"Is that General Zhou Fugui ahead?"
Zhou Fugui had just let go of a barbarian woman, or rather, a barbarian enchantress, one who had almost seduced him.
As Zhou Fugui was walking back, dejected, a group of riders caught up from behind. The eunuch at the forefront waved towards Zhou Fugui and called out.
The eunuch was a middle-aged official, around forty years old. He was burly with fair, soft skin. Although burly, his muscles were somewhat flaccid, and his eyelids drooped, making him appear listless. He wore a black gauze cap and a purple robe, over which was a gold-plated two-piece armor. He cut a rather imposing figure.
Surprisingly, the middle-aged eunuch had three strands of long beard under his chin. It was unclear if it was glued on or if the castration was incomplete... In any case, without a close look, one could barely tell he was an emasculated official.
"It is I. May I know who you are...?" Zhou Fugui, seeing the man's extraordinary attire and the many servants and guards surrounding him, indicating his uncommon status or position, clasped his hands and asked humbly.
"My lord is a palace attendant of the East Palace, a protector of the Wuhuan, and the Captain of Changshui, Hou Luoqi," a young eunuch replied obsequiously for Hou Luoqi.
The so-called protector was essentially a supervisor. In the Great Yan Kingdom, supervisors were generally palace eunuchs who had the right to report directly to the emperor through secret memorials, meaning they could "tattle" to the emperor...
"So it is Official Hou. I have long admired you. May I ask what business you have with me?" Zhou Fugui dismounted and bowed respectfully upon hearing this.
So he was a damned eunuch? If the young eunuch hadn't said "palace attendant," Zhou Fugui wouldn't have realized Hou Luoqi was an emasculated official and couldn't help but stare at him.
"Heh heh, I am not acquainted with General Zhou. How could I have long admired you? General Zhou, please dispense with the formality and remount. Come with me into the city," Hou Luoqi said, holding his horsewhip and smiling at Zhou Fugui as they rode.
"This humble prisoner dares not consider himself a general," Zhou Fugui replied after remounting.
"Alas, why must General Zhou be so?" Hou Luoqi rode alongside Zhou Fugui, speaking as they went. "A man of honor should not be deterred; what matter is success or failure! Moreover, has the court not reinstated you to your former position? What is wrong with being called a general?"
Hou Luoqi seemed to know everything about Zhou Fugui's situation.
"Thank you for your kind words, Official Hou..." Zhou Fugui forced a wry smile and said, "But does someone in my current state look like a general?"
He had traveled thousands of miles to Snow Rin City, only to be expelled and sent to the "training ground" of the snowfields. Then he had to kill wolves and people. Zhou Fugui was now covered in mud, blood, and snow, his armor tattered. He looked as pathetic as a beggar.
The wolf totem on Zhou Fugui's back was also exposed.
Hou Luoqi's retainers and guards all laughed at this. Hou Luoqi himself couldn't help but chuckle. "General Zhou, are you complaining about the Governor-General? Alas, General Zhou, do not harbor resentment. This is the rule for the border troops of Snow Rin City. All those assigned to Snow Rin City must undergo this ordeal. This rule has been passed down for generations. General Zhou need not be surprised."
The snowfield trial was indeed a rule for the border troops of Snow Rin City. However, this time, Zhou Fugui and the other convicts were somewhat special, or perhaps it was an accident. They were driven into the snowfields, not only suffering from the cold but also attacked by wolves.
After Hou Luoqi led his troops out of the city, he immediately discovered hundreds of wolf carcasses in the snowfields. This was enough to indicate the scale of the wolf pack that attacked Zhou Fugui and the others. Even those who had lived in Snow Rin City for a long time had rarely seen such a sight.
But that was not all. After the wolves came the barbarians, who also attacked Zhou Fugui and the convicts. It was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly. It was a miracle that Zhou Fugui and the others were not annihilated; it was also their good fortune.
"Undergo this ordeal? Be surprised?" Zhou Fugui said indignantly, "More than four hundred people, with more than half dead or injured, and you call this an ordeal? This ordeal is too vicious!"
"General Zhou, please calm yourself..." Hou Luoqi said calmly. "The border is a land of contention, a place of constant battles. When is there no fighting? When does no one die? Had you not heard of this before coming here, General Zhou?"
"I had heard..." Zhou Fugui choked up and said, "I had heard, but those fallen brothers..."
"That was their fate," Hou Luoqi turned to Zhou Fugui and smiled. "Do not concern yourself with the dead for now. General Zhou's battle against the wild wolves and barbarians, fighting against overwhelming odds with a smaller force, shows unparalleled bravery. The great Yan's reputation for archery, like that of You Ji, is indeed well-deserved! The Governor-General will surely reward you handsomely, and General Zhou's future prospects are promising."
Zhou Fugui shook his head slightly and remained silent.
"General Zhou..." Hou Luoqi continued, "The border is a land of contention and danger, but it is also a place to achieve great deeds. Heroes tread dangerous paths. What are General Zhou's plans for the future?"
"Plans?" Zhou Fugui gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I, Zhou, have only just arrived here and almost died in the jaws of wolves, and almost at the hands of barbarians. What plans can I have? Being able to survive is already a stroke of luck."
