Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 28: At the City Gates

For this trip to Junwei, in addition to Ou Yang, Liu Chenyong, Song Wenmu, and Huang Junxian—whose participation had been arranged long ago—each person brought along a bodyguard and a maidservant. They were accompanied by three sleighs from the Thousand-Captain’s headquarters, plus two Di-Qiang prisoners, bringing the total to seventeen people. Excluding the prisoners, this was essentially the standard party size for most members of the Western Regions’ “middle class” embarking on a long journey at that time. The people Ou Yang brought with him were Takurai and Tana. Originally, he had intended to bring Tana’s mother, Toya—but perhaps because she was too young, or perhaps because the girl still harbored resentment toward him deep down, she was rather clumsy at household chores. Ou Yang’s purpose in bringing a maid was not to satisfy carnal desires, and this underage girl seemed somewhat of a burden. But Toya had gone to great lengths to sell her daughter to Ou Yang. Her main argument was that a young girl had plenty of stamina and could keep up with the pace of a long journey without becoming a burden. However, Ou Yang felt that Shengdi women, having struggled to survive in the Great Forest for years, shouldn’t lack stamina—even a woman like Toya, who was over thirty. After all, a thirty-year-old adult woman should have more stamina than an underage girl. Ou Yang didn’t quite understand Toya’s reasoning, but her goal was crystal clear. If it weren’t for the rule that slaves were not allowed to enter the master’s bedchamber without being summoned, Ou Yang suspected Toya might have stripped her daughter naked and shoved her into his bed—she had resigned herself to her fate, determined to secure better treatment for her daughter by accepting the role of a slave. In the end, Ou Yang took the girl with him; he wasn’t in the habit of refusing the pleas of a beautiful woman, especially when they didn’t violate his principles. Besides, he knew full well that while he might occasionally feel a pang of maternal compassion, he was by no means a saint. Faced with two beautiful women over whom he had complete control, it was only a matter of time before his hormones breached the moral dam built in his past life. Just recently, Ou Yang had noticed that, with his life now so leisurely, he’d been casting far too many glances at Toya’s mature, voluptuous figure. Ou Yang and his party entered the city through the West Gate. The snow on the city streets had already been cleared away, making it impossible for sleds to enter. Furthermore, behind them was a sled loaded with severed heads—evidence of their military exploits—which naturally could not be brought directly into the city. They had to hand them over to the garrison at the city gate for inspection. Fortunately, the Imperial Army maintained strict discipline, and no one would try to claim credit for their kills. The city walls of Junwei were a completely unremarkable square, with neither a moat nor a barbican. The two-story walls stood no more than eight meters high but were a full six meters wide. The upper level was dotted with numerous small windows, making it look more like a row of townhouses than a defensive structure. In fact, these walls did indeed serve as barracks—most of the infantry were stationed on the ramparts and would simply march out of the city for training. Previously, Huang Qianzong had sent Lu Li two battle reports: the first, before they set out, reported unusual activity among the Shengdi and stated that the Thousand-Man Headquarters of the Anxi Garrison would conduct a reconnaissance-in-force. The second, after the battle, detailed the number of enemy killed, captured, and casualties, and included intelligence gathered during the reconnaissance. This time, the official mission for Ou Yang’s party was to hand over the orc heads and prisoners and to report the details of the intelligence gathered up the chain of command for the Empire’s decision. Behind the scenes, however, the true purpose was to present gifts to the dignitaries in Luli and remind them that, should war break out and the Northwest once again become a focal point of the Empire’s expansion, they must not forget that it was this group of low-ranking officials from Anxi Garrison who secured the first victory against the Oak Empire. The high-ranking officials in Luli took this matter quite seriously. Knowing of their arrival, they had dispatched a regular army audit team to await them at the city gate well in advance. As soon as the two sides met and exchanged a few pleasantries, they began inspecting the severed heads on the open ground next to the West Gate. Junwei is a provincial-level city, where the Empire stations one provincial governor and one commander-in-chief. However, the general populace is sparse; the main residents consist of 1,500 regular cavalry, 6,000 regular infantry, the families of approximately 30,000 regular soldiers, over 10,000 merchants, and more than 50,000 slaves of various ethnicities. Every adult male here had some connection to the military, and even among Han adult women, it was common to carry weapons—it was practically a giant military camp. Furthermore, the company commanders and village headmen under the Lingxi Road were required to send severed heads here at regular intervals; accumulating fifty or sixty severed heads of Shengdi or Sheng Yi conscripts could earn them a merit award. Even if