Chapter 2: One Dragon, Two Tigers, Two Leopards
“Brother, heading home~”
Hearing the shout, Li Xiao turned his head slightly. It was a youth around thirteen or fourteen years old, riding a sorrel horse.
He shouted loudly at Li Xiao while charging toward the sheep flock together with other youths.
This youth had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a burly build, and was very robust, almost catching up to an average adult.
Moreover, if observed closely, his face bore some resemblance to Li Xiao’s, though Li Xiao’s features were slightly thinner and more resolute, while this youth’s were rugged and fierce.
“Got it, Er Hu, coming right now.” Li Xiao shouted back loudly.
This was precisely Li Xiao’s own younger brother, Li Erhu, who was thirteen this year, two years younger than Li Xiao.
Besides that, Li Xiao also had a third brother named Li Sanbao, who was only ten.
As for Li Xiao?
That uncultured old man had unceremoniously given him a domineering name: Li Dalong.
Da Long, Er Hu, San Bao.
These were the names of the three Li brothers, a bit rustic, but they revealed Old Master Li’s hopes for his sons to become dragons.
……
Li Xiao withdrew his gaze from Er Hu and looked again toward the eastern sky shrouded in dark clouds.
He stared for a moment, then walked directly toward a large stone not far away, with a big black horse tethered beside it.
This horse was about three years old, with strong limbs, an upright build, jet-black coat, and only a patch of snow-white on its forehead. It was a very beautiful and strong Northern Frontier mare.
The Han people living in the Northern Frontier had gradually abandoned traditional farming, their way of life drawing closer to that of nomadic people.
Riding horses was an essential skill for every Northern Frontier Han person.
Even very young children practiced riding under the help of elders, just like learning to ride a bicycle as a child.
In his previous life in the Northern Frontier, Li Xiao had honed superb horsemanship skills, and after transmigrating, he immediately picked them back up, feeling no strangeness atop a horse, as if born to it.
Soon, Li Xiao made a nimble rise, his posture agile and light, legs slightly bent, gathering strength.
Then, like a swift cheetah, he made a flawless start, vaulting onto the horse in one fluid motion, clean and crisp, showcasing his extraordinary skill.
Riding the mare, Li Xiao lightly squeezed her belly with his legs, and she understood instantly, galloping off with all four hooves toward the sheep flock.
“Herd all the sheep together and head back to the village slowly.”
Li Xiao shouted loudly, taking out his whip and cracking it on a ram trying to stray, driving them together.
Once gathered, these dozen or so children each herded their family’s sheep and cattle toward Hexi Fort.
With so many cattle and sheep moving together, the scene looked quite chaotic.
But these youths had been herding horses and sheep since childhood, so they were thoroughly practiced at it.
Though chaotic, everyone handled it in perfect order.
Under the herding of Li Xiao and his two brothers, their family’s over two hundred cattle and sheep slowly and orderly returned toward Hexi Fort.
The sheep slowed the pace, and it took nearly a quarter of an hour before Li Xiao saw the outline of Hexi Fort.
Standing on the hillside and looking from afar, it stood like a lonely giant on this grassland, quietly for over fifty years.
Looking to its left and right, there were vast farmlands stretching endlessly east and west.
These were all the lands of Hexi Fort.
Even after coming to the Western Regions, the Han people had not forgotten their farming skills, as if etched in their bloodline, an innate ability.
Wherever they went, they planted.
And Hexi Fort was like a natural dividing line, separating the farming area from the grazing area.
The southern land was reclaimed for planting crops.
The northern land had abundant water and grass, a natural grassland for cattle and sheep, so it continued to be used for grazing.
After all, the traditional nomadic way was too vulnerable to risk; a heavy snow could wipe out the sheep flock.
But grain was different—the heavier the snow, the better for its growth.
Moreover, the Northern Frontier had plentiful rainfall, rarely facing drought.
The only issue was the cold Northern Frontier weather; even summer was chilly, with insufficient temperature variation, so grain yielded only once a year.
Even if the harvest wasn’t much, it could at least sustain ordinary families with enough to eat.
Plus, they could drink warm sheep milk every day and occasionally eat beef and mutton.
So, the Han people of Hexi Fort lived quite comfortably.
“Such fine farmland!”
“Unfortunately, once the Mongol people come, it’ll turn back to wasteland.”
Li Xiao gazed at the farmland from afar, sighing inwardly.
The Northern Frontier’s cold weather caused a different growth cycle for grain than in the Central Plains; they planted spring wheat, sown in spring, harvested in autumn, resting in winter, only one crop a year.
Now in early summer, the wheat seedlings in the fields had sprouted tender buds, looking from afar like a lush green grassland.
But once the Mongol people came, these farmlands would cease to exist, turning into wasteland with sparse weeds.
