The so-called general trend of the world, long-term unity will inevitably divide, long-term division will inevitably unite. 300 years ago, Wu Yue's martial arts and martial arts led a hundred thousand cavalry to sweep across the Yanhuang Continent and established the powerful Wu Kingdom. They called themselves Wu I, and the continent experienced hundreds of years of peace. However, three hundred years later, his descendants became more and more corrupt, and the court's discipline was declining day by day. The people were miserable.
Finally, in the 23rd year of Taikang, a large-scale peasant uprising broke out in the north of the empire. The rebel army attacked the capital, Ping Jing, with unstoppable momentum.
In the same year, Emperor Wu died, and Wu Xi, who was only eight years old, succeeded to the throne.
In the 2nd year of Shaokang, when the Emperor of Wu was still young, Li Yi, Yue Xing and Qin Zhen formed an alliance and rebelled from the east, northeast and south. The five vassals were originally the Five Tiger Generals under the Emperor of Wu and Yue. After the founding of the country, they were granted the title of vassal and inherited the throne for generations.
In the south of the State of Wu, there was a mountain range. The mountains were overgrown with trees. There was no land here, and the people could only rely on hunting for a living.
It was already late winter, and the cold wind was blowing. A little boy wearing thin tattered clothes did not seem to feel the cold. He carried an adult wolf out of the mountains. This was his prey for the day. His parents had died early, and under the pressure of the environment, he seemed to have the qualities that a hunter should have-tenacity, courage, calmness, and perseverance. His hunting skills were not inferior to an adult's.
Suddenly, the earth shook and dust rose up ahead. The boy knew that this was the military's winter hunt. He looked up into the distance with a calm expression.
Soon, the cavalrymen came to his side, but the little boy had no intention of leaving.
Each of the cavalrymen was as steady as a rock on their horses. Their eyes were deep and cold, and their 1.5-meter-long sabers seemed to flash with a blood-red light. The boy knew that they were the loyal and brave Marquis Xiang Xin and his personal guards.
"How dare you take the path of the military lord. You don't want to live!”A burly man with a face full of beard scolded loudly.
The boy met the gaze of the person who came up to him without any fear.
The brawny man was furious. He pulled out his saber and placed it on the boy's neck. His movements were as smooth as flowing water. His speed was so fast that it was almost invisible. He was obviously an expert.
The boy did not even blink and remained standing there.
"What courage! You must have something to do. What is it?”A man who looked like a leader in his fifties looked at him with admiration and said.
The boy immediately knelt down and said," I've long heard that Marquis Zhong Yong is looking for talents everywhere to train the Flying Tiger Army. I've long wanted to go out and do something. I learned that Marquis will be hunting in this winter, so I've been waiting here. Please accept me, Marquis. I'm willing to follow you to the death!"”
"Oh, did you kill that wolf?”This person was the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, Xiang Xin. At this moment, he was asking with interest.
"Yes, Lord Marquis."
"Ha! Can you tell me how you did it, little brother?”Xiang Xin asked in surprise.
The boy's face was filled with joy. It seemed that Xiang Xin was very interested in him.
"Nothing much. I just dug a hole and stuck some bamboo sticks in it. Then, I used myself as bait. Finally, I ate some cold rations and waited for two days.”the boy replied calmly.
"Hahahaha! "Okay, okay, okay. Little brother, I'll take you in." Xiang Xin said three times in a row.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis." The boy immediately thanked him.
"Good! What's your name?" Xiang Xin was obviously in a good mood.
"Changfan."
"Chang Fan…hmm…why didn't you go to the recruitment area to register? If you were here, you would have been killed by us if you weren't careful.”Xiang Xin asked with interest.
"It's just that I don't know when Lord Marquis will notice me among the tens of thousands of soldiers.”The boy didn't answer directly. He smiled and said.
Xiang Xin's face was full of surprise. Indeed, even though he could directly join the army, he could only be a pawn. When would he be valued by the general? For a child to be able to think so thoroughly, it was indeed not simple.
"Good, you have a way." Xiang Xin started to think highly of Chang Fan.
"You, ride on the same horse as little brother. Scribe, record that recruit Chang Fan killed one wolf.”Xiang Xin ordered again.
"Yes, sir!" A tall and thin man rode his horse to Chang Fan's side and pulled him onto the horse.
This was Chang Fan's first time riding a horse. Although he was more mature than his peers, he was still very curious.
"Aiyo!" Chang Fan accidentally fell off his horse, causing a burst of laughter.
"Get off the horse, I'll teach Brother Chang Fan how to ride a horse.”Xiang Xin said with a smile.
Under the guidance of an expert horseman, Chang Fan was finally able to ride a horse and jog after about an hour. The owner of the horse was riding the same horse as Chang Fan.
The group advanced into the forest. The terrain here was relatively flat, and the trees were sparse. There were often wolves, tigers, and leopards. It was indeed suitable for horseback hunting.
" Little brother, you're really lucky. I can tell that Lord Marquis likes you a lot. If you become a noble in the future, you must give me a hand. I'm Li Quan, haha." The original owner of the horse smiled at Chang Fan.
This person had a medium build, a square face, and a glib tongue.
