Chapter 2 (1/2)

Oh boy, a crap ton of footnotes once again! These chapters take like three tih they're still quicker than WAFIL chapters To be honest, I love this historical/ up all these locations in China lol

Please let me knohere eographical/astrological stuff!

Chapter 2 – Returning to the Capital

The road south fro District, Baitan, and other locations Upon arriving in Miyun1, the capital itself could already be gliht the cold with it The first snow had already fallen into the north, while the weather close to the capital was still pleasantly cool, perfectly suitable for travel Near noon, a tea the official road The leader of the riders surveyed into the distance Spotting a tea shack set up along the road not far frohtly lifted his reins and slowed his pace When the carriage behind theht up, he learned over and knocked twice on the wooden partition of the carriage to request instructions: “General, we've already traveled at a breakneck pace all night How about first resting our feet before continuing on the road?”

A slit opened in the carriage curtains Alongside the bitter fragrance of medicine, the low voice of a man drifted out: ”Is there a place to stop for refreshanize there Brothers, you have worked hard”

The rider received the order, and the group set their horses to gallop towards the tea shack ahead Wherever they passed, dust and dirt flew everywhere, attracting the sidelong glances of the nearby resting passers-by

This row of riders did not fly any flag They wore teal-colored military robes with narrow sleeves and cross collars Every single one possessed a vigorous and capable physique, with an austere and i momentum Even if they did not openly state their identities, they practically had ”someone you can't afford to provoke” written all over their faces

The shopkeeper running this tea shop had long seen his fill of hardshi+ps and was used to the cos of people, so he was arider stepped down fro his subordinates to rest, eat, and drink He himself found a table in the shade, wiped it clean, and told the shopkeeper to prepare hot tea and a few choice refreshments He then turned back outside, and supported a pale-faced young noblee

That young man's steps were unsteady and shallow, his face suffused with sickness He could only ith so the short distance fro while of effort Upon finally sitting down at the table, his body see out any further and he could not stop coughing The other guests sitting under theactually let out a breath of relief too—Just watching him made them feel exhausted for hie: even though that ht breathe his last at any moment, his body held an indescribable teaze His appearance was extraordinarily fine, but not the kind of delicate elegance as beautiful as a wo flower Instead, he possessed trih nose and thin lips, per coldness

Thedown to see other people, always only lifting his eyelids halfway His entire body briuid apathy, emaciated from illness—it seemed like even the tea shop's crude porcelain boould be heavy enough to break his wrist

But when he sat quietly, his gaunt back was as straight as a brush, like a green ba knife tee——Even if covered in countless scars, that cold blade could still drink its ample share of blood In the same way, his enfeebled body weak body did not hinder hi under the heavens with that scornful and arrogant gaze

The travelling merchants and traders subconsciously stretched out their necks to look, rese noble a bowl of water and sla: “Gentleh that one could tether a donkey to the able-bodiedon the side ieese retracted their sights in a huff, but a few especially enthusiastic ones actuallynoble to the capital?”

Xiao Xun, who had continuously been waiting on this young noblele and turn nule phrase ”Get lost” for Xiao Xun to hang this person up on the tree outside

Who could have anticipated that this very standoffish-appearing young nobleman actually displayed an unexpected level of tolerance, and mildly replied: “From Yan Prefecture City in the north, currently headed to the capital for roup of people was all dressed in everyday clothes and not carrying swords In addition, their vehicles and horses were not ostentatious or extravagant Although the guards exuded an ie wore coht be the traveling party of the young master of some rich and influential family in Yan Prefecture Because Yan Prefecture City was a place of military importance for the frontier, its traditional customs were swift and fierce, so it counted as normal forparty

As strangers coether by chance, it was not appropriate for the merchants to directly inquire about his illness Instead, they switched topics to another novel and strange affair: ”Since this young noble froe of General Fu? He returned to his hoine the level of grandeur his procession must have!” ”

Xiao Xun al noblereat interest: “General Fu? Is that the same General Fu I know?”

“Naturally Besides the Marquis of Jing Ning, who else possesses such a fa nobleman seemed enthusiastic about this line of conversation, and further pursued: “I see you seem to know quite a lot about Fu… General Fu?”

“Oh, out of the question, out of the question,” that merchant man smiled and waved his hand in huo from north to south, on the road we often hear the ru these years that he has been guarding Northern Xinjiang, the roads are peaceful and secure, and our business is so much easier co up General Fu, not a single one does not hold hihest esteem You have no idea—Last year when General Fu led the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry to defeat the Tartars, I had just come back from the north to resell furs All the streets and alleys of the capital were saying: ‘As long as Co, the capital can still sleep peacefully' The stories told in the tea houses, the songs of performers, the plays in the opera houses… are all about hi popularity and reputation of the Northern Yan Ar was quite evident

The Northern Yan Iron Cavalry was known as the northern border defense line of Great Zhou Since its establishoverned by the Fu clan In fact, it had grown out of the frontier garrison co4, Fu Jian

The people of the Central Plains called the noo, the Tatar people underwent inner turmoil and unrest, and split into several factions A portion of the tribes were forced to dia peoples of the Western Regions, and were called the Western Tatars Another portion occupied the richer pastures in the Central and Eastern areas, and were called the Eastern Tatars Twenty-three years ago, when the current Yuan Tai Emperor Sun Xun first ascended to the throne, the Eastern Tartar tribe brazenly invaded the Great Zhou At that ti frole blow On the other hand, the Tartar soldiers boasted a well-trained and powerful arh butter6, they wantonly plundered and slaughtered in the north Even the two strategically i were massacred into en had been characterized by a long peace, lasting over thirty years without a hint of war No one could have iined the Eastern Tatars would actually command an arined the border arht, allowing the enemy to kill their way to the Great Zhou's doorstep in the blink of an eye

