Chapter 3

"During the time when my master received guests, I served beside him, listening to the stories of the old general and a woman named Hongfu. That's why I have some recollection. Before my master passed away, he told me to go to Chang'an and find the old general." Suning lowered his head while speaking, and only raised it after he finished, hoping Li Jing wouldn't see through him. However, as soon as he raised his head, Li Jing's aged face was only a few centimeters away from his, and two large hands tightly gripped his shoulders, trembling as he asked, "What was the name of that guest? What did he look like?"

Suning felt reassured, though it hurt a bit, but it seemed to be real. He described the guest according to the story of the Three Heroes of the Dusty World: "My master called him Zhang San. He was tall and strong, with a face full of thick whiskers, dark and ugly, but very heroic!" Li Jing's grip tightened even more, and tears appeared in his eyes: "Where is he? Where is he! Tell me! Tell me! I must find him!"

Zhang San was Zhang Zhongjian, one of the Three Heroes of the Dusty World, known as the third, so some people called him Zhang San, like the old man...

Of course, Suning was also shocked. Heaven! What happened between Li Jing and Zhang San? Could it make Li Jing forget he was leading an army? Were they good friends? A time of passionate friendship? Wasn't it said that Hongfu and Li Jing were a pair? Could it be that Li Jing and Zhang San were a pair? Was Hongfu the third wheel?

Suning, influenced by his education, thought maliciously, but he couldn't think too much. His shoulders were very painful, and he had to find a way to get out of this situation quickly, or Li Jing would eventually crush him!

"He went to sea. The last time my master met Zhang San was six years ago. Six years ago, Zhang San said he would go to sea to find a land of happiness. If he couldn't find it, he would never return to China in this life. My master was very sad, saying he had lost a good friend. Then he took me on a journey around the world until he passed away." Suning wasn't afraid anymore, his face didn't turn red, and he started to make up stories, one after another!

Li Jing, upon hearing this, lost his focus, released his grip on Suning's shoulders, and seemed lost in thought. Suning, in pain, took a few steps back, moved his shoulders to relieve the soreness, and looked at Li Jing again, sighing inwardly that the saddest thing wasn't men competing for a woman, but a woman competing for a man...

But thinking is one thing, speaking is another: "Old General, why are you like this?"

Li Jing's lifeless eyes closed, and after a long time, they opened, regaining their luster, but followed by a deep sigh. "Why, why won't he show up? It's been so many years, and both I and Hongfu are in our twilight years. If we don't meet now, we won't have the chance in this life. Sigh!" Another sigh, and Li Jing slowly said, "Sanming, you don't understand, but since you know about my brother, there's no need to worry."

Li Jing thought to himself that no one, not even his best friend, knew about the matter of the bearded hero, except for his wife. He didn't recognize this child, and Hongfu hadn't mentioned anything, so if this child knew, his identity was beyond doubt.

Well, Suning wasn't into that sort of thing. Although his luck was bad over the past few years, his romantic luck wasn't. Suning liked both men and women and was well-versed in it, but he deeply detested same-sex relationships! He couldn't understand the world of passionate friendship.

But since Li Jing had acknowledged his identity, he had to say, "This friendship, I don't understand, but if Zhang San doesn't come to see the old general, he must have his reasons. I'm not smart enough to know why, but perhaps he has his own difficulties. I think some things don't need to be too fixated on. The more you pursue, the less likely he will appear. When you stop pursuing, he will appear on his own."

Li Jing looked at Suning, slightly surprised. He thought that anyone who could be friends with his brother must be a person of great ability. If so, Suning's abilities shouldn't be small. Since his master had sent him to seek Li Jing, he must have some skills. If so, it would be worth helping him. So, Li Jing decided to test him!

Suning, of course, didn't know what he was about to face. He just thought he had guessed right and would have no worries about food and drink in the future, so he felt incredibly lucky. But as the saying goes, there's no free lunch, and this applies not only to modern times but to any era.

So...

