The mountain dwellings were all thatched huts now. Though they had been thrown together in haste, at least they provided shelter.
Guo Jia walked as if flying, the thatch on the wicker fence bending crookedly in the wind he stirred up. It was clear he was in a great hurry.
And hurry he must—if he were even a moment slower, what awaited him would be at least an hour of "A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Fengxiao, who has mastered the classics and carries ten thousand volumes in his breast, must not act rashly like an ignorant child."
Don't ask how he knew. If asked, the answer was that he had experienced it before.
Compared to a scathing rebuke delivered head-on, gentle, patient reasoning made him far more restless. Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat was the best—he couldn't win against it, so he would simply avoid it.
In the next room, Xun Ye had just finished explaining matters when he saw Guo Jia come flying in, startling him into thinking something had happened outside. "What's wrong? What's wrong? Have mountain bandits attacked?"
"No bandits, only an excellent solution." Guo Jia leaned against the doorframe to catch his breath, then in the blink of an eye reverted to his usual boneless posture. "I forgot to mention earlier—there's a military camp nearby. We can send those bandit soldiers there for disposal."
Xun Ye wasn't sure what this fellow had said to his father earlier, but he chimed in, "The village head also mentioned soldiers camping by the river, but we don't know their origins, and without any leads we didn't dare approach."
There was also the matter of returning gifts to the villagers. He needed to find a cloth sack to bring them some wheat and beans from home, plus the few rabbits he had caught a couple of days ago. Otherwise, with the village losing its New Year provisions, he really couldn't feel at ease.
"Alright, we'll do as A'yang says." Xun Yu listened patiently until he finished, then called for the page and had him take a token of authority to handle the matter. "They're just a few bandit soldiers with ill intentions. Don't trouble yourself over it, A'yang. It's not a big problem."
"Yes! Not a big problem!" Xun Ye nodded heavily, parroting the words back, and found that his mood genuinely lightened.
Thank goodness he had elders to rely on here. Otherwise, no matter how much he resisted, he would have had to close his eyes and kill those bandit soldiers to eliminate the threat.
Thank goodness, thank goodness. He was still the same clean and innocent person he had always been.
It was wonderful to have a family, hehe.
Guo Jia watched the little fool dash back to the next room like the wind, then hesitated a moment before asking, "If I remember correctly, at our age we were already making connections in preparation for the Xiaolian recommendation. Is A'yang…"
Dahan ruled by filial piety, and the Xiaolian examination was the path of the pure and upright—the proper route for official advancement. Each commandery had limited annual Xiaolian quotas, and mere learning wasn't enough; one also needed sufficient reputation.
With the court's rampant practice of selling offices and titles, even those from noble families had to grease palms to secure a Xiaolian recommendation. For lesser households, it went without saying.
Take their Wenruo, for example. Born into the Xun Shi of Yingchuan, lacking neither learning nor reputation, he still hadn't managed to secure his Xiaolian until early this year.
As for himself, because he was still young he could delay it, and so he continued to delay it to this day.
He wasn't saying they should rush to secure an official post for the younger generation. The current Chaotang was full of corrupt winds—going there would corrupt the child.
What he meant was—wasn't the little fool a bit too naive?
Bandits who plundered the people deserved death. If he had encountered those soldiers, they would already be lying dead in the wilderness, with no need to come back and ask others to clean up the mess.
So what if he couldn't fight? Were the guards at his side just eating rice for nothing?
War was coming, and being too soft-hearted brought no benefit.
"A'yang's situation is special. Though he appears no different from his peers, he was ignorant for so many years before. This elder brother doesn't dare expose him to too much danger." Xun Yu lowered his eyes and sighed softly. "A pure and kind nature isn't a bad thing. The realm won't be stable for many more years. There will be plenty of sorrow and worry ahead—why force him to grow up now?"
"True." Guo Jia nodded with exaggerated solemnity, then narrowed his fox-like eyes and grinned. "When we met earlier, I called myself his uncle, and the silly boy actually went ahead and said it, hahahaha."
Xun Yu: …
Fine. Let's change the subject.
"Weren't you headed to Jizhou? How did you end up finding your way here?"
"The world bustles, all for profit; the world stirs, all for gain." Guo Jia recited with a sway of his head, then began sighing mournfully. "I already explained the reasons before Brother Zhongyu. I have no wish to speak of such sad matters again."
