CALID Chapter 76

Yuzhou

In the third year of Yuan Shou, Duan Xu was ordered to recruit troops to suppress bandits and formed the Guihe Army, with fifty to sixty percent of its soldiers coming from Shenzhou, known for their bravery and prowess in battle. Within three months, they decisively defeated the mountain bandits, who surrendered and were allowed by the emperor to join the Guihe Army, boosting its strength to 150,000.

In the ninth month of the third year of Yuan Shou, Duan Xu was awarded the title of Marquis of Ningyi for his contributions.

In the fourth year of Yuan Shou, uprisings by Han people occurred in Danzhi and Qizhou, rapidly gaining support from the locals as they swept through both provinces like a wildfire.

In the ninth month of the fourth year of Yuan Shou, under the support of the Yunzhou Daliang army, Qian Chengyi, the leader of the uprising in Weizhou, took control of the entire region and returned it to Daliang, earning the title of General of Loyalty and Valour.

In the seventh month of the fifth year of Yuan Shou, Zhao Xing, leader of the Qizhou uprising, gained control of the entire province.

In the third month of the sixth year of Yuan Shou, an uprising began in Jingzhou.

In the eighth month of the sixth year of Yuan Shou, Duan Xu was ordered to lead his troops to the Yunzhou front to support the Jingzhou uprising.

“Big brother! Big brother!”

As Duan Xu’s troops reached the border between Yun and Luo states, he heard the sounds of hooves and shouts from afar, signalling that Chenying had come to meet him. Duan Xu then leisurely set up his crossbow and aimed at a figure emerging through the dust.

The approaching youth skilfully dodged the arrow with an aerial side manoeuvre and settled back into the saddle, his proficiency belying his age of only thirteen.

He reined in his horse in front of Duan Xu, looking aggrieved, “Big brother, I came to meet you, and you test me like this?”

Three years had passed, and Chenying had grown taller and tanned, no longer the frail boy he once was, now robust and strong.

This was thanks to his big brother who had been creatively training him over the years, constantly testing him as he just had. Initially, the weapons were walnuts, which he couldn’t dodge and ended up bruised. As he improved, they escalated to bamboo sticks, blunt swords, sharp swords, and small arrows. His training permeated every aspect of his life, even to the extent that one night, his big brother tricked him into thinking there was a fire, nearly making him run out without pants. Later, his brother earnestly explained that this was to teach him not to easily trust anyone, including his own brother.

Chenying deeply understood what his big brother meant by learning martial arts being hard; it was not just difficult, it was life-threatening! That he had survived thus far was truly a miracle of his strong will to live.

Duan Xu laughed heartily, patting his head, “You haven’t neglected your martial arts in these few months in Yunzhou, not bad at all.”

Hearing this, Chenying furrowed his brows, almost ready to cry.

Four months ago, Duan Xu had sent him to Yunzhou to toughen up and see the world, where he joined General Han Lingqiu, his big brother’s old subordinate at the border. It seemed his big brother had instructed Han Lingqiu to ensure he practiced diligently, and Chenying soon despaired to find that Han Lingqiu’s teaching methods were strikingly similar to his big brother’s, albeit with slightly more apologies.

It was truly going from the tiger’s den into the wolf’s lair. Here, he was experiencing the world while being tormented by Han Lingqiu, but the only consolation was that his martial arts had indeed improved significantly. The highly skilled old soldiers under Han Lingqiu were amazed at his young age and short training time yet remarkable strength.

Chenying felt a sense of pride while secretly writing to Duan Xu, tentatively asking if he could go to General Xia’s Chengjie Army or General Wu’s Tangbei Army, and it would be even better if he could go to General Meng’s Suying Army. It would be good to experience different places, especially since Xia Qingsheng, Wu Shengliu, and Meng Wan were all old subordinates of his third brother.

Of course, the most important thing was that he felt these generals’ martial arts were not as tough as Han Lingqiu’s, so they probably wouldn’t torment him like Han Lingqiu did.

Not long after, his third brother replied, affectionately extinguishing his beautiful expectations, saying that Han Lingqiu’s teaching methods were most similar to his own, so he trusted him the most. And if that wasn’t enough, Han Lingqiu also intercepted Duan Xu’s letter, saying that he would guide Chenying even more seriously.

Chenying felt like he had moved a stone and smashed his own foot to a pulp, so he could only continue to train hard with a bitter face, feeling fearful and anxious.

Duan Xu was very satisfied with this four-month experience of his younger brother, having no regrets about his actions and happily let Chenying lead the way to the capital city of Yuzhou.

