Fang Linyuan and Zhao Qu parted ways just outside Yanzhou City.

Zhao Qu was to enter the city to distribute the disaster relief grain and funds, while Fang Linyuan and Heng Feizhang followed Tan Ji toward the military camp.

They disembarked their carriages outside the city to mount horses. Tan Ji rode alongside to lead the way, while the soldiers who had met Fang Linyuan outside the city, along with the ceremonial entourage, followed behind.

“Speaking of which, General Fang must be quite familiar with Yanzhou, isn’t it?” Tan Ji said, riding beside him, speaking loudly and amiably.

“I heard that the former commander of our Yanzhou troops, Lord Fang Linze, was in fact your elder brother. Yanzhou must feel half like your homeland.”

Fang Linyuan chuckled at this and looked toward Heng Feizhang at his side. “General Tan really knows how to laugh.”

Heng Feizhang, after all, was a man seasoned in the politics of the imperial court. Just by reading Fang Linyuan’s expression, he understood how to respond: “We’re merely here carrying out our duties for His Majesty. Wouldn’t dare claim any special familiarity with General Tan.”

His tone was warm, his smile cordial. Even if his words left no room for manoeuvrer, Tan Ji could hardly take offence on the spot.

Tan Ji paused slightly, then cupped his hands and smiled: “Indeed, General Fang is upright and impartial. It was foolish of me.”

Fang Linyuan simply smiled and said no more.

Thus, they continued on toward the main camp of the Yanzhou army.

A vast expanse of tents stretched endlessly across the desolate steppe, all the way to the horizon.

At the front of the camp, a massive gate built from solid wood stood tall and imposing. A wide, level road had been laid before it, etched with the deep grooves of countless wheels over the years. Flags and banners of Great Xuan flapped loudly in the wind. Troops marched in formation and wagons of supplies rolled by — busy, yet orderly.

This was the largest military camp on the northeastern frontier of the capital region. Aside from the troops posted across various border outposts, over ten thousand soldiers were stationed here.

Yanzhou had seen no war on its borders for decades. A peaceful posting here was considered a fortunate assignment — no wonder that Zhao Yu had once entrusted his old troops to this location.

As they entered the camp, Fang Linyuan heard the loud, clear sound of military drills.

He turned his head to look.

On the wide training grounds, soldiers in armour, spears in hand, were practising their formations under the command of a drill instructor.

Above, the sky was clear; the steppe stretched boundlessly. The bright sunlight gleamed off polished armours, casting an aura of solemnity and unbreakable strength.

“Your men are indeed drilling with diligence,” Fang Linyuan remarked after a pause, his gaze lingering on the training ground before he smiled slightly.

At his side, Tan Ji covertly studied his expression.

He seemed a young general, inexperienced in the ways of the world — one might have assumed he earned his merits purely by the fortune of natural talent in battle. Yet every expression, every look in his eyes, was so measured and unreadable.

Truly, a deep and hidden player.

A faint unease crept into Tan Ji’s heart — but no fear.

After all, he had prepared for everything. Even if a celestial envoy descended from the heavens, what could they do to him?

He met Fang Linyuan’s gaze and followed it toward the drill field, laughing heartily: “Indeed. The border generals are the shield of Great Xuan. Even in times of peace, we must train hard to prepare for the unexpected.”

Fang Linyuan nodded. “General Tan speaks true.”

“We’re both commanders,” Tan Ji said, gesturing toward the field, “so I trust General Fang can tell the state of the Yanzhou army at a glance.”

“Look for yourself, General. If what those bandits in Chongzhou claimed were true — that we can’t even distribute military pay — then could my soldiers here even lift their spears?”

As he said this, he burst into laughter, as if telling a joke.

Fang Linyuan’s gaze lingered momentarily before he turned back with a calm smile and gave a nod to Tan Ji.

The group continued their conversation as they entered the main tent of the Yanzhou army.

Before a large map of Yanzhou's terrain stood several officers, already in full uniform. Two of them held large stacks of ledgers in their arms — clearly prepared in advance for the imperial inspectors.

As Fang Linyuan and Heng Feizhang entered, the officers all saluted. Tan Ji stepped forward and began introducing them one by one.

The commander of the storehouses, the clerk in charge of accounts, the inspector supervising the transport of funds and grain — anyone even remotely related to military provisions had been gathered.

Tan Ji, looking sincere, invited Fang Linyuan and Heng Feizhang to their seats. Then he raised his hand, signalling for the ledgers to be placed before them.

“Let us explain to the imperial envoys how our camp has been managed,” Tan Ji said with a smile.

