Chapter 1 Head Dog
The Great General departed from Yunzhong, sweeping through Yin Mountain, purging the Northern Plain, reaching High Watchtower to the west, penetrating into Henan, advancing as far as Longxi, capturing 23,000 heads of captives, and returning with over a million horses, cattle, and sheep, with all armored soldiers intact. He was granted the title of Marquis Changping with 3,800 households...
Thus, Henan was established as Shuofang County, relocating the Four Countries and Eight Provinces, with a population of 600,000 settled there.
"Beep——"
A signal arrow streaked across the clear sky, flying against the wind, and the bone-made arrowhead whistled loudly over the prairie.
Amidst this sound, a swift horse galloped over the hills, racing across the plains, raising a trail of dust on the vast grasslands.
The young rider on the horse was bareback and shirtless, his skin dark red, face tattooed with Qing Shou, and still with broken shackles on his feet, clearly a fugitive slave of Northern captive origin.
"Giddyup! Giddyup!" "Hahaha! Running so fast!" "Almost out of encirclement! Don't let the prisoner escape, lest we become a laughingstock!" "Hey, hey! Don't shoot my horse!"
Then came a commotion, as a group of burly, bow-wielding, alcohol-reeking scions from the General's family followed over the grassy hills.
They were all drunk, faces flushed, hollering and joking as they rode, neither fast nor slow, following behind the escaping slave, shooting arrows drunkenly which flew erratically past the slave.
This archery style, like throwing arrows at a drinking game, would have infuriated their forefathers who cleansed the Yin Mountain and Northern Desert decades ago.
But it didn't matter. The Immortal Palace had solidified its rule for thousands of years, the Three Constellations were firmly seated on the throne, the Four Sects and Eight Provinces reigned over the Twelve Countries. The world had laid down arms and galloped across Nanshan for a long time. Why fear a few nourished prisoners?