Thirty miles outside the city of Liangzhou stood a pavilion known as the “Pavilion of Turning Back,” a place where people parted ways, and where those seeing others off would return home. From early morning, elderly folks began to arrive in droves. By noon, the pavilion was filled with white-haired seniors. As dusk approached, the pavilion and its surroundings were packed with no fewer than five or six hundred people from all walks of life. Not all were city dwellers; many had traveled hundreds of miles to be here. Some were old friends who had come together, only to meet long-lost comrades at the pavilion, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions and heartfelt conversations about the vicissitudes of life. Others, strangers at first, struck up conversations out of loneliness while waiting, only to discover they were all veterans from various old battalions. The scene at the Pavilion of Turning Back was quite unusual: a wealthy old man in fine silks knelt before a poor, simple farmer; some brought exquisite wines but still drank the cheap green ant wine; others argued fiercely over a battle from the Spring and Autumn Periods. Some elderly men sat alone, leaning on their canes, isolated and forlorn.
On the nearby The Post Road (post road), there was a constant flow of riders in bright clothes and fine horses. Young people unfamiliar with the past were puzzled by this gathering of old men, wondering if they had taken the wrong medicine or something. In the afternoon, an old man missing an arm, riding in a modest ox cart, was about to get down to lead his ox off the road to avoid blocking the path of travelers. Unfortunately, he still blocked the way of a carriage. The driver was a strong man, clearly used to bullying others with arrogance, and shouted rudely. But the old ox stubbornly refused to move. A proud groom from a wealthy family jumped down from the carriage, despising the old man for his blindness, and cursed, “A good dog doesn’t block the way!” He raised his whip to strike the poor old man on the head, indifferent to whether he lived or died. However, as the whip descended, the ragged old man holding the ox’s reins easily caught it, murmured an apology, and then released the whip before continuing to “reason” with his faithful ox. The groom, in his prime, felt his dignity deeply wounded and flew into a rage. He rushed forward to kick the old man to the ground, hoping to avoid the master inside the carriage seeing this and scolding him for his inefficiency. But to his surprise, the old man, with a seemingly drunken stagger, dodged the fierce kick and gently pushed the groom’s chest with his single arm. The groom flew backward for three or four zhang but did not fall. Standing still, the groom was filled with shock and realized he had encountered a hidden master of great skill.
The elders at the Pavilion of Turning Back and along the roadside witnessed this and erupted into cheers and applause. The groom, humiliated, was followed by five or six attendants from the carriage who could not bear to see their comrade shamed and were about to charge forward. But outside the pavilion, an elderly man dressed in luxurious Shu brocade shouted fiercely. Almost simultaneously, more than ten other elders shouted to stop them. These wealthy-looking elders pushed through the crowd, exchanged glances, and then simply exchanged greetings with clasped fists. The man in brocade glared at the riders and roared, “Who among you dares to charge? Just try it!”
From the luxurious carriage stepped a fat, prosperous merchant with a round face. Seeing the old man in brocade, he was so terrified that he hastily ordered his henchmen to retreat and slapped the groom hard before kneeling and trembling, saying, “Your humble servant, Song Long, pays respects to General of Youzhou!”
The old man in brocade remained expressionless and said coldly, “You know me, but I don’t know you. What kind of person do you think you are? Get lost!”
Song Long, a sixth-grade official in Liangzhou, had once attended a banquet where he sat at the end of the table and saw this General Zhou. Although General Zhou had just retired from his prestigious position as the General of Youzhou, he still had countless protégés. Even great generals like Zhong Hongwu and Yan Wenluan treated him with respect and camaraderie. How could a mere sixth-grade official like Song Long dare to defy him? The Beiliang Circuit governed only three provinces. Apart from the top-ranking generals stationed at the border, the next tier of power was held by the generals of Liangzhou, Youzhou, and Lingzhou. Liangzhou and Youzhou bordered the Northern Barbarians, far more significant than Lingzhou. These three generals were not mere honorary titles without real power; even if Song Long had ten times the courage of a bear or a leopard, he would never dare to provoke General Zhou.
A tall and imposing elder emerged alongside the former General of Youzhou, Zhou Kang. He looked slightly younger and more vigorous than Zhou Kang. Fixing his gaze on the one-armed old man who had arrived in the ox cart, he was overcome with emotion and knelt on the road, weeping as he said, “Yuan Nanting of the Lianzi Battalion pays respects to General Lin!”