"Sanming, since your master was a friend of my brother, he must have been quite skilled, right?" Li Jing's seemingly casual question made Suning's heart skip a beat. He sighed inwardly, thinking Li Jing was not easy to fool. Now he was in trouble, but the arrow was already on the string, and he had to let it fly! If he showed any signs of lying, Li Jing might get angry and have him killed! The passion between men couldn't be underestimated! To save his life, Suning had to say, "My master was very skilled, and I can't even compare."

The old man was indeed skilled, or Suning wouldn't have given up his studies to follow him. Although he had learned for many years, he suspected he had only learned a fraction. Old man, who are you really...

Li Jing smiled, "No need to be modest. Since you were favored by my brother, you must be capable. Otherwise, why would your master entrust you to me on his deathbed? Ha, no need to be modest. If you truly have skills, I will certainly help you. Now, the Tang Dynasty is surrounded by enemies, and it's a time when we need talent. As the saying goes, we should not avoid promoting relatives. You don't need to have any other thoughts."

Damn! I don't want to have any other thoughts! A nearly sixty-year-old old fox, definitely not easy to fool! It seems I have to show some real skills! Fine! I'll use my real skills! Summoning! The Romance of Sui and Tang!

At this moment, what was Li Jing going to do? Hmm, the Romance of Sui and Tang doesn't seem to cover everything! Damn! What should I do? Right, I remember the old man also told some other stories about the Tang Dynasty's campaigns after the Romance of Sui and Tang. The fourth year of the Zhen Guan era? Why does it sound familiar? It seems...

"Sanming, how old are you this year?" Li Jing asked. Suning was taken aback. How old was he? Twenty-two? Of course not. He looked like a middle school student, so... Yes! Decided! Suning said, "Um, I'm fourteen this year."

Li Jing nodded, "Fourteen, a bit young, but you're almost a man, a middle-aged man. Sanming, do you know what's happening in the Tang Dynasty now?" Li Jing thought he would first give a general overview of the situation and then see if Suning had any talent. If he did, he would be heavily used; if not, it would be a different story. Looking at his thin build, he probably wasn't a brave warrior, and it would be hard for him to be a soldier!

Suning needed this information to judge the situation. He was overjoyed and quickly asked, "I don't know, sir."

Li Jing nodded and said, "In the second year of the Zhen Guan era, the Khan of the Turks, Jiali, led his entire army to attack the Tang Dynasty, reaching forty miles north of Chang'an. The capital was shaken, and it was the greatest crisis since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. However, the internal political situation of the Tang Dynasty was unstable, and we were surrounded on all sides, a time of great danger. The emperor used the empty city strategy, leading six riders to form an alliance with Jiali on the banks of the Wei River, and paid a huge ransom, including three thousand Han people as slaves, to ease the crisis. It was a great humiliation!"

As he spoke, Li Jing's beard and hair stood on end, and he looked furious. The accumulated killing aura of decades was suddenly released, making Suning feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave. After a long time, Li Jing retracted his aura, and Suning finally recovered, his back drenched in cold sweat. The power of his anger was so great!

Li Jing thought this young man had some courage, standing so close and still able to withstand his killing aura. He must not be an ordinary person! Li Jing, of course, didn't know about the concept of "frozen"...

"This is a great humiliation for the Tang Dynasty and the Han people! A great humiliation! Therefore, the entire Tang Dynasty is united to avenge this humiliation! And now is the best time! I lead these three thousand elite cavalry to avenge this humiliation!" Li Jing said, watching Suning's reaction.

Suning was suddenly enlightened. It was like this! Right! Ambush Dingxiang! This is the Battle of Dingxiang! Li Jing captured the puppet emperor Yang Zhengdao, who was set up by the Turks, and drove away the Khan Jiali. He then joined forces with Li Ji's elite troops, using ten thousand soldiers to launch a night attack on the Yin Mountains, thoroughly defeating the Turkish army, capturing tens of thousands of people and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, and bringing about the end of the Turks! Jiali was later captured, and the Tang Dynasty's Zhen Guan era of prosperity officially began!

"If I'm not mistaken, Old General, you are here to ambush the Khan Jiali's camp at Dingxiang?" Suning activated his "show-off" mode. Facing these high-level people, he had to remain calm and act as if he was very knowledgeable, fully utilizing his historical knowledge as a time traveler to give them a good impression. So, Suning smiled and bowed in response.

