The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 43 Preparation
Military robes, armor, ring-pommel swords, and daggers were laid out on the table.

Xiao Yi took off his old robe and put on an undergarment made of fine hemp, filled with tightly packed reed catkins and hemp fibers. He tucked the hem of the robe into his shins, tied it with a travel belt, and stuffed it into his thick deerskin military boots.

He was finally not so cold anymore and felt quite comfortable.

The standard military jacket was made of red coarse silk, with a square cloth label sewn onto the left chest, bearing the inscription "Left Deputy Commander of the Second Army, Left Wing" in ink. The collar and cuffs had sheepskin buttons for fastening, and three cloth loops on each side of the waist for fastening the belt. Wearing it, one looked full of energy and spirit.

The gauntlet consists of three parts: the bellyband, the arm guards, and the leg lining. The bellyband is made of double-layered leather and secured with brass rivets at the edges; the arm guards are for protecting the forearms and are made of tanned cowhide; the leg lining is designed to prevent friction and consists of two pieces of thick woolen cloth.

Next came the main armor. The shoulder armor was made of leather plates sewn together and decorated with iron plates. Xiao Yi didn't ask the Lü brothers for help and spent some time putting it on by himself. The breastplate was a single piece of leather armor with a brass trim around the edge, a decoration only worn by officers of the rank of deputy captain and above. The back armor was also made of lamellar armor. The leg skirt was composed of twelve pieces of leather armor with wrought iron trim on the tail.

The belt was made of double-layered leather with three copper buckles on the surface, corresponding to the rank of deputy captain. He wrapped it around twice, the first loop tight and the second loop looser, leaving room to insert his knife.

He picked up the helmet and touched it. The edges were finely polished and there were no burrs. A red tassel was stuck on the top of the helmet. It was a little dry, but it was still conspicuous in the dim light. He put it on and tied it tightly with the leather strap.

Finally, he tied the badges of the deputy captain and the cavalry captain to his waist.

"it is good!"

Lu You couldn't help but praise him, saying sincerely, "Only when Deputy Chief Xiao put on his costume did I realize that there are people who can be even more dashing than me."

"You're just as handsome as me," said Lü Chou. "I don't usually compliment people like that."

"No one is more handsome than Brother Lü and Brother Da Lü." Xiao Yi said dismissively, "General Nie will definitely send someone with you this time. Let's see how things develop. Do you want to make a name for yourselves?"

Lü Chou asked in surprise, "Us? Is that alright?"

Lü You asked, "Then who will buy you a house?"

"Buying a house is a minor matter; you can ask someone you know for help. Opportunities to make a living don't come often. I believe that as long as you volunteer yourselves, the general will agree. Sometimes seizing an opportunity is that simple."

Xiao Yi casually said, stuffing the dagger into his boot, and picked up the ring-pommel sword on the table. Including the hilt, it was less than a meter long and weighed more than three kilograms. It was a one-handed sword.

He drew his sword, brandished it, and found that the arm armor did not hinder him, nor did bending his knees. Although the armor was heavy, it allowed him to move relatively easily, except for the clanging sound made by some of the armor plates rubbing together.

He felt that his combat strength had more than doubled.

Unfortunately, his current body is still immature and weak, far from reaching his ideal state of martial prowess. He should eat more and train more.

As he sheathed his sword, a fleeting glance revealed the reflection of a dashing young military officer on the blade.

……

When Xiao Yi returned to the main hall, there was a burly middle-aged man there.

This man was not tall, but he was as strong as a rock, with broad shoulders and a bulging neck. His face was covered with scars, and he had short, stiff stubble on his lips. However, his eyes revealed a shrewdness that did not match the image of a warrior.

He has a kind of temperament that makes him fight with a hungry dog ​​for food.

When Xiao Yi arrived, he saw Li Ye solemnly accepting a piece of silk with both hands, which must have been the letter that Li Ye was going to give to Li Hongwei.

This person must be their own captain, or even their commander.

really.

"Xiao Yi, I've met your captain, Cao Dang. He looks old, but he's actually only in his early twenties. He's a child soldier under General Cao, the Left Wing Commander of Fengguo, and has fought in several major battles. The Emperor is willing to use young people, so you two must not disappoint him."

"Yes, Xiao Yi greets the captain. Please take good care of me."

Cao Dang turned around, his obsequiousness towards Li Ye gone, and nodded coldly, saying, "When we arrive in Chanzhou, just take me close to Wang Yin, and don't worry about anything else."

This person is a bit domineering.

Xiao Yi then replied, "Yes."

Li Ye said, "My brother has no shortage of troops, so there's no need to bring too many people. Just pick some good ones, and most importantly, trustworthy ones. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

“I’m not worried about that good-for-nothing Shi Dechong.” Li Ye’s lips curled into a sneer. “As for Zhang Mantun, can Meng Ye buy his loyalty with his life?”

Xiao Yi said, "Don't worry, Imperial Uncle, I'm confident."

"If you don't cooperate, you'll be killed at any time. You're a former member of the Shi family; Wang Yin will trust you."

