ChangNing’s Imperial Army

Chapter 102 – To The Border Army!
It was Shen Leng’s first time meeting a great general. As he looked at the bearded majestic elder, he could not help but have a lot of admiration and respect towards him. The look in Tie Liuli’s eyes was the result of at least a hundred battles.

 

Judging from his looks, he should be at least fifty years old; half of his beard was already white. But without a doubt, he was a very strong and powerful person. He was one of the pillars of Great Ning, and most importantly, he was the gateway of Great Ning’s northern border.

Tie Liuli seemed to be focusing his attention entirely on Meng Changan. After all, Meng Changan was his man. This made Shen Leng feel more relaxed instead. After all, it was inevitable for one to feel pressured when facing a great general.

“You did well.”

Tie Liuli stayed silent for a while before saying to Meng Changan, “But you know that I should be receiving this news two days later instead. After all, I should be keeping watch at Ah Li instead of An city. It takes at least four to five days to get to Ah Li from Feng Yan Tai. If they expedite it, it would still take at least two days and two nights. I would have to wait 48 hours before hearing about your news.”

He looked at Shen Leng. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Shen Leng seemed to be in a daze, looking out of the window. When he heard those words, he nodded. “I do.”

Tie Liuli was slightly irritated. This is the person that the academy head mentioned? He looks inattentive and his gaze is fleeting. Clearly, his mind is wandering.

“So what did you understand?”

“You said that technically you were supposed to know about this matter only 48 hours later. You used the word ‘you’ instead of ‘both of you’, so naturally, you are not talking to me. My existence should not be known to you, or perhaps, it is more reasonable to say that I have never appeared right from the beginning. And since you intentionally asked me, I feel slightly awkward and so I turned my head to look out of the window. I did that because I do not want to get too disappointed.”

“What do you mean.”

Tie Liuli had a cold look on his face.

“Nothing. Great general, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave and wait for Meng Changan outside. After you have finished talking to him, I will have a short chat with him before I go back to the Navy.”

Tie Liuli looked at Shen Leng in the eye. “Are you saying that you look down on me?”

 

“I am not qualified enough to look down on you, great general. I only feel that I should not continue to listen to this conversation. If I don’t listen to the rest of the conversation, there will be no need for you to remind me certain things, or make sure that I have understood your words.”

Tie Liuli snorted, He looked at Meng Changan. “This is your brother? He seems to be way beneath you!”

Meng Changan replied, “I don’t think what he said was wrong. I also do not think that he is way beneath me.”

Tie Liuli smacked the table hard. “You haven’t received the credit for your work yet, it’s a little too early for you to be domineering.”

 

Meng Changan explained, “I remember that when you first looked for me, I said that I did not want to hear what you had to say, because if I heard it, I would die. Even if I did not do anything, I would still die. Great general, you laughed at me and said that I underestimated His Majesty’s tolerance.”

Tie Liuli frowned. “Huh?”

Shen Leng tugged on Meng Changan’s sleeve. Meng Changan ignored him and continued talking. “It’s nothing, it’s just tolerance.”

Suddenly, Tie Liuli started laughing. They could not tell if he was laughing because he was furious or if it was because of something else.

 

“Young people are indeed full of vigor…”

He stood up and patted Meng Changan on the shoulder. “I admire and appreciate the brotherhood between the two of you, but when you said tolerance, you clearly feel that I shunted your brother, Shen Leng, aside earlier?”

Meng Changan said, “The Navy’s combat soldiers are combat soldiers; the northern border’s border soldiers are also combat soldiers.”

“Immature.”

Tie Liuli paced as he spoke, “I did not say those words to shunt him aside. Both of you made this mission a success, and so the credit belongs to both of you. But I’m not the one giving him his reward. Moreover, it will be something immaterial. Meng Changan, after both your meritorious deeds get reported, if nothing bad happens, His Majesty will promote you to a Class A Fifth pin, at the very least. Naturally, he would give you a title too. But what do you think Shen Leng will get?”

