Chapter 41: Liao Cavalry

The carriage was already fifteen or sixteen zhang away from the main official road, with one of its wheels stuck in a snow-covered ditch. The driver was in a state of extreme anxiety, realizing that it was no longer movable. Flustered, he hurriedly covered the draft horse's body with an oilcloth, knowing that the Khitan barbarians detested nothing more than Song people owning horses and would shoot them dead with a single arrow.

Before it could be said, it was too late. Twelve Liao cavalrymen had already thundered past the bustling section of the official road. They wore iron helmets and black-lacquered armor, with dark-sheathed sabers slung around their waists and long bows and quivers hanging from their backs, the quivers bristling with long arrows.

The leader cracked his whip high into the air, spinning it in a whistling arc before bringing it down heavily upon the horse’s flank. With a shrill whinny of pain, the powerful steed surged forward like a released arrow, hurtling directly toward the southern end of the official road. The other cavalrymen followed suit, their shouts echoing one after another. The twelve fierce riders swept past like a gale, carrying an overwhelming momentum.

At that moment, the leading cavalryman suddenly caught sight of the carriage. Bending his bow while riding at a gallop, he let fly a lightning-fast arrow. In a split second, the shaft pierced the draft horse’s eye, the arrowhead protruding from the other side of its skull.

With a mournful whinny, the horse collapsed to the ground and died. The trailing Khitan cavalry cheered in unison and accelerated their frantic gallop, turning into a few tiny black spots in the blink of an eye. They came like a whirlwind and went like a whirlwind, leaving behind a sky full of fluttering snow crystals.

The driver flung himself over the horse’s body, wailing and crying to the heavens. Li Yanqing and the others crawled out of the carriage and silently gathered around the carcass. The horse's body was still warm, and blood continued to drip from its eye, forming a stark crimson pool in the snow.

People gathered around from all directions, but no one spoke. The crowd remained dead silent. With the Song and Liao dynasties locked in endless warfare for over a century, a heavy sorrow weighed upon everyone's heart. The Khitan barbarians killed people and shot horses with complete impunity within Song territory, making the onlookers shudder as if foreseeing their own doomed fate.

Yao Ding sighed, helped the driver up, and tried to comfort him, saying, "It is a blessing that you are unharmed!"

Wiping his tears with his lapels, the driver sobbed, "That was a two-year-old Qingkou horse! Even if I sold my entire family, I could never afford to pay for it!"

Blood rushing to his head, Wang Gui stepped forward and patted his own chest. "I will take responsibility for this matter. When I return, I will explain it to my grandfather. You don't have to pay for it; consider it my loss at worst."

Yao Ding looked at Wang Gui with approval. The boy showed true accountability at a critical moment!

"Fifth Brother, are the Khitan barbarians always this arrogant and tyrannical?" Li Yanqing asked Yue Fei.

Yao Fei nodded. "They are the palace guard troops of the Liao Dynasty. It is already a mercy that they didn't shoot a human. When the Southern Court troops come down to forage for grain, that is truly devastating, leaving countless families shattered and ruined."

Tang Huai, standing nearby, lowered his voice. "This is the vanguard of the Liao envoy. I heard from my grandfather that earlier this year, Grand Commander Tong went to the Liao state, and now it should be the Liao envoy returning the visit. It was always like this in the past."

By this time, the surrounding crowd had dispersed. The driver flagged down an ox cart for them, and the group switched to the ox cart, taking a path alongside the Yongji Canal to return to Lushun Town. The driver had to stay behind by the carriage to wait for his master to come and deal with the aftermath.

Along the return journey, everyone remained profoundly silent. Li Yanqing gazed out the window for a long time. The Khitan cavalryman's arrow had ripped open his sealed memories. When the Jurchen Tartars swept across the Central Plains like locusts a dozen years later, what tragic fate would befall this land where he was born and raised?

Gazing into the distance, wisps of cooking smoke rose from a village shrouded in tranquil twilight, and he thought of the poem: "Do not mock the farm's turbid year-end wine; a bountiful harvest leaves enough chicken and pork to host guests." Such a beautiful homeland was destined to be ruthlessly ravaged by foreign tribes, turned into a ghostly wasteland stretching a thousand miles. A sharp pang of heartache pierced his heart.

What should he do? He possessed the courage to bravely face righteousness unto death, yet he hated his own youth and his utter lack of the power to reverse fate. For a moment, Li Yanqing was filled with anxiety and helplessness.

At that moment, a look of resolute determination appeared in Yue Fei's eyes. Clenching his fists, he said to the others, "If we do not learn martial arts to protect ourselves, we will be slaughtered at will by the Khitan barbarians just like that horse! While we study literature, we must also practice martial arts."

