The Innocent Heart - Chapter 81

Days of marching by day and drinking by night continued for another five days until the towering walls of Juyang City—the administrative seat of Shanggu Commandery—loomed on the horizon.

Unlike Chang’an, Juyang’s walls were built exceptionally high and sturdy to defend against Xiongnu incursions, resembling a massive stone barrier that safely encased the entire city.

However, this was not the final destination for Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing. The cavalry led by Wei Qing would cut through this sizable northern military hub and head sixty li southeast of Juyang to Juyong Pass.

There, the journey’s end awaited Guan Yueyao, Huo Qubing, and Chen Zhi. They were to remain at the pass until the day Wei Qing’s army returned in triumph.

To expedite the march, the ten-thousand-strong cavalry took a shortcut through Juyang.

On that morning, the east and west gates of Juyang were thrown wide open. The main thoroughfare cutting through the city had long been cleared by local patrols. Commoners wishing to catch a glimpse of the spectacle were forced to stand far back on either side of the road, watching from a distance.

Although the arrival of autumn and winter usually signaled Xiongnu raids, and the people of the border commanderies were accustomed to seeing patrolling soldiers, a military force of this caliber—with its disciplined advance, solemn bearing, and perfectly synchronized movements—still drew a massive crowd. For a moment, it seemed as if the entire city of Juyang had emptied as everyone squeezed onto the roadsides, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to watch.

Even Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing, under such intense public scrutiny, couldn’t help but straighten their backs even further. They kept their eyes fixed ahead, following the army at a steady trot through the heart of the city.

“Is this the general sent by the Imperial Court? He looks truly formidable. Perhaps this time we really can repel the Xiongnu!”

The citizens whispered excitedly to one another. Such a well-trained cavalry acted like a shot of adrenaline, instilling confidence and hope in the Emperor’s grand ambition to strike back at the northern nomads.

“If only I could join the Northern Army in the future,” a young onlooker remarked, his eyes filled with longing as the black-armored riders galloped past.

Sitting atop her horse, Guan Yueyao’s ears were filled with the heavy, rhythmic thundering of iron hooves on the ground, preventing her from hearing every individual comment. However, whenever she turned her head and caught a glimpse of the admiration and excitement on the faces in the crowd, her spirits soared. As a soldier, she suddenly felt a heavy weight settle on her shoulders—a weight of expectation.

So, these are the people we must protect from now on.

The thought filled her with excitement, and she began to look forward to the official start of their military life once they reached Juyong Pass.

Juyong Pass was situated in a spur of the Taihang Mountains. Flanked by mountains with a great stream flowing through the ravine below, it was known as one of the five most treacherous passes and had always been a strategic prize for military strategists.

Not just Guan Yueyao, but Huo Qubing and Chen Zhi were also seeing it for the first time. The three youths stood before the massive gates, gazing up in silence, momentarily lost for words.

The green peaks surrounding Juyong Pass were still bleak from the winter, as the spring breeze had not yet painted the hillsides with green. But for noble youths raised in the prosperity of the capital, being suddenly thrust into such a landscape provided a profound sense of awe.

The biting air carried a freshness unique to the mountains. With every breath, one felt a sense of full-body refreshment.

Huo Qubing couldn’t help but look around, trying to get a clear view of the Great Wall’s ramparts in the distance. However, mountain mists were rising, veiling the towering peaks in a shroud of clouds and fog—as if a thin layer of gauze had been draped over them, creating a hazy, ethereal beauty. It almost made one forget the lethal dangers hidden within those mountains.

“Ah! This place is wonderful! With the mountains and the water, it’s the kind of place you never want to leave!” Guan Yueyao had spent nearly the entire day on horseback, but the fatigue of the forced march was washed away by the natural splendor.

“Pfft. Someone who didn’t know better would think you came here for a hunting trip.” A scoffing laugh came from her side. Guan Yueyao was all too familiar with that voice; she didn’t need to turn to know it was Chen Zhi.

She turned back and rolled her eyes at him, then stuck out her tongue in a grotesque face and flipped him the middle finger.

Chen Zhi didn’t know the meaning of the gesture. He stared at it in confusion for a moment, sensing intuitively that it wasn’t a good sign. On a sudden impulse, he mimicked Guan Yueyao and flipped it back at her.

“Hahahaha!” Guan Yueyao wasn’t angry at being flipped off by a person from the Han Dynasty; instead, she roared with laughter, find it incredibly hilarious.

This completely bewildered Chen Zhi. His right hand remained frozen in the gesture, unsure whether to put it down or pull it back.

