In the rumbling sound of carriage wheels, Fan Changyu remained silent for a while before asking, “If I stay with the army, I’ll have to kill many people in the future, won’t I?”
She raised her eyes, which reflected the sky and mountains outside the carriage window, with a hint of pensiveness. “Old Master, I don’t like killing people at all.”
“Yesterday on the battlefield, I saw many faces filled with panic and fear. They were slaughtered like pumpkins in a field. King Changxin rebelled, and in this war so far, it’s the common soldiers who have died the most. They didn’t volunteer for the battlefield either. They would be immediately executed if they tried to desert, and their wives, children, and parents are in Chongzhou City, so they have nowhere to retreat.”
“I know the rebels deserve to die, but facing those bewildered and frightened faces on the battlefield, I can’t bring myself to strike.”
“They are also people of Da Yin. If not for this war, they would be like ordinary civilians, either farming in the fields or peddling goods on the streets to earn some money for their families.”
“Seeing them reminds me of those people conscripted from among civilians in Jizhou Prefecture because of the siege of Lu City. They probably died like ants on the battlefield too.”
Grand Tutor Tao looked at her with some surprise and said, “Your thoughts are not wrong. How can those in power be so heartless for their ambitions, treating the people as worthless? But if there’s already an unjust army, wouldn’t it brew greater disaster if we don’t stop it?”
Seeing Fan Changyu’s apparent confusion, he asked, “Girl, tell me, why did you cross Wu Ling on that rainy night to intercept those three scouts?”
Fan Changyu pressed her lips and said, “You said that if they brought back the news, the entire population of Lu City would suffer.”
Grand Tutor Tao nodded, “You killed those three scouts because you felt their lives were tied to the lives of all the people in Lu City. Isn’t this war against the rebels also for the sake of all the people? King Changxin’s rebellion has caused how many civilians around Chongzhou to become displaced? If we allow him to grow stronger and continue to march south in the future, how many more civilians will continue to suffer from this war?”
“You intercepted the scouts to save the military and civilians of Lu City. The imperial army’s campaign against King Changxin is also to save the people of the realm.”
“Even if the current court is plagued with long-standing problems, we should seek reform and oppose Wei. Let the struggles play out in the official arena, rather than instigating war and placing civilians in peril. Between not having enough to eat and wear versus having nothing to eat and wear, which is the lesser evil? Do you understand, girl?”
As Fan Changyu listened to these words, she felt her heart grow heavier.
Grand Tutor Tao continued, “The army in King Changxin’s hands is his blade for marching south. If we’re reluctant to break that blade, more innocent souls will die under it.”
“Since ancient times, there has never been warfare without bloodshed and death.”
“Countless loyal bones are buried in that yellow sand battlefield, along with the wrongfully dead you mentioned who were forced onto the battlefield. But it is precisely because there have always been loyal bones to stop those unjust armies throughout history that a fragmented realm can once again welcome stability.”
“The art of war and stratagems are not meant for killing, but to end wars with as few casualties as possible.”
Fan Changyu rose from the carriage seat, knelt, and bowed solemnly to Grand Tutor Tao: “Changyu thanks the Master for his guidance.”
Grand Tutor Tao looked at her with a smile: “You, girl, still only wish to call this old man ‘Master’?”
Fan Changyu kowtowed three times on the spot, then picked up a wooden teacup filled with tea and offered it to Grand Tutor Tao: “Teacher.”
Grand Tutor Tao accepted the teacup, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening with his smile. He said, “You suit this old man’s fancy, girl. I’m willing to take you as my goddaughter. From now on, call me Godfather.”
Fan Changyu called out again: “Godfather.”
This time, Grand Tutor Tao’s face truly looked as if it would bloom into a flower. After taking a sip of tea and putting it down, he said, “Now that you’re this old man’s daughter, let me give you a courtesy name. You were born in the Year of the Tiger, so ‘Changyu’ is a proper and gentle name that has already suppressed the sharpness within. Having only a tiger’s courage might not be good if you go to the battlefield in the future. How about the courtesy name ‘Shanjun’?”
Fan Changyu asked in confusion, “Does it mean ‘gentleman of the mountain’?”
Grand Tutor Tao stroked his beard and smiled, “If interpreted literally, it could mean that. But ‘Shanjun’ also refers to the fierce tiger of the mountain.”
Traditionally, only men could receive courtesy names from their elders. Some women didn’t even have their names until they married, being called by their surname and family rank as “Nth Miss” before marriage.