Song Long, who had been anxiously trying to appease General Zhou’s anger, was startled again by these words. Yuan Nanting was one of the top archers in the Beiliang army, leading the Baiyu Cavalry. After one of the Four Tigers of Beiliang, Wei Fucheng, was transferred to Xishu, Yuan Nanting took command of two of the three divisions. He wielded immense power. But even this was not enough to explain why Yuan Nanting, a general of the fourth rank, would kneel before this “Lin General.” Realizing that a great calamity had befallen him, Song Long wished he could die on the spot! He disregarded General Zhou’s command to “get lost” and knelt down, bowing frantically. He didn’t care who this “Lin General” was in the Beiliang army, only that he must kowtow and burn incense.
Zhou Kang had held the position of General of Youzhou for over a decade. He naturally recognized Yuan Nanting, the commander of the Baiyu Archers, but they were not particularly close. The Beiliang cavalry, forged in the battles of the Two Liao, grew stronger during the Spring and Autumn Wars, becoming a complex force with diverse origins and factions. Zhou Kang and Yuan Nanting belonged to different factions, each supported by senior generals from the older generation. However, when Yuan Nanting knelt and called out “General Lin,” Zhou Kang immediately understood that the one-armed old man was none other than Lin Dufang, the first commander of the Lianzi Battalion. Lin had lost an arm saving the Grand General, who once said, “If Lin Dufang had a daughter or granddaughter, she would be a suitable match for my son Xu Xiao!” But after the Grand General was enfeoffed as a king, Lin Dufang vanished without a trace. Now, seeing him again, even Zhou Kang, known for his pride and arrogance, bowed respectfully and said, “Zhou Kang pays respects to General Lin!”
The one-armed old man, leading his ox off the road, nodded to Zhou Kang and then walked over to help Song Long up, saying calmly, “The Grand General worked hard to forge an elite army that dominates the world. It’s not meant for you to show off in front of the people. Well then, Minister Song, there’s no need to kneel anymore. Go about your business. Don’t dwell on today’s incident. Focus more on the people.”
Song Long dared not even wipe the sweat from his forehead, nodding hastily and fleeing in embarrassment.
The group of elders paid no heed to Song Long, who was no more than a clown. Zhou Kang smiled and asked, “General Lin, why have you come here?”
Lin Dufang, not one for pretense or political games, had retired from public life nearly twenty years ago at the height of his career in the Beiliang army. Looking down the road, he sighed softly, “Haven’t you all been waiting for the Young Master to come to the capital yet?”
As an old soldier of the Lianzi Battalion, Yuan Nanting remained as respectful as ever, even after becoming a general. He saluted and said, “Reporting to General Lin, Yuan Nanting and the old comrades have waited the entire day and still have not seen a carriage guarded by iron cavalry pass through the Pavilion of Turning Back.”
Lin Dufang nodded and smiled, “On my way here, I heard about his trip to the Northern Barbarians and the two heads he brought back. Do you believe it?”
Zhou Kang said gravely, “The deaths of Xu Huainan, the Northern Court King, and Fifth He of the Tili Mountain have spread throughout the Northern Barbarians. It’s impossible to hide. There’s no doubt that someone cut off their heads by force. If only Xu Huainan had died, I might have considered it a political move by the Northern Barbarian Empress, but the death of Fifth He cannot be explained as mere infighting. Now, there are scattered reports that Tao Qianzhi of Liuxia City was also killed by the Young Master. Even the Northern Barbarian demon Xie Ling was slain. Later, the Young Master encountered Tuoba Chunsun, the young son of Tuoba Pusa. Two notorious villains under his command were killed by the Young Master alone. I secretly traced the Young Master’s route through the Northern Barbarians in my residence, and it perfectly matches the timeline of these villains’ deaths. It must be true. These years, we old men have truly lost our sharpness.”
