Most women in this age had to depend on men to survive. Even Lu Lingqi, despite her exceptional martial arts, had relied on her parents before marriage. The notion that she could strike out on her own using her skills was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Lan Tian wanted to change her fate, but there was no good way to start at the moment. After thinking it over, he could only begin with Gao Shun, who was right in front of him.
Gao Shun was unquestionably a capable soldier and a loyal, dependable subordinate. But he was too upright, almost blindly loyal, and changing his way of thinking would be difficult.
While waiting for the physician, Lan Tian decided to sound out Gao Shun's thoughts.
"On my way here, I saw that the soldiers in the camp were imposing, and that they moved and deployed in good order. I wonder what methods the general uses to train and command his troops?" Lan Tian asked with a smile.
The easiest way to build a rapport with someone through conversation was to talk about what they knew well, because the more familiar they were with a subject, the more confident they felt.
If you couldn't find a topic, you could start with the customs of their hometown or local delicacies. But if you talked about their area of expertise and humbly asked for advice like an adoring fan, they would soon open their heart to you.
Gao Shun was taken aback. He hadn't expected Lan Tian to take an interest in military affairs, so he generously shared his methods. "It's actually very simple: be strict with yourself, reward and punish fairly, charge into battle, and lead from the front."
Lan Tian nodded. Those sixteen words were easy to say but extremely difficult to put into practice, especially being strict with oneself.
"Could such an army ever be defeated? Could the general help General Lu claim the throne?" Lan Tian asked deliberately.
"Why must you jest, sir? How could there be an undefeated army in this world? As for my lord's ambition, I cannot say." Gao Shun thought back on his military career. Victory and defeat had always gone hand in hand, and they had suffered a heavy loss in Yanzhou.
"When I was telling the Legend of the Condor Heroes before, the general said that he didn't know how to bring blessings to the people and could only be loyal to his lord. I wonder, how does the general understand loyalty?" Lan Tian continued.
"What do you mean by that, sir? Naturally, it means serving one's lord faithfully and never turning against him." Gao Shun was puzzled.
"If your lord lives, you will never turn against him. What if he dies?" Lan Tian asked.
"Then I can only die and follow him into the underworld," Gao Shun said firmly.
Lan Tian thought, This is bad. He really is that 'stubborn.'
How could he persuade this man not to be so blindly loyal?
After a moment's thought, Lan Tian said, "The sun and moon can bear witness to the general's loyalty and righteousness. But every person must die, and some deaths are lighter than a feather, while others are weightier than Mount Tai. The general should think carefully about this."
Seeing that Lan Tian's words seemed to carry a hidden meaning today, Gao Shun pressed him. "Master Ziyu, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Lan Tian rose and turned his back to him. "It's just like the characters in the Legend of the Condor Heroes. Li Ping's death was weightier than Mount Tai. It made Guo Jing remember his family's vengeance and his country's humiliation, and in the end, he served his country and its people, becoming a great hero of his generation. Take Qu Lingfeng, for example. After being driven from Peach Blossom Island, he stole paintings from the imperial palace to win Huang Yaoshi's favor and was hunted down. Fortunately, he didn't die. If he had, his death would have been lighter than a feather."
"Though Li Ping was a woman, she was truly a hero. Qu Lingfeng committed the despicable deeds of a chicken thief, and I hold him in contempt," Gao Shun said, shaking his head.
"Actually, both were loyal and righteous. Qu Lingfeng's loyalty to his master was a lesser loyalty, while Li Ping's loyalty to her family and country was a greater one."
"Your words today are most strange, sir. Please explain them in detail."
Lan Tian turned around, his expression grave. "General Lu has made many enemies among the warlords. I believe he will one day be driven into a desperate plight. Though the general and I met by chance, we have become quite congenial. If that day truly comes, I hope you won't cling to lesser loyalty or follow Qu Lingfeng's example."
Gao Shun froze. Lan Ziyu's predictions had never been wrong. Now he was predicting that Lu Bu would be driven into a desperate plight, which meant it was highly likely to happen.
Gao Shun suppressed the storm raging inside him and asked with a somber expression, "Then whose example should I follow?"
"The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan," Lan Tian said decisively.
Lan Tian's words today carried too much weight for Gao Shun to absorb all at once. Most troubling of all, this fellow's predictions were astonishingly accurate. The commanding general could no longer sit still.
After a moment of silence, Gao Yuan returned from the city with two physicians.
Night had fallen. Worried about Gan Ji's condition, Lan Tian took his leave of Gao Shun and headed home, saying that he would return to the city the next day to fetch Gan Qian.
The city gates were already closed, so Gao Shun ordered Gao Yuan to escort them back to the estate. He himself wanted to mull over Lan Tian's words.
With Gao Yuan leading the way, they soon left Xiaopei. When they got home, they found the room warm and cozy.
It turned out that Li Yang had set up two charcoal braziers to warm Gan Ji. He was sweating profusely from the heat, but still stayed by the bedside.
Lan Tian was deeply grateful when he saw this, and told Li Yang to go home and rest.
Seeing that Lan Tian had brought back two physicians, Li Yang said he would return the next morning.
After examining him, the two physicians concluded that Gan Ji had caught a chill. Learning that his daughter had been trapped in the city had frightened him, and he had fallen ill from worry, with chills and fever striking at the same time. It was an illness that could not be cured quickly, and he would need to remain bedridden and recuperate for a long time.
Lan Tian knew nothing about medicine, so he could only follow the physicians' instructions.
Gao Yuan left one man to keep watch, then returned to the city with the other physician to fetch medicine. Back and forth, they worked until midnight.
By the time the medicine had been boiled and Gan Ji had taken it and fallen asleep, the hour of the Rat had already passed.
Seeing that Gao Yuan had been running about all night on his behalf, Lan Tian planned to cook something for him to eat. But there was hardly any food in the kitchen, and that was when he remembered that all the provisions were in the Sanctuary.
"General Gao, come with me. I'll get you something to eat," Lan Tian said.
"Oh, all right." Gao Yuan had been helping Lan Tian with this and that and hadn't even eaten dinner. His stomach was growling, so he didn't bother with any polite refusals.
Lan Tian carried a torch toward the back of the house, with Gao Yuan following behind, puzzled. He wondered if Lan Tian intended to borrow food from a neighbor.
After walking a few steps, Lan Tian stopped and crouched on the ground.
"General Gao, please hold the torch for me," Lan Tian said.
Gao Yuan took it, still puzzled. He watched as Lan Tian pulled up on the turf and lifted a square cover.
"Master Ziyu, what are you—" Gao Yuan asked in surprise as Lan Tian started to climb down.
Lan Tian's foot was already on the ladder. He reached out and said, "This is a hidden place. Please pass me the torch."
Gao Yuan handed him the torch, and Lan Tian climbed down the ladder into the Sanctuary.
"Master Ziyu, may I come down and have a look?" Gao Yuan called down, curious.
"Come on down," Lan Tian called back.
Gao Yuan followed him down the ladder and discovered that the place was a whole world of its own. There was a bed, clothes and blankets, water, and food. It was practically identical to the room above.
Lan Tian took out several cold steamed buns. "These are left over from this morning. Let's take them upstairs and heat them up."
Gao Yuan was already starving. He took a bite and found they tasted pretty good. "We're not picky; anything to eat will do. This place of yours is really something. I didn't even notice it when I was outside."
Lan Tian smiled. "Xu Province has been at war for years. Building this Sanctuary was a necessity, but it isn't a long-term solution."
Gao Yuan nodded. He looked the Sanctuary over again and thought that it might prove surprisingly useful on the battlefield. He would have to tell his general about it later.
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