Grand Tutor Tao’s thoughtfulness in giving her a courtesy name filled Fan Changyu with gratitude. She sincerely said, “Thank you, Godfather, for the courtesy name.”
Changning blinked her large black grape-like eyes and said, “Ning wants one too!”
Grand Tutor Tao shook his head with a laugh, “You’re still too young, child. Wait a few more years.”
Changning pouted, unhappy, and held out her pinky finger, “Then let’s make a pinky promise. You can’t trick Ning.”
Grand Tutor Tao laughed heartily, his aged finger touching Changning’s. He smiled and said, “Alright, this old man owes you a courtesy name, little girl.”
Having made the pinky promise, Changning was finally satisfied. She took off her shoes and stood on the carriage seat, peering out the window. When she saw a gyrfalcon flying low, she pointed excitedly and shouted, “It’s a falcon!”
Fan Changyu, afraid she might fall, held her with one hand.
Grand Tutor Tao said to Fan Changyu, “I imagine you know who my student is now. Shall I tell him about your wish to stay in the army?”
Fan Changyu replied, “Godfather, I want to stay with the Jizhou army.”
Grand Tutor Tao raised his wrinkled eyelids to look at her and asked, “Not going under his command, is it to avoid suspicion?”
Fan Changyu said, “That’s one reason. Ordinary soldiers earn their military merits through fighting on the battlefield. There are some paths I want to try walking alone, as far as I can go.”
If she went under Xie Zheng’s command, no matter how impartial he tried to be, he would likely be unwilling to let her face real danger.
Having decided to take this path, Fan Changyu wanted to temper herself.
Grand Tutor Tao laughed, “This old man indeed hasn’t misjudged you. As it happens, you’ve established merit in the battle to flood Lu City. The commander who led the troops to repair the dam that day was Tang Peiyi, the defender of Lu City. He’s a man of loyalty and righteousness. Going under his command won’t be a waste of your talents.”
Fan Changyu felt a mix of emotions and said, “Thank you, Godfather.”
Grand Tutor Tao smiled, “Why thank this old man? Your ambition brings great comfort to my heart.”
The carriage continued to wind its way along the mountain road.
Fan Changyu looked out the window. After a sudden downpour, the sky was clear for thousands of miles.
An eagle soared across the azure sky, its cry clear and far-reaching-
Two days later, Xie Zheng learned that Fan Changyu had joined the military but enlisted with the Jizhou army.
The main army was half a day’s journey from reaching Chongzhou, but the troops sent to pursue Yuan Qing reported back that Yuan Qing had escaped to his wife’s hometown of Kang City. With only five thousand cavalry, taking Kang City was hopeless.
The only option now was to divide the forces into two routes.
The Jizhou army led by He Jingyuan had already reached Chongzhou City and now had the rebels trapped. The fall of Chongzhou City was only a matter of time.
The court was still withholding military pay and provisions. He Jingyuan was Wei Yan’s man, and if Xie Zheng relinquished power now, the court would release the funds and supplies. As for who would ultimately claim the military achievements after taking Chongzhou, that would be a struggle between the Li family and Wei Yan.
After he gave up power, to avoid being marginalized, going to besiege Kang City was the best retreat.
After repeated discussions with Gong Sun Yin and other strategists, Xie Zheng still decided to attack Kang City.
The Yanzhou army changed course for Kang City, while the Jizhou reinforcements had to continue towards Chongzhou.
These past two days, Xie Zheng had been too busy handling military and political affairs to spare any time. He could only listen to his guards’ reports on Fan Changyu’s journey, learning that she spent almost all her time in Grand Tutor Tao’s carriage, either learning to play chess or reading books, often irritating Grand Tutor Tao to the point of fuming. Thinking of his teacher’s temperament, the corners of Xie Zheng’s lips curled up slightly.
However, on this day, after the two armies parted ways, while Xie Zheng was still discussing siege tactics for Kang City with Gong Sun Yin, Xie Wu rushed in urgently: “My Lord! Something terrible has happened! Madam and Grand Tutor Tao have gone with the Jizhou army!”
Xie Zheng raised his cold eyes from the map and frowned, asking, “What happened?”
Xie Wu took out a letter and handed it to Xie Zheng: “This is from Grand Tutor Tao, to be delivered to you, My Lord.”
Xie Zheng’s long fingers took the letter. After opening and reading it, his face was instantly covered with a layer of frost, with a hint of fury visible in his eyes. He said coldly, “Prepare the horses!”
