In the third year of Yuanshou, Duan Xu received imperial orders to recruit troops to eliminate bandits. His army was named the Returning Crane Army, with five to six out of ten soldiers hailing from Shen State, known for their bravery and combat skills. Within three months, they crushed the mountain bandits to the point of complete disarray, forcing many to surrender and accept amnesty. The Emperor specially permitted these former bandits to join the Returning Crane Army, which grew to a force of 150,000 strong.
In the ninth month of the third year of Yuanshou, Duan Xu was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Ningyi for his achievements.
In the fourth year of Yuanshou, Han uprisings erupted in Zhi’s Wei State and Qi State. The rebel forces expanded rapidly, with civilians joining the Han army wherever they passed, spreading like wildfire across both states.
In the ninth month of the fourth year of Yuanshou, Wei State’s rebel leader Qian Chengyi, with help from Yun State’s Daliang army, occupied the entire Wei State and returned it to Daliang, earning him the title of Loyal and Brave General.
In the seventh month of the fifth year of Yuanshou, Qi State’s rebel leader Zhao Xing took control of the entire Qi State.
In the third month of the sixth year of Yuanshou, an uprising began in Jing State.
In the eighth month of the sixth year of Yuanshou, Duan Xu was ordered to lead his troops to the Yun State front to support the Jing State rebels.
“Third Brother! Third Brother!”
When Duan Xu’s army reached the border between Cloud and Luo states, he heard hoofbeats and shouts from afar while on horseback, knowing it was Chen Ying coming to meet him. He casually mounted his crossbow on his arm and fired at the approaching figure in the rising dust.
The approaching youth dodged the arrow with a nimble mid-air sidestep before returning to his saddle, showing skill difficult to imagine from a mere thirteen-year-old.
He reined in his horse before Duan Xu and complained, “Third Brother, I came to welcome you, and you’re testing me?”
Three years had passed, and Chen Ying had grown taller and darker, no longer the frail, thin boy he once was, but instead robust.
This was thanks to his Third Brother keeping him close these past years, torturing him in various ways, occasionally pulling stunts like just now. Initially, the weapons were white fruits, and he couldn’t dodge them, ending up black and blue. After he learned to dodge those, the weapons changed to bamboo poles, unsharpened swords sharpened swords, and small arrows. These tests infiltrated every aspect of his life at any moment. Worse still, he once was tricked by his Third Brother into running out without pants when told there was a fire. Later, his Third Brother solemnly explained this was to teach him not to easily trust others, including his Third Brother.
Chen Ying deeply understood what his Third Brother meant when he said learning martial arts from him would be extremely difficult. This wasn’t just difficult—it was life-threatening! That he was still alive was truly a miracle born of his tenacious will to survive.
Duan Xu laughed heartily and patted his head, saying, “You haven’t neglected your martial arts during these few months in Yun State. Very good, very good.”
Hearing these words, Chen Ying frowned, looking like he might cry.
Four months ago, Duan Xu had sent him to Yun State to gain experience and see the world, so he had come to the border to join the Treading White Army under General Han Lingqiu, who was also his Third Brother’s former subordinate. His Third Brother had written to Han Lingqiu, instructing him to supervise Chen Ying’s martial arts training, and Han Lingqiu had dutifully taken on the task personally. Chen Ying soon discovered in despair that Han Lingqiu’s teaching methods were almost identical to his Third Brother’s, except Han would add a polite “excuse the offense.”
Truly, out of the tiger’s den and into the wolf’s lair. Here, while seeing the world, he was tormented by Han Lingqiu to the brink of death. The only consolation was that his martial skills had indeed improved considerably. Han Lingqiu’s veteran soldiers, skilled in combat, marveled at his abilities despite his young age and relatively short training period.
While Chen Ying was proud of this, he secretly wrote to Duan Xu, tentatively asking if he could join either General Xia’s Chengjie Army, General Wu’s Tangbei Army, or even better, General Meng’s Suying Army. Seeing the world from a different place would be good too, especially since Xia Qingsheng, Wu Sheng Liu, and Meng Wan were all former subordinates of his Third Brother.
Most importantly, he believed these generals’ martial arts skills weren’t as good as Han Lingqiu’s, so they probably wouldn’t torment him like Han Lingqiu did.
His Third Brother soon replied, kindly cutting off his beautiful hopes, saying Han Lingqiu’s teaching methods were most similar to his own, making him the most trustworthy. If that wasn’t enough, Han Lingqiu also mentioned receiving a letter from Duan Xu instructing him to guide Chen Ying even more rigorously.
