My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 23 The Foremost of the Three Heroes of Northern Qi
The horse has already been sent out.

Gao Yu did not linger at the market but went home.

He was exhausted, sleepy, and hungry, and all he wanted to do was get a good night's sleep.

Later, Lou Zhaojun sent a servant to wake him up. After washing up a bit, Gao Yu went to the main hall.

"Brother, sister-in-law."

He bowed first to greet her, and Lou Zhaojun smiled and said, "Second Brother, why be so polite? Please sit down. You must have had a very tiring night. Eat more."

Lou Zhaojun also knew that Gao Yu often led his team out to plunder and support himself.

She adored her handsome and well-mannered brother-in-law, especially since she and Gao Huan didn't have children yet.

Gao Huan then asked, "I heard you went to the market today?"

"Correct."

Gao Yu nodded and said, "Didn't my brother say that I, as the leader, would choose my own soldiers to join my group?"

"Huozhang" and "shizhang" mean the same thing.

A squad leader (伍长) manages five soldiers, and a platoon leader (什长) manages ten soldiers, which is equivalent to two squads (伍).

Meanwhile, in the military camp.

Cooking is done in units of ten people, and this unit of measurement is called a "huo". In the military camp, a huo is a group of people who eat together.

There's a line in the Ballad of Mulan that says, "She went out to see her companions, and they were all surprised and flustered," which conveys the same idea.

In modern times, "伙" is a purely quantitative unit, but in ancient times it also represented certain interpersonal relationships.

"I thought I'd try my luck at the market to see if I could recruit any talented people, and I'm really lucky today."

He briefly recounted what had happened at the market that day.

Upon hearing this, Lou Zhaojun was greatly surprised. "You are the same age as me and can draw a two-stone bow? My younger brother has been skilled in archery and horsemanship since childhood, but he can only draw a two-stone bow."

Gao Huan was also quite moved. There weren't many people in the army who could draw a two-stone bow, but they weren't completely nonexistent.

But considering Mulan's age, that's quite terrifying!

"If that's the case, then it's worth it to be able to forge a friendship with such heroic young men by gifting them a horse."

It's not just worth it, it's a steal!
Huai Shuo is located on the frontier and is always at war with the Rouran. Fierce military force is the greatest guarantee of security for them!
Gao Yu glanced at Lou Zhaojun, then at Gao Huan.

"Brother, sister-in-law, I have a request."

"We're family, what's there to beg for?"

"Could you lend me a few horses? I'd like to try my luck at the market in the next few days..."

When the horse was presented to Mulan today, so many people were watching. At such a young age, she can already draw a strong bow with a draw weight of two stones. This matter will surely become a topic of conversation among the onlookers.

Gao Yu could be considered to have "splurged a fortune on a horse's bones".

Let's try again tomorrow. What if we encounter some more talented people?

Anyway, it's not a loss, and there's no need to give away a horse if you don't encounter it.

"A few horses are nothing, why bother borrowing them? Your sister-in-law will give them to you as a gift!"

Lou Zhaojun remained as generous as ever, and she also knew how to take Gao Huan's feelings into account. Even though she could make the decision herself, she still looked at Gao Huan and asked, "Husband, what do you think?"

Gao Huan nodded. "That's how it should be."

"Then thank you, brother and sister-in-law."

Gao Yu got up again to thank them, then turned to leave, not wanting to be a third wheel and interfere with their sweet moments. Even though three years had passed since their marriage, Lou Zhaojun and Gao Huan were still like a couple deeply in love.

Gao Huan stopped him, saying, "In six days, come with me to Wuyuan County."

What are you going over there for?

"To celebrate the first birthday of Duan Shaoqing, the son of your sister-in-law and elder sister."

Gao Yu nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Lou Zhaojun was the youngest daughter of the Lou family, with two older sisters.

The eldest daughter, Lou Xinxiang, married into the Duan family of Wuyuan County. Her husband was Duan Rong, whose grandfather, Duan Xin, was a general of the Northern Liang during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. However, after the Northern Wei destroyed the Northern Liang, the Duan family, being a powerful clan, was relocated to Wuyuan County.

Although they did not become a "high-ranking family" like the eight major surnames, the Duan family was still a powerful clan with a high reputation in Wuyuan, just like the Lou family.

The second daughter, Lou Heinu, married into the Dou family in Tongwan Town; her husband was Dou Tai.

Tongwan Town was originally Tongwan City, which was the capital of the Xia Dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. After the Northern Wei Dynasty destroyed the Xia Dynasty, Tongwan City was renamed Tongwan Town and Xia Prefecture was established here. This city continued until the time of the God of the Chariots at Gaoliang River. After driving away the Dangxiang people who would later establish the Western Xia Dynasty, it was demolished.

Dou Tai's grandfather was the garrison commander of Tongwan Town, and like the Duan and Lou families, he was a powerful clan in the border region of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

This is also why Lou Neigan initially vehemently opposed Gao Huan's marriage to Lou Zhaojun.

His first two daughters married into powerful and influential families, but... his most beloved youngest daughter married a military household.

However, Lou Xinxiang, as the eldest daughter of the Lou family and a powerful clan, is a top-tier political resource, as evidenced by her marriage to the Duan family.

