Back in the study, before he had even warmed the chair, Fang Er heard Yan Shuangying outside the door.
"Duke, Heavenly Master Zhang has arrived."
"Let him in."
"Yes, sir!"
The study door opened, and Zhang Tian walked up to Fang Er's table, stood at attention, and saluted.
"Zhang Tian, Commander of the Fifth Division of the Tianhuo Army, greets the Duke!"
"Speak, what is it?"
Returning the salute, Fang Er continued to bury himself in drawing.
"Duke, the initial selection for the paratroopers is complete. Please come and provide guidance."
Zhang Tian said earnestly.
"This is important." Fang Er put away the drawings on the table and left the residence with Zhang Tian.
Outside the Fifth Division headquarters, a helicopter was parked. Twenty young and strong men stood in standard military posture before it.
As Fang Er and Zhang Tian arrived, the twenty soldiers saluted in unison.
"Paratrooper Reserve, greet the Duke!"
Fang Er returned their salute and scanned them. These men, all under 1.7 meters tall and slender, were exactly as he had requested of Zhang Tian. However, as his gaze swept over one of them, Fang Er couldn't help but frown. He pointed at one of them and asked,
"Why is there someone so young? How old are you?"
"Reporting to the Duke, I am fifteen this year."
The soldier he indicated replied loudly.
"Fifteen? Are you married yet?"
"Ye-yes, married!" The soldier's answer suddenly became nervous.
Hearing the obvious lie, Fang Er looked at Zhang Tian with displeasure.
"Explain! What's going on?"
"How dare you select such a young soldier, one who hasn't even left an heir for his family, to be a paratrooper?"
Zhang Tian quickly explained, "Duke, it wasn't me who selected Xue Rengui."
"He is..."
"Wait!" Fang Er interrupted Zhang Tian's unfinished sentence, his voice suddenly filled with excitement upon hearing the name.
"Xue Rengui? What is it, Duke? You've heard of this name?" Zhang Tian asked, confused.
Fang Er pushed Zhang Tian aside and walked in front of Xue Rengui, looking him in the eyes.
"Where are you from? Who else is in your family? When did you join the Tianhuo Army?"
"Reporting to the Duke! I am from Jiangzhou, Hedong Circuit."
"I joined the Tianhuo Army in the autumn of the third year of Zhenguan. I have no family left!"
"Damn it, it's confirmed!"
"This guy is actually the famous General Xue Rengui from the early Tang Dynasty!"
"Your home is in Jiangzhou, how did you end up in Shenyang?" Fang Er was confused, as the Tianhuo Army had never recruited soldiers in Jiangzhou, yet Xue Rengui was standing before him.
"Reporting to the Duke, I heard that the Tianhuo Army was invincible and specifically traveled from Jiangzhou to join."
"Duke, you can't disqualify me from being a paratrooper just because I'm young. When you shot Liang Shidu, you weren't much older than I am now."
Seemingly worried that Fang Er would dismiss him from the paratrooper reserve, Xue Rengui finished explaining his reason for coming to Shenyang and deliberately brought up Fang Er's age when he shot Liang Shidu.
Fang Er was momentarily stunned. Truly a renowned general, he knew how to justify himself even at such a young age. However, using this future famous general as a paratrooper seemed like a waste of talent. So, he deliberately put on a stern face and said,
"You dare to lie to me at such a young age! You just said you were married, and now you say you have no family. How can such conduct be suitable for important tasks!"
"Zhang Tian! Remove him from the unit and send him back to his original post!"
Xue Rengui became anxious, his eyes immediately reddening. "Duke, you can't do this!"
"Why can't I? Filial piety has three branches, and having no heir is the greatest. Not just you, but all of them are the same!"
"Those who are not married and have not left heirs are not allowed to participate in paratrooper training!"
To dissuade this guy from becoming a paratrooper, Fang Er had to add a requirement that hadn't existed before.
"Duke, your words are problematic!"
"Filial piety has three branches, and having no heir is the greatest. What does that have to do with leaving an heir?"
"In the 'Li Lou' chapter, Mencius said: The commonly accepted five unfilial acts are: being lazy in one's limbs and failing to care for one's parents, this is one unfilial act."
"This means that being lazy in one's limbs, failing to care for one's parents, and not fulfilling one's responsibilities as a descendant is the most unfilial."
"My grandfather was a Grand Official of Xiangcheng Commandery in the previous dynasty, and my father was a Grand Master of the Northern Zhou Imperial Guard. My ancestors have all served the court."
"If I don't serve the court, then that would be having no heir!"
"You are the Duke of Shenyang, and serving under you is serving the court. This is not having no heir!"
Xue Rengui's young face was filled with stubbornness.
"What? Having no heir is the greatest means this?"
"Doesn't it mean becoming extinct?"
Fang Er was stunned. Damn it, he was being lectured! But thinking about it, the interpretation of the classics in this era was certainly more accurate than a thousand years later. Well, he had been misled by pedantic scholars again!
Seeing him frozen, Xue Rengui quickly said, "Thank you, Duke. I will definitely train well and become the best paratrooper!"
Fang Er: "????"
"When did I say this guy could join the paratroopers?"
Just as he was about to retort, Zhang Tian leaned over fawningly.
"Hehehe, Duke, you are wise. Don't let his young age fool you, he is the most suitable for being a paratrooper among them."
Fang Er looked at Zhang Tian unhappily, "When did I say I would allow him to be a paratrooper?"
"Reporting to the Duke! You can't go back on your word! You clearly tacitly agreed just now!" Xue Rengui quickly retorted.
This guy had seized on his moment of distraction!
Damn it, a famous general is indeed a famous general. With just a few words, he had trapped himself.
Forget it, paratrooper it is. With a brain even smarter and more agile than mine, there shouldn't be any major problems. With this thought, Fang Er softened his stance.
"If you want to stay in the paratroopers, prove your abilities to me."
This was a way to give both of them a way out. A famous general had his own halo, and if he really pushed the issue, it would be a great loss if he ran to Li Er.