"Hahaha!" Hou Luoqi burst into laughter.
.........
"Brother Fugui, can we finally get a good night's sleep?" Xu Mancang asked Zhou Fugui.
Zhou Fugui and the other convicts had finally returned to Winter City. Yesterday, more than four hundred people had left the city, but fewer than two hundred had returned. Everyone was listless, their clothes ragged, and utterly exhausted. Their condition was truly pitiful.
However, those who had survived the ordeal involuntarily carried a fierce glint in their eyes, commanding respect from the soldiers of Snow Rin City.
Fighting snow wolves and engaging in skirmishes with small groups of barbarians was nothing to them. The main thing was that Zhou Fugui and the others had fought against superior numbers with a smaller force, contending with heaven and earth, battling wild wolves and barbarians. Having survived the catastrophe, they could all be called warriors. And in this world, warriors would be respected wherever they went.
"It would be even better if there was wine to drink!" Guan Zhong's great monk Xue Wentai still longed for his fine wine, licking his cracked lips.
Zhou Fugui smiled faintly. Before he could speak, a general of the Flying Bear Army, wearing a black cloak, rode up to Zhou Fugui and the others. He glanced at Zhou Fugui, then took out a decree and read loudly: "The Governor-General has decreed that Vice-General Zhou Fugui and others, upon their arrival in Winter City, fought valiantly outside and displayed admirable courage. All are to be appointed as regular soldiers of the Flying Bear Army. Xue Wentai from Guan Zhong is assigned to the Feather Guard Camp, Suo Dacheng from Youzhou to the Yangwei Camp, Xu Mancang from Youzhou to the Swift Cavalry Guard..."
The general read for a long time. All the nearly two hundred surviving convicts had been assigned good posts. However, it was strange that at the end, Zhou Fugui, who was the leader of this group of convicts and had led them bravely against the enemy, was not mentioned.
This left not only Zhou Fugui bewildered, staring at the general, but also all the convicts looking utterly confused, unsure of what was happening.
Had Governor-General Hu Yan Sheng forgotten Zhou Fugui? everyone thought silently.
"Deputy General Teng Keli, why is this?" Hou Luoqi, the border guard who had entered the city with Zhou Fugui, asked the general with displeasure.
"Why do you ask, Official Hou?" Deputy General Teng Keli replied.
"Zhou Fugui is a Vice-General of our Great Yan. Where is he going?" Hou Luoqi asked.
"Oh, Vice-General Zhou he..." Teng Keli, with a hint of envy in his gaze towards Zhou Fugui, replied, "The Governor-General has decreed that he is summoned to the central army to serve as the Governor-General's attendant."
"Attendant?" Hou Luoqi frowned.
Everyone present was stunned.
Attendant? Zhou Fugui was also stunned.
Attendant, if put nicely, meant a personal guard of Governor-General Hu Yan Sheng. If put crudely, he was his servant, attending to Hu Yan Sheng's daily life, his food and drink, his sleeping and waking, essentially becoming a servant by Hu Yan Sheng's side.
The renowned Vice-General Zhou, reduced to a servant? Who could endure that?
The proud and haughty Zhou Fugui certainly could not. His face immediately showed a look of shame and anger.
However, in Snow Rin City, Governor-General Hu Yan Sheng's orders were like imperial edicts, absolute and unquestioned. No one dared to disobey, and even Hou Luoqi was powerless.
Zong Jiuling, a Palace Official of the Imperial Household, had written to Hou Luoqi, asking him to look after Zhou Fugui. But since Hu Yan Sheng's decree had been issued, Hou Luoqi could not openly argue and could only deal with it later.
"Why are you all standing around? Hurry and report to your respective camps. If you are late, there will be no food," Deputy General Teng Keli then said to the convicts.
Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, Xue Wentai, and the others could only exchange looks of helplessness with Zhou Fugui, then went to their respective camps to report.
"Vice-General Zhou, please come with me," Deputy General Teng Keli said to Zhou Fugui. Seeing his lack of reaction, he rode closer and looked at Zhou Fugui. "Vice-General Zhou, I am speaking to you. Are you deaf?"
"My hearing is excellent! Of course, I heard you..." Zhou Fugui said resentfully, "A scholar can be killed but not insulted. You might as well send me to serve in the auxiliary troops."
"Serving as the Governor-General's attendant is insulting you?" Teng Keli couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "How many people wish to be the Governor-General's attendant and cannot? You, on the other hand, are reluctant. Hurry up. If the Governor-General is displeased, no one can bear the blame."
"I am not that base. Whoever wants to go can go. I will absolutely not comply," Zhou Fugui said indignantly.
"Let him come up to the樓." Hu Yan Sheng said from the watchtower, looking at Zhou Fugui.
Still too young, unable to control himself, Hu Yan Sheng thought to himself.
Zhou Fugui was then led up to the watchtower and into a spacious chamber. The walls of the chamber were adorned with weapons such as knives, swords, and bows and arrows, as well as the head of a black bear. This startled the little white bear that had followed Zhou Fugui into the room, making it hide behind him.