The inspector stepped forward, saluted, and picked up the topmost ledger before Fang Linyuan.

What he reported was nothing more than the standard records: the local grain taxes, the funds allocated by the court from last autumn until now, the total grain and silver received, and what had been distributed to the troops.

His explanation was thorough, every process clearly laid out. Fang Linyuan, who had once personally managed military logistics, listened carefully — but detected no obvious flaws.

“General Tan has gone to great lengths,” Fang Linyuan said after a while, once the man had stepped back.

Tan Ji immediately replied with a smile: “General flatters me. His Majesty is concerned for the frontier, and you, General, are diligent and responsible — travelling a thousand miles to reach us. I merely offer what little aid I can.”

Fang Linyuan exchanged a glance with Heng Feizhang and said, "Whether or not the situation is as the Inspector describes — my lord, please see for yourself."

Heng Feizhang, an official from the Ministry of Justice, was responsible for audits and interrogations alike.

He gave a small nod, then picked up the ledger from the table.

Fang Linyuan stood silently at the side, his expression unreadable.

Sure enough, Tan Ji and the others had come well prepared. The ledgers recording the movement of grain and funds were watertight, leaving not a single gap. When Heng Feizhang questioned them, the officials responded fluently, and their statements were entirely consistent with what was recorded.

With this many ledgers, it was impossible to examine them all in a short time. After skimming through them roughly, Heng Feizhang gave Fang Linyuan a subtle nod, then closed the ledger and said, "The records are all here. As for the specifics, it will take a few days of detailed review."

In other words, no problems could be seen for now.

Tan Ji immediately smiled and nodded, replying respectfully, "Many thanks for your trouble, my lord."

From the faint lift in his brow, Fang Linyuan could sense a trace of smugness.

Then Tan Ji turned to Fang Linyuan again, smiling as he said, "Speaking of this matter, those people from Chongzhou are nothing more than a few bandits spouting nonsense. Deserters, by nature, are cowards clinging to life. Now that they’ve spun such wild lies, it’s only because they’re hoping to squeeze out a sliver of survival from Great Xuan’s laws."

His demeanour was kindly and benevolent, but Fang Linyuan was unmoved. He only replied, "What the truth is — I believe Lord Heng will know after a few more days of investigation."

Tan Ji immediately nodded, agreeing repeatedly.

*

The officials accompanying Heng Feizhang stepped forward to carry the ledgers for him. Tan Ji respectfully escorted them out of the main tent. Having just arrived in Yanzhou today, windblown and weary from travel, they now needed to return to their lodging for rest and recovery.

Tan Ji seemed intent on personally seeing them off, but Fang Linyuan declined. "We’ll take a look around. General Tan, please don’t trouble yourself," he said.

Seeing this, Tan Ji didn’t press the matter, and only walked with them as far as the tent entrance.

Heng Feizhang and Fang Linyuan made their way toward their lodging together.

After walking for a stretch and with no one else around, Heng Feizhang finally let his expression grow serious. He stepped forward and spoke to Fang Linyuan at his side: "Their ledgers are extremely thorough — not something that could have been compiled overnight. I’m afraid that if we’re relying solely on the books, we won’t find anything."

Fang Linyuan turned his head — just in time to catch sight of the soldiers still drilling on the training grounds.

Orderly and well-practiced. Not a last-minute performance thrown together to impress him.

That, too, was only to be expected. After all, the Ministry of War supervised such matters — each year, they sent different officials to evaluate the troops. Tan Ji neither could, nor had reason to, bribe officials over something like training evaluations in exchange for leniency toward the soldiers.

Fang Linyuan let his gaze rest for a moment on the drilling soldiers, then replied, "I understand."

"If it’s true that so many soldiers starved to death in the Yanzhou army last year, then the rosters will also have to be checked," Heng Feizhang continued. "The only question is whether those have already been tampered with."

Fang Linyuan nodded.

"We’ll need to request the rosters from Tan Ji — but not today," he said, turning to look at Heng Feizhang. "My lord need only focus on auditing the ledgers. As for everything else — if you can place your trust in me, leave it to me."

"General, does this mean..." Seeing his calm demeanour, Heng Feizhang glanced cautiously around and lowered his voice. "You already have a plan in mind?"

Fang Linyuan neither nodded nor shook his head — he simply looked at him and smiled.

Before setting out, Heng Feizhang had received personal instruction from Lord Yuan Honglang. Lord Yuan had told him: “On this journey, simply follow General Fang’s lead. Do not concern yourself with the rest.”

