Chapter 55: Section Three

When selecting his subordinates, Huang Shi did not conceal his objective, because he believed that rather than having deserters emerge one after another, it was better to be clear from the start. As expected, problems arose. Although quite a few cavalrymen had developed a preliminary trust in Huang Shi, many soldiers were still unwilling once they heard about the long march to Lüshun. The one thing that pleased Huang Shi was that He Baodao brought over twenty brothers to join him.

He Baodao was from Mizhi in Shaanxi, born into a hereditary military family of Qinchuan. The current clan head was named He Renlong, a hereditary Battalion Commander of the Great Ming, now holding the rank of Assistant Regional Commander. The moment Huang Shi heard his background, he knew he had found a treasure. He Baodao was a genuine son of a good family, steeped in the martial ethos since childhood, outstanding in martial skills and having studied simple tactics.

Two years earlier, the youth He Baodao had gone to Xi'an Prefecture for leisure and happened upon the son of an official family chasing a runaway female slave. In the Great Ming, buying and selling people was a normal phenomenon, but that fleeing female house slave had indeed been suspected of being deceived, and she was very beautiful. Hearing the woman's tearful pleas, He Baodao's blood boiled, and he concluded that a villainous young master was forcibly seizing a commoner woman in broad daylight.

The other party was the son of an official family and held a signed contract of sale in black and white, so naturally he refused to back down. He Baodao argued with him for a long time, then on impulse beat him to a pulp. He slashed that noble young master three times with his blade; after being carried home, the man died within two days. The aggrieved family brought the case to Xi'an Prefecture, and He Baodao was sentenced to exile three thousand li away, to serve as a conscript in Liaodong.

This legendary experience left Huang Shi dumbfounded: to kill a man in the street in broad daylight, and He Baodao's crime only warranted conscription and exile — no wonder this kid was so arrogant. Although he could never return to his hometown for life, the He family still sent him some silver from time to time, so He Baodao lived quite comfortably in Liaodong, and because he had money to spend, he made a number of brothers in the army.

When Sun Degong revolted at Guangning, He Baodao, from a generations-old military family, absolutely refused to join the rebellion. He led the brothers he was close with and fought the rebel army to the death. In a sense, Huang Shi could be considered his savior; without his counter-rebellion army coming back to relieve Guangning, He Baodao and those brothers would long since have been dry bones and rotted flesh.

He Baodao was actually well aware of this in his heart. Though extremely proud, he was no fool. To clear his name and return home required very great merit. Now that Huang Shi's reputation was at its zenith and he held He Baodao in high regard, He Baodao resolved to stake his life and fortune on following Huang Shi to see if he could fight his way to renown.

He Baodao was very talkative and seemed to have read quite a few books. Huang Shi chatted with him very happily, harboring the intent to win him over, and personally escorted him back to his camp only after nightfall. During that time, Yang Luhuo and Zhao Manxiong had come looking for him, but from their tone Huang Shi felt it was nothing major, so he casually sent them away.

When he returned, Huang Shi saw Yang Zhiyuan alone outside the military camp not far away, feeding his horse. At his feet lay freshly brushed and washed horse tack; it looked like he was preparing for the expedition.

Huang Shi walked over and greeted him, casually flipping through the gear. Indeed, he was making preparations for the campaign.

"You also intend to follow me?" This expedition could not possibly bring women along. Huang Shi had later understood Yang Luhuo's selfish concern, so he had never meant for Yang Luhuo to follow. After announcing the orders, Huang Shi had not come to ask him, to spare Yang Luhuo a difficult choice.

"Of course. Could it be that my lord does not wish this subordinate to follow?"

"Then what about her?"

"Who?"

"Mm, that is..." Only then did Huang Shi recall that he had no idea what the good girl's name was: "That girl from the Sun family."

"Oh, she has already married." Yang Luhuo's voice was somewhat dejected as he spoke.

"What?" Huang Shi was not blind; he could see the threads of affection entwined between Yang Luhuo and the good girl.

"When my lord questioned us yesterday, the three of us all said we would follow my lord. I naturally must keep my word."

