Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

In July, Lake Baikal had shed its winter chill, its waters shimmering indigo, like a giant sapphire warmed by the sun. The meadows along the shore were vibrant green, dotted with unidentified wildflowers. The wind carried the uniquely refreshing scent of the lake, making it considerably cooler than the midsummer in the Central Plains—though this "North Sea" was not, after all, a seashore. There was no salty odor, only the delicate fragrance of vegetation and water.

Yue Ji walked along the shore, knee-deep in green grass. The lake breeze blew away the sweat stains on his armor, cooling it down. It felt more comfortable than in the Central Plains. He was squatting by the lake, scooping up water to drink. The icy coolness of the water made him grimace. "Damn! This water is even colder than well water! No wonder Su Wu herded sheep here. This breeze alone can wake me up."

Pang De laughed and said, "This lake is vast. We rode from the south shore for four days to reach this meadow. Mr. Jia Xu said the fish in this lake can grow as big as cart wheels. Let's try our luck tonight and catch a few for soup."

Yue Ji gazed at the distant spot where the water met the sky. The lake was so vast that he couldn't even see the other side. He could only vaguely see waterfowl skimming along the surface, their wings slicing through the mirror-like water, leaving a fleeting white streak. "No wonder it's called the North Sea. This size truly deserves the name 'sea.'" He picked up a pebble from the lakeside. The water had polished it smooth and round, and it felt cool in his hand. "The Xianbei say there are mythical beasts in this lake that glow at night. Do you believe it?"

Pang De had just taken off his boots to soak his feet when he stepped into the water, splashing water. "Who cares what kind of mythical beast it is? If it dares to come out, we'll shoot it down with an arrow! We've already slaughtered our way through the grasslands, so why should we be afraid of something in the water?"

As he was speaking, Jia Xu came over with a few soldiers carrying tents. He pointed to a flat patch of grass by the lake and said, "Let's camp here. It's high ground, so we won't have to worry about the water rising at night. There's a birch forest over there. We can pick up some dry branches to start a fire. It's very cold at night, so we need a warm fire."

The lake breeze swept across the meadow, rustling the tent fabric. The distant lake, stirred by the wind, rippled like scattered silver. Jia Xu gazed at the lake and suddenly smiled. "Su Wu herded sheep here for nineteen years. I'm sure he must have looked at this view every day. Although we're not here to herd sheep, we'll take a look for him. This is what summer in the North Sea looks like."

Yue Ji nodded and said, "Once we've finished our business, we can follow his example and stay a few more days by the lake to try some fish from the 'North Sea'. This way, our trip won't be in vain."

As the sun set, curls of smoke rose from the lakeside, and the crackling of a campfire cast a warm orange glow on the water. The fish they had caught were indeed enormous, bubbling in the pot, their aroma mingling with the fragrance of grass and trees, wafting far into the distance. The lake in the distance gradually darkened, and stars first lit up in the sky, then even reflected in the water itself. It was like the Xianbei people's saying, "divine beasts glow." But to these soldiers, fighting bravely in battle, they looked more like the lights of their hometown—distant, yet reassuring.

Yue Ji was enjoying a delicious meal of bubbling fish from the pot, while Pang De, with a worried look on his face, said to Jia Xu, "Sir, according to the king's parting agreement, we were to meet here in the North Sea. Now we've fought our way through, and I've practically circled the North Sea, but there's still no sign of the army. Your central army and the left wing led by Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and their allies haven't arrived yet to join us. What should we do?"

Jia Xu frowned slightly, put down the chopsticks he was about to pick up the fish, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Your Majesty always keeps his word. The central army and Zhang Liao and Xu Huang's left army have not arrived yet. There must be a reason. Perhaps they encountered enemy troops along the way, or lost their way in the vast grassland, or some other unexpected event has delayed their journey."

