After a day’s march, they reached the borders of Chongzhou.

Fan Changyu needed to go to the military camp, but she couldn’t keep bringing Changning along.

Previously, while searching for Changning in Jizhou, she had helped the local authorities raid several mountain bandit hideouts involved in child and women trafficking. The generous reward she received allowed her to rent a small courtyard in a nearby town. She left Changning there, hiring a simple farm woman experienced in childcare to look after Changning’s daily needs.

As a precaution, she also left Xie Qi behind, taking only Xie Wu with her to the military camp.

This was common practice for soldiers stationed long-term beyond the border. Most of them had settled down in the frontier towns and could reunite with their families when not on duty.

After everything was arranged, Fan Changyu was officially enlisted in the Jizhou army through Taoist Tao’s recommendation. Her previous feat of killing three scouts was considered a genuine military achievement in the Jizhou army. Later, she had also slain the rebel general Shi Hu at Yixian Gorge, making it easy for her to request a rank.

However, on the way to the military camp, Taoist Tao suddenly asked her, “Girl, do you want a group of people at your command who aren’t close to you, or do you want to personally train a few capable individuals?”

Fan Changyu had experienced the brutality of the battlefield. Who would sacrifice their life to protect someone they weren’t close to?

Those generals in the army had risen through the ranks from squad leaders and platoon leaders. It was precisely because they had earned the trust of their subordinates and forged bonds of brotherhood that the soldiers would charge fearlessly into battle under their command.

Even during shifts in military power, the lower-ranking soldiers were more willing to stand united with the generals they had followed rather than obey the distant imperial authority.

Fan Changyu might not be brilliant, but she wasn’t foolish either. She quickly weighed the pros and cons and said, “On the battlefield, I need people I can entrust my back to.”

Implying that she chose the latter option.

Taoist Tao stroked his beard and smiled, saying, “That aligns with my thoughts. You’re new to the military and unfamiliar with everything here. Hastily granting you a high-ranking position without capable subordinates would only give you an empty title that invites jealousy. It’s better to start low-key, take it step by step, and build a solid foundation.”

With Taoist Tao’s words, Fan Changyu realized that at best, she might start as a squad leader in the military.

In the Great Yin Dynasty’s military system, five men formed a squad, ten men a platoon, five platoons a company, ten platoons a battalion, and five battalions a regiment. A regiment’s strength ranged from a minimum of five hundred men, with no set upper limit. ①

Several regiments combined to form an army.

The military ranks within were complex, with some having both official rank and actual power, some with official rank but no real power, and others with no official rank but actual authority.

For instance, a battalion commander in charge of a hundred men, also called a Centurion, technically had no official rank, but wielded considerable actual power.

On the battlefield, a hundred men could accomplish much, which is why throughout history, many famous generals have achieved remarkable military feats while serving as Centurions.

Fan Changyu was assigned to Tang Peiyi’s command. After the great victory over the rebels who had flooded Lucheng, Tang Peiyi’s newly recruited force of 20,000 had lost nearly 3,000 men during a night raid by the rebels. He had also dispatched 1,000 men with Taoist Tao to deliver supplies to Yixian Gorge, while he led the remaining troops to besiege Chongzhou.

The thousand men Taoist Tao had led, after joining forces with reinforcements from Yanzhou at Yixian Gorge and engaging in multiple battles with the rebels under the guidance of Yanzhou’s veteran soldiers, had rapidly grown into seasoned fighters. The few hundred who had survived and returned were now all battle-hardened veterans.

Tang Peiyi planned to disperse these men among the recruits to train them.

After besieging Lucheng, he had engaged in battle with Prince Changxin’s army once, suffering heavy losses. It wasn’t until He Jingyuan arrived with reinforcements from Jizhou that he dared to breathe a sigh of relief.

He couldn’t just let the remaining ten thousand or so recruits under his command remain idle. Now that the main force from Jizhou was holding the line, he wanted to train his recruits as quickly as possible.

When Taoist Tao approached him to recommend Fan Changyu’s enlistment, Tang Peiyi readily agreed.

If not for Fan Changyu killing those three scouts, Lucheng would have fallen, and he would have had to face execution.

He said, “To think that young lady could kill Shi Hu! Such valor is rare even among men. It’s truly Tang’s fortune to have such a talented general under my command!”

