A flash of comprehension passed through Yue Lei’s eyes. "This general understands!"
Gu Yan nodded, then turned to the staff officer in charge of documents and seals. "Also, draft a dispatch at once, send it by urgent courier to the court, and notify the Shandong and Henan circuits as well as all offices along the canal."
"Explain in detail this new situation of the northern barbarians possibly sending light cavalry deep in, to harass our canal transport and disrupt our supply routes."
"Request that the court issue an edict to the nearby prefectures and counties, ordering them to strengthen patrols along the Grand Canal and all major tributaries, with special emphasis on nights and on times of storm, darkness, and foul weather."
"Further, humbly ask that the Secretariat coordinate the transfer of a number of shallow?draft fast boats from the Deng–Lai fleet or the river fleets, to ascend into the Hutuo and Yu rivers; relying on the advantage of the navy, they will choke the waterways and deny the Mongolian cavalry easy passage."
The staff officer bowed and accepted the order. "This subordinate will see to it at once."
Gu Yan’s expression remained utterly grave. Though he had already penetrated many of Temujin’s intentions and devised countermeasures, the concern in his heart had not lessened.
Because he had thought of another possibility—one he could not explain to the assembled officers.
—That was the hearts of men.
Canal transport and commerce are themselves the key lifeblood of Kyushu.
In this campaign, even though Temujin had been blocked by Gu Yan outside Kyushu from the start, his various methods had inevitably shaken the stability of these sectors.
If this drags on, the hearts of men will surely grow restless!
Not just the beneficiaries at court—even these great generals before his eyes, and down to the common folk—will likely all begin to feel discontent.
If it truly comes to that... what should he do?
The human heart has ever been something impossible to grasp.
If everyone’s interests are truly affected, then what?
Gu Yan himself was not sure whether Temujin had such calculations, but that did not stop him from taking precautions. It was just that such matters could not be explained to outsiders, only to people of the Gu Clan!
The court must remain stable!
The hearts of men must not fall into chaos!
Time hurried by.
With Gu Yan issuing fresh orders, the disorder at the front line was indeed reduced, yet incidents still kept occurring.
—Temujin had clearly steeled his resolve.
No matter what, he would not withdraw.
And so the broader situation of the battlefield, under such conditions, inexplicably fell into stalemate.
Time and again, Gu Yan increased the intensity of his assaults on the enemy camp, but under Temujin’s command the Mongolian Army’s combat strength was simply too high, and in such a situation their agility and flexibility fully came into play.
Even if they yielded the main camp to the Song Army, the Mongolian Army showed no fear whatsoever.
And the critical point was—
Whether it was Heaven’s will or not, that year’s winter was extraordinarily harsh.
Though this abnormal weather affected everyone, compared to the Mongolian Army—born on the Northern Border and living by nomadism—the Song Army naturally suffered far more.
Gu Yi understood: this was of course the Correction Force at work.
By now the Gu Clan’s influence had clearly reached a certain threshold; just like in Gu Chen’s later years, if not for Heaven’s contrary winds, with Gu Chen’s abilities he would certainly have carved out an even vaster realm.
Yet in the face of this, Gu Yi was also powerless.
Of course, Gu Yi had considered using a Divine Level tool.
After all, the effect of the Harmonizing Edict was targeted precisely at celestial phenomena.
But he was forced to suppress that thought. The Harmonizing Edict only allowed control for a single year; if Temujin were to withdraw back to the Northern Border, then that Divine Level tool would be completely wasted.
Divine Level tools are unlike ordinary ones; he absolutely could not use them as casually as last time’s "Celestial Phenomenon Card." They must be employed at a critical moment.
This was entirely for the sake of long?term planning.
But that also doomed the shape of the battlefield to be difficult to break.
....
The Mongolian Army’s main camp.
—Compared to the original encampment, the main camp had by now withdrawn a full thirty li.
"Since childhood I have studied the history of these Jiuzhou People."
"There is a saying among them that is quite apt."
"Victory and defeat are not always decided upon the battlefield itself."
Inside the golden?topped great tent, looking at the officers whose faces were all heavy with worry, Temujin spoke with a calm, indifferent expression.
