The Time is Ripe · The Horn of Counterattack Sounds

Chen Wuya's fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the map three times, his gaze shifting away from the position of the lamp that had moved twice. He did not look at the sand table again, instead turning to the people in the tent. His voice was not loud, yet it struck like an iron nail driven into wood. "Last night, the Second Prince detained seven captains. Heads were hung from the gates before the First Prince's camp. There were three clashes during the changing of the guard and two tents were burned—this is not a military camp. It is a prison cage."

Silence filled the tent. Several veteran generals exchanged glances before one of them finally spoke. "Perhaps this is precisely a scheme to lure out the enemy. They are deliberately throwing their ranks into disarray to draw us into attacking."

"If it truly were bait," Chen Wuya said as he slowly rose and walked to the sand table, his fingertip tracing the broken chain of command at the heart of the enemy camp, "then they would first have to fool their own men." He raised his eyes and swept them over the room. "What army can a commander who kills even his own guards still command? What war can a force that burns at the sight of fire and defies orders at the sight of commands still fight?"

Qin Lie stepped forward, leaning on his wooden staff. "You're saying the time has come?"

"It has not come," Chen Wuya shook his head. "There is only this instant left." He pointed toward the western ridge of Yellow Wind Valley. "This morning, the scouts reported that the Second Prince sent out three cavalry patrols to investigate which banners belonged to which divisions. Yet half an hour ago, the First Prince's