However, Taoist Tao replied, “Jade must be cut and polished to become a tool. Let her be tempered a bit more first.”

When Fan Changyu was finally assigned to a unit, she discovered that she hadn’t started as a common soldier or even a squad leader. She was directly appointed as a company commander, in charge of forty-nine men, with Xie Wu notably assigned to her company.

When the soldiers in the ranks realized their company commander was a fair-faced young woman, they began to whisper among themselves.

“How can there be a woman in the army?”

Fan Changyu’s immediate superior, Centurion Guo, was a burly man with a big beard, built like an iron tower. The officers among the recruits were all transferred from the regular Jizhou army.

When he discovered that one of his company commanders was a woman, he nearly burst with anger. He berated her in front of the soldiers, “I don’t know which general’s precious daughter has come to the army to seek fame again. Instead of directly appointing her as a colonel and having her guards protect her in layers, they’ve thrown her under my command. If she gets so much as a scratch, my entire life’s work will be for nothing.”

His words were meant to intimidate Fan Changyu. Those with thin skin might not be able to bear such public humiliation and would likely leave.

This was exactly what Centurion Guo hoped to see. After all, regardless of which general’s daughter she might be, or even if she were some high official’s son sent to experience military life, they didn’t want to deal with such individuals.

They couldn’t be disciplined or scolded, and on the battlefield, they’d have to risk their lives to protect these ‘treasures’.

If they got injured, the soldiers would face severe consequences. Not to mention that on the battlefield, where death was commonplace, swords and spears showed no mercy.

If anything were to happen to such a person, when the high officials investigated, there wouldn’t be enough heads to chop in the entire unit.

Therefore, the generals had an unspoken rule for those noble young masters sent to gain military experience: give them an honorary position, set up a tent for them, and assign personal guards to protect the ‘golden nugget’.

They didn’t seek merit, only to avoid trouble.

When the ‘experience’ was over, they’d add a few inconsequential military achievements to their record and send them back intact, considering the matter successfully concluded.

Most of those tiger girls from military families who came to gain experience were indeed skilled in martial arts and full of passion. However, they were too naive. Killing a few people was nothing compared to the hell of a real battlefield.

Moreover, these tiger girls were often the apple of some great general’s eye. No one dared to let them face any danger on the battlefield. Often, the number of enemies they killed was far less than the number of soldiers who died protecting them in battle.

Therefore, during actual battles, the generals rarely allowed these girls who came for ‘experience’ to participate in combat.

As for those useless young masters, they weren’t even worth mentioning.

The truly admirable descendants of military families were those who rose through the ranks step by step based on their military achievements.

The army didn’t recruit female soldiers, which was why Centurion Guo naturally assumed that Fan Changyu had joined the army through connections. As a martial artist himself, he could tell from Fan Changyu’s steady breathing that she was trained in martial arts. He guessed that she wanted to emulate those military family descendants who started from the bottom, which made him even more annoyed.

He didn’t care about other people’s lofty ambitions, but if those ambitions might lead to him and his brothers needlessly losing their lives on the battlefield, he despised them greatly.

Fan Changyu was unaware of these hidden circumstances. When Centurion Guo confronted her publicly, she showed no signs of embarrassment and continued to stand there with composure.

She had no reason to be angry if others misunderstood her.

Xie Wu spoke up for her: “Company Commander Fan came from the battlefield at Yixian Gorge. She killed Shi Hu and joined the ranks based on her real military achievements.”

This statement caused even more discussion among the troops.

They had heard of Shi Hu’s infamous reputation since joining the army. It was said he was a monster who enjoyed raw flesh and drank human blood. His pair of hammers had taken countless lives, no less than eight hundred if not a thousand.

Could this girl in Jizhou military uniform, who looked even slighter than most men, really have killed Shi Hu?

Centurion Guo scrutinized Fan Changyu again as if trying to determine if she truly dared to kill Shi Hu.

Someone in the crowd who had seen Fan Changyu carrying soil and rocks during the dam construction called out, “I know Company Commander Fan! When we were building the dam upstream in Jizhou, she could carry stone blocks weighing over three hundred catties down the mountain without breaking a sweat!”

With this concrete detail, the soldiers’ gazes toward Fan Changyu became even more respectful.

