Night fell.
On the main drill ground of Zhenbei City, dozens of large black iron cauldrons were lined up. The firewood beneath the pots crackled and popped, and the boiling mutton soup churned with white greasy foam. The rich aroma of meat drifted along the night wind, filling the alleys of half the city.
It had been half a year.
For a full six months, the soldiers of Zhenbei City had been eating moldy brown rice and boiled horse hide. Their mouths had grown completely tasteless.
Tonight, over seven hundred live sheep had gone into the pots. As that rich, gamey scent wafted into their noses, the hands of many veterans trembled as they held their bowls.
Thousands of men were scattered across the drill ground, some squatting, some sitting. The sound of gnawing on bones rose and fell in waves.
The liveliest fire belonged to the men surrounding the Vanguard Camp.
Cripple Liu held half a bowl of mutton soup, a piece of torn felt tucked beneath his left leg. Chewing on a sheep rib, he mumbled loudly to a few fresh recruits sitting opposite him, You guys weren't there, you just weren't! If you had been, this bowl of mutton soup tonight would taste three times as good!
An old soldier missing two fingers next to him nudged him with an elbow, Cripple, could you swallow the meat in your mouth before you start bragging?
Cripple Liu tossed the bone into the fire, wiped his mouth, and raised his voice by three notches, Hey! I am talking about serious business!
He patted his knee and leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly. The seven or eight recruits around him could not help but lean in closer as well.
That Helian centurion, do you know how tall he was?
Cripple Liu stood up and used one hand to gesture above his own head, Two heads taller than me! Covered in iron armor, with a curved blade adorned with wolf hair tassels resting at his waist. His eyes looked just like a starving wolf's!
He paused, sweeping his gaze around. Seeing everyone holding their breath waiting for the rest of the story, he grinned.
Do you know what our Centurion Xu did?
A recruit opposite him could not hold back, What did he do?
Cripple Liu slapped his thigh, That Helian barbarian came howling and charging forward. The blade was practically swinging right at his face, but our centurion did not take a single step back! Not one step! That single arm swung the mace!
He clenched his right fist and mimed smashing it downward from above.
Bang!
Cripple Liu mimicked a shattering sound, grinning with a face full of relish, The curved blade shattered! The man and his helmet shattered together! His head was just like a smashed watermelon, red and white splattered all over the ground!
Good heavens... someone among the recruits gasped.
One strike! Just one strike! Cripple Liu held up a single finger, waving it in the firelight. A Helian centurion! That was a fierce killer who had slaughtered God knows how many of our Great Qian border troops, and he could not even last a single exchange against Centurion Xu!
The old soldier with the missing fingers took a sip of mutton soup and slowly added, The cripple isn't talking nonsense. When that mace came down, I was the closest. The wind scraped against my face, and bone shards showered all over me.
The recruits exploded into an uproar.
Centurion Xu only has one arm?
He fought with one arm?
Hearing this, Cripple Liu laughed so hard he slapped the ground, Of course it was one arm! What kind of question is that? Where would a second arm come from! If he had two arms, the Helian's Right Luli King would probably have to come here to die himself!
Hahahaha!
The laughter traveled far, and the soldiers at neighboring campfires pricked up their ears.
People came over holding their bowls, gathering thicker and thicker around Cripple Liu's fire.
Cripple Liu grew more and more excited as he spoke, spit flying everywhere. He described the scene of Xu Zhan emerging from the fog three times, and with each telling, he added a few more Helian heads to the tally.
Eventually, the thirty-seven Helian elites became almost fifty in his telling...
But no one cared about that.
This was exactly what the lowly soldiers needed. Having gone hungry for half a year, and aside from a few rare victories, they were naturally suppressed and beaten by the Helians. Tonight, someone had finally vented this foul anger on their behalf.
Someone muttered in a low voice, A figure like Centurion Xu, how is he only a centurion?
Cripple Liu curled his lip at those words, You think the folks at the imperial court are blind? The brothers in the Vanguard Camp, which one of them didn't earn their military merits with their lives? What is a centurion? Our Centurion Xu is Lord Tai Sui descended to the mortal realm! High rank or low rank, the old man doesn't care for it!
