Chapter 534: North Liang Drums Sound

The Hulu Kou area, a vast and boundless expanse, now featured a magnificent temporary military review platform. Three *li* to its east and west stood two review towers, one for Beiliang's veteran generals with meritorious service and the other for its civil officials and scholars. This arrangement, with one tower for civil and one for military, symbolized the dual pillars supporting the court. The Civil Tower, with its six stories, was one floor taller than the Military Tower, instilling a sense of pride in the scholars who were gradually ascending it. Inside the Civil Tower, many high-ranking Beiliang civil officials, including regional governors, were present. Apart from Xu Beizhi, the new Prefect of Lingzhou, the Prefects of Youzhou and Liangzhou had already reached the top floor, joining Li Gongde, the Frontier Administrator, at the railing to gaze into the distance. Yet, the closest person to Li Gongde was not Hu Kui, the Prefect of Liangzhou.

Neither was it Wang Peifang, the Prefect of Youzhou. Instead, two new faces stood closest: Grand Master Wang of Shangyin Academy and Huang Shang, who was originally slated for a position in the Censorate in the capital. Dressed in high caps and flowing robes, their sleeves fluttered in the frontier winds that swept against the tower, giving the two elderly men an ethereal, scholarly air. By law, Hu Kui held a rank half a step higher than the Prefect of Lingzhou within Beiliang, and compared to the older men in the tower, he was still in his prime. In his early years, he had commanded Beiliang's Lieju cavalry, with his Damaying unit renowned worldwide for its elite crossbowmen, earning significant battle merits. For some unknown reason, eight years ago, Hu Kui, who had been on track to become a Liangzhou General within five years, unilaterally led 300 light cavalry into the heartland of Longyao Prefecture, slaughtering over 1,200 Northern Mang cavalry from the Zhebu military outpost. He subsequently lost his position, which allowed Chen Zhibao, who took over the Lieju cavalry, to command the world's finest battle-hardened scouts, surpassing even Dong Zhuo's Crows of Northern Mang. After losing his office, Hu Kui, abandoned by many, simply abandoned his military career for a civil one, starting as a minor official in Liangzhou. In just seven years, he incredibly became Prefect again, prompting Beiliang officials to privately joke that he was like "dead ashes that could reignite after being urinated on multiple times – it defied all logic." Wang Peifang, the Prefect of Youzhou, was a pure scholar by background and had always been at odds with Hu Kui, who boasted twenty years of military service. Almost every year, he would complain to the Prince of Beiliang at Qingliang Mountain about how Hu Kui, that "old ruffian," disregarded the law and allowed his subordinates to brazenly bully Youzhou officials. Unlike the eccentric Hu Kui, who stood alone at the far right of the top floor, Wang Peifang, unable to approach the Frontier Administrator and the two highly reputable elders, engaged in polite conversation with renowned scholars from various academies, exchanging comforting words about homeland and discussing the most popular "wandering immortal" and "reminiscing about antiquity" poems of the current literary scene, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Hu Kui, dressed in the splendid official robes of a first-grade third-rank official, lived up to the name his parents gave him; his physique was robust, his head towering half a size above most Northern men. On the top floor, filled with slender civil officials and scholars, especially those who had come to Beiliang, Hu Kui's presence stood out even more prominently, making him seem a head above the rest. Upon ascending, Hu Kui greeted no one. He stood by the railing, gazing far into the distance. Yellow sand rolled, and Beiliang's elite tiger-cavalry units were arrayed along the river. Hu Kui's eyes glazed over; if not for that unfortunate incident years ago, he too would have been among them, even standing there to review the troops! He shifted his gaze to the military review platform, one hand gripping the railing. The Prefect of Liangzhou, who was second only to one and above thousands among Beiliang's civil officials, let out a soft sigh. A young scholar named Yu Luandao, personally introduced to Li Gongde by Grand Master Wang of Shangyin Academy to "make an impression," conversed with the Frontier Administrator neither humbly nor haughtily, his demeanor somewhat reserved. This led scholars from both regions, positioned further back on the top floor, to secretly grumble about his lack of decorum and excessive arrogance. Yu Luandao wore a jade belt and a long sword; his face was as fair as jade, and his bearing was exceptional. The Civil Tower felt as if it swayed from the endless thundering hooves. Many visiting scholars turned pale at the sight of Beiliang's formidable cavalry. Yu Luandao, however, remained composed. While Huang Shang was discussing with the Frontier Administrator the possibility of establishing academies and scholar associations, Yu Luandao silently approached Hu Kui without a word. The two stood side by side, gazing at the battlefield in silence for a long time. Surprisingly, it was the high-ranking Hu Kui who spoke first, in a calm tone: "You must be the eldest legitimate grandson of the Yu family from Yinyang. On your very first day at Shangyin Academy, you stunned everyone by consecutively solving six of the nine 'questions' of Heaven and Earth left by Huang Sanjia. Master Song Er once made a monthly assessment, commending Yu Luandao as 'one whose words carry Zen, and whose speech can satiate cravings. In court, he can rise swiftly; in the wilderness, he can inherit the literary tradition.' Even our unparalleled Second Princess has highly praised your poetry and prose. However, the reason I, Hu Kui, notice you is simple: you once composed the forty-eight-character 'Song of the Great Horses of Liangzhou' in remembrance of Damaying. I thank you on behalf of my 260 fallen brothers."