Xie Wu wanted to mention Fan Changyu’s bear-hunting exploits, but since he hadn’t witnessed it personally, he worried it might sound like boasting to others. Seeing that everyone’s attitude towards Fan Changyu had become more respectful, Xie Wu swallowed the words that had come to his lips.

Centurion Guo asked Fan Changyu, “What weapon are you skilled with?”

Fan Changyu thought for a moment and replied, “A butcher’s knife.”

Some soldiers in the ranks couldn’t help but snicker.

Centurion Guo’s face darkened as he barked, “You use a butcher’s knife to kill enemies on the battlefield?”

Fan Changyu nodded honestly.

Another wave of muffled laughter rippled through the crowd.

Centurion Guo was thoroughly annoyed now. He no longer believed she could have killed Shi Hu, thinking it was probably her backers who had fabricated this military achievement to build her reputation, as such things were not uncommon.

He decided not to give Fan Changyu any face at all and shouted, “Fine then, today I’ll see for myself what your butcher’s knife can do!”

He clenched his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, exuding a fierce aura as he yelled at Fan Changyu, “Come on!”

The soldiers, not expecting such excitement on the first day of reorganization, cheered and egged them on.

The commotion drew the attention of the generals on the high platform.

Tang Peiyi asked, “What’s going on over there?”

Fan Changyu’s formation was at the very back of the parade ground. Looking down from the high platform, one could only see a mass of small black squares formed by the standing soldiers, making it impossible to discern what was happening at the back.

An aide immediately responded, “This subordinate will go and check.”

Just as he left, another aide came to report, “General, Young Master Li is here to visit!”

Tang Peiyi asked, “Which Young Master Li?”

The aide wiped his sweat and replied, “The grandson of Grand Tutor Li, Young Master Li Huai’an!”

Tang Peiyi immediately looked towards Taoist Tao. Grand Tutor Li had taken that position two years after Taoist Tao had resigned. Although he was the leader of the Qingliu faction, half of the court and officialdom were his disciples, showing signs of wanting to contend with Wei Yan.

He said, “After Marquis Wu’an went to Kangcheng to clear out the remnants of the rebels, the court began sending military provisions via waterways. Li Huai’an holds the concurrent position of military supervisor and has come to verify the amount of provisions. He should be looking for Lord He. Coming to me now, he must be here for you, Taoist. Do you want to see him or not?”

Taoist Tao just smiled and said, “Since this young man knows I’m here, even if he avoids me today, he can’t avoid me tomorrow. Let’s meet him. I’d like to see what kind of child that old Li has raised.”

Tang Peiyi then told the aide, “Invite him over.”

In no time, Li Huai’an, dressed in a sky-blue Confucian robe, was led over by the aide.

As a fellow scholar, his appearance was somewhat plainer compared to Gong Sun Yin, but he was like a cup of clear tea, becoming more flavorful the more one savored it. Combined with his unique air of righteousness and elegance, he gave the impression of being the most refined student before a sage.

He immediately spotted the white-haired Taoist Tao and bowed respectfully, saying in a gentle voice, “Greetings, Grand Tutor.”

Glancing at Tang Peiyi beside him, he added, “Greetings, General.”

Taoist Tao, whose seniority and former official position far outranked Tang Peiyi, naturally took the lead in addressing Li Huai’an. He smiled at the young man before him and said, “You resemble your grandfather in his youth. For a moment, this old man thought he had somehow grown younger over the years.”

It was unclear whether this was a jest or had some deeper meaning.

Li Huai’an merely smiled faintly and replied, “Grandfather’s health has declined significantly in recent years. He can’t match your robustness, Grand Tutor.”

Taoist Tao stroked his beard and laughed, “This old man enjoys life. I haven’t had my fill of the world’s beautiful mountains and waters yet. With no burdens on my shoulders, I’m naturally more carefree than your grandfather.”

Li Huai’an said, “It’s because you knew when to retire from the turbulent waters, Grand Tutor. Grandfather often says that if he had your knowledge, he would be content with this life.”

Taoist Tao’s smile didn’t diminish, the wrinkles on his face deepening as he half-jokingly said, “That old fellow is getting less content as he ages. Isn’t it enough that his knowledge has produced disciples in half the court?”

Li Huai’an smiled along, his tone still gentle: “Half the court’s officials still can’t compare to a pillar of the state like Marquis Wu’an.”