Duan Xu’s arrival coincided with Fang Xianye’s transfer back to the capital city, so his welcoming banquet and Fang Xianye’s farewell banquet were held together. Zheng An had been completely side-lined by Fang Xianye a year ago, which infuriated him enough to return to the capital city. Duan Xu even met Zheng An in the capital city, listening to him angrily condemn Luo Xian for turning against him and helping Fang Xianye. Duan Xu then dutifully performed a shocked and remorseful act and even took care of his father who fainted from anger.

Now Fang Xianye was the chief border patrol officer of Yunluo two provinces.

The prefect who organized the banquet was a local, completely unaware of the relationship between Fang Xianye and Duan Xu, so he warmly arranged for the two of them to sit in the main seats, not far apart from each other. It wasn’t until the two of them sat down without exchanging greetings or acknowledging each other that the prefect realized, belatedly, that these two might not get along.

He immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes following the two of them back and forth.

The banquet was very hearty, although not as extravagant as in the capital city, with no beautiful music or dancing. However, the food and drink were plentiful. Duan Xu broke the silence first, raising his glass with a smile. “Sir Fang has been in Yunluo for three years, overseeing the construction of the Yuzhou Horse Ranch, where over six thousand fine horses have been bred. The mining operations in Luozhou have been smooth, and now the heavy armour of the infantry along the border has been replaced with light armour made by Tianluo. On behalf of all the soldiers, I thank Sir Fang. With talents like Sir Fang, Daliang is truly fortunate.”

Fang Xianye also raised his glass, politely returning the gesture. “I dare not accept such praise. The success of the Yuzhou Horse Ranch owes much to Mr. Zheng’s efforts, and the guidance of Lady Hualuo has been invaluable in the mining operations. I am truly grateful. Three years have passed, and Brother Duan has now become a Marquis and a General, even more impressive than before.”

“Oh, stop it. I’ve only dealt with a few bandits on the southern bank of the river and trained a small army. Mr. Fang, on the other hand, has supported the Han people’s uprising here, effortlessly recaptured Weizhou without losing a single soldier, and now the situation with the two provincial uprisings looks promising. Shunxi truly admires your accomplishments.”

After exchanging polite praises and finishing their wine, the prefect saw that the two men seemed courteous on the surface, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

As the two perennial enemies lowered their glasses, they simultaneously smiled.

Three years, for someone in their thirties, could be considered neither short nor long.

During these three years, Duan Xu had grown a little taller, now standing half a head taller than Fang Xianye. His skin, pale and untanned, surprisingly looked similar to Fang Xianye’s, who had spent his days in the court. His eyes still sparkled with light when he smiled, as captivating as ever. He seemed unchanged, always smiling and speaking lightly, as if he were a forever youthful individual.

Fang Xianye’s appearance remained the same as ever, but his temperament had become more composed. If before he was like the mist in the mountains, now he was like the frost in the grass, elegant and aloof in his every move. He seemed less sharp and more composed, still appearing amiable and approachable, making it hard to imagine how many nobles he had silenced in the court.

After many years of not seeing each other, old friends reunited, but they couldn’t exchange pleasantries.

While Duan Xu shook his head and drank with a smile, he suddenly saw a tall figure standing in front of him. The person bowed deeply in front of his table and said, “General Duan, Lin Jun pays his respects.”

Duan Xu took a closer look and saw that this person was Lin Jun, the head of the Lin family who had been impersonated by Fifteenth in the city of Shuozhou years ago. When they rescued Lin Jun, he was already on the brink of death and had been bedridden for a long time. Coincidentally, during that time, Duan Xu was also recovering from injuries and had only seen Lin Jun a few times before returning to the capital city.

The time he spent with Fake Lin Jun was much longer than with the real Lin Jun.

“Back then, I didn’t have time to thank you properly in the rush. Thank you, General, for discerning right from wrong and saving me,” Lin Jun bowed deeply again, and Duan Xu stood up to support him, saying with a smile, “Mr. Lin need not be so formal. I deeply appreciate the strong support of the Lin family during the siege in Shuozhou. Oh, now it is inappropriate to call you Mr. Lin, but rather, Lord Lin. I heard that this time you will be accompanying Lord Fang back to the southern capital?”

Lin Jun seemed a bit embarrassed but more excited as he said, “Thanks to Lord Fang’s high regard, I was born north of the Guan River and grew up under the oppression of the Huqi people. Now, I can actually go to the great southern capital of Daliang  to serve the country. My lifelong wish is fulfilled, and it still feels like a dream.”

Duan Xu chuckled, patted Lin Jun’s shoulder, and said, “Lord Lin is loyal to the emperor and the country, generous and righteous. Your ancestors and your uncle would certainly be proud of you.”

