"My husband, you must return in triumph."
"I've charged in and out of the battlefield seven times as if it were nothing. This time, I'll expand our territory, win glory and merit, and secure even greater wealth and honor for our family. You ladies should live well at home and teach the children. I'll be back in a year or two."
Before the Jiangning Duke's Residence, Wang Yan, dressed in fitted combat attire, bid farewell to his many wives, concubines, and children. He did not let them see him off, instead riding away with twenty retainers.
After Wang Yan was elevated to the rank of county duke, his retainer quota increased, and he now had more than fifty men. Of course, he had far more retainers in reality. That was standard practice among military commanders—what general did not have a hundred or so private soldiers under his command?
The great clans were the same. Without armed forces to guard them, how would they dare seek fortunes overseas?
Still, Wang Yan did not bring that many people. A few men who could conveniently deliver messages and handle affairs were enough; most remained at home to work. His retainers were all hardened killers, reliable in everything they did...
Outside the city, he joined up with Li Jing and the second- and third-generation descendants of several other families. With Yang Guang seeing them off ten li beyond the city, Wang Yan and his party spurred their horses toward Wild Goose Gate.
Wang Yan's combat strength was famously formidable, while his casualty rate was famously low. Of the six hundred men who had gone out, more than three hundred returned alive. Though quite a few had been wounded or maimed, over two hundred of them recovered well enough to continue serving and fighting.
A