Tang Peiyi was a rough man, but he hadn’t reached his position by being a fool. The more he listened to their conversation, the stranger it felt. Just as he was considering whether to say something to change the subject, the aide he had sent out earlier came running back, panting heavily.

The aide saluted and reported, “General, over there, a Centurion is having a martial arts match with his female company commander!”

Li Huai’an said with some surprise, “General Tang has women serving in his army?”

Fan Changyu had been recommended by Taoist Tao to join the army, and Tang Peiyi was unsure whether to conceal this fact for now. Just then, a wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the back of the military formation.

Li Huai’an glanced in that direction, seeming somewhat interested: “Is it possible to observe military sparring matches?”

There was no rule against observing sparring matches, and Tang Peiyi couldn’t just make one up on the spot. He could only reluctantly say, “Yes, it’s allowed.”

The thunderous cheers erupted when Fan Changyu executed a shoulder throw that sent Centurion Guo flying.

Centurion Guo had engaged her barehanded, so she couldn’t take advantage of him. After all, the last person who had let her use only one hand and a boning knife was Xie Zheng.

The throw was solid. Centurion Guo got up, grimacing and holding his waist. Looking at Fan Changyu standing not far away, he asked, “I’m skilled with the broadsword, not in hand-to-hand combat. Do you dare to face me with weapons?”

Fan Changyu readily agreed, “Certainly.”

Soon, someone brought over a weapons rack.

Centurion Guo chose a yan dao (a type of long-handled saber). Fan Changyu was most skilled with long-handled blade techniques, but she felt that in front of so many people if she made Centurion Guo lose too badly, it would be too embarrassing for him.

After some consideration, she chose two large iron hammers for herself.

Her main reason was that the hammer handles were short, and unlike swords or sabers, they wouldn’t leave a gash with a single swipe. As long as she held back her strength, she could exchange more moves with Centurion Guo.

Little did she know that her smaller frame compared to men made her look somewhat frail. Combined with her gentle and harmless expression, and now wielding two iron hammers weighing dozens of catties each, the scene looked rather bizarre.

Centurion Guo brandished his large saber, creating a whooshing sound in the air. When he shouted and struck, Fan Changyu initially didn’t engage, only dodging.

Seeing that she could move so nimbly despite carrying two large iron hammers, Centurion Guo’s composure began to crumble. Seeing her not engaging, he cursed, “Stop dodging and take one of my strikes!”

So Fan Changyu truly stopped dodging. As the saber came slashing down towards her face, the spectating soldiers gasped in fear.

Although Xie Wu trusted Fan Changyu’s martial skills, he remained vigilant, closely watching every move of their exchange, ready to intervene if Fan Changyu was in danger.

Centurion Guo realized his strike had lost momentum, but Fan Changyu neither dodged nor showed any sign of blocking. In that instant, cold sweat broke out on his back. Regardless of whether Fan Changyu was a general’s daughter, her presence in the army meant she had backing.

If he accidentally killed her here, it would truly be the end of him.

A loud “clang” rang out, so intense it made people’s eardrums ache.

The saber strike aimed at Fan Changyu’s face was forcefully stopped as she clamped it between her two iron hammers, completely halting its momentum.

Centurion Guo, gripping the saber’s handle, clearly felt a violent shock in his tiger’s mouth (the space between thumb and index finger), which became numb and painful, almost causing him to lose his grip. Large beads of cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

Those close to the scene saw clearly that Fan Changyu had directly clamped the blade between her two iron hammers, stopping Centurion Guo’s strike. Those standing further back, obviously not believing such a saber strike could be stopped by simply clamping it with iron hammers, began to whisper among themselves.

“Could it be that Centurion Guo is going easy on her because she’s pretty?”

“If I could win a beauty’s heart by losing face, I’d be willing to!”

However, in the next moment, Fan Changyu released the tightly pressed hammers.

The blade of Centurion Guo’s saber, which had been caught between them, instantly shattered like ice, tinkling to the ground in pieces.

The entire area, both inside and outside the ring, fell into stunned silence.

The soldier who had earlier suspected Centurion Guo of going easy on her swallowed hard.

Shattering a descending saber with a single hammer strike – how much strength did that require?

In the silence where one could hear a pin drop, applause came from outside the training ground. Fan Changyu turned her head to see Taoist Tao, Tang Peiyi, and other high-ranking officers approaching, with Li Huai’an among them.