Now, seeing Fang Linyuan’s demeanour, Heng Feizhang understood.

General Fang must have already uncovered something — or received information that he himself had not.

Yet Heng Feizhang still had some doubts. Seeing Fang Linyuan’s relaxed expression, he couldn’t help but speak again: “But General, we’ve only just arrived at the Yanzhou garrison — not even a full day. On the road we had no leads to speak of, and you…”

He looked at Fang Linyuan with a hint of hesitation. The time was too short — could the intel the general had received really be reliable?

Fang Linyuan turned his head slightly, smiling as he nodded to him. “Rest assured, my lord,” he said. “Some clues—once seen with your own eyes—become clear.”

As he spoke, he turned his head again, looking toward the soldiers drilling on the training grounds.

It was precisely because the Yanzhou troops were drilled with discipline and trained with skill that the imposters slipped in among them stood out immediately to a seasoned eye.

The trick of hastily filling the ranks with substitutes to replace the dead — that was by no means unheard of.

But he gave no outward sign, only smiling faintly and lowering his eyes.

“All is ready… except for the east wind.” He said.

(NT: Chinese idiom from the classic novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'. In the novel, Zhou Yu needs the wind to blow from the east so the fire can travel toward the enemy ships during a crucial naval battle. All preparations for the ambush are made, but the success hinges on this one last factor — the east wind. So the idiom means means that everything is in place, except for one critical missing element that determines success or failure.)

What Fang Linyuan said was obscure, but he knew full well — his words were not meant to deliberately keep Heng Feizhang in the dark. It was just that the “east wind” he intended to borrow… was not something he could reveal to an outsider.

So that very afternoon, news soon reached Tan Ji.

Heng Feizhang had gone off to audit the accounts in the camp, while Fang Linyuan wandered the barracks at leisure.

He did nothing in particular — simply went about asking the officers and soldiers questions. Things like: how much rations had been distributed earlier in the year, whether the camp had suffered losses from famine, and so on. He went about diligently, making rounds through the entire garrison.

Naturally, he learned nothing.

The officers and soldiers in the camp either answered fluently, or kept their mouths tightly shut — in any case, all insisted that the rations were sufficient and no one had ever heard of soldiers starving to death.

Word spread that this General Fang had taken a serious blow from the failure. When Tan Ji heard this, he nearly burst into laughter.

He had thought this young general was some fearsome figure — it turned out, he was just a clueless boy, who didn't know the height of the sky (NT:  naive and ignorant of the world’s vastness).

What could he possibly hope to dig out? The entire Yanzhou military, top to bottom, was under his control. Most of these men were native to Yanzhou — their wives and children made their lives here. They all knew Yanzhou was like an iron fortress: offend Tan Ji, and their whole families wouldn’t survive.

And as for people outside of Yanzhou?

They were regularly showered with silver tributes flowing into the capital, and those powerful men in the capital owed him a great debt for helping with such a critical affair. There was no way that investment would go to waste for nothing.

So long as he supplemented one month’s worth of pay and kept the troops fed, that was enough.
As for what this little general wanted to uncover — let him ask the ghosts in the underworld.

He couldn’t help but laugh in his war tent. And after laughing, he heard something that pleased him even more.

The “defeated” young general had only managed to learn one thing: that the night market in Yanzhou city was unusually lively. So, feeling disgruntled, General Fang hadn’t even touched his dinner — he had gone out of the barracks to clear his mind.

This time, Tan Ji truly laughed out loud.

While inside the tent Tan Ji basked in smug satisfaction, outside the tent, the so-called defeated General Fang led a horse alone, heading toward Yanzhou city.

Fang Linyuan moved swiftly and with ease.

He had kept busy all afternoon — and it had not been in vain. Not only had he successfully crafted the illusion of being deceived, fooling Tan Ji, but he had also found a perfect excuse to leave the camp… and go seek out his east wind.

The east wind he needed to borrow — was none other than Zhao Chu.

With one hand holding the reins, he pinched a small slip of paper between the fingers of his other hand. The night breeze swept past, and as he lowered his eyes, he caught sight of the neat characters written on it.

【West of Shipu Alley.】

No beginning, no end — no signature, no appointed time. It had floated inexplicably into his arms the moment he left the city.

No one knew where it had come from — but Fang Linyuan knew.

He looked at the slip of paper, and a faint smile curled at his lips.

The evening wind ruffled his soft hair.

He knew — this was his east wind, blowing toward him.

--

The author has something to say:

Fang Linyuan: Going to see my wife!

Zhao Zhuo: Going to see my wife!

 

 

Translator : DarNan