Meng Changan pondered for quite a while before answered, “His Majesty will remember his name.”

Tie Liuli asked, “And?”

“I can’t think of anything else.”

“Fool!”

Tie Liuli glared at him, “There are several people who caught His Majesty’s attention. Right now, I might as well tell the both of you about Tian Wen Ge…there are many names of young people in Tian Wen Ge that His Majesty remembers. Some of them are way ahead of both of you. Changan, you will get everything you deserve. So much so that you may consider – did I take a huge risk to protect everything you deserve by eliminating Pei Xiao?”

“Of course, you will assume that it is something His Majesty needed me to do. But why did I pass it on to you?”

Tie Liuli stopped pacing. “Keep His Majesty’s grace in mind. In the future, serve Great Ning well, and display utter loyalty to His Majesty…As for Shen Leng, it can be a good thing that you don’t get what you deserve. His Majesty is a person who values ties. This is something you do not have to doubt. If His Majesty feels like he owes you, isn’t it a good thing?”

Shen Leng nodded. “Thank you for your guidance, great general.”

“That thank you seems like it’s just for show.”

Tie Liuli waved his hand. “I really like your youthful vigor, because when I was young, I was like that too…”

He sat down again. “I’m sure the both of you still have things to tell each other. There is a tavern at Yongning street that is rather decent. There is a strong wine specific to the northern border. You can give it a try…I still have to rack my brain over writing Pei Tingshan a letter. Alas…go, go, go. Don’t stand around here anymore.”

Both of them did a military salute and took their leave.

When they walked to the door, Tie Liuli suddenly called out to Meng Changan. “Changan, I know that you have some resentment, and I also know why Shen Leng contradicted me earlier. Wu Xinyu brought his men over and waited outside of Feng Yan Tai, instead of saving you. This is because after this incident, you will be more worthy of being saved…are you willing to be my adopted son?”

Meng Changan was stunned.

 

Tie Liuli lowered his head and did not look at Meng Changan. Instead, he seemed as though he was stressing over writing his letter to Pei Tingshan.

“People have been talking in the imperial court about how you are the son of a water bandit, and used it as a justification to prevent you from being placed in an important position. If you become my adopted son, it will ultimately shut some people up.”

Meng Changan felt warmth in his heart. “If that’s the case, it will be harder for you to write that letter.”

Tie Liuli shrugged. “Yes, it’s hard to write…fortunately, the eastern border is far enough from the northern border. The 9,000 soldiers can charge to Changan city at one go, but they may not be able to charge all the way to Ah Li city. Why? Are you not willing?”

Shen Leng tugged on Meng Changan’s sleeve once again. “Say you’re willing.”

Meng Changan replied, “Why are you always acting like a mother hen?”

Shen Leng curled his lips and turned his head back towards the door.

“Can I take the night to consider? Because this is something that greatly affects you, great general.”

Tie Liuli laughed. “You’re worrying about me? Little fella, if you become my adopted son, your chances of losing your life on the battlefield are greater…When I was younger, I never fell behind in the battlefield. If you become my adopted son, of course you cannot fall behind others as well. You have to be the one who charges right to the front. Moreover, you think that it’s a good thing. If you achieve a meritorious deed, I can only reward you half of it. If you achieve two, I can only reward you one. It’s not because of anything else – it’s solely because you are my adopted son.”

Meng Changan shook his head. “Then I don’t want to.”

Tie Liuli was dumbfounded. “Huh?”

“Great general, you have a clear conscience. Hence, one deed gets one reward, and two deeds get two.”

Tie Liuli laughed out loud. “Are you that impatient to rise the ranks?”

Meng Changan subconsciously glanced at Shen Leng, before turning his head around to look at Tie Liuli. “You want to adopt me because the people have been calling me the son of a water bandit in the imperial court. Once they hear that you have adopted me, most of them will keep their mouths shut. You are a significant figure; too significant to the extent that they would not dare to run their mouths…”

“And so?” asked Tie Liuli.

