The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 137 The First Year of Guangshun
The fifth day of the first month of the first year of Guangshun in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

On the drill ground, the snow had been shoveled around the perimeter, and the rammed earth was frozen solid.

With a rapid clatter of hooves, the two horses brushed past each other in an instant. Xiao Yi, holding a long spear, thrust it out in a flash. The spearhead, wrapped in a cloth soaked in red ink, struck Zhang Mantun in the chest.

"it is good!"

"General wins the fifth match!"

"No, my horse is no good, it can't carry me."

"Get off now, who's next?"

"Please enlighten me, General."

Xiao Yi reined in the reins with his left hand and casually twirled his spear with his right, secretly annoyed that he hadn't given up these fancy moves.

Turning back, he saw that it was Lü You who had driven his horse onto the field, but it wasn't very interesting.

The spearhead then pointed at Lü Chou.

"You two brothers come together."

"Here!"

Soon, the Lü brothers attacked from both sides, smashing the helmet with one club and sweeping it horizontally at the waist.

Xiao Yi feinted with his spear, forcing Lü Chou to parry, then quickly switched to a horizontal spear thrust, aiming straight for Lü Chou's face.

The Pear Blossom Spear Technique has acquired a more powerful and fierce style reminiscent of Liu Jiye's.

Don't hit my face!

Lu Chou panicked and fell backward off his horse.

Xiao Yi was certain that Lü Chou wouldn't dare to injure his face, so this thrust was a feint, using the force of the attack to his advantage and sweep Lü You away.

However, Lü You was too short. He shrank back, closed in, and stabbed at him with his stick.

Xiao Yi pulled on the reins, and the white horse suddenly reared up, startling Lü You's horse so much that it dared not approach. With another flick of his spear, he knocked Lü You off.

"it is good!"

"General wins the sixth match!"

"That's because the general is a good horseman..."

After practicing for an hour, Xiao Yi was also covered in sweat, and the heat from his body seeped out from the gaps in his armor, emitting white mist in the cold winter.

He was determined to prove himself and didn't want to be a third-rate guy, so he spent his free time these past few days doing nothing but training himself and his soldiers.

However, apart from Zhang Mantun, everyone around him is mediocre, and progress is too slow when sparring with them. He should find Tang Jin to practice with when he has the chance.

"Is the competition over there finished?"

"Reporting to the general, the competition is over."

Xiao Yi looked at his soldiers and saw that Shou Tao, Yu Douzi, Tang Bing and the others were still the worst in terms of physical fitness and martial arts. He scolded them a couple of times to let them know that they would be punished if they were always at the bottom.

Meanwhile, Lü Chou was still lying on the ground, groaning and refusing to get up.

"Ouch, I'm injured. Could I rest for half a day?"

"General, don't pay him any attention," said the monkey. "He wants to leave the palace to meet his lover."

How do you know?

"Don't you know who I am?"

Old Pan then went over, kicked Lü Chou, and said, "Stop rolling around in the dung. You were supposed to be on duty for half a day today."

"Really? Guarding this palace gate all day long, I'm going to die of misery..."

Although Xiao Yi was not afraid of being bored, he still had to go out of the palace today.

Li Tao has already invited him to his residence for dinner three times, so it would be impolite to refuse again. Besides, it would be time to talk to Li Fang about the telescope.

I changed out of my sweat-soaked clothes, touched my hair which hadn't been washed for three days, took a shower before going out, and changed into clean clothes.

It had been a long time since I had made clothes. The inner garment was a Shu brocade that Li Hanmei had given me last time, and the outer robe was a fine linen that I had bought with the Guo siblings before fleeing the city. I also wore a crane cloak over it.

He looked like a poor scholar, but he wore fine fabric underneath that didn't chafe his skin. Few people in the world would dress like that.

Just as he stepped out of Xuanwu Gate, he saw a thin, fair-skinned young man staggering towards him and bowed deeply.

"This servant greets General Xiao. The general was already prepared to attend the banquet."

"You are... Zhang Dejun?"

"The general actually remembers me?!"

