Chapter 2: The Stormy Weather of Yan and Zhao Section 1

  Li Hong was washed by the river water to the river beach at the foot of Guibu Ling Mountain.

  He was extremely lucky to grab a floating big tree in the turbulent river and picked up his life. He didn't dare to stay nearby, endured the pain and escaped into the Ghost Spirit Mountain again. Now he is all over injuries and has no resistance at all. Once those madmen are met, they will not be skinned alive.

  Li Hong wandered in the mountains for more than half a month, and the wounds on his body had basically scabbed over. He decided to go down the mountain and continue westward.

  Looking at the endless grassland in front of him, Li Hong greedily breathed in the fresh air on the grassland, and the depression in his heart was suddenly swept away. He excitedly shouted and ran wildly while calling out loudly.

  In the following days, he met many Wuhuan people on the grassland. The Wuhuan tribe had abandoned their homeland decades ago due to the strong attack of the Xiongnu and migrated to the interior of the Great Han Empire. The kings of various tribes of the Wuhuan tribe immediately requested the Emperor of the Great Han Empire to allow them to live within the desolate border areas. The Emperor of the Great Han Empire was very generous to these barbarians who were willing to surrender, and readily agreed. The language, life, and customs of the Wuhuan people are the same as those of the Xianbei people. If you don't distinguish carefully, it's hard to tell them apart.

  Li Hong learned from their conversation that this was the Youbei Pingzhou of Yan State, Great Han. The Wuhuan tribes residing in Youbei Pingzhou had over 800 clans, with Khanru Wang Wuyan as their leader. The Lulong Pass of Great Han was still over 300 miles away from here. The relationship between the Wuhuan herders and the people of Great Han was still good, and they were all very polite to Li Hong, enthusiastically entertaining him, fearing that they might not be hospitable enough.

  Li Hong walked alone with big strides on the lush green grassland, feeling extremely comfortable. He would soon see Lü Long and soon meet countless tribesmen, what an exciting thing it was. Just then, he heard a dense sound of horseshoes coming from behind him.

  Li Hong's instincts kicked in, and he turned around to look back. In the distance, on the horizon, a dozen or so riders were galloping towards him. He quickly took down his bow from his back, and with his right hand, pulled out a long arrow from his quiver. The arrow was one he had obtained from the Wuhuan nomads. His battle knife was stuck in Taobachan's belly, feeding fish together with it. Apart from this bow, the only other weapon on him was a small axe tucked at his waist. Li Hong wasn't sure what the people chasing after him wanted, but being cautious was always better.

  Li Hong didn't stop, still striding forward with big steps. The knights behind were getting closer and closer, already visible as one horse in front galloping wildly, with over a dozen horses closely pursuing. The people chasing from behind occasionally shot long arrows at the person in front. The person escaping in front was apparently injured, swaying left and right on the horse. He seemed to have also seen Li Hong, directly driving his horse towards Li Hong's direction to escape.

  Li Hong realized that he couldn't get away today, so he stopped and looked at the approaching knight. It was a Han Chinese person. Li Hong could tell from his hairstyle that he was definitely a Han Chinese person. Last time in Lie Kuangfeng's team, he saw some Han people, but didn't have a chance to talk to them. In Baitan City, there were even more Han people, and when he heard the familiar and intimate voices, he almost rushed up to hug them. However, the other person's accent was too heavy, and Li Hong couldn't understand him. On the other hand, the other person could understand Li Hong's words, so he raised his knife, gun, club, and stick and came at him to kill him.

  The people following behind were all extremely eye-catching bald heads. Li Hong couldn't understand why the barbarians liked it when bald heads looked so ugly. Women didn't even grow their hair long before marriage, how could they look beautiful with such an awkward appearance? The Han people's long hair was so good-looking, elegant and flowing. Why couldn't the barbarians change their ancestral customs?

  The person finally couldn't hold on and suddenly fell to the ground. Li Hong was shocked and hurriedly ran over. It was a young man, just like a herdsman on the grassland, ordinary and without any distinctive features. The only difference was his hair. He had been hacked at with knives several times, and an arrow had pierced his shoulder, his whole body covered in blood, barely breathing. He looked at Li Hong, his mouth constantly calling out: "Save... me... save... me..."

