Chapter 680: United Frontline

In the evening before sunset, Yan Liqiang returned to Deer Villa on a four-wheeled carriage he rented.

When Yan Liqiang left this morning, he was empty-handed. When he came back, he got off the carriage with a jar of fine wine and a square-wrapped box.

As the carriage approached Deer Villa’s gate, the guards were already staring intently at it, looking as though they were ready to chase it away. Even the coachman was trembling. However, when Yan Liqiang got off the carriage, smiles immediately bloomed across the guards’ faces. They straightened up and welcomed Yan Liqiang’s return.

“Lord Yan, you are back…!” The squad commander came running, his face blooming like a flower. When he saw Yan Liqiang carrying a bulging package on his back, he got even more excited.

“Share the wine with our brothers that will be on the night shift to warm themselves up!” Yan Liqiang passed the wine to the squad commander, then gave him an eye signal and patted the package. “Come to my courtyard later once you are done with your shift…”

The squad commander immediately understood what he meant and nodded.

…

When the sky turned dark, a series of knocks came outside the courtyard where Yan Liqiang lived. Yan Liqiang went over and opened the door, only to find six officers standing outside — three squad commanders, two battalion commanders, and one Feiyang Commandant. They were all familiar faces in Deer Villa. One of them was holding a long object that was wrapped in a red cloth. It would seem like it was a gift for Yan Liqiang.

“Greetings, Lord Yan…” The officers looked somewhat reserved and nervous. After all, seeing Yan Liqiang every day was different than officially paying him a visit to ask for a favor. It didn’t help the fact that Yan Liqiang’s current status was also much higher than theirs.

“Come, come, come! Just come in, I’ve been waiting for all of you!” Yan Liqiang smiled and didn’t put on airs. He invited the men into his courtyard and shut the door. “My courtyard is usually quiet because people rarely visit. I asked the kitchen to bring some dishes and wine here. Let’s have a good drink tonight!”

Seeing Yan Liqiang being so approachable and even prepare a meal for them while waiting, the officers exchanged glances with each other and felt somewhat overwhelmed.

“Please forgive us for being so bold to disturb you here, Lord Yan!” The Feiyang Commandant cupped his fist to Yan Liqiang.

“Hahaha. No need to be so courteous, Commandant Liu. Come in…”

The commandant was taken aback, then asked in amazement, “Lord Yan still remembers my name?!” The Feiyang Commandant had little contact with Yan Liqiang in Deer Villa so he didn’t expect Yan Liqiang would know an insignificant character like himself well enough to call him by name just when he was just about to introduce himself and his companions.

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“Of course I do. You are Liu Xitong, he’s Guo Sida, he’s Xu Shu, he’s Zhang Leyan, he’s Qian Dazhu, and he’s Meng Hui!” Yan Liqiang smiled as he pointed to the low-ranking officers and called out their names one by one.

“This isn’t my first time in Deer Villa, so of course I know your names. Did you forget that when I was seriously injured from an assassination attempt in Deer Villa last time, it was you who followed Eunuch Liu to the Imperial Capital to return the justice to me? Although that was a few years ago, I still remember all of you. Come, we’ll talk inside…”

The officers felt warm when they heard Yan Liqiang recounting the past incident and their names. They were so worked up that half of their nervousness was instantly gone. They followed Yan Liqiang inside the house to find that a feast was indeed ready on the table, and the dishes were still hot. The preparation was so thoughtful that they were suddenly at a loss for words.

“Lord Yan, this is a token of appreciation from us. We hope you like it…” Commandant Liu said as he handed over the long object that was wrapped with red cloth.

The moment Yan Liqiang took the gift in his hand, he knew that it was a spear. He removed the cloth cover in front of the officers, and a three-meter long spear was instantly revealed before his eyes. The sharp spearhead was glinting coldly and its handle was dark red. It felt solid and heavy in Yan Liqiang’s hand. The handle seemed to be made out of wood, yet it felt as heavy as fifty or sixty jin of steel in his hand.