Xun Yu could do nothing with this incorrigible friend of his. Since he had come back, it went without saying that things hadn't gone well with Jizhou. "Rest for now. I'll arrange lodging for you."
"Is there a spare room? If not, I can make do anywhere for a couple of days." This fellow Guo said he was fine with any arrangement, but judging by his demeanor, he seemed to prefer squeezing in with someone.
The winter days were cold, and it wasn't easy to keep warm in the mountains. Wouldn't sharing a room with a good friend, talking through the night and sleeping side by side, be far more comfortable than staying alone?
Xun Yu cast a light glance at him. "Talking through the night? Are you certain your body, jostled all the way here, can handle it?"
If this person were in good health, he too would like to ask about the current situation in Jizhou. But alas, this one was a medicine jar who could fall ill at the slightest carelessness. He wouldn't dare drag the man into a candlelit all-night conversation right after such a long journey.
Guo Jia rubbed his nose, looking frail and offering no defense.
The facts were what they were—he couldn't very well run a lap around the mountain to prove his health. He wouldn't even make it half a li before collapsing.
Not far off, the book boy and the Buqu who had gone to the village to handle the aftermath were already prepared. Xun Ye handed them the cloth sack full of wheat and the three rabbits, then thought better of it and decided not to go over himself.
He had a thin skin and simply couldn't withstand the enthusiasm of the village head and the villagers. Just remember to bring back the Changji he'd left at the village entrance for him.
When traveling, one needed a reliable weapon. Though he preferred his adoptive father's spear, he didn't have that luxury now—the captured Changji would do well enough.
Emperor Li Er listened with a look of wanting to speak but holding back. He'd never met anyone with such a thin skin who would immediately bow to adoptive fathers—and four of them at that.
The little simpleton watched the cleanup crew walk away with a solemn expression, standing in place to comb through the entire matter from start to finish. Only after confirming there were no oversights did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
It was getting late. He should go tell his beautiful father first to put his mind at ease. Father was right—Uncle Wenruo was indeed capable of anything.
Having successfully completed his mission, Xun Ye was in a good mood. He paced around the courtyard several times, and when he found there was truly nothing left to do, he called the big shots by his side to go practice martial arts somewhere private.
The emperors' appearances had no set schedule, so he had to cherish every minute of guarding A-Piao. Yes, cherish.
The young man stood tall and spirited, his punches whistling through the air with vigor. His ability to multitask was remarkable—he could chat while practicing his forms. "This mission looked simple, but it actually wasn't easy at all. Could you pick a truly simple one next time, adoptive father?"
"The mission is secondary. What matters is letting you witness the hardships of the people." Li Shimin stood with both feet on the ground, speaking unhurriedly. "Even without the mission, those bandit soldiers would have raided the village. Could you stand by and watch innocent people be slaughtered?"
"No." Xun Ye drooped his head and stopped his forms, his multitasking skill temporarily failing him. "Adoptive father, can we talk about something happier?"
Emperor Li Er shook his head. "The world is already in chaos. Running away won't solve anything. Beyond what you can see, countless more people are dying from natural disasters and man-made calamities. You can't just close your eyes and pretend they don't exist."
Xun Ye sat cross-legged on the ground, looking dejected. "I'm just one person, and I have nothing yet. How can I save the whole world?"
"I joined the army as a youth. At seventeen, I went to Yanmen Pass to rescue Emperor Yang of Sui. The year of the Jinyang uprising, I was nineteen, only able to assist my elder brother on the battlefield. It wasn't until I was twenty-one that I earned the right to lead troops myself." Li Shimin sat down beside him. "No one is born knowing everything, but you can't convince yourself you're incapable just because you're afraid."
"We're different." Xun Ye still didn't feel up to it. "How about you negotiate with the system—how about you all stay by my side all twelve hours of the day from now on?"
"The sun hasn't set yet—it's not time for dreaming. Wake up." Emperor Li Er withdrew his earlier gentle tone and flicked him on the forehead. Though it didn't hurt when it landed, it conveyed his attitude. "We can add splendor to your achievements, but we can't overshadow the main act. Boy, this is the world you'll live in, not ours."
