Entering the City

After hearing this, Li Yan glanced at Li Yu and Li Shan. "It's nothing much.

"If things ahead are truly as Uncle Guoxin said, and the enemy has been repelled several times already, then even if fighting breaks out again later, there probably won't be any major battles for the time being. After several assaults on the city failed to take the county seat, with such heavy casualties, the enemy soldiers should already be wary of Marshal Hong.

"They surely know that unless they replace their commanding general, they may have no chance of breaking into the city. Only a natural disaster or an internal breach from within the city might work. But Marshal Hong and his advisers must have thought of such things already. They are all people hardened by countless battles, so a large enemy army should not press forward again so easily."

Upon hearing this, Li Guoxin could not help staring at Li Yan in surprise. Things had indeed unfolded just as Li Yan had said. For nearly a year now, Meng Kingdom had not sent another large army against Green Mountain Pass, though small bands of cavalry still occasionally harassed and raided it. For Li Yan to be able to say such things showed that the boy's thoughts were mature, unlike those youths who failed to consider matters thoroughly.

"This little brother speaks very well. Our Marshal Hong and Strategist Ji are peerless fierce generals and great talents. Those Meng Kingdom bastards attacked with armies four or five times and failed, yet Strategist Ji even took the head of their deputy commander. Their guts have long since been scared to pieces. Now our army often marches out to attack them as well, beating those enemy scoundrels until they cry bitterly without end."

At that moment, a voice suddenly came from ahead. Before they knew it, they had reached the city gate. More than a dozen armored soldiers stood in rows on either side of the gate, while one man stood in the middle before them. A saber hung at his waist, and he too wore armor, except a red tassel adorned the top of his helmet. He was of average build, dark-faced and beardless, with a high nose that hooked slightly like an eagle's beak. His gaze flashed like lightning as he watched them. Standing ahead of the two rows of soldiers, he happened to block the entrance to the city gate. He was likely their leader.

This man had been the one speaking just now. As he looked at Li Yan, surprise also showed in his eyes. Li Yan appeared only sixteen or seventeen from his frame, and he wore coarse cloth rather than the clothes of some rich young master. Had he been one of those young masters, the man would not have found it strange. People of such birth often heard their elders discuss these events at home, and it was hardly remarkable for them to come out and parrot what they had heard. The people who came through the north gate they guarded today were generally villagers from the lands under its jurisdiction or merchants traveling within the imperial dynasty. In recent years, those young masters from the court would not come here to play, for some things could still go wrong unexpectedly.

Judging by Li Yan's attire, he certainly did not think him some young master from the court playing at traveling incognito. For a village boy to possess such insight aroused his interest.

So he spoke a few words.

Seeing the other man looking at him, Li Yan immediately leapt down from the cart, straightened himself, and bowed. "This boy spoke nonsense just now. Please forgive me, sir." The old scholar in the village had taught them no small amount about propriety. He had made them remember that they must not behave like uncivilized outsiders or barbarian rabble, and insisted that they practice properly. In truth, everyone in the village knew one another, and as country farmers, they still spoke crudely to each other often enough. But the old scholar had been extremely strict in disciplining these youngsters. This was likely the proudest accomplishment of his life.

The leader had merely been somewhat curious. After hearing Li Yan's words, he said no more. He then turned to Li Guoxin and asked, "What are you entering the city for at this hour?"

Li Guoxin had already reined in the cart and come before the man who looked like the leader. He answered respectfully, "Reporting to you, sir, I am the village chief of Li Family Village on Great Green Mountain. This is our travel permit." As he spoke, he took out the permit he had prepared beforehand and offered it with both hands. "I have brought several youngsters into the city to become apprentices and enlist in the army."

The leader took the travel permit and examined it, then nodded. "Everything is in order."

When he heard the words "enlist in the army," he smiled. "Are you joining the Imperial Guard?"

Li Guoxin hurriedly replied, "Yes."

The man continued, "Which of these people are enlisting?"

Li Guoxin pointed at Li Yan. "Sir, only he is joining the army. The other two are becoming apprentices."

Upon hearing this, the man turned his head and followed Li Guoxin's finger to Li Yan. Once he saw that it was him, he said, "Oh, so it's you. What you said earlier had some insight to it. Enlisting is quite suitable for you. Marshal Hong now places great value on those with strategic talent. After all, there are still plenty of soldiers with strength."

