Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Lady Weiguo, Shao Ge'er, and Yulian (3)

"I must have money, I must get ahead..." Shao-ge, lying on the old cot, was drenched in sweat, muttering in his sleep. The sky outside was just beginning to brighten, and the wind rattled the faded, tattered paper on the soot-blackened wooden window.

In his daze, he felt as if he were back in his previous life. His seriously ill mother had wanted to eat watermelon just before she passed away; it was winter, so where could he possibly buy one? He felt a deep sense of regret. There were other problems, too: his mother’s funeral had to be arranged immediately upon her death, and after the massive medical expenses, how could the family possibly afford it?

What he found hardest to let go of was the person still living: his older sister. Later, his sister had hurriedly married into a relatively wealthy family, and most of his schooling expenses were covered by her husband’s family, though he vaguely sensed that her husband didn't treat her well. Many times he had wanted to ask his sister if she had done it for his sake, but in the end, he never asked.

One day, he would get ahead, earn a lot of money, and make up for all of this!

"Sister, Sister..."

At that moment, Guo Shao was shaken awake. He sat up abruptly, opening his dazed eyes to stare blankly at the person who had woken him. A woman’s voice said, "Lang-jun, you were having a nightmare."

"I was having a nightmare," Guo Shao repeated mechanically.

Yulian turned her head, keeping her swollen left cheek out of his sight, and handed him a wet towel. Guo Shao wiped his face haphazardly, then rolled off the bed and began rummaging through the hidden compartment under the wooden frame.

Yulian asked, "You have an older sister?"

Guo Shao didn't answer, and a moment later, he pulled the property deed from the hidden compartment. Yulian looked at him in surprise. Guo Shao said, "The advantage of this shop is its location. There are many people coming and going; no matter what business you do, you can make a living. It will be useful for you to have it."

"Although I am an old acquaintance of yours, Lang-jun, you don't have to... be so good to me." Though Yulian said this, she didn't seem to have much intention of refusing; she likely really needed it. She asked again, "Why don't you keep it for yourself?"

Guo Shao said without looking back, "The Northern Han and Khitan have joined forces to head south; everyone in the markets of Dongjing knows it. The Zhaoyi Army in Luzhou has been defeated, and the Imperial Guards are frequently mobilizing. The expedition will likely happen in the next few days. I am going to war; I won't be able to manage the shop."

In this era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, An Chongrong of the Later Jin had revealed the secret of the age: "Is the Son of Heaven born with a noble seed? It is merely for those with strong soldiers and sturdy horses." Warlords fought and the people suffered, but for an ambitious man, it was actually a good time; there was no such thing as the aristocratic era where one's birth completely determined one's fate. Of course, you had to stay alive to earn military merit and climb the ranks.

Yulian didn't try to persuade him, only whispering, "You are still thinking of the Lady, aren't you..."

She and Guo Shao had both spent time in Li Shouzhen’s mansion; clearly, the "Lady" referred to the Lady Fu. Yulian, this timid little wife, was usually shrinking and cautious, but Guo Shao found her to be quite clever and knowledgeable. He shook his head calmly: "The only people worth loving are those who truly care about you. It is exactly because whoever is good to me, I am good to them; it is not because she is wealthy or beautiful that she deserves someone's devotion. She is not anyone to me."

He said this very earnestly, as if opening his heart to the world. Yulian understood, too. She raised her head, her eyes shimmering with the morning light, a half-smile on her face that was completely out of character for her usual timid self.

After saying this, Guo Shao found a clean undershirt and drew well water to bathe early in the morning. In the biting cold of spring, anyone who dared to draw well water to bathe must have a very strong constitution. It was said that changing into clean underwear before battle could effectively reduce the risk of wound infection. After arriving in this ancient era, Guo Shao had formed the habit of following suit: if there was an opportunity before donning armor, he would always bathe and change.

The newly forged breastplate was hanging on a wooden rack in the bedroom. Guo Shao didn't intend to wear it today; it wasn't time to set out on the expedition yet, and there was no need to dress differently. He wore his ring-linked armor as usual. The full set of armor weighed over fifty pounds and required Old Huang to come in and help him put it on. Then, he took a protective *zhangdao* (long saber) hanging on the wall, carrying no long weapons or bows.

When Guo Shao walked out of the bedroom with his hand on his saber, he had transformed into an iron man wrapped tightly in iron armor. The heavy metal gave off a cold, terrifying luster, and every step he took clanked loudly, his gait heavy and deliberate.

Old Huang showed a look of awe when he saw his master, and Yulian outside the door also looked solemn. Both bowed to Guo Shao. The armor stripped away the softness from Guo Shao’s face, his sword-like eyebrows revealing an imposing air that didn't need anger to be intimidating. The usual Shao-ge had transformed into Guo Shijiang (Commander of Ten).

Before long, soldiers outside the shop called for "Guo Shijiang." Guo Shao strode out the front door.

On the main street, peddlers and porters scrambled to get out of the way; no one dared to provoke a group of armored and armed soldiers, even if they had no ceremonial guard and were on foot. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the status of martial men was high. From Dongjing to the various regional cities, most martial men were professional soldiers who had spent years in battle and killed countless people. If a high-ranking military officer was arrogant and domineering, local officials could do little about it, so how could the common people dare to provoke them?

Walking to the drill ground in the north of the city, soldiers from various homes and barracks throughout the city arrived one after another. In an instant, dust obscured the sky and the crowd was vast; looking out, it was like a sea of molten iron and steel.