Lord Tai Sui.
These words were passed around, from this fire to that fire. In less than half an hour, the title was being chewed over everywhere on the drill ground.
Some older veterans even added embellishments, You don't know, but the brothers of the Vanguard Camp used to call him that in the early years. They said Centurion Xu's fate is so tough that even the King of Hell wouldn't dare claim him. Missing an arm, he still beats the Helians until they piss their pants. If that isn't Lord Tai Sui, what is?
Xu Zhan himself was sitting on a stone block in the eastern corner of the drill ground, half a bowl of barely touched mutton soup resting in front of him.
He could hear the wild, extravagant boasting of his brothers, but he showed no reaction. He took sips of his soup one by one, occasionally picking out the pieces of meat from his bowl and handing them to the wounded soldiers beside him.
Qian Fugui squatted next to him, his face covered in grease as he gnawed on an entire sheep's leg. He would look up from time to time to steal a glance at Xu Zhan, feeling a sense of admiration that words simply could not describe.
Centurion Xu, won't you eat a bit more?
Xu Zhan didn't reply. He pushed the last piece of meat in his bowl to an old Vanguard Camp soldier sitting nearby who was missing three fingers.
The old soldier did not stand on ceremony. He took it, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled a curse, Centurion, you really have a damn problem. You fight like you don't want to live, and you eat like you're being tortured.
Xu Zhan picked up his bowl and took a sip of soup.
The waves of jubilation on the drill ground grew louder and louder.
...
The noise on the drill ground gradually dissipated, but the night in Zhenbei City was far from peaceful.
Amidst the flickering campfires, many soldiers who had received a portion of meat soup did not finish it on the spot.
They carefully picked the pieces of meat out of their bowls, wrapped them in torn cloth, tucked them into their robes, and hunched over as they sneaked out of the drill ground.
The guards at the gate stopped two of them, and the intercepted veteran stomped his feet in anxiety.
Have mercy and let me out! My wife is living in an earthen kiln in the West Ward with three kids, and they haven't had a grain of rice in half a month. My eldest girl was so hungry the day before yesterday she couldn't stand; she collapsed by the stove, cracked her forehead, and is still running a fever right now.
The guard was a young lad. He opened his mouth, shifted the long spear in his hand to the side, and pretended not to see.
The old soldier ran off clutching the bundle of rags, expressing his endless gratitude.
Once this gap was opened, more than a dozen men slipped out one after another, all hunching their bodies as they ran toward the military dependents' district in the south of the city.
The military dependents' district was located in the southeast corner of Zhenbei City. Dozens of low mud-walled, adobe houses were crammed tightly together, their roofs covered with thatch and broken tiles, barely able to keep out the wind and rain.
The families accompanying the army lived here. These were the women and children who had dragged their families to the northern border alongside their men, or newcomers who had directly laid down roots in the north.
During the days without rations, the food allotted to the men was already barely enough to fill their own stomachs, and what they could spare for their families was pitifully small.
The women dug up wild vegetables, peeled tree bark, and boiled grass roots, trying every possible method to keep their families alive.
Some children were so thin that their ribs showed clearly, their eye sockets deeply sunken. They were so starved they even saved the energy it took to cry.
At this moment, scattered adobe houses suddenly lit up with pea-sized oil lamps.
A cook from the supply camp named Sun Daniu pushed open his half-broken wooden door and placed a bundle of rags he was clutching in his arms onto the table.
Wife, come here quick!
His wife, who was curled up on the earthen bed holding their two children, sat up in shock at the noise.
Husband? Why are you back at this hour...
No time for talk, get up quickly!
Sun Daniu unwrapped the rags to reveal three pieces of cooked, bone-in mutton. They were glistening with fat, and the rich aroma of meat instantly filled the cramped room.
The older child, a six-year-old girl, twitched her nose, shivered all over, and burst into tears with a loud wail.
Dad! Dad! Meat! It is meat!
The younger one was only three and could not quite speak in full sentences yet. He just reached out his two twig-like little hands, mumbling indistinctly, Want, want.
Sun Daniu scooped up the older child, his voice rough and hoarse. Do not howl! What are you crying for! Your dad brought meat back today! We have meat to eat!
