Shehuo

The white snow had fallen silent, shrouding the countryside.

The morning sunlight had briefly turned the ground into a dazzling expanse of white that made their eyes ache. By afternoon, however, cold winds had rolled the dark clouds back in, and the snow on the ground began to harden. Clearly, for the Northern Chu refugees who had come from the Huai River region, the most troublesome sort of snow conditions, familiar from bitter experience, had actually appeared south of the Yangtze.

The camp in the valley was a jumble of mist, figures, arguments, and shouts. Toward evening, as the firelight grew more conspicuous, it seemed even more chaotic.

At that moment, Liu Acheng, Liu Jili, and Liu Huzi, having finished their porridge, were sitting on forked branches beside a firepit in a somewhat secluded part of the valley. Each was absorbed in his own thoughts, paying no attention to the commotion outside.

Because of yesterday's sudden heavy snowfall South of the Yangtze, and because Liu Acheng and Liu Jili had received recommendations from the foremost eminent scholar of the day and were about to leave, Liu Rengong had finally been forced to return to the camp again... This time, the reason was more than sufficient: if he did not come back, there would be no one left here to manage things.

As always, Gao Jian had said little. After asking about the situation, he had even provided the address of his elder brother Gao Rou in Kuaiji, telling Liu Acheng to visit when he had the chance.

Clearly, this was an extremely pragmatic leader of the lower-ranking gentry.

Still, once they returned, trouble was inevitable. Transferring the money and grain was simple. It was no great matter if people such as Liu Rengong's cousin and his family were unwilling to return for the time being, and it was also perfectly normal for the women of Lord Ren's household and some other women and children to stay there. But what about housing for the hundred-odd households now returning in a disorderly mass? Should it be reassigned? And what should they do about people fishing in muddy waters, pretending they had originally left this camp and coming back with the people from Jiangcheng, only to be recognized after they had already claimed huts?

Should they continue expanding the grounds over there, where they had only managed to level the land, and finish the half-built watchtower? Should the original guard patrol be disbanded?

Everything was tangled into a knot. Liu Acheng and Liu Jili had explained as much as they could, and Liu Huzi had thrown his weight around as usual, yet none of it prevented the commotion outside from rising again after the meal.

As for why the three Lius were sitting here in a daze instead of helping at this crucial moment, the reason was ordinary enough: they were about to part. In these times, a farewell might mean meeting again next month, or never seeing one another again for the rest of their lives. Some sense of ceremony was therefore necessary.

Yet to Liu Acheng, the three of them sitting here felt as awkward as prospective college students pretending to be profound on the school grounds after their high-school graduation... And that really was not just because the snow had dampened their spirits.

Was there affection between them? Certainly. After all, they had suffered together, been looked down on together, hunted a tiger together, and even killed people here together. But they had only known one another from autumn into winter. How deep could those feelings really run?

Were their interests bound together? Certainly that, too. They all belonged to the Liu Clan of Pengcheng, all were members of the so-called lower-ranking gentry, and now that each had some prospect of advancement, they would certainly need to support one another in the future. The problem was that none of the three had yet secured an actual position, so it felt too early to discuss that as well.

Even their internal relationships were awkward. Liu Acheng was fifteen or sixteen, Liu Huzi was nearly eighteen, and Liu Jili was in his early twenties, yet Liu Acheng was actually the oldest in mental age and had always been coaxing the other two along. There really was no clear order among them.

So, after sitting here and exchanging a few words, the three of them had no idea what else to say.

Could they say, "Don't go. Let's stay here and make a go of it, the three of us brothers"?

Impossible. They had to leave. Even the most immediately deadly problem, the snow, offered only a sliver of hope for remedy if they left quickly... As things stood, the best and most obvious route was through Cai Mo: ask him to submit a memorial lambasting Yin Hao and Xun Xian, point to the snowfall and plunging temperatures, and make those men open the granaries for relief at once. That might solve the problem.

And this was why they had endured a thousand hardships to climb upward. One rung higher, and the people and resources within reach became entirely different. So they had to leave, and leave decisively, without dragging their feet.

Of course, that depended on Cai Mo being willing.

