Ye Xiaoxian asked, “The sixth prince’s army went to help the south?”
“Yes! I saw his designation on the flags. It is said that he has done many good deeds since he went to Baoning city. His acts of kindness have won him respect and support from the locals. The war is raging in the south, but reinforcements still haven’t come. Even though the sixth prince is far away, he still dispatched troops over there. What a respectable leader he is!”
Hearing that, quite a few people in the hall began discussing the topic. Some said that the sixth prince wouldn’t have dispatched the troops because he did not have the forces to rival the enemy. However, a new and formidable general assured the prince that he could defend the county.
Li Hongmei was surprised. “Really? Can a good general do the work of thousands of troops?”
Xiao Tongshu said, “Of course! A bad general will waste a powerful army. In contrast, a competent general will make full use of his soldiers’ strength by giving tactical instructions.”
Li Hongmei exclaimed, “Awesome!”
“Yes, awesome!”
Just then, another man said, “This general is drafting soldiers along the way. I saw many refugees joining the army in the morning. The sixth prince will give subsidies to their families in return, so the people are very grateful to him. I can tell from their expressions that they are resolute to retake their homeland.”
“Some other people also joined the army. What prospects do men have staying in such a humble place? They’d rather fight on the battlefield to serve the country. As long as they survive, they can earn an official’s salary as well as a good job.”
Xiao Tongshu and Li Hongmei didn’t have the slightest doubt about it. One of their ancestors got a job in the government office after leaving the army and his descendants could also work as constables. This was of great benefit for future generations.
The “general” reminded Ye Xiaoxian of Xiao Baoshan.
What kind of general was he? Li Chengru said he was once a brave hero in battle before he betrayed his country. Is he escaping arrest? Or has he gone to the hostile country?
Li Hongmei also thought of her son.
If Baoshan hadn’t turned traitor, would he be leading the troops now? Oh dear! Life is so ironic.
…After the Xiao family finished their meal, Li Chengru and Fengsheng also went down for breakfast.
Knowing that the troop had left the county, Li Chengru flew into a rage. He blamed himself for getting up too late, or he could have gone with the army and joined the battle. He wanted to ride a horse and catch up with the army, but Fengsheng grasped his arm tightly.
“Young master, they don’t know who you are and they won’t believe what you tell them! Don’t be over-confident!”
Li Chengru soon felt discouraged. It was true that he had not brought a token to show his identity and the gate of Zhengwu county was also closed to him. He was a nobody now. It was likely that he was just a stranger to this general. Only after meeting the sixth prince in Baoning city could his identity be confirmed. Only then could he make any contribution to his country.
Li Chengru was too angry to have breakfast, but Fengsheng managed to coax him to eat some steamed buns.
…After noon, the Liu family and the Xiao family gathered with the two young men again. Squire Liu was reluctant to leave. The county provided them with not only comfortable accommodation but also delicious food, tempting him to settle down here. Now that the troops had gone to stop the war, he might enjoy a period of peace here. He had enough money to buy a house in the suburbs where he could start life anew. But Ye Xiaoxian didn’t advise him to do so.
She said with a smile, “The locals here hate strangers. You’re an easy target for evildoers because you look so high-profile with these carriages. The landlords here may also charge you many fees. How much money can you give them?”
Squire Liu asked, “You mean you still want to go?”
She replied, “Of course. Didn’t you hear about the sixth prince’s achievements in Baoning city? If he’s a virtuous ruler, he’ll treat us well. As long as we pull together, we won’t be bullied by the locals.”
Li Chengru interrupted, “The sixth prince is a trustworthy leader.”
She asked, “You know him?”
He cast a disdainful look at her. “I’m not like you who only care about material things. What I pay attention to are national affairs. The sixth prince is such a famous figure that everyone should know him.”
She replied, “You live in luxury. What you see and hear are indeed national affairs. But we’re just ordinary people who have to struggle for survival. How could we have time to concern ourselves with the country?”
He muttered, “Short-sighted!”
“I can support my family, but what about you? Now that you’re so concerned about our country, why don’t you do something practical? Who do you support? Who do you protect?” she asked.
“I…” Her words hit home and rendered him even more fretful. It was true that he couldn’t protect anyone.
As a quarrel was about to happen, Squire Liu immediately smoothed things over. “All right, it’s nothing to argue about. Don’t let this trifle end your friendship. Aren’t we discussing whether to go or not? I decide to go with you. We can look after each other along the journey.”
He was so intelligent that he soon made the right judgment. A mountain tiger was likely to be teased by a dog. Likewise, he might be bullied in a strange land even though he had money. Even in the 21st century of a booming economy and a flowing population, quite a few locals might be hostile to strangers.
Therefore, she wouldn’t be able to settle down until she found a place which was inclusive of non-locals.
However, Old Mr. Xiao was reluctant to leave. He had been sitting in the carriage all these days and food was also served to him. In general, he was even lazier than the emperor. But he had been complaining the most all this way, muttering about how dangerous the journey was or how unpalatable the food was. Now the luxury of sleeping on a bed made him clamor again, “I’m not leaving!”
Xiao Tieshu suppressed his anger and said, “Dad, didn’t you hear what we said? Let me tell you again — this is not the right place to settle down. We have to keep moving forward.”
The old man wasn’t persuaded. “Don’t fool me. I know you have enough money to stay here longer. As long as you find a job here, you can take good care of me.”
His words infuriated his whole family.
Xiao Tongshu said, “Dad, listen to me. The locals are not friendly to strangers. We’ll be harassed and bullied if we stay here, so we must find a more peaceful place.”
The stubborn old man replied, “I understand all you said just now. The soldiers are going to fight against the enemy and reinforcements will soon come. When the enemy are beaten back, we can then go back home. The house and the farmland will still be ours.”
Li Chengru sneered. “You’re so simple-minded. The farmland will be reallocated, so yours may be given to others at that time. Besides, how do you know who will rule the county? To consolidate his power, the new ruler will enslave you to recover high productivity. Can you endure that at your age?”
The mode was just like “distribution according to work”. People in a production team had to earn work points which represented how much they could gain.
Ye Xiaoxian didn’t want to lead that kind of life. The status of businessmen was very low in ancient times. If they went back to the village, there might be no positions for businessmen anymore. She was in no mood to coax Old Mr. Xiao and just said, “Grandpa, you can stay here if you want. But we can give you only one or two silver taels. There will be no more if you use them up.”
Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu also gave up reasoning with their father. They had grown tired of it after all these days.
Xiao Tieshu said, “Dad, we’ve all decided to go and won’t stay here for just you. It’s up to you whether to come with us or stay here alone.”
Xiao Tieshu echoed, “I’m with my brother.”
“You, you…” Old Mr. Xiao coughed out of anger. He turned to ask Xiao Baofeng, his kindest grandson, for help. But the boy evaded the look, which dashed his last glimmer of hope.
Seeing this, Wong Mudan and Chen Ju hugged themselves with pleasure.
Humph, silly old man! This is a lesson for you!
…In the afternoon, Ye Xiaoxian bought some rice, flour and beef jerky in this small county. The farther they went, the less fresh vegetables they could eat. It was always windy and dusty there, and the meat was mainly beef and mutton. Ye Xiaoxian found it hard to get used to such changes.
But actually, she had been eager to enjoy the landscapes and scenery of the west. Now, this was an opportunity for her. The beauty here could always induce fantastic reverie and left a deep impression on its visitors.
After full replenishment, they began moving west. Ten kilometers away from them, Xiao Baoshan was leading the many troops in marching to the south. He looked determined on a fine horse, his eyes piercing and daring.