After all, the Mongol people’s dream was to turn the whole world into their grassland.
The Mongol Yuan ruled the Central Plains for ninety years before being overthrown, due partly to corrupt officials and exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous levies.
But more importantly, the Mongol people turned vast Central Plains farmlands into grasslands, and the remaining farmlands faced land grabs by shihou and landlords.
This left bottom-level farmers with no land to till, unable to survive, and forced to revolt.
If Hexi Fort’s villagers lost these fields and relied only on cattle and sheep, they would likely return to starving.
“Even just for the common people to have enough to eat, we can’t let the Mongol people come ravage the Northern Frontier.” Li Xiao thought to himself.
He then turned to look at a youth not far behind him.
“Da Hu, is Second Uncle still planning to reclaim wasteland this year?” Li Xiao asked.
“Your family is just this few people, and you already have so much land—can you manage it?”
This youth was about fourteen or fifteen, tall and upright, with an honest face, and some resemblance to Li Xiao in his features.
He was Li Xiao’s cousin, Li Dahu.
Fourteen this year, one year younger than Li Xiao, one year older than Li Erhu.
He was the eldest son of Li Xiao’s own uncle, and he also had a younger brother named Li Erbao, eleven this year, one year older than Sanbao.
One dragon, two tigers, two leopards—these were the five Li brothers of this generation.
Ages fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, eleven, and ten respectively.
Besides that, Li Xiao had an own older sister named Li Dafeng, already married to Hedong Fort twenty li away.
There was also an own younger sister and two cousins, all unmarried.
All in all, Li Xiao’s family had quite a few members.
Just two years ago, under the Old Master and Old Lady’s arrangement, the two brothers split the family; Li Xiao’s branch as the elder house was responsible for their retirement, but relations between the families remained very good, and the cousins were very close to Li Xiao.
“No choice, my dad just loves farming.”
“He always says the more land our family has, the more at ease he feels.” Li Dahu said with his head down, herding over a hundred sheep with his brother, following behind Li Xiao’s family’s sheep flock.
Compared to the hot-headed and somewhat impulsive Li Erhu, Li Dahu seemed more reticent, not talkative, mostly keeping his head down working.
“Second Uncle has a honest character, good at holding the fort, thrifty and managing the household well—he’ll surely save a foundation for you two later.”
“It’ll just take a few hard years.” Li Xiao shook his head lightly.
He sighed inwardly that Huaxia people’s love for land was etched into their bones—not afraid of hardship or fatigue, they’d work the land to death if possible.
In truth, it boiled down to three words: terrified of hunger.
Over thousands of years, how much time had the Huaxia common people truly had enough to eat?
Very little.
Most of the time, teetering on the edge of not full but not starving to death.
Nowadays, there was vast wasteland south of Hexi Fort waiting to be reclaimed; once done, it would all be theirs.
Who could not be tempted by such an opportunity to bless descendants?
Anyway, Second Uncle reclaimed wasteland whenever free, and now his family’s land was even a bit more than Li Xiao’s.
“Hardship’s no problem, as long as my dad is happy.” Li Dahu smiled lightly, cracking his whip to drive the sheep forward.
It was clear he was a filial child, with a character like his dad’s—honest and solid, not stirring trouble.
In contrast, Li Xiao’s own younger brother, Li Erhu a year younger than him, had been energetic and restless since childhood.
Hearing their words, the impatient Er Hu turned from the side of the sheep flock and shouted, “Anyway, we’re fighting the Geluolu people right now.”
“When the time comes, have our dad and Second Uncle capture more Geluolu people to farm for us.”
“With enough Geluolu slaves, Second Uncle can reclaim as much land as he wants.”
Li Erhu shouted excitedly; talking about fighting the Geluolu people filled his face with thrill.
On the other side, Li Sanbao threw cold water: “Second Brother, the Geluolu people don’t farm themselves—how can they farm for us?”
“They don’t know how to farm at all, right?”
Sanbao was only ten but shrewd beyond his years, much sharper than Er Hu, and loved verbally jabbing his second brother.
Li Erhu was poor with words and often came off worse, but his fists never backed down.
He clenched his fist, gesturing at Sanbao, and snorted, “If they don’t know how to farm, teach them.”
“If they won’t learn or can’t, beat them.”
“Whip them, hit them with sticks.”
“They’re slaves now—what rebellion?”
Sanbao shook his head: “The Geluolu people aren’t easy to catch—they’re fierce.”
“Even the Royal Court Pishi Army has taken plenty of losses at the Geluolu people’s hands!”
“That’s because the Pishi Army generals are useless~ If I were commanding the army, I’d slaughter the Geluolu people without leaving a single piece of armor.” Er Hu boasted, neck raised.