Pang De spun in circles, his boots crunching through the grass. He stopped abruptly, his palms clenched into fists at his sides. "But how long are we going to wait here? We have plenty of food and fodder, but we can't afford to waste time!" His Adam's apple rolled, his gaze sweeping across the vast grasslands outside the tent. "There's still no news from the king. The fighting on the front must be at a stalemate. Otherwise, with his temper, he would have come charging here long ago."

At this point, his voice deepened, his anxiety barely concealed. "We've lost many men along the way here, and now we only have about 20,000 men left. Imagine how many Xianbei troops the king and Zhang Liao must be facing. The battle over there is likely to be fierce. If we just wait here, wouldn't that be a waste of energy?"

Yue Ji was wiping the grease from the corners of his mouth with a cloth. He paused when he heard this, and when he raised his eyes, his brows knitted into a knot. He looked at Pang De with a hint of confusion: "But the king clearly told us to wait here in the North Sea before he left. His military orders are as heavy as a mountain. How can we disobey him?" He placed the cloth on the table and tapped it with his fingertips. "Besides, what if the king arrives just as we leave? If we miss the important task, who will bear the responsibility?"

Pang De's chest was heaving, but he was speechless after being asked by Yue Ji. After a long while, he managed to utter, "But...but we can't just sit here and watch them fight so hard while we sit on the bench!"

Jia Xu paced back and forth beside the bonfire, the hem of his brocade robe sweeping across the flames, sending up a shower of tiny sparks. His brow furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade pendant at his waist. Suddenly, he stopped and looked sharply at Hu Chi'er, who was devouring the grilled fish. "Hu Chi'er!"

Hu Chier's mouth was full of fish meat. He responded vaguely and rubbed his greasy hands on his animal skin skirt.

"Go and bring us the few people who remain from the last tribe that was massacred." Jia Xu's voice was filled with unquestionable authority. "They are the ones who claim to be grassland merchants."

Hu Chi'er finally swallowed the fish, wiped his lips, and replied in a muffled voice, "I know!" He dropped the cleanly gnawed fish bones, burped as he stood up, and walked away briskly. Jia Xu had deliberately kept those people with him—these "traveling merchants" had cried the most when they had last passed by the looted tribe. They said they traveled back and forth between the grasslands and the Central Plains year-round and were well-informed about the movements of the various Xianbei tribes. That was why Jia Xu had kept them.

The tent fell silent for a moment, the only sound being the occasional crackle of the charcoal fire. Jia Xu walked over to the table, spread out a sheepskin map, and placed his finger on the markings along the North Sea coast. This sheepskin map had been drawn by Jia Xu himself along their journey.

Soon, heavy footsteps were heard outside the tent, and Hu Chi'er pushed three trembling men in. They were dressed in rags, and their faces were still filled with fear. When they saw Jia Xu, they were so frightened that their legs went weak and they almost fell to the ground.

Jia Xu sat at his desk, a wolf-hair brush between his fingers, seemingly casually marking the map. His thin shoulders, clasped in his plain robe, gave him the air of a scholar absorbed in his studies. But the three "traveling merchants" hung their heads, not even daring to glance at him. Who could forget how, half a month ago, this seemingly frail scholar, with a casual remark of "Keeping them alive is a disaster," had reduced the once-dominated Xianbei tribe of the valley to ashes overnight?

"Take a look," Jia Xu said, pushing the map forward. He smiled faintly, but his eyes held no warmth. "From Yanmen Pass, we pass through Black Stone Mountain, Luoma Slope, and then around the Great Xianbei Mountain, all the way to the North Sea. This route is very familiar to you 'traveling merchants,' right?"

The three of them glanced at the map and saw that the parchment was densely marked: a bright red cross was drawn on the Black Stone Mountain, and small words next to it read "Gathered 3,000 people, refused to surrender"; Luoma Slope was a black circle, and the words "Night attack failed, camp burned" were noted; the most shocking thing was the area near the Great Xianbei Mountain, where a series of crosses looked like blood spots, which made people's scalps tingle.

