Three Generals

"Your subordinate Xiao Shaoyou and Luo Yu salute General!"

Xiao Shaoyou led Luo Yu to the general's residence. It was Luo Yu's first time entering Yunyang Pass's command center, and he felt an inexplicable solemnity.

In the spacious hall sat three middle-aged men. The one in the middle was Kong Xian, Yunyang Pass's commander, a fifth-rank general.

Luo Yu thought to himself that once he sat in Kong Xian's position, he would have fulfilled his five-year agreement.

The square-faced man on the left was Jun Yi from the Jun family, while the slightly thinner man on the right was Li Chengxiao from the Li family. Neither had official imperial positions; they were merely family retainers.

On the way, Xiao Shaoyou had explained the power distribution in Yunyang Pass. Each of the three commanded over a thousand troops. Kong Xian was nominally the highest-ranking military officer, but Jun and Li often paid lip service to Kong Xian's orders while secretly defying them, leaving Kong Xian powerless against them.

"Ha ha, Shaoyou is back. I heard you won another battle."

The familiar nickname "Shaoyou" made Luo Yu raise an eyebrow - it sounded quite intimate.

Xiao Shaoyou answered straightforwardly:

"Reporting to General, the Black Gorge Fort battle was commanded by Headman Luo Yu, not by me. On our way back to the city, we were ambushed by Qiang cavalry, and Captain Zhang unfortunately died. I failed to protect him, please punish me, General!"

"Zhang Lu died? Never mind, deaths are common during war. Since he's dead, you can take over his position as captain."

"Understood!"

Luo Yu was stunned - was this matter resolved so easily? There wasn't even any questioning. Or was a captain's life insignificant to these generals?

"Is this Luo Yu, the headman?"

Jun Yi, seated to one side, said with interest:

"In the Cockcrow Fort battle, you killed nearly a hundred Qiang soldiers with just one company. In the Black Gorge Fort battle, you wiped out 150 Qiang cavalry and killed two of their captains, greatly boosting our army's morale.

Tsk tsk, truly impressive for a young man."

"Rare to see such a capable new recruit these days."

Li Chengxiao also smiled: "The border situation has been poor recently, but these two battles have restored some of our dignity. General Kong, you should reward this young man properly."

Luo Yu had gained quite a reputation in Yunyang Pass over the past two days. Both the Cockcrow Fort and Black Gorge Fort battles were victories against superior forces, with minimal casualties on our side while killing 250 Qiang soldiers.

This was a major military achievement - the other dozen or so forts combined hadn't killed as many enemy soldiers.

"Ha ha, of course we must reward those who have earned it."

Kong Xian smiled: "You look young, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Where are you from?"

"Quezhou."

"So you're a border man. Border men are indeed tough. I heard you can read?"

"I studied in a private school as a child."

"Good, literate soldiers are rare in the army."

Kong Xian grew even more satisfied, nodding repeatedly:

"After the Cockcrow Fort battle, you were promoted to headman by Zhang Lu. Now you've achieved great merit at Black Gorge Fort. Even though you're a new recruit, we must reward you according to your military achievements.

Starting today, you're a captain!"

Luo Yu was surprised - he'd been promoted directly to captain, making him equal in rank to Xiao Shaoyou?

Before Luo Yu could thank him, Li Chengxiao spoke up:

"General Kong, killing 250 enemies is a major achievement. Isn't giving him just a captain's position a bit stingy?

Brother Luo, why don't you come under my command? Although you'd still be a captain, I can give you twice the manpower and double the salary.

What do you say?"

Luo Yu frowned - was this guy trying to poach him?

He quickly realized that there was competition between the three generals, each trying to expand their own power. If he accepted Kong Xian's promotion, he would be considered an imperial army officer. But if he joined the Li family, he would become their private army.

This open poaching made Kong Xian's eyes turn cold:

"General Li, isn't this inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate? Whether it's the imperial army or private army, aren't we all serving the court and defending the border? Ha ha. Besides, what's wrong with joining our Li family? We have plenty of silver."

