Wang Yang returned to the Commandery Academy and found Black Han waiting for him.
The moment Black Han saw Wang Yang, he dropped to one knee and cupped his fists. "Young master, save me!" His voice was earnest, with an edge of urgency.
"Get up!" Wang Yang said. "What happened? Take your time and tell me."
"Yes! This morning, I received orders transferring me to garrison duty in Tianmen Commandery. Tianmen is over four hundred li from Jingzhou City. Once I go, I might not get home until the end of the year, and then I won't be able to look after A-Wu..."
Before the Tang dynasty, six chi made one pace, and three hundred paces made one li, so a li equaled eighteen hundred chi. In the Southern Dynasties, one chi measured 24.7 centimeters. The distance was not all that great; it could be covered on foot in two days.
But soldiers received only three days of leave a month, and Black Han would need four days for the round trip. There simply was not enough time. Nor did he know whether the squad leader there would be accommodating. The man might not let him save up his leave for a longer break at all.
Moreover, Tianmen lay close to the southern tribes, and the pressure on its garrisons was far greater than here. Even ordinary monthly leave might not be guaranteed. In that case, he would have no way to return home regularly to look after A-Wu, and even sending her grain and money each month would become a problem.
After listening to Black Han's explanation, Wang Yang asked, "Tianmen is close to the southern tribes. Will it be dangerous?"
"I don't know exactly where they'll send me, but wherever it is, it'll certainly be much more dangerous