Hearing this, Lin Jun’s eyes reddened.

Duan Xu’s old subordinates came one after another to attend this banquet to welcome and cleanse him of the dust of travel. After capturing Yun and Luo states years ago, Duan Xu and Meng Wan returned to the southern capital. The generals of the Tabai Army and Chengjie Army he once led remained at the frontier, and are now leading their respective armies. After the fall of Marshal Qin, there was a round of power shifts and purges in the army, and although the position of Minister of the Army did not go to Meng Qiaoyan but to the non-partisan Cao Ruolin, Meng Wan still managed to take control of Marshal Qin’s former personal troops, the Suying Army, and station them at the frontier.

These were the men who had been besieged with Duan Xu in Shuozhou city, who had later fought alongside him in Yunzhou and Luozhou, spilling blood and risking their lives. Now that Duan Xu had returned as a marshal to take command of the border forces, they were naturally very pleased. After a round of cordial greetings, Duan Xu looked around and asked, “Why don’t I see General Han?”

Chenying hurriedly answered, “General Han went to meet General Tang of the Jingzhou uprising army. He left just a few days ago, so he coincidentally missed you, Brother.”

Wu Shengliu, sitting beside them, slapped his thigh and chuckled, “No wonder Chenying has been so happy these days. It turns out he’s finally escaped the misery and can slack off.”

“I haven’t been slacking off!” Chenying retorted hastily.

Amidst the banter at the table, the welcoming banquet ended joyfully, with everyone drinking until they were tipsy before returning to their respective places. Originally, the prefect had prepared a very nice mansion for Duan Xu when he came to Yuzhou, but Duan Xu politely declined and chose to stay directly in the military camp. As he lifted the curtain of the tent and walked in, he felt as if there was someone inside.

Something brushed against his arm, and Duan Xu remained silent for a moment before smiling and saying, “Princess Hualuo graces us with her presence. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar.”

The person laughed and lit a lamp. In the flickering light, a beautiful face could be seen, with the rest of the figure wrapped in a black night robe. It was Luo Xian, the supervisor of the Thirteen Mines in Luozhou, and the princess of Hualuo County.

“Marquis, it’s been a long time since you’ve seen battle, and you’re not as sharp as you used to be. What if the object in my hand were a sword?” Luo Xian weighed the scroll in her hand. It was quite long, reaching her shoulder when stood vertically, and it didn’t seem light, but she wielded it effortlessly with one hand.

Duan Xu walked to the chair inside the tent and sat down, saying, “Although it’s been many years since we last met, I wouldn’t mistake you for an enemy. I was planning to visit the princess tomorrow, but it seems you’ve come tonight. What brings you here?”

“The gift I’m giving you wasn’t prepared by me; it was prepared by Lord Fang,” she said.

She handed the scroll to Duan Xu, who spread it out on the table, revealing a grand and detailed geographical map of seventeen provinces including Yunzhou, Luozhou, Weizhou, Qizhou, Jingzhou, and Youzhou, showing their mountains, rivers, cities, and villages. At the location of the capital city in Danzhi, a small arrow was marked in cinnabar.

“A heart-piercing arrow…” Duan Xu caressed the map over the capital, then turned and hung the map in his tent. He stepped back to view this map taller than a man, his eyes reflecting the bright candlelight.

“This was drawn by Ziwei stationed across the seventeen provinces,” said Luo Xian.

Ziwei. Luo Xian had established the third Wensheng Pavilion at the frontier, which specialized in subterfuge, incitement, and assassination, and also served as a hub for intelligence.

The Ziwei Star, regarded as the imperial star of the Han dynasty, symbolizes the hope that the Ziwei Star will shine forever, and the Han people will reclaim their lost territories. Ziwei’s presence had been felt in the Han uprisings in Weizhou, Jingzhou, and Qizhou, with the leader of the Weizhou rebels, Qian Chengyi, being a member of Ziwei. Zheng An had thought of Ziwei as his secret weapon, but unexpectedly, it fell into the hands of Fang Xianye.

“Fang Xianye was supposed to start his journey back to the southern capital long ago, but he delayed his departure to meet you in Yunzhou today. However, with many eyes around, it was not convenient to speak. He asked me to relay a message to you. The remaining thirteen provinces are left to you.”

Upon hearing this, Duan Xu smiled softly and nodded, “Good, please tell him to rest assured.”

Author’s note: Time for a new map! Just like that, three years have passed, and our young general’s second frontier journey begins! In this volume, both friendships and romances will face challenges.