Chinese Generals Summoning System

Chapter 27: Arrival in Qi County

“Brother Li, we’ll be at my maternal grandfather’s house very soon. If you have somewhere else to go, feel free to leave. After all, Uncle Chen has agreed to count you as a member of the Liu family and no longer as one of the new recruits from this draft,” Liu Ji said to Cheng Yi, who was driving the cart, as he sat in the front of the carriage. For some reason, Cheng Yi hadn’t revealed his real name to Liu Ji, instead giving a false name—Li Zhuo. As for Cheng Yi’s claim that he was an ordinary farmer’s son, Liu Ji didn’t believe it either. After all, how could an ordinary farmer’s son possess such high three-dimensional stats? Moreover, Cheng Yi’s manner of speaking didn’t sound like that of a farmer’s son either. However, Liu Ji didn’t call him out on it; over the past couple of days, he’d simply been chatting idly with Cheng Yi to pass the time. Cheng Yi gave a wry smile and said to Liu Ji, “Young Master Liu, Li Zhuo has lost his family and has nowhere to go. If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to help you drive the carriage from now on!” As Cheng Yi spoke, a look of sadness flashed across his face. Liu Ji thought to himself that Cheng Yi must have quite a story behind him. “Since Brother Li has nowhere to go, he might as well come along with me for now. The world is in such turmoil these days; we’ll be much safer if we stick together!” Cheng Yi nodded and said, “Rest assured, Young Master Liu. Li Zhuo is quite capable; he can handle himself in dangerous situations.” “If only Fifth Sister were still alive… Sigh—” The “Fifth Sister” Chen Yan referred to was Chen Min, the mother of Liu Ji and Liu Niuniu, who was the fifth of more than a dozen sisters in the Chen family. Chen Yan then glanced at the several military officers following behind Liu Ji and asked, “Liu Ji, why isn’t your father with you and your sister? And who are these men behind you?” Liu Ji then recounted how he and his sister had become separated from their father, Liu Hao, after encountering bandits, and briefly introduced Hua Xiong and the others as household guards he had recruited. Chen Yan said, “Your father and that Liu Tie are both decent fighters. Without you and Niuniu holding them back, they shouldn’t be in any danger. Come with me to the county seat for a few days, and I’m sure your father will be able to join you there! If you ask me, your father is just being overly sensitive. Last year, I sent Chen Baocai to find him, hoping he’d bring you and your sister to the Chen family for temporary shelter. Wan Prefecture has been growing increasingly chaotic due to years of severe drought. If your father had agreed sooner, none of this would have happened.” Although he’d only just met Chen Yan, Liu Ji could tell from his words that Chen Yan was quite fond of his nephew Liu Ji and his niece Liu Niuniu. This put Liu Ji’s mind at ease; if Chen Yan hadn’t cared much for them, Liu Ji and the others wouldn’t have had an easy time staying at the Chen household. Liu Ji had the system scan his uncle Chen Yan’s three-dimensional stats. To his surprise, Chen Yan’s martial prowess was 54 points—already placing him in the quasi-third-tier category—while his intelligence was 51 points and his leadership was 56 points. Chen Yan glanced at the several martial generals clad in iron armor standing behind Liu Ji and Liu Niuniu, then said to Liu Ji, ““I never expected you to be so capable, young man—you’ve recruited several household guards. And judging by the martial skills of these warriors, they’re certainly no ordinary fighters. The Chen family is currently forming a military unit, so I’ll discuss it with my older brother and see if we can arrange a position as a military commander for you.” According to the military system of the Great Jin Dynasty, a military commander could lead a “qu” of troops, and one “qu” consisted of 200 men. Liu Ji hesitated for a moment before saying to Chen Yan, “Second Uncle, could we hold off on joining the Chen family’s army for a bit? My father has always sent me to school—I’m not sure if he’d agree to me joining the military. I’d like to wait until my father arrives and ask for his opinion.” “Your father’s just got too much free time. These days, what good is studying anyway? Alright, then let’s wait until your father arrives in Qi County before we discuss it further!”