Chapter 43: Preparation
Military robes, armor, ring-pommel swords, and daggers were placed on the desk.
Xiao Yi shed his old robe and changed into an undergarment, made of fine linen and filled with compacted reed down and hemp. He tucked the hem of the robe into his gaiters, secured them with leg wraps, and stuffed them into thick deerskin military boots.
He was finally not so cold and felt quite comfortable.
The fabric of the regulation military jacket was coarse red silk, with a square cloth tag sewn on the left chest, bearing the words “Left Wing Second Army Third Command Left Deputy Commander” in ink. Sheepskin fasteners at the collar and cuffs were used to tighten it, and there were three cloth loops on each side of the waist for attaching a belt. After putting it on, he appeared full of spirit and vigor.
The padded armor was divided into three parts: abdominal guard, arm guards, and leg skirt liner. The abdominal guard was made of double-layered leather, with edges secured by brass rivets; the arm guards protected the forearms and were made of tanned cowhide; the leg skirt liner, used to prevent friction, was made of two pieces of thick wool cloth.
Next was the main armor. The shoulder armor was made of lamellar pieces sewn together and adorned with iron pieces. Xiao Yi did not ask the Lu brothers for help, taking a little time to put it on himself; the breastplate was a single piece of leather armor, with a circle of brass inlaid around the edge, a decoration only for those of the rank of deputy commander and above; the back armor was also made of lamellar pieces; the leg skirt consisted of twelve pieces of leather armor, with wrought iron at the tail.
The belt was double-layered leather, inlaid on the surface with three brass belt plaques, corresponding to the rank of deputy commander. He wrapped it around twice, the first loop tight, the second a bit looser, leaving space to insert a sword.
He picked up the helmet and felt it. The edges were finely polished, with no burrs. A red tassel was inserted into the top of the helmet. It was somewhat dry, but still conspicuous in the dim light. He put it on and secured it with a leather strap.
Finally, he attached the talisman seals for deputy commander and cloud cavalry lieutenant to his waist.
“Good!”
Lu You couldn’t help but exclaim, saying sincerely, “Now that Deputy Commander Xiao is dressed, I realize there are people who can be even more dashing than I.”
“He’s almost as handsome as I am,” Lu Chou said. “I don’t praise people so easily.”
“Not as handsome as you, Elder Brother Lu and Younger Brother Lu,” Xiao Yi said dismissively. “For this mission, General Nie will surely send someone to accompany us. Watching the situation develop, do you wish to earn merit?”
Lu Chou asked in surprise, “Us? Can we do it?”
Lu You said, “Then who will buy you a house?”
“Buying a house is a small matter; ask a friend. The opportunity to forge a future is not common. I believe that if you recommend yourselves, the General will agree. Seizing opportunities is sometimes that simple.”
Xiao Yi said casually, tucking the dagger into his boot. He picked up the ring-pommel sword from the desk. Including the hilt, it was less than a meter long and weighed a little over three jin, a single-handed sword.
He drew the sword from its scabbard and swung it. The arm armor offered no obstruction, and bending his knees was also unimpeded. Although the armor was heavy, his movements were reasonably convenient, only accompanied by the clanging sound of some armor plates rubbing against each other.
He felt his combat effectiveness had more than doubled.
It was a pity that his current body was still young and weak, far from his ideal state of martial prowess. He should eat more and train more.
As he sheathed the sword, he glanced at its surface, reflecting the image of a heroic young officer.
…
When Xiao Yi returned to the main hall, a robust middle-aged man had already arrived.
This man was not tall but was as strong and sturdy as a stubborn rock. His shoulders were broad, his neck muscles were knotted, his face was covered with scars, and he had a short, stiff stubble around his lips. However, his eyes revealed a shrewdness that did not match his martial appearance.
He had the aura of a dog fighting for food.
When Xiao Yi arrived, he saw the man solemnly receiving a piece of silk with both hands. It was likely the letter that Li Ye wanted to deliver to Li Hongwei.
This man should be his commander, or even the commander of the guards.
Indeed.
“Xiao Yi, meet your commander, Cao Dang. He looks old, but he is only in his early twenties. He is a child soldier of General Cao, Commander of the Left Wing of the Left Command. He has fought in several major battles. His Majesty is willing to employ young people; you two must not disappoint him.”
“Yes, Xiao Yi greets the Commander. Please take care of me.”
Cao Dang turned his head, shedding the obsequiousness he showed to Li Ye, and nodded coldly. “When we reach Chan Prefecture, you only need to guide me to Wang Yin. Do not worry about anything else.”
This person was a bit domineering.
Xiao Yi then replied, “Yes.”
Li Ye said, “My brother’s command does not lack manpower; you don’t need to bring too many people. Choose some good hands. The most important thing is that they are trustworthy, understand?”
“Understood!”
“I am not worried about Shi Deyu, that waste,” Li Ye said, a sneer curling his lips. “As for Zhang Mantun, can Meng Ye’s life buy his loyalty?”
Xiao Yi said, “Imperial Uncle, please rest assured, your subordinate is confident.”
“If they do not cooperate, kill them at any time. You are an old acquaintance of the Shi Residence; Wang Yin will trust you.”
