Chapter 27

The next day, the army broke camp and set out.

Ding Miao led two hundred light cavalry as scouts, dividing them into groups of five to patrol the surroundings, taking turns and extending as far as eighty miles away. General Han Shu and Huang Su each led two hundred light troops as the left and right wings, advancing along the mountain ridges on both sides of the main force to protect the flanks. Liu Kun led the main force, consisting of two hundred cavalry and over a thousand infantry, followed closely behind, with his staff accompanying him. The Guard General Linghu Sheng drove the refugees and supplies at the rear, advancing with the main force.

Lu Yao and Xue Tong were supposed to accompany Liu Kun’s main force, but due to He Yun’s severe injuries from the torture by the Xiongnu, he could not ride a horse. They had to find a door panel and hang it between two horses to carry him slowly forward. Thus, they requested from Lord Yue Shi to temporarily join the refugees and supplies.

The mountainous terrain was difficult to traverse, so the army’s progress was slower than expected. The refugees, like a disorganized mob, moved step by step, slowly and laboriously. If they did not reach Nie County by sunset, they would have to camp in the wild. Liu Kun and his personal guards had gone ahead an hour ago to scout the terrain, but they had not returned yet.

This situation was the most dangerous. Originally, Liu Kun’s troops were few but very elite, like a fierce and swift small beast roaming through the mountains and valleys. Unless the main Xiongnu army was mobilized, no one could do anything to them. However, with the addition of the refugees, the small beast had grown into a fat, cumbersome pig. If the Xiongnu drove their troops to battle, the situation would be dire.

At that moment, the long, winding column was advancing along the mountain road. The column, apart from a few soldiers maintaining order, was almost entirely composed of refugees. Looking around, they were all ragged and emaciated, moving slowly and wearily, as if they were just shuffling along by inertia.

Most of these people were residents from the southeastern counties of Shangdang. Forced by the Xiongnu’s threats, they first fled to the northern area around Huguan. When the Xiongnu’s main army arrived, they killed or captured most of the refugees, and the remaining few scattered into the mountains to eke out a living. It was only after the news of Liu Kun recruiting refugees spread that they gradually came down the mountains to join him. However, due to the extremely tight supply of food and resources, Liu Kun could not provide effective relief.

Clearly, the hardships of their past lives had severely weakened their bodies, making it difficult for them to endure the physical strain of the long journey. Lu Yao had seen more than once people suddenly collapsing and unable to be revived. Others, exhausted, would sit by the roadside to rest, but their bodies would suddenly give out, and they would die leaning against a rock or tree root. Perhaps the harsh reality had numbed them, as their relatives or fellow villagers would hardly mourn their passing, but would take everything useful from the bodies and continue on.

A few emaciated old men were struggling to push a dilapidated cart. Suddenly, the cart tilted with a thud, one of its wooden wheels getting stuck in a crack in the ground, unable to be pulled out. A half-asleep child on the cart was jolted awake by the vibration, looking around dazedly and wiping his nose on the dirty bundle beside him. The narrow mountain road meant that the cart’s stop caused the entire column behind it to halt. A refugee leader came over, weakly waving his hand to signal, “Get some help, push the cart...”

Lu Yao reined in his horse to let the men pushing the cart pass, watching the weary faces file by, and sighed.

Xue Tong came down from a high slope, his heavy footsteps causing a cascade of pebbles to roll down. The refugees below the slope avoided the pebbles, slowing their progress even more.

“Daoming, did you see Lord Yue Shi’s troops?” Xue Tong’s face was excited. “They are all elite soldiers! The Imperial Guard of Luoyang is known as the finest in the land, and it’s truly well-deserved!”

Lu Yao glanced at Xue Tong.

As a seasoned soldier, Xue Tong naturally did not indulge in sentimental thoughts like Lu Yao, but focused on military matters.

He had climbed to high points several times to observe the movements of the various Jin army units ahead. Although the distance was considerable, his rich experience allowed him to judge from the details of their marching steps and formations that the soldiers Liu Kun brought to Bingzhou were exceptionally elite.

