Chapter Five: Do You Believe It?

By the time Qin Cheng and his companions returned to the Qiansang military camp, dusk had already fallen, and the day's training was drawing to a close. Qin Cheng handed his warhorse to Dong Chu, who, accompanied by two sentries, would return it to the cavalry division. Qin Cheng himself walked straight back to the barracks with Wu Daliang. As for the matter of the deserter, it would be handled by the authorities in due course.

There were two types of camps in the Western Han army: those of tents and those of buildings. Because Shanggu was in the north with a cold climate, and the Qiansang garrison was the permanent post of the local defenders, it belonged to the latter type. The entire Qiansang camp was divided into three sections: cavalry, charioteers, and infantry, each numbering between three to four thousand men, much like other frontier garrisons. This was the common arrangement in the early years of Emperor Wu's reign.

Before the two men reached the infantry quarters, someone suddenly darted out from the side and charged straight at Qin Cheng, attempting to throw his arm around Qin Cheng’s neck without so much as a word! Caught off guard, Qin Cheng instinctively dodged and lashed out with a swift roundhouse kick. The light was fading fast, and in the gloom, he couldn't clearly make out the man's features.

The man let out a surprised exclamation and blocked Qin Cheng’s right kick with his hand. Before he could react further, Qin Cheng’s left leg shot out like lightning, catching him on the head and sending him flying!

A miserable cry was followed by a heavy thud as the man hit the ground.

"Qin Cheng, have you lost your mind? Even hitting me now?" The man staggered to his feet, clutching his head, and shouted at Qin Cheng.

"Le Yi?" Qin Cheng now recognized the man before him and exclaimed in surprise, instantly realizing trouble might be afoot. He hurried over to help him up, laughing, "So it's you! I couldn't see clearly just now—pure accident, haha!"

"Accident, my ass! You can't even recognize me now?" The sentry, bearing the name of a famous general, grumbled indignantly, removing his cap and vigorously rubbing the spot where Qin Cheng’s kick had landed. He cast a glance at Qin Cheng, then suddenly seemed to realize something was amiss. In astonishment, he asked, "When did you become so skilled?"

"I’m not that good. Just got lucky a moment ago," Qin Cheng hedged, trying to match the reputation of the "old" Qin Cheng.

Le Yi seemed about to press the matter, but with Wu Daliang present, he merely apologized, "I need to talk to him." With that, he dragged Qin Cheng away.

Le Yi led Qin Cheng to a secluded corner of the camp. They sat on the ground, Le Yi still rubbing his throbbing head as he spoke with an edge to his voice, "What happened to you this time? Why were you late returning from home leave?"

Qin Cheng sat beside him and gave a dry chuckle. "Would you believe me if I said I was struck by lightning?"

Le Yi blinked, gave him a sidelong look, and replied, "Whether I believe you or not doesn’t matter. What matters is if General Li does."

"He will," Qin Cheng said confidently.

Le Yi’s gaze grew strange as he scrutinized Qin Cheng up and down. "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"I’d have to be a fool to believe that!" Le Yi retorted. Clearly, his impression of Qin Cheng hadn't changed from before.

Qin Cheng knew Le Yi was just worried for him and didn’t argue. The best way to convince Le Yi would be with actions, not words.

The conversation lapsed into silence.

After a long pause, Le Yi lay back, gazing at the stars above. In a soft but certain voice, he said, "Qin Cheng, there’s going to be war." Though he spoke quietly, there was a barely concealed excitement in his words. "Both Dai Commandery to the left and Yuyang to the right are already fighting. We’re caught in between; there’s no way we’ll avoid it!"

Qin Cheng looked at Le Yi and replied, "When the time comes, you cavalrymen will be the main force. I’m afraid you’ll face some tough battles. You should be prepared."

"Prepared? I’ve been waiting for this day for twenty years!" Le Yi’s expression grew resolute, and his voice firmed. "Since I can remember, I’ve longed for this day. The Xiongnu—this time, I’ll make them pay for their blood debts with my own bow and blade!"

When Le Yi was eight, his father was killed by the Xiongnu. Not long after, his mother passed away as well. Qin Cheng had known since childhood the depth of Le Yi’s hatred for the Xiongnu. It was this hatred that drove him to hone his impressive skills.

"By the way, how do you know our cavalry will be the main force?" Le Yi suddenly asked, eyeing Qin Cheng with interest.

"Is it that hard to guess? Are you going to send us infantry to chase down the Xiongnu’s horses?" Qin Cheng replied, half in jest and half in earnest.

"Oh?" Le Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at Qin Cheng with curiosity. Then he pressed, "So tell me, with fighting in both Dai and Yuyang, why haven’t we seen a single Xiongnu in Shanggu yet?"