They were souls gathered together after death—they couldn't and had no way to interfere with the operation of the Small World. Only beings born and raised in the Small World could shift the threads of its timeline.
Xun Ye was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth with difficulty. "So when my fathers said my soul returned and I recovered, it wasn't feudal superstition, but a literal, physical return of my soul? I wasn't transmigrated in midway—the silly version of me before was also me?"
He had seriously pondered before whether he was born simple and later improved, or whether someone had transmigrated into a simpleton's body midway. Because he had no memories from his simple period, he had always leaned toward the latter.
So where had he been during those years without memories? Just simply being simple? The system malfunction had lasted way too long, hadn't it?
But thinking about how delayed the golden thighs' appearances had been, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
Li Shimin: …
Was that the point?
Emperor Li Er couldn't understand why this little simpleton cared about such strange things. Was his explanation unclear? Weren't they just talking about "ghosts and gods can't be relied on—only yourself"!
"I get it, I get it, I get it. Sweat your own sweat, eat your own food, do your own work—relying on heaven, earth, or ancestors doesn't make you a real man." Xun Agu quickly adjusted his mood, clenching his fists with solemn determination. "Adoptive father, conquering the realm is no problem—I just need a copy of the Selected Works."
"Having fighting spirit is good, but you can't get that cocky." The road had to be walked step by step; take too big a stride and you'd tear something.
"Starting from scratch is hard—you have to let me have some spiritual anchor." Xun Ye shook his head, tilting his face up with a brilliant smile. "Adoptive father, tell me about how you felt when you first joined the army. Your son would like to hear it for reference."
"When I first joined the army? No particular feeling." Li Shimin carefully recalled those years, but try as he might, he couldn't remember much. He could only pick and choose what to say. "Back then, the world was in chaos. Without troops in hand, I couldn't feel at ease."
His path to power could not be fully told in three days and three nights. Leading troops into battle required brains, but it was also hard physical labor—a deficiency in either civil or military matters would not do.
But there was no need to be too nervous. Experience was accumulated bit by bit. Victory and defeat were common affairs for soldiers. As long as one could get back up after falling, it wasn't a big deal.
Xun Ye nodded thoughtfully. Since the topic of joining the army had come up, he might as well say a few more words, so that he could understand what being a soldier was truly like.
It was hard for him to carry the big banner and be the boss, but he could manually lower the difficulty.
If being the boss was hard, why not simply not be the boss?
So clever—truly worthy of himself.
Emperor Li Er suddenly realized something as he spoke, widening his eyes and asking, "Who do you plan to go serve?"
"By the principle of proximity, Zhang Liao by the river is a fine choice." Xun Ye waved his hand grandly and began listing achievements. "Zhang Liao, courtesy name Wenyuan, the foremost of Cao Wei's Five Elite Generals. At the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, he slew Tadun and crushed the Wuhuan. At the Battle of Hefei, eight hundred men held off a hundred thousand, shaking all of Jiangdong. His combat prowess is absolutely among the top of the pyramid. Serving under him would not be a loss."
Li Shimin clicked his tongue. "And then? After Lu Bu is defeated and killed, you'll follow him to serve Cao Cao? Then you might as well directly follow your uncle Xun Yu."
"Adoptive Father, this is what happens when you've been emperor too long—your thinking has gone rigid. There's still so much time before Lu Bu's defeat. What if he doesn't lose?" Xun Ye rebutted with complete seriousness. "Think about where the Uprising of the Five Barbarians started, then think about where Lu Bu and Zhang Liao are from. If that doesn't work, think about yourself."
The first of the Five Barbarians to establish a state was the Southern Xiongnu of Bingzhou. Lu Bu and Zhang Liao were both from Bingzhou. The adoptive fathers had said the main reason they appeared was the Uprising of the Five Barbarians and the suffering it brought. Since they were already at their wit's end with no solutions, why not solve the problem at its root?
Lu Bu's martial prowess was too great to waste. They would attack the barbarians first!
Li Shimin paused for a moment. "You know quite a lot."
The little simpleton felt his reputation needed saving. "Adoptive Father, it's just that I didn't know which year Zhongping sixth year was. It's not that I know nothing about history."
Even an expert couldn't rattle off every era name in history at a moment's notice. And in all these years, he had never once imagined he would end up in the late Han dynasty. Looking foolish at their first meeting didn't mean he was actually foolish. May his adoptive father see clearly!
