Boundary

On the first day of their contest, the Dragon King and Prince Dudun would vie to see who could make the bigger splash and win more favor with the soldiers.

Shulitu had brought more than ninety thousand cavalry. Another fifty thousand Imperial Guards had remained at the old site of the Dragon Court, guarding the Old Khan King's tomb until next summer.

Shulitu had put considerable thought into choosing the camp's location. It lay almost a hundred miles north of the midpoint between Tongtian Pass and the capital of Xiaowan Kingdom, a day's ride at full gallop from either ally.

The two rivals displayed very different styles from the outset. Gu Shenwei had brought only two hundred guards, while Dudun had brought three thousand of his strongest cavalrymen. When the two sides met outside the camp, the difference in their grand displays was immediately clear.

Dudun greeted the Dragon King warmly. They exchanged pleasantries, and to anyone who didn't know the truth, they looked like the best of friends, their alliance unbreakable.

"Is that little Prince Shulitu?" Dudun asked curiously, pointing at the small figure by the camp gate. Shulitu was his grandson, but the two had never met.

"Yes." Gu Shenwei dismounted and handed his reins to Long Fanyun.

Dudun hesitated slightly. By Northern Court custom, riding into camp was not considered rude, but in the end he dismounted too. He strode ahead, crushing the withered grass beneath his boots, and walked shoulder to shoulder with the Dragon King toward the camp that was supposed to belong to him.

Shulitu wore a full suit of armor that didn't quite fit. Looking at the two men who would decide his fate, he thought, *They're so tall. Even the Dragon King, whom I used to know fairly well, seems to have