In this world, or rather in Xia, the selection of officials was through recommendations, appointments, invitations, nominations, hereditary rights, and so on. Military officers were generally selected similarly. Wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, courage, and discipline were qualities of a general; one who understood strategy, capabilities, and intentions was a general; courage meant not fearing death in battle, wisdom meant not acting rashly, benevolence meant loving people, trustworthiness meant not deceiving, loyalty meant having no ulterior motives, these were qualities of a general; one who ensured the nation was not let down by its soldiers, who did not worry about their own lives for their lord, who did not fear death in the face of danger, and who did not shy away from blame when making critical decisions, was a general; one who possessed gentleness within strength, strictness within love, wisdom within sincerity, and strategy within courage, was a general; one who was proficient in archery and horsemanship, and knowledgeable in military strategy, was a general.
However, while these words sounded grand and impressive, at this time, talent and virtue were disregarded. Favoritism, wealth, power, and even personal preferences were the primary considerations for selecting officials or generals. Appeals from influential families, recommendations from powerful relatives, and even the selling of official positions, meant that nominations were completely controlled by the powerful and wealthy.
The young man's surname was Dongye, and his given name was Han. He was from Langya, a prominent clan. His father, inheriting the legacy of his ancestors, had served as an officer in the Northern Army, a seventh-rank military official. According to the system, Dongye Han was also eligible to become an official through hereditary privilege. However, at this time, the Hu people were encroaching from the north, bringing chaos to the Central Plains, and Xia was destroyed, with the Central Plains falling into their hands. Dongye Han's father refused to serve Yan and lived in seclusion in the countryside of Langya. Later, when Dongye Han's father passed away, Dongye Han sold his ancestral property and, with only twenty-odd riders, fled south, intending to cross the river and return to Xia, to serve the Xia court, and to reclaim the Central Plains and their lost homeland.
Dongye Han came from a family of military officers, mastering all eighteen types of weaponry. He was skilled in archery and horsemanship, earning him the nickname "Little Sun Ce of Langya!" Dongye Han wished to join the army and serve his country, but he encountered pirates ravaging Longwan Village and thus intervened to rescue them.
"Kill!" Dongye Han, covered in blood, lined up with twenty-five equally blood-soaked subordinates and charged forward on horseback, into the pirate ranks.
Seeing this, most of the pirates, except for a dozen or so fierce bandits who continued to resist, let out a cry and scattered in all directions.
It must be known that not all pirates were brave Zhen'ao people, nor were they all fierce bandits. Many of them had been coerced into joining the pirates, and many of them were formerly impoverished commoners who could not make a living.
A disorganized rabble might be formidable when plundering civilians, but when they encountered a tough opponent, they would crumble like a mountain collapsing, and scatter like leaves in the wind, fleeing faster than anyone.
Of course, the pirates' dispersal was not entirely due to Dongye Han and his men, but also because a large contingent of Snow Bear Army reinforcements arrived. The Snow Bear Army cavalry descended along the mountain, raising a vast expanse of dust that looked truly terrifying, causing many pirates to feel apprehensive and unwilling to engage in a direct fight, opting only to flee for their lives.
"Kill!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Beat these beasts to death!"
"My poor brother's family... I'll fight you to the death!"
Longwan Village was suddenly attacked. Apart from a very small number who resisted, the remaining villagers either fled or hid. Those who could not escape or hide either died at the hands of the pirates or were captured by them, left to their fate.
Now, with the arrival of the imperial army, the pirates' momentum was broken, and they all fled. Especially one general, who was exceptionally skilled in martial arts and extremely brave, having personally killed over ten pirates. Therefore, the villagers, who had previously lacked courage, now found their bravery, and those who already had courage were even more so. They rushed towards the fleeing pirates with wooden clubs, hoes, scythes, rakes, and carrying poles. Men and women, old and young, chased the fleeing pirates, beating them with clubs and hoes whenever they caught one, reducing them to a bloody mess.
"Chiiii..." With a light sound, Dongye Han, while galloping on his horse, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and immediately shot it. The arrow flew like lightning towards a pirate who was fleeing towards a boat.
"Pfft..." With a sound, as a pirate desperately ran towards a wooden boat by the sea, an arrow fell from the sky, hitting him precisely on the back of the head. Blood splattered, and the pirate fell face down into the muddy ground by the sea, his boat only seven or eight feet away.
Skilled in archery and horsemanship, "Little Sun Ce of Langya" truly lived up to his name!
Dongye Han's divine arrow only startled the pirates for a moment, after which they desperately rushed towards the wooden boats. At the same time, Dongye Han's divine arrow drew loud cheers from the Snow Bear Army soldiers who were charging forward!
In their panic, one of the fleeing pirates' wooden boats, overloaded with too many people, capsized in the water. By then, the villagers of Longwan Village had also reached the shore. Some fishermen jumped onto the boats and began stabbing wildly into the water with their fishing spears.
Thus, shrill screams echoed from the water, and the blood stained the surface red.
The pirates were routed, but many still managed to board boats and flee out to sea. Both Dongye Han and the Snow Bear Army, pursuing them to the shore, could only sigh in helplessness.
At this point, dozens of pirates were surrounded by the sea. Their boats had already sailed far away, leaving them with only two options: surrender or die.
"Discard your weapons, strip naked, and beg for surrender!" a Snow Bear Army flag officer named Xi Ben, mounted on his horse, shouted at the pirates, pointing his weapon at them.
Xi Ben was a slave from Guizi in the Western Regions. After being rescued by Zhou Fugui, he had been following Zhou Fugui to Donghai Commandery.
