately laughed cheerfully. Without the slightest disdain, he accepted the cold leftover steamed bun and began eating it casually, paying no attention to dignity or ceremony in front of his two subordinates.
Zhang San had seen how stern and disciplined Li Gang appeared before his other subordinates. He did not truly seem like such a careless, easygoing man—Zhang San suspected he relaxed like this only in front of Sisi.
Sure enough, Commissioner Li ate the steamed bun with one hand while familiarly supporting Li Si’s arm with the other, his face full of paternal affection. “Good Si’er, it is wonderful that you’ve returned! The imperial court sent another five thousand new recruits several days ago. They are all poor children dragged here through forced conscription, thin, weak, and pitiful, entirely unfit for battle. I was just worrying that I lacked a drill instructor to train them…”
Zhang San coughed sharply from beside them. The make-believe father and son both looked up at him, their arms resting closely together, neither understanding what he meant.
Li Gang asked, “Commander, did you catch a chill in the mountains last night?”
Li Si said, “Brother Xiao, if you feel unwell, go back and rest. I’ll accompany the Commissioner and look around.”
Zhang San coughed again and furrowed his brows. Never mind that he had not caught a chill or fallen ill—even if he were gravely sick, he would never leave these two alone together! He and Sisi had previously spent only nineteen days together before being forced apart for four entire months. Heaven knew how long this Commissioner Li had been spending time with Sisi during those four months. Just look at how affectionately they were sticking together!
This Commissioner Li was thin and short and obviously not born to be a military man. Why was he just like Brother Xu, always so skilled at admiring and pampering someone else’s little colt?
＊
Commissioner Li was straightforward by nature and not one for plotting or intrigue. He completely failed to notice Commander Zhang’s tiny spark of hostility. Instead, he admired Zhang San’s intelligence and courage and deeply respected him for leading the soldiers and civilians of Ant County in carrying out their mission to perfection.
Two months earlier, the armies of Kuiyuan, Ant County, Tianmen Pass, and Yuci County had established contact through Ant County and discussed their grand strategy together. They understood that with the four forces presently so weak and without a single formidable cavalry unit among them, they could not possibly contend with the Xiao army. If they rashly obeyed the imperial court’s orders and attacked, they would merely throw away their lives. Yuci County and Jiao County were poorly defended and could not serve as lasting bases. Although Kuiyuan had strong walls and powerful catapults, it possessed no natural barriers. They needed to find another secure location where the reinforcements could establish themselves for the long term and continue resisting the Xiao army.
Inspired by Ant County’s secret passage, they had ultimately decided upon the following plan: Ant County and Tianmen Pass would provoke Mo Han and draw away the Xiao army’s main force. Li Gang would seize the opportunity to capture Jiao County, then outwardly remain huddled there to deceive the enemy. In secret, he would dig several tunnels connecting Jiao County to the ruins of Jinyang and gradually transfer large numbers of soldiers, craftsmen, civilians, and supplies into the city, rebuilding the Dragon City.
＊
Commander Zhang’s small flicker of hostility soon vanished without a trace when Li Gang brought the two of them to the workshops in the “central city.”
Across the vast courtyard stood hundreds upon hundreds of enormous, specially constructed war wagons, nearly a thousand in all, each several meters long and wide, broad and sturdy. Zhang San’s eyes lit up at the sight, and astonishment filled his heart.
Li Gang explained beside him, “Our army suffers from a lack of warhorses and elite cavalry, leaving us unable to contend with the Iron Pagodas. A strategist proposed that although the Iron Pagodas are fierce, their horses cannot easily break through war wagons. I therefore ordered these vehicles specially designed. Each wagon can hold ten to twenty soldiers and is equipped with bows, crossbows, sabers, spears, armor, and shields. Arranged in wagon formations, they can withstand the impact of the Iron Pagodas. Over these past several months, we have secretly constructed one thousand of them.”
Elio’s Notes: Li Gang’s own Jingkang Chuanxin Lu records that he had more than one thousand war wagons built to counter Jin cavalry. Before they could be used in battle, the court ordered the newly raised forces to be reduced or disbanded. The novel adapts that historical episode here.