"Yes."

"No need to see it off."

Li Ye gave no further instructions. He glanced at Nie Wenjin, indicating that he would make the arrangements, and then got up and walked out.

As he passed by Xiao Yi, he reached out and patted Xiao Yi on the back, his eyes showing a hint of affection.

"Work diligently, and when you return with the talisman, I will prepare a feast to welcome you back."

"Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured."

Li Ye said there was no need to see them off, but no one took it seriously. They all followed him out of the main hall and through the huge ceremonial guard courtyard.

As everyone watched Li Ye walk out of the main gate, Xiao Yi's gaze fell on the long corridor to the side.

There, a general waiting to be received craned his neck, looking on as if trying to admire Li Ye's demeanor.

The figure looked somewhat familiar.

The general had a very high belly and a face full of fat like a butcher... He was Hua Nong's superior, the commander surnamed Sun.

Xiao Yi immediately began to speculate about his intentions.

At least there's a possibility that someone will come to report on Hua Nong's matter.

Outside the yamen gate, Li Ye's entourage had gone far away. Nie Wenjin turned around and instructed, "Make arrangements, and assemble at the drill ground."

"Yes!" Cao Dang clasped his hands and withdrew. Xiao Yi did not follow, but whispered, "General, there is one more thing."

"explain."

"Before leaving, I want to check my recent travel records again to see if there are any clues I may have overlooked."

Nie Wenjin shook his head and said, "Don't be fooled by the closed city gates. There are still many messengers leaving the city every day to deliver messages, so there's no time to check."

As they were talking, someone stepped forward and reported something.

"General, Sun Zhong, the garrison commander of the South Gate and the third commander of the left wing, requests an audience, saying he has discovered something amiss."

Xiao Yi didn't leave; instead, his eyes lit up as he stared directly at Nie Wenjin, indicating his great interest in the clue.

"Bring him over."

"Yes."

"Sun Zhong pays his respects to the General."

"What's the matter?"

Sun Zhong said somewhat fearfully, "Reporting to the general, one of my soldiers left the city. Upon investigation, it was found that he was impersonating a military officer. At first, I only suspected that he was going to find his wife, but then I thought about it and realized that something was wrong. He took away his two children and a young man who was acting suspiciously."

Before Nie Wenjin could ask any questions, Xiao Yi went straight to the point and asked, "When did this happen?"

"last night."

"What specific time?"

"This... seems to be the third quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)."

"When did you realize something was wrong, and did you send anyone to investigate?"

"As soon as I noticed something was wrong, I rushed here to report. The area outside the city is covered in snow, and I'm afraid we won't be able to catch up."

Xiao Yi frowned and asked, "Who does this person usually associate with?"

“No.” Sun Zhong shook his head directly: “He’s an honest but cowardly soldier, nobody wants to associate with him.”

Xiao Yi shook his head and pondered, "It seems they were forced to leave the city. They've been on the move all night, so it's not easy to catch them."

He sighed slightly with regret, somewhat disappointed with this lead.

However, Sun Zhong said, "This humble general knows that his wife lives in Wapo Village, north of the city. Should we send someone to investigate?"

Xiao Yi cursed inwardly, but nodded anyway.

"General, we happen to be on our way to Chanzhou, so please let me investigate this matter."

"allow."

"This humble servant will certainly do his best."

"Take Shi Dechong and Zhang Mantun to the drill ground."

"Here!"

Xiao Yi clasped his hands in acceptance and watched Nie Wenjin stride away.

A friendly smile appeared on Sun Zhong's butcher-like face as he asked, "And who is this young general?"

"Xiao Yi, Deputy Commander of the Crane Control Guard."

"So young, yet so impressive. Deputy Captain Xiao, when you pass by the South Gate, will you stop by the city tower for a couple of drinks?"

"I will definitely bother you when I return to Kaifeng."

Xiao Yi gave Sun Zhong a deep look, then turned and left with a faint smile.

He then went to the place where Shi Dechong and Zhang Mantun were imprisoned.

Meng Ye's body has been brought here.

"The price has been set: I'll buy your 'cooperation'." Xiao Yi used the scabbard to turn Meng Ye's face in front of the two men and said, "Now, let's see if you're worth the price."

Upon seeing this, Shi Dechong burst into tears again, her body trembling uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears.

Xiao Yi then instructed someone, "Take Young Master Shi to change into some decent clothes."

"Yes."

Seeing Zhang Mantun looking dejected, Xiao Yi stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Are we even now?"

"If we're even, then we're even..."

On the training ground, Cao Dang and his twelve soldiers were already lined up.

Lü You was among them, and when he saw Xiao Yi from afar, he waved happily, but Lü Chou did not go, and the two brothers were separated.

As Xiao Yi approached, Cao Dang was putting away a map and said something to Nie Wenjin.

"General, rest assured, if we set off now, we can reach Wapo Village before dark..."

Upon hearing this, a shadow crossed Xiao Yi's eyes.

He lowered his eyes, thinking to himself, "It seems that this Chief Cao must be killed."

(End of this chapter)