Chen Ying felt as if he had lifted a rock only to smash his foot to pieces. He could only continue practicing martial arts diligently with a bitter face and trepidation.
Duan Xu was extremely satisfied with his sworn younger brother who had been trained for four months, showing no regret for his actions as he happily let Chen Ying lead him to Yun State’s capital city.
Duan Xu’s arrival coincided with Fang Xianye’s recall to the southern capital, so his welcoming banquet was combined with Fang Xianye’s farewell banquet. Zheng An had been completely sidelined by Fang Xianye a year ago and had angrily returned to the southern capital. Duan Xu had encountered Zheng An there, hearing him bitterly denounce Luo Xian’s betrayal in helping Fang Xianye. Duan Xu had dutifully performed shock and regret, while also taking care of his father who had fainted from anger.
Now Fang Xianye was the official Border Patrolling Envoy of both Cloud and Luo states.
The hosting prefect was a local who knew nothing of the grudge between Fang Xianye and Duan Xu, so he eagerly arranged them in main seats not far from each other, one on the left and one on the right. Only when they were seated, neither greeting nor acknowledging each other did the prefect belatedly realize that these two might be at odds.
He immediately broke into a cold sweat, his eyes darting back and forth between them.
The banquet was very substantial. Though not as luxurious as those in the southern capital with beautiful women playing music and dancing, there was plenty of fine wine and delicious food. Duan Xu was the first to break the silence, raising his wine cup with a smile: “Lord Fang has been in Cloud and Luo for three years. Yun State’s horse farms have been greatly expanded, breeding over 6,000 fine horses. The mines in Luo State operate smoothly, and the border soldiers’ heavy infantry armor has all been replaced with light armor forged in Tianluo. On behalf of all military officers, I thank you, Lord Fang. Having such a talented person as yourself is truly Daliang’s blessing.”
Fang Xianye also raised his wine cup, graciously replying: “I dare not accept such praise. Yun State’s horse farms owe much to Lord Zheng’s efforts, and the mines benefited greatly from Princess Hualuo’s guidance. I am unworthy of such acknowledgment. Three years without seeing each other, Brother Duan is now a marquis and a general, more distinguished than before.”
“Not at all, not at all. South of the border, I merely eliminated a few nests of bandits and trained an army. Lord Fang here has supported the Han people’s uprising against oppression, recovering Wei State without using a single soldier, and now two more states are rising with promising prospects of return. Shunxi truly admires you immensely.”
After raising their cups and politely complimenting each other, they drained their wine. The prefect, seeing that they were at least outwardly courteous, finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
As these long-time rivals put down their cups, they smiled simultaneously.
For men in their thirties, three years is neither short nor long.
During these three years, Duan Xu had grown a bit taller and now stood half a head taller than Fang Xianye. His skin, which never tanned, was as fair as Fang Xianye’s despite being exposed to wind and rain daily, while Fang Xianye spent his time in government halls. His eyes still sparkled with light when he smiled, captivating those who saw them. He seemed unchanged—still loving to laugh, speaking everything lightly, like a youth who would never age.
Fang Xianye’s appearance remained as before, though his demeanor had grown even more steady. If previously he was like mountain mist, now he resembled frost on grass—elegant and aloof in every movement, less sharp but more composed. He still appeared amiable, making it difficult to imagine he had once reduced so many dignitaries to speechlessness in court debates.
Many years without seeing each other, old friends reuniting, yet unable to exchange greetings.
As Duan Xu shook his head and smiled while drinking, he saw a tall figure appear before him. The man bowed deeply at his table and said, “Lin Jun pays his respects to General Duan.”
Duan Xu looked closely and recognized him as the real Lin Jun, head of the Lin family, who had been impersonated by Xiaoxiao in Shuo State’s capital. When they had rescued Lin Jun, he had been on the verge of death and had spent a long time recuperating in bed. Coincidentally, Duan Xu had also been recovering from injuries then, and had seen the real Lin Jun only a few times before returning to the southern capital.
He had spent much more time with the fake Lin Jun than with the real one.
“I didn’t have the chance to properly thank you back then, General. Thank you for distinguishing between loyalty and treachery, and for rescuing me.” Lin Jun bowed deeply again. Duan Xu rose and helped him up, smiling, “Mr. Lin, there’s no need for such formalities. The Lin family’s strong support during the siege of Shuo State’s capital is deeply appreciated by me. Oh, I can’t call you Mr. Lin anymore; it should be Lord Lin now. I hear you’ll be returning to the southern capital with Lord Fang?”