As for Kuaiji, in theory the Xi Family ought to pay some attention to events in Jingkou. But ordinarily, the journey from Jiankang to Kuaiji already took ten days or so, and now there was snow as well. By the time he arrived, found someone from the Xi Family, persuaded them, had a memorial submitted, and received a response, it would probably be almost New Year.

In the end, a fourth person broke the awkward silence.

"Big fellow, what brings you all this way?" Liu Acheng smiled first when he saw the newcomer.

"I want to go with you, Acheng." Dressed in winter clothes, Liu Yehu spoke bluntly beside the fire.

"Why? The same reason as last time?" Liu Jili wore something between a smile and a smirk. "Because following Acheng gets you a bolt of cloth?"

"Yes." Liu Yehu held his head high. "I said before that I'd been a pauper since childhood and had never had a whole bolt of cloth even after growing up. Acheng gave me one, so I wanted to stay. It's the same this time. I've frozen every winter of my life, but this winter I've had enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and even people to manage... I still want to go with Acheng."

Liu Acheng's gaze passed over Liu Huzi's unchanged expression, and he nodded directly. "You can, but not now... Wait until spring, when I send a letter, then come find me. First, the roads will be easier to travel then. Second, you can bring me news from here. Third, you need to make sure you properly hand over the cargo escort work."

Liu Yehu nodded, voiced his agreement, cupped his hands to the three of them, and left, as brisk as ever.

His brief visit eased the atmosphere among the three Lius somewhat. Liu Acheng thought for a moment, then turned to Liu Huzi with a suggestion. "Brother Huzi, last time we parted, everyone came to see us off, whether it was Lord Ren or Grandpa Liu San. There's no need this time. If they try to come tonight, stop them, so we can spare ourselves the sorrow. We'll simply pay our respects to Lord Ren before leaving tomorrow morning."

"All right." Liu Huzi nodded.

"Really, although we say we're leaving, I'll be in Jiankang, which is still fairly close." Liu Jili sighed as well. "But you'll be going to Kuaiji. If you take the path of cultivating your reputation, who knows when we'll see each other again?"

"It doesn't matter. Since we're all climbing upward, sooner or later we'll meet again. Why worry about this brief parting?" Liu Acheng did his best to comfort him, then looked toward Liu Huzi and finally decided to offer some advice. "Brother Huzi, Brother Jili has spent a long time in Jingkou, and now he has someone to lean on. If you run into difficulties here, just go to him..."

Liu Huzi hesitated, wanting to speak.

"Brother Jili." Ignoring that, Liu Acheng turned back to Liu Jili. "I now know that you come from the highest-born family among us, yet you're one of the rare people who understands the sufferings of ordinary folk. Even if you rise high someday, you'll still have sympathy for people like us... But anyone who wants to accomplish something needs help. If you want to cleanse Great Jin, surely you'll need people to support you? If you want to inherit your great-uncle's ambitions, you should learn from his mistakes too... When it really comes down to naked blades and leveled spears, who will hold Stone City for you?"

For a moment, Liu Jili could not fend him off and could only nod. "Don't worry, Acheng. Since I'll be in Jiankang, I'll certainly do my best to look after this place. The same goes for you, Huzi. If anything happens, just come find me. We belong to the same clan, after all. Brothers needn't stand on ceremony."

This time, without Liu Acheng doing anything further, Liu Huzi actually nodded quite naturally as well.

Clearly, he had strained every sinew and still failed to secure even an "Elite Soldier" appointment, only for Liu Acheng and Liu Jili to resolve it with ease through their maneuvering. It did not even interfere with his own family's rise. The experience had shaken him profoundly.

At this point, Liu Cheng truly had no idea what else to say, so he ended with a joke. "Actually, if we weren't already brothers of the same clan, we might as well follow Liu, Guan, and Zhang and swear brotherhood despite our different surnames!"

Liu Huzi laughed on the spot, then grew serious again. "By Liu, Guan, and Zhang, do you mean Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei? They were sworn brothers?"

"That must be a folk tale from the north, where barbarian customs are widespread... It's because Liu Bei treated Guan and Zhang with the affection of his own brothers." Liu Jili volunteered an explanation, then reiterated, "But Acheng is right. We really are brothers of the same clan. There's no need to fuss over such things."

