In the twelfth lunar month, a snowfall neither heavy nor light descended, froze, then melted. By the time the clear weather returned, it had grown colder still. In Hebei and Henan, the small rivers had already frozen over in the eleventh month, allowing easy passage. Now even large waterways like the Zhang River could be crossed as though they were level ground, while the true "Great River" entered its frozen season in what barely qualified as a mild winter.
But the ice was not yet very solid. Even the components of the floating bridges could still be retrieved by breaking through it. Only certain stretches could bear pedestrians, and none could carry horses or carts. What followed would still depend on the weather. Another north wind or light snowfall could easily freeze the Great River completely; if neither came, and the days simply grew warmer, that would be all this winter amounted to.
Returning to the present, amid the cold weather, the internal response to what Chief Zhang had done in early twelfth month was actually less intense than might have been expected, compared with the reactions of neighboring powers. Everyone had become somewhat desensitized. Everyone in the gang was already used to their chief's outrageous pronouncements-or rather, to his constantly doing things they considered rather insubstantial.
Of course, this did not mean they turned a deaf ear to such matters. Experience had shown that these "empty displays" of their chief's always did have some effect. This time alone, the popular response to the "Civil Law" was rather too strong, its effect rather too obvious. Thus, over the next few days, swept along by public opinion, discussion throughout the Exorcising the Dragon Gang centered on it, which instead led some people to question their own guesses and chosen points of