Seeing his grim expression, Gong Sun Yin asked, “What does the letter say?”
But after the guards brought the war horses, Xie Zheng had already mounted and galloped away, leaving Gong Sun Yin to pick up the letter Xie Zheng had thrown to the ground and read it himself. After reading, he also let out a light “tsk”: “Are these two, old and young, trying to anger him to death?”
Then, stroking his chin, he said, “However… Grand Tutor knows that the battle results in Chongzhou will lead to a struggle between Wei Yan and the Li family, yet he still agrees to let that girl join the Jizhou army. Perhaps it’s not a bad thing?”
If the Li family overthrows He Jingyuan, and they have no one skilled in military command, they wouldn’t dare let the military power of Jizhou fall back into Xie Zheng’s hands. At this time, they would need someone capable of taking on great responsibility to stabilize the military power in Jizhou.
Fan Changyu dares to kill Shi Hu, and with Grand Tutor Tao’s assistance in military strategy, who knows, she might make a name for herself in Jizhou-
As Fan Changyu sat in the carriage holding Changning, she felt her right eyelid twitching constantly. She looked out the window and raised her hand to pinch her brow.
Grand Tutor Tao, who had been pretending to nap, suddenly opened his eyes and said, “You’ve been restless since noon. Do you regret not telling him yourself?”
Fan Changyu said, “Godfather has already explained clearly in the letter on my behalf.”
Grand Tutor Tao snorted with laughter, “You’ve figured out that brat’s stubborn temperament. If you had told him face to face, he probably would have tied you up and dragged you along with him.”
Fan Changyu lowered her head to look at her toes, too embarrassed to speak.
The carriage, which had been moving smoothly, suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Even sitting in the carriage, Fan Changyu felt herself stumble. If she hadn’t protected Changning in time, the child might have bumped her forehead.
Outside, there was a chorus of neighing horses.
Grand Tutor Tao wasn’t so lucky; the back of his head hit the carriage wall. He cursed, “It must be that damned brat!”
No sooner had he spoken than the curtain in front of them was lifted, and Xie Zheng’s handsome face, cold with anger, appeared at the carriage door. His pitch-black eyes showed no emotion as he stared at Fan Changyu and said, “Will you come out on your own, or do I need to carry you out?”
Grand Tutor Tao, holding the back of his head, scolded, “You ungrateful disciple, are you trying to kill your teacher?”
Xie Zheng’s black eyes turned towards him, and Grand Tutor Tao’s pretense of anger instantly weakened. He looked away guiltily.
Xie Zheng said, “This student asked the teacher to accept the woman he loves as a goddaughter, but the teacher left without a word. Doesn’t the student deserve an explanation?”
Grand Tutor Tao grumbled, “Didn’t I leave you a letter?”
He just hadn’t expected that the letter, which he had anticipated would only be seen tonight, had fallen into Xie Zheng’s hands so early, allowing him to catch up.
Fan Changyu, who had been silent, suddenly raised her head to look at Xie Zheng and said, “I’ll go with you for a while.”
She put Changning down in the carriage and said to Grand Tutor Tao, “Please help me look after Ning, Godfather.”
Seeing Xie Zheng’s expression, Changning became a bit frightened. She clutched Fan Changyu’s clothes, unwilling to let go, and called out softly, “Sister.”
Fan Changyu stroked her head, comforting her, “Don’t be afraid, Sister will be back soon.”
With that, she handed Changning to Grand Tutor Tao. Just as she lifted the carriage curtain and was about to jump down, a large hand directly lifted her onto the horse’s back.
The moment her back touched his chest, Fan Changyu felt his breathing was like that of a wild beast suppressing its fury.
He spurred the horse fiercely, and in an instant, they had left the Jizhou army’s procession far behind. Fan Changyu realized they were heading towards the road that would join the Yanzhou army. She calmly told him, “I am determined to join the Jizhou army.”
He wasn’t wearing armor, and Fan Changyu could feel his entire body tense up almost instantly.
He yanked the reins hard, and the warhorse neighed as it came to a stop. She was pulled down from the horse’s back and pinned against a large tree by the roadside, so thick that a person’s arms couldn’t encircle it.
The force of his hands was so fierce, and his eyes were even bloodshot with extreme anger. Yet when he spoke to her, his voice was unusually calm and even carried a hint of amusement, “Am I so repulsive to you? You’d rather join the Jizhou army just to get far away from me?”