Five miles of red paper lanterns swayed gently along the granite battlements of the Outer South Wall as the pale gray light of Sunday dawn crept across the southern plains of Great Qian. A hundred thousand mountain beasts marching on the south wall means two million citizens get free barbecue for a week, Gu Changsheng thought calmly.
Down at the outer foot of the city wall, the ten-foot-wide. Five-mile-long Fire-Brick Charcoal Roasting Trench—fed directly by a underground branch of Gu Changsheng’s Rank 4 Late Warm-Hearth Spirit-Fire Vein—glowed like a ribbon of molten rubies. Five hundred tons of smokeless applewood and star-iron charcoal radiated a steady.
Rhythmic wave of dry culinary heat that kept all fifty thousand Capital Garrison soldiers and two hundred thousand early-rising South Ward citizen volunteers warm in their shirtsleeves despite the late-autumn morning frost.
Suddenly, five miles out across the flat yellowing reed-plains south of the city moat, the earth began to tremble.
Thud-thud-thud-RUMMMMMBLE!
Inside the porcelain teacups resting on the thousand pine dining tables behind the wall, the hot soy milk rippled in concentric rings. Dust pebbles danced across the granite crenelations. Along the horizon, a dark, dust-choked wall of bristling black iron bristles,curved white tusks, and bloodshot red eyes burst out of the morning river-mist!