At his words, everyone was taken aback; they had not grasped the deeper meaning behind them.
But Temujin did not intend to explain. Seeing their eyes turn toward him, he gave a faint smile. "We’ve pulled back these thirty li—some people, in their hearts, are surely muttering."
"Thinking we can’t do anything about the Song People’s cities; thinking that in this world of ice and snow, we stand here, braving the wind’s knives and snow’s swords, and even the Eternal Heaven is not granting us a kindly face?"
He paused, then his expression grew stern again. "But think on it: Gu Yan’s tens of thousands of troops, cooped up inside those cities of Dingzhou State and Zhending, on guard every day, disturbed every night—do their bowstrings dare relax for even a moment?"
"Can their soldiers, like us, wrap themselves in hides and fall asleep by their horses’ flanks?"
"They cannot."
"They need thick padded coats, need endless charcoal fires, just to endure this winter."
He rose, walked to the tent’s entrance, and lifted a corner of the heavy felt curtain. The bitter wind poured in at once, whipping the flames into a frenzy.
"Listen to this wind. Look at this snow."
He turned back, his face showing not the slightest fear of the cold; instead, there was an almost searing radiance in his gaze. "This is the Eternal Heaven helping us!"
"These knives of wind and swords of snow hurt when they cut our flesh; when they hack at the delicate yet brittle sinews and bones of the Southern Dynasty, they become wounds that can kill!"
"We burn down one unremarkable little bridge, and they must levy laborers and consume materials to rebuild it;"
"We frighten off one convoy of canal barges, and dozens of river wharves along the route will see their transfers delayed; we spread a few rumors in the countryside, and they have to send officials to soothe the people, bleeding away the authority of their Song court and of that Gu Clan."
"So why should you fear?"
"We indeed suffer hardships now—but as long as we can seize the Central Plains and rule it, we shall enjoy endless wealth and glory, and never again need to bow to the Song People’s faces!"
Seeing that everyone’s expressions were still so grim,
Temujin spoke no further. He suddenly tore off the heavy wolf?skin cloak from his shoulders and flung it to the ground, revealing the thin battle garb beneath.
Before the generals could cry out in alarm or rush to dissuade him, he strode out of the golden?topped great tent in great, sweeping steps, heading straight into the blizzard?racked night of near?zero visibility.
All of them were stunned; none had expected Temujin to do such a thing.
They hastily snatched up fur cloaks and followed after him.
But the moment they stepped out of the tent, nearly all of them froze.
They saw their Genghis Khan standing there with arms spread wide, head held high, utterly unshielded, right at the heart of the raging storm!
The wind and snow were like blades; in the span of heartbeats, his braids and beard were coated in white frost.
Yet he did not shrink in the least; instead he spread his arms even wider, lifted his head still higher, as if baring his chest to receive, to embrace the harshest and mightiest force between Heaven and Earth.
Snowflakes fell upon his face, melted at once, and were then frozen by the gale into a crust of ice.
He seemed utterly unaware; his eyes blazed, fixed upon the pitch?black sky where only the howl of wind and snow could be heard.
"Behold!"
"This is the breath of the Eternal Heaven! It is the whetstone and touchstone that He has granted to the children of the steppe!"
"With such bitter cold, He culls the frail lambs and tempers the true gray wolves!"
"We are born of wind and reared in snow; in our sinews and blood flows the courage that does not fear frost and ice!"
Everyone watched, dazed, at this sight.
And the heaviness and weariness that had filled their hearts were, in that instant, almost wholly burned away by a feverish faith.
The next moment, they all dropped to their knees at once.
Kneeling before Temujin, they made the same gestures in praise of the Eternal Heaven, declaring their loyalty.
Faith is the tool of the ruler.
In that moment, this saying was displayed to the fullest.
But Temujin was in one respect different, for he truly believed in the Eternal Heaven; that very faith was also the reason that had sustained him to this day....
...
(Ps: It’s the end of the month—on my knees begging for monthly tickets. Brothers, please give me your support; Fish offers boundless thanks. This month’s tickets really have been far too few.)