Hu Kui, with one hand behind his back and the other tapping the railing, spoke softly: "'Green, green, yellow, yellow, trapped and slaughtered wild sheep. The great horses of Liangzhou, died in a foreign land.' Good, truly good. Even a rough warrior like myself can read it without difficulty. Just for these two lines, even if you, Yu Luandao, were to ask me for a fourth-rank official position, to assume tomorrow, I would willingly grant it. Horses trampling green grass and yellow sand, riding to hunt sheep for meat, yet looking back, one still sees no homeland. Many literati could probably write such simple things, but they simply choose not to."

Yu Luandao, the eldest legitimate grandson of the Yu family from Yinyang, was extraordinary from a young age. At his first birthday 'grasping ceremony,' he grasped a copy of 'Spring and Autumn Annals' with one hand and clutched 'Dalaun,' a peerless treasured blade passed down through generations, with the other. At four, he composed poetry that astonished the world, and at fourteen, he traveled alone, carrying his books and sword, to study at Shangyin Academy, attracting global attention. He was also the young talent among the scholars visiting Beiliang who caused the greatest heartache and anger for the Liyang imperial court. Consequently, the Yu family incurred the wrath of Emperor Zhao and was severely suppressed in Guangling Road. Yu Luandao lowered his gaze to his sword, then looked up into the distance, his face filled with a gentle, warm smile, his eyes resolute as he said: "General Hu, I did not come to Beiliang to seek an official position from you. I merely wish to see His Royal Highness the Prince with my own eyes, and then I shall have no regrets in this life. I cannot stand the arrogant and lawless noble clans, nor the pretentious Imperial Academy, nor the court that discards its loyal servants like a cooked rabbit. Only His Royal Highness pleases my eyes. I also wish to personally ask His Royal Highness: if one day Beiliang cannot withstand Northern Mang's million cavalry, does Xu Fengnian dare to die on the battlefield? Does he dare to truly guard the Northwest gate for the Central Plains? If Xu Fengnian assents, then in the future pile of the dead, there will be one more — me, Yu Luandao! We scholars, in times of peace, seek fame and success. In times of chaos, we study and are merely willing to die to exchange our lives for peace for the common people!"

Hu Kui calmly said: "I only fear that you scholars are all talk and no action, capable of discussing warfare brilliantly on paper, but utterly useless in reality." Yu Luandao, hearing the Prefect of Liangzhou's rather unromantic words, instead burst into laughter: "I fear that too! That's why, after the military review, I intend to enlist as a common soldier. Whether I'm a mule or a horse, a walk will reveal it. However, along the way, I've seen many beautiful women of the North who are unlike the graceful women of Jiangnan—tall and slender, with bold and unrestrained personalities. They are very much to my liking. Before I die, I must marry such a tall wife, only then will I have lived this life to the fullest and not have wasted my journey to Beiliang. I have no elders here, Yu Luandao. Would Lord Hu be willing to act on my behalf when presenting a marriage proposal to a lady's family?"

Hu Kui made no commitment, instead uttering an even more ominous remark: "I, Hu Kui, have no other great skill but collecting corpses well. If you, Yu Luandao, die one day, I will collect your body for you." Many scholars on the top floor stood inside, not privileged enough to stand by the railing in the corridor. Seeing the Yu family's eldest grandson able to socialize with the Frontier Administrator and "converse happily" with General Hu Kui of Liangzhou, they were intensely envious. Yu Luandao's laughter sounded somewhat grating to their ears. Little did they know that this scion of a renowned family had come to Beiliang with the intent of seeking death.

Sparse snowflakes began to fall, with a tendency to grow heavier. Beiliang was bitterly cold