"Haha, flag bearer, why should we strip naked?" a Snow Bear Army soldier asked with a loud laugh.
"I, for one, want to see how big the testicles of these scoundrels are?" Xi Ben replied.
"Hahahaha!" The Snow Bear Army soldiers burst into loud laughter.
In fact, stripping off armor and clothing was a necessary measure to prevent hidden weapons when accepting surrender. However, Xi Ben's words were meant to humiliate the pirates.
"Roar!" The dozens of pirates surrounded by the sea were mostly Zhen'ao people. In their eyes, it was either victory or death; surrender was out of the question, let alone humiliation. Thus, they all roared and charged towards the Snow Bear Army.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
As the saying goes, a cornered beast will fight. Their end was mostly death. Row after row of arrowheads flew, felling most of the Zhen'ao people on the beach, dead or wounded. Those who desperately charged to the front of the Snow Bear Army were dismembered by a hail of blades.
The seawater repeatedly washed over the beach, stirring up bloody waves. Bodies bobbed in the waves.
"Pa!" Xi Ben was furious and lashed his horse, galloping forward and trampling on an un-dead Zhen'ao person. Xi Ben trampled and cursed, "Damn scoundrel, I'll crush your balls!"
The Zhen'ao person, not yet dead, let out a series of piercing screams until he fell silent, becoming a bloody pulp.
Xi Ben's subordinates followed suit, urging their horses forward and trampling on the Zhen'ao people until they were reduced to a meat paste. Some even deliberately prevented the Zhen'ao people from dying quickly, taking pleasure in torturing them.
The ferocity of the Hu people was not unfounded. Although Zhou Fugui had strictly enforced military discipline since building his army, the ferocity ingrained in their bones could not be changed in a short time. Moreover, Zhou Fugui did not intend to change their nature.
At the same time, the Zhen'ao people were not to be trifled with. If one fell into their hands, a quick death was a luxury.
"Hmph, let's go!" Seeing the exceptionally bloody and brutal scene by the sea, Dongye Han snorted coldly and said to his subordinates.
Dongye Han was not afraid, but rather felt a pang of pity.
Pirates were evil, and taking their lives was sufficient. Why take pleasure in torturing them?
"Hero, please stay!" Xi Ben saw Dongye Han and his men preparing to leave and called out.
With a wave of his hand, Xi Ben ordered the Snow Bear Army to surround Dongye Han and his men.
"What is it?" Dongye Han, holding his wolf-head-swallowing-gold spear upside down, asked coldly.
"Southern barbarian boy, what is your name? I am Xi Ben, a subordinate of our Grand Commander. Come with us to see my Grand Commander." Dongye Han's attitude was indifferent, so Xi Ben did not stand on ceremony and said to Dongye Han.
Xi Ben had already seen Dongye Han's exceptional martial arts and superb archery skills, and he had the intention of recommending Dongye Han to Zhou Fugui's command. Zhou Fugui valued talent, especially military talent, and Xi Ben, having followed Zhou Fugui for many years, knew this well. Recommending a brave general to Zhou Fugui was not only a meritorious deed but also a way to curry favor with him...
"Who is your Grand Commander? I don't know, and I don't want to know," Dongye Han said arrogantly upon hearing this.
Dongye Han was crossing the river to go to the Xia dynasty to join the army and serve his country, with the sole purpose of killing the Hu people and reclaiming the lost lands of Great Xia. How could he meet some Hu Grand Commander? Encountering the Snow Bear Army and "fighting alongside" them was merely a coincidence. Therefore, Dongye Han planned to leave and did not want to get entangled with the Snow Bear Army further, as who knew what might happen if they continued to interact.
"Bold imposter, how dare you mock my Grand Commander?" Xi Ben was immediately enraged. Pointing at Dongye Han, he reprimanded him, "Doesn't my Grand Commander often say that the common people are the parents who provide food and clothing? Today, I will take you to an official!"
Xi Ben and other slaves were rescued by Zhou Fugui, so they regarded Zhou Fugui as a reborn parent. Moreover, Zhou Fugui was a master of warfare, leading them to victory after victory, so they regarded Zhou Fugui as a god, unable to tolerate anyone showing disrespect, not even with their words, let alone their gaze.
"Oh, the common people are the parents who provide food and clothing? Does your Grand Commander say such a thing? What is your Grand Commander's esteemed surname and given name?" Dongye Han asked Xi Ben with great surprise.
The common people are the parents who provide food and clothing. How could a Hu chieftain utter such a phrase? Dongye Han was astonished. Furthermore, although Xi Ben and the other Snow Bear Army soldiers were exceptionally cruel to the pirates, they had not harassed or plundered the common people, acting with utmost integrity. Therefore, Dongye Han's attitude began to soften.
A wise man does not fight immediate disadvantage. Although Dongye Han and his men were skilled in martial arts, they were outnumbered. If a fight broke out, Dongye Han and his men would be at a great disadvantage. Even if the highly skilled Dongye Han could break through the encirclement, his twenty-odd retainers would surely be left behind on this beach.
"My Grand Commander is the Marquis of Pingliang of the Great Yan, the General Jianzhong, the Commander of the Donghai Military Affairs, and the Prefect of Donghai Commandery, Zhou Fugui!" Xi Ben replied proudly.
"Zhou Fugui?" The string of official titles before his name left Dongye Han somewhat bewildered, but the mention of Zhou Fugui's name caused Dongye Han to exclaim in surprise.
The name Zhou Fugui was well-known, resoundingly famous.