Chapter Sixty-Seven: Contest of Strength (Part One)

This autumn fair in Yunzhong had become the focus of many hopes.

The Eagle Command of Heng’an relied on the taxes collected from the fair to sustain its military needs. The common folk of Heng’an looked to the influx of people, both local and foreign, to spark some measure of new prosperity. Merchants from Mayi, Yanmen, and even as far as Taiyuan depended on the fair to sell off goods that had piled up over the past year... And beneath it all, unseen currents surged—countless factions plotting in secret, each hoping to tip the balance of the Sui dynasty’s northern frontier in their favor.

The Eagle Command of Heng’an sought only survival. The Turks longed to carve a path into the heartlands of Sui. Wang Ren’gong dreamed of uniting Mayi so he might march south and seize power. Li Yuan, Duke of Tang in Hedong, wished for stability on his northern flank as he cast his eyes westward toward Chang’an. The nine tribal clans sandwiched between the Turks and the Sui, with Lord Luodun among them, strove for independence and survival; the Qianyue clan, numbering over a thousand, looked to join the Turks and share in the spoils of their southern invasions...

All these schemes would come to a head at the alliance of the nine clans.

The Eagle Command, as the hosts, remained outwardly passive, allowing the tribes and their Turkish backers to resolve matters amongst themselves.

Yet, with the arrival of Xu Le, this seemingly subdued assembly of the nine clans was thrown into utter chaos.

When Xu Le and a handful of riders charged into the Qianyue formation, drawing their young chieftain, Gaida Heiguo, into pursuit, the heavy cavalry of Heng’an surged forth to his rescue. The entire Eagle Command was set in motion; Yuan Junzhang hurried out to defuse the conflict, while the camps of the nine clans outside Yunzhong City were ringed by Eagle Command troops standing watch.

Suddenly, the air of calm within and around Yunzhong City was shattered. It seemed as if war could break out at any moment.

As the heavy cavalry of Heng’an and the riders of the Qianyue exchanged volleys of arrows, the city itself echoed with the movement of troops and the blaring of horns atop the walls. Many believed, if only for a moment, that the Turks had launched another great incursion southward.

Liu Wenjing, too, was roused by the commotion.

Though he had been left in Yunzhong by Liu Wuzhou, and his days were now free from the constant strategizing and affairs that filled his time in Taiyuan, Liu Wenjing had decided to make the best of his forced leisure. The journey had been taxing, so he resolved to rest, preparing to match patience with Liu Wuzhou’s indifference.

As a scion of a noble family, he was well accustomed to rising early: sometimes to study the family’s classics, other times to hone his body and martial skills. The decadent, fragile ways of the old aristocracy had long since vanished, burned away by centuries of war. Now, the sons of noble houses once more carried the bearing of pre-Qin aristocrats—ready to lead in battle, fit to govern at home.

Liu Wenjing had been raised under such expectations, and with the endless duties of his office in Jinyang, he had always been busy, like a top lashed into restless spinning.

In these recent days, having resolved to wait out his time in Yunzhong, he would rise late, wash and dress unhurriedly, ride out to see the sights of the border, and observe the various grassland tribes that came to trade. At dusk, he would enjoy a carefully prepared meal, then read and practice swordsmanship before retiring with an easy mind. Life, for the moment, was comfortable.

Among the tribes gathered for the fair were many Tartar women, striking in their exotic beauty. Liu Wenjing had even considered bringing a few back to Jinyang as hidden treasures in a gilded chamber...

But today, the blaring of horns atop the city walls, the massing of Eagle Command troops to watch the tribal encampments, and the tribesmen arming themselves in response, changed everything. In the tense standoff, Liu Wenjing was urgently awakened by his guards. The old veterans of the Eagle Command formed a ring around their carriages and horses; hired borderland mercenaries took up positions outside, while the guards inside readied their bows, alert and ready for battle. Liu Wenjing hastily donned his armor, slung his bow, and gripped his saber, prepared to fight.

Though he dressed in luxury and looked down upon the lower classes, Liu Wenjing had never lacked courage. For the sake of his family’s advancement, he was willing to risk his life.

Yet the tense confrontation lasted only half an hour. Soon, the horns blared again, and the Eagle Command troops furled their banners and withdrew into the city as swiftly as they had come. The tribesmen who had been ready to fight calmly put away their weapons and returned to their business as if nothing had happened.

Liu Wenjing, clutching his master-forged footbow and quivers of feathered arrows, surrounded by the old soldiers of the Eagle Command, could only stare in astonishment.

Now he understood the ways of the borderlands: to draw bows and brandish sabers, to clash in battle—such things were as commonplace as daily bread. Once the fighting was done, life and trade carried on, and there might even be drinking and laughter between foes.

This was the character forged by the harshest conditions of survival.

As the dust raised by the Eagle Command’s withdrawal had yet to settle, Liu Wenjing gazed after them and muttered to the officer leading his guard, “Could the Sixth Army defeat the Eagle Command in battle?”

The officer, still tense, considered before slowly shaking his head.

The Sixth Army was a great force, stationed at Jinyang: it stood against the Turks to the north, could march west to aid Chang’an, or move south to rescue Luoyang. With nearly ten thousand men and several ironworks in Hedong, its equipment was excellent. It was the very foundation of Duke Li Yuan of Tang’s power. Yet if set against the three or four thousand troops of the Eagle Command in fair battle, even this officer, proud of the Sixth Army as he was, dared not claim certain victory.

In the end, he could only remain silent.

A fierce light shone in Liu Wenjing’s eyes. If only this Eagle Command could be brought under the Duke of Tang’s banner—what a tremendous boon it would be! And if, further still, this force could become the core under his own command, what heights might he and his family yet reach!

Where once Liu Wenjing’s aim had been merely to have the Eagle Command tie down Wang Ren’gong for Li Yuan’s benefit, now, after only a few days, he had changed his mind. He wanted nothing less than to seize control of this formidable force for his own faction.

But how to do it?

He could only lament that the situation was not yet chaotic enough, that Wang Ren’gong did not press Liu Wuzhou hard enough.

Liu Wenjing fell into deep thought, pondering how to break the impasse. Today’s events were riddled with mysteries, but as an outsider, it was impossible to grasp the hidden truths.

At that moment, the officer who had been silent suddenly pointed into the distance. “Master Liu, look!”

Liu Wenjing looked up. He saw a squad of Eagle Command soldiers escorting several people back toward the city. Among them, he recognized one youth.

It was none other than Xu Le, the very boy whose presence had stirred up so much chaos in Yunzhong, and whose face always seemed strangely familiar to Liu Wenjing.

Could today’s sudden upheaval be linked to Xu Le?

Might Xu Le be the key to unraveling the web of intrigue in Yunzhong, and perhaps, to drawing Liu Wuzhou into his own camp?

Liu Wenjing’s gaze sharpened, fixed intently on Xu Le.