"General Li is indeed wealthy, I admire that."

Kong Xian's words were sarcastic, but he couldn't do anything about Li Chengxiao. It seemed this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.

Li Chengxiao's lips curled into a smile:

"In my opinion, let's not argue. Why don't we let Brother Luo make the choice? Everyone has their own aspirations. If Brother Luo wants to join my command, General Kong can't force him, right?"

All eyes turned to Luo Yu - the decision was in his hands.

This was a tricky situation. Joining the Li family would offend Kong Xian, while joining Kong Xian would offend the Li family. Did he really have to offend a general right after arriving in Yunyang Pass?

Luo Yu's eyes darted around, then quickly said:

"Your subordinate is just a headman, how can I make such a decision? I was previously under Captain Xiao's command, so let's follow Captain Xiao's lead."

He had passed the hot potato back to Xiao Shaoyou, who shot him a subtle glare before saying:

"General Li, Luo brother is new to the army and doesn't understand many rules. He would be a troublemaker in your army. Better to stay under General Kong's command.

Besides, General Li's army is already strong. What difference would these few dozen men make? Ha ha."

This left Li Chengxiao speechless, embarrassed to turn away. Kong Xian, however, laughed heartily:

"Ha ha, Shaoyou is right. Stay under my command."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

"Starting today, you're a captain under my command. I'll give you a hundred men's worth of food, salary, and weapons. As for the soldiers, you'll have to recruit them yourself. Work hard, and the court won't let you down!"

"Your subordinate understands. Thank you for the promotion, General!"

"Old Li, find a clean table!"

"Ah, Captain Xiao, it's been a while. Please, this way."

"Same as usual - two bowls of mutton soup and four steamed buns."

"Got it!"

After leaving the general's residence, Xiao Shaoyou took Luo Yu to a street-side food stall. The old man Li looked to be about sixty, with white hair, thin frame, and a cotton robe with several patches.

It was a street stall with five or six wooden tables and a large pot nearby, giving off a cozy atmosphere.

From their greeting, it was clear Xiao Shaoyou was a regular customer, very familiar with the old man. Soon they were served two bowls of mutton soup and some buns.

"This is a famous local dish in Yunyang Pass - mutton soup with steamed buns. You're from Quezhou, you should have heard of it?"

"Heard of it, but never eaten it."

Luo Yu nodded honestly. He had lived in a small village with his mother, just surviving was a miracle, let alone eating mutton soup with steamed buns. But it looked similar to the mutton soup with steamed buns in Shaanxi.

"Let me show you."

Xiao Shaoyou picked up a bun and slowly tore it apart:

"There are three classic ways to eat mutton soup with steamed buns: dry, broth, and water city. I like the water city style best.

The key is lots of broth with few buns. Tear the bun into medium-sized pieces, then add plenty of broth. The buns are surrounded by broth, hence the name water city. This style has rich broth and soft buns…"

Xiao Shaoyou spoke enthusiastically, already tearing the bun into pieces. Luo Yu saw a different side of this newly appointed captain - he was actually a food connoisseur.

"You're a captain now, but you only have sixty or seventy men. No one will give you reinforcements, you'll have to recruit them yourself."

Xiao Shaoyou said while eating:

"There are many scattered soldiers and refugees in the city, as well as laborers. You can recruit from among them…"

Knowing Luo Yu was new to the army, Xiao Shaoyou explained many military matters. After listening for a while, Luo Yu interrupted him:

"Our General Kong seems to be quite good to you?"

In the general's residence, Kong Xian's attitude toward Xiao Shaoyou was very good. As a deputy captain, he shouldn't be treated with such importance.

"I was his personal guard when I first joined the army, so I'm one of his close men. Later, I achieved some minor accomplishments, and he began to take better care of me."

Xiao Shaoyou said casually:

"But I found being a personal guard boring, so I asked to command my own troops and left his side."

Good grief, no wonder he was so confident killing Zhang Lu - he had such strong backing.