"You're right, Brother Jili." Liu Huzi finally called him brother.

"Then let's call it a night." Hearing that, Liu Acheng finally had nothing left to say. He stood straight up and urged Liu Huzi, "Brother Huzi, go help your father over there. Brother Jili and I will turn in early too."

For a moment, Liu Huzi had nothing to say and could only nod.

Leaving aside Liu Cheng and Liu Jili retiring for the night, Liu Huzi returned to the large central firepit and found it every bit as chaotic as expected. He had only just scolded a few people when Grandpa Liu San stopped him to ask where Liu Acheng was. Since Huzi had already been given instructions, he naturally blocked him outright, saying that Liu Cheng had a journey ahead of him tomorrow and was already asleep. Anything else could wait until morning.

Grandpa Liu San and the others could do nothing about it and could only go find Liu Rengong instead.

Some time passed like this. Perhaps because the grounds here had been leveled and expanded, people kept coming and going and stirring things up even after dark. For once, Liu Huzi held his temper and did not drive them away... Only to be summoned by his father again.

"Huzi, was it Acheng who asked you to stop everyone else from seeing him off?" Liu Rengong asked earnestly beside a wooden stump.

"Yes," Liu Huzi answered frankly. What was there to hide from his own father?

"I understand what Acheng means," Liu Rengong sighed. "Last time we parted, the Straw-Sandal Group remembered his kindness and gave him quite a bit of money, and we gave him a share of the silver too... This time, he doesn't need much money, and he's worried we'll waste the camp's funds, so he won't let people see him off... But I think your Uncle San was right about one thing: we mustn't abandon our rites. The poorer we are, the more we need to observe proper ceremony."

At that, he turned toward Grandpa Liu San. "How many people know how to do that?"

"It's too rushed, and no one's done it for years. We only found twelve or thirteen..." Grandpa Liu San looked embarrassed. "The main problem is that we have no mules or horses left."

"Even if we had them, there'd be no room to use them here." Liu Rengong shook his head. "But twelve or thirteen is too few."

"Actually, those Slave Retainers Acheng rescued from the fortified settlements know how to dance too, but theirs is different from ours," Grandpa Liu San grumbled. "We can't very well send off our own young men by having them dance while we watch, can we?"

"True enough. Twelve or thirteen will have to do. Remember, don't sing the last verse." Liu Rengong nodded, then looked back at his youngest son. "Huzi, go fetch Acheng... And that Jili too."

Liu Huzi already understood what they intended to do. Naturally, he nodded and went to find them, even feeling a little excited.

Liu Acheng had not yet fallen asleep, though he was already drowsy. When Liu Huzi came to invite him, he was naturally rather surprised. "What is shehuo?"

"Shehuo is a mix of performances, songs, and dances put on for sacrifices or festivals," Liu Jili explained with easy familiarity. "It differs from place to place... Since Huzi has come for us, their local shehuo must have something to do with seeing people off. Isn't that a happy coincidence?"

"Exactly." Liu Huzi nodded at once. "You'll understand once you see it, Acheng. I've loved it since I was little, but I haven't seen it in years."

Liu Cheng caught on. Wasn't that a happy coincidence? Why had he leveled those central grounds in the first place? Precisely because he had worried that everyone would lack entertainment during the winter. He had even been thinking of playing the flute for them and telling them Romance of the Three Kingdoms, only to find that ordinary people had their own traditions.

Besides, they already understood why he had declined to see them, and all that remained was their goodwill. That was all the more reason to go and experience it.

He quickly pulled on his outer robe, went to the stream to wash his face, then put on his headcloth and hurried off with Liu Huzi.

Soon they arrived and saw a dozen or so able-bodied men surnamed Liu standing in a row. Each held two torches, both hands raised, while Liu Rengong, Grandpa Liu San, and the others stood in front of them, looking rather like generals reviewing their troops.

Around the outside, countless villagers from the Huai River region had gathered, both those who had returned today and those who had remained here all along. Seeing Liu Acheng and Liu Jili arrive, they called out together as if urging things along, "They're here! They're here!"

Once Liu Acheng and Liu Jili had arrived, Liu Rengong gave a direct instruction. "You two, go stand beside the fire behind them. This is a custom from our Pengcheng countryside, specially performed to bid travelers farewell and pray for their safety."

