On the carriage, two other boys—one named Li Yu and the other Li Shan—sat chattering away. At only eleven or twelve, they came from families slightly wealthier than Li Yan's, which was not surprising in a village of no more than a dozen or so households. Naturally, the three youngsters were well acquainted. As the scenery outside changed with every passing moment, the moods of the boys shifted too. The initial quiet melancholy in their hearts was gradually replaced by the excitement brought on by fresh, ever-changing views. Li Yu and Li Shan soon began to converse animatedly, their voices rising in enthusiasm like the warm sunlight climbing higher in the sky, as they dreamily speculated about the future.
Li Yan, however, remained mostly silent, responding only occasionally or nodding along with their topics. His mind was awash with conflicting thoughts—concern for what lay ahead mixed with worry for his family back home. In the midst of his inner turmoil, he silently made up his mind: "This time, I must work hard and earn as much silver as I can so that when I return, I can build two grand courtyards in the village. One for my third brother—so he can eventually get married—and one for my parents and myself, so that my old folks may finally enjoy a good life. And during every festival, I'll bring my three elder sisters back together so that our family will never be torn apart." Yet even as this resolve took shape, his thoughts revealed a common youthful oversight: he had planned for his brother's future and his parents' comfort but had not yet considered that he, too, would someday have to forge his own family. His mind was a jumbled mix of hopes and worries.
Along the way, Uncle Guoxin seized a quiet moment to pull Li Yan aside. In lowered tones, he advised him that once he enlisted he needed to perform well and earn the favor of his superiors. That favor might even secure him a place in a better military unit—and who knows, there was a small chance the elite guard might be assigned a duty guarding the city. Of course, he added that such an opportunity was far from guaranteed. He offered these reminders gently; he didn't want to overwhelm Li Yan with too many heavy thoughts.
Li Yan, jarred out of his reverie by Uncle Guoxin's interjection, nodded in agreement, and that small gesture seemed to reassure the older man.
After covering these points, Uncle Guoxin raised his voice slightly and continued, "Li Yan, if you join the elite guard, for the first few years you won't really have the chance to visit home—unless you earn a battle merit, which is unlikely at first. So if you need to send anything—a letter or some belongings—just leave them with Li Yu or Li Shan. Villagers come by the village quite often, and every time they do, they can pick them up and deliver them to your folks."
He went on, "Also, although several people from the village work or serve as apprentices in the city, there won't be time today to show you around. But the arrangements for Li Yu and Li Shan have already been made. Their assignments are quickly finalized once they pay the fee and sign a contract with their master's family—whereas yours might take a little longer to settle."
Li Yan then remarked, "Uncle Guoxin, if someone from the village stops by, can't they just pick it up from me? I mean, finding the military barracks shouldn't be too hard, right?"
Laughing, Uncle Guoxin chided, "You child—things aren't that simple! Those garrison barracks aren't places an ordinary person can casually visit. You'd inevitably be stopped and questioned; if you were mistaken for a spy of a hostile nation and thrown in jail, that'd be a big problem."
"Uh—well, I hadn't thought of that," Li Yan admitted sheepishly, scratching his head.
Then, with a twinkle in his eye, Uncle Guoxin teased further, "But once you've served for a few years—or if you climb the ranks and become an officer—we'll be coming all the way to the splendid capital to find you. Just be sure you remember who your Uncle Guoxin is by then!"
Before Li Yan could respond, Li Yu eagerly interjected, "Uncle Guoxin, once I learn how to cook properly, every time you come by I promise to treat you to the best food—completely free, and absolutely delicious!"
Not to be outdone, Li Shan added, "Uncle Guoxin, when the time comes, I'll provide not just for your family but for every household in the village. We'll give everyone the finest sickles and hoes, and even the best knives and spears for hunting!"
Uncle Guoxin burst into loud laughter, "Ha ha—very well, very well. In the future, our Li Village will rely on your generation. With you all taking care of things, when we're old we can simply brew a little wine, feast on wild game, and watch the sun rise and set over the great Qing Mountain—living life as carefree as we please!"
Once the conversation took off, the carriage was filled with lively chatter. Even Li Yan found himself joining in from time to time, contributing his own dreams and hopes as he listened.
The county town lay to the south of Li Village, just as a turn at the foot of the great Qing Mountain signaled the way. The carriage continued its journey southward; after all, Li Village itself was nestled near the peak of Qing Mountain—a vast range stretching both to the north and south into an unknown horizon.
