Zhou Fugui's insolent words enraged the valiant spirit of the great Han General Huo Qubing, Champion of the Marquis, and the Grand Marshal, General of Cavalry. He thrust his crimson-tasseled spear towards Zhou Fugui's throat.
Zhou Fugui, filled with regret and fear, wished to dodge, but his body froze as if petrified. Not a single finger could move. He watched helplessly as the crimson-tasseled spear was about to pierce his throat.
"Ah!" Zhou Fugui closed his eyes and let out a scream.
"Huala!" With a deafening roar and a dazzling crimson light that enveloped Zhou Fugui, he was rendered blind and lost consciousness.
...
After a long while, Zhou Fugui awoke. Dazed, he felt his throat; it was unharmed. He then checked his body and his vital parts... all present.
"What are you touching?"
Hearing the voice, Zhou Fugui looked up. He saw the young general Huo Qubing, clad in golden armor and a red robe, looking at him with a smile, his hands behind his back. The crimson-tasseled spear and the red-maned warhorse were gone, as were all the people around them. The sea of mountains and blood had also vanished, replaced by blue skies and white clouds. Beneath the vast expanse of sky lay an endless, verdant grassland, caressed by a gentle spring breeze that was intoxicating.
Zhou Fugui sat down on the grassland.
"Where did they go?" Zhou Fugui asked the spirit of Huo Qubing.
Huo Qubing smiled and did not answer.
"Are you truly the Champion of the Marquis of Han?" Zhou Fugui asked again.
At this moment, Zhou Fugui had no choice but to believe.
"Drunk, I lie beside beauties; awake, I wield the killing sword. I seek not treasures, but the killing sword. The Xiongnu are not yet vanquished, how can I think of home? Alas, after so long, I finally see a Han general, and one of Marquis Wu's lineage." The spirit of Huo Qubing sighed.
"Are you truly the Grand Marshal, General of Cavalry?" Zhou Fugui still asked, half-believing, half-doubting.
"My heart is resolute, though my fate is thin. The minister of Lianzhu has not yet rested. How many days will it take for the old country to change? Only upon falling do we know the fragrance of grass and trees." The spirit of Huo Qubing nodded. "I committed too much slaughter in my time. The Emperor ordered me to guard this place, to eternally suppress resentful spirits."
"Spirit of the Champion of the Marquis, Grand Marshal, General of Cavalry, I, a humble mortal, pay my respects!" Zhou Fugui finally believed. He got up and bowed his head.
"Please rise, descendant of Marquis Wu!" The spirit of Huo Qubing stood silently, and a gentle breeze helped Zhou Fugui to his feet.
"However, you..." The spirit of Huo Qubing seemed perplexed. He shook his head and asked Zhou Fugui, "Why have you come here?"
"This..." One cannot lie before immortals, so Zhou Fugui truthfully recounted his story to the spirit of Huo Qubing.
"Han traitor?" The spirit of Huo Qubing, hearing this, could only weep and laugh. "If Marquis Wu knew this, he would be furious."
A descendant of the founding heroes of the great Han dynasty had degenerated into a minion of the Yan and Hu, and was now being chased everywhere... If Zhou Bo's spirit knew this, he would surely die of anger.
"Alas, Champion of the Marquis, this humble one has no choice!" Zhou Fugui said awkwardly.
"Hmm, do you possess the ambition of your ancestors?" the spirit of Huo Qubing asked, nodding.
"Does Your Excellency mean the ambition to restore the Han dynasty and sweep across the world?" Zhou Fugui countered.
The spirit of Huo Qubing nodded.
"I dare not lie before a divine being," Zhou Fugui replied. "This humble one indeed has grand ambitions, but fortune has not been kind! To this day, I remain a Yan general, a Han traitor in the eyes of the Han people, and merely a lowly soldier... Grand Marshal, to be honest, I dare not even look at our ancestors' tablets..." Zhou Fugui replied.
"Sweeping across the world means death," the spirit of Huo Qubing interrupted Zhou Fugui's rambling. "For one general to gain fame, ten thousand bones wither. To sweep across the world, blood flows like rivers. Do you still insist on this path?"
"War always involves death..." Zhou Fugui replied. "It depends on whether it is a death for a worthy cause. My true thought is this: if killing one person can save ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, then I will not be soft-hearted. Furthermore, I have some ideas that differ from Your Excellency's."
"How do they differ?" the spirit of Huo Qubing asked.
"The Xiongnu are not yet vanquished, how can I think of home? Your Excellency only thinks of annihilating the Xiongnu, but I am not so. I think of the Han and Xiongnu as one family, both descendants of Yan and Huang. What distinction is there? Therefore, to restore the Han dynasty and sweep across the world, I would prioritize appeasement over slaughter. This is called... ethnic integration..." Zhou Fugui replied.
When the Xiongnu are mentioned, people always think of ferocity and barbarism. During the Eastern and Western Han dynasties, the Xiongnu lived in the vast northern and western regions, their territory even larger than the Han's. The customs and habits of the Xiongnu were very different from those of the Central Plains, yet the Xiongnu and the Han had a common ancestor: the Yellow Emperor.
According to historical records, the claim that the Xiongnu were descendants of the Yellow Emperor is found in the "Records of the Grand Historian." Sima Qian, in his "Account of the Xiongnu," stated that the Xiongnu's ancestor was named Chunwei, a descendant of the Xia dynasty. The founder of the Xia dynasty was Yu the Great, whose grandfather was Zhuanxu, and Zhuanxu's grandfather was the Yellow Emperor. After the fall of the Xia dynasty, some descendants of the Xia kings fled to remote areas, mingled with the local people, forming tribes of various sizes and leading nomadic lives. At that time, these tribes had different names, such as the Quanrong, Shanrong, Guirong, and Bei Di. Ban Gu, in the "Book of Han," also acknowledged this theory. Other historical collections, such as the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," state that the Quanrong and the Xia people were of the same clan, both originating from the Yellow Emperor.