  The pursuing soldiers were already close at hand. The shouting and hoofbeats rushed straight to Li Hong's forehead. Without saying a word, Li Hong crouched down, raised his hand and shot an arrow out.

  The other side did not expect that a lone Han man walking on the prairie would be an accomplice of the enemy. The companion's miserable cry stirred up the enemy's cruel nature. They roared, each holding a war knife and charging forward.

  Li Hong stood calmly, got up and suddenly rushed towards the enemy, shooting two arrows in a row. Two enemies were shot in the chest and fell off their horses one after another. The other side was enraged by Li Hong's provocative action. They shouted loudly, kicked their horses fiercely, and wished they could kill him in one step.

  Li Hong drew his bow again, aiming directly at the big Han and shooting a fatal arrow. The distance was too close. The big Han didn't even have time to react before the long arrow pierced his body. Severe pain made him scream loudly, and the knife in his hand was thrown out. Li Hong casually threw away his longbow, leaped high, and stuck to the right side of the galloping horse to avoid the collision. The rolling knife in mid-air was caught by him with one hand, and he swung it towards the enemy on his left side. The enemy raised his knife with his right hand, intending to sweep horizontally, but unexpectedly Li Hong's descending speed in mid-air was faster, and the blade had already beheaded him before he could react. His head flew out, while his body was dragged by the horse for over a dozen steps before falling down.

  Li Hong fell to the ground, rolled over and got up, running towards his longbow. In a very short time, he squatted on the ground again, shooting an arrow at the enemy who was facing away from him. The enemy was tightening the reins, slowing down the galloping horse. Without any defense, he was hit, letting out a strange cry as he fell off the horse. The remaining five enemies stopped their horses in a distance of over twenty zhang, with shocked faces. One of them came forward, and was actually killed by this disheveled big man, six companions, more than half.

  A man with a deep mind stopped others from continuing to rush up and shouted loudly: "Who are you?"

  Li Hong stood steadily with his feet shoulder-width apart, holding the bow in his left hand and drawing the string back with his right. Two arrows were nocked on the bowstring, aimed directly at them.

  The other side saw Li Hong not responding, and shouted again: "We are under the command of Wulan Khan Ru Wang, ordered to pursue the escaped slaves. You took action and hurt people, made enemies, thinking you can't live."

  Li Hong still ignored him and didn't respond.

  The other side is probably very hesitant about whether to launch an attack. The astonishing killing power that Li Hong showed just now, it's not something that a few people can handle.

  Li Hong saw several people on the other side retreat a few steps, huddling together and whispering to each other, he didn't know what they were saying.

  Suddenly, the man who spoke up again shouted: "If you have the ability, leave your name and settle accounts later."

  Li Hongyuan did not pull him back, but instead shouted loudly: "Come over and accept your death."

  "Are you a leopard?" the other side shouted again.

  "That's it, what a lot of nonsense! Are you going to fight or not?" Li Hong put down his bow and arrow and shouted loudly. Before he had even finished speaking, he saw the five men opposite him hastily turning their horses around and galloping away as fast as they could.

  Li Hong was somewhat surprised. It was the first time he had encountered such a good thing. He watched as the five Wuman people circled around in a circle on the grassland, then quickly returned the way they came.

  The person lying on the ground let out a loud groan.

  Li Hong rushed over, tore open his clothes and skillfully bandaged him up. Li Hong smiled at him and said: "It's okay, it's okay, you won't die."

  "Are you... a leopard?" The man asked in a trembling voice, enduring intense pain.

  "My name is Li Hong. The nickname 'Baozi' was given to me by Da Shuai. All the Xianbei people call me that. You're quite something, escaping from slavery isn't an easy feat. What's your name?"

  "My name is Li Song, style name Chang Yi. Thank you for saving me."

  "Small matter, small matter. Do you want me to help pull out this arrow on your shoulder?"

  "No need. I have a military emergency to report to Lord Lu Long, and I must rush to Lu Long immediately." Li Song said firmly, looking at Li Hong.

  "You're hurt pretty badly, I reckon riding a horse will be tough."

  "Let's go. Hurry up." Li Song struggled to get up, gritting his teeth and speaking with a twisted mouth.

