The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Crown Prince Zhou Shiyao and Wen Tao, dressed in plain clothes, arrived in Licheng after a long and arduous journey and went to Chai Gu's residence.

Since Chai Gu had a falling out with His Majesty ten years ago, he resigned from his post and returned to his hometown of Licheng. He has never been idle since then. Originally a farmer, he has a special affection for farming. Over the years, he has made a living by farming. Although his children practice martial arts, they also put down their swords and go to the fields to harvest crops during the busy farming season.

Zhou Shiyao and Wen Tao entered the Chai family compound, but the compound was empty. Wen Tao then pushed open several doors but found no one. So the two of them went out onto the street.

It's harvest time now, and the villagers are busy harvesting crops in the fields. Chai Gu is leading his family in the work.

Wen Tao grabbed someone, pointed to Chai Gu's courtyard, and asked, "What did this family go out to do?"

"Master Chai is harvesting corn in his field," the man said.

"Please take us there, sir," Wen Tao said politely.

The young man led the two of them to Chai Gu's field, where they saw Chai Gu and his sons shirtless, husking corn in the field.

"Master Chai! Someone is looking for you!" the young man shouted.

Chai Gu turned back to look at the field. He recognized Wen Tao, but he had never seen the young man before.

Chai Gu put down the corn he was carrying and walked to the edge of the field. Wen Tao quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "General Chai, how have you been?"

“Prince Wen! What brings you to my territory?” Chai Gu said with a smile.

"General, that is the Crown Prince," Wen Tao said in a low voice.

"Oh!" Chai Gu walked up to Zhou Shiyao, bowed to him, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"General Chai, no need for formalities!" Zhou Shiyao reached out and took Chai Gu's hands.

“It’s inconvenient to talk here, let’s go home and talk,” Chai Gu said.

Chai Gu called his sons home, arranged for Zhou Shiyao to sit down, and led his four sons to bow deeply to Zhou Shiyao, who returned the courtesy.

Chai Gu's four sons never expected that one day, the crown prince of the Great Lu Kingdom would personally come to their home, and they were overjoyed.

"I wonder what business Your Highness and Prince Wen have with me here?" Chai Gu asked.

"To be honest, General Chai, I have come here on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor to invite you to come out of seclusion and lead the army for the Great Lu Kingdom," Zhou Shiyao said.

"Is another war about to break out?" Chai Gu asked.

“General Chai, our northeastern border has been attacked by the Western Regions army. Pingcheng has already fallen, but they are not giving up. They have the momentum to take the interior directly. General Wei Qiao has already set out as the vanguard. Now there is no one in the court who can arrange the troops and take command. In fact, His Majesty has been thinking of you, but because of some misunderstandings between you, he is embarrassed to speak up. But we, as his subjects, must understand His Majesty’s thoughts, so His Highness and I have come here to see you,” Wen Tao said.

“His Majesty underestimated us military officers back then. He said that in peacetime, we should vigorously develop agriculture and commerce, and military officers should be sidelined. Look at the court now, we can’t even find a commander-in-chief. It’s truly tragic!” Chai Gu said.

“Father knows his decision was wrong, General Chai. The country is in dire need of our lives. Please put aside your personal prejudices and come back to the capital with us to fight for the Great Lu Kingdom!” Zhou Shiyao said as he knelt down in front of Chai Gu.

"You flatter me, Your Highness!" Chai Gu also knelt down in front of Zhou Shiyao.

"You two get up quickly!" Wen Tao helped the two of them up.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to serve my country, but in recent years, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed a lot of health problems, and I’m afraid I’ll miss opportunities in the war,” Chai Gu said.

"As long as General Chai agrees to lead the expedition, His Majesty will arrange everything else for you."

“Your Highness misunderstands. I am not asking the court for any benefits. I just want the court to allow my sons to go to the battlefield to fight the enemy. They have been practicing martial arts since they were young. Letting them go to the battlefield to gain experience will also allow them to take care of me,” Chai Gu said.

"That's wonderful! These young masters look quite skilled; they'll surely fight bravely on the battlefield!" Zhou Shiyao said.

"Yes, sir!" Chai Gu's sons were overjoyed to hear that they were going to the battlefield.

"That's wonderful! Prince Wen, quickly send a message to my father by carrier pigeon, and tell him that General Chai has agreed to lead the army into battle," Zhou Shiyao said.

"Yes, sir!" Wen Tao replied.

Li Chaoyang sat quietly in the attic, with Nangong Xun sitting beside him. Nangong Xun picked up his teacup and took a sip: "This tea is so bitter, old man! Why did you put in so many tea leaves? Didn't you sleep a wink last night again?"

"These are turbulent times, I can't sleep," Li Chaoyang said.

“You’ve retired, so don’t get anxious and upset,” Nangong Xun said.

“Aren’t you also very anxious? And you’re criticizing me,” Li Chaoyang said.

"Think about it carefully, what can we do? Let the young people handle it. We can just cheer them on from the sidelines," Nangong Xun said.

"You're really optimistic!" Li Chaoyang said.

"Old Master, news has come from Licheng," the boy reported.

Li Chaoyang took it and glanced at it, a smile appearing on his face.

"Chai Gu has come out of the mountains! Now I can finally sleep soundly!" Li Chaoyang said happily.

“That old fellow Chai Gu has come out of seclusion. He’s very magnanimous! He’s completely forgotten the humiliation our Emperor humiliated him back then. I admire him quite a bit,” Nangong Xun said.

“Chai Gu has always been ambitious. Back then, he hoped to lead the army of the Great Lu Kingdom to drive the various tribes of the Western Regions to the northern desert. That way, our northwestern border, northeastern border, and northern border would have a long period of stability, and the country could strive to develop agriculture and commerce for a long time. However, our emperor rejected his decision,” Li Chaoyang said.

“Don’t you think our Emperor is reaping what he sowed? Now there’s no one left in the court to rely on, and he’s thinking of other people. If it were me, I might not do it. I’m not that magnanimous,” Nangong Xun said.

"In any case, it's a good thing that the court has someone to lead the army," Li Chaoyang said.

"As the saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach,' and logistical support is crucial," Nangong Xun said.

“I have already written to Yunze, asking him to recommend Songshan, the Vice Minister of War, as the grain and provisions officer. Songshan is a steady man with a good reputation in the court and good relations with the ministers of various ministries. He is the most suitable person to be the grain and provisions officer,” Li Chaoyang said.

“You’re just destined to worry. Are you retiring from the martial world? You’re just serving the court in a different way,” Nangong Xun said.

“I do hope that I won’t have to worry about this anymore. I also want to travel the world and live a carefree life, but I can’t do that. As long as our Great Lu Kingdom is in crisis, I, Li Chaoyang, cannot let my guard down for a moment,” Li Chaoyang said.

"You...!" Nangong Xun didn't want to say anything more.

Li Chaoyang stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside. A cool autumn breeze was blowing.