Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

“Xiao Shaoyou and Luo Yu greet the general!”

Xiao Shaoyou led Luo Yu into the General’s Manor. Entering the command center of Yunyang Pass for the first time, Luo Yu felt an inexplicable sense of solemnity.

Three middle-aged men sat within the grand hall. The one in the center was the lead commander of Yunyang Pass, Kong Xian, a fifth-rank guerrilla general.

Luo Yu muttered to himself. One day, when he reached Kong Xian’s position, he would have fulfilled the Five-Year Pact.

On the left, the man with the square, resolute face was Jun Yi of the Jun family. On the right, the slightly thin man was Li Chengxiao of the Li family. Neither held an official court rank; they were merely retainers of their respective clans.

On the way here, Xiao Shaoyou had explained the power distribution in Yunyang Pass. Each of these three men commanded over a thousand troops. Kong Xian was the highest military official in name, but Jun and Li often offered only perfunctory obedience to his orders. Kong Xian could do nothing to them.

“Hehe, Shaoyou is back. I heard you’ve won another victory.”

Shaoyou. The familiar way he addressed him made Luo Yu’s eyebrows quirk. It sounded quite close.

Xiao Shaoyou answered with complete honesty, “Replying to the general, the battle at Black Ditch Fortress was commanded by Standard Commander Luo Yu. It was not my merit. On the way back to the city, we were ambushed by Qiang scouts. Centurion Zhang unfortunately lost his life. This subordinate failed in his protection and asks for the general’s punishment!”

“Zhang Lu is dead? Forget it. Deaths are common in times of war. Since he is gone, you shall take over the position of centurion.”

“Yes, sir!”

Luo Yu was stunned. The matter passed that easily? There wasn’t even a hint of questioning. Was the life of a centurion truly so insignificant in the eyes of these generals?

“This must be Standard Commander Luo Yu?”

Jun Yi, sitting to the side, spoke with interest, “Annihilating nearly a hundred Qiang with a single standard at Jiming Fortress, then wiping out a hundred and fifty Qiang cavalry at Black Ditch while slaying two of their centurions. You’ve truly boosted our army’s morale. Tsk tsk, the younger generation is truly formidable. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a recruit who can fight like this.”

Li Chengxiao also laughed. “The situation at the border has been poor lately. These two battles have saved us some face. General Kong, you must reward this little brother well.”

Luo Yu’s name had become quite famous in Yunyang Pass over the last two days. The battles at Jiming and Black Ditch were both victories of the weak over the strong. His side had annihilated two hundred and fifty Qiang with almost no casualties.

This was a massive military merit. All the other dozen fortresses combined hadn’t managed to kill that many enemies.

“Hehe, a meritorious official must be rewarded.”

Kong Xian wore a smile. “You look young. How old are you this year?”

“Seventeen.”

“Where are you from?”

“Que Prefecture.”

“A border boy, then. The sons of the border are indeed made of good stuff. I heard from Shaoyou that you are literate?”

“I attended a private school for a few years in my childhood.”

“Not bad. Literate soldiers are rare in the army.”

Kong Xian grew increasingly satisfied, nodding repeatedly. “After the battle at Jiming, you were promoted to standard commander by Zhang Lu. Now you’ve established another great merit at Black Ditch. Although you are a new recruit, we must reward you according to your achievements. From today on, you are a centurion!”

Luo Yu looked up in surprise. Good heavens, he had been promoted directly to centurion. Didn’t that put him at the same rank as Xiao Shaoyou?

Before Luo Yu could offer his thanks, Li Chengxiao spoke up, “General Kong, killing two hundred and fifty enemies is a massive achievement. Giving him only the rank of centurion seems a bit stingy, doesn’t it? Brother Luo, why not come under my command instead? You’ll still be a centurion, but I can give you double the men and double the pay. What do you think?”

Luo Yu’s brow furrowed. What was this? Was he being poached?

He realized instantly that there was a struggle between the three generals to expand their respective strengths. If he accepted Kong Xian’s reward, he was a government soldier. If he followed the Li family, he became their Ya Bing.

Seeing such blatant poaching, Kong Xian’s gaze turned cold. “General Li, this is hardly appropriate, don’t you think?”

“What’s inappropriate about it? Government troops or Ya Bing, aren’t we all serving the court and defending the border? Hehe. Besides, what’s wrong with coming to our Li family? We have plenty of silver.”

“The Li family is indeed wealthy and powerful. I admire that.” Kong Xian’s words were laced with sarcasm, but he couldn’t do anything to Li Chengxiao. It seemed this wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.

