Chapter Thirteen: Yuan Junwei

Only by continuing north—was such a trivial matter enough to make him turn back and seek his grandfather’s protection once more?

Once Xu Le made his decision, Han Yue immediately seized his iron shield and stood resolutely at Xu Le’s side, his gaze sharp and intimidating as he swept his eyes across the crowd.

The young heroes of Hedong looked at each other uncertainly, but Song Bao was quickest to react. He walked over to the fallen Eagle Guard, drew his single-bladed halberd, wiped the blood from its edge on the corpse, and spoke in a low voice to his own men.

“In these wild mountains, we kill off these merchants, bury them in the earth, and not even the gods will know! Having already acted, do we still have room to turn back? In times like these, living on the frontier, what’s a few killings? Anyone who wants to retreat now—I, Iron Flying Swallow, won’t recognize them!”

His words were fierce, and as Song Bao shook his halberd, the jujube-wood shaft trembled, the blade flashing coldly. The scar at the corner of his mouth twisted; no one doubted that this notorious Iron Flying Swallow would actually kill.

Xu Le glanced at Song Bao.

This so-called Iron Flying Swallow had always seemed unimpressive to Xu Le, yet faced with real trouble, at least he kept a clear head. He was skilled too—earlier, he had killed two Eagle Guards swiftly, only slightly less capable than Han Yue, and possessed a certain ruthless boldness. Used wisely, he could be a valuable ally.

Several of Song Bao’s young followers stepped forward without hesitation, standing behind him as they took their place beside Xu Le.

Only a handful of farmhands, who had fought desperately moments ago, now stood trembling, fear having caught up with them. The youngest among them pursed his lips, as if on the verge of bursting into tears and begging to go home.

Xu Le walked over to the youngest farmhand—though “youngest” meant twenty-five or twenty-six, still older than Xu Le himself.

Xu Le gently patted his shoulder. “Brother Wei Five, do you want to go back?”

Wei Five looked at Xu Le, on the verge of tears. His voice quivered: “Young Master Le, these are Eagle Guards!”

Xu Le’s habitual carefree smile vanished, his voice hard as iron: “They’re a band of thieves who wanted to kill us! We’re honest merchants, working hard to earn money and pay our taxes. If someone bullies us, we answer in kind! When Grandfather founded the village by the Sanggan River, on the border of Shenwu County, weren’t there countless such battles? Grandfather protected everyone then; now that he’s old, it’s my turn to protect you all!”

Xu Le looked at Wei Five and called out firmly, “Brother Wei Five, do you trust me?”

Wei Five was silent, then suddenly wiped his face fiercely. “Young Master Le, I trust you!”

Living on the frontier, facing the Turks head-on every day, the threat of raids ever-present. Since the reign of the Emperor of Daxing, the Turks had invaded almost yearly—last year and the year before, the banners of the Ashina tribe’s Golden Wolf had been seen deep in Mayi and Yanmen.

The constant warfare with the Turks bred bandits, horse thieves, and deserters. The frontier folk lived every day on the edge of life and death.

Old Master Xu had kept the Xu family village safe for over ten years on his own.

When he finally fell, the farmhands of the Xu village were not without anxiety. Following Xu Le on this trade route stemmed mostly from years of obedience to Old Master Xu’s commands.

But tonight, Xu Le made a single decisive move—without hesitation, he broke the neck of Chang Shuxin, the Fire Leader of the Eagle Guards who meant to slaughter them all.

Just one strike, though Han Yue, the little guardian, was even more energetic. Yet it was clear Xu Le was the pillar of the caravan—the one who steadied everyone.

Old Master Xu had indeed raised a worthy grandson.

Wei Five joined Xu Le, and the other farmhands exchanged glances, then bowed to Xu Le. “Young Master Le, give the word. Even if we walk to the ends of the earth, we’ll follow you.”

Xu Le smiled, and in the blood-scented forest, his smile brightened the eyes of all.

“Clean up—we move out!”

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On a nearby mountaintop, a squad of Eagle Guards camped along the mountain road. Two guards patrolled lazily, waiting for dawn.