Lin Jun seemed somewhat embarrassed, but his excitement was even greater. He said, “Thanks to Lord Fang’s high regard, I, born north of the border and raised under Hu Qi oppression, can now go to Daliang’s southern capital to serve the country. My lifelong wish has been fulfilled, and it still feels like a dream.”
Duan Xu smiled and patted Lin Jun’s shoulder, saying, “Lord Lin is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, generous, and righteous. Your ancestors and your uncle would certainly be proud of you.”
Hearing this, Lin Jun’s eyes reddened.
Duan Xu’s former subordinates all came to attend this welcoming banquet. After conquering Cloud and Luo states years ago, Duan Xu and Meng Wan returned to the southern capital. The commanders he had led in the Treading White Army and the Chengjie Army had stayed at the border and were now leaders of their respective armies. After General Qin’s downfall, there had been a wave of reshuffling and purging of military forces. Although the position of Minister of War hadn’t gone to Meng Qiaoyan to the neutral Cao Ruolin, Meng Wan had still taken over the Suying Army that once belonged to General Qin and was now stationed at the border.
These were all people who had been besieged by Duan Xu in Shuo State’s capital and later fought together to attack Cloud and Luo states, shedding blood and fighting for their lives together. Now that Duan Xu had been enfeoffed as a general leading troops back to take charge of the border army, they were naturally delighted. After a round of greetings, Duan Xu looked around the crowd and asked, “Why don’t I see General Han?”
Chen Ying hurriedly answered, “The Tang General of the Jing State rebels needed support, so General Han went to Jing State to meet him. He just left a few days ago, unfortunately missing you, Third Brother.”
Wu Sheng Liu, sitting at a nearby table, slapped his thigh and laughed, “No wonder Chen Ying has been so happy these past few days. He’s finally escaped his suffering and can be lazy now.”
“I haven’t been lazy!” Chen Ying quickly argued.
The group bantered at the table, and the welcoming banquet ended in a lively atmosphere, with everyone drinking until they were swaying, then returning to their respective quarters. Originally, the prefect had prepared a very nice mansion for Duan Xu in Yun State, but Duan Xu had politely declined and went directly to the military camp. When he lifted the tent flap and entered, he sensed someone was inside.
Something pressed against his arm, and Duan Xu was silent for a moment before smiling and saying, “Princess Hualuo honors us with her presence. Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you.”
The visitor laughed and lit a lamp. In the dancing light, one could see a beautiful face, with the rest of the body wrapped in black night clothes. It was Luo Xian, the Supervisor of the Thirteen Mines in Luo State, and Princess Hualuo.
“Marquis, having been away from battle for so long, you’re not as alert as before. What if I had been holding a sword?” Luo Xian balanced a scroll in her hand, a rather long one that reached her shoulder when stood upright on the ground. It looked heavy, but she wielded it effortlessly with one hand.
Duan Xu walked to a chair in the tent and sat down, saying, “Although we haven’t seen each other for years, I wouldn’t mistake you for an enemy. I had planned to visit you tomorrow, Princess, but you’ve come tonight. What brings you here?”
“I’ve brought you a gift, though it’s not from me but prepared by Lord Fang.”
She handed the scroll to Duan Xu, who opened it on the table. It revealed the mountains, rivers, cities, and villages of Yun State, Luo State, Wei State, Qi State, Jing State, You State… all seventeen states displayed in a grand, detailed geographical map. At the location of the capital city of Zhi, a small arrow was drawn in vermilion.
“An arrow through the heart…” Duan Xu stroked the capital on the map, smiling as he turned to hang this geographical map in the tent. He stepped back to look at the map, taller than a person, with the flickering candlelight reflected in his eyes.
“This was drawn by Ziwei agents scattered throughout the seventeen states,” Luo Xian said.
Ziwei. The third Wensheng Pavilion that Luo Xian had established at the border over these years, specialized in infiltration, incitement, assassination, and serving as a hub for intelligence flow.
Ziwei Star is the imperial star of the Han Dynasty. This name expresses the wish for the Ziwei Star to shine forever and for the Han people to recover their lost territories. In recent years, Ziwei’s presence had been felt in the Han people’s uprisings in Wei, Jing, and Qi states. The Wei State rebel leader Qian Chengyi was a Ziwei member. Zheng An had thought Ziwei was his tool, never expecting it would fall into Fang Xianye’s hands.
“Fang Xianye was scheduled to return to the southern capital earlier, but he deliberately delayed until today, just to see you in Yun State. However, with too many eyes around, it wasn’t convenient to talk. He asked me to bring you a message: The remaining thirteen states are now entrusted to you.”
Hearing this, Duan Xu smiled gently and nodded, “Very well. Please assure him not to worry.”