  Li Hong reluctantly tied him to the saddle and rode a horse that the enemy had abandoned earlier. He couldn't bear to abandon the remaining few horses, so he took them along as well.

  Li Hong saw Li Song lying on the horse's back, in extreme pain. So he started chatting with him casually, hoping to distract Li Song's attention and reduce his pain a bit.

  "Brother Li, how much further is it to Lulong Pass?"

  Li Song did not answer him. With a solemn expression on his face filled with pain, he said: "Sir, I am not worthy of this responsibility. Just let me remember it."

  "Aren't you called Li Song? How did it become Chang Yi again."

  "Li Song is my name. Chang Yi is my style. Haven't you been away from home for too long, forgetting the rules of your hometown?" Li Song asked strangely.

  Li Hong smiled awkwardly and said, "For some reason, I've forgotten everything from the past. So everything about Da Han is very unfamiliar to me."

  "So rumors are true?"

  "What rumor?"

  "It's just rumors about you. They say that in the past, you were a foolish slave of the Xianbei Hu tribe. Now, your name is known throughout the land. Do you know how many people are trying to capture you in Baidan City and Guiling Mountain?"

  Li Hong shook his head. He had been hiding in the mountains for over a dozen days, so he naturally didn't know.

  "More than 20,000 people." Li Song's eyes widened as he said, "You killed Tuoba Feng's brother Tuoba Jian. After falling off the cliff, tens of thousands of people searched for your body along the Nu River. It was truly a spectacular scene."

  Li Hong became curious, "What are they doing looking for my corpse?"

  Li Song Xiang stared at him with a blank expression, "You don't know about the Black Wood Token?"

  Li Hong shook his head. He really didn't know there were so many stories about him.

  "The central Xianbei lord Murong Feng and the western Xianbei lord Tuoba Feng have simultaneously issued a black wooden command to capture you. If you are caught or killed, the reward will be astonishing, a huge fortune equivalent to the entire wealth of a medium-sized tribe. You are money, do you know that?"

  Looking at Li Song's greedy eyes, Li Hong naturally understood and nodded desperately.

  "So everyone went to the river to pick up corpses. As long as you got your head, you got wealth."

  Li Song patted the horse and sighed, "I really don't know how you escaped from that river."

  Li Hong burst out laughing, "I ran back up the mountain and stayed there for over a dozen days."

  Li Song suddenly understood. He wanted to laugh but was afraid that it would hurt his wound even more, so he could only hold back, with a strange expression on his face.

  "Why don't you tell me why you have two names?"

  "We Chinese people are given a name by our parents or elders before the age of 16. After turning 16 and becoming an adult, we are given another character by our elders, which is used to explain the meaning of our name. Generally, when addressing each other, we use this character instead of calling out each other's names directly, as that would be extremely impolite and could lead to severe scolding."

  Li Hong nodded and suddenly thought of something, saying: "Then what should this character be? I can't remember it. Forget it, I'll just give myself one."

  Li Song rolled his eyes, of course, he didn't know. He himself didn't even know, and yet he was asking others, it wasn't stupid if you ask me. But Li Hong was the one who saved his life, so he couldn't ignore him, thus he tactfully said: "The character should be given by a senior, can't just make something up."

  "I don't remember anything, where can I go to find my elders. We're almost at the Lu Long Pass, how can I tell people that I've forgotten my own name? Isn't this a joke, you say?" Li Yan said seriously.

  "Then you take one yourself."

  Li Hong sat on his horse, pondering for a long time without making a sound. After a good while, he slowly said: "It's not good to take it. How about this? I am the great Han people, so let's just call him Zimin. What do you think?"

  Li Song shouted in a strange tone: "Characters should be explained by their names. You can't take them randomly and make others laugh."

  Li Hong didn't listen and the more he thought about it, the better it seemed. He shouted to Li Song inside, "Chang Yi, call me once and see."

  Li Song had no choice but to shout: "Zi Min."

  Li Hong burst out laughing, "Alright alright, let's just call him Zimin then."

  Li Song rolled his eyes at him, thinking that this guy was indeed a bit of an idiot and didn't understand anything. But when it came to killing people, he was indeed unbeatable.