Qin Cheng smiled, ran his hand under his nose, and saw that Le Yi was testing him. He replied easily, "General Li is the foremost border commander of our Han Empire, and his reputation as the Flying General is well-earned. The Xiongnu wouldn’t dare invade Shanggu with the same number of troops they used in Dai and Yuyang. They know this, too. So they’ll either ignore Shanggu entirely, or they’ll come with overwhelming force."

"Then why wouldn’t they just give up invading Shanggu?" Le Yi pressed, intrigued.

"In the past, perhaps they would have. But not now. The siege of Mayi two years ago still festers in their hearts. With their temperament, they’re bound to seek major revenge. The Flying General’s fame is great, but the Xiongnu Chanyu is no simple man. Besides…" Qin Cheng glanced at the eager light in Le Yi’s eyes and paused before continuing, "By attacking Dai and Yuyang left and right, the Xiongnu may well be planning to encircle Shanggu."

Le Yi pondered this for a while. When he looked up again, his eyes were shining. "If they could defeat the famous Flying General now, they’d not only avenge Mayi, but also greatly encourage their own army’s morale, and shatter the confidence of our Han defenders—not to mention the court’s will to fight!"

Qin Cheng continued, "At that point, any further campaigns against the Xiongnu would be met with fierce opposition at court, and even the Emperor’s plans could be ruined. Then, like before, the Han would have no choice but to swallow its anger and seek peace by marriage. That’s exactly what the Xiongnu want!"

At this, Le Yi couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath, feeling a chill at the thought. "If that’s the case, the Xiongnu won’t invade Shanggu unless they mean to fight a brutal battle!"

"Exactly," Qin Cheng nodded. Inwardly, he realized that, judging by Le Yi’s reaction, Han soldiers were still deeply supportive of Emperor Wu’s campaigns. Even in the wake of the disastrous siege of Mayi, these frontier troops still hoped to restore Han pride. To change the long-standing imbalance between Han and Xiongnu was the wish of all—after all, even an ordinary sentry like Le Yi understood the coming war so deeply. While this owed much to Le Yi’s background and aspirations, it also reflected the attitude of the entire army.

After those words, both men fell silent. For Le Yi, it was the realization that the looming war in Shanggu might take a very different shape than he expected. For Qin Cheng, it was a reminder not to say too much, for the "old" Qin Cheng was, after all, a very mediocre sentry.

After a while, Le Yi looked at Qin Cheng with undisguised admiration and said slowly, "I never would have guessed you’d have such insight into the war. I used to think… Heh, well, now it seems we might just make a name for ourselves in the army together!"

Qin Cheng smiled meaningfully. In truth, he’d said all this deliberately, hoping to change Le Yi’s long-standing impression of him.

But as soon as Qin Cheng smiled, Le Yi’s look of admiration suddenly turned odd. He stood up, looked Qin Cheng over from head to toe, and finally said in a strange tone, "You scoundrel! After just a few days, you’re not only better at fighting, but your thinking has gotten deeper too. Who’s been teaching you all this? You’d better tell me the truth!"

Qin Cheng knew he mustn’t give himself away. So he put on a look of indignation and shouted, "You brat! If you can’t match me, just admit it. Why are you so unwilling to accept it? Am I doomed to always be worse than you? Such pettiness is hardly the mark of a true gentleman!"

"Gentleman? Bah! You little scamp, talking to me about being a gentleman? Did I hear you right? So what if I don’t accept it? If you’ve got the guts, beat me fair and square, and maybe then I’ll admit you’re better!" Le Yi, irritated by Qin Cheng’s smugness, threw down the challenge.

"Fine! Come on! Why would I be afraid of you? Brat! Today I’ll show you that these twenty years of meals I’ve eaten haven’t been wasted!" With nothing to lose, Qin Cheng rolled up his sleeves, and the tension between them crackled.

"Take this!" Le Yi shouted, charging in with a fierce punch aimed at Qin Cheng’s face.

"Good move!" Qin Cheng shouted back, dodging as he joined the fray.

Soon, a string of curses and howls echoed from the corner of the camp, as if a pack of ghosts were wailing into the night.

Startled by the ruckus, soldiers in nearby quarters yelled, "Shut up over there, will you?" before ignoring the commotion—such things were clearly common in the camp.

After a quarter of an hour, Qin Cheng and Le Yi lay side by side, battered and bruised, both gasping for breath.

"You’re such a rascal! Always fighting dirty. My backside is killing me—ouch!"

"And you have room to talk? Could you stop hitting my face? Do you know how hard it is to have such a handsome face?"

"Bah! Shameless! My backside is better looking than your face!"

…

"Qin Cheng."

"Hmm?"

"How’s your sister’s illness? Is she alright?"

"She’s almost recovered."

"That’s good."

"..."