The leading man's throat rolled, his voice shaking like a dead leaf in the wind: "No, I wonder what your Excellency's orders are? We... we will do our best."

Jia Xu tapped the map on the table with his fingertips and said casually, "This is just the route we noted down along the way, but the grassland is vast, so there must be omissions. Didn't you say you traveled among the Xianbei tribes all year round? It's a good opportunity to complete the routes you know."

The three of them exchanged a look of embarrassment. The leader gritted his teeth and said, "Please forgive me, sir. We are just small businessmen. We usually only focus on recording trading points. How can we draw a map? It's really... it's simply impossible!"

"Oh?" Jia Xu snorted softly, dragging out the ending tone with a hint of mockery.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Ji, standing by, suddenly pressed down on the scimitar at his waist. With a "swish," the blade was half-drawn out, and a cold light instantly illuminated the interior of the tent. The three men were so frightened that they fell to their knees, their knees hitting the ground with a dull thud, and they kowtowed repeatedly: "Sir, please spare us! Please spare us! We really can't draw! Please have mercy on us!"

Jia Xu glanced at Yue Ji and said lightly: "Put it away." Yue Ji put the sword back into the sheath with a "clang".

Jia Xu held the charcoal pencil, his knuckles slightly white from the force, his eyes seemed to be nailed to a sheepskin map, listening to the three people's narration, the charcoal pencil moving quickly on the paper.

"Turn right from Yanmen Pass, pass the Black Wind Pass of Wuhuan Mountain, and you'll reach the Chile Tribe," the first man said hurriedly. "Go southeast for another three days, pass the Bailang Tribe, and skirt the swamp covered with Achnatherum splendens, and you'll reach the Murong Tribe!"

The charcoal pencil drew an arc, passing through the Wuhuan Mountains and marking the Chile and Bailang tribes.

"Then after passing the Murong tribe, to the south is the Grey Crane tribe... and then to the east through three mountain ridges, it is Yingyang Mountain... and after turning over, you can see the shadow of the North Sea!" The second person quickly took over, his voice trembling.

Jia Xu hummed in his throat, and the direction of the charcoal pencil suddenly changed. He added the Grey Crane Tribe below the Murong Tribe, and drew three jagged mountain ridges, with an irregular circle at the end to represent the North Sea.

"What if we go straight in the middle?" Jia Xu suddenly raised his eyes, the charcoal pencil stopped in mid-air, his eyes sharp as a knife.

The three of them turned pale, and the leader hurriedly said, "If we really want to go straight through, we'll have to walk from Yanmen Pass through the heart of the pine forest for a full five days, and we'll find the Vulture Tribe!"

"Where is the Xianbei royal court?" Jia Xu suddenly emphasized his tone, and the charcoal pencil made a deep dot on the paper.

"It's at the northern foot of Langjuxu Mountain!" the second man said hurriedly. "Go north from the Vulture Tribe...cross the frozen Langya Pass, and walk for another two days to reach Ordo City, where the royal court is located!"

"How do I get to Langjuxu Mountain?" Jia Xu asked, with the charcoal pencil hanging at the position of Langjuxu Mountain, not falling for a long time.

"From Vulture Tribe, head northwest along the stream formed by melted snow. There are stone stakes carved by the Xianbei people by the stream. Follow them and you won't get lost!" the third person said quickly. "But the stream is swampy, so you have to step on the stones that are above the water. If you're not careful, you'll fall in!"

Jia Xu said nothing. With his charcoal pencil, he drew a heavy square at the northern foot of Wolf Mountain, labeling it "Wang Ting." He then traced a thin, winding line along the stream, connecting the Vulture Tribe to the square. A more detailed map of the route gradually emerged on the parchment, the scattered tribes, mountain ridges, and swamps strung together like beads on the charcoal line.

The three of them looked at the map, not daring to breathe. It was not until Jia Xu put down the charcoal pencil that they realized the backs of their clothes were soaked.