Chapter One: In the Heart of Shenwu County

Autumn, the twelfth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty.

Outside the eastern gate of Shenwu County, a few Eagle Guards stood idly by the city gate, chatting lazily.

Shenwu County was a small settlement along the Sanggan River. In the Warring States period, it belonged to Zhao; only during the Yuanshou era of the Han was it established as a county seat. After nearly being abolished and reestablished, it now belonged to Mayi Commandery. Even within Mayi Commandery, already considered a remote region, Shenwu was unremarkable. The commandery seat lay in the southwest at Shanyang, and the strategic importance here was far less than that of Yunnei, a famed northern town. Shenwu’s sole advantage was its position on the Sanggan River, making it one of the more prosperous areas in Mayi.

Since the border troubles at the start of the Daye era, Shenwu’s defenses had been reinforced. Freshly packed earth was visible in the city walls, and after several winters of biting winds, the rammed earth, both old and new, had become as hard as iron. Beyond the walls lay ditches, sheep and horse barriers, and all manner of fortifications, including a small bastion protecting the gate. Defensive structures lined the ramparts.

Though the few Eagle Guards at the gate lounged about, dressed in tattered uniforms, their presence was still formidable—though much less so than the well-kept soldiers of the inner provinces. The Sui had inherited elite forces from Northern Zhou, organizing twelve Guards, tens of thousands of battle-hardened veterans who enabled the Emperor to subdue the realm and kept the northern Turks at bay.

These elite troops were drawn from the Eagle Guard Garrisons established in each commandery. In peacetime, the garrison soldiers farmed; during the off-season, they drilled or performed official duties. In war, they were summoned as the Sui’s crack troops to quell the disobedient.

Among the empire’s 127 Eagle Guard Garrisons, the Mayi and Hengan Garrisons of Mayi Commandery were famed as the best in Yunzhong. This borderland, close to the steppe, had seen centuries of fighting with nomads. Boys learned to ride fierce horses and draw heavy bows from their early teens. Even village disputes over water were settled on horseback.

In the fifth year of Daye, soldiers from these two garrisons marched to aid the Emperor at Yanmen, and later fought fiercely in the Goguryeo campaigns. In recent years, as the Turks grew stronger, the Eagle Guards of Mayi, led by Prefect Wang Ren’gong, repeatedly took the field and achieved great merit.

Compared to the depleted garrisons of the interior, Mayi’s Eagle Guards still retained some of the old Sui discipline.

The soldiers at the gate, deep in conversation and gesticulating as they talked, drew laughter and the curious glances of the patrol above.

Amid the noise, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. Several sentries looked toward the city. Hastily, they leapt aside, exclaiming, “The noble scion is coming!”

With a clatter of hooves, a cloud of dust churned at the gate. Squadron after squadron of cavalry emerged—at least a hundred or two. Each rider wore a bright red cloak, led a second horse, and carried armor packs behind their saddles, all looking sharp and formidable. As they passed, they ignored the ragged gate guards, holding their chins high.

In the center of the formation rode a commander, about thirty years old, dressed in a flowing robe and wide trousers, but wearing a scholar’s cap instead of a warrior’s helm—a somewhat incongruous sight. He carried an iron scepter, and his short mustache gleamed with oil, curled upward—a true scion of a Jin-yang noble house.

Through the dust, this company of cavalry passed through the gate, heading east.

The organization of the Sui Eagle Guard was such that a regiment could contain several battalions, each bearing names like Yue Cavalry, Marksmen, Changshui, and Zhonglei. Every battalion had two or three companies, each company two squads, each squad five files, and each file ten men.

This force of two hundred was a standard Yue Cavalry battalion.

Mayi Commandery fielded both the Left Garrison's Mayi Eagle Guards and the Right Garrison's Hengan Eagle Guards. Here, soldiers farmed in peacetime and mustered during war. Being on the frontier, and facing the Turks directly, Mayi maintained more active Eagle Guards than the interior, and this well-equipped, double-mounted cavalry battalion was one of the commandery’s main forces.

As the dust of the two hundred riders settled, the gate soldiers straightened, all with expressions of indifference.

One shook his head: “The Prefect is bringing out all his best troops—he really means to force Liu the Eagle-Strike to bow his head.”

Another agreed: “How many troops and horses have passed in recent days? At least half the Mayi Eagle Guards have gone to Yunzhong. Now Liu will have to head to Shanyang.”

A soldier in his thirties, long in the army and privy to many inside rumors, stroked his beard thoughtfully: “Mayi is Prefect Wang’s domain. Why did the Emperor send Liu the Eagle-Strike to share power? The Prefect is of the illustrious Wang clan of Langya, a great family for centuries—how can he accept a mere killer like Liu? In Mayi, only one man can give orders, and the Prefect won’t yield.”

The file leader at the gate grew irritated and scolded, “The Turks are already pressing north of Yunzhong, and you’re still bickering! If they break through, we’ll all be done for! Damn it, how are we supposed to live like this?”

The Eagle Guards all sighed in agreement.

