A Step into the Past

Book 14 Chapter 10 – Killing Four Birds With Two Arrows

Before dawn, Xiang Shaolong is roused from sleep by the Tian sisters. 

He did not sleep a wink the night before and was working non-stop yesterday. He was so exhausted he slept like a log the moment he hugged Wu Tingfang in bed. 

Outside the tent where it is still dark, Ji Yanran and his other two wives changed the medication on his wound. By now, the injury is almost completely healed except for a scar. He already has several scars on his body and an additional one is inconsequential. 

This moment, Jing Jun led a young man to see him and introduced: “This is Huan Qi. Commander Xiang should have seen him yesterday. He is the best hunter from the first hunt yesterday and the only fighter to win three consecutive fights last night. The Crown Prince has promoted him to be a Major and assigned him to our Cavalry Army. Commander Xiang will be in charge of grooming him.”

Huan Qi kneeled down and greeted: “Huan Qi pays his respects to Commander Xiang.”

‘No wonder he looked so familiar’, Xiang Shaolong thought. He gently instructed: “Stand up!” Like an agile leopard, Huan Qi sprang up from his kneeling position. 

Xiang Shaolong saw that he has clear and shining eyes, a confident aura and a well-built body. He was tall, muscular and has an imposing air. Even with the three pretty wives besides himself, he did not stray his eyes to look at them. Pleased, he inquired: “Huan Qi, what is your background and do you have any military experience?” 

Without hesitation, Huan Qi replied: “I come from the North and spend my youth studying martial arts and military warfare. I was a Captain serving General Wang Jian in the north as he protected our borders.” 

With a sincere expression, he awkwardly revealed: “It is General Wang Jian who sent me to represent the Border Guards in the hunting fair. General Wang advised me to seek out Commander Xiang should I ever get the chance to be promoted as Commander Xiang will be the right person who can groom me.”

Xiang Shaolong smiled: “Based on Brother Huan’s talent, it will be hard to keep you from excelling.” 

Huan Qi’s face darkened slightly and he continued: “There is something Commander Xiang must know. My ancestors are from the Quanrong tribe. Thus, regardless of my achievements, I have always been overlooked when it is promotion time. If not for General Wang’s support, I will still be a miserable sergeant. General Wang has the intention to promote me to become a Major but his recommendations are rejected by the military headquarters. Therefore, General Wang sent me here to try my luck and instructed me to work for Commander Xiang at all costs.” 

Xiang Shaolong came to realise that racism exists even within the people of Qin. He was thrilled. If Wang Jian recognizes this man to be talented, there is surely some substance in him. Additionally, Wang Jian must have learnt about his situation from Big Brother Wu Zhuo and as a result, he sent this capable man to assist himself. 

Now that his leg has been bandaged properly, he stood up and grabbed his shoulder, swearing: “Brother Huan can rest at ease. I will never have a different opinion about you because of your ancestry. As long as you work hard and stay loyal to the state, I will see that you get what you deserved. From today onwards, you will be my Assistant Commander and I will issue you your letter of appointment within these two days.”

Huan Qi was stunned at Xiang Shaolong’s generosity and gratefully kneeled down and kowtowed. 

Jing Jun held him up and smiled to Xiang Shaolong: “The moment I saw Brother Huan, we hit it off very well. I already told him that Commander Xiang will take good care of anyone recommended by General Wang Jian.” 

Xiang Shaolong officially state: “Little Jun should not speak like that. I have absolute trust in General Wang’s judgement and moreover, Brother Huan did perform well at the hunting fair. That is why I gave him a chance to showcase his talent.”

Jing Jun winked at Xiang Shaolong, asking: “What should be his duties over the next two days?” 

Xiang Shaolong understood what he meant. Jing Jun was asking whether he can tell Huan Qi about Lord Gaoling and Lu Buwei’s issues. After a short contemplation, he acknowledged that it is someone that Wang Jian sent to assist him and should be reliable. He hardened his heart and replied: “Since he is one of us, I see no reason to hide anything from him. Only when he has complete knowledge can he do his best.”

Huan Qi is so touched that he nearly cried. Jing Jun happily dragged him to see Teng Yi.

Ji Yanran came to Xiang Shaolong’s side and predicted: “If Yanran is not mistaken, another capable General is about to surface in Qin.”

Different hunting groups led their hunting dogs to cross the wooden bridges over River Jing. They then spread out into the wide hunting grounds to begin the morning hunt. 

Lu Buwei, Xu Xian, Wang He, Lu Gong, Wang Wan, Cai Ze, Xiang Shaolong, Lord Changping, Guan Zhongxie and other important officials are accompanying Xiao Pan on his hunt.

Zhu Ji is only interested in the first hunt.

Lord Changwen and Teng Yi are in charge of protecting the campsite while Jing Jun and Huan Qi went to spy on Lord Gaoling’s rebel soldiers. 

There is another hunting party made up of members of the royal family which includes Lord Gaoling and his escorts. Qin Qing, Ji Yanran, Wu Tingfang, Zhao Zhi and the Tian sisters formed another group while Prince Dan and his men formed another group. They were spread out among the other groups on the hunting grounds.

Xiao Pan rode his horse towards a huge lake and was in great spirits.

Xiang Shaolong, Guan Zhongxie and Lord Changping followed him closely. Behind them are the rest of the officials.