I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

Furthermore, one should say that one's given name and surname are the two skins upon which a Han man establishes himself and conducts himself in the world.

A name reflects one's bloodline, while a courtesy name reflects one's face.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, it was considered good if an ordinary soldier had a nickname; there was no need to pay attention to courtesy names.

Only those from prominent families, or those Confucian generals who had received some education, valued this thing more than their own lives.

Liu Chengxun's question was well-intentioned.

Since he valued Shen Lie, he wanted to get closer to him and stopped addressing him by his official title, but instead called him by his courtesy name, which showed some intimacy.

Shen Lie was speechless for a moment.

It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but that he couldn't.

The original owner was nothing more than a piece of duckweed in a chaotic world. His parents died early, and he grew up eating food from many families. Later, he joined the Fengguo Army in a daze.

It was even more impossible for a proper elder to perform the coming-of-age ceremony for him and bestow a courtesy name upon him.

He couldn't even be sure of his exact birth date and time; he only felt that his skeletal structure hadn't fully developed yet, and that he looked to be around twenty years old.

But whether it's the nineteenth or the twenty-first, perhaps the King of Hell has a record of it in his Book of Life and Death, but how would this lonely ghost know?

A moment of silence fell over the hall.

Such silence is often considered impolite at a banquet for important people.

Seeing that Shen Lie did not answer for a long time, Liu Chengxun was not angry. Instead, he felt very guilty, probably because he had asked Shen Lie about something that hurt him.

Just as Shen Lie was considering how to reveal the fact that he was an orphan in a dignified way, Guo Rong suddenly spoke up.

"Your Highness."

"Commander Shen is only twenty years old this year, and is still of age to take a courtesy name."

Upon hearing this, not only was Liu Chengxun stunned, but even Shen Lie himself was somewhat bewildered.

Twenty years old?

Twenty years old?

Shen Lie subconsciously raised his hand and touched his chin.

Yes, I do have some stubble.

However, even he himself couldn't figure out the exact age of this body.

How did Guo Rong find out?

Seemingly noticing their confusion, Guo Rong bowed slightly and explained:

"Your Highness, this is not something Jun Gui made up on a whim."

"Your Highness, have you forgotten? When you were in Hedong, Your Highness set about collecting the remains of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Zhongdu Bridge and composing their epitaphs."

"On His Highness's orders, Jun Gui went to review the military registers of the Fengguo Army from that time, and happened to see Commander Shen's military register."

At this point, Guo Rong first observed Shen Lie's expression before continuing.

"That box of military roster, with thousands of names, mostly had a vermilion cross drawn on it, except for Commander Shen's page, which, although tattered, was not crossed out."

"He joined the army in the seventh year of Tianfu, his hometown was Chang'an, and he was fifteen years old. Counting from today, he has just come of age."

This statement is well-reasoned and watertight.

Guo Rong is a man of meticulous attention to detail.

With such skill in handling complex and mundane affairs, it's hard to believe he dares to claim he can settle the world in thirty years.

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengxun's eyes showed even more regret.

"I see."

The prince sighed softly.

"At the tender age of twenty, he had already experienced countless battles and carried a deep-seated hatred. Commander Shen has suffered too much in these past twenty years."

Now that their age and the fact that Shen Lie had no given name were known, it was only natural, according to the customs of the time, for a superior to bestow a name as a sign of favor.

Liu Chengxun's lips moved slightly, and the words "How about I ask my father to bestow a name upon you?" were already on the tip of his tongue.

If it were Liu Chengyou, he would probably have taken on all the responsibility long ago.

After all, bestowing a name signifies the bond between teacher and student, and means that one's own mark has been left on the student.

But Liu Chengxun is still Liu Chengxun.

His words lingered on his tongue, but he swallowed them back down.

Why?

Because he thought of Shi Hongzhao.

Shen Lie's current identity is the commander of the Fuwei Army, a trusted confidant promoted by Shi Hongzhao.

Shi Hongzhao, that old killer, is extremely petty and fiercely protective of his own.

