"Alright, you may stay. However, you cannot speak—only he will."
A strict voice moved through the hall.
For the past half-hour Wei Fang had been arguing over whether Renshu could remain while General he tested a foreigner like me for loyalty to the empire.
Wei Fangs usual happy, clumsy façade had long since vanished. He was practically sparring with the general in a duel of words, while the rest of the men sat in polite ignorance.
A few of the other commanders attempted to chat with me during the wait. I replied with only a handful of words; my throat still felt unfamiliar with the deep, masculine voice I tried to reenact. Better to stay silent than betray my disguise.
At last the two men approached. Renshu wore the same grim mask he had held throughout the debate, while Wei Fang now smiled with suspicious brightness.
"Aryan, do not worry," Wei Fang said in a voice far too cheerful. "With talent like yours, we are absolutely recruiting you! All that remains is a simple little test, and you will be off to serve among the highest officials."
I forced myself not to flinch. A "simple little test," he called it. Yet everything about his expression screamed that he had something more in mind, something to humiliate Renshu, perhaps to prove that even a student trained by him could fail.
What was the reason for this hostility? Were they not once mentor and pupil? Surely they had shared a good relationship once.
My thoughts were interrupted as Renshu leaned close and whispered, low and urgent, "Speak only when spoken to. Remember: you were taught our language by a Chinese monk in Bharat. You have lived here for a month. You knew from the start that you would be trained by me, ever since our expedition to Bharat—and your age is twenty-eight. This is all Wei Fang knows about you. Do not forget it."
With that, he straightened and stepped aside, leading Wei Fang and me through a narrow corridor while my mind raced. Would I remember every detail? What if I slipped and contradicted the story?
The palace, which from the outside had seemed modest, revealed itself to be a maze. A single door opened to another corridor, which branched into long galleries and quiet chambers.
Even Renshu's own quarters had doors which might have lead to hidden passages. The architecture felt like an elaborate illusion designed to confuse intruders.
"Here," Renshu said at last.
The room we entered was small and bare. A single table sat in the center with two chairs facing each other; a few more chairs lined the walls.
There was no carpet, no windows. Lamps hung from the walls and rested on the floor, flooding the space with a bright, almost interrogatory light.
Wei Fang took the chair farthest from the door. Conveniently, he would be able to watch Renshu if my he sat along the wall, while I, seated opposite, would have my back to him. A calculated choice, though not surprising.
"Tell me, Aryan," Wei Fang began, voice smooth but eyes sharp, "why did you join the Chinese military? Bharat must surely have finer soldiers if they are all like you. And there, no one would demand a loyalty test."
For a heartbeat I hesitated, I did not expect him to be this honest. I forced my voice into its lowest register.
"Because Sir Renshu promised me that if I joined, he would ensure I could use my skills properly—my swordsmanship, my strategic skills, and—"
"Oh? Strategic skills, you say?"
A fleeting smile flickered across his face before he buried it again.
"Can you demonstrate these skills for me—"
"Wei Fang, you clearly stated you would only administer a loyalty test—" Renshu's voice rose in sudden anger, but the commander cut him off.
"Oh, cut it! You've known me for years, yet you act like the other dim commanders. Of course I will test his skills. I will test him on anything I please. Without my approval he cannot become an official, so stay in your place Renshu!"
The mask dropped completely. Gone was the cheerful façade; before me stood a man shaking with barely restrained fury.
I tried to keep my expression calm but could not hide my shock.
Wei Fang caught the flicker and sneered. "Don't act surprised. I know he told you about me—about how I really am."
Indeed, I knew he was cunning, but I had not expected such a sudden eruption.
He exhaled slowly, his tone turning cold. "I am tired. Making you an official would give you more trouble than letting you laze about in Renshu's palace. So I will ask you one question. Answer well, and I might consider you."
Silence fell heavy across the room. My heart pounded against my ribs. If I failed, every duel, every hour wasted on studying, every ounce of effort would vanish. I would become nothing more than a guest, useless, forgotten.
Wei Fang's eyes gleamed.
"The northern passes have been breached. A force of fifty thousand riders advances on the capital, hidden by a blizzard. Our scouts have been eliminated. They will reach the city walls in one week.
"We have a garrison of ten thousand soldiers, food for two months, and a treasury nearly empty. The emperor demands victory, not a siege. Tell me, Aryan: how do you defend the capital, defeat the enemy, and preserve the dynasty with nothing but snow and ten thousand men?"
My mind snapped into motion.
Fifty thousand against ten thousand. Impossible. No straightforward victory existed. Perhaps that was the point—he had told me to answer well, not correctly.
No—perhaps I was looking into this too much. Certainly there was a solution. I searched for an advantage. Snow. Cold. Terrain. If only our soldiers could become invisible…
Invisible.
An ambush.
The blizzard that hid them could hide us as well.
Yes.
But would that be enough? Could there be a better tactic? My thoughts spun like the storm outside.
"Your time is up, Aryan. Answer." Wei Fang's lips curled in a prideful half-smile.
With no other solutions coming to my mind I decided to go with this one. It was all or nothing.
I drew a deep breath.
"We must turn the enemy's arrogance against them. Their first mistake is their size—fifty thousand riders moving as one, intimidating but visible. If we mirror their mistake, our soldiers will be slaughtered.
"Instead, we make the capital appear empty, defenseless—a perfect trap. Our ten thousand men will divide into a thousand groups of ten, each carrying light weapons. Under cover of night they will move silently, striking where least expected. We will not meet the riders head-on. We will harass them. Poison their water, burn their supplies, raid their camps.
"With each night their morale will crumble. Hunger and exhaustion will gnaw at them. By the time they reach the city, they will be weakened and desperate. Then the emperor may claim victory without a single grand battle."
I finished with another breathless silence.
Wei Fang's piercing gaze never left. My heart hammered, waiting for a verdict. I glanced toward Renshu, but his face remained unreadable.
"You…" Wei Fang finally said, voice low and deliberate. "Were you the son of a commander or a general?"
"No," I answered.
"The question I asked you describes a campaign I commanded fifteen years ago. I proposed the very tactic you described."
My eyes widened despite myself. "Did it succeed?"
"Yes. Perfectly..." He rose, walked past me with a face that looked like he had seen a ghost, and bent to whisper something in Renshu's ear. Then, with one last assessing glance, he left the chamber.
I nearly ran to Renshu's side, searching his expression for a clue.
He regarded me calmly, neither smiling nor frowning.
"You passed, from this day forward, you are an official tactician."