Chapter 29: Joining the Army
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“Head in that direction! Chase after him!” The leader of the guards pointed ahead, directing the approaching soldiers.
The city guards were well-equipped and quickly followed the leader’s orders, heading in the indicated direction. Among the group of guards, there were whispers of concern and fear.
“What should we do now that the Young Master has been killed?” one guard asked in a trembling voice.
“We need to find out who killed him,” another guard said.
“I fought against that person, and their skills were exceptional,” the leader said, clenching his fists. “I’m no match for them.”
“It seems like they came for Young Master specifically. Who could it be?”
Who indeed? With all the evil deeds that Young Master had done, there were plenty of people who would bear a grudge against him. It could be someone seeking revenge for the girls he had harmed or someone else entirely. With Young Master dead, the truth might come to light if they caught the culprit.
“What about Miss He?” someone finally remembered He Yan.
“She’s probably dead by now.”
The river was deep, and she was a weak girl. Falling in would be dangerous. But who cared? Even if she survived, the Fan family might blame her for Young Master’s death. It would be better if she was dead, putting an end to everything. At least the He family’s troubles would be over.
“Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter,” the leader said coldly. “It’s better that she’s dead.”
With that one sentence, He Yan’s fate was sealed.
…
The sound of horse hooves echoed in the deep streets, causing anxiety among the people in the city.
A young boy in a blue robe walked calmly past a group of beggars in a dilapidated temple. He casually threw away his wet, old clothes into a long-abandoned well.
She had already changed her clothes during the escape. The spring clothes were worn inside, so she just needed to discard the old outer garments. The headscarf was not necessary to wear, to avoid attracting attention. She felt the wall with her hand, which was now covered in soot. She patted her face with the soot-covered hand, making her overly fair complexion turn darker… like that of a common young boy who often worked outdoors.
But she was still a handsome young boy.
The young boy walked calmly ahead, while the city guards behind were searching for people everywhere. Despite her seemingly relaxed appearance, inside, He Yan was not at ease.
She had fought against Fan Cheng’s guards before, and if they paid close attention, they would recognize her figure. Outward appearances could be disguised, but body shape could not be deceived. The city guards in the capital were not useless fools; it wouldn’t be easy to hide from them. Even if she hid in a dilapidated temple, a simple inquiry with the beggars would reveal her as a stranger. Moreover, leaving the city was probably impossible since the city gates were most likely sealed by now. For the next month, entering and leaving the city would be heavily scrutinized. If they searched house by house, they would eventually find her.
It was a headache-inducing situation.
The Fan family was even larger and more powerful than she had imagined, mobilizing so many people to chase after her alone. She didn’t want to throw away her life so easily after surviving so narrowly.
As the guards closed in from all directions, He Yan was in dire straits.
Suddenly, she remembered something and reached into her sleeve, pulling out an item.
The paper was wrinkled and almost illegible due to the rain. It was the conscription notice that He Yunsheng had torn from the wall that day.
Conscription…
The conscription office was set up outside the city, on the open space west of the horse training ground. Many people were there, filling out paperwork, undergoing simple inspections, and waiting for the departure date. This hasty conscription for soldiers to go to Liangzhou probably wouldn’t be very strict. It wasn’t limited to only young and strong men; unless someone was extremely impoverished, who would willingly suffer for no reason during this peaceful and prosperous era?
But the timing was perfect; the conscription paperwork was exactly what she needed.
Now that she was a wanted fugitive in the capital, it wouldn’t be safe for her to stay there. If she were discovered, it could bring trouble to the He family. Moreover, staying in the city wouldn’t offer her any benefits. The He family was too far away, and the Xu family was a high-ranking family she couldn’t even get close to. She couldn’t stand on an equal footing with them and demand her belongings.
It might be better to join the military. Following the conscription team out of the city, that was where she belonged.
As the saying goes, there is no road without an end. There must be arrangements in the unseen. She had been thinking about how to find a reasonable excuse to explain her departure to the He family, but now she didn’t need to think of any other reasons. There was only one path she could take. The conscription would end tomorrow, and on the night before it closed, she arrived right on time.
He Yan smiled, feeling unexpectedly relaxed. She no longer hesitated and strode toward the direction of the west city horse training ground.
The west city horse training ground used to be a place for breeding horses, but since the conscription tent was set up here, the horses had been moved elsewhere. A tall and sturdy man with a red face sat in front of a long tent. He had a long knife at his waist and wore a felt hat due to the rain. His eyes were sharp, and he exuded an intimidating aura. He seemed to be dozing off.
The conscription was coming to an end, and after tomorrow, the newly recruited soldiers would follow and set off for Liangzhou. At this point, anyone willing to join had already signed up, and there would likely be no new recruits.
When He Yan approached, the man didn’t even lift his eyelids. She had to speak up, “Big brother, is the conscription over?”
The big man looked her up and down, then said slowly, “No.”
“That’s good.” Heaving a sigh of relief, He Yan’s face brightened up. “I want to join the army.”
“You?” The man gave her a scrutinizing look. “Brother, how old are you this year?”
“Sixteen.”
“Sixteen,” the man pondered. “Your body doesn’t look like sixteen. You probably haven’t done much heavy labor at home. Joining the army is no joke. If you’re just playing around, you better leave now and don’t waste my time.”
“Big brother, I really want to join the army.” He Yan thought of the brothers she had met in the military camp, trying to imitate their sorrowful expressions. “There’s no one left in my family, and I can’t survive there anymore. If I don’t join the army, I’ll have to sell myself as a servant. It’s better to go to the battlefield, where I might die a hero or earn some merit. Besides, big brother,” she leaned in and whispered, “with the sudden conscription, I’m afraid you’re short of manpower. Having one more person won’t hurt, and it’ll make up the numbers.”
The big man was swayed by her words. He thought that she might be right, and they were in a hurry to complete the conscription, so why not accept one more person?
“Fine, fine,” he said. “If you want to go die, I won’t stop you. But let me be clear; the military camp is not a place of leisure. If you can’t handle it and become a deserter, military law will deal with you.”
“I won’t be a deserter,” He Yan promised firmly.
The big man chuckled; he had seen many boys like her before. They were confident when they came, but when it came to actual combat, they often wet their pants in fear.
“Then come and fill out this paperwork.” He handed the document to He Yan.
At the outer edge of the west city horse training ground, the city guards turned their horses around and returned. In front of them were the Liangzhou conscription tents, so there was no need to go further.
He Yan quickly wrote down two words on the document.
This time, she used her own name.
He Yan.
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Aahh keren bgt sii