In the irew louder and louder But the Yuan Tai Emperor was in the prime of his life As the supreme lord of the country, he would never bow to mere barbarians7 Just at this time, because of his accumulation of nan8 in the south to Gan Prefecture9 in the north The Yuan Tai Emperor therefore promoted hi hi, and Yuan Prefectures to fight back against the Eastern Tartars After two years, Fu Jian, his two sons, and the high-ranking military officers under his coe the cleared Tartars within the Pass Fu Tingzhong, the eldest son of Fu Jian, even crossed the Great Wall and led an army into the hinterland of the steppes He al to complete the occupation because of Fu Jian's death by illness After the can, Fu Jian was posthuh Pillar General of the State”10 Inheriting the position of Duke of Ying, Fu Tingzhong took co, and Yuan Prefecture arxin was conferred the position of General Who Guards the State to control the military affairs of the Yan and You Prefectures

These two built an iron-clad northern border defense line for Great Zhou The frontier army led by the Fu clan was named the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry For over ten years from the 6th to the 18th year of Yuan Tai, under the deterrence of the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry, the Eastern Tatars temporarily lay dorreat wars

Then during the 19th year of Yuan Tai, Fu Tingzhong was assassinated by the Eastern Tatar The Eastern Tatars forain invaded Great Zhou Fu Tingxin led an isolated force penetrating deep into the enemy's encirclement, and finally died on the battlefield Those past events of the attacking arates were repeated once more But this time the imperial court did not have the same swathes of elite troops as it did back in the day, and the Yuan Tai Eer possessed that dauntless deterued with the Peace faction throughoutcourts, and finally made the most confused yet also 's eldest son Fu Shen, who had not yet reached adulthood11, directly onto the battlefield

The Eastern Tatars and the Fu clan were bitter enemies with deep-seated hatred between thee Whoever provoked this trouble should be the one to clean up the mess Moreover, ever since he was a child, Fu Shen had been in the arh experience It was said that Fu Tingxin often sighed with emotion that “there are qualified successors to carry on”, so Fu Shen could perhaps grudgingly count as possessing the ”talent and capability to be commander-in-chief”

This reason appeared to be quite sufficient But stepping back to look at the past dynasties and generations, has one ever seen the principle of ”idle and sated highlike turtles in their shells, instead letting a teenager face the dangerous beasts?”

The great fortune amidst this misfortune was that the Fu family may have truly been the collective reincarnations of auspicious General Stars12: Fu Shen surpassed his predecessors as a truly once-in-generation geniuswas in a state of e and Tong Prefectures However, when Fu Shen was pushed out, he did not place his expectations on being able to get help froathered the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry and met the main force of the Zhe People at the Three Passes of Yan Prefecture He also eht of the Western Tatars' Fine Wild13 cavalry troops by opening an exclusive trade route and granting the from the northwest, he encircled the unified forces of the Tatar and Zhe arer in Northern Xinjiang

After the war, the Fine Wild troops and riders were brought into the fold of the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry To avoid excessive inconvenience ofoverstretched, Fu Shen returned his power over the Gan, Ning, and You Prefecture border guard forces back to the central ad the Yuan and Yan Prefectures as the line of frontier defense After the Battle of the Three Passes, Fu Shen officially took the post of Commander of the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry, and was rewarded with the title of Marquis of Jing Ning

Given Fu Shen's desperate efforts to turn the tide14, it would have been perfectly justified for hi to feudal nobility tradition But the Yuan Tai Enored the ancestral systetitle instead, he also quietly conspired for Fu Shen to split off fro residence and live on his own

Any discerning eye could see that the Fu clan had scared His Majesty with the fear that their fa that would truly be ”renowned throughout the ages”

But soainst the current In just a few years, the Marquis of Jing Ning Fu Shen deepened his grasp over the Northern Yan Iron Cavalry He rose straight to beco a thorn in the eye of the Tatar and Zhe peoples The lack of conflict in Northern Xinjiang these past few years, enabling the common people in the north to live and work in peace and content as Fu Shen was present in the ar coreatest deterrent to the various northern tribes

Faced with these ordinary people exaggeratedly shooting off theirnoble jokes But when he heard the phrase “The capital can still sleep peacefully”, his s him in a daze, Xiao Xun hurriedly lifted the teapot to add water to his tea, and deliberately interrupted: “Gener… Young master, we still have to hurry on with our journey in the afternoon, you should take a fewnoble up his bowl to sip a mouthful of hot tea The corner of his mouth turned up, and his shed to himself: ”If these words are spread, how many people will not be able to sleep peacefully…”

A nearby guest wearing a conical baed the conversation to mysteriously interject: “I have often heard people say that ‘Extrerace, while extre of decline' Just think about it: the Marquis of Jing Ning has fought in Northern Xinjiang for so ? All those faenerals in history were either short-lived or lonely and heirless This is because they were all General Stars cohter15, different fro was likely born under the Seven Killings Star12 What happened to his legs was probably the result of co toonoise, the bowl in Xiao Xun's hand was crushed into several pieces Blood dripped froers Everyone followed the sound to look over, each and every one stunned and astonished The tea shop immediately fell into an aard and embarrassed silence