Zhang Dejun was overjoyed, so much so that he didn't know what to do with his hands. He smiled shyly and said in a low voice, "His Majesty has summoned the general to his former residence for a meal."

"The minister obeys the order."

Xiao Yi had no choice but to send Lao Pan to Li Tao's residence to explain, indicating that he would visit again next time.

Looking at Zhang Dejun again, he was in so much pain from the recent castration that he could barely stand, and his face was pale.

"You've just entered the palace? Why didn't you come by carriage?"

"His Majesty sent me to invite you, so I came. I don't know who to ask for a carriage, and I'm afraid of being scolded."

"Can you ride a horse?"

"will not."

Xiao Yi then beckoned Hua Nong over and said, "You take Eunuch Zhang with you."

Zhang Dejun's eyes showed considerable fear, but he still responded appropriately, saying, "General Xiao's great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten by this servant."

Riding side by side, Xiao Yi asked, "Do you have a godfather?"

"Godfather? Oh, yes, I have one. My original surname was Wang, but I took my adoptive father's surname, Zhang."

"What is his position?"

"My adoptive father worked as a servant in the East Market of Shanzhou."

"Do you have a foster father in the palace?"

"Back to General, no."

“Wang Yan, the deputy envoy of the Imperial Palace, is a good person. You can ask him if you don’t understand anything.”

"This servant thanks General for your guidance."

Xiao Yi only helped Zhang Dejun out of pity; Zhang Dejun was someone who served Guo Wei, so leaving a good impression was enough.

He then stopped talking for the rest of the journey.

As they approached the Guo residence, many officials were stationed near the alley.

Xiao Yi's white horse suddenly became angry, raised its front hooves, and even turned back to rub against him. He knew something was wrong, so he dismounted and took a look. The horseshoe was about to come off, so he used his dagger to pry it open.

I could vaguely hear hushed conversations behind me.

"Is it a flower spear?" "He can't get in either, so he's waiting here."

"I heard he had an affair with the former empress, which angered the new emperor..."

But when Xiao Yi looked back, he saw that some people were admiring the snow with their hands behind their backs, some were picking out goods at the stalls, and some were discussing current affairs. He wondered who was gossiping.

"Please make way."

Suddenly, a carriage emerged from the crowd, heading towards the gate of the Guo residence.

Xiao Yi also led his horse aside.

A handsome young man alighted from the carriage, walked up to him, bowed politely, and asked, "May I ask if you are Young Master Xiao?"

Xiao Yi looked at him and saw that the man was in his early twenties, handsome, tall, and well-mannered. He was outstanding in every way.

However, he inexplicably gives off a feeling of having no personality, like a model student from his class in a past life.

"May I ask who you are, sir?"

"Zhang Yongde, courtesy name Baoyi, was a native of Yangqu, Bingzhou. The woman in the carriage was his wife, Guo Si Niang."

"So it was Prince Consort Zhang."

"I dare not accept such an honor. My father-in-law has not yet bestowed any titles upon us. You may address me as brother, Xiao Lang. It is not convenient to talk here. How about we come inside together? Please."

"please."

Upon arriving at the side gate of the Guo residence, Zhang Yongde considerately helped Guo Si Niang out of the carriage. Although Guo Si Niang was not fully dressed in mourning, she was dressed quite simply.

"My lady, this is the Xiao Lang mentioned in the letter."

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao, for saving my family."

"Princess, please don't be so polite."

Upon entering the mansion, a eunuch came to greet them, immediately closed the door, exchanged pleasantries, and led Guo Si Niang to the back courtyard, leaving the two young men to talk in the front courtyard's side room.

"When the upheaval occurred in the capital, my husband and I happened to be in Luzhou to congratulate Chang Si, the military governor of Zhaoyi, on his birthday. After my father-in-law started his rebellion, Wang Pu came to Luzhou, and Chang Si released us. We just missed meeting Xiao Lang, and only today have we met our benefactor and righteous man."

"I imagine Brother Baoyi must have done a great deal of work to persuade Chang Si to surrender. If Chang Si had not surrendered, General Li Rong and I would have certainly died when we arrived in Luzhou. In that case, Brother Baoyi is also my benefactor."