“Good spear…!” Yan Liqiang praised, then swept his gaze over the spear. “The spearhead is sharp and exquisitely made. I can see that it is different from ordinary steel spearheads — it almost looks like an iron meteorite. The handle is deep in color and heavy on the hands. It is as solid as steel, yet full of elasticity like a hundred-year-old iron rattan. This is the best wood for making spears. This is a fine spear indeed. I like it. Thank you for your efforts…”

Although it was a fine spear, it was nothing compared to the Dragon Spine Steel spear Yan Liqiang had. However, the material of that Dragon Spine Steel spear was a heavenly treasure itself so not many people in the entire Great Han Empire had the right to wield it. Yan Liqiang was able to obtain it thanks to his master. Putting aside the Dragon Spine Steel spear, the spear before him could be considered above average among all wooden spears. Fitting an exquisite iron meteorite spearhead on such a spear handle easily made this spear worth three or four thousand taels of silver…

…

The officers were relieved to see that Yan Liqiang was able to appreciate the features of the spear while looking very satisfied. All of them pooled their money to buy the materials and spent a lot of time making it. Before they came here, they were worried that Yan Liqiang wouldn’t appreciate their gift. These people had been thinking of asking Yan Liqiang for a favor for a long time. They only finished preparing their gift yesterday and the perfect opportunity to present it came today.

“We heard that aside from Lord Yan’s unparalleled archery skill, you also possess a high level of mastery in spear technique. We observed that you haven’t been carrying a spear with you, so we thought of giving you one. Hopefully you will like it…”

“Hahaha, why would I dislike such a fine spear? This is really a thoughtful gift. Truth be told, I was just planning to get one for myself from the Imperial Capital in two days if you hadn’t given me this. After all, I am going to leave the Imperial Capital with His Majesty next month as his escort. Not having a weapon that I can carry around wouldn’t do. All of you have really brought me a perfect gift!” Yan Liqiang laughed heartily as he shook the spear a few more times and nodded in satisfaction. “Come, have a seat. We’ll talk while we eat…” Yan Liqiang set the spear down and invited the others to take a seat.

With such an opening and a few more cups of wine in their stomachs, the atmosphere on the table instantly became harmonious and amiable.

By the third round of wine, the atmosphere in the room was already hot. The officers had completely opened up to Yan Liqiang as they started ranting.

“Goddamn, we are really pitiful. Regardless, we’re all receiving official wages. When our family or outsiders ask us about our work, we proudly tell them we are serving the Emperor. Now that the great catastrophe is coming, we finally can see who His Majesty and the imperial court truly value. The Imperial Cavalry Unit and other ministers are allowed to follow His Majesty to the south as escorts, but guards like us can only stay in Deer Villa. What do we do if the Heavenly Tribulation really comes?!”

Commandant Liu was turning purple from drinking too much wine. He was no longer speaking cautiously and seemed rather angry instead. “Lord Yan, tell me, isn’t the imperial court burying us along with the Heavenly Tribulation by doing this?”

“Yes! We are working for the royalties, so we will comply even if the imperial court orders us to die! But our family members are innocent! When the high-ranking officers and wealthy clans left the Imperial Capital, the court didn’t even care! By the time people like us started leaving, they started issuing the travel passes! Even if we are going to get one from the bureaucracy, we have to wait for more than a year! Our families are still in the capital region. If the Heavenly Tribulation comes, our clans will be obliterated…!” The squad commander who was guarding Deer Villa’s gate today spoke angrily.

“The court bulletin didn’t report the great earthquake in Gong Province, but it happened. News about that has also reached here from Gong Province. It was exactly the same as foretold by the stone turtle! I haven’t even been in the mood to work for the past few days when I think about this…”

“Lord Yan, we are all boors. Even so, we are grateful people. We know you are different from us, and even more so from the ministers in the imperial court. Lord Yan, you are a capable man. Anyone with good eyes will know that it’s impossible to find another person who is well-versed in both literature and military affairs like you in the Great Han Empire. Everyone says that you can meet deities in your dreams and receive guidance from them. Can you tell us if the Heavenly Tribulation will really come? We really want to hear the truth from you so we can prepare ourselves…” As soon as Commandant Liu spoke, the officers at the same table instantly sobered up despite feeling tipsy earlier. They were all staring at Yan Liqiang intently in silence.

Yan Liqiang emptied his wine cup in one go, looked around, set the glass down heavily on the table and spoke seriously, “Since you asked, I will tell you the truth so that you all can make your mental preparations. The words on the back of the stone turtle at Spirit Peace River are real. Do not doubt it. The Heavenly Tribulation will definitely occur in the ninth lunar month. The great catastrophe will turn the capital regions into ruins and reduce the entire Imperial Capital into dust. All the people who are left here will die…”