From this, it can be seen that at least a large part of the Xiongnu were descendants of Yan and Huang, or, like Zhou Fugui, had mixed bloodlines. How could they be simply annihilated?
Moreover, Zhou Fugui himself was half-Han and half-Xiongnu. Would annihilating the Xiongnu not be annihilating himself?
"You ignorant child, do you not understand my concerns?" The spirit of Huo Qubing glared at Zhou Fugui, then seemed somewhat satisfied. "Follow me."
Having spoken, the spirit of Huo Qubing walked ahead at a leisurely pace. Zhou Fugui desperately tried to catch up, but no matter how fast he ran, he could not catch up to the spirit of Huo Qubing, and the distance between them only grew.
"Grand Marshal, General of Cavalry! General of Cavalry! Slow down, slow down!" Zhou Fugui shouted desperately as he ran behind.
...
"Descendant of Marquis Wu, you need not worry," the spirit of Huo Qubing said, leading Zhou Fugui to a golden palace and seating him in its center. He smiled at Zhou Fugui.
The golden palace was built on a celestial mountain. Through the mist, one could vaguely discern white waterfalls interspersed with green mountains and moss, cascading from high peaks and creating a spray of mist. Above the waterfalls, faint pavilions and towers could be seen.
These pavilions and towers seemed to be built within the clouds, like a mirage, indistinct, misty, and shrouded in fog.
The celestial mountain was also covered with lingzhi mushrooms, rare flowers, and exotic plants. A celestial breeze blew, carrying a fragrant aroma that was refreshing and uplifting.
Inside the golden palace, the ground was paved with golden tiles. The base was built of white jade, and the railings were carved with reliefs of flowers, birds, beasts, coiling dragons, and auspicious clouds, as well as the story of the twenty-four filial paragons. The platform was also paved with golden tiles, carved with patterns of soaring dragons in the clouds and joyous leaping qilin.
Amidst the swirling mist and resplendent golden palace, countless golden-armored guards stood on either side, their imposing figures and eyes like golden bells, their faces like ripe dates. This made Zhou Fugui feel rather uneasy.
Hearing Huo Qubing's words, Zhou Fugui felt somewhat reassured and stood within the golden palace.
"Descendant of Marquis Wu, what weapon do you use?" the spirit of Huo Qubing asked next.
"I use this!" Zhou Fugui replied, dismounting his heavy sword and holding it with both hands.
"The saber is the commander of a hundred weapons, the spear is the ancestor of a hundred weapons. Why do you, descendant of Marquis Wu, use this? It is of little use on the battlefield," the spirit of Huo Qubing said with a smile.
"What does the Champion of the Marquis mean...?" Zhou Fugui asked.
Zhou Fugui knew the power of a spear in charging into battle, but how could he use one? Ever since he was conscripted by the Yan court, the only weapons Zhou Fugui had wielded besides arrows were sabers, and his saber techniques were dreadful. In combat, he would simply hack wildly with his saber, without any strategy.
It was also Zhou Fugui's luck that he had never faced someone skilled in spear combat. His encounter with Min Wuyan was also a case where he used arrows to keep him at bay. If they had engaged in close combat, Zhou Fugui would have been run through by Min Wuyan's halberd within a single round.
It was his good fortune that when he encountered Min Wuyan on the battlefield that year, Min Wuyan did not engage him.
Currently, Zhou Fugui used a heavy sword. Although he knew it was inferior to a spear, it was better than nothing.
"Although you are impetuous, you have a destiny," the spirit of Huo Qubing said with a smile. "As a descendant of Marquis Wu, how could I not look after my descendant? Do you wish to learn my spear art?"
"Learn spear techniques? No..." Zhou Fugui shook his head.
Zhou Fugui was truly uninterested in spear techniques. What he was interested in was Huo Qubing's undefeated prowess.
"Huiqi Champion, brave and valiant, charging thousands of miles, striking like lightning and thunder, drinking horses at the Han Sea, sealing the wolf's den on Langshan, advancing west to the great river, establishing commanderies at Qilian, the Xiongnu fled far away, and there were no kings in the southern desert!" What a magnificent feat, what an achievement, unparalleled in the world. It is even said that after Huo Qubing, there were no more ever-victorious generals.
"Why?" The spirit of Huo Qubing's face suddenly darkened as he asked.
Huo Qubing's spear art was lost. At this moment, on impulse, he did not want his spear art to disappear and wished to pass it on to Zhou Fugui. Yet, this young brat outright refused. Huo Qubing's spirit felt a sense of disappointment.
"Charging into battle is the role of a general, not a commander," Zhou Fugui replied proudly, puffing out his chest and smiling.
"You ignorant child, a soldier, a general, a commander. If you are not a soldier, what are you? If you are not a general, what are you? Have you not heard of leading from the front?" Huo Qubing roared.
"This humble mortal seeks your instruction!" Zhou Fugui thought about it and realized it was true. He was currently just a minor general in the Great Yan, little different from a common soldier in the eyes of many. How could he talk of generals and commanders?
Zhou Fugui seeking instruction also meant he was willing to learn Huo Qubing's spear art. The spirit of Huo Qubing was naturally overjoyed.