Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 175 Our Guards!
East of Chang'an City.

Outside Qingming Gate.

More than a hundred Eagle Banner soldiers gathered in small groups with their comrades, whispering among themselves and looking on with anticipation.

Before long, a procession of men, women, old and young, mixed together, escorted by burly soldiers, led by oxen, horses, donkeys and mules, or pushing carts and wagons, crossed the wooden bridge over the moat and headed toward Qingming Gate.

Unable to contain their excitement, some of the guards shouted for three or four of their men to follow, and they jogged toward the immigrant caravan.

With someone taking the lead, the other soldiers hurriedly called their men to follow. Before long, the once bustling Qingming Gate was left with only a few dozen guards, and it became solemn and deserted again.

The soldiers rushed to the moat, their faces filled with eagerness as they searched for their families in the crowd. On the other side, the elderly, women, and children guarding various cattle, horses, and belongings also looked around excitedly.

Soon after, cries of "Dad!" and "Mom!" began to rise and fall along the riverbank.

"Dad!" A boy who looked about six or seven years old saw his father in the distance and immediately broke free from his grandparents' hands and rushed out from the crowd.

The soldier named Wei Qi scooped the child up in his arms and exclaimed with delight, "Hey! You've gotten so heavy in a year!"

The boy chuckled and started playing with his father's beard.

An elderly man and woman, who looked like farmers, came forward carrying large and small bags, which contained household items such as pots, pans, and clothing.

"Father, Mother, didn't I tell you not to bring these things? Just leave them to my second brother. We don't need anything!"

The old woman frowned and said, "Hey, you and your eldest brother moved to Chang'an, and your second brother's family took over all our land and houses. They're so happy! If we weren't so heavy to move, your father and I would have moved all our belongings to Chang'an!"

Wei Qi's face showed some disdain:

"Look at how stingy you are. What's the big deal about the little bit of land and house that your second brother has taken?"

"In a year or two, I'll cut off a few more heads of the traitor Wei for His Majesty, and our family will be richer than that Yao guy in the village!"

"How is this possible?" The old woman was immediately shocked and couldn't believe it.

That Yao family is the wealthiest in the village, probably owning more than seven or eight hundred acres of land, and more than a dozen servants and tenants.

The soldier named Wei Qi said:

"It's not something I can explain to you in a short time."

"But let me just say it this way."

"That guy surnamed Yao, I don't even consider him a threat anymore."

"After I kill Wei the traitor for His Majesty for a few more years, when I return to Hanzhong, I guarantee that Yao won't even be worthy to carry my shoes!"

The old man and woman looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

They only heard the messenger read the letter, saying that the imperial court had bestowed several hundred acres of land and houses, as well as farming tools and grain, upon their two sons.

Let them move to Chang'an and farm with us.

Otherwise, hundreds of acres of land would be left uncultivated and wasted.

The old man suddenly thought of something and asked:

Where is your older brother?
Why didn't he come with you?

"Is his injury... any better now?"

When Wei Qi heard his father ask about his eldest brother, his face immediately lit up with excitement and pride:

"Father, my eldest brother is now a high-ranking official and a favorite of His Majesty. Today, he led our Eagle Banner troops to dredge the canal."

The old woman didn't understand what "Eagle-Winged Guards" meant, but her expression was worried:

"Why are you in such a hurry to get to work in the fields now? Didn't you say in your letter that your eldest brother's intestines were spilling out?"

Wei Qi bounced his son in his arms, gently pinched his cheek, and then chuckled as he raised his chin.
"Thanks to His Majesty's great fortune, everything is fine!"
"You two don't know, His Majesty even personally applied medicine to my elder brother!"

"In the first few days, I also thought my elder brother was probably going to die."

"I never expected His Majesty to come and see him every day, and to apply medicine to him every day."

"The last time I saw him, he seemed to be dying. I held his hand and told him that if he could pull through this time, I would give him a wife."

"And guess what? He pulled through!"

"You actually survived that?!" The old man and woman were immediately stunned.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is in charge of assigning wives?"

"The world... the world really has such a good thing?"

"Why shouldn't we care?" Wei Qi said with a smile.

"My elder brother even specifically asked His Majesty for a woman who had already given birth."

“She has had children before, so of course she can have children with him too, and she probably won’t die in childbirth like her two previous sisters-in-law.”

His elder brother, Wei Xing, married two women in the past ten years, but both died in childbirth. Now he has no son and no money to marry another woman.

When he saw the government's announcement to recruit soldiers, which not only provided food and lodging but also gave him Shu brocade and Zhibai (a type of traditional Chinese clothing), he signed up to join the army in order to earn some money to support himself and get married.