Huang Shi looked at him silently for a long time. Yang Luhuo's expression was very calm. Huang Shi said slowly: "If you wish to leave, I will absolutely not keep you."

"My lord sees clearly. At Guangning, my lord spoke of her story — a woman who did not betray me for the sake of a promise. How could this subordinate break his word and grow fat on it, letting her despise him for a lifetime? This subordinate truly admires her, admires her greatly."

A brilliant smile appeared on Yang Luhuo's face, as if he were gazing upon some beautiful scenery: "This subordinate had originally thought to reach Liaoxi, settle down, then formally propose marriage with proper rites, and ask my lord to officiate the wedding. Now that settling down is impossible, I naturally dare not delay another family's daughter. Today, upon hearing that my lord had confirmed the expedition, this subordinate acted as matchmaker and married her off to an old acquaintance in Guangning, also a former subordinate of my lord."

Huang Shi watched Yang Luhuo laugh to himself for a moment, not knowing what to say. Finally, he asked softly: "Was it not too rushed?"

"It was precisely because of the rush that it had to be done this way. That old acquaintance of this subordinate is a loyal and honest good man, with no parents-in-law above him. But this subordinate still had to see them bow to Heaven and Earth and to the ancestors before he could be completely at ease. So this afternoon, this subordinate took care of this matter. Just half a shichen ago, I even personally — personally escorted them into the bridal chamber."

When he said the words "personally," the smile at the corner of Yang Luhuo's mouth twisted, and he subconsciously raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist in the empty air. Realizing his lapse, Yang Luhuo gave two dry, cover-up laughs: "So now when this subordinate looks back, she is already another man's wife."

An old friend and matchmaker, not going to drink the wedding wine, but instead feeding his horse here. Huang Shi truly could not think of anything to say, and could only offer a few words of hollow encouragement. Yang Luhuo accompanied him with a few hollow words in return, then suddenly said he wanted to change his name, and asked if Huang Shi could help him think of one.

"Zhiyuan, what do you think?" Huang Shi pondered for a moment and came up with a name, then explained the meaning of the two characters.

"Zhiyuan, Zhiyuan." Yang Luhuo recited it a few times, then praised: "A true man, a great husband, should indeed roam freely across the world and laugh proudly within the four seas. Truly a fine name."

"This subordinate thanks my lord for bestowing this name. From this day forward, the person Yang Luhuo no longer exists in this world." Yang Zhiyuan gave a long laugh and bowed gracefully to Huang Shi: "This subordinate has cleanly severed all ties with the past, with not the slightest attachment remaining. This life, just like the name Yang Zhiyuan, belongs entirely to my lord."

"Good, good." Huang Shi helped Yang Zhiyuan up and said with a forced smile: "Brother Yang, let me drink a few cups with you, to celebrate your new name."

"My lord has given the order; this subordinate naturally obeys."

Huang Shi ordered his personal guards to find some wine, and pulled Yang Zhiyuan to sit in his own tent. While waiting for the wine, Huang Shi suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called to his personal guard: "Go find Zhao Manxiong and Jin Qiude, tell them I invited them to drink."

"No need." Yang Zhiyuan stopped the personal guard with a word, and explained to the surprised Huang Shi: "They are not here."

Although Yang Zhiyuan's expression was a bit strange, Huang Shi did not think much of it and asked casually: "Is that so? Where have they gone?"

Yang Zhiyuan suddenly revealed an odd smile, an odd smile Huang Shi had never seen in either his past or present life. "Reporting to my lord, they have gone to eavesdrop outside the wall."

What kind of pain was hidden within those smiling words? In that instant, Huang Shi felt that same heart-rending, lung-tearing agony as if it were his own, making his cheeks and fingertips convulse violently at the same time.

He sprang to his feet and bowed deeply to Yang Zhiyuan. Facing his flustered subordinate, the thousands of words in Huang Shi's chest turned into a single, blurted-out expression of being moved.

Several hundred years later, in film and television drama after drama, young emperors would use the same respectful bearing and the same solemn tone to repeat, time and again, the solemn promise Huang Shi made at this very moment:

"Brother Yang, in this life and this world, I, Huang Shi, shall never betray you!"