Li Jing's eyes widened, and he was deeply shocked. This young man had guessed his purpose so easily? Li Jing asked, somewhat disbelieving, "How did you know what I'm doing?"

Suning smiled, "War is a matter of deception. First, Old General leads the cavalry here and is so cautious, not daring to move forward, and this place is thousands of miles from civilization, so it must be for an ambush, and you don't know the way ahead, so you are very cautious. Second, not far from here is the Khan Jiali's camp, and the puppet emperor Yang Zhengdao, a remnant of the Sui Dynasty, is also here. Therefore, Old General must be here to ambush Dingxiang!"

Li Jing took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and asked, "Do you understand military strategy? Do you know the location here?"

Suning bowed, "I know a little about military strategy, but I'm not very familiar with the location. I followed my master, who told me that this area is near the Turkish camp. Before he passed away, he pointed out the way for me, telling me to go south to Chang'an to find the old general." The old man didn't teach him military strategy, and he admitted he didn't know much about military affairs, but Suning still liked the Hundred Schools of Thought and books.

Li Jing's expression was calm, and he stroked his long beard, "Are you willing to follow me and serve the Tang Dynasty? If so, after this battle, I can recommend you for a position. How about it? As a man, you should serve the Tang Dynasty and achieve great things!"

Suning was overjoyed. He was worried about where to eat, and now he had a place to eat! Great! Although this battle was a bit dangerous, Li Jing won, and he was the main character. Under the main character's aura, as long as he followed closely, he should be safe. So, Suning immediately nodded, "I am willing to serve the Tang Dynasty and achieve great things!"

Suning was overjoyed, but he didn't know that Li Jing was also very pleased. This young man was so intelligent and had learned military strategy from a high-level person. If he were to be trained by Li Jing, he would surely become a capable person. However, whether he could become a general or a commander still needed to be tested. Although he understood military strategy and was intelligent, if he lacked a strong will, he would not be able to achieve much. So, Li Jing decided to test Suning through this battle to see if he had the potential to be trained!

So, Li Jing said, "Then, come with me! Someone, prepare a horse! Sanming, get on the horse, and let's go!"

Suning was about to agree but suddenly remembered something very important...

"Old General, I... I can't ride a horse..." Suning was a bit embarrassed. Although he had learned many things from the old man, he had never learned to ride a horse. He had never been to Inner Mongolia, where could he find a horse? Oh, no! In elementary school, during an autumn outing, he did ride a horse for a few minutes, but he almost fell off as soon as he got on, and the horse scared him when it started running. He had a severe fear of heights!

Li Jing was taken aback and then asked, "On the grasslands, how did you and your master not ride horses? And where is your horse? Don't tell me you and your master walked all the way here!" Suning's face froze, and he blurted out, "Old General, I really can't ride a horse, but my master could, so I always hugged him on the horse. But we were caught in a blizzard, and my master fell ill and passed away. The horse, being hungry, ate itself..." Suning's voice grew softer and softer...

This wasn't all a lie. The old man loved horse meat and even encouraged him to steal horse meat from rich people's private stables. Heaven! Was that stealing horse meat? That was stealing horses! This made Suning suspect who the old man really was, how he knew so much about good and bad horses, especially in terms of whether the horse meat was tasty.

Li Jing pointed at Suning, his hand trembling with anger, and after a long time, he put it down, saying helplessly, "Why didn't you learn to ride a horse? A Tang Dynasty man who can't ride a horse, how embarrassing! Don't tell me you can't even fight!" Suning was taken aback and lowered his head, "I really can't fight..."

He was quite proficient in the Thirty-Six Scattered Hands of the Dongxuan School and the Ninety-Nine Postures of the Suyu Jing, as the old man was a lecher and very skilled in these areas. Men, after all, are like that, and Suning was no exception. He didn't dare to say much about other things, but he had definitely learned the Daoist techniques to the fullest... But these skills could only be used in bed at night...

The Tang Dynasty was indeed different from other dynasties, with a strong martial spirit. Being able to ride a horse and fight was what made a real man. Even scholars often carried swords and traveled the world, a unique memory of the Tang Dynasty.

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