Chapter 3

The news of the Feng family army entering Guangning was soon broadcasted throughout Liaodong. Many neighbours not far from Guangning rushed into the city to see the number one army in the world.

Li Boyun, the Governor of Liaodong, Han Zhaoxing, the Chief Soldier and Qian Anrong, the senior provincial government official of Guangning, were among the important officials of Liaodong. They brought their civil and military officials to the South City Gate at dawn to meet them. Yuan Mao and Yuan Shaoxu were present too.

Although the Governor of Liaodong was of a higher rank than Feng Jianping, Feng Jianping had the title of King, plus he's a famous general with meritorious service in Dasheng, so the officials, who usually went in and out of the team carriages, dared not to complain even though they had drunk a lot of cold wind*.

It was noon before they saw the banners rising from the flat ground. An S-shaped cavalry troops were in front, followed by the infantry troops at the back. They were marching towards Guangning Wei in an orderly manner.

"They're coming, they're coming!" Yuan Nanyu shouted excitedly.

Early in the morning, the two of them ran up to the city wall to look from afar. Usually, Yuan Mao did not allow them to go up to the city wall, but today, all the military generals had gone to the city gate to wait for orders. The temporary guards did not know the rules, so they did not stop them when they saw that they were the sons of Lord Qianhu.

Yuan Sikong pressed Yuan Nanyu's head and pushed him down: "Hush, keep your voice down. If father finds out, we will get scolded again."

Yuan Nanyu excitedly poked his head out, "Look second brother, that's the wolf flag of the Feng family army."

Yuan Sikong looked into the distance. A black banner with a bloody wolf's head was in the lead. The wolf's head was shaped in a roaring manner and its fangs were exposed. It must be Feng Jianping's commander's flag. The rest of the big and small flags and banners stood in great numbers like a forest. Their shapes, colors, and quantities were all in an orderly manner, just like their leader.

It was said that Feng Jianping had drawn the wolf as his master, wanting his soldiers to be wolf-like and to learn how to work together and fight in battles just like wolves. With few defeats over the years, the wolf banner of the Feng family was so powerful that barbarians were shocked away and had become a god in the eyes of the people in Dasheng.

As Yuan Sikong looked at the fluttering wolf banner, a sense of pride rose in his chest. Which man wouldn’t fantasize about being a powerful man on the battlefield? Although he had long decided to pursue an official career, he could not restrain his passion at the sight of this mighty army.

He could not help but think that if Liaodong had such an army, how could it painfully lose Qingzhou? If Qingzhou had not been lost, how could the court abandon Liaobei and how could he leave his hometown and loose his family? In fact, Liaodong did not have a weak army back then. Liaodong's cavalry had been famous all over the world once, but the Chief Soldier of Liaodong back then was corrupted in withholding pay and using his banner without authority. When he was replaced by Han Zhaoxing, he was defeated within two years. He only felt that Han Zhaoxing was incapable and wished he could grow up quickly.

Yuan Nanyu was just as enthusiastic as he was. He shook Yuan Sikong's arm and called out, "Second brother, when I grow up, I want to be a great general too. The Feng family uses wolves, I will use...leopards to scare the barbarians' guts out."

"Then you should train well in martial arts, read more about the art of war, and don't play all day."

Yuan Nanyu muttered, "Second brother, how come you lecture me at every opportunity? You are more and more like father."

"Because we have high hopes for you." Yuan Sikong knew Yuan Nanyu very well. He was intelligent and a good student of martial arts. He just didn't like to study. What's the use of only playing with a few big knives? The most important thing in leading a war was the brain.

Yuan Nanyu said perfunctorily, "I know, I'll just read." He looked at the approaching Feng family army with glowing eyes, "I can see the King of Jingyuan. Wow, so awe-inspiring."

Yuan Sikong looked with his eyes fixed. Below the commander's flag, there was a man with a red tassel on his head, golden armor on his body, and a battle robe on his back. He was wearing a helmet and was still far away, so he could not really see his face, but the dark tide of the king's domineering aura still shocked the people in the crowd. There was no doubt that he was Feng Jianping, the most famous general of Dasheng.

From afar, the Feng family army began to divide its troops in an orderly manner. Except for a group of 100 light calvaries who followed Feng Jianping and continued to march towards Guangning City, the rest of the troops camped outside the city.

When Feng Jianping arrived at the south city gate, Li Boyun led his officers and generals to greet him. It was not until Li Boyun came to the horse that Feng Jianping dismounted. The generals dismounted and paid homage to the officials of Liaodong too.

They could not hear what was being said by the adults, but they guessed that it was just a few pleasantries. Yuan Sikong's gaze was fixed at the Feng family army's horses.