His wife stared blankly at the three pieces of mutton. She reached out to touch them, but as soon as her fingertips brushed against the still-warm skin, she jerked her hand back, thinking she was dreaming.
It is real...
Of course it is real! Sun Daniu broke the meat into smaller chunks, handing one to the younger child first, then another to the older one. Centurion Xu brought them back from Wild Fox Shoal! Hundreds of live sheep! The whole army is boiling pots to stew meat tonight!
The two children hugged the chunks of meat and gnawed on them, their faces shining with grease. Without even taking the time to chew, they stuffed huge pieces into their mouths. His wife quickly patted the younger one's back, afraid the child would choke.
Eat slowly, slowly. Oh, do not fight over it, there is more, there is more...
Watching his two children eat the meat, Sun Daniu's nose stung. He turned his head away and wiped his face with his sleeve.
Scenes like this were playing out simultaneously in adobe houses all across the military family district.
Next door at Pockmarked Wang's house, his wife took a half bowl of now-cold meat broth. She fed the two children first, then handed the rest to her old mother lying in the corner of the earthen bed.
The old woman held the bowl with trembling hands, two lines of clear tears flowing from her cloudy old eyes.
Where did this meat broth come from... Is this a dream...
Mother, it is real. Pockmarked Wang squatted by the bed, grasping his old mother's hand. An Imperial Envoy arrived in the city. Her brother led his men to win a battle and captured grain and livestock from the Helian people.
Imperial Envoy... what kind of official is that?
It should be... an official even higher than our general.
The old woman shakily brought the bowl to her lips and took a small sip of the broth. Her cloudy eyes rolled slightly as she mumbled, Then... we should burn a stick of incense for the Bodhisattva...
Pockmarked Wang did not say anything; he just tucked the corners of the quilt around his mother.
...
The Commander's Manor, three-story watchtower.
Tie Lanshan, draped in a black cloak, had most of his body hidden in the shadows of the pavilion.
He quietly looked down at the drill ground below, which was ablaze with torchlight.
The noisy voices and spirited shouts drifted into Tie Lanshan's ears without missing a single word.
Tie Lanshan's gaze was deep as he stared at Xu Zhan, who was surrounded by a multitude of soldiers in the center. The muscles on his old face twitched slightly.
A trace of a smile seemed to hang on the corners of his mouth, but his eyes were slightly sunken and dark.
Commander.
The advisor, Bai Yushu, stood half a step behind Tie Lanshan, gently waving a feather fan in his hand.
Did you hear that? Bai Yushu's voice was kept very low, just enough for the two of them to hear.
I heard it. Tie Lanshan did not turn around.
Lord Tai Sui. Bai Yushu stopped fanning, his gaze also directed at the drill ground. This title is quite resounding.
Tie Lanshan remained silent.
Bai Yushu took a step forward, his tone revealing a bit of solemnity.
Commander, this boy's prestige is growing too great. It is true that he brought back these hundreds of cattle and sheep today, solving Zhenbei City's most urgent crisis, but look at those soldiers down there.
Bai Yushu pointed at the drill ground.
To say the army's loyalty has changed hands might be an exaggeration, but being swayed like this is never a good thing.
Tie Lanshan naturally understood this logic in his heart.
The pavilion was so quiet that only the whistling of the wind passing through the wooden lattices could be heard.
After a long time.
Tie Lanshan pulled his cloak tighter around himself and tucked his hands into his sleeves.
Yushu.
Your subordinate is here.
Zhenbei City has been out of rations for half a year. The soldiers have been killing their horses to stave off hunger. Last night, three squad leaders in the South Camp had already secretly conspired to seize the gates and mutiny tonight. Tie Lanshan turned around, his back to the firelight of the drill ground.
Bai Yushu's expression changed.
Does the Commander mean...
Having meat to eat is always better than a mutiny.
Tie Lanshan took a step and walked toward the depths of the pavilion.
Let him be.
There is someone behind him...
Bai Yushu stood in place, watching Tie Lanshan's back disappear into the darkness at the top of the stairs. He gently waved his feather fan twice and muttered to himself.
Let him be...