“Since we’re all on the same side, there’s no need for us to thank each other,” Zhang Yongde said. “I was originally going to the South Gate to pick up Li Chongjin today, but my wife wanted to go out for a stroll. I was worried she’d get cold, so I came back before I picked him up.”

"I see. Brother Chongjin is back in the capital today? He has made great contributions on his trip south."

"Not only did he achieve merit, but he also married a virtuous wife. Congratulations!"

"congratulations."

Zhang Yongde has a meticulous and precise temperament, both in his speech and perhaps in his life.

Xiao Yi kept him company while chatting, but it felt like visiting relatives during Chinese New Year.

I unconsciously felt the urge to yawn, but I took a sip of tea to cover it up.

"Brother Baoyi, you must be very skilled in martial arts."

“My grandfather taught me both literature and martial arts from a young age, so I have some knowledge of martial arts.”

"Just wait and see, how about we have a friendly spar?"

"No, elders may call on you or me at any time when they are speaking in the main hall."

"Too."

Finally, Li Chongjin arrived.

A figure, chilled by the wind and snow, pushed open the door and entered, his dark face bearing an expression of unspoken words.

He didn't say a word, just watching him was more vivid than Zhang Yongde.

"Haha, you two are hiding here, why are you looking at me? My face isn't smeared."

"Congratulations on your marriage." Zhang Yongde performed the formal greeting and asked, "Where is your wife?"

"They went to the backyard."

Xiao Yi also offered his congratulations, while at the same time glancing at Li Chongjin to see if he was satisfied with the bride.

Li Chongjin smiled sheepishly, punched him lightly, and cursed, "What are you looking at me for? I heard you got into trouble."

"How did you hear about this, Brother Chongjin?"

"I heard it from the garrison commander when we entered the city, about you and Empress An..."

"That's not the case. I asked His Majesty for a female official."

"We'll talk about your matter later. What about the thing I asked you to investigate?"

Wang Pu suddenly knocked on the door and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, please come in."

Xiao Yi realized that today he was actually having a family dinner with Guo Wei's son-in-law and nephew.

In the hall, only Wang Jun and Wei Renpu were speaking to Guo Wei.

Now that Guo Chongwei is staying in Hebei to guard against Liu Chong, and Wang Yin is not here, those present are considered his most trusted confidants.

However, when they entered the hall, Wang Jun was speaking to Guo Wei in a lecturing tone.

"Your Majesty has made another mistake. Without the royal decree to supply the army with funds, how can you pacify the three towns and fight the Khitan? Once it is abolished, and you can't pay your soldiers, aren't you afraid that the soldiers will rebel against you?"

"It must be exempted, otherwise all the people will starve to death, and what use will I be as emperor?"

"I am not against tax cuts or exemptions, but I ask how to make up for them? We need to find a way first."

"Province."

"Province?"

“I am a poor man, and this is my first time being emperor. I know nothing about governing a country except fighting wars. So I’m going to say this today: I will lead the way in frugality and start saving taxes for the people from myself.”

"Your Majesty is truly..."

"Alright, alright, Brother Xiufeng, the younger generation has arrived. It's the New Year, so let's not talk about state affairs."

Xiao Yi felt that this audience was different from the one he had acted out in his previous life; it was more like a casual visit.

When he saw Wang Jun turn his head to look at him with an unfriendly gaze, he knew that he had done something to displease Wang Jun again. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Wang Jun was also giving Li Chongjin a cold look.

"I have met His Majesty."

"Don't be shy here, sit down and wait for the meal to begin."

They claimed they wouldn't discuss state affairs, but the conversation never strayed from them.

As soon as Xiao Yi sat down, Guo Wei raised his hand and pointed at him.

"This kid voluntarily resigned from all his other official positions, only retaining the title of the 20th Commander of the Tianxiong Army. But now, can't he even send all the Tianxiong Army soldiers back to Ye?"

In short, Xiao Yi immediately realized that, as Li Hanmei had said, "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches" meant that the military system needed to be changed.

My first assignment will probably be here...

(End of this chapter)