“Those are not the Imperial Guard of Luoyang,” Lu Yao said, watching the refugees pass by, unable to share Xue Tong’s enthusiasm. “The seven armies and five schools of the Luoyang garrison, and the thirty-six armies of the palace, were once known for their elite status, but they have been in decline for a long time. As early as the Taikang era, they were just for show. Moreover, in recent years, the various princes have been fighting each other, and the Imperial Guard has suffered significant losses. The current Imperial Guard is just a ragtag group of recruits hastily assembled under the tacit approval of the Prince of Donghai. They could not field such a force.”

He thought for a moment and added, “I estimate that these soldiers were originally Lord Yue Shi’s private troops, recently incorporated into the provincial army of Bingzhou.”

“Private troops? So many?” Xue Tong was slightly surprised.

Lu Yao nodded, “Lord Yue Shi has fought across the north and south of the Yellow River, and he has his own strength.”

Xue Tong hesitated, “I remember that according to our military system, a prince with a fief of five thousand households can only have an army of one thousand five hundred men. Lord Yue Shi’s force is already on par with a regular princely army. If we consider their elite status, they are even stronger... Isn’t this against the court’s regulations?”

“Old Xue, you know the court’s regulations well,” Lu Yao sneered. “But those are old rules. Nowadays, which prince doesn’t command tens of thousands of troops? Lord Yue Shi is a valiant and capable general, a pillar of the Prince of Donghai. He has his own private troops, and even the Prince of Donghai doesn’t mind. Why should you worry? Besides, now that Lord Yue Shi is the Governor of Bingzhou, these troops are the provincial army of Bingzhou.”

He suddenly pointed at the struggling refugees, his voice tinged with barely suppressed anxiety, “Look, the Xiongnu are ravaging the land, and the people are suffering. You’re worrying about Liu Kun’s private troops!”

Xue Tong glared at Lu Yao, wanting to say something, but finally just grunted, “Hmph!” and remained silent.

After a while, Lu Yao apologized, “I’ve seen too much suffering these days, and it’s made me depressed. I spoke out of turn, please don’t take it to heart.”

“Daoming, I wouldn’t blame you,” Xue Tong sighed deeply. “To be honest, I’ve been in the army for almost twenty years and consider myself to have some insight. But the current situation is becoming increasingly incomprehensible... Sigh, compared to the Xianning and Taikang eras, everything seems wrong...”

“Indeed, indeed, I feel the same way,” He Yun, lying on the door panel, listened for a while and finally couldn’t help but interject, “In recent years, corrupt officials and natural disasters have increased. Even without the Xiongnu, the people couldn’t survive...”

Lu Yao slapped a whip near He Yun’s face, startling him, “Hold it, don’t speak nonsense.”

These are all signs of the end of an era, Lu Yao sighed inwardly.

He understood the feelings of Xue Tong and He Yun but didn’t know how to respond. The great Jin Dynasty, under the rule of the emperor and his ministers, was rushing towards its demise at an unimaginable speed. The so-called Taikang era of prosperity, which was only fifteen years ago, already felt like a different world to Xue Tong and He Yun.

Xue Tong came from the Hedong Xue clan, a minor noble family, and was a military officer commanding a thousand men. He first noticed the decay and disintegration of the entire dynasty, with no rules left. For ordinary people like He Yun, who had joined the army, the only thing they could feel was that life was unbearable.

While they were pondering, the sound of iron hooves shook the ground, and dozens of fully armed cavalrymen galloped out from a mountain pass, with Liu Kun leading them. He rode a magnificent warhorse, still wearing his white robe. In the setting sun, he rode with one hand, his tall and straight figure radiating a brilliant aura, truly a remarkable and heroic figure!

With his status, experience, and judgment, he naturally saw further and more clearly than Xue Tong and He Yun. Despite the numerous difficulties, his confidence seemed unshaken, always exuding a vibrant spirit that made everyone believe that all the hardships would pass. Truly a hero who would be remembered in history, Lu Yao could not help but admire him greatly.