“Isn’t it true? Since Emperor Kaihuang, things have only gotten worse. The Turks once feared us so much they moved their court north of the steppe. Once the Daye Emperor took the throne, he fought endless bloody wars in Goguryeo. Few of us returned from those campaigns. Our ranks thinned, yet the Emperor kept patrolling the border, drawing the Turks to invade. Last year, the Emperor was besieged at Yanmen. Of forty-one cities in Yanmen, the Turks took thirty-nine!”

“The Emperor fled to Jiangdu, and now it’s up to us locals to clean up the mess!”

“Good thing he sent a regent to Jinyang—Duke Li Yuan of Tang, descendant of the Six Pillars. He’s capable, and with our Prefect, the Mayi and Hedong troops dealt the Turks a bitter defeat last year, bringing some peace. If only Duke Tang could stay longer!”

“I doubt he will. The Emperor has abandoned the capital for Jiangdu! My cousin returned alive from the second Goguryeo campaign—barely. They almost won, but Yang Xuangan’s rebellion cut off the supplies, causing the defeat. If Yang couldn’t be stopped then, how many more rebels will rise now? Duke Tang has troops and generals—how long can he remain in Taiyuan? Maybe he’s already planning to march on Chang’an!”

“How many years of peace have we had? Not only Duke Tang, but our own Prefect has his own ambitions. Why else squeeze us so hard? Mayi is poor, yet the rents and corvée have doubled! We’re supposed to serve only forty-five days a year, but it’s been more than a year since we’ve been home. Now we’re being used to pressure Liu—what does that tell you about the Prefect’s intentions?”

These were all regulars, serving year-round, running endless errands for the officials, and privy to much insider gossip. Bored on gate duty, their talk ranged far and wide.

The file leader made only a feeble attempt to rein them in: “Enough. Mind your tongues—don’t bring trouble on yourselves. Times are unstable—better to eat, drink, and find a girl while you can. Live for the day!”

Then he asked, puzzled, “Why hasn’t Young Master Le appeared in town lately?”

The soldiers laughed. “You’re thinking of his generosity! Every time he visits—paying taxes or checking his shop—he always treats us to a meal.”

The file leader grew annoyed: “Is that all you care about? How many brothers has he helped out in times of need? I haven’t seen him in ages—can’t I wonder after his well-being?”

The oldest soldier smiled, explaining, “The Prefect doubled the rents and corvée. Young Master Le’s grandfather is headman of his village, so the burden falls on him. For three or four years now, the taxes have doubled. Even if the fields grew gold, it wouldn’t be enough. They rely on trading, and now that the steppe horses are fat in autumn, Young Master Le has probably gone to trade.”

The file leader was skeptical: “He’s the only heir. Would Old Master Xu really let him go out trading?”

The old soldier’s face darkened: “Old Master Xu has had a stroke.”

The file leader stamped his foot. “I just returned from Shanyang on official business—I didn’t hear a word of this! I should have gone to visit!”

He sighed. “Back then, I urged the old man to let Young Master Le serve as an Eagle Guard. The rent and corvée would be less, and the bribe too. But the old man wouldn’t hear of it. What a waste of the skills he taught the boy—literate and skilled in arms! He could have served any noble house, and with his talent, been well used.”

All the soldiers shook their heads and sighed.

Old Master Xu had settled near Shenwu from Mayi more than a decade ago, said to be a retired soldier, bringing a few followers and an infant grandson—his son’s posthumous child, named Xu Le. The old man carved out new fields in the Sanggan valley. Mayi was never peaceful—he single-handedly drove off bandits and even slew stray Turkic raiders. His settlement became a stronghold, attracting refugees and forming the Xu hamlet, registered as regular citizens.

In a decade, the infant grew to manhood, taught by his grandfather in all arts, but the old man would not let him join the army or go to dangerous places. Yet a capable youth cannot be contained—Xu Le befriended young knights, was generous and bold, and made a name for himself as Young Master Le throughout Shenwu.

When Old Master Xu first settled here, it was rumored that he had powerful patrons, and even the county magistrate paid his respects. But after a decade, the throne had changed, times were different, and the old man’s past was forgotten. Without official status, Xu Le, untested in government or war, could not hold up the household after his grandfather’s decline, and taxes increased with no relief.

For years, Old Master Xu had kept the family afloat by trading, but with constant war, even that became impossible. Their resources dwindled, and with age, the old man suddenly suffered a stroke. Now the family’s future rested on Young Master Le.

Frontier trading was perilous, especially with the Turks on the rise. Having always been sheltered by his grandfather, how could Young Master Le now endure such risks? Should anything befall him, what a waste of such talent!

The file leader stood silent for a long time, then stomped his foot in anger. “Damn this world! Barely a few years of peace—and now the land is in chaos again!”

The soldiers looked at each other, lost for words. They could gossip endlessly, but such weighty questions had no answer.

Emperor Kaihuang ended the age of chaos and began an era of peace. With the Daye Emperor’s accession, how had only a few short years passed before the world once more teetered on the edge of turmoil?