Wuyuan County is located on the Hetao Plain, at the horizontal line of the Yellow River's "几" (ji) bend, between the Yinshan Mountains and the Yellow River, nestled between mountains and water!
Both were powerful clans.

The powerful clans in fertile lands are different from those in harsh, cold lands.

…………

The next day, Gao Yu appeared at the market again, leading his horse and carrying his bow.

With the boost from yesterday's "spending a fortune to buy horse bones" publicity, quite a few people have indeed tried it.

but……

Either they can't be stretched at all, or they can only be stretched a little bit, which doesn't meet Gao Yu's requirements.

This continued for several days. Gao Yu had no choice but to give up, realizing upon reflection that he had been too greedy.

A person who can draw a bow with a draw weight of two stones is considered an elite among elites in the army. People with this ability would have long been recruited into the military or recruited by powerful clans to become their private soldiers.

He was incredibly lucky to have met Mulan.

If Mulan hadn't gone to war in place of her elderly father, he might not have met any of them. He shouldn't be too greedy.

Six days later.

Gao Yu set off with Gao Huan.

The Northern Wei Dynasty established six garrisons to protect its initial capital, Pingcheng. These garrisons were Woye, Huaishuo, Wuchuan, Fuming, Rouxuan, and Huaihuang.

Woye Town has the best location, right on the side of the main Yellow River in the Hetao Plain, which is the horizontal line of the "几" shape. It is named after the vast expanse of fertile land. Huai Shuo was established along a tributary of the Yellow River, and Wuyuan County is located right between Huai Shuo and Woye.

There is no need to enter the city of Wuyuan County. The Duan family is a powerful clan, just like the Lou family. They have their own fortified village outside the city, which is actually no less large than the city of Wuyuan County.

Duan Rong is the eldest son of the Duan family, and Lou Xinxiang is the eldest daughter of the Lou family. The child she gave birth to as the legal wife is the eldest grandson, who will be the future head of the Duan family!

Many people came to congratulate him as well.

Gao Yu was just a nobody. Unlike Gao Huan, who at least had the title of "son-in-law of the Lou family," the title of "son-in-law of the Lou family" was worthless.

But as a family member, he did go with Lou Zhao into the inner courtyard to take a look at the child.

Today, the Duan family is celebrating the first birthday of their eldest grandson and will also hold a "grasping ceremony"!
The custom of "Zhuazhou" (抓周) originated from powerful clans in the Southern Dynasties and quickly became popular among powerful clans in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

After the banquet.

Friends and relatives all came to the inner courtyard.

The maid had already laid out various items on the bed, including a brush, ink, paper, inkstone, seal, and wooden sword.

Lou Xinxiang brought over Duan Shao, who had just turned one year old. Duan Shao had probably never seen so many people before, and he looked around curiously.

Someone immediately spoke up.

"He remains unperturbed by the crowd; this boy is destined for a bright future!"

Top-tier sycophant.

Gao Yu suppressed the urge to roll his eyes; only the ancients believed in this stuff.

What can a one-year-old understand?
It's nothing more than grabbing whatever is shiny that can attract his attention. But it's understandable; he just wants peace of mind.

Lou Xinxiang placed Duan Shao on the bed.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xiao Duan Shao slowly crawled towards the various items placed in front of him.

finally.

Duan Shao picked up the calligraphy brush with her small hand and waved it twice.

The Duan family members finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Many people have already started boasting.

"Like father, like father!!"

Duan Rong was known for his love of studying books like the Book of Changes. Holding a calligraphy brush meant he would be a talented writer and well-read in the future.

however……

Just as everyone was talking, Duan Shao turned around and picked up the wooden sword beside him.

Everyone was amazed!
"With a pen in one hand and a sword in the other, doesn't that imply that this young man will surely rise to high office in the future?"

"With pen in hand, one can bring peace to the world; with sword on horseback, one can conquer the universe!"

"Congratulations, congratulations."

"........."

To the extremely superstitious people of ancient times, Xiao Duan Shao's actions were nothing short of a miracle!

The Duan family was overjoyed!
Gao Yu suddenly had an idea...

Duan Shao?

He seems to be the foremost of the 'Three Heroes of Northern Qi'?

Could it be that……

Is there some truth to the "first birthday celebration" (抓周) in Chinese tradition?
Anyway...

Duan Shao's behavior during the first birthday celebration made him, as the eldest grandson, even more noble than before!

They would also become the "other people's child" that other wealthy families talked about.

Taking advantage of his status as a family member, Gao Yu personally hugged the future leader of the "Three Heroes of Northern Qi".

After staying at the Duan family's residence for three days, Gao Yu followed Gao Huan back to Huai Shuo.

He stubbornly took his horse to the market several more times to try, but unfortunately... he was never lucky enough to encounter a young hero as talented as Mulan again.

Time flew by and it was almost the end of March.

That day, Gao Yu returned home and ran into Gao Huan in the living room.

He was also wondering why Gao Huan had returned so early today.

Gao Huan spoke first.

"Erlang, a batch of new recruits will arrive at the military camp tomorrow. You can come with me to choose the soldiers you like."

(End of this chapter)