The weeping shook the wilderness, and Zhang Xing, who had remained in Liyang, heard it too. Fortunately, it seemed to be an isolated occurrence: as the sun set, the weeping stopped. Besides, Zhang Xing could more or less understand those tears... whether people had remembered relatives who had starved to death over the past few years, or realized upon seeing the grain that the post-New Year famine they had worried about for more than half a year had finally been averted, and then wept for joy, either was understandable.
When a dynasty rose, the people suffered; when it fell, the people suffered. For the people of Hebei and the Central Plains who had lived through Great Wei's rise and decline, those words rang especially true.
The weeping stopped that evening, easing Zhang Xing's mind a little. After a bowl of millet porridge, he retired early to his room, lit a lamp, and began writing letters. At first, they were merely letters catching up and chatting about old times.
The first was to Bai Yousi. It was a fairly long letter, recounting recent events and his own changing thoughts in detail, interspersed with all sorts of opinions on people and affairs, conjectures about the situation, and preparations: from his recollections of Yuan Da to today's weeping, from Dou Lide's unconcealable ambition to Xu Shiying's cold-eyed observation, from the situation in the Western Pass to the possible great war in Hebei, and his doubts and bewilderment over the progress of his own cultivation... Finally, he placed particular emphasis on one matter: he hoped Bai Yousi would continue to keep her troops steady and fulfill their role as a strategic reserve, ensuring, if necessary, that they could receive and support the Exorcising the Dragon Gang's main force and core leadership on their risky