Chinese Generals Summoning System

Chapter 35: Setting Out

Although Liu Ji was protected by seven household guards, including Hua Xiong, Liu Hao and Liu Tie were still deeply concerned for his safety on this mission to guard the border in Qianzhou. After all, the barbarian cavalry on the grasslands often numbered in the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands. Even if Hua Xiong and the other six were all fierce generals capable of snatching a general’s head from the midst of ten thousand troops, a swarm of ants can still bring down an elephant! Liu Hao and Liu Tie still wanted to go to Qianzhou in Liu Ji’s place to guard the border, but Liu Ji could never allow his father and Uncle Tie to go there—they would face certain death. On the other hand, since he possessed the Chinese General Summoning System, going to Qianzhou to guard the border might just be his chance to make his fortune. After all, to summon more Chinese generals, he had to collect more soul points, and once he reached the border, there would undoubtedly be countless opportunities to encounter the dead. In the end, Liu Ji and his father, Liu Hao, agreed that Liu Ji would take Hua Xiong and six other household guards, along with the twin sisters, to Qianzhou, while Liu Hao would remain in Qi County to recover from his injuries. Liu Tie and Liu Niuniu would both remain in Qi County to keep Liu Hao company. If Liu Ji truly managed to gain a foothold in the peril-ridden Qianzhou, he would then send someone back to bring his father and younger sister to Qianzhou to reunite with him. Furthermore, the imperial court had issued an edict stating that soldiers dispatched from various prefectures and counties to garrison the northern border could return to their hometowns after three years. At that time, each prefecture and county would select new border garrison troops to replace them; of course, those unwilling to leave the border garrison were free to stay. If Liu Ji failed to make a name for himself in Qianzhou, then after three years, he would rush back to Qi County, and the family would be reunited. Liu Tie had originally intended to accompany Liu Ji to Qianzhou, but Liu Ji pointed out that someone was needed to take care of the household, so Liu Tie had no choice but to abandon the idea. When Liu Ji gave Cheng Yi the set of armor and helmet he’d received as a system reward, Cheng Yi was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears—after all, not even their lord possessed such exquisite and sturdy armor and helmet. Cheng Yi had previously trained with a long spear, but he had left it behind in Fusu City, Qinzhou, and the warhorse he had ridden during his escape had since died of illness. Liu Ji didn’t have a warhorse at the moment either, but he bought Cheng Yi a large spear made of high-grade steel at a blacksmith’s shop in Qi County. Two days passed in a flash, and the day arrived for the troops in Qi County to set out for Qianzhou to garrison the border. Today was the ninth day of the eleventh month in the 425th year of the Great Jin Dynasty. The Great Jin Dynasty began with the year of its founding as the first year of the Great Jin era. According to the decree of Liu Hui, the founding emperor of the Great Jin, the Great Jin era would continue indefinitely, and it had now reached the 425th year of the Great Jin. Early in the morning, Liu Ji bid farewell to Liu Hao, Liu Tie, and his younger sister Liu Niuniu—who was cradled in Liu Tie’s arms—and led the group to the Chen Family Compound. His sister Liu Niuniu kept urging Liu Ji to come and fetch her, their father, and Uncle Tie in Qianzhou as soon as possible. Liu Niuniu had no idea what kind of place Qianzhou was or what dangers it held, nor would anyone tell her these things. She still believed her older brother Liu Ji was going to Qianzhou to take up a high-ranking official post—that was exactly what Liu Ji had told her himself! Among Liu Ji’s entourage, Hua Xiong, Yue Yi, Liu Pi, Gong Du, and You Tong each rode a warhorse, while Cheng Yi continued to drive the horse-drawn carriage, with Liu Ji and the twin sisters seated inside. As for the two maidservants of the twin sisters, Lin Xiya and Lin Xiwen, the sisters had left them behind in Qi County to look after Liu Niuniu. The journey to Qianzhou to guard the border was a long one, and bringing along an extra woman who was incapable of fighting would only add to the burden. As for the twin sisters, Lin Xiya and Lin Xiwen, there was no way Liu Ji could leave them behind in Qi County. Chen Hao was still driving the oxcart, which was loaded with grain, cured meat, salt, and other provisions—totaling nearly 2,000 jin. Much of it had been purchased over the past two days by Liu Pi and Gong Du from shops in Qi County’s town, as ordered by Liu Ji. When Liu Ji’s party arrived at the Chen family compound, Chen Ta, Chen Qi, and Chen Yan were already waiting outside the main gate. Ninety able-bodied young men, selected from among the disaster victims, were also present. However, these ninety men stood there with gloomy expressions, guarded by the Chen family’s retainers—after all, no one wanted to go to Qianzhou to meet their deaths. but whether or not they went to Qianzhou was no longer up to them. In addition, the Chen family had prepared six horse-drawn carts for Liu Ji. Most of the carts were loaded with grain, but they also carried some spears, broadswords, leather armor, and shields—weapons and armor that Chen Qi had