it only earned them one, every little bit helps, doesn’t it? Consequently, passersby at the West Gate took no notice of the dozen or so severed heads laid out on the ground. It was only a dozen or so heads. Gobur’s head was easily recognizable, and the sight of that lion’s head appearing in the icy, snow-covered Western Regions was quite strange. Without any trouble at all, the auditor quickly finished the head count. Ou Yang ordered the slaves to load the heads back onto the cart and stow them away, preparing to hand them over to the auditor to take away. Just then, a group of horsemen approached from the west. Liu Chenyong, who was bored out of his mind, suddenly nudged Ou Yang with his elbow and tilted his chin toward the horsemen, gesturing for Ou Yang to look. Ou Yang glanced over. The group consisted of more than twenty riders, each clad in short, grayish-white cotton coats and equipped with riding bows, quivers, and sabers. They were skilled horsemen with fierce expressions—clearly private slaves of some prominent figure among the Di Yi people. For slaves to possess such gear, their master must hold a military post, and his rank would likely be no lower than that of a General. Yet the leader turned out to be a young girl riding a white horse, clad in a white bearskin coat, a cold-sable collar, and a white fox-fur hood with a rabbit-ear trim. Ou Yang turned his head slightly and asked Liu Chenyong, “Do you know her?” “I know that a few of the skilled fighters in the rear are private slaves that General Zuo often keeps by his side. I don’t recognize the others.” “That means this young lady must be a relative of the Zuo family. And she’s brought her own private guards with her.” Liu Chenyong was a veteran of the Lingxi Circuit; if even he didn’t recognize the dozen or so skilled riders behind her, they must be guards dispatched by the girl’s family. The fact that several of General Zuo Yunyi’s personal servants were among them naturally indicated that the girl had deep ties to General Zuo’s household. The Zuo family was a prominent clan—a military lineage that had garrisoned the northwest frontier for generations. The current Commander-in-Chief of Lingxi Road, Zuo Yunyi, was the nephew of General Zuo Helin, the “Grand Guardian” who had once slain the Tartar chieftain Huangjin Han in battle. The Zuo family wielded considerable influence throughout the entire northwestern military; regardless of which branch or lineage, it was hardly surprising for them to field a dozen or so private mounted servants. The young lady did not enter the city directly; she reined in her horse at the city gate. However, her riding skills seemed somewhat lacking—the tall white colt spun in a circle on the spot until a rider from behind stepped forward and grabbed the reins, bringing it to a halt just in time. The young girl stuck out her tongue in embarrassment and nimbly leaped down from the horse. Her graceful figure and slightly playful movements were utterly captivating. Seeing the girl walk straight toward them, Ouyang and the others exchanged glances. With their eyes, they reminded one another: “Since she’s a relative of the Zuo family, we must not treat this girl with disrespect.” As she drew near, they realized the girl was no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Her ivory-white, lustrous skin glowed with a rosy flush; her delicate, porcelain-like face, free of any makeup, appeared pure and ethereal; though not very tall, her legs seemed exceptionally long, and her entire figure was as agile and graceful as a little white deer. Though her figure had not yet fully matured, she was already as stunning as a budding lotus. Huang Junxian was so mesmerized he couldn’t close his mouth. Ou Yang had to tug at his sleeve to remind the young man to mind his manners. The four of them stepped forward and bowed deeply, while the male and female slaves knelt behind them, their heads bowed low. The young woman returned the bow, and the horsemen behind her also knelt en masse—no matter how high their masters’ ranks might be, slaves were still slaves. As long as they were not on the battlefield or in a military camp, slaves were required to kneel and pay their respects upon seeing an official (even a low-ranking officer like Ou Yang); failure to do so constituted insubordination toward a superior, and being beheaded on the spot would be entirely justified. Three members of Ou Yang’s party wore official identification tags at their waists. It was one thing to enter the city directly earlier, but to walk right up to her and pretend not to see her was tantamount to playing with their own lives. In the past, there had been two officers in Lingxi Road who couldn’t stand each other. Constrained by military discipline from taking direct action against one another, they repeatedly found pretexts to execute each other’s subordinate slaves. They each killed dozens before stopping, which enraged the Left Commander-in-Chief. Yet in the end, they were merely fined one hundred yuan—less than two yuan per life, not even worth the price of a donkey. Only the burly man who had helped the young beauty rein in her horse performed the fist-clasping salute; it seemed he was no longer a slave. “This humble maiden is Zuo Shuijing. I pay my respects to the four noble gentlemen,” said the young beauty in a clear, pleasant voice, her words exuding the boldness of a military family: “You must be the heroes of Anxi Garrison who decapitated the pseudo-prince of Xidi?”