Everything had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Yuan, a thirty-year-old Tieying Ruishi (Iron Eagle Elite) of the Great Qin, rode his warhorse, anxiously rushing across the lands of Qin. He didn't understand where the Great Qin Ruishi had gone, didn't understand why His Majesty the First Emperor had died, didn't understand why Prince Fusu hadn't succeeded to the throne, and where General Meng Tian, the famous general of the world, had gone?
In just three years, the land of Great Qin had become so dilapidated, with beacon fires rising everywhere.
What exactly had happened in the thirteen years he had been away from the Central Plains?
The Tieying Ruishi of the Black Ice Terrace were not only good at one-on-one combat. Gathering intelligence and infiltrating enemy lines were essential skills. Thus, Yuan quickly learned about the current situation through various channels. The lords of various states had risen, the land of Great Qin was constantly being lost, and now the lords of various states had actually agreed to a pact: whoever entered Guanzhong first would be king?
For the old Qin people, this was almost the greatest humiliation.
Yuan spurred his horse onward, the Tieying battle sword on his back ringing out.
He learned that his childhood comrade Zhang Han had raised troops to fight against the lords. He intended to find Zhang Han. With his own swordsmanship and mystical powers, he could join the army as a general. Even if he couldn't command an army, he could at least be a fighting general. However, as he traveled, what he saw along the way was a scene of famine where the people were living in misery. In some places, nine out of ten houses were empty.
This made the killing intent in his heart become powerless.
The First Emperor wanted a unified country, but now, this world was once again fighting against each other.
He was just an ordinary Tieying Ruishi.
He didn't understand military strategy, didn't understand military affairs, and had been away from the Central Plains for more than ten years, returning only once in between. He had no foundation, was not from a noble family, and in this chaos, what good could a single person with a single sword do? After all, individual bravery could not reverse the general trend of the world.
Was the upcoming chaos, the decades of fighting on the battlefield, really a good thing for the people? What he could see with his own eyes was nothing but suffering.
What finally made Yuan stop was that Zhang Han had surrendered to Xiang Yu and was made the Yong King.
He would lead 200,000 Qin troops to attack Qin in reverse.
The choice of this childhood comrade gave Yuan the final fatal blow.
Even the last chance to turn the tables, as well as a place to stay in this chaotic world, had disappeared. Yuan was almost like a floating duckweed, rising and falling in this chaotic world, but in the end, he still galloped towards Xianyang City, hunting prey along the way to fill his stomach. If he saw routed soldiers causing trouble, he would draw his sword and disperse them, so as not to let them plunder ordinary people.
The dignified elite of the Great Qin Black Ice Terrace was actually like a wandering knight-errant who was poor and destitute a hundred years ago.
In August, Yuan was about to arrive at Xianyang City. Along the way, he saw a group of bandits and robbers surrounding several women, holding knives and swords, whistling, waving their weapons, and laughing loudly, saying obscene words. Yuan didn't want to interfere at first, but seeing that there were children among them, he still couldn't bear to leave and rode out:
"Under the rule of Great Qin, how dare you do this? Are you not afraid of the Shang Yang's laws?"
The leader of the bandits was first startled by Yuan's warhorse and battle sword, but when he saw that there was only one person and that he was only wearing cloth clothes, he felt relieved and sneered: "Qin law? Great Qin is about to perish, what Qin law is there? What, are you going to stand up for justice and draw your sword to help?"
"If this brother fancies any of them, just say so. When we're done, it's not impossible for us to give you one or two."
After saying that, they looked at each other and laughed.
A murderous aura overflowed from Yuan's brow.
But his expression was calm.
He clamped his legs against the horse's belly, and the warhorse calmly stepped forward.
And the Tieying Ruishi slowly drew the sword from his back.
He was already thirty years old.
At this point, he had thrown himself into the battlefields of the six kingdoms, protected the emperor's majesty, and then for thirteen years, fought in the ocean, killing enemies in foreign lands. This was the most perfect time for the combination of physical strength and experience. He was at the true peak of a warrior, neither rash due to lack of experience, nor making mistakes due to lack of physical strength.
He spurred his horse, held his sword, and his eyes were deep.
The Tieying on the hilt of the sword, accompanied by the trembling of the sword's edge, was like flapping its wings and fighting in the sky.
The Tieying was reflected in the eyes of the bandits, accompanied by the shock that they realized at this moment, and then fear. They shouted, "Tieying Rui..." The cold sword light slashed through the crowd of bandits, mercilessly, easily cutting throats, piercing hearts, and killing lives. The last bandit seemed to be desperate and charged towards one of the thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls with red eyes.
The last Ruishi of Great Qin patted the horse's back and jumped down.
A small Qin crossbow shot out from his arm.
