Chinese Generals Summoning System

Chapter 34: Cheng Yi Swears Allegiance

After revealing his real name to Liu Ji, Cheng Yi went on to recount his entire background to him, holding nothing back. Liu Ji patted Cheng Yi on the shoulder and said, “Brother Cheng Yi, you did the right thing! If a soldier remains indifferent when he sees the people of his own country being slaughtered, what good is he as a soldier? If I were in that situation, I would do the same without hesitation. A true man knows what to do and what not to do. I believe your fallen comrades would not hold it against you; they died fighting to protect the people of their country, and they certainly died without regret!” Hearing Liu Ji’s words, Cheng Yi felt a wave of warmth surge through his heart. It turned out there was still someone who understood him. Just as Liu Ji had said, if the situation were to happen again, he would still, without hesitation, lead his force of over 400 cavalrymen to charge against the Khitan cavalry—even if they outnumbered them several or even dozens of times over. “Brother Cheng Yi, although I’m taking my uncle’s place to garrison the border at Qianzhou this time, defending the Great Jin’s borders and ensuring the barbarians dare not set foot on a single inch of our land is also my dream, Liu Ji’s dream! If Brother Cheng Yi is willing to continue protecting the people of the Great Jin along the border, then come with me, Liu Ji, to Qianzhou! I dare not make any other promises, but no matter how many hardships and dangers we face in the future, I, Liu Ji, will certainly fight shoulder to shoulder with you, never abandoning you in life or death!” Cheng Yi, who had already been helped to his feet by Liu Ji, suddenly dropped to one knee again and said, his voice trembling slightly, “I, Cheng Yi, wish to become your disciple, follow you to Qianzhou to guard the border, and stand by your side through life and death. Please grant me this favor!” No sooner had Cheng Yi finished speaking than Liu Ji received a system notification: “Congratulations to the user on recruiting Cheng Yi, a second-tier military commander from the real world, and securing his sincere loyalty. The reward is a set of standard-issue armor and helmet custom-made for Cheng Yi. We hope the user will continue to do well!” Although the system offered no rewards other than a set of armor and a helmet for Cheng Yi, Liu Ji was exceptionally pleased. After all, unlike the gullible Chen Hao—who had been lured to his side with just a few persuasive words—winning Cheng Yi’s sincere loyalty was entirely due to Liu Ji’s personal charisma. The sense of accomplishment was truly indescribable. “Haha! Excellent! Cheng Yi, get up quickly! Since you’re willing to follow Liu Ji, we’re family from now on! With so many formidable generals by my side, it’s as if the Old Master is bestowing his favor upon me. If I, Liu Ji, fail to make a name for myself, I’ll be letting down the Old Master’s deep affection!” After discussing his upcoming border defense mission in Qianzhou with the seven generals, Liu Ji went to the room where the twin sisters, Lin Xiya and Lin Xiwen, were staying and told them about his plans to go to Qianzhou. Although guarding the border in Qianzhou was extremely dangerous, Liu Ji still planned to take the twin sisters with him—though sometimes, having women who were too beautiful could be quite a hassle. Since entering Qi County these past few days, Liu Ji hadn’t dared let the twin sisters show their faces in public. On one hand, he feared that members of the Zheng family of Yongzhou might discover their whereabouts; on the other, he was worried that their beauty might cause unnecessary trouble. If Liu Ji were to go to Qianzhou and leave the twin sisters behind in Qi County, it could very well lead to trouble. Even though Liu Ji hadn’t so much as touched the twins’ little hands, in his heart he had already come to regard these two stunningly beautiful sisters as his own women. “Young Master, what do you mean? Are you planning to leave us sisters in Qi County, or take us both with you to Qianzhou?” The older sister, Lin Xiya, asked Liu Ji in a coy voice. Liu Ji replied immediately, “I plan to take both of you with me to Qianzhou. If you stay in Qixian, I’m worried something might go wrong. However, on this mission to guard the border in Qianzhou, we’ll be facing brutal barbarians head-on, and combat is unavoidable.” Lin Xiya suddenly broke into a joyful smile and said to Liu Ji with a look of deep affection, “As long as we can stay by your side, Young Master, we sisters would be willing to face even mountains of knives and seas of fire!” Her younger sister, Lin Xiwén, chimed in with a sweet voice, “With so many highly skilled personal guards under your command, Young Master, what is there for us sisters to fear, even if we go to Qianzhou?” Looking at the two identical, stunning beauties, Liu Ji patted his chest and said, “Xiya, Xiwen, rest assured. Although this mission to guard the border in Qianzhou is fraught with danger, as long as I, Liu Ji, have a breath left in me, I will not let anything happen to you two.” After Liu Ji cheerfully left the twins’ room, Lin Xiwen looked worried as she said to Lin Xiya, “Sister, I’ve heard that the barbarians are extremely, extremely brutal. Some nomadic tribes can even muster hundreds of thousands of cavalry. And even though the young master’s personal guards are highly skilled, there are only seven of them after all. As for us sisters… Ah—sister, I’d rather die than fall into the hands of the barbarians!” Lin Xiya sighed and said, “We sisters come from a brothel; having the chance to serve the young master now is already a blessing for us. If danger truly befalls us on this trip to Qianzhou, it will simply be our fate. When that time comes, we’ll take our own lives to preserve our honor.” Finally, Liu Ji told Liu Hao and Liu Tie about his upcoming assignment to guard the border in Qianzhou. Liu Hao immediately shouted furiously, “How dare the Chen family scheme against a child like you? No way! I’m going to the Chen family to demand justice!” Liu Ji gave a wry smile and said, “Father, after all, the Chen family paid so much gold to save your life. I’ve also demanded two shops and 200 mu of paddy fields from them—the deeds to the properties are right here. Moreover, the Chen family has already secured the position of military officer for me through the Magistrate of Qi County. Now, I have no choice but to make the trip to Qianzhou.” “Ah—it’s all my fault. I’ve dragged you into this! The northern border of our Great Jin has already fallen into the hands of the barbarians. Going to Qianzhou to guard the border is practically a death sentence! No, you can’t go. I’ll go to Qianzhou in your place!” “Sir, Young Master, please let me go to Qianzhou!” Liu Tie said urgently from the side. “Father, Uncle Tie, you’ve seen Hua Xiong, Chen Hao, and Yue Yi these past few days. I’m sure you’ve witnessed their martial prowess—especially Hua Xiong and Chen Hao, who are both capable of snatching a general’s head from the midst of ten thousand troops. With these fierce generals protecting me, going to Qianzhou to guard the border might not be a dead end for me, Liu Ji. Who knows? I might even fight my way to wealth and honor!” During these days of recuperation, Liu Hao and Liu Tie were utterly astonished by the sudden appearance of Hua Xiong, Chen Hao, Yue Yi, Cheng Yi, Gong Du, and You Tong under Liu Ji’s command. They were both deeply puzzled: how could so many highly skilled warriors willingly pledge allegiance to Liu Ji, a mere sixteen-year-old boy? After all, Liu Hao and Liu Tie had watched Liu Ji grow up; they knew him inside and out. They had never noticed any qualities in him that would make people come running to pledge allegiance to him as their lord. Yet the facts were right before their eyes: not only were people coming forward to swear allegiance to Liu Ji, but every single one of them possessed martial arts skills that surpassed even those of Liu Hao and Liu Tie.