" Haha, I'll still need big brother to take care of me in the future." Chang Fan was also very happy that he had successfully joined the Great General.
Chang Fan and Li Quan chatted casually along the way. Unknowingly, they had already arrived at the hunting location.
"This is an extraordinary period and military affairs are busy."Surround the surrounding 20 miles and chase the wild animals to two miles to hunt. We will return in four hours," Xiang Xin ordered again.
"Yes, sir! Lord Marquis." Everyone split into two groups and ran in two directions in an orderly manner. Clearly, they were well-trained.
"Eh, Chang Fan, where's your weapon?”Xiang Xin asked with a smile when he saw that Chang Fan had nothing in his hands.
"I…I don't have a real weapon yet.”Chang Fan replied with a slightly red face.
Xiang Xin took off his bow. Chang Fan, this bow is for you.”
"Thank you, Marquis!" Chang Fan was overjoyed. This was his first weapon. The surrounding soldiers were envious.
The hunt proceeded in an orderly manner and everyone had a bountiful harvest. The strongest among them was the burly man who had scolded Chang Fan earlier. He had already killed two wolves and a black bear and was currently in high spirits. On the other hand, Chang Fan had also caught a wild rabbit but he didn't use an arrow because he didn't know how to do so.
As the hunt was coming to an end, an adult wolf was driven into a corner. As the saying goes, a cornered dog would jump over a wall. It turned around and attacked Chang Fan's horse. The horse was frightened by the sudden change and jumped up. The poor Chang Fan had just learned how to ride a horse when he was thrown off. The wolf did not stop and pounced towards Chang Fan. All of this happened in an instant and no one could save him.
Chang Fan was also very depressed. This wolf was obviously bullying him because he was small, but his reaction was fast. After falling to the ground, he immediately flipped over and took out his bow. At this moment, the wolf was already in front of him, and it was too late for him to take the arrow. Chang Fan used all his strength to smash the bow at the wolf's head.
"Pa!"
Gong Jing was interrupted, but the wolf also missed and immediately pounced towards Chang Fan.
"Sou!"
An arrow pierced through the wolf's head. The wolf died. It was Xiang Xin.
"How dare you! The bow that Marquis Jingjing bestowed upon you has been broken!”The bearded man shouted again.
"What does this uncle want me to do? Shooting wolves with arrows? Let's not talk about the fact that I've never used a bow before, but if I take out an arrow, I'm afraid that a wolf will pounce on me. Or if you want me to fight with a wolf, the wolf can kill me in an instant. If I die, what use is the bow?”Chang Fan was fearless.
"Hahaha,'If the skin is gone, how can the hair attach itself?' Well said.”Xiang Xin laughed and asked.
"Father wanted me to stand out. Although my family was poor, he still let me study for two years.”
"Where are your parents now?" Xiang Xin asked again.
"Mother passed away when she gave birth to me. Two years ago, my father and I were hunting in the mountains, and my father was killed by a fierce tiger. I will live up to my parents 'expectations and make a name for myself!”Chang Fan said with sadness but determination.
"Oh, don't worry. You'll be by my side in the future. I won't treat you badly.”
"Return to the city!" Xiang Xin said to everyone,
No one else dared to say anything, and everyone headed straight for Han Changcheng. Han Changcheng was the capital of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's fief.
On the way, the burly man with a husky face seemed a little unhappy.
"Big brother, what's so good about that kid that he's worth your attention?”
To be able to call Xiang Xin big brother, this person's identity must be extraordinary. This burly man was the number one brave general under Xiang Xin, Tong Hu, who had followed Xiang Xin through life and death for thirty years.
" Hahahaha, in terms of charging and breaking through the enemy's formation, no one in the three armies can compare to Brother Tong. However, in terms of understanding and making good use of people, Brother Tong is a little lacking. Look at that Chang Fan, using himself as bait to catch the wolf. How much wisdom, courage, patience, and perseverance does it take for a person who doesn't know any martial arts? Moreover, he's only fourteen years old! Think about it again. If it was an ordinary child, he would have been scared silly by that wolf. However, he instantly saw through the situation and saved the day. This calmness was rare! Talent, talent, hahahaha!”Xiang Xin said excitedly.
Tong Hu was stunned for a moment as if he was thinking. After a long time, he said resentfully,"It makes sense to hear big brother say that.”
Presumably, this Tong Hu was also a forthright person.
The Narrow Sky Path was the only path they had to take to return to Hanchang City. There were two tall mountains on both sides, and there was only a small path less than three meters wide in the middle. Hence, it was called the Narrow Sky Path, easy to defend but difficult to attack.
It was already dusk and the sky was getting dark. A cold wind blew around.
"Eh?" Chang Fan suddenly felt strange.
"What's wrong?" Xiang Xin asked.
"Usually at this time, everyone will go home from here. Why is there no one here?”
"Stop!" Looking at the terrain, Xiang Xin felt that something was wrong.
"Scouts, go ahead and scout the way. Everyone, be on guard!" Xiang Xin ordered,
"Yes, sir!" A man rode his horse and galloped away.
"Shua ~ Shua ~" Xiang Xin's army immediately drew out their sabers and divided into five teams, not panicking at all.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。