Lin Dufang smiled faintly and said, “These terrifying tales, whether true or not, I haven’t paid much attention to. I came to the Pavilion of Turning Back before I die because I heard about Xu Yongguan of the Yulong Battalion. After someone broke his leg, a young man often bought him wine and promised to carry his coffin after his death. If the Young Master hadn’t taken over the duty of carrying the coffin in the Grand General’s stead, Xu Yongguan might never have known who that young man was. I’m stubborn by nature, and I decided that if we old men fought for decades alongside the Grand General on horseback, and now this young man has taken over Beiliang, it’s not so bad. Back then, I was angry with the Grand General and went off to farm. In recent years, I heard about this young man’s reckless behavior and cursed the Grand General from afar, saying, ‘You raised such a brat!’ I was even glad I had no daughters or granddaughters, or else I would have regretted it deeply.”
Zhou Kang, Yuan Nanting, and the surrounding elders all burst into hearty laughter.
Lin Dufang laughed along and said, “But now I regret it even more. If I had known back then, I should have married that Southern Tang princess. She was incredibly beautiful. But I was too proud and missed the chance. Otherwise, I would have had a whole family by now.”
Yuan Nanting, usually as stern as a grim reaper in the army, now looked like a mischievous child as he grinned and said, “General Lin, you actually had such a romantic story with the Southern Tang princess? Tell us more!”
Lin Dufang glared, and Yuan Nanting immediately lowered his gaze. Lin slapped Yuan’s forehead and scolded, “When you were a common soldier, you were decent enough, but now that you’re a general, you’ve become a rogue. Let me warn you in advance, I heard you’ve been promoted to command most of the Baiyu Cavalry. Don’t let greed cloud your judgment and only think about making money. If I ever hear about it, I’ll break your three legs! If I don’t get the chance, I’ll ask General Zhou to do it for me. If this brat dares to fight back, General Zhou, you’ll have to go to the Grand General for justice.”
Zhou Kang laughed heartily, “With that said, I’ll definitely remember it, General Yuan. In the past, we’ve had several encounters where you glared at me with hostility. Now that I have General Lin’s decree, you’ll have to bring chickens, ducks, and fish to my house every few days to get on my good side!”
Yuan Nanting replied bluntly, “Back then, I didn’t get along with you, General Zhou, but it was unavoidable. The border troops and the local Youzhou forces inevitably had some friction. It wasn’t that I had any personal grudge against you. To be honest, now that we’ve met today, I recognize you as one of my old comrades. It’s a shame you’re no longer the General of Youzhou! I’ll tell the Grand General later—since you can’t be the General of Youzhou, why not make you the General of Liangzhou?”
Zhou Kang shook his head and smiled, “Unlike you, General Yuan, who is full of vigor and vitality, my body isn’t what it used to be. I won’t embarrass myself by competing with the younger generation for positions. But if there ever comes a day when I must ride into battle, I still can drink a few bowls of wine and eat a few pounds of beef a day. Sacrificing my life to kill dozens of Northern barbarians is no problem at all!”
Lin Dufang suddenly said, “I think this time he went to the capital without bringing any cavalry. Perhaps we’ve all missed him.”
Zhou Kang paused, and Yuan Nanting laughed loudly, “That’s even better. The eldest son of the Grand General, our future Prince of Beiliang, should have that kind of pride.”
A large group of elders around them nodded with smiles. Although they had failed to meet the Young Master and had waited in vain for a whole day, they felt no regret.
A humble carriage slowly passed by, leaving the Pavilion of Turning Back. It seemed hesitant and paused briefly.
A man in white clothes with white hair stepped out of the carriage.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the man bowed deeply.
He paid homage to the old soldiers.
When Lin Dufang saw this man, tears welled up in his eyes.
He patted his coarse sleeve, knelt, and shouted, “Lin Dufang of the Lianzi Battalion pays respects and sees off the Young Master on his journey to the capital!”
Zhou Kang followed closely behind, kneeling and saying solemnly, “Zhou Kang of Youzhou pays respects and sees off the Young Master on his journey to the capital!”
“General Yuan Nanting pays respects and sees off the Young Master on his journey to the capital!”
“Commander Qu An of the Dengcheng Battalion pays respects and sees off the Young Master on his journey to the capital!”
“Old cavalryman He Tui Ren pays respects and sees off the Young Master on his journey to the capital!”
…
Six hundred old soldiers stood before the young man who remained bowed for a long time.
One after another, six hundred voices cried out in unison: “We see you off!”
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