Chapter 245: The Three Sons of Dingyuan, the Legacy of Marshal Qi

Perhaps because of the proximity, Liu Liangzuo had been defeated the night before last, and by the next morning Chen Qiyu already knew of it.

Upon hearing the news, the assembled generals each wore a different expression.

Shandong Regional Commander Mou Wenshou let out a cold snort, clearly sharing the same opinion as Xu Lang, who had been killed by Liu Liangzuo's turncoat attack. Qiu Lei laughed out loud and shouted to the side:

"Sun, are you happy or not?"

"Happy! I'm overjoyed! This Flower-Horse Liu must have grown wings and still can't fly away now." Sun Wenqiong immediately jumped up and shouted.

In the past, when news of official army defeats arrived, even those generals secretly pleased would put on a heavy expression. But after Chen Qiyu announced the defeat at Pingdu Prefecture, the court's military officers all breathed sighs of relief, with no trace of regret whatsoever.

From this, one could see just what kind of reputation Liu Liangzuo had in the Fengyang region.

"Reporting to the Supreme Commander, many routed soldiers outside the pass are requesting entry into the city. Shall we let them in or keep them out?" At this moment, the Mobile Corps Commander Qi Yuangong, who had been ordered by Chen Qiyu to guard the outer city of Guguan, strode into the hall, clasped his fists, and bowed low as he spoke.

Speaking of it, Chen Qiyu still held great hopes for these three young descendants of the Qi family. He cast a somewhat fond look at Qi Yuangong, who stood with a well-proportioned build, and nodded as he said:

"If we do not let them into the city, I fear they will later join the bandits and bring disaster to the countryside. Yuangong, lead the routed soldiers into the auxiliary city. As for the aftermath, you may decide as you see fit."

Qi Yuangong naturally understood Chen Qiyu's meaning. He nodded and, without another word, went down.

After he left, Mou Wenshou stared intently at his retreating back, nodded, and said: "This lad carries the bearing of Marshal Qi. His stride is vigorous and spirited, his fists clenched tight, his gaze sharp as a tiger's or wolf's. He should become a brave general in the future and will not disgrace the Qi family name."

As he spoke, Mou Wenshou recalled something and turned to ask: "Supreme Commander, this officer has heard that His Majesty last year issued an edict dispatching imperial riders to the Dingyuan area — was it for this very matter?"

Chen Qiyu had not expected that a military officer would pay attention to affairs of state. He cast an approving look at Mou Wenshou before saying: "Zhangfu's thoughts are correct. His Majesty issued an edict last year, ordering imperial riders to Dingyuan to search far and wide for the descendants of the Qi clan. The three now at Guguan are precisely the descendants of Qi Jin, Regional Commander of Wusong during the Wanli era."

"Qi Jin..." Upon hearing this name, the generals in the hall, who had just been secretly rejoicing at Liu Liangzuo's defeat, all darkened. Even the wildly excited Sun Wenqiong fell silent. They heard him mutter:

"Didn't the Qi family army all die in battle at Hun River? If so, then these three young men are the last blood of the Qi family?"

Qiu Lei nodded noncommittally, but asked with some puzzlement:

"Among these three sons of the Qi clan, Yuangong is the eldest, only twenty-four this year. Chief Grand Secretary and Yuanbi are both not yet twenty. His Majesty has sent all three into the army at such a young age — is he not afraid the Qi line will end?"

Chen Qiyu shook his head and said: "This was not originally His Majesty's intention. His Majesty wanted Chief Grand Secretary and Yuanbi to remain in Dingyuan, take wives and have children, and come to serve the court only after turning twenty-two."

As he spoke, Chen Qiyu shook his head helplessly and continued: "But these three sons of the Qi clan truly are newborn calves who do not fear tigers. They all clamored to fight to the death for the country. His Majesty simply could not talk them out of it, and so let the three of them come under my command to join the suppression."

"I see. The Qi family of generals — even with only these three young ones left, they are still so fiercely resolute, truly earning our admiration." Mou Wenshou's eyes shimmered with intense reverence. Though his own Mou family had been a military house for generations, compared to the Qi clan, they were but a small witch before a great one — hardly worth mentioning.

"Since they have entered the army to train, do not spoil them just because they are descendants of the Qi clan. One must endure the bitterest of hardships to become the best of men!" Chen Qiyu said.

