Gao Wu Da Ming: Starting as a military household and ascending to the rank of Martial Saint

In the fifth year of the Tianqi reign (1625), in northern Shanxi, at Yaomao Mound, in the Baode Prefecture Thousand-Household Office.

......

"Brother Wu, it's time to pay the summer tax. Each person is required to pay four shi of grain and five sheng of rent. But the rice jar at home is almost empty..."

"You are so ill, I really don't know what to do..."

"I'm sorry, the cloth I weave doesn't earn much money. After thinking it over, that's truly the only way to save you..."

Faintly, Yu Shaowu heard a woman's voice coming from a very distant place, yet it was incredibly clear, as if it had pierced through the ethereal space and time.

As if his soul had been summoned, he groggily opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed in a completely unfamiliar environment.

Before him stood a woman, half-bent over, by the bed, her face showing signs of impending tears.

She was dressed in a linen garment typically worn by the poor in ancient times, and was quite thin. However, she had fair skin and a beautiful face, making her a true beauty.

Even though Yu Shaowu didn't know what the situation was, his male instincts immediately caught sight of the woman's full breasts and slender waist hidden under her coarse clothes.

"I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this..." the woman cried, repeatedly apologizing to Yu Shaowu. "If it weren't for my father, you wouldn't have ended up in this situation."

"What the heck is that...?"

Yu Shaowu was confused and was about to ask a question when a sudden, sharp pain shot through his head. Countless fragments of memories surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

As he quickly processed these memories, Yu Shaowu was suddenly shocked.

So I've traveled through time?

This is no longer the original world, but the fifth year of the Tianqi reign of the Ming Dynasty. And the original owner's identity is actually the eldest grandson of Yu Dayou!

Carefully savoring the original owner's memories, one discovers that although he was from a military family, he was also a person with a tragic fate.

As the eldest grandson of the Yu family, the original owner had impeccable lineage and a promising future. Unfortunately, in the thirty-fifth year of the Wanli reign, his father, Yu Zirong, passed away while serving as the governor of Fujian Province. Because the original owner was young, his father's legacy fell to his second uncle, Yu Zigao.

The original owner was too weak to practice martial arts, so with his uncle's financial support, he began to abandon martial arts and pursue literature.

To be fair, Yu Zigao treated the original owner exceptionally well, practically raising her like his own child. Her childhood was carefree, and her youth was filled with youthful vigor; the original owner enjoyed a very happy period.

After reaching adulthood, although he failed to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, he married Wan Shiyao, the daughter of Wan Zhu, who was then serving as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Works, through his uncle's matchmaking.

The Wan family was considered a scholarly family at the time, with generations of officials holding high positions. Wan Jing's grandfather was Wan Gong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and he himself was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 44th year of the Wanli reign, a graduate of the regular imperial examination system with a promising future. His daughter, Wan Shiyao, was naturally beautiful, dignified, and gentle.

It can be said that Yu Shaowu was very satisfied with this marriage at the time; strictly speaking, the Yu family was considered to have married above their station.

Just as the original owner was marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman and reaching the pinnacle of his life, his father-in-law, Wan Jing, had a falling out with Wei Zhongxian over the Ministry of Works' minting of copper coins. He even joined the Donglin Party in submitting a memorial impeaching Wei Zhongxian.

At this time, Wei Zhongxian, under the protection of Madam Ke and the indulgence of Emperor Tianqi, was at the height of his power. Wan Jing's move was like throwing an egg against a rock.

On the very day that the original owner and Lady Wan were getting married in the capital, Wei Zhongxian sent men to take Wan Zhu away from the wedding, then forged an imperial edict to have Wan Zhu beaten to death, and also confiscated the Wan family's property.

Wei Zhongxian deliberately chose such an auspicious day to make his move, in order to thoroughly intimidate his political enemies.

On his wedding day, Yu Shaowu didn't even get to enter the bridal chamber before being implicated. Wan Jing's son and nephew were also arrested on charges fabricated by Wei Zhongxian and eventually died in prison.

After the incident, the original owner's uncle, Yu Zigao, who was then the Fujian General Commander, tried his best to pull strings and barely managed to save the original owner's life. However, although he was spared the death penalty, he could not escape punishment. The original owner was eventually demoted to Yaomaodun, a thousand-household garrison in Baode Prefecture, and became a low-ranking military household.

Having always had a smooth life, this sudden fall from heaven to hell completely broke the original owner of the body. She spent her days in tears, drowning her sorrows in alcohol, and when drunk, she would point her finger at Wan Shiyao and hurl insults, sometimes even resorting to physical violence.

Wan Shiyao felt guilty towards her husband and always accepted his fate submissively, never daring to contradict him in the slightest.

Moreover, the original owner was ashamed to serve as a garrison soldier. Although the garrison allocated about fifteen acres of land to each military household, the original owner was unwilling to participate in production at all, and the family's expenses were entirely supported by their savings and Wan's weaving.

They had been here for over a year, and their savings were dwindling. The garrison in Baode Prefecture not only had to support the officials of the Shanxi Provincial Military Command, but also supply the border troops, resulting in extremely heavy taxes. It was impossible for Wan Shi alone to support the entire family.