By midday, they stopped at a cool, shady spot along the roadside. Uncle Guoxin took out some food and invited everyone to rest and eat. One by one, Li Yan and the others unpacked their modest rations—coarse grains, pickled vegetables, and a little bit of marinated wild meat. Eating and chatting together, they found a simple happiness in their shared meal.
By mid-afternoon, around the time traditionally marked as "Shen Shi," they reached the outskirts of the county town. From afar, on a wide expanse of open land, a city rose up—its walls built against the mountains to the east and west. As the carriage drew nearer, they could see that the city gate and wall soared over thirty zhang high. From their vantage point on the northern side, they could barely make out a row of dark, indistinct shapes moving atop the wall—likely the patrol soldiers. A single, glorious golden banner bearing the character "皇" (Emperor) fluttered in the wind, while on the gate itself, three large characters spelled out "Qingshan Ai."
Inside the carriage, Li Yan and his companions fell silent. Their mouths agape, they stared in wonder at the towering gate. Having grown up in the village—with their world limited to familiar surroundings—they had never before witnessed such grand and mighty architecture. For the first time, the sight filled them with endless awe.
At that moment, not many people passed through the city gate—perhaps because it was already well into the afternoon. Uncle Guoxin gently pulled on the reins to slow the carriage and turned to address the trio. "The county town is built along the mountain ranges to the east and west and is served by only two gates—one to the north and one to the south. The north gate's inspection is fairly light because most of the people coming through here are citizens of our own land. However, the south gate lies on the border with Meng State, and its checks are extremely strict. In fact, the south gate is usually open for just a few hours a day. Even though there's an open buffer zone of some ten or so li after the south gate before reaching the Meng border, for cavalry it's almost instantaneous. Fortunately, the steep, craggy mountains flanking Qingshan Ai leave the enemy with only a southern route to attack, making the county town extremely defensible. The mountains on either side are so precipitous and narrow that hardly a few men and horses can traverse them at the same time. Even if someone managed to get on top, descending to attack would be nearly impossible—any slight noise, like the crunch of broken stones, would alert the guards below, who'd quickly pick off the climbers with their crossbows."
Following his directions, Li Yan and the others gazed up at the high walls. Yet, from their distant northern angle, all they could discern was a faint row of dark shapes along the east and west flanks of the wall, barely visible against the sky.
In that awe-struck moment, Li Yan thought to himself, "Uncle Guoxin said the north gate's inspections are loose because the travelers are our own people. Those dark shapes must be crossbows or arrows. Look at how vertical and steep that mountain ridge is—it hardly allows more than a few to stand on it at once. I could never climb such a slope; I reckon only two or three folks in the village, like Uncle Guoxin, might manage it, and that too would be a great challenge. One misstep on such a precipice, and you'd tumble down, crushed to bits. And even if someone did climb up and then tried to descend onto the walls on either side, the slightest sound of shifting stones would alert the guards below, who'd open fire—turning the climber into nothing more than a spiky, helpless mess. Truly, nature has forged an almost impenetrable fortress."
At that point, both Li Yu and Li Shan recovered from their momentary shock at Uncle Guoxin's detailed observations. Li Yu asked, "Uncle Guoxin, with a wall so stout and guarded, surely the people of Meng State can't breach it, can they?"
Uncle Guoxin's face grew somber as he replied, "That's hard to say. I've heard that in recent years the enemy soldiers from Meng State have attacked a few times. In one incident, they even scaled the wall—but thanks to Marshal Hong leading a fierce, personal battle on the ramparts, the enemy was driven back. I later heard that the blood spilled down the wall, staining the streets, and that heaps of bodies were left both on the wall and outside the county town. Although most of those were enemy combatants, a small number were even from our own imperial forces."
Hearing this, Li Yu and Li Shan turned pale. They exchanged worried glances, thinking that if they were to take up apprenticeships in the city, they might always be looking over their shoulders. One of them even looked anxiously toward Li Yan, silently wondering, "Isn't Brother Yan also headed into battle? That must be even more dangerous."
At that point, noticing the heaviness in the air, Uncle Guoxin quickly decided to change the subject with a hearty laugh. "These are just rumours, nothing more. They can't be entirely true—otherwise, the county town wouldn't be thriving as it is now."
In truth, he knew full well that with border conflicts breaking out so frequently, the imperial decree forbade local residents from migrating from the borderlands in order to demonstrate their patriotism—each family clinging to the land as if it were all they had. Even if enemies encroached, people were meant to live peacefully where they stood. While Uncle Guoxin wasn't entirely sure about the situations in other border regions, at least here at Qingshan Ai they had successfully held back the enemy, preserving the current peace for the county town and its surrounding villages.