Scouts reported that General Xun had chosen the dry lake to block the south road. The basin spread wide and flat under the morning sun. Salt crust covered the shallows, broken only by iron stakes planted along the eastern approach. There were few places to hide if a charge began.
Wei spread the map across a crate. “If we cross straight through the basin, the shields will take the full strike. If we wait, Xun will have time to reinforce the road.”
Yan leaned over the map. “I’ll draw his strongest fighters away from the stakes.”
“You’ll have no cover,” Wei said.
“I’ll take the first line, then turn along the open center. Leave a gap in the shield wall for me to return.”
Wei studied the stakes and nodded. “We’ll hold the center. If you signal twice, we move forward. If you raise one hand, we stay.”
The coalition captains repeated the signals to their teams. Yan went to the front with his bracers fastened. Ashen Marrow would protect him from the ordinary force of a charge, but the iron stakes were real obstacles and the arrows were still steel.
The imperial line held on the far side of the basin. Its soldiers wore no Commander’s Harvest marks. Wei recognized the difference from the formation that had drained its own troops to empower a commander.
