On the second day of Winter, after a long journey, the passenger ship finally reached its destination: Guazhou Ferry in Yang Province.
Guazhou Ferry was one of the realm's famous landmarks. Years ago, Di Jiazi had assembled his navy here and sworn to launch his northern campaign. His fleet had sailed downriver into the sea, headed north along the coast, bypassed the Jiang-Huai defenses, and struck straight at You Province.
In just twenty-four days, he had pacified You Province, then marched south from there. The northern lords had expected him to attack northward from the Heaven-Reaching River, so they had deployed their armies along the line from the Dragon River to the Heaven-Reaching River. When he led his red-headbanded troops south in a mighty tide, the lords had no time to assemble their armies. They could only hastily send forces to stop him.
And so he swept through thousands of troops like a mat being rolled up. With one battle, he settled the fate of the realm.
The Yang Province navy had distinguished itself in the campaign to pacify You Province. Twenty-four men were later granted marquisates for their service alone. As the campaign had also taken twenty-four days, historians called it "one marquis made each day," a tale celebrated through the ages.
None of those twenty-four marquises had attained Longevity. After dying of old age, they were all buried on Little Gold Mountain near Guazhou Ferry. Their twenty-four tombs stood scattered across the modest peak, as though those famed generals were still there, their faces and voices unchanged, gazing at the place from which they had once set out, hearts ablaze with ambition, to pacify the realm. The sight stirred endless thoughts.
Pan Long and the others disembarked at Guazhou Ferry. Li Ci and his servant headed for Little