Footsteps echoed from below; the two guards exchanged nervous glances. One took up his bow, hiding behind a large rock and silently nocking an arrow.

The other went to rouse their sleeping comrades. As each was awakened, they grabbed their weapons, crouching or standing in the shadows outside the firelight, bows drawn and ready.

The Eagle Guards of Heng’an, hardened by years of battle with the Turks, were the finest in the Sui.

A deep voice sounded below, easing their tension: “It’s me!”

The Fire Leader exhaled in relief and smiled at those around him. “It’s the Junior Captain from the Garden.”

The footsteps approached, and a young man, no more than twenty-three or twenty-four, strode up. He looked every bit the frontier man—broad-shouldered and tall, over seven feet, with thick brows and keen eyes, his face full of vigor. He wore only the ordinary leather armor of a soldier, accompanied by just two attendants.

The Eagle Guards all stepped out to salute, bowing with fists clasped. “Junior Captain!”

Among Liu Wuzhou’s trusted generals—like Shi Wansui and the famed warrior Yuchi Gong—the most trusted was Yuan Junzhang, who had campaigned with him in Korea. Liu Wuzhou consulted him on all matters.

The newcomer, Junior Captain from the Garden, was Yuan Junzhang’s younger brother, Yuan Junwei. Of the four Yuan brothers, Yuan Junzhang was renowned for his intelligence, while Yuan Junwei was famed as the second strongest in Heng’an Prefecture. Yuan Junzhang doted on him, and this lucrative task of intercepting illegal merchant caravans was entrusted to him.

Yuan Junwei had lived up to expectations—through wind and rain, he’d patrolled the hidden routes, intercepting six or seven caravans and seizing at least six or seven hundred strings of cash for Liu Wuzhou.

One of the caravans belonged to the Wu family of Hedong, and Yuan Junwei had shown no mercy, confiscating all goods and sending the merchants home. As long as no one died, seizing smuggled caravans was justified everywhere. Offending powerful families mattered little, as Liu Wuzhou was under such pressure from Wang Ren Gong that he couldn’t afford to care.

But Yuan Junwei had unwavering faith in his brother. No matter the situation, his brother could find a way to support Liu Wuzhou and break through the crisis.

Yuan Junwei, patrolling late at night, climbed to the mountaintop. Seeing the Eagle Guards react swiftly, alert at every sound in the darkness, he nodded with satisfaction. “These are the kind of soldiers I train. You’ve all worked hard these days! Once we return to Yunzhong, you’ll all be rewarded with wine and meat!”

The Fire Leader, an old veteran, grinned and replied, “Wine and meat are all well and good, but if the third of the spoils from the intercepted caravans is distributed, your men will be grateful enough, Junior Captain. We Heng’an soldiers are used to hardship—what’s there to fear? The only trouble is, we’ve been out for days and haven’t seen a single merchant caravan. The men are getting impatient.”

Yuan Junwei was restless too. “It’s nearly autumn’s end, the steppes are full of fat horses, and the Tartars are waiting to sell them. Even if the roads are unsafe, we should run into a caravan every day!”

He paused. “Any news from Chang Shuxin?”

The Fire Leader snorted disdainfully. “That rascal is always shirking and sneaking off to be lazy—who knows where he’s gone? No news from him tonight, not even the scheduled contact. Doesn’t he fear military law?”

Yuan Junwei frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head. “He’s not just lazy—he’s bold and ruthless! Don’t let him intercept a caravan and try to keep all the spoils for himself; that’s our livelihood at stake! Follow me and let’s find him.”

A guard came forward. “Junior Captain, I saw Fire Leader Chang and his men heading toward Yin Xuan Peak yesterday…”

Yuan Junwei didn’t hesitate. “There’s a mountain path near Yin Xuan Peak that bypasses Yunzhong City. Come with me!”

He turned and set off, the Eagle Guards hurriedly following without extinguishing their campfire, heading straight for Yin Xuan Peak.

In the night, Yin Xuan Peak was close—less than two hours away, even in the dark.

That was precisely where Xu Le and his companions had slaughtered Chang Shuxin and his squad of Eagle Guards!