The families of professional soldiers moved with the army, and since the Imperial Guards were stationed near Dongjing for long periods, most of their homes were in the capital. When there was no war, except for troops on rotating garrison duty, other soldiers could often return home to rest and bring their military pay and rations home. Therefore, many people, like Guo Shao, arrived at the assembly point directly from their homes.

With tens of thousands of people on one drill ground, it was a bit chaotic at first, but when the time came, they began to organize the ranks, and each command reported their headcount. The format was different, but the procedure seemed similar to the military training Guo Shao had experienced in the modern era. The soldiers stood with their legs apart and heads held high, the ranks very neat and orderly; at the very least, the Imperial Guards looked like an elite force.

These people were not just uniform in their armor and neat in their formation; there was something else, something invisible. For instance, the armor Guo Shao wore weighed over fifty pounds; without some strength, it would be difficult to walk while wearing such weight and carrying weapons. Then there were the long-range "Divine Arm" crossbowmen; the skilled ones were trained from childhood, usually for at least three to five years—they weren't just random conscripts pulled in to make up the numbers. The infantry and cavalry of each army were also battle-hardened, seeds left over from blood and fire, having never stopped fighting through several dynasties.

The commander of Guo Shao and the others was Zhang Yongde, the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards, but it wasn't easy to see the commander; half the day had passed, and he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Zhang.

After a long time, he saw a troop of heavy cavalry holding banners, surrounding a great general as they approached from outside the drill ground. He only saw someone in the cavalry wearing a red cloak. They rode past the front of the military formation, and before he could even see Zhang Yongde’s face, they were gone.

Then he heard someone in front shout: "Order from the Privy Council: the expedition begins in five days! Prepare your gear; report to your respective barracks within three days. Those who fail to arrive on time will be charged with dereliction of duty. Do not fail!"

The great general on the inspection platform stood for only a moment, circled around, and soon mounted his horse to leave in a swagger. A while later, the commander of Guo Shao’s unit rode back. The commander was named Wang Degong, a middle-aged man with a round face and a black beard. Guo Shao recognized this man, as the commander was the officer who directly led them.

According to the organization of the Zhou Dynasty Imperial Guards, combat training was usually conducted in units of a *zhihui* (command) of five hundred men. Higher-ranking generals generally did not directly intervene in the specific affairs below the *zhihui* level; only the *zhihui-shi* (commander) was the direct leader of the lower-level officers and soldiers. Under the *zhihui* were five *du* (companies), each with about one hundred men, led by a *junshi* or *dutou*. Under the *du* were four *dui* (platoons) of twenty-plus men, led by a *shijiang*. Guo Shao was a *shijiang* with twenty-plus men under his command.

Commander Wang Degong brought his personal guards to the front of his unit, dismounted, and immediately shouted: "Yang Biao! Where is Dutou Yang Biao!"

Hearing Yang Biao’s name, Guo Shao immediately became alert, as Yang Biao was the *dutou* of his company.

At that moment, a man with a horse-like face squeezed out of the ranks, looking dejected. A martial officer beside him immediately cursed: "Yang Biao, do you know your crime?"

The horse-faced man said indignantly: "They were cheating at gambling, otherwise I wouldn't have taken men to smash their... mother's place to pieces... The blow was a bit heavy, I crippled someone..."

"Smack!" Without warning, a horsewhip suddenly lashed out. "You ignorant, rule-breaking fool!" After cursing, he looked at Commander Wang’s expression. Seeing the bearded man nod slightly, he said sternly, "Remove his weapons, strip his armor, and beat him!"

Hundreds of people stood still, not daring to breathe loudly. Yang Biao was immediately pinned to the ground by several personal guards. Soon, he looked quite ridiculous; his upper body was stripped bare, but he was still wearing his helmet, making him look like a shaved animal.

"Smack! Smack..." The sound of the whip cutting through the air and striking flesh was chilling. The horse-faced man pinned to the ground gritted his teeth and didn't let out a single sound.

Fortunately, after only a few lashes, Commander Wang raised his hand. "That's enough. There's no time for him to recover from injuries; remember to settle the account when we return. Yang Biao, you are no longer *dutou*; demoted to *shijiang* of the fourth *dui* of this company. Yang Biao, is the *shijiang* of the fourth *dui* of this company named Guo Shao?"

Guo Shao was stunned, then quickly said in a loud voice: "This subordinate is here! In response to Commander Wang, this subordinate is indeed the *shijiang* of the fourth *dui*."

"You will replace Yang Biao as *dutou*," Commander Wang said calmly.

Guo Shao was completely bewildered. The commander had over five hundred men under his command; how could he remember a lowly *shijiang* so clearly? And what merit did he have to be promoted several ranks at once, going from a platoon leader to a centurion (*dutou*)?

But it was clearly unwise to talk back to the commander at this moment, so Guo Shao quickly replied: "This subordinate thanks Commander Wang for the promotion and cultivation!"

Wang Degong cast a glance at him, actually revealing a hint of a smile: "A mere *shijiang* like you, yet you were able to be singled out and praised by Commander-in-Chief Zhang. How could I not look at you with new eyes?"

Guo Shao was speechless. If he relied on connections to get promoted, how could he command respect? Sure enough, he glanced at the "shaved" Yang Biao, whose gaze was already extremely unfriendly.

The biggest question was: where did he get these connections? Zhang Yongde was not only a great general of the Imperial Guards but also the brother-in-law of the current Emperor; he had no connection to him at all... He thought it over and over—could it be because of the Lady of Wei, Lady Fu?