Unexpectedly, this opportunity came.

He became a favorite of the emperor.

Mr. and Mrs. Wei never expected that not only would their eldest son survive, but he would also be given a new bride by the emperor. What they didn't expect was that the new bride would be a sought-after widow who had already given birth to a child. They were so happy that they didn't know what to say.

After all, widows who have given birth are always in high demand and sought after, and their family had no money or property, so they couldn't compete with them.

Otherwise, their eldest son Xing wouldn't have married two women who had never given birth and were both thin and looked like they wouldn't be able to have children.

The last two brides died in childbirth, which was truly heartbreaking.

In addition, the third son's wife also died of illness, and people from all around said that the feng shui of the Wei family's ancestral graves was bad and that they had to be moved as soon as possible.

Just as Mr. and Mrs. Wei were stunned, Wei Qi, a soldier from the garrison, suddenly raised his chin and said arrogantly:

"My elder brother also found me a wife. Now that Gouyazi has a stepmother, she's at home taking care of cooking and cleaning."

"You two don't know, she's incredibly beautiful, with fair and delicate skin."

"She's prettier and fairer than the woman in the Yao family."

"If you ask me, no woman in the surrounding villages can compare to her."

The old man and woman were both delighted at first.

They exchanged a complicated glance after hearing the last part.

This news... it's really hard to say whether it's good or bad.

"Judging from what you've said, the bride probably won't have the strength to work in the fields, will she?" the old woman finally asked hesitantly.

"So, isn't this how I brought you two old folks over to work for me?!" Wei Qi said cheerfully.

"My bride, just stay at home and give me a few more sons."

"Otherwise, Gouyazi won't be able to manage such a large family business by himself in the future."

"This..." Mother Wei was speechless for a moment.

Having lived most of my life, I've never heard of a new wife who only gives birth and doesn't do any housework. Isn't that just a spendthrift woman?
Wei Qi saw what his mother was thinking, beckoned to his troops behind him, and feigned anger, saying:

What are you all standing there for?

"Hurry up and come over here, take the things my parents are holding and put them away properly!"

The four rather thin servants quickly led the oxcart forward, bowing and scraping as they approached Mr. and Mrs. Wei.

"This...this is?" Wei's parents first looked at the oxen and the oxcart, then at the four strong men Wei Qi had called over to take their luggage, and were all stunned. Wei Qi first put his son on the oxcart, and after his parents' luggage was also put on the oxcart, he then carried his elderly parents onto the oxcart in two separate trips.

"Hurry up!" Wei Qi shouted to his troops.

So one person led the ox, and two people pushed the cart.

The last man led his warhorse over.

He skillfully mounted his horse, and then diligently led it, taking small steps to catch up with the oxcart ahead.

Mr. and Mrs. Wei sat on the oxcart, their faces still filled with disbelief.

He stared blankly at the servant leading the ox for him, then turned his head blankly to look at the other three people pushing the cart and leading the horse.

Finally, he looked at his three sons.

The three sons stood tall and proud, exuding an air of confidence, even more imposing than the wealthiest family in the surrounding area, the Yao family.

"These...these tenants, were they also bestowed upon our Wei family by His Majesty?" Wei's father stammered as he spoke.

He had lived most of his life and almost had to sell his land and his body to become a tenant farmer or farmhand for a rich man.

Who would have thought that one day the Wei family would be able to support several tenant farmers?
Wei Qi proudly raised his chin:

"More or less. These are the troops His Majesty bestowed upon our Eagle Banner Army. They will fight alongside us in the future, and when there is no war, they will help us farm."

Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Wei nodded blankly, unsure whether they had understood or not.

I didn't bother to figure out the difference between servants and tenants; all I knew was that these four able-bodied men were indeed working for the Wei family.

"These cows...and horses, they all belong to the Wei family now?"

Father Wei swallowed hard, and as he spoke, he carefully reached forward and patted the old ox's high, rounded back.

Wei Qi patted his warhorse triumphantly:

"All the soldiers of the Eagle Banner Army have horses, but some of them get foals, while others get dung horses specifically for pulling things."

"My horsemanship is not bad, so the court specially enlisted me in the cavalry and gave me a warhorse. After a while, I will be assigned a naval horse. Only with at least two horses can I be called a true cavalryman."

"As for the ox... other families share one government-owned ox among five households of soldiers, which means the ox is rented to them by the imperial court."

“But my elder brother killed a general of the false Wei, so His Majesty bestowed two private oxen on me. This one was given to me by my elder brother.”

"Two oxen?!" Mr. and Mrs. Wei were utterly shocked.

They had no idea how much Wei Qi's warhorse was worth, but they certainly knew a lot about this ox.