 

“So, I want to become a more significant figure first, to the point where others will no longer bring this matter up again.”

“Mad!”

Tie Liuli glared at him. “Scram. I will only give you one night to consider. Do you think that being Tie Liuli’s adopted son is an easy thing? But you are right about one thing – since I make a clear distinction between public and private interests and have a clear conscience, I will not reduce your reward just because you’re my adopted son.”

Meng Changan nodded. “In that case, I don’t need one night to consider.”

Tie Liuli laughed out loud. “Scram to the tavern and drink!”

“Yes!”

Shen Leng and Meng Changan saluted at the same time.

Meng Changan walked next to Shen Leng. “We can drink more today, unlike that time in Changan city, because I was injured, so I could not drink to my heart’s content.”

“Not just us both, but my men and I. Perhaps more.”

“Ten, or more?”

Meng Changan pondered for a while and laughed. “Yeah, should be more.”

Not long later, Shen Leng’s ten-man squad and Meng Changan’s 50 odd scouts followed behind them, as they left An city’s military camp. Regardless of whether they were wearing the blue Navy uniform, or the black combat soldier uniform, at this very moment, they were brothers. The Navy soldiers followed Shen Leng over thousands of miles from Jiangnan to the northern border to fight with their lives. The scouts knew that clearly. Those Navy fellas could be considered brothers.

Hence, the troops gave off a powerful and mighty aura. When they were walking along the streets, they attracted a lot of attention from the pedestrians.

This was the border town that was newly built after Feng Yan Tai was abandoned. It was at least two times bigger than Feng Yan Tai. Apart from the border army stationed there, there were quite a lot of common folks living there too. During the busy times of the day, there were several people walking around.

Tie Liuli was right, there were a few big restaurants along the well-named Yongning street. Apart from catering to combat soldiers on their rest days, there were a lot of visitors from the mainland that went there to see and appreciate it. There were a lot of literary works by scholars written all over the walls of almost every single restaurant.

In the end, Shen Leng and the rest picked the restaurant that was the biggest. When they were outside the restaurant, Meng Changan suddenly stopped walking and stood there. He looked somewhat embarrassed and said, “I…”

Shen Leng took out some money from his money pouch and stuffed them into his hand. “Take it.”

Meng Changan sighed. “Guess you are going to look down on me again.”

Shen Leng replied, “Did you assume that I look down on you from the start?”

Meng Changan snorted, and walked into the restaurant.

Seeing so many military soldiers entering the restaurant, the waiters got a shock. Right now, the sky was not dark and yet there were so many border soldiers entering the restaurant. It was a rare occurrence. Great Ning’s border army’s rules were extremely strict. They assumed that those soldiers must be muddled.

 

When the owner of the restaurant saw them, he quickly gestured the waiters to leave. He personally went up to welcome them. He wore a warm smile on his face and said to Meng Changan, “Is it possible for you to come at a later time? When the sky is dark, there will be less customers here. If not it will be bad for the border army. It’s not that I don’t want your business, but I am worried about the strict military rules.”

 

Meng Changan said with a serious look on his face, “That’s not possible. We want to drink some wine now.”

The owner was stunned. “Why?”

Meng Changan replied, “Because we were given an order to do so.”

 

The owner had a sudden realization. He asked in a lowered voice, “Is it because you won a battle against the Heiwu troops?”

Meng Changan smiled and nodded.

The owner turned around and yelled, “Two bottles of aged wines for every single soldier. It’s on the house!”

 

When the customers who were still eating heard what he said, they stood up at the same time; everybody knew that those words meant. The visitors from all over the country, the locals, as well as merchants raised their cups and clinked them.

 

“To the border army!”

Meng Changan raised his hands and started beating his chest. “To Great Ning!”

“To Great Ning!”