“Yes.”
“No need to see me out.”
Li Ye had no other instructions. He glanced at Nie Wenjin, indicating that he would make the arrangements, and got up to leave.
As he passed Xiao Yi, he reached out and patted Xiao Yi’s back, his eyes showing a sense of familiarity.
“Handle this matter diligently. When you return with the talisman seal, I will host a banquet to welcome you.”
“Yes, Imperial Uncle, please rest assured.”
Li Ye said there was no need to see him out, but the others couldn’t truly ignore it and followed him out of the main hall, passing through the vast Ceremonial Guard Courtyard.
While everyone was watching Li Ye exit the main gate, Xiao Yi’s gaze fell upon the corridor to the side.
There, a general waiting to be received was craning his neck, appearing to be striving to admire Li Ye’s demeanor.
The figure was somewhat familiar.
The general’s belly protruded high, his face full of fat like a butcher’s… it was Hua Nong’s superior, the commander surnamed Sun.
Xiao Yi immediately had many guesses about his intentions.
At the very least, there was a possibility of reporting on Hua Nong.
Outside the yamen gate, Li Ye’s retinue departed. Nie Wenjin turned back and ordered, “Make the arrangements. Gather at the drill ground.”
“Yes!” Cao Dang cupped his fists and withdrew.
Xiao Yi did not follow but said in a low voice, “General, there is one more matter.”
“Speak.”
“Before we leave, I would like to check the recent records of departures from the city again to see if there are any overlooked clues.”
Nie Wenjin shook his head. “You may not see the city gates closed, but there are many couriers leaving the city daily to deliver letters. There is no time to investigate them.”
As they were speaking, someone approached and reported.
“General, the guard of the South Gate, Sun Zhong of the Third Command of the Left Wing, requests an audience, stating he has discovered something unusual.”
Xiao Yi did not move away but his eyes brightened. He looked directly at Nie Wenjin, indicating his great interest in this clue.
“Summon him.”
“Yes.”
“Sun Zhong greets the General.”
“What is it?”
Sun Zhong said nervously, “Reporting to the General, one of my flag bearers left the city. Upon investigation, it was discovered that he forged a military order. At first, I suspected he was going to retrieve his wife. Then I thought, this is not right. He took his two children, and a young man with a suspicious demeanor.”
Without waiting for Nie Wenjin to ask, Xiao Yi directly asked, “When did this happen?”
“Last night.”
“What specific time?”
“This… it seems to have been the third quarter of the Chou hour.”
“When did you realize something was amiss? Did you send someone to pursue him?”
“As soon as the subordinate realized something was amiss, I immediately came to report. The snow outside the city is vast; I’m afraid pursuit is impossible.”
Xiao Yi frowned and asked, “Who does this person usually associate with?”
“No one,” Sun Zhong replied directly, shaking his head. “He’s an honest, timid soldier; no one bothers to associate with him.”
Xiao Yi shook his head and mused, “It seems he was coerced into leaving the city. He has traveled all night, so pursuit will be difficult.”
He sighed slightly with regret, somewhat disappointed by this clue.
However, Sun Zhong said, “Your subordinate knows his wife lives in Wa Po Village, north of the city. Shall I send someone to investigate?”
Xiao Yi cursed inwardly but nodded along.
“General, our route to Chan Prefecture passes by there. Please allow me to handle this matter.”
“Granted.”
“Your subordinate will do his best.”
“Bring Shi Deyu and Zhang Mantun to the drill ground.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Yi cupped his fists in acknowledgment and watched Nie Wenjin stride away.
A cordial smile appeared on Sun Zhong’s butcher-like face as he asked, “Who is this young general?”
“Deputy Commander of the Control Crane Guard, Xiao Yi.”
“So young and yet so capable. Deputy Commander Xiao, if you pass by the South Gate in the future, please come to the city tower for a drink?”
“When I return to Kaifeng, I will certainly impose upon you.”
Xiao Yi gave Sun Zhong a deep look, a faint smile on his face as he turned to leave.
He then proceeded to the place where Shi Deyu and Zhang Mantun were being held.
Meng Ye’s corpse had already been brought.
“The price has been set to buy your ‘cooperation’,” Xiao Yi said, using the sword scabbard to push Meng Ye’s face towards the two of them. “Now, let’s see if you are worth this price.”
Shi Deyu saw this and began to cry again, his body trembling uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face.
Xiao Yi then ordered someone, “Take Young Master Shi to change into some decent clothes.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Zhang Mantun dejected, Xiao Yi stepped forward and asked in a low voice, “Settled?”
“Settled and settled…”
On the drill ground, Cao Dang had already lined up twelve soldiers.
Lu You was among them. He happily waved when he saw Xiao Yi from afar, but Lu Chou was not there; the brothers had been separated.
As Xiao Yi approached, Cao Dang was putting away a map and said something to Nie Wenjin.
“General, rest assured, if we depart now, we can reach Wa Po Village before dark…”
Hearing just this one sentence, a dark shadow flickered in Xiao Yi’s eyes.
He lowered his gaze, thinking to himself that this Commander Cao would have to be killed.