When they were young, an ox would have been worth at least 20,000 coins!
Even if the Wei family worked their hardest and scrimped and saved for ten years, they probably wouldn't have enough money left to buy an ox!

Mother Wei was so excited she almost fainted. Her whole body trembled slightly as she rubbed her hands together, saying, "Old Wei... it seems like our Wei family's days are getting better and better!"

Wei's father nodded repeatedly, his body and mind trembling.

There were cattle, horses, fields, a bride, a house, and tenants…

He had already begun to envision a bright and promising future for the Wei family.

But... his Wei family hasn't owned even half a cow since the generation of Wei Xing and Wei Qi's great-grandfather. How could he imagine how bright this bright future could be?
The little boy on the oxcart didn't yet know what oxen and horses meant, or the tenants responsible for leading them.

But he had never seen his grandparents so excited since he could remember.

Then look at the father, head held high and chest out on horseback.

She immediately patted her chest with her little hand:
"Father, I want to fight for His Majesty in the future, and I want to be like you, killing the traitor Wei!"

Wei Qi chuckled:

Do you know what your uncle said to me a while ago?

"What?" Gouyazi's eyes widened.

"Your uncle told me that the reason our generation came out to fight and kill for His Majesty was so that your generation wouldn't have to fight or kill anymore."

"With this spirit, by the time you grow up to the age of service, His Majesty will have already led us to pacify the world and we will never have to fight again."

"However... in case the world is not yet at peace and there is still war, you must remember what I said today."

"Yes!" Gouya nodded vigorously.

He couldn't understand his father's earlier words, but he could understand his father's last sentence.

When Wei's father and mother heard this, they looked at each other in surprise.

After a moment, Wei's mother asked with a smile:

“Ah Xing… how could he say such a thing?”
"No... there's also you, Third Brother."

"You're a roughneck yourself, how can you spout such utter nonsense?"

"What kind of utter nonsense is this?!" Wei Qi, on horseback, suddenly frowned, clearly genuinely angry.

After a moment, he composed himself and spoke gently and kindly:
“Mother, you don’t know what kind of wise ruler His Majesty is, nor do you know how good His Majesty is to us soldiers, or how good he is to my elder brother, so I can’t blame you.”

"But you must never say such things carelessly again in the future."

Wei's father glared at Wei's mother before saying to Wei Qi, "Qi, don't mind your mother. She's ignorant."

"Putting aside everything else, just consider the cattle, horses, fields, tenants, brides, and His Majesty personally applying medicine to your elder brother. Aren't these things worth our Wei family risking our lives for His Majesty?"

"When a person lives their whole life, isn't it all for their children and the next generation?"

"Even if you two brothers both die fighting for His Majesty, our Wei family will still have Gouya to inherit the property you built."

“With this business, Gouyazi will be able to have puppies in the future. In this way, our Wei family will get better and better. This is what your great-grandfather meant by ‘endless life’.”

After being reprimanded by both the father and son, Wei's mother wiped away some tears, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
"His Majesty has been very kind to your brothers, so it is only right that you and your elder brother die on the battlefield for His Majesty."

"But isn't what I'm saying also for the Wei family, for my next generation, and for your next generation?"

"If Gouyazi dies for His Majesty like you, then our Wei family line will end."

Wei Qi pursed his lips and said:

"Don't worry, Mother, that day will never come. With His Majesty here, even if my elder brother and I both die on the battlefield, when Gouya grows up, we will never have to fight again."

Wei's father asked, "Does this emperor truly possess such great abilities?"

Wei Qi nodded affirmatively:
"Of course!
"However, what I want to say is not how capable Your Majesty is."

"But... if my elder brother and I both die on the battlefield for His Majesty."

"Then the boy will definitely live a better life than when my elder brother and I were alive."

"Our Wei family will definitely prosper even more than it is now."

Mr. Wei was somewhat stunned.

After a moment, he glanced at the expressions of his three sons, and then looked around. He found that all the so-called soldiers on horseback had the same spirit and energy as his third son, Wei Qi.

After a long while, he turned his head again, raised his head, and looked at the vast and majestic Chang'an city in front of him, which seemed to have no end.

The fate of the Wei family and the soldiers of the garrison were now completely intertwined with that of Chang'an, and with the Han emperor who personally led the three armies to conquer Chang'an.

"This Emperor... can make you two brothers willing to die for him, can make so many soldiers believe that the Han Dynasty will surely succeed, that the Han Dynasty will prosper." Wei's father thought of his somewhat cunning eldest son and looked at Chang'an City with a sudden sigh.

Wei Qi was slightly taken aback, then nodded emphatically.

(End of this chapter)