Wang Gui and Tang Huai responded in unison, brimming with the heroic spirit of martyrs. Yet Li Yanqing remained silent. The three looked at him in bewilderment, noticing he was still gazing outside. Wang Gui gave him a nudge and asked in a low voice, "Brother Qing, what are you thinking about?"

Li Yanqing turned back to look at them, still unable to pull himself out of his train of thought. He slowly said, "I am thinking, when the Jurchen barbarians strike, how can I protect the elders and folks of my hometown?"

"The Jurchen barbarians?" Everyone stared at him in confusion, and even Yao Ding's eyes were filled with doubt.

"They are a tribe ten times more ferocious than the Khitan barbarians. The Khitans we saw are actually in decline, merely an aging, sickly tiger. But the Jurchen barbarians are man-eating, raging tigers. Wherever they pass, bare bones litter the earth and a thousand miles become a barren wasteland. One day, they will kill their way here."

"Brother Qing, how do you know this?" Yue Fei asked in a deep voice.

Li Yanqing came to his senses, realizing he had spoken out of turn. Hesitating for a moment, he said, "Prefectural Official Li told me."

Silence fell upon the group once again. Since these words came from Official Li, they were undoubtedly trustworthy. Thinking of the impending war while they were still young and powerless—unable even to protect themselves, let alone their families—everyone sank into a state of bewilderment.

At this point, Yao Ding addressed the group, "Do your human best and leave the rest to fate. As long as you study diligently and practice martial arts in your spare time to strengthen your bodies... if those... Jurchen barbarians truly come, you will pick up your blades and fight to the death. If you cannot defeat them, it is destined by fate. Why worry about it now?"

Yao Ding had also come to a realization. In the past, he had firmly opposed his students practicing martial arts, believing it to be useless. Today, having witnessed firsthand the Khitans shooting the horse, his inner self had received a profound shock.

He finally realized that he ought to encourage his students to practice martial arts to strengthen themselves. Only then would they be able to take up swords to protect themselves when the northern barbarians invaded, rather than being slaughtered at will like that horse.

...

Returning to Lushun Town, it was already the third watch of the night. Yao Ding arranged for everyone to stay at an inn. After dozing fitfully for a few hours, they woke up with bloodshot eyes, clearly having had a poor night's sleep.

After all, the four of them were still youths. Although they had been deeply shaken by the Liao cavalry yesterday, after a night's sleep, they recovered their cheerful and lively natural dispositions.

"Brother Qing, come to my house after school this afternoon!"

Wang Gui smiled warmly as he invited Li Yanqing. "Let's practice archery in my backyard. I'll take out a few straw figures dressed in Khitan barbarian clothes so we can shoot arrows and vent our anger."

Li Yanqing scratched his head. "I'm afraid today won't work. Having just returned, I need to go home and check on things."

"That's true as well. Then let's make it next time!"

Wang Gui suddenly remembered that he had a mountain of his own matters to attend to and probably wouldn't have time to host an archery session anyway. He had originally intended to invite Fifth Brother Yue as well, but he swallowed the invitation back into his stomach.

The two dressed and went out to the courtyard to rinse their mouths and wash their faces. Just then, Tang Huai emerged carrying a basin as well. Pulling Li Yanqing aside, he said, "Didn't I tell you? I asked the innkeeper just now; it was indeed the Liao envoy's delegation. They passed through Lushun Town a step ahead of us yesterday. I heard there were over a thousand people—quite an imposing spectacle."

"Ah! Where is Fifth Brother?" Li Yanqing noticed Yue Fei was missing.

"I am right here!"

Li Yanqing turned his head to see Yue Fei, dressed in light training clothes and radiating heat, jogging in through a small side door. "I went out early to practice martial arts!"

Li Yanqing gave a thumbs-up and praised sincerely, "I truly admire Fifth Brother's ability to turn words into action immediately. Tomorrow, I will wake up early to practice martial arts as well."

"Tomorrow I will... also wake up early to practice martial arts." Wang Gui said this with a distinctly unconvincing lack of conviction.

Yao Fei nodded and said, "I thought about it all last night. Master was right after all. Rather than standing by the abyss yearning for fish, it is better to retire and weave a net. We are too humble and insignificant to influence major affairs of state, but we can change ourselves. By mastering martial arts, we will be able to protect our homes and defend our country in the future."

Li Yanqing's heart also cleared up. He smiled brightly and said, "Official Li said that even if the Jin troops attack, it will still take at least a decade. These ten-odd years will be enough for us to learn something, unlike how helpless we felt just now—unable even to ride a donkey, let alone draw a bow on horseback."

Instantly remembering Li Yanqing tumbling off the donkey, the others burst into hearty laughter together.