Chapter 4: Entering the City
As the carriage moved forward, Li Yan lowered his head in thought after hearing all that was said. After a while, he looked up at the worried faces of Li Yu and Li Shan.
"It's not really that bad. If it's as Uncle Guoxin said, that the enemy forces have been repelled several times, then even if there's more fighting later, there probably won't be any major battles for a while.
After several failed assaults with such heavy casualties, the enemy soldiers must be wary of Marshal Hong by now. They must know that unless the commanding general here changes, or if a natural disaster strikes, they won't have a real chance of breaking through.
But even then, Marshal Hong and his advisors have surely already considered such possibilities. They are all veterans of many battles, so a massive enemy assault shouldn't happen easily."
Hearing these words, Li Guoxin couldn't help but look at Li Yan in surprise.
Indeed, the situation was just as Li Yan said. Over the past year, Meng Kingdom had not launched another major attack on Great Qing Pass, only occasional small cavalry raids.
"How did you come to think of this?"
Li Guoxin asked, full of surprise and curiosity.
Li Yan replied: "Uncle Guoxin, it's similar to when we go hunting in the mountains.
When we're surrounded by a pack of wolves, isn't it always you who bravely steps forward and leads everyone to fend them off?
After killing some of the wolves, the rest start getting scared and retreat. They're afraid of you, Uncle Guoxin. Unless we mess up our defense ourselves, there's no real danger."
After hearing this, Li Guoxin laughed heartily, slapping the edge of the carriage.
"You put it that way, and it really does make sense! It's just like fighting off wild beasts! Hahaha..."
At that moment, a voice suddenly called out from ahead:
"Well said, young man! Our Marshal Hong and Strategist Ji are indeed peerless talents of this era.
Those thieving bastards from Meng Kingdom have launched four or five major offensives, all without success and they even lost a vice-commander's head to Strategist Ji!
By now, they're scared stiff. Now, we often take the initiative and attack them, and it's driven the enemy soldiers to the point of despair."
It turned out that without realizing it, they had already reached the city gate.
About a dozen armored soldiers stood in two rows at the gate, while a man stood alone in the middle of the road.
He wore a waist-sheathed saber and armor like the others, but the top of his helmet bore a splash of red plume, making him distinct from the rest.
He was of medium build, with a dark beardless face, a high hooked nose, and sharp, piercing eyes staring straight at them.
Standing in front of the two rows of soldiers, blocking the entrance, it was clear he was the squad leader.
The one who had just spoken was this man, and he now looked at Li Yan with some interest.
After all, from Li Yan's appearance that was sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in coarse cloth, it was clear he was no wealthy young master. Had it been a nobleman's son, he wouldn't have been surprised, since those children often heard such things from their elders and parroted them.
But here at the northern gate, the travelers were usually just local villagers or merchants from within the empire.
The pampered sons of nobles rarely came to such remote borders to play, given the ever-present risks.
Seeing Li Yan's simple village attire yet hearing his thoughtful words intrigued the man.
Noticing the gaze, Li Yan immediately leaped down from the carriage and bowed respectfully:
"Please forgive this junior's foolish words, Your Excellency."
Such etiquette had been drilled into them by the old scholar in the village.
Though everyone in the village usually spoke crudely among themselves, the old scholar had been strict with the younger generation, seeing them as his pride and joy.
He constantly reminded them never to act like savages or barbarians, always to show proper manners, especially toward officials, because, after all, "no one blames the overly courteous."
The squad leader was merely curious about Li Yan's words. Hearing this polite apology, he said no more.
Instead, he turned to Li Guoxin and asked:
"What business brings you to the city?"
By then, Li Guoxin had already pulled the cart to a stop, walked up to the officer, and respectfully replied:
"Reporting to you, esteemed officer! I am the village head of Li Family Village in Great Qing Mountain. Here is our travel permit."
As he spoke, he handed over the prepared document with both hands and continued:
"I have brought several young men to the city, some to apprentice and one to enlist in the army. We've traveled far and only just now arrived."
The squad leader took the document, glanced at it, and nodded:
"It checks out."
When he heard "enlist in the army," he smiled:
"Enlisting in the Imperial Guards, are you?"
Li Guoxin quickly answered:
"Yes, precisely!"
The man's gaze swept over the three youths.
"Which one of them is joining the army?"
Li Guoxin pointed to Li Yan:
"Esteemed officer, only this one here. The other two will become apprentices."
Following his finger, the officer looked closely at Li Yan and said:
"Oh, it's you! You had some insightful words just now, joining the army suits you well.
Our Marshal Hong now places great value on clever and capable men, not just strong soldiers."
Hearing this, Li Yan bowed again:
"Thank you for your encouragement, esteemed officer!"
The officer waved dismissively:
"Hurry along then. The Imperial Guards are recruiting only one hundred and fifty men this time. It's already the second day of recruitment, and the spots are filling up fast.
