It was nearly noon.
Above Hanxu Pass, the sun blazed overhead.
The pass stood amid towering mountains, its cylindrical forts built along the slopes, with blue-brick walls and red-tiled, upturned eaves. From a distance, the whole expanse looked imposing.
Looking east from the fortifications, one could see the majestic Daliang Mountain, and faintly make out the Chishui River rushing east.
Inside the pass, a relatively level flagstone road led straight to Shu Prefecture City.
At that moment, fortified camps lined both sides of this official road. Wisps of cooking smoke drifted from them, carrying the fragrance of minced meat.
The armored soldiers guarding the camps wore armor forged from black iron, its design plain and heavy. Even their heads were covered by helmets made of refined iron, leaving only their eyes exposed.
They were the armored soldiers known as the "Iron Wall" within the Dingyuan Army. The character for "iron" stamped on their gleaming breastplates was enough to prove their identity.
East of these camps, near Daliang Mountain, lay a small village.
Apart from the people of Shuzhou who had lived here for generations, however, most of those gathered here were traveling merchants who took the Tea Horse Road between the Great Wei Dynasty and the western lands.
Because of the civil strife in the Poshushuo Kingdom, people now crowded both inside and outside the village.
Most stared toward Hanxu Pass with worried faces, finding even the meals in their hands unappetizing.
"Boss, from the looks of things, the rebellion in the Poshushuo Kingdom won't be settled anytime soon, will it?"
"No. I reckon it'll take another month or two."
"What? That long?"
"What are we supposed to do? We're selling dust tea on this trip. If we're delayed in Shuzhou too long, won't it all get damp and moldy?"