As the commanding general and this being the training ground, it was naturally Tang Peiyi who spoke. He praised, “This martial display was excellent. A reward is in order!”

The soldiers cheered for Fan Changyu. Having seen others perform military salutes before, Fan Changyu imitated the gesture, clasping her fist and saying, “This humble officer thanks the General!”

Li Huai’an, upon seeing it was her, seemed quite surprised: “I wondered which female general under General Tang’s command could be so valiant. It turns out to be Miss Fan.”

Fan Changyu didn’t know why he was in Chongzhou as well. Thinking that he was an official and she should pay her respects, she saluted him, addressing him as “Lord Li.”

Not only Taoist Tao but even Tang Peiyi was confused. He asked, “You two know each other?”

Li Huai’an smiled gracefully and said, “Miss Fan once saved my life.”

Fan Changyu hurriedly said, “It was just a small gesture.”

Xie Wu, who had been among the hundred royal guards Xie Zheng brought back to Qingping County that day, naturally remembered Fan Changyu protecting Li Huai’an. Seeing Li Huai’an’s subtle attitude towards Fan Changyu, he suddenly frowned deeply.

Li Huai’an wasn’t surprised by Fan Changyu’s politeness towards him. After all, since she learned of his identity, even when she sought his help to investigate the files on her parents’ death, she had always addressed him politely as “My Lord.”

He said, “This encounter is truly a coincidence. That day when you set out alone for Chongzhou, saying you were going to find your younger sister, you left a Mrs. Zhao at the Jizhou government office. When I was about to depart for Chongzhou, Mrs. Zhao was worried about you and begged me to bring her to Chongzhou to find you.”

Fan Changyu was half confused and half delighted: “Mrs. Zhao?”

Li Huai’an nodded with a smile: “She’s at my lodgings now.”

Today, the army had just reorganized its ranks and didn’t need to drill, so they could take leave in the afternoon.

After the reorganization was complete, Fan Changyu requested half a day’s leave from the army, intending to bring Mrs. Zhao back to the courtyard she had rented.

Xie Wu naturally took leave to accompany her.

As the two of them boarded the Li family’s carriage, Li Huai’an looked at Xie Wu, his face still wearing a gentle smile, and asked without malice: “May I ask who this young man is?”

Fan Changyu now had to start from the bottom in the military camp. There was already much controversy about women serving in the army, and revealing her relationship with Xie Zheng would be even more disadvantageous to her. Although Xie Wu wanted to make this smiling tiger-like fellow understand the situation, he also knew he couldn’t cause trouble for Fan Changyu. He replied stiffly, “I am my Company Commander’s attendant!”

Hearing this response, Li Huai’an chuckled lightly, still appearing gentle and without any malice. He said to Fan Changyu, “Congratulations are in order, Miss Fan. With your martial skills, you’re sure to achieve great things in the military.”

Fan Changyu replied, “I only hope for peace in the world.”

When they picked up Mrs. Zhao, she saw Fan Changyu in a military uniform and learned that she had joined the army. Mrs. Zhao hugged her and cried for quite a while.

Xie Wu accompanied them the whole time. Wherever Li Huai’an was, he was there too. Li Huai’an noticed this young man’s inexplicable hostility towards him but continued to smile at him politely.

Fan Changyu took Mrs. Zhao back to the small courtyard she had rented. As it was quite a distance away and the surrounding towns were desolate due to the war, they couldn’t borrow a carriage. Li Huai’an offered to have his driver take them.

On the way back, Xie Wu sat outside with the driver while Fan Changyu and Mrs. Zhao sat inside the carriage talking, mainly about what had happened during their time apart.

Xie Wu listened intently the whole time, afraid of missing even half a word about that Li fellow.

When they arrived at the small courtyard, Changning saw Mrs. Zhao, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, and burst into tears, throwing herself into Mrs. Zhao’s arms.

Thinking about how Changning had gone missing before, Mrs. Zhao was still frightened and couldn’t help but cry along with her.

As Fan Changyu busied herself comforting the old woman and the child, Xie Wu gave Xie Qi a look. Under the pretext of going to the kitchen to prepare food, he quickly told Xie Qi about meeting Li Huai’an that day, saying, “Tonight, you write a letter and have the sea eagle deliver it to the Marquis.”

Kneading the dough in the bowl vigorously, he said angrily, “That pretty boy is coveting our lady!”