prepared for Liu Ji. Upon seeing the 90 male disaster victims selected by the Chen family, Yue Yi walked over to Liu Ji and whispered, “My Lord, if you take these men to Qianzhou without strict military discipline, they may all desert before you even reach the borders of Qianzhou.” Liu Ji looked at the 90 male disaster victims selected by the Chen family. Many were elderly or frail, and it was clear from the expressions on their faces that they were deeply reluctant to go to Qianzhou to guard the border. Liu Ji was certain that the men conscripted from other powerful families in Qi County would also be reluctant to go to Qianzhou to guard the border. He realized that leading even 500 of the 800 men to the Qianzhou border would be no easy task—it would undoubtedly be a major headache for him. Liu Ji sighed and said to Yue Yi, “It seems that once we leave Qi County, our first task will be to get the 800 men—recruited from the various powerful families of Qi County—in order. Otherwise, we might not get very far before the entire group falls apart.” Originally, Liu Ji had planned to train the 800 men—recruited from the various powerful families—for a few days within Qi County before setting out. However, Chen Yan informed Liu Ji that County Magistrate Wang Ji had demanded the border defense force not rest within Qi County’s borders but must proceed immediately to Qianzhou. Once the force left Qi County, any subsequent incidents would no longer be the responsibility of County Magistrate Wang Ji. Consequently, Liu Ji had no choice but to prepare to organize the 800-man border defense force only after leaving Qi County. Shortly thereafter, the Chen family—father and son—accompanied Liu Ji to the Qi County magistrate’s office. By then, a large crowd had already gathered outside the office; the men conscripted from Qi County’s powerful families—both major and minor—to serve on the border in Qianzhou had essentially all been escorted there by their respective family retinues. Liu Ji also met with Wang Ji, the magistrate of Qi County. After offering Liu Ji some high-sounding, but hollow, words of encouragement, Wang Ji handed him an official document. The document stated that Liu Ji, Captain of Qi County in Changping Commandery, Yongzhou, was ordered by the imperial court to lead his 500 troopsto garrison the border at Chengyin County, Dai’an Commandery, in Qianzhou. The document also specified a deadline, stating that Liu Ji must arrive at Chengyin County by the 10th day of the second month of the 426th year of the Great Jin Dynasty—leaving him exactly three months to make the journey. It was only then that Liu Ji learned the specific destination: Chengyin County in Dai’an Commandery, Qianzhou. However, Liu Ji knew nothing about the conditions in Chengyin County, nor did anyone in Qixian County. He had no choice but to inquire along the way. In addition to providing manpower, the various powerful families in Qi County had all contributed some grain—more or less. After all, the journey from Qi County to Pingyin County in Dai’an Commandery, Qianzhou, was a long one, and it passed through Wanzhou, which had suffered three consecutive years of severe drought. Without ample provisions, this Qi County border defense contingent might have scattered halfway through the journey due to lack of food. Even County Magistrate Wang Ji had the Wang family contribute four cartloads of grain to this border-defending contingent from Qi County. Counting the one oxcart of grain Liu Ji brought himself, the six horse-drawn carts from the Chen family, the four from the Wang family, and the grain contributed by other influential families, Liu Ji’s border defense contingent had a total of 25 carts of grain. With the exception of the oxcart driven by Chen Hao, the remaining 24 were horse-drawn carts. In addition, the various powerful families had gathered some spears, broadswords, leather armor, and shields, which they placed on top of the grain carts. All 24 horse-drawn carts were four-wheeled and pulled by two draft horses each. Each cart carried at least 2,000 jin of grain. By this calculation, Liu Ji had approximately 50,000 jin of grain at his disposal—enough to sustain a group of over 800 people for about two months if they rationed their food. If they could not reach Pingyin County in Dai’an Commandery, Qianzhou, within two months, Liu Ji would have to resolve the grain issue on his own, as County Magistrate Wang Ji had not provided him with even a liang of silver for military expenses. Thanks to the efforts of the six military commanders—Hua Xiong, Yue Yi, Cheng Yi, Liu Pi, Gong Du, and You Tong—the chaotic 800-strong border garrison contingent finally managed to set out. Among them, 24 older men with prior experience driving carts were appointed as drivers, responsible for 24 four-wheeled horse-drawn carts. The remaining 776 men were divided into two groups, marching respectively at the front and rear of the wagon train. The wagon carrying Liu Ji and the twin sisters, as well as the oxcart driven by Chen Hao, were also part of the convoy. Chen Yan watched the border defense contingent recede into the distance, sighed, and asked his father, Chen Ta, “Father, will Liu Ji ever return?” Chen Ta replied impassively, “You must remember that this is a transaction. Our Chen family owes the Liu family no favor. Neither you nor your older brother need feel any guilt. For now, the most important task is to organize and train our Chen family’s troops.”