My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 4: Donning Armor, Leaving the City!
Gao Yu always felt that Hou Jing and the others were hiding something from him.

I also felt that something was wrong.

He can understand sharpening a knife before hunting, but what's the point of making armor?

In ancient times, when not in use, armor was untied by hemp ropes or rubber bands and stored in individual pieces, which were then strung together when needed.

What kind of ferocious beast would wear armor?

But on second thought, it's better to be cautious... Wearing armor is troublesome and laborious, but it won't endanger my life.

I'm too lazy to think about it anymore.

Given how much Gao Huan and others doted on him, how could they possibly harm him?

Just go along when they go hunting.

Gao Yu walked over to the group and sat down on the ground. "Then I'll help you make armor too, so I can contribute my share."

He could simply follow the example of those around him who were making connections.

I don’t know how much time passed.

The courtyard door was pushed open.

Gao Huan walked in from outside, but when he looked up, he was stunned.

"Erlang, why are you here?"

"Brother?"

Gao Yu put down the armor plate in his hand and quickly stood up to explain, "Didn't you say you were going out hunting last night? I came to Jing-ge's place to wait for you."

Gao Huan looked at Hou Jing beside him, and Hou Jing nodded to him.

Gao Huan didn't say anything. "If that's the case, then you will come with us this time, but you must not act on your own and must stay by my side."

"Don't worry, brother!"

"Hahaha, Erlang, you'd better be prepared, lest you be frightened by wild beasts."

"What do I have to fear from mere wild beasts!"

Everyone just laughed, and Gao Yu took it as them making fun of him.

Gao Huan looked around the courtyard, interrupted everyone, and asked, "Is everything ready?"

"He Liuhun, rest assured, everything is already prepared."

"It's not the first time, so why should He Liuhun be so suspicious?"

"This year might bring a white disaster, so we really need to go hunting."

"Hopefully, we'll have better luck this time and a bigger harvest."

Everyone was talking at once, very excited and eager!
Even the Gao family, whose situation was relatively good, was worried about not being able to cope with the White Disaster. How could they not be worried? The military town was built in a harsh and cold place and needed the imperial court to provide a continuous supply of supplies.

The imperial court is currently facing a shortage of supplies, so they have no choice but to rely on their own efforts.

"It's not yet time."

Gao Huan shook his head and said, "Let's go to the tavern for a chat first!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"More wine to drink!"

Upon hearing that they were going to a tavern for a feast, everyone was overjoyed. After hiding their leather armor and suits inside the house, the group leaped out!

People on the street saw it from afar, and most of them lowered their heads and walked away to avoid it.

A tavern worker nearby saw this and quickly told the owner, "Oh no! Shopkeeper! Hou Gu is here with his men!!"

The boss was also nervous and looked up to ask, "Who else is there?"

"He Liuhun was among them."

"That's fine."

The boss breathed a sigh of relief. "Go and sift the wine. He Liuhun is a generous and open-minded person. With him around, there's no need to worry about Hou Gu and the others."

Gao Huan led his brothers to the tavern, where the innkeeper brought out all the meat and wine.

This was a fixed activity for Gao Huan every time he went out 'hunting,' and there was always the possibility that someone might not come back from an accident.

besides……

He still needs to meet with people.

Gao Yu curiously looked around. The wine in the earthenware bowl in front of him looked quite murky, with unknown floating objects visible to the naked eye. He picked up the bowl, which was slightly warm.

"Erlang, what are you standing there for? This is an unparalleled delicacy, its flavor is beyond description!"

Hou Jing urged him on, and he drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, looking intoxicated. He closed his eyes slightly, savoring the aftertaste as if he were tasting celestial nectar.

Gao Yu also took a sip.

It's slightly sour, has a rich flavor, and isn't very strong, probably similar to beer, so it's not bad.

"Second Brother, stop acting like a woman! Do it this way!"

Hou Jing downed another bowl of wine.

Gao Huan also enjoyed drinking and often invited friends over. He was also generous and magnanimous, and didn't care much about money.

He spent all the military pay he received on entertaining guests, so his brothers relied heavily on him. However, Gao Huan himself was actually quite poor and couldn't even afford to keep a horse. His whole family depended on Wei Jing's salary for survival.

If their salary was insufficient or they encountered natural disasters, they had to go out hunting to supplement their income.

Outside the tavern.

The caravan leader, accompanied by two attendants, stopped there and then went into the tavern.

Upon seeing Gao Huan and the others, they approached them.

Upon seeing this, Gao Huan immediately stood up to greet him.

"Gao family's eldest son, I've kept you waiting."

"We arrived shortly after."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, it was clear that this wasn't their first time working together.

Gao Huan personally poured him a bowl of wine, saying, "Same place, same time, same rules."

The caravan leader didn't say much. After hearing this, he simply smiled and drank the warm wine in his bowl in one gulp. "I await good news."

Gao Huan smiled slightly and personally refilled his glass of wine.

Gao Yu found it strange that the caravan leader looked to be the same age as Gao Huan, yet was so young.

But he didn't say much.

………………

We drank the wine until sunset.

On the way home, Gao Yu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother? Who was that person just now? He looked so young."

"The caravan leader from Xiurong, with whom I have cooperated several times, is called Liu Yi, courtesy name Guizhen... He is a hero."

Gao Yu nodded after hearing this and didn't ask any more questions, assuming that he was just Gao Huan's friend. However, the evaluation of him as a hero reminded him of something Gao Huan had said about Hou Jing.

This young man had a dignified demeanor, and in his eyes, he bore no resemblance whatsoever to Hou Jing.