Li Chengxiao’s mouth curled into a smirk. “In my opinion, let’s not argue. It’s better to give the choice to Brother Luo. As they say, everyone has their own ambitions. If Brother Luo wants to come under my command, General Kong surely wouldn’t force him, right?”

They all looked at Luo Yu. The power of decision had fallen into his hands.

This was a troublesome matter. Going to the Li family would offend Kong Xian. Staying with Kong Xian would disrespect the Li family. Had he just arrived at Yunyang Pass only to offend a general?

Luo Yu’s eyes darted around, and he quickly followed up, “This humble officer was only a standard commander. How could it be my place to decide? I was previously Centurion Xiao’s subordinate. I think I should listen to him.”

Xiao Shaoyou threw him a subtle glare for passing the trouble so quickly, then spoke, “General Li, Brother Luo has just joined the army and doesn’t understand many rules. He would inevitably cause you trouble in your ranks. It’s better if he remains under General Kong. Besides, General Li’s forces are strong and numerous; you surely aren’t lacking for a few dozen men, hehe.”

Such an explanation left Li Chengxiao with nothing to say. He could only turn his head away, losing interest. Kong Xian laughed heartily.

“Haha! Shaoyou is right. Stay under my command!”

“This humble officer obeys!”

“From today on, you are a centurion under my command. I will give you the pay and equipment for a hundred men. As for the soldiers, you shall recruit them yourself. Work hard; the court will not mistreat you!”

“This humble officer understands. I thank the general for the promotion!”

* * *

“Old Li! Find us a clean table!”

“Oh! Centurion Xiao! You haven’t been here in a while. Please, this way!”

“The usual, two bowls of mutton soup and four pieces of flatbread.”

“Coming right up!”

Leaving the General’s Manor, Xiao Shaoyou took Luo Yu to a small roadside stall, saying he would treat him to a meal. The owner, Old Li, looked to be about sixty years old. He had white hair and a thin frame, wrapped in a coarse cotton jacket with several patches.

It was a small stall along the street with five or six ancient wooden tables. A large pot was set up nearby, giving off a pleasant, busy atmosphere.

Judging by the way they greeted each other, Xiao Shaoyou was a regular. He was very familiar with Old Li. Before long, two bowls of mutton soup and several pieces of bread were brought over.

“This is a famous snack in the Yunyang Pass area, Yangrou Paomo. Since you are from Que Prefecture, you must have heard of it, right?”

“I’ve heard of it, but never eaten it.”

Luo Yu nodded honestly. He had lived in a small mountain village with his mother; not starving to death was already a blessing. He hadn’t had the luxury of eating something like Yangrou Paomo. However, this stuff looked no different from the version in Shaanxi.

“I’ll teach you.”

Xiao Shaoyou picked up a piece of bread and slowly tore it apart. “There are three classic ways to eat Yangrou Paomo: dry-soaked, mouth-soup, and ‘water-surrounded-city.’ My favorite is the water-surrounded-city.

“The characteristic is more soup and less bread. You break the bread into medium-sized pieces and add a large amount of soup. The bread is completely surrounded by the broth, hence the name. This way of eating has a rich broth, and the bread is soft and savory…”

Xiao Shaoyou spoke vividly, subconsciously breaking the bread into pieces as he did so. Luo Yu seemed to see a different side of him. This newly appointed centurion was actually quite a foodie.

“You are a centurion now, but you only have sixty or seventy men under you. No one will provide you with more soldiers; you have to rely on yourself.”

Xiao Shaoyou talked as he ate, “There are many scattered soldiers and routed troops in the city, as well as refugees and laborers. All of these can be recruited…”

Knowing Luo Yu hadn’t been in the army long, Xiao Shaoyou explained many things about the ranks. Luo Yu listened for a long while before suddenly interrupting him.

“Our General Kong seems to treat you quite well?”

In the General’s Manor, Kong Xian’s attitude toward Xiao Shaoyou was excellent. Logically, as a vice centurion, he shouldn’t have been so highly regarded.

“Because when I first joined the army, I was his personal guard. I’m considered one of his own people. Later, I established a few small merits, and he looked after me even more. He has treated me well.”

Xiao Shaoyou spoke nonchalantly, “But I felt being a personal guard was boring, so I requested to lead my own troops. That’s why I left his side.”

Good heavens, no wonder he had such a strong background. It explained why he felt safe after killing Zhang Lu.

NOTES

Yangrou Paomo (羊肉泡馍): A traditional dish where flatbread is crumbled into a rich mutton broth.