Hearing this, Li Yan bowed again. "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

The leader waved his hand. "Then hurry along. This time, the Imperial Guard is only recruiting one hundred and fifty men. It's already the second day, and this camp has been recruiting quite quickly. They will probably fill their quota today. After all, the Imperial Guard counts as a logistics unit. They see little bloodshed, and their pay is only a little lower than ours on the front lines."

After a pause, he said to Li Yan, "My name is Liu Chengyong. I am the captain of the third squad of Battle C Camp. We may well have dealings with each other in the future."

After hearing this, Li Yan found it very strange. Were all the people in the barracks this easy to talk to? But he did not dare ask aloud and merely said, "Captain Liu, if this boy is fortunate enough to enter the barracks, then should you have any orders, please command me."

Liu Chengyong laughed heartily. "Very good, very good." He then returned the travel permit to Li Guoxin, stepped aside to clear the way, and waved them into the city.

Li Guoxin accepted the permit and tucked it into his robe. After thanking him, he called for Li Yan to get on the cart quickly, then drove slowly toward the gate passage. Yet he remained puzzled by Captain Liu's words. He knew that these soldiers were ruthless men who had rolled through blood and water more times than anyone could count. Other than when facing officials, he had never seen them be so polite to people like himself. At best, they would grunt an "oh" and let someone through, which was already something to thank heaven and earth for. At worst, they would find an excuse to beat someone up. If misfortune struck, they might lock a person up for several days, and without spending silver to grease the palms of those in charge, one could forget about getting out easily. But he had matters weighing on his mind now, so he did not dwell on it and hurriedly drove the cart into the city.

As they entered the city, a soldier beside Liu Chengyong asked curiously, "Chief Liu, why were you so polite to a country boy?"

Liu Chengyong glanced at him and said flatly, "When it comes to fighting, Marshal Hong has the final say in this army. But ever since Strategist Ji rescued Marshal Hong from the enemy's encirclement last time, and, like some divine being, took the enemy deputy marshal's head from amid ten thousand troops, Marshal Hong has let Strategist Ji decide many matters. Over the past two years, Strategist Ji has personally gone to the training grounds during every recruitment, testing each soldier who applies, especially those who have studied."

As he spoke, he wore an equally puzzled expression. Though the number of applicants was limited during each recruitment, ever since families began receiving advance subsidies for enlistment, there would still be anywhere from dozens to hundreds of applicants each time. Even so, Strategist Ji personally tested the physical condition of every single recruit. Everyone later came to know the reason, but whenever they considered the enormous workload of personally testing people one by one, they still found it rather strange.

The soldier beside him chimed in, "Yes, yes. I heard Lord Ji wants to select a suitable candidate as the inheritor of his mantle. That is truly something to envy. Lord Ji's martial arts are unfathomable, and he must be at least one of the supreme experts of the martial world. Otherwise, how could he have taken the head of an enemy general amid ten thousand troops last time, then brought Marshal Hong and a whole unit back? If anyone learned such martial arts, they could travel anywhere under heaven for the rest of their life. Unfortunately, Lord Ji has gradually tested people within our barracks as well, but so far not one has caught his eye. Still, I heard that early last year, Lord Ji found a suitable disciple in a small squad of the central army camp. Few people knew who that person was. A little soldier like him, among an army of several hundred thousand, had nothing outstanding about him in daily life. Apart from the few people around him, only his immediate squad leader knew him. Later, Strategist Ji took him back to his residence to cultivate. But I heard that because he had never studied, he could not understand the paths of the meridians. He made a mistake while practicing internal energy, suffered deviation, and died. Some said they saw his entire body swollen and blackened, a horrifying sight. Yet that only showed how tyrannical and unparalleled Lord Ji's martial art was." Hearing this, some of the other soldiers said they had heard of it, and several began whispering among themselves.

Liu Chengyong swept an displeased glance over the soldiers and said, "Shut up. The higher-ups do not allow Strategist Ji's affairs to be discussed outside."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers quickly shrank their necks and repeatedly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes." They did not speak of it again.

Then another soldier asked curiously, "Chief Liu, why were you so concerned about that boy just now? Could he have some chance of entering Lord Ji's school?"

A faint smile appeared on Liu Chengyong's dark face. "Not necessarily. I only thought the boy had some insight, so his mind is clearly not dull. From the way he spoke afterward, he should have studied before. I merely gave him a few reminders in passing. As for whether he has a chance... who knows? Perhaps he really might. If we encounter similar people later, and I think they have potential, I may still say something. All right, continue your duties properly."

After hearing this, the soldiers quickly resumed their posts, though all of them were thinking the same thing: so he was casting a wide net.