The two had even less to say now and immediately did as instructed.

No sooner had they taken their places and exchanged a glance than Liu Huzi's scolding quieted the crowd around them. Soon, only the crackling of the firepit behind them remained.

At that moment, Liu Acheng saw Liu Rengong jerk his chin toward Grandpa Liu San. The latter visibly started and pointed at the corner of his mouth, which still seemed to bear a scar. But after glancing at all the people standing there, he turned in a fluster and struggled to open his mouth and sing:

"Hard it is..."

Yet after only those few words, his pitch went awry, drawing laughter from countless onlookers. Even the men holding torches in front visibly lost their composure.

"A man~ who would be valiant!" Just then, someone behind Grandpa Liu San-perhaps Grandpa Wang, or perhaps someone else, it really was impossible to see clearly-took the initiative and began again.

The line sounded somewhat like the traditional opera Liu Acheng had heard in his previous life. Though he still could not quite make out everything, it had at least taken proper shape.

Sure enough, once someone began singing, the dozen or so sturdy men below immediately moved, lowering one hand at an angle and lifting the torch in the other high overhead.

"Needs not~ a host of comrades!" By then, two or three people had managed to join the singing, including Grandpa Liu San, who hurried to add his damaged mouth to the chorus and make up the numbers.

As that line rose, one of the sturdy men before them took the lead, and they immediately began running around the firepit.

"The hawk~ flies across the heavens, the sparrows~ surge to either side."

At this point, the leader spread his two torches wide with all his strength. Behind him, the others formed a V like wild geese, raising only their outer torches. After circling once, those behind smoothly split into two groups and gathered opposite one another.

Next, as they sang, "Turn horses loose~ in the great marsh, rich grass~ puts flesh upon them," the men held their torches and swayed in opposing lines.

When they sang, "Shields~ and iron loin armor, helmets~ with crane-tail plumes," the men raised both torches to their shoulders to represent iron loin armor, then held a torch upright at their foreheads to stand for helmets adorned with crane tails.

The next verse was even more direct: "The front rank~ watches the rear rank, all don~ iron loin armor. Those ahead~ watch those behind, all don~ iron helmets."

Now the able-bodied torchbearers swiftly formed neat ranks, just as the lyrics described. Using their torches as symbols, they mimed helping one another put on iron loin armor and iron helmets.

And at that same moment, Liu Acheng finally understood in his bones what it had meant for Liu Rengong's father, Liu Xigong, to serve as Governor of Yanmen and Protector-General of the Xiongnu in the Western Jin era.

Of course, he could also all but picture what had happened in the Huai River region over those past decades, for songs and dances like these to have endured so long as shehuo in the estates around Liu Rengong!

By this point in the song, many voices were singing in Northern Chu accents. Liu Rengong plainly wanted to stop something, but could do nothing now.

Then came the final verse. Though every verse had exactly the same melody, the feeling of the song abruptly became the utter opposite of its opening... Thus it went: "A man~ is a pitiful creature, leaving home~ with death upon his mind. His body falls~ in a narrow valley, his white bones~ with no one to gather them~"

At these words, the dozen or so dancers all lay down together, crossing their torches before them as though they were the remains of the dead.

And for some reason, upon hearing this, Liu Acheng-who, since transmigrating, had sometimes lost his composure but never lost control-suddenly covered his eyes with one hand and wept right there... Nor was he alone. Beside him, Liu Jili sank straight to the ground, tears and mucus streaming down his face. Among the villagers from the Huai River region watching and humming along, quite a few were weeping as well, their faces all shining in the firelight.

"A man~ who would be valiant!"

Soon, the song began another cycle. This time, no one needed to lead it, and who knew how many people were singing now? Some mischievous youngsters even followed Liu Huzi, unable to resist raising torches and joining in.

"Needs not~ a host of comrades."

"The hawk~ flies across the heavens, the sparrows~ surge to either side."

"Turn horses loose~ in the great marsh, rich grass~ puts flesh upon them."

"Shields~ and iron loin armor, helmets~ with crane-tail plumes."

"The front rank~ watches the rear rank, all don~ iron loin armor."

