Chapter Eighty-Eight: Make Ready

As for this question, Meng Di naturally understood it well enough in his heart. The problem was how to prevent the Qi army’s chariots from forming battle arrays. Once one passed Yunyi, the land opened into a vast, level plain, perfectly suited to chariot warfare.

At that moment, Ji Ran gave a faint smile and said with complete confidence,

“My lord seems to have forgotten that near Yunyi there is also the Yi River. If it is used properly, the Qi army may be forced to return empty-handed, or even suffer a crushing defeat.”

A water attack? That was the first idea that came to Meng Di’s mind, but he immediately dismissed it. Although the recent rainfall had been fairly abundant, there was a serious problem in using it for such a purpose.

Rainfall in Lu was comparatively scant. The heaviest rains came each year in summer; after the autumn harvest, the rains steadily diminished, and the water level of the Yi River fell with them.

Yet in the next instant he understood Ji Ran’s design. Since the enemy relied on chariots, their demands on the roads were correspondingly high. If water from the Yi River could be diverted to flood the chosen battlefield, then once the Qi chariots became trapped there, the ground would turn treacherous and difficult to cross. At that point, fighting would be out of the question; whether they could even withdraw intact would be uncertain. Meng Di, meanwhile, could use the superior mobility of his cavalry to break away swiftly.

Then, with a counterattack to follow, the Qi army would surely be defeated. But that would require a true specialist. Otherwise, once the water was released, if it could not be guided onto the intended field, the entire course of the battle might be altered instead.

Meng Di immediately thought of someone: Gongshu Ban, whom Ji Ran had mentioned when they first entered the city. So he asked,

“Sir Ji, do you mean to have Gongshu Ban handle this matter?”

Ji Ran looked entirely at ease, as though the outcome were already in his grasp.

“This time, the place Qi intends to attack should be Yunyi. Only by taking Yunyi can they press further into Lu. Therefore, the scale of this campaign should not be large. What remains is to consider how the battle is to be fought.”

“If my lord seeks only a modest victory, that is simple enough. We need only lure the Qi army into the trap and strike them head-on. But if my lord wishes to inflict a great defeat upon them, then their line of retreat must be cut off. That, however, would require us to pay no small price.”

This price did not mean losses on the battlefield alone. It might also invite a far greater retaliation from Qi.

What Meng Di was considering now was how to gain a firm foothold. He had no wish to provoke a powerful enemy at such a moment. And within Lu itself there was still Yang Hu, watching like a tiger from the side.

Now Yang Hu’s relationship with the Ji-sun clan, his own overlords, had grown steadily worse. After the Ji-sun clan had voluntarily yielded Feiyi this time, relations between the two sides had eased somewhat. But Yang Hu’s relationship with Liang Huai, the favored retainer of Ji-sun Si, was extremely tense.

While Gongshan Buhu had still been alive, Yang Hu had shown Liang Huai some restraint. But now that Gongshan Buhu was dead, Yang Hu and Liang Huai had reached the point of utter incompatibility, like fire and water.

In such a time, Meng Di had no desire to make other formidable enemies. Without the slightest hesitation, he said,

“Now that Mengyi has only just settled, a small victory will suffice. If Qi takes West Yun in the meantime, we need not concern ourselves with it for now. What matters most is the present situation within Lu. That is what we must deal with most carefully.”

Ji Ran was very much in agreement. Only by allowing Mengyi to develop first would they have the strength to expand outward later. That Yang Hu, merely a retainer of the Ji-sun clan, could control the government of Lu was itself a sign of Lu’s decline. After some thought, he said,

“As matters stand, what Yang Hu desires is status. Though he now acts as regent over the affairs of Lu, in the end he is still a retainer of the Ji-sun clan. When the lord is weak and the minister strong, disaster is bound to follow. We truly must prepare in advance.”

In the city of Qufu in Lu—

Yang Hu was beside himself with rage. Drawing the sword at his waist, he slashed it down upon the writing desk, his eyes wide with fury, as though he wished to devour someone alive.

Just moments earlier, Liang Huai had come to his residence, saying that the fields within the Ji-sun domain were nearly ripe, and that there were not enough hands for the harvest, so Yang Hu should send men to help. His tone had been unbearably haughty, as though he were ordering about a mere household servant.

Though Yang Hu had indeed risen from among the Ji-sun retainers, he now held the power of Lu in his hands and had become a man of exalted station. Liang Huai was nothing more than a favored dependent of Ji Pingzi, yet he dared be so arrogant and overbearing as to issue orders to him face to face. It was intolerable.

The servants waiting nearby all trembled in fear, not daring to breathe too loudly.

For all his anger, Yang Hu knew perfectly well that the Three Huan, aware of their waning power, had already begun to draw together once more. Without absolute confidence, he was unwilling to tear away the last pretense and break openly with them.

After letting out a long breath, Yang Hu gave his order.

“Pass the word. When the autumn harvest comes, bring enough men to help the Ji-sun clan gather in their fields.”

When the servants had withdrawn, Yang Hu slowly sheathed his sword and said in a voice cold as frost,

“Liang Huai, you whelp—dare to treat me in this fashion, and one day you will regret it.”

At the Ji-sun residence—

When Ji-sun Si saw Liang Huai return in haste, he asked,

“Did Yang Hu agree to the matter of the harvest?”

It was, after all, a helpless state of affairs. Yang Hu’s power had grown ever greater, and so had the number of those attached to him. By contrast, the Ji-sun clan had declined day by day, to the point that even within its own territories it no longer quite had enough manpower.

Liang Huai wore a thoroughly smug expression.

“No matter what else Yang Hu may be, he is still a retainer of the Ji-sun clan. These are duties proper to his station; it is only right that he perform them. Naturally, he had no grounds to refuse. My lord may rest easy. When autumn harvest comes, he will certainly bring men.”

Ji-sun Si was a perceptive man. Hearing this, he knew at once that Liang Huai must have had some sharp exchange of words with Yang Hu.

“Yang Hu’s power is still on the rise. At times, you should take greater care in how you speak. Do not provoke him. If you do, trouble may fall upon you, and you must not ruin yourself by your own hand.”

But Liang Huai’s face turned grave, and he said solemnly,

“There is a distinction between lord and servant. Though Yang Hu’s power now towers to the heavens, the fact remains that he comes from the Ji-sun clan. That cannot be changed. If Yang Hu truly dares lay hands on me, then it will prove he no longer retains the least loyalty toward the Ji-sun clan. At that time, my lord must be on his guard.”

These words drew a long sigh from Ji-sun Si, and sorrow spread across his face.

“My father is gravely ill, and I am still young. Gongshan Buhu took his own life, and now my father has died as well. Within the Ji-sun clan, there is no one left who can check Yang Hu. In such circumstances, even self-preservation is difficult. I dare not hope for anything more.”

Liang Huai’s face showed deep unwillingness. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly raised his head and said,

“My lord, why not seek the aid of the Meng-sun clan? If the strength of the Three Huan were united, Yang Hu could certainly be driven out, and the government of Lu restored to the hands of the Three Huan. Then my lord would no longer have to bear such constant anxiety, and the Ji-sun clan might rise again.”

But Ji-sun Si showed no eagerness at all, and only slowly shook his head.