"Alright, alright, you're not foolish." Emperor Li Er stopped the little simpleton's protests, neither approving nor disapproving of his idea to defect to Zhang Liao, and only asked, "The Bingzhou of this time is vastly different from the Bingzhou of the late Sui. Do you know how chaotic Bingzhou is right now?"
"Not exactly, but I know that during the late Han and the San Guo period, Bingzhou had an especially low presence. Even Lu Bu never thought of returning to his hometown to develop. I'd guess it had already become a paradise for the Qianghu." Xun Ye shifted his posture, blinking as he invited Emperor Li Er to hold class. "Adoptive Father, you've read widely. What's the specific situation in Bingzhou right now?"
It was a pity he couldn't reveal the existence of the guardian A-Piao. Otherwise, taking out a little notebook to take notes would be ever so convenient.
No matter. He had a good memory. Hearing it once would be enough to repeat it back.
Li Shimin: …
"Your idea is a bit unorthodox, but thinking it over carefully, it's not entirely unworkable." Emperor Li Er himself had risen from Taiyuan and knew very well how to leverage the natural defenses of Shanxi's mountains and rivers. "Lu Bu didn't return to Bingzhou because by the time he was defeated, the Bingzhou iron cavalry had already been decimated. At this point in time, the main force of the Bingzhoujun hasn't suffered too many losses. If they abandoned Zhongyuan and turned back to Bingzhou, they might well catch the Qianghu off guard."
It was often said that in the San Guo struggles, whichever faction suffered a loss or setback would turn around and vent their anger on neighboring barbarian tribes, but Bingzhou was an exception.
During the Eastern Han, the court was unable to control the surrendered Qianghu, Xiongnu, and Xianbei tribes within its borders. Commandery lands were lost to the Qianghu, and Han civilians along the borders kept migrating inward. By the time Emperor Ling was on the throne, the territory they could actually control was less than a third of the map.
When Yuan Shao dominated the north, he claimed to control the four provinces of Ji, You, Qing, and Bing, and sent his nephew Gao Gan to serve as Cishi of Bingzhou. But Gao Gan could only control two or three commanderies in the southeast of Bingzhou, such as Shangdang and Taiyuan.
By the Jian'an era, the court didn't even bother with the pretense of covering up. They officially announced the merger of territories they couldn't control, and Bingzhou was thus absorbed into Jizhou.
Although Cao Wei later re-established Bingzhou, its territory by then was incomparable to that of the early Eastern Han.
Xun Ye sighed with regret. The entire northwest of Shanxi had become a complete mess. "No wonder the Uprising of the Five Barbarians started from Bingzhou. They had foundations accumulated since the Eastern Han. Once they saw their chance, they were bound to march south."
Emperor Li Er glanced at him and continued, "Bingzhou is very chaotic, and Lu Bu is not a man of outstanding strategy. Are you sure you can persuade him to return to his hometown?"
If he lacked strategy and wouldn't listen to advice, even choosing with one's eyes closed wouldn't lead one to pick such a leader.
Moreover, the most important thing in conquering the world was people. All nine commanderies of Bingzhou combined didn't have as many people as a single commandery in Zhongyuan. Its natural conditions were far inferior to those of the central plains.
Now, half of Bingzhou is in the hands of the Southern Xiongnu. Lu Bu's hometown, Wuyuan Commandery, is Xianbei territory. Hidden within the eight-hundred-li Taihang Shan are even more mountain bandits—Heishan Zei, Baibo Bandits, and all sorts of outlaws, each group numbering in the tens of thousands.
He admitted that Lu Bu was a formidable fighter, but a fierce tiger is no match for a pack of wolves. Lu Bu's temperament might not even hold up against the Hu people, let alone the Han Chinese there who were Holding Troops to Exert Influence.
First of all, the rule that one who achieves great things must first remain composed—Lu Bu simply didn't have it.
Even setting that aside, even if Lu Bu truly managed to gain a foothold in Bingzhou, could the brat really spend his whole life playing second fiddle to that fool?
Xun Ye's gaze drifted slightly. "That time… that time it would be my turn for Father Zhao to step in."
Li Shimin: …
Pfft~