"Those ahead~ watch those behind, all don~ iron helmets."

"A man~ is a pitiful creature, leaving home~ with death upon his mind. His body falls~ in a narrow valley, his white bones~ with no one to gather them!"

Amid the shimmering firelight, as everyone poured out their feelings to the fullest, no one knew how many times they sang that song that night.

That same evening, thousands of li away in Yecheng, firelight likewise shimmered. Soldiers wearing iron loin armor and iron helmets raised torches and swarmed up the Southern Terrace, one of the Three Terraces, bearing sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.

Inside the palace atop the Southern Terrace known as Ruyi Palace, Shi Zun, who had been Heavenly King of Great Zhao for only a few months, remained utterly unmoved, amusing himself at flick-chess with a trembling woman.

Soon, General Zhou Cheng entered with his hand on his saber. Only then did the Heavenly King release the woman opposite him from her ordeal and turn to the newcomer. "General Zhou, who has rebelled?"

Zhou Cheng froze for a moment, lowered his head to think, then earnestly cupped his hands and answered, "Shi Jian, Prince of Yiyang, is to be enthroned."

Hearing this, Shi Zun shook his head weakly. "Even I could only be Heavenly King for a few months. How many days will Jian manage?"

By now, Zhou Cheng had grasped his meaning and hurriedly beckoned to the armored soldiers behind him.

Two trusted soldiers bearing long halberds, their helmets adorned with crane feathers, immediately stepped forward to either side and stabbed the rightful Heavenly King of Great Zhao to death over the game board.

By then, the entire palace complex atop the terrace had dissolved into chaos. Zhou Cheng took Shi Zun's head, allowed his soldiers a bout of wholesale plundering, then joined the other general responsible for carrying out the operation, Su Yan, to report to Shi Min, Duke of Wuxing. When they reached the military camp inside the city, they found not only the immensely powerfully built Shi Min, but also Li Nong, another Han Chinese commander in the army, and Wang Ji, General of the Right Guard, who should originally have been guarding the Southern Terrace.

Generals Su and Zhou ignored Wang Ji, but saluted Shi Min and Li Nong in turn before presenting, one by one, the specific heads each had brought.

Besides Shi Zun, there were Crown Prince Shi Yan and confidants such as Meng Zhun, Wang Luan, and Zhang Fei, who had urged Shi Zun to deal with Shi Min. There were also the heads of two women.

Li Nong was advanced in years. At first, he thought the candlelight was insufficient and his eyes had deceived him. Only after stepping forward and wiping the blood from one woman's severed head did he turn back in shock. "Duke of Wuxing, didn't that eunuch just say Empress Dowager Zheng had sent him to warn you in secret? Empress Dowager Zheng was trying to save you. Why kill her?"

Sitting behind the candlelight, Shi Min's expression did not change. "Lord Li, I intend to resume my original surname. From this day forward, call me Ran Min! Those barbarian men of the ruling people cannot be trusted. You alone are the one I can rely on!"

Li Nong understood at once. Yes, things had reached the point where Shi Min... No, Ran Min had no path left except establishing himself independently. If so, what use was this empress dowager of the Shi family anymore?

"Kill them! Don't delay matters. Hurry to Fangtou and join Father!" Almost at the same moment, at the western city gate, under the rather excited direction of a man in his early thirties, several dozen fierce armored warriors of the Di people, who had just finished arming themselves, suddenly exploited the chaos to attack the poorly defended gate, cut their way through its guards, and escaped.

By dawn, they were already on the road south.

Of course, by then Liu Acheng, who had joined a wagon convoy of the Way of the Celestial Masters, was also on the road south.

As the poem said:

The wine was spent, the lamp burned low, the second watch of night; wind-driven snow beat at the window, reflecting empty light.

Northern horses galloped in, all arrogance and pride; when songs reached the southern wind, only voices of death survived.

From beyond the seas came no more wondrous news; within the realm, only stray mallows grew.

Who knew when the icebound cold would end? One glimpse of plum blossoms cleared the eyes again.

End of volume one.

PS: My heartfelt thanks to Uncle Ze and Shao Ni Le for becoming alliance leaders. I'm endlessly grateful.