Three armies met upon the river; one battle won the sacred Capital!
-Anonymous
Now Bai Shijun dragged his great spear out beyond the camp gates, where his personal guards already stood waiting with his warhorse. Taking the reins from a guard, he planted his spear against the ground and vaulted into the saddle. He shook the silken reins and squeezed his legs, and the handsome chestnut snorted, gave a delighted whinny, and galloped eastward. As Bai Shijun urged his horse onward, the guards behind him mounted as well, twenty or thirty warhorses racing gleefully after him toward the east.
The royal Military Drill Ground through which they galloped was vast, spanning more than twenty li. Unlike other drill grounds, this one had not been deliberately leveled. Low hills rolled across much of it, dense woodland covered other stretches, and seven or eight earthen mountains even towered toward the north-northeast. The Capital's generals believed that only by training on such varied terrain could their soldiers better prepare for actual combat.
Its very size, however, meant that Bai Shijun's ride took more than a quarter of an hour. By the time he approached its eastern edge, this pampered scion of an aristocratic clan had been jolted dizzy and nearly overcome by the heat. Seeing that he was almost there, he stopped first, took the waterskin from his saddle, and tipped back his head to gulp down a great mouthful of rock-sugar water. After panting for a while, he finally recovered somewhat. He loosened the silken reins, arranged his features into a dignified expression, and let his mount walk slowly toward the sun. The soldiers who had initially gathered to watch had already moved to either side, forming neat ranks to welcome him.
In truth, Bai Shijun still paid little attention to the