The White Ape died in the afternoon, Xi was eaten at dusk, and the Great Huai Army was cut that night.
"It's not a celebration banquet—it's a breakup meal! A breakup meal!"
Lantern Fish charged into the canyon, shouting before collapsing.
Thus, news of the army cuts swept grandly into Outpost Canyon. The horses were released to the southern mountains, blades and spears returned to storage; the White Ape was dead, and the Great Huai Army no longer had any reason to exist. The clever ones had long foreseen this day, but none had expected it to arrive so quickly. The celebratory joy of having eaten their fill vanished without a trace, and chaos erupted throughout the army.
For a time, every fish was on edge. They sought out their own kin and kind, huddling together to whisper about how they could remain in the army and keep drawing rations without paying taxes.
"Big Fish, Big Fish, you're well informed. Did the Dragon King say how many would be cut?"
"I heard from Lin Jie the Great Snake that, at the current scale, half will be cut first! The rest will be judged by their evaluations—cut a little every month, cut a little every month. In a year, another half will be cut!"
"Whoa!"
"Half of half?"
"Doesn't that mean only a quarter can stay?"
"That's right!"
The water beasts' hearts sank to rock bottom, and they became frantic. When Fat Catfish finally swaggered back to the outpost with its great belly thrust out, the fish found their savior and rushed forward, all talking at once.
"Black Big Fish, great Black Big Fish, don't cut me! I have elders above and children below, and my whole family relies on these military rations to survive. The Great Huai Army is my