"We officers respectfully heed the Supreme Commander's instruction!" The generals said in unison.

Mou Wenshou chuckled and said: "Supreme Commander, do not worry. Looking at things now, what these three lads will achieve in the future is still unknown."

"Elder brother, what did the Supreme Commander say!" Before Qi Yuangong could even walk back, Qi Chief Grand Secretary and Qi Yuanbi rushed forward impatiently. The more impetuous Qi Yuanbi in particular pressed question after question without pause.

Speaking of it, the temperaments of these three sons of the Qi clan were quite different from one another.

Qi Yuanbi was overly impetuous — three sentences into any matter and he would resort to force to settle who was right. Qi Chief Grand Secretary, by contrast, had something of the scholarly-general bearing of a Lu Xiangsheng, speaking in a refined, measured manner and appearing somewhat more composed. Yet if one spoke purely of martial prowess, even several sturdy men could not get near him.

Qi Yuangong was the eldest son, inheriting the merit of his father Qi Jin's bloody battle at Hun River. Young as he was, he already held the rank of Mobile Corps Commander, and had also inherited Qi Jin's title of Vice Commissioner-in-Chief.

Compared to his two younger brothers, Qi Yuangong, as the eldest son of the Qi clan, appeared steady and magnanimous. He was neither arrogant nor rash in handling affairs. When it was not time to act, he would remain quietly in wait; but once the moment to strike arrived, he would never show the slightest hesitation.

To date, Qi Yuangong had already earned several modest military merits. The most praised among them was when he led three hundred self-recruited Qi family retainers to rout over a thousand mountain bandits who had come down to plunder.

In that battle, the three sons of the Qi clan fully displayed their budding strategy and courage, and also earned Chen Qiyu's newfound respect. Not only had the three of them saved the lives of an entire village's people, they also demanded no reward whatsoever. To avoid troubling the villagers, they simply led their men away directly.

As the eldest son, Qi Yuangong was now the pillar of the Qi family. No wonder even Mou Wenshou praised him as carrying the bearing of Marshal Qi.

Hearing his younger brother's words, Qi Yuangong did not rush to answer. First he frowned and scolded: "You rascal, can you not be so impetuous when things come up? As if I wouldn't tell you?"

"Hehe." Qi Yuanbi scratched his head, being quite straightforward, and immediately admitted his fault: "Elder brother, I was wrong. Do hurry and tell us how the Supreme Commander wants to deal with these routed soldiers below the city. My heart is itching with curiosity."

"Elder brother, Yuanbi is also eager to earn merit. When we return, I will certainly keep him under strict discipline."

"Good then. This rascal must be strictly controlled, or he'll turn the heavens upside down." Qi Yuangong shook his head, then a killing intent suddenly spilled from his eyes as he said: "The Supreme Commander said these men are a disaster if kept, and if released, they may well join the bandits and cause harm. He left the handling to us. What do you two think?"

"Haha, what do we think? Cut them all down and take their heads to claim merit! Aren't we short on military achievements? This is merit handed to us on a platter!" Qi Yuanbi immediately shouted out. Only after seeing the look from his second brother Qi Chief Grand Secretary did he lower his head and fall silent.

Turning back, Qi Chief Grand Secretary said: "Elder brother, Yuanbi is right this time. The Supreme Commander letting us handle it ourselves may well be his way of giving us this merit. Second brother is correct this time — better to cut them down and hand them over."

"If we do that, aren't we stealing the Supreme Commander's credit?" Qi Yuangong hesitated somewhat.

"Elder brother, don't be indecisive. The Supreme Commander even holds His Majesty's imperial sword of authority in his hands — would he care about this paltry bit of merit?" Qi Yuanbi muttered.

"Yes, elder brother. The Supreme Commander doesn't care about these heads. Whether they exist or not makes no difference to him. But for us, it's like charcoal delivered in a fire — we must take it." Qi Chief Grand Secretary pondered carefully for a moment, then decided they absolutely had to accept it.

"Since that's the case, we three brothers must keep this favor firmly in our hearts." Qi Yuangong trusted Qi Chief Grand Secretary's judgment relatively well. He immediately made up his mind and, without another word, drew his blade and shouted:

"Open the gate, let them into the city!"