After all, serving in the Imperial Guards is safer, less bloody and the pay is only slightly lower than the front-line troops."
He paused, then said to Li Yan:
"I am Liu Chengyong, captain of the third squad of the Battle C Battalion. Perhaps we'll cross paths again in the future."
Li Yan found it strange, were military officers all so easy to talk to? But he dared not voice the thought aloud.
Seeing this, Li Guoxin hurriedly answered for him:
"Captain Liu, if this young man is fortunate enough to enter the army, please feel free to command him as needed."
Liu Chengyong laughed: "Good! Very good!"
He then handed the travel permit back to Li Guoxin, stepped aside, and motioned for them to enter the city.
Li Guoxin tucked the permit into his chest, gave thanks, and called for Li Yan and the others to get back on the carriage. He then drove slowly into the city gate.
Yet his heart was full of puzzlement: he knew full well that soldiers were usually hardened men soaked in blood. Normally, unless facing senior officials, they were blunt and rough with common folk.
At best, they'd give a grunt and wave you through; at worst, they might beat you for some flimsy excuse or even throw you into jail unless you paid a hefty bribe.
But today, he had other pressing matters on his mind, so he didn't dwell on it and hastily drove on.
As their group entered the city, a nearby soldier curiously asked Liu Chengyong:
"Captain Liu, why were you so polite to that village kid?"
Liu Chengyong glanced at him and said lightly:
"In our army now, when it comes to fighting, Marshal Hong calls the shots. But ever since Strategist Ji saved Marshal Hong from an enemy siege and personally decapitated a Meng Kingdom vice-commander in the middle of tens of thousands of troops, well, nowadays, Marshal Hong often lets Strategist Ji have the final say."
He continued:
"Every year, during recruitment, Strategist Ji personally goes to the training grounds to test the new recruits, one by one. Especially those who've studied a bit."
At this point, his expression turned strange.
After all, during each conscription, though the number of applicants was limited, since the introduction of advance subsidies, several dozen to a few hundred people would still come forward..
Even so, Strategist Ji insisted on personally inspecting every single one, like he was hand-picking elite soldiers.
While everyone later understood the reason behind it, the fact that Strategist Ji tested each person individually was exhausting and tiring, and yet he remained unwavering in his methods, which left people feeling somewhat puzzled
Another soldier chimed in:
"Yes, yes I heard that Strategist Ji is looking for a suitable person to be his successor.
His martial arts are nothing short of extraordinary, likely a top level expert in the martial world. After all, it was thanks to his skill that he was able to take the head of the enemy general in the midst of ten thousand soldiers, and even bring back General Hong and a whole troop of men. If anyone could inherit his skills, they could roam the world freely!"
Another soldier glanced around before whispering:
"Too bad our whole battilion has been tested one by one but none could enter his eyes.
But I've heard that last year, Strategist Ji selected a suitable disciple from a small unit in the central army. Only a few know about him. He was just an ordinary soldier with no special qualities, just another one among tens of thousands, a nobody only recognizable to his immediate squad leader.
Later, Strategist Ji took him back to his estate for training, but it's rumored that he died from qi deviation during training because he was uneducated and didn't understand the proper flow of his meridians."
Another soldier added, speaking in an even lower voice:
"Yeah, people said he swelled up black and blue, horrible to look at. But that just shows how fierce and overbearing Strategist Ji's martial arts must be."
The other soldiers around nodded, murmuring that they'd heard of it. At this moment, with no one else around, they began discussing among themselves.
Liu Chengyong shot a glare at them:
"Shut up! The higher-ups have forbidden discussing Strategist Ji's matters outside. Do you want to cause trouble for me?"
The soldiers immediately shrank their necks and hurriedly responded:
"Yes, yes!"
They immediately stopped talking about it.
At that moment, another soldier asked curiously: "But Captain, why favor that boy? Could he really catch Strategist Ji's eye?"
Liu Chengyong smiled faintly:
"Can't say for sure, but I think that kid has some insight, he's not stupid. From the way he spoke, it seems like he's read books, something Strategist Ji values. Unlike you lot, who can barely scribble your names when collecting your pay."
The soldiers burst into laughter. Being able to sign their own names was already an achievement for most of them.
Liu Chengyong added:
"I was just giving a little friendly advice. As for the chance, maybe there's a possibility!
Anyway, stay alert on duty. Stop gossiping, if someone reports you, you'll lose your heads without even realizing it."
Liu Chengyong's warning hung in the air. While he tolerated their banter in private, he couldn't risk others overhearing.
The soldiers nodded and quickly fell back into line, but in their hearts, they couldn't help but wonder about Liu Chengyong's actions, seems like he was casting a wide net to see if he could catch a big fish later on.
(Chapter End)