Lora of Two Worlds

Outside White Horse Gate. The small band that had infiltrated toward Stoneford gathered in the White Horse Shrine.

No borrowed reinforcements. Leon moved to the backup plan.

"Among the northern marcher lords, the Duke of Greyhollow March most deserves death." Leon began:

"Ten years ago, he slaughtered Lord Tobias and his entire household, three hundred souls, for surrendering to the crown.

The crown couldn't punish him. Had to confirm him as marcher duke. Since then, no northern lord has been willing to submit. Nobody wants to be the next Lord Tobias.

The loyal, the crown can't protect. The wolves, they pass their titles down for generations. Who would pledge to such a crown?"

"Even if we storm in and kill him, who do we replace him with?" Corin asked.

"His eldest son is as bloodthirsty as he's. His son-in-law, Sheffield Hornzhang, leans toward the crown, serves in Augustburg as captain of the City Watch. He'd do." Roland and the others had discussed this.

But a son-in-law wasn't family, the garrison might not accept him. This was the perennial problem of a weak crown and strong domains. Alvin had suggested: if no one else, take the duke, and park Roland here as a placeholder.

But that was clearly a trap.

"No, not my brother. The duke has a second son. He's loyal to the crown. He's also... quite... quite capable." Lora blurted it out.

In history, this second son had ruled Greyhollow March for twenty years. Annual levy. Sent troops to help the crown suppress rebellions. Married a princess.

She couldn't tell them everything, that from this son onward, Greyhollow March's descendants would hold Stoneford for the Empire until the very end.

A traveler who could "see the future", if she'd been born a man with power, it would be easy. As a girl who shouldn't know anything, she couldn't say everything.

Luckily, Leon had experience with this. He nodded:

"That works. At least we won't need to risk anyone. I recall the garrison commander at White Horse Gate, the duke's trusted man. Named Lothair. Five hundred troops. If we take the gate by stealth and impersonate him, we enter the city."

Lothair? Roland thought: You're remarkably well-informed. I'm in the army and I didn't know Lothair was posted here. You, a prince raised in palaces, noticed such a small figure?

Leon: Did I waste my former life? A year from now, a mutiny would be suppressed. The commendation report would name "White Horse Gate Commander Lothair."

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White Horse Gate took its name from the shrine they sheltered in. Too remote, the shrine had fallen to ruin.

It served as Stoneford's western gate because the mountain road was narrow and steep, easy to defend, hard to attack.

Fulke and Shawn scouted the gate before dark.

No wonder only a few hundred men were needed. The road was so narrow that even ten thousand would have to queue single file.

"Taking this gate without them knowing, nearly impossible. Even if we climb the mountain, we'd need someone who knows the terrain." Fulke said.

And after climbing over, they'd need to come back and take the gate garrison. Otherwise, how to borrow their name for entering the city?

They were stuck. Corin shed his weapons, kept only a belt knife:

"I'll take a few men, dress as woodcutters. See if we can get inside."

The sun was still on the treetops. A few travelers passed through the gate. Corin and two Turkic boys, each carrying a load of firewood, walked toward the checkpoint.

Leon's group found a high point, hid in the brush. Lora lay flat in the grass.

At the checkpoint, the guards demanded they untie the bundles for inspection.

"Normally, commoners may carry blades. But it looks like they want Corin to surrender his knife..." Roland frowned. They saw Corin refusing, being shoved back by the guards.

"Even if he got in, without weapons, and they wouldn't let anyone linger." Leon shook his head.

Corin picked up his knife, shouldered his wood, and walked back.

The men still hadn't devised a plan. Lora, lying in the grass, was watching with fascination.

Roland waved his hand before her eyes: "What are you looking at? Never seen a gate? White Horse Gate is small, but it guards against steppe raiders coming down the Feihu Corridor from the northern plains."

Lora didn't seem to hear. She murmured: "The wall is very tall."

"Gates are always that tall." Roland had barely spoken when Leon nodded:

"Yes, you're observant. White Horse Gate's wall is taller than most."

"A wall this tall, from above, you can't see clearly what's below, right? Can you climb it?"

The Odenheim guards knew their young lady. They laughed: "My lady, we've grappling hooks. Scaling a wall isn't the problem. But the guards aren't blind. We'd be spotted at the base before we could climb."

Lora stood, brushed grass from her clothes, and asked Roland: "Brother, have you heard the story of 'the Fog-Ruse of the Arrow Borrowers'?"

"Of course. From the Chronicle of the Twin Crowns. The general used river fog and straw figures to borrow arrows from his enemy."

"Today we don't borrow arrows. But we'll make a few hundred straw men. When it's dark, we'll give the White Horse Gate garrison a taste of 'something from nothing.'"

Roland immediately recalled the Old Book of Stratagems. The first of the "enemy-engagement" stratagems: "Something from Nothing."

"Deceive, but not merely deceive, make the deception real." Roland didn't think it was grand strategy, but he knew it by heart. Thinking of the straw men, he grinned:

"Brilliant! False and real together. Perfect for soldiers who think one man can hold a gate against ten thousand."

"Good, good, you can be taught. Mo, Jian, have everyone make straw figures your height. Two each!" Lora happily directed the Turkic boys off to gather straw.

Corin returned, saw everyone running into the grass: "What are you doing?"

"The lady says make straw men, two each. Hurry, Corin, or the grass will be stripped!"

Leon, hands behind his back, studied Roland with a knowing smile: "What's this about deceive and not-deceive? You and my little cousin are in cahoots..."

"That's my sister's military manual, the 'Book of the Nine Realms.' A Odenheim family secret! I'm not telling you!"

Roland, grinning, led his men off to build straw men. Leon stood, half-doubting.

"The 'Book of the Nine Realms'? Something from nothing?"

Lyle, however, believed completely: "Makes sense, my lord. Think about it, the young lady has so many tricks. Maybe they're all written in this book. Someday, when you marry her, she'll bring it as her dowry. Let Lyle have a read..."

"Am I the kind of man who covets a book?"

Hands behind his back, Leon went happily to watch them build straw men.

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