If we were to ask the Emperor to give Shen Lie a courtesy name, it would likely be a complicated matter in Shi Hongzhao's eyes.

Now that the new dynasty has just been established, it is the time to rely heavily on military generals.

Liu Chengxun was well aware of his father's favor towards Shi Hongzhao, and also of the fragile state of the new dynasty.

If a single word causes Shi Hongzhao to harbor resentment towards Shen Lie, then this matter is not good.

This is not something you can do at will!

This is Liu Chengxun's lack of contention.

Instead of trying to win over Shen Lie, he was focused on protecting Shen Lie's own future.

"Since you've just reached adulthood, there's no rush to choose a courtesy name."

Liu Chengxun smiled, gently brushing aside the favor that was about to be bestowed upon him, "When Commander Shen has made unparalleled contributions in Ye City in the future, we will invite a highly respected elder to collect it, which will show the solemnity of the occasion."

Shen Lie, being perceptive, naturally knew what Liu Chengxun was worried about. He understood the prince's intention to protect him and immediately cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Highness's consideration is very thoughtful, and I am deeply grateful."

Guo Rong naturally understood the thoughts in the minds of the two men just now, and he was indeed somewhat afraid afterward, but he also felt more respect for Prince Liu Chengxun.

If we can use this matter to recruit Shen Lie, it would certainly be a good thing.

Although Shi Hongzhao wouldn't say anything on the surface, he would definitely feel uncomfortable inside.

If that's the case, it would actually harm Shen Lie.

"In that case, I'll just call you Shen Yaozhou from now on." Liu Chengxun raised his wine glass to Shen Lie.

After the four of them drank their wine, Shen Lie thought there would be an awkward silence for a while.

Guo Tong found it amusing. Although Shen Lie looked younger, he was, after all, a commander who had fought his way up from the bottom.

He had assumed that Shen Lie must be quite old, and even addressed him as "Brother Shen," but he never expected that this commander was actually two years younger than him.

Thinking of this, he had intended to make a joke about the young man's talent, but instead he couldn't help but ask, "Then Shen..."

The words had barely left his mouth when he regretted them.

As Guo Wei's eldest son, even if he wasn't particularly adept at interpersonal relationships, he shouldn't have offended others to their face.

What necessary relationship is there between age and title?

Then, with a quick glance, she continued, "Brother Shen will soon be going to Ye City, where he will likely serve under Grand Tutor Gao and Murong Zhenning. Both of them are renowned generals of our time, but their temperaments are quite different."

"Brother Shen probably doesn't understand this very well. Why don't you ask His Highness to enlighten him?"

That's a serious topic.

Liu Chengxun nodded. "What Qing-ge said makes sense."

"General Gao is known for his steady military tactics and places great emphasis on discipline, while the Imperial Uncle is fiery-tempered and always favors brave and fierce warriors. If Shen Yaozhou can please him on this trip..."

Shen Lie sat there listening, his face showing a respectful expression.

My mind naturally began to stir.

In this era, probably no one understands these two people better than himself.

Shen Lie habitually flipped through his memories.

Gao Xingzhou was formerly a member of the Youzhou Army under Jieyan, and later joined Li Siyuan's command, where he and Li Congke jointly led the elite troops.

Murong Yanchao was also a fierce general. Back then, he and Huangfu Yu led a thousand cavalrymen to charge and kill tens of thousands of Liao soldiers.

As for this campaign by the two against Du Chongwei...

The result, naturally, was...

"Du Chongwei is entrenched in Ye City, backed by Yan and Yun, and commands tens of thousands of elite Yan soldiers. Although Grand Tutor Gao is prudent and Imperial Uncle Murong is fierce, it will be difficult for them to achieve victory in one battle."

Liu Chengxun, after all, came from a distinguished family and, influenced by his surroundings, possessed a keen eye for talent.

"In my opinion, in the end, this battle will probably only be settled by the Emperor himself leading the army. Therefore, it may not be a bad thing that Shen Yaozhou is able to go ahead with the army this time."

This is a good time to conserve energy and prepare for the campaign.