Xu Hu, a stableman from Guangning Wei, had once told him that the best horses in the world were the Northwest horses. Unfortunately, since Sheng Ningzong lost the Hetao area 50 years ago, the Northwest horses were at once extinct in the Central Plains. It was later bought back at great expense through trade, but the quantity was often insufficient for combat. Horses liked high and cold areas and couldn’t be bred in the highlands filled with abundant grass and water. The Central Plains lacked this type of natural environment. Having suffered at the hands of nomads on warhorses, their Liaodong horses, which were already among the few good ones in the Central Plains, were still in short supply.

The current best horses in the Central Plains were the hybrids between Northwest and Qin horses, which were bought with a large amount of gold. Most of the improved Qin horses raised in the Huaixi region were supplied to the Feng family army, so the ones standing in front of Yuan Sikong now were the best he could see.

Those horses were obviously stronger than the Liaodong horses with sturdy muscles and glorious coats, especially Feng Jianping's horse. With its dark, shiny fur and long, athletic body, it was definitely one in a million among the top quality horses with just one look.

Yuan Sikong was so drunk from looking that he only came back to his senses after Yuan Nanyu had called him for a long time: "Huh?"

"What are you staring at? Look, why is there a small kid there? He’s sleeping and drooling." Yuan Nanyu laughed out loud.

Following Yuan Nanyu's pointing finger, they saw a boy of no more than seven or eight years old. All the soldiers had dismounted, but he was the only one pouting his backside, sleeping on the horse's back and snoring, with the flesh on his face squeezed into one ball and some suspicious saliva stains shining on the saddle.

Although the boy's face couldn’t be seen from this distance, he was wearing a tailor-made soft armour, and his outfit was worth a lot of money, so he must be of high status. Isn’t this a joke to pursue an enemy for hundreds of miles while carrying a child with him? There was no one else who dared to do so but the King of Jingyuan himself, and the child's identity spoke for itself.

"Second brother, could he be the King of Jingyuan's son?"

"Most likely he is."

"To bring a child to war, the King of Jingyuan must have no regard for him."

"A war-hardened general like the King of Jingyuan would never take the enemy lightly, but bringing a child ... is indeed a lack of seriousness."

In the past few hundred years, the Wala had swelled from a barbarian who paid tribute to the Central Plains to a serious threat to the kingdom of Dasheng. The Wala cavalry was so fierce and brave that it was frightening, and they were undoubtedly the number one enemy of Dasheng. The King of Jingyuan had been fighting with them for more than 20 years, and the slightest underestimation of the enemy could lead to a great disaster. It was for this reason that the two boys were even more puzzled by the fact that the King of Jingyuan had taken his young son deep into the important territory.

The adults had probably finished exchanging pleasantries and turned to walk inside the city. When Yuan Mao turned around, he habitually glanced at the city wall and saw two young boys sneaking and poking their heads around. They were exactly his sons.

Yuan Mao glared, and Yuan Nanyu's legs went weak with fear: "Oh dear, father has seen us. Second brother, run!" After saying this, he lowered his body and ran.

Yuan Sikong was also startled and chased after Yuan Nanyu with a guilty conscience.

When Yuan Nanyu reached the stairs, he was so scared that he slipped on his foot. His grip on the ground became unstable and he fell headfirst.

Yuan Sikong shrieked, "YU'ER!!!"

---

"The city wall is an important place of defense, not a place for fun and games. The King of Jingyuan is here, and the Governor himself is welcoming him. You guys dare to fool around. So inappropriate!” Yuan Mao slapped the table angrily. His voice was not too loud, but was more intimidating, Yuan Sikong was kneeling on one side, not daring to breathe hard.

Yue Qingshuang whispered at one side, "My Lord, let's forget it. You see, Yu'er has fallen like this ..." She fondly caressed Yuan Nanyu's bruised and swollen face. It was impossible to see his original face.

"He deserved it even if he fell like this!" Yuan Mao glared fiercely at Yuan Nanyu.

Yuan Nanyu shrunk his shoulders and said, "Father, I was wrong."

"And you." Yuan Mao looked at Yuan Sikong and said in a stern voice, "You have always been prudent in nature, but when Yu'er was naughty, you didn't stop him but followed instead."

Yuan Sikong hung his head, "I know my mistake." He really wanted to see the Feng family army and got lucky for a moment ...

Yuan Shaoxu followed suit and scolded, "You are the elder brother. Yu'er has always obeyed you, you should set an example. Now Yu'er broke his leg and can't walk for two to three months. He is a martial artist. If he leaves any posthumous illness, he will regret it for the rest of his life, what should you do?

Yuan Sikong pursed his lips and was full of remorse.

Yuan Weiling stepped forward to intervene: "Shaoxu, please cut it out. Dr. Liang has said that Yu'er’s leg will heal in a hundred days if he rests and recuperates. Besides, he's jumping up and down like a monkey all day long, so it's not all Kong'er’s fault." She stroked Yuan Nanyu's head. Although her eyes were filled with affection, she did not let him off, "See if you dare to be so reckless in the future."

Yuan Nanyu also said, "Father, don't blame second brother, it was my suggestion to go to the city wall."