“A-Yao, stop teasing him. It’s time to enter the pass.” Huo Qubing rode over, unable to suppress a chuckle at Chen Zhi’s expense.

He knew the crude meaning behind the gesture; in their private conversations, Guan Yueyao had taught him plenty of modern insults and hand signs. However, as a noble and a student of the Emperor, he refused to engage in such vulgarity himself. He was speechless that Chen Zhi had unknowingly learned such a thing, but he wasn’t kind enough to explain what it actually meant.

Guan Yueyao made one last face at Chen Zhi before contentedly following Huo Qubing into the pass.

Upon reaching the military camp, Wei Qing’s lieutenant, Guo Chun, came looking for them. Wei Qing intended to introduce them to the Garrison Officer currently stationed at Juyong Pass, Li Ting.

Officer Li Ting was a young man of a similar age to Wei Qing and appeared quite amiable. When Wei Qing entrusted his nephew and Guan Yueyao to him, Li Ting acted with great caution. But a moment later, when Chen Zhi was also brought in by Guo Chun and introduced, the last trace of a smile vanished from the officer’s face.

It wasn’t entirely his fault. Setting Guan Yueyao aside, one look at Huo Qubing and Chen Zhi told him they were pampered sons of the capital. One was the nephew of the Emperor’s favorite consort, and the other was the grandson of the Emperor’s aunt. Even though Li Ting came from a noble family himself—being a kinsman of the “Flying General” Li Guang—these boys were not someone a mere Garrison Officer could easily restrain.

The more earnest Wei Qing’s attitude became, the more Li Ting’s head ached. Yet, he couldn’t let a single hint of displeasure show on his face. He groaned inwardly, praying he could make it through these few months smoothly and return these royal relatives safely into Wei Qing’s hands.

The three youths were oblivious to Officer Li Ting’s inner turmoil. After leaving the room, they couldn’t wait to explore the magnificent fortress.

Due to the arrival of the expeditionary force, Juyong Pass was unusually bustling, as if the echoes of the Spring Festival had not yet faded. Within the fortress, the buildings were orderly, their design and layout similar to the Northern Army’s camps in Chang’an. However, the soldiers hurrying about were vastly different from those of the Northern Army.

Those who entered the Northern Army were mostly sons of respectable families from the capital region; even if they weren’t wealthy, they usually had some family backing. In contrast, the soldiers guarding this bitter frontier were mostly local conscripts or convicts who had been banished for crimes. These men were accustomed to war; even if they weren’t veterans of a hundred battles, they carried the fierce, rugged air of the North.

As the three walked through the camp, they could feel cold, probing gazes lingering on them, which made them feel uncomfortable.

“Forget it. Let’s go back and pack. We should say a proper goodbye to my uncle tonight,” Huo Qubing said to Guan Yueyao with a frown, looking displeased.

Guan Yueyao naturally didn’t object. She had also noticed those unfriendly stares and felt ill at ease. As for Chen Zhi, he was only familiar with Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing in this fortress, so he followed them back to their temporary quarters without a word.

Li Ting didn’t dare neglect the three noble youths. He arranged separate bedrooms for each of them. Although the furnishings were simple, this was already an extraordinary luxury compared to the common soldiers. While unintentional, this arrangement by Li Ting would only make it harder for Guan Yueyao and the others to integrate into the fortress later on.

In truth, Li Ting himself didn’t believe these three boys would achieve anything or be of any use in Juyong Pass. Subconsciously, he treated them as juniors sent by the Emperor for a frontier excursion, to be carefully looked after. As long as he didn’t upset them or let them disrupt the camp, and safely waited for General Wei Qing to take them back to Chang’an, he would consider his duty done.

In fact, it wasn’t just Guan Yueyao and Huo Qubing—even Wei Qing, as a newcomer who had never officially been to war yet was now leading ten thousand riders, faced silent skepticism from the heroes of the North. The men they truly admired were veterans like Li Guang, whose fame was legendary but who had never been granted a marquisate. To them, Wei Qing was merely a “relative” of the palace, and they viewed him with increasing disdain.

But regardless of their feelings, he was the General of Chariots and Cavalry personally appointed by the Emperor. Li Ting couldn’t gauge Wei Qing’s temperament and didn’t dare offend the Emperor’s brother-in-law. He ordered pigs and sheep to be brought in from surrounding villages and towns, hosting a great banquet for the entire army that night.

Tonight would be the final night Wei Qing and his soldiers spent within the borders of the Han Dynasty.

Starting tomorrow, Wei Qing would lead his iron cavalry away from the land he had lived in for over twenty years, heading into the vast, boundless grasslands to officially begin his legendary life.