408

  The Prelude to the Great Battle of Poyang Lake

  On the road toward the great battle at Poyang Lake,

  Chen Youliang—his momentum regained—clung to Yun Dam with the expression of a top student eager for praise.

  “Ohoho, Master Yun! Then now… what should we do?”

  Yun Dam did not answer.

  He raised a hand and summoned Park Seong-jin and all senior advisors.

  Zhu Deming.

  Chen Cong.

  Wang Ren.

  Chen De.

  Those who had traded victories and defeats for years,

  the so-called Chen Youliang faction, all gathered in one place.

  Without a word, Yun Dam spread out the map.

  Then, in a voice that pressed directly on the army’s heart, he spoke.

  “The enemy is coming.”

  The air inside the tent visibly sank.

  “The report says two hundred thousand.

  Of course, that number is inflated.

  Not even half will be real.

  But fewer numbers do not mean less danger.”

  He continued calmly.

  “They are well-trained troops.

  Their loyalty is strong, and their commanders’ leadership exceeds expectation.

  They are the very reason Zhu Yuanzhang has become such a formidable enemy.”

  Yun Dam pointed to the southern part of the map.

  “When word reaches them that Nanchang has fallen,

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  Zhu Yuanzhang’s relief army will be consumed by rage.

  The forces advancing by land are here.

  Two days away—perhaps three.”

  His finger lingered.

  “Their pace will slow.

  There is even a chance they turn back.”

  At that, Chen Youliang’s eyes changed.

  The playfulness vanished, replaced by cold focus.

  “Then… we strike them too?”

  Yun Dam nodded.

  “Of course.”

  A senior commander stepped forward.

  “Give me five thousand troops!

  I will crush them in one blow!”

  Chen Youliang did not answer immediately.

  He looked to Yun Dam.

  Yun Dam gave the slightest nod.

  “Advance—but lie in ambush.

  Here.

  Not a frontal assault.

  A breaking ambush.”

  “By your command!”

  Yun Dam pointed to a narrow passage descending south from Jingdezhen.

  The moment the commander saw the terrain, his eyes lit up.

  “I would strike from here—”

  Yun Dam cut him off.

  “Commander Yao.”

  “Yes!”

  “If you move on your own again,

  His Majesty said he would have your head.”

  Chen Youliang’s eyes widened.

  Did I really say that? he wondered.

  Everyone swallowed at once.

  Commander Yao bowed deeply.

  “I obey. I will follow orders.”

  Yun Dam turned to Park Seong-jin.

  “Take the martial unit with you.

  When it’s done, come here.

  Advance north and strike the enemy’s rear.

  Return immediately.”

  “Yes.”

  Yun Dam tapped the center of the map.

  At the entrance to Poyang Lake, one character was marked.

  Hukou.

  “Zhu Yuanzhang will place an ambush here without fail.”

  Chen Youliang flinched.

  “How do you know?”

  “They remember what happened at Longwan—

  how Your Majesty was trapped in the channel and defeated.”

  Chen Youliang stared at Yun Dam.

  Not comprehension—

  something closer to awe.

  He’s nearly a diviner, someone thought.

  He’s reading the enemy’s mind completely.

  Yun Dam tapped the opposite side of the map.

  “Second—Jiangkou.

  Our retreat route.

  And their escape route.”

  He scanned the room and concluded.

  “They’ve placed their line of engagement

  and their line of retreat on the same axis.”

  At that moment, Yun Dam looked at Park Seong-jin.

  “So that place—”

  Park Seong-jin answered lightly.

  “Me?

  You’re saying I have to go there too?

  I’m already quite busy, you know.”

  The awkward tone made the entire tent burst into laughter.

  Even Yun Dam smiled.

  “Burn it all, Middle Commander Park.”

  “Yes.”

  Yun Dam’s pointer struck the map.

  “They won’t flee downriver.

  They’ll escape southeast.

  It’s a feint.”

  Chen Cong asked,

  “Do we pursue?”

  “No.”

  Yun Dam was firm.

  “The riverbed there is extremely shallow.

  More dangerous during high water.

  Our ships are large—they’ll run aground on sandbars.

  And the wind there shifts constantly.”

  Chen Youliang nodded.

  “Master Yun, without you,

  I would have fallen for it again.”

  Yun Dam did not respond.

  He looked at Park Seong-jin.

  “Middle Commander Park.”

  “Yes.”

  “Your role begins now.”

  Park Seong-jin traced the map with his eyes—

  southeast, north, west.

  The battlefield was already moving in his mind.

  “Leaves a bitter taste,” he muttered.

  “I wonder where you’ll send me this time.”

  Yun Dam stepped closer, voice low.

  “I will give you a chance to take Zhu Yuanzhang.”

  Park Seong-jin’s pupils trembled.

  “Until yesterday,

  you said a blade cannot reach one favored by Heaven.”

  Yun Dam answered quietly—

  but without hesitation.

  “Heaven changes.”

  The wind passed between them.

  The battlefield had already begun to move.