Marshal Shuai, Advisor Shi and Palace Gong

Outside the palace, the board rang with the sharp clatter of battle. A Red Chariot slammed down an open file, its polished wood smacking against the table. Across the river, an enemy Cannon shifted behind a screen piece, locking onto a straight line of sight. The danger was immediate. A single open column pointed straight into the heart of the palace.

Shuai did not rush. He stepped sideways, moving exactly one space along the grid line.

"New players always complain when they first learn my rules," Shuai remarked. His voice was calm despite the mounting noise across the river. "They pick up my piece, look at the wide board, and ask why the commander moves so slowly."

He gestured toward the far edge of the river, where a Red Horse carved an awkward L-shaped path through the crowd.

"The Horse jumps across boundaries," Shuai said. "The Chariot sweeps across six spaces in a single breath. But if I tried to run out there with them, I would be captured in two moves. My strength is not distance. My strength is presence."

Shuai stepped back one point, remaining strictly within the nine marked intersections. He could move forward, backward, or sideways, but never diagonally. He would never step beyond the border of the palace.

"The entire army exists to protect this square," Shuai said. "If I fall, the war ends on the spot. So I stay where the defense is strongest."

Positioned directly along the diagonal slash of the X stood Advisor Shi.

Shi’s disk was smaller, carved with sharp edges and a light frame. While the Marshal moved along straight lines, Shi moved strictly on the diagonals. He slid one step upward along the angled mark. He placed his body directly between the General and the advancing enemy Chariot.

"I don't cross the river either," Shi said, his voice light and precise. "I don't capture enemy towers or smash through their forward ranks. That was never my role."

He adjusted his stance on the diagonal intersection, completely closing the open line.

"My job is to stand in the doorway," Shi added. "The Chariot ranges far because it has no home to guard. I stay close because I have someone to keep."

Shi could only occupy five specific points inside the palace. These were the four outer corners and the single point at the center where the lines crossed. That short track kept him tied to Shuai at all times. Whenever an enemy piece threatened the palace perimeter, Shi was already in position. He was ready to interpose his own disk.

"It isn't flashy work," Shi said, watching the Red Cannon shift across the river. "Nobody sings songs about the piece that never left the corner. But without us, the General wouldn't last ten moves."

Across the board, the opposing player reached out and slid the Red Chariot two squares closer. The piece stopped right on the line bordering the palace.

The threat was immediate. The Chariot was aligned directly on the vertical file. Inside the nine points, the geometry worked with effortless precision.

Shuai stepped sideways, clearing the line of fire. Shi slid down the diagonal mark, taking up a new defensive angle. Together, their movements looked like interlocking gears inside a small watch. Every step was brief, efficient, and entirely contained.

"Notice how little space we actually need," Gong said as the two pieces shifted. "Nine intersections. That is the whole stage."

"Nine intersections is plenty," Shuai said, resting on his new point. "When the space is clear, you don't waste energy on useless steps."

Across the board, the opposing player paused. The heavy Red Chariot sat on the palace threshold, but every path inward was blocked. Shi's diagonal reach guarded the entry point. Shuai's sideways shift kept him entirely out of reach. The attacking piece had tremendous speed, but speed meant nothing against a locked frame.

"They always spend so much effort trying to force a way in," Shi said with a dry grin. "They forget that holding your ground takes skill too."

The opponent sighed, picked up the Chariot, and pulled it back toward the river. The immediate threat dissolved.

On the southern square, the three components reset their stance.