Yuan Mao glanced at Yuan Nanyu, "You broke your leg because you asked for it, but you two were at fault for going up to the city wall. The military has its own laws, and the family has its own rules, but you two have broken both. You have already received your own punishment, so I will not punish you again. Kong'er, go to the ancestral shrine and face the wall for a night for self-reflection."

"Yes." Yuan Sikong bowed and got up to go to the ancestral shrine. When he reached the door, he turned to look and saw Yuan Mao frowning at Yuan Nanyu's leg injury, while Yuan Nanyu quietly made a face at him. The swollen and bruised face was so strange that Yuan Sikong couldn't help but stifle his laughter and turned around to walk away.

When he walked into the ancestral shrine and closed the door, Yuan Sikong offered an incense stick, then rested his knees on a futon cushion and knelt in front of the ancestral tablets.

The ancestors of the Yuan family were displayed in front of him, and Yuan Sikong's eyes swept over them one by one before finally landing on the ancestral tablets of two people with different surnames on the edge of the far corner.

Those were his biological parents.

He no longer had any blood relatives in this world, so Yuan Mao had moved his parents' tablets into the Yuan family for him to make offerings.

Although Taining’s Yan family was not a large family, it was a wealthy and scholarly family. One of their ancestors was a scholar who was officially appointed Right Minister of Rites.

His father passed the imperial examination in the 9th year of Zhaowu's reign, but he failed in the next three examinations. Although a scholar could also be an official, he could only be some county magistrate or a petty official, which was a narrow career path and difficult to get promoted. It was the ambition of all scholars to be admitted to the Imperial College, to join the Hanlin Academy, to assist the government and to build up a harmonious society.

His family had no worries about food and drinks. His father studied and taught while devoting much of his time to his upbringing at the same time. Like his father, he inherited from his ancestors, read Confucius and Mencius, and studied diligently day and night, with the highest ideal of being loyal to the king and serving the country with all his strengths.

Now his father's ideals had been reduced to a shovelful of earth, and he was the only remaining bloodline of the Yan family. One day, he would join the government and become a minister, so as to benefit the country and the people, and to bring honour to the family name, so as to fulfil his father's legacy and repay the Yuan family's great kindness to him.

Yuan Sikong bowed to his father's and mother's memorials, as well as to the Yuan family's ancestors, reflecting on his mistakes.

Yuan Mao had treated him as if he were his own son, but he had always remembered that he was not his own son, and had always been cautious in everything he did, respectful to his parents, friendly to his brothers, and unwilling to cause the Yuan family any trouble. He had never made a mistake in the past four years, but now he had broken Yu'er's leg because of a momentary oversight. He was extremely ashamed and secretly vowed to be more disciplined in the future.

---

Kneeling until midnight, Yuan Sikong's knees were already numb with pain, and the coldness around him was so intense that it penetrated his bones. He was so sleepy that his eyelids fell continuously, but he did not neglect in the slightest, even though there was no one around. He believed that the spirits of his parents in heaven were watching him.

The night was long, and he didn't know when it would end. Just as Yuan Sikong was about to fall to the ground, the door to the ancestral shrine was quietly pushed open.

Yuan Sikong came to his senses and turned around to see that it was Yue Qingshuang walking in with a cloak and a bowl of noodles.

"Mother ..."

"Hey, you just keep kneeling like this?" Yue Qingshuang put the cloak around him and placed the noodles in front of him. She touched his cold little face and said with heartache, "You’re freezing, aren't you? You must be hungry, eat something."

Yuan Sikong shook his head, "Father has punished me for kneeling in the ancestral shrine overnight. I must not disrespect my ancestors. Besides, if Father finds out he will be even angrier."

"Silly boy, your father is someone who can wake up even if there are mosquitoes flying by. Do you think he will not know if I come over? Rest for a while and eat some noodles."

Yuan Sikong shook his head again with a firm attitude, "Mother, I'm self-reflecting, I'm not cold and I'm not hungry. You should go back and rest."

Yue Qingshuang said helplessly, "Your temper is just like your father."

Yuan Sikong was a little ashamed, "Mother, you don’t blame me?"

"There is no child who does not make mistakes. Besides, it’s not a big deal regarding Yu'er." Yue Qingshuang looked at Yuan Sikong's handsome and agile face. Her eyes became more and more tender, "My Ying'er died at the age of four, which plucked a piece of flesh out of my heart. It was not until you came to our house that the wound healed. You are my son. Never treat yourself as an outsider. You can make mistakes, understand?"

Yuan Sikong was on the verge of crying, and he choked out a "mmm".

Yue Qingshuang stroked his face, "You're as stubborn as your father, so mother won't force you. Once tomorrow morning arrives, just come over for breakfast.”

"Okay."

 

----

drunk a lot of cold wind* [喝了一肚子的寒风]----meaning they travelled outside for a long time.

 

Edited on 20 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

Edited on 28 Jun. 21 (Ari)

 

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