It's already mid-July, and the summer tax payment for this year is fast approaching, but there's still no solution.

The original owner was overwhelmed with sorrow and considered selling his wife. Feeling extremely unwilling, he drank some wine in frustration and then died. That's how he transmigrated into this world.

After merging these memories, Yu Shaowu was somewhat unsure whether he had transmigrated to this world or whether the original owner had awakened memories of his past life.

Regardless, Yu Shaowu knew that the two souls had now merged into one and could no longer be separated.

Looking at Wan Shi in front of him, and then at the frostbite and calluses on her hands, he felt a deep sense of admiration.

It is truly remarkable that a woman could remain true to herself and work tirelessly even when her family suffered such a great upheaval and her husband looked down on her.

Compared to her, the original owner seemed much more fragile.

Seeing Wan's tearful face, Yu Shaowu smiled slightly and said, "You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault. I was too harsh on you before."

Madam Wan was stunned. Since her father's accident, her husband had never spoken to her so kindly.

However, a possibility immediately occurred to her, and tears streamed down her face again as she said, "My lord, I know you went to see Master Zhang today. You wanted to sell me into slavery in his household..."

Before Yu Shaowu could speak, Madam Wan continued, "However, I don't blame you. Right now, we're short of food and clothing, have to pay the summer taxes, and buy you medicine. Besides selling myself, I really have no other choice. Who told me to be so unlucky? It's all fate..."

As she spoke, tears streaming down her face, Yu Shaowu interrupted her, saying in a deep voice, "I did have that thought before, but I've come to a decision now. Since we're husband and wife, we should stand together through thick and thin. Don't worry, my wife, I won't be as awful as I used to be."

In fact, Yu Shaowu did go to discuss the matter of selling his wife with Master Zhang, but that was the original owner's idea and had nothing to do with him.

In his view, Lady Wan was naturally beautiful and intelligent, a highly desirable woman. Although the Wan family was currently implicated, according to Yu Shaowu's understanding of history, the eunuch faction would be purged in just two or three years. At that time, those who had been framed by Wei Zhongxian would be exonerated, and the situation would immediately reverse.

Therefore, both logically and emotionally, Yu Shaowu could not possibly sell the Wan family's property.

Hearing this, Wan felt a surge of joy and a slight sense of relief. Previously, she had been heartbroken after learning of her husband's intention to sell her. After all, chastity was a woman's most precious possession, and Master Miao's lechery was notorious throughout Baode Prefecture. Going to his household as a slave would be tantamount to throwing herself into the lion's den.

For her husband's sake, she had been trying to mentally prepare herself. But she remained on the verge of collapse, and her tears never stopped.

She felt relieved, but then worriedly asked, "But what should we do now? If we can't pay the summer tax, Commander Wang won't let us off the hook."

Yu Shaowu looked around and then pointed to the wooden box in the corner, saying, "I remember there's a Tuomu hard bow in here. It should fetch a good price."

Madam Wan looked at Yu Shaowu with some surprise and said, "Husband, that's your family heirloom. You value it more than your own life."

Yu Shaowu shook his head and said, "They're just relics of our ancestors. How could they be more important than life itself? They're not edible or drinkable here, and they're just taking up space. They should be sold."

As he spoke, he got out of bed, slipped on his shoes, and walked to the box. Although he had transmigrated, the original owner's body had not yet recovered, and after taking a few steps, he still felt a little dizzy.

He opened the box, took out the clothes hidden inside, and sure enough, he saw a long, rectangular box made of pear wood lying quietly at the bottom of the box; it was the box that contained the bow and arrows.

"Even a wrecked ship has three thousand nails; this box alone is worth a lot of money."

As Yu Shaowu spoke, he opened the box and took out the hard bow inside.

My father told me that this bow was the longbow that my grandfather, Yu Dayou, used to shoot Japanese pirates when he was young. Although it was not a particularly precious treasure, the maximum draw weight of the bow was a full eight hundred catties.

This was an exaggerated number, but Yu Shaowu knew it must be true. After all, in his memory, although the history of this era was similar to that of his previous life, the military strength was incomparable.

The ability to break through walls and leap across rooftops is not a myth in this world, but a real phenomenon. There are even some extraordinary beings among them.

But for Yu Shaowu, it made no difference whether it was 800 jin or 80 jin, because he couldn't lift it either way.

He reached into the pearwood box, intending to take out the sturdy bow and examine its quality. However, the instant his hand touched the bow, several lines of text suddenly flashed into his mind:

【Sea-Suppressing Sky-Patrolling Bow】

[Blue Quality]

[Equipment Effect: Mystic Armor Piercing, Qi Circulating Throughout the Heavens]

[Note: Blessed by Master Qing Teng, Xu Wenchang, and possessing the bloodline of the Yu family, this technique allows for effortless execution, like a full moon, without straining the body. At the moment of release, the mind is clear, and progress is greatly enhanced.]

—Excerpted from "The Manual of Extraordinary Weapons in the Martial World: Fragments from the Jiajing Era"

[Equipped?]