But to become the head of a caravan at such a young age, he must have some ability.

The two returned home.

Gao Loujin's expression changed drastically when she smelled the alcohol on the two men. She glanced at Gao Huan, then pulled Gao Yu aside and asked in a low voice.

"Erlang, did you go to the tavern with Dalang for drinks?"

"Yes, and Jing Ge and others too."

Gao Loujin seemed to know something and pressed further, "Did you hear what they were saying?"

"No, my brothers just drank and ate meat, and they even taught me how to drink."

Gao Yu concealed his meeting with the caravan leader and his hunting trip from Gao Loujin, who seemed unwilling to let Gao Huan and the others take him hunting.

Gao Loujin didn't say much, just nodded and instructed, "Since you've been drinking, get some rest tonight. I've heard that the Rouran might come to raid us recently. Your brother and my husband will be out patrolling tonight, so you don't need to pay attention to any noises you hear."

Gao Yu nodded.

Gao Loujin then pulled Gao Huan to the other side to ask him questions, while Gao Yu simply returned to his room.

Although ancient wines had a low alcohol content, the amount consumed could still be intoxicating.

As he became drunk, Gao Yu lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), his mind filled with images of going out hunting!
Chaos is about to erupt!

In order to protect themselves, they might have to kill and bleed?

Before actually facing this situation, it's essential to go hunting and kill wild animals to toughen up your mental resilience.

Gao Yu does not faint at the sight of blood.

But as a modern person, he has never been exposed to any gory scenes. He even quickly skips over disgusting videos and pictures of car accidents he sees online, and he doesn't watch American B-movies at all.

Not to mention going to the battlefield and killing people.

What a strange word.

"I hope...that day will never come."

Suddenly, the image of Hou Jing sharpening his knife during the day flashed through Gao Yu's mind; it was truly chilling.

After thinking it over for a long time, Gao Yu drifted off to sleep.

I don’t know how long it took.

I could vaguely hear the sound of the door being pushed open, followed by footsteps and the sound of metal clashing.

"Erlang, Erlang?"

He opened his eyes groggily, but all he could see was darkness. The only light source was the moonlight shining obliquely through the door, but it couldn't dispel the darkness in the room.

A gust of biting cold wind rushed into the room, which made him quite awake. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Gao Huan.

"Erlang?"

"Brother?"

"Put these on, wear this shirt underneath, and then put on your armor."

Gao Huan gave a soft instruction, then handed Gao Yu a thick, coarse linen shirt. Gao Yu got up and walked to the door before realizing that the shirt was shaped like a two-piece suit of armor, apparently intended as an inner lining to prevent the metal plates from scratching him.

After struggling to put on his armor, he turned around and picked it up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

The moment I touched the nail plate, a chill ran through my hand, and I couldn't help but gasp.

Gao Yu was puzzled. This armor weighed at least 20-30 pounds, and wearing it should have affected his movement, but he was fine and walked with light steps, not like someone carrying a heavy load.

After he stepped out of the room, he looked up and saw Gao Huan standing in the courtyard, but Gao Huan was only wearing brown leather armor.

"Looking at it this way, Erlang is quite strong."

Gao Huan praised him, saying that at the same age, he couldn't walk like Gao Yu, wearing 20-30 pounds of iron armor.

Gao Yu was also puzzled, but it was a good thing, and he was quite pleased with himself.

"That's natural!"

Gao Huan didn't say much, but gave a serious warning.

"Erlang, after you are discharged from the hospital, remember to keep quiet and do not make any noise. Just follow behind me. No matter who you see or what you do, do not say a word."

Gao Yu nodded, understanding.

In ancient times, there were curfews.

Especially in military towns like these, the management is definitely particularly strict.

But what Gao Yu couldn't understand was...

I've never heard of people going out hunting at night before.

He wasn't sure what time it was, but when he looked up, the moon was still hanging in the sky, so it was definitely still a long time before dawn.

Is it really possible to spot prey at night?
Or is the hunting grounds too far away, requiring a long journey?
Gao Yu didn't know and didn't ask much. He just followed behind Gao Huan. After walking out of the alley, they came to another residential area. A few more people came into the group. Gao Yu recognized them, but couldn't recall their names.

They must be Gao Huan's friends.

When the group arrived at the city gate, there were guards on duty. The leader of the group walked towards them carrying a torch.

Gao Yu then realized that the person in the lead was his brother-in-law, Wei Jing.

"Brother-in-law, is everything arranged?"

"Don't worry, brother, the guards on the west gate tonight are all our own brothers."

Gao Huan nodded and then waved.

Gao Yu quickly followed the crowd up the city wall and arrived at the city tower, where several people were clearly waiting.

Gao Huan exchanged glances with the others and nodded.

Gao Yu then noticed that each of the men was holding a thick hemp rope, the other end of which was tied to a basket-like object. Then, someone crawled inside, and the guards on the city wall lifted the object and placed it outside the wall. They then slowly loosened the hemp rope until the person inside landed.

After several repetitions, Gao Huan and Gao Yu were among the last to arrive outside the city.

PS: Liu Yi, courtesy name Guizhen.

In the historical records of the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou dynasties, there are many Xianbei people who used pseudonyms. For example, Liu Yi is recorded as Liu Gui in the biography of Liu Yi in the History of Northern Qi, but modern epitaphs have shown that his real name was Liu Yi.

Hou Jing's original name was Hou Gu, and his courtesy name was Wan Jing. Historical records directly refer to him as Hou Jing.

All the characters who appear later are referred to by names commonly found in historical records.

(End of this chapter)