Piercing the bandit's heart, blood splattered.
Yuan's movement was swift. He stood between the bandit and the little girl, blocking the bloody scene, so as not to frighten the child. But this seemed to be just his wishful thinking. There was not much fluctuation in the eyes of the fair and tender girl.
The Ruishi, wearing cloth clothes and carrying a Great Qin battle sword, lowered his head.
He saw a pair of black pupils, quiet and pure, like the high wind circling above the nine heavens.
……………………
"Thank you, General."
The woman, although with a hint of wrinkles at the corner of her eyes, was extremely dignified and graceful. She smiled and thanked him, her expression so calm that Yuan felt that even if he hadn't taken action, these bandits wouldn't have been able to do anything to her. He took a step back and returned a Great Qin military salute, saying, "I don't deserve to be called a general."
The woman smiled and said, "But the aura of war on your body is very strong."
Yuan did not answer.
He went to hunt prey and barbecue food. The youngest little girl seemed very curious about him.
She often stared at him.
Yuan asked, "What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?"
He subconsciously raised his hand and touched his face, but only felt wrinkles on his face. He was slightly stunned, and then self-deprecating. Perhaps because he had stepped on this familiar land, he would sometimes subconsciously feel that he was still seventeen years old.
At that time, he was full of strength, full of courage, and looked at the world as if he were a newborn tiger or leopard, and the world was not in his eyes.
The little girl shook her head and said, "Have we met before?"
Yuan laughed loudly and said:
"Little girl, you are only thirteen or fourteen years old now. When you were just born, I had already gone out to sea. How could we have met?"
He tore off the roasted rabbit leg and handed it over, took off the water bag, and took a big gulp of water.
The woman who claimed to be from the western mountains handed him a copper pot, which contained a fragrant wine. For some reason, Yuan instinctively sensed that the other party had no killing intent towards him. The woman said, "General, you have gone overseas to kill enemies. You should drink wine."
Yuan was about to say that he was not really killing enemies, but the smell of wine was fragrant, so he simply took it.
The woman smiled and asked him, "General, what do you think of my appearance?"
Yuan was surprised, sat cross-legged on the ground, and replied, "Yuan has lived for thirty years and has seen many women, but none can compare with Madam. Her appearance is dignified and unparalleled in the world."
The woman nodded in satisfaction, but then said, "But some people think that I am just a woman with tiger teeth, good at shouting, with disheveled hair and wearing a headdress. They even wrote a book and described me like this."
Yuan couldn't help but slap his knee and laughed loudly, "Then he must be a blind fool."
"If I see him, I will give him a good beating to vent my anger for Madam."
The woman took a deep look at him, nodded in satisfaction, and got up to leave.
Yuan drank the wine in one gulp. The taste was as clear as morning dew, but it also had a rare charm, as if it could intoxicate even the soul, making him feel a little peace in this chaotic world. He patted his knees, tapped the Qin sword, and sang loudly in a hoarse voice:
"How can it be said we have no clothes? We share your robes. The king has raised an army, let us repair our spears and shields. We share your hatred!"
"How can it be said we have no clothes? We share your armor. The king has raised an army, let us repair our spears and halberds. We will work together with you!"
He sang, not beautifully, but desolate. The little girl with black eyes sat obediently on the stone beside him, quietly watching him, seemingly still thinking about whether she had ever met him somewhere. Finally, Yuan fell asleep drunk, and vaguely heard a call—
"Jue, it's time to go."
"Mm."
Jue?
What a good name...
Yuan fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, there was no one around, and the bonfire had long been extinguished.
A great drunk, hearty and thorough.
At least he knew what he should do.
It was very close to Xianyang City. He spurred his horse and rushed to Xianyang City. He first found his home, but the lock had already rusted, and he had not returned home for more than ten years. He was already thirty years old, and he had not yet married, had no children or wives. His old mother and grandmother had both passed away, but because they were the families of the Great Qin Ruishi, they were still well taken care of in the end.
Yuan was silent for a long time, turned over and entered his own courtyard wall.
He swept this familiar and unfamiliar place, bit by bit.
He went to the original Black Ice Terrace駐地 (zhudi, garrison), and even the dust had accumulated extremely thickly. It was said that it was abolished by Prime Minister Zhao Gao a year ago, and many Tieying Ruishi were either dead or injured, and had scattered and fled all over the world. Most of them followed Zhang Han, the current Yong King, and became the Yong King's guards.
The no longer young Yuan closed his eyes.
So, he was already the first and last Great Qin Ruishi of this era.
He stroked the Tieying pattern on the hilt of the battle sword, turned and left.
PS: Today's first update, two thousand eight hundred words, a little late~
Thanks to Xinghua Rumei for the myriad reward, thank you. <