Chapter 18: Grace Heavy as a Mountain ā Little Xie’s Self-Conquest Begins.
Outskirts south of the city.
The warm spring sun shone high. Adjacent to the banks of the Wei River, purples and reds were everywhere. The military training ground was full of vitality.
After the Xie family’s funeral, Xie Qianli’s mourning period wasn’t over, but due to battles within the borders, his mourning was cut short for service (Duoqing).
These days, the question regarding the future of the army under the Duke of Ying had stirred up an undercurrent in the army again.
Most soldiers held a negative attitude.
Leaving aside the issue of treatment after restructuring.
Just saying that if the Emperor really wanted to dismantle the Duke of Ying’s power, these old subordinates of the Duke of Ying would inevitably face deliberate exclusion in other camps.
However, thoughts aside, before the restructuring, the daily military drills allowed no slack.
Soldiers were divided into two groups on the training ground: one group held long spears, the other snatched them.
Soldiers had to dodge sideways to a safe position when the opponent thrust the spear, grab the shaft, and take the weapon. Having the weapon taken away multiple times was considered failure and required extra training.
This was one of the army’s daily training routines.
The training ground was full of noise.
Aisleways were left between groups of soldiers. Under the sun, spearheads flashed with dazzling cold light.
As the soldiers practiced earnestly, a general in silver armor approached along the aisle. Xie Qianli was in the center, with Lieutenant Generals Feng Ze and Lian Qing standing on his left and right.
The brilliant beauty of spring contrasted with the generals’ plain silver armor plates, cold and warm overlapping to reveal brightness.
Seeing the main general patrolling, the soldiers immediately put in even more effort.
One soldier couldn’t match the strength when snatching a spear and was thrown off by his opponent. He fell straight into the aisle right in front of Xie Qianli, raising his head, face covered in dust.
His wretched posture was honestly reflected on the flat, mirror-like surface of the Wandering Dragon Blade.
That Wandering Dragon Blade weighed one hundred and eight jin, yet wielded freely in the Duke of Ying’s hands.
Yet he couldn’t even snatch this wooden spear used for practice. The soldier’s face had long flushed red. He then kipped up, leaped forward, and started a new round of contention.
Xie Qianli took this scene into his eyes.
The soldier snatched back the spear and said, “General! Look! I didn’t shame you and the Old Duke!”
During the campaign against the Qingniu rebels, the Xie father and son absorbed soldiers along the way, recruiting refugees into the ranks, employing people without sticking to one pattern.
They completely broke the shackle that the Imperial Capital’s Imperial Guards were all children of noble families with proper roots.
Soldiers like this, who came from poverty and had their lives saved by the Xie father and son, numbered at least several hundred in the army.
The Xie father and son had methods when picking soldiers: Listen to the voiceāthose with robust vigor were prioritized; look at the faceāthose with straight nose bridges and full lower lips were mostly loyal and honest; observe behaviorāonly those who weren’t frivolous, didn’t let their eyes dart around, and had no bad habits could be selected.
Xie Ji loved his soldiers like sons; Xie Qianli took the lead in charging.
Both Dukes of Ying had the charisma to convince soldiers even if they remained silent.
Could they meet a general like the Duke of Ying after the troops were incorporated into the Imperial Guards?
While drilling vigorously, the soldiers remained worried, glancing at Xie Qianli from time to time. The silver armor enveloped his dark wheaten skin and eyes like dots of lacquer.
With sharpness outward and emotions restrained, Xie Qianli was young and steady. No one could tell whether he was happy or worried about the rumors of restructuring.
This was hard to find in any soldier of his age.
Lian Qing kicked a pebble. The pebble happened to block the front of Lian Qing’s toe. It rolled, trundling diagonally forward to the right.
Xie Qianli turned his head to look back. Lian Qing lowered his head.
Unable to hide his thoughts, Lian Qing’s face flushed red. “This General thought… thought.” Lian Qing cupped his hands and whispered, “The Emperor attended the Grand Marshal’s funeral; I thought he was a good Emperor. But the Emperor turns around and wants to restructure the army. The dagger is revealed when the map unrolls; it really makes one doubt his original intentions! This is him unable to pretend anymore!”
The training ground was vast, and the shouting was noisy. There were only the three of them around.
Xie Qianli’s grim expression seemed to condense a layer of harder frost; he didn’t pick up on this at all.
But it was enough to scare Lian Qing into admitting his mistake. “This General knows his crime. Talking about rights and wrongs, violating military lawāI will go receive the military stick punishment right now.”
The military rules under the Xie clan were strict, especially in the training ground where many people spoke. A lesson had to be given; Xie Qianli showed no mercy.
Xie Qianli had two lieutenant generals: Feng Ze was rigorous, Lian Qing was straightforward. Based on their personalities, they managed logistics and served as the vanguard respectively. They and their fathers had followed the Xie family through life and death.
Before Lian Qing went to accept punishment, his throat choked up. “I want to take twenty more strikes to say one more sentence. I remind the General to consider carefully. If the Little Emperor restructures these tens of thousands of men, the Grand Marshal’s vengeance won’t be avenged, and you will be controlled by the Little Emperor from now on…”
Words someone was willing to take more beatings to say indeed carried heavier weight.
Xie Qianli’s brows tightened.
Recently, rumors were rife in the training ground south of the city. The expeditionary army had only thirty thousand when they left, but surprisingly turned into fifty thousand upon return. The more they fought, the more people there were, and they were well-trained.
Therefore, the Department of State Affairs drafted an army restructuring plan, intending to disperse the expeditionary army into various units of the Imperial Guards to improve the overall combat strength of Great Qin’s Royal Army.
But in reality, this was also stripping power.
Guessing more maliciously, it was an act of hiding the bow once the birds were gone, taking advantage of the former Duke of Ying, Xie Ji’s recent death.
Xie Qianli also had that sensitive thorn in his heart plucked by this rumor.
But Xie Qianli’s current status made him unsuitable to discuss this with anyone. Even with Feng Ze and Lian Qing, he held back.
He reignited his suspicion and hatred toward Ying Xi. The situation forced him to make such associations, and it went incredibly smoothly.
He recalled Ying Xi’s actions depressingly. Every event weighed on the bottom of his heart like a stone.
Since being cleaned by Ying Xi, the Wandering Dragon Blade hadn’t seen blood again. During the funeral, that black hemp mourning outfit was still before his eyes.
Ying Xi was good at acting. In childhood, he had deceived him not just once or twice.
Xie Qianli secretly hooked a cold smile.
Feng Ze and Xie Qianli continued to patrol the training ground. But without Lian Qing to liven up the atmosphere, the walk was very heavy. They could hear the shouts of killing, the sound of spring breeze blowing leaves, and the subtle friction of armor plates.
Suddenly, a gust of strong wind blew past.
The wind moved the trees and scattered several petals from the magnolia tree, blocking the vision of two trainees right under the tree. Their tactical movements slowed down as a result.
Being distracted by external objects is a major taboo on the battlefield!
Therefore, before Xie Qianli could speak, Feng Ze went over to reprimand them first. He turned to one of the soldiers, “You, start over!”
That soldier was sweating profusely, his hand holding the spear trembling. Hesitating for an instant, he then thrust the spear toward Feng Ze.
The gale was still blowing hard. The field of vision was filled with falling petals. Feng Ze stood still on the spot. Only when the spear tip was about to touch his body did he suddenly turn sideways. Without even looking, relying on feeling, he reached out and grabbed the middle section of the opponent’s spear shaft like a pair of iron pincers!
Feng Ze was left-handed. With a forceful twist of his palm, the opponent’s spear was snatched away.
The surrounding soldiers in training wanted to stop their tactical movements to observe, but awed by the fact that this pair was being punished precisely for distraction, everyone continued their work.
Feng Ze handed the long spear back to the soldier. The soldier whose spear was snatched looked ashamed and voluntarily proposed extra training.
The two punished soldiers were about to regroup.
Xie Qianli said at this moment, “Losing your weapon on the battlefield is when you are practically dead. Snatching this spear back is equivalent to snatching back this life. No one can joke with their own life!”
The two soldiers nodded heavily.
Xie Qianli had already walked elsewhere.
Feng Ze followed closely. Xie Qianli said, “Adjust the training method starting tomorrow. Soldiers whose weapons are snatched for the first time are judged to be punished. The rest will form groups to continue training.”
Feng Ze said, “Wouldn’t there be too many people punished then?”
“If a soldier snatches a long spear and returns it to the teammate, exchanging positions to continue trainingāif this forms a muscle memory, returning the weapon to the enemy on the battlefield, the consequences would be unimaginable. I’d rather punish severely,” Xie Qianli said.
Only then did Feng Ze agree deeply, lowering his head to respond, “Yes.”
The rivers and mountains were unstable. As the youngest Duke of Ying in history, his face had just shed its childishness. He lived up to his name (Qianli – Thousand Li/Miles), carrying the expectations of Xie Ji and Grand Princess Huining for the family and the country. He was the Xie family’s Winged Steed; no one could deny Xie Qianli’s talent.
The late Emperor was licentious and devoid of measure; the current Emperor was still wet behind the ears.
No matter how strong an army he trained, once broken up by the Emperor, it was still pulling out the claws and fangs of Xie Qianli, this fierce tiger.
If the Emperor stripped power and was still unsatisfied, laying hands on the descendants of meritorious officials… Feng Ze’s Adam’s apple trembled lightly.
Feng Ze’s face turned pale. After the former Duke of Ying died, the tree that held up the sky collapsed. The young master was ripened again by the situation. The Emperor made moves to force him from time to time, and Feng Ze’s figure also became thinner day by day.
Feng Ze clenched his teeth, the muscles in his cheeks trembling.
Feng Ze brushed away the magnolia petal that had fallen on his shoulder armor. His gaze returned from his shoulder to the aisle of the drill ground. Xie Qianli stopped and squatted on one knee, cupping something up from the ground.
Feng Ze followed to look. Lying in Xie Qianli’s palm was a young bird that had just grown down, blown out of its nest by the gale.
The palm was broad, wearing hand armor, devoid of warmth.
Xie Qianli was encased in plain silver armor. To the young bird, he was naturally a giant beast it had never faced before.
The young bird fell into a desperate situation and shivered, opening its tender yellow beak to chirp. The cry was miserable, as if begging.
Xie Qianli held up the young bird and examined it slowly. His gaze became soft. He had no intention of attacking it; instead, he gently stroked its fluffy head with the smooth metal fingertip of his gauntlet.
Sensing friendliness, the young bird slowly stopped being afraid, spreading its wings in Xie Qianli’s palm, its head nuzzling his metal-covered finger.
Feng Ze’s eyes grew moist.
General Xie was only twenty-two years old.
He not only had the ambition to exterminate enemies but also the integrity and kindness taught together by the former Duke of Ying and Grand Princess Huining.
Feng Ze’s heart was so heavy he couldn’t extricate himself.
A black shadow streaked across the sky. A black falcon landed on Xie Qianli’s shoulder. The black falcon tilted its head, staring dissatisfied at the little thing in its master’s hand, ready to peck it into its mouth and eat it at any moment.
The little sparrow shivered again in fright.
Feng Ze hurriedly took the sparrow and gave it to a soldier cleaning the drill ground to set it free. When he returned to face Xie Qianli, the current Duke of Ying had long returned to that dignified, cold, and imposing appearance.
Xie Qianli’s brow furrowed tightly.
If restructuring was imperative, then whether for self-preservation or for Great Qin’s military strength, he had to consider which battalions could be immediately incorporated into the Imperial Guards and which must remain.
He couldn’t wait!
His father’s bones were not yet cold, and his grievances were not yet cleared. He couldn’t sit and wait for death.
Xie Qianli ordered Feng Ze to get the military registry. Feng Ze obeyed and was about to act.
Another gust of strong wind blew from the direction of Chang’an. The wind rolled up petals and dust; all the willow branches swayed in the same direction. The sound of horse hooves came from far to near. The messenger on horseback wasn’t a soldier but wore the attire of an internal officialāa eunuch.
Looking closely, that eunuch had red lips and white teeth. It was the Grand Superintendent by the Emperor’s side, Yu Jing. Yu Jing also brought several of the Emperor’s guards behind him. The formation wasn’t small; everyone present felt a chill of defense in their hearts.
Yu Jing dismounted and took out an Imperial Edict from his sleeve:
ā”The Imperial Edict arrives. Duke of Ying and others, receive the Edict!”
Xie Qianli and the others knelt to welcome it. The drill ground looked like a silver-white wave rolling up simultaneously.
The brocade with bright yellow embroidery unfolded slowly. Before he could even make full preparations, the Little Emperor couldn’t wait to take away the results of the Xie clan’s years of accumulation!
Xie Qianli’s throat tightened. His brow, pressed under the rim of his helmet, jumped uncontrollably.
The decree was narratedåØåØ (pleasantly/tirelessly) from Yu Jing’s mouth:
“By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Xie clan is full of loyal martyrs, always harboring sincerity. Xie Qianli has newly lost his father; I cannot bear to make him leave his old subordinates in haste. I specially order Xie Qianli to establish the Longwu Army, using the South Camp of the Wei River as the station for troops, to continue training and garrisoning. Hoping that he will think of the scenes of father and son fighting together, and live up to My expectations. Respect this.”
Xie Qianli’s twitching brow stopped suddenly, then he lifted his eyes.
Who could have imagined that the rush to incorporate into the Imperial Guards would turn into completely detaching from the Imperial Guards and approving a new organizational designation for himāthe Longwu Army.
He found it incredible. Instantly filled with complex emotions, his chest was battered everywhere by touches of emotion and suspicion. He didn’t yet know that this Imperial Edict had long spread throughout Chang’an City.
Yu Jing handed over the Imperial Edict with a smile. “Duke of Ying, this is His Majesty’s unique generous treatment. His Majesty rejected the consensus of the Department of State Affairs, ignoring the face of unknown numbers of ministers. Why do you not yet accept the Edict and thank the Emperor for his grace?”
Xie Qianli’s breathing lost its rhythm when he accepted the Edict. He tried his best to restrain himself. “This subject thanks Your Majesty.”
Feng Ze was also full of astonishment.
Having finished his errand, Yu Jing dared not stay in the military camp for half a moment longer. Who knew if establishing this Longwu Army was good or bad? He could never guess His Majesty’s mind.
Yu Jing set off. Xie Qianli stood up to block him. “Eunuch.”
Yu Jing turned back and reined in his horse. “What else is there, Duke of Ying?”
Xie Qianli adjusted his voice, which had become unnatural. The thought of self-preservation had twisted slightly because of this Imperial Edict.
Xie Qianli said, “I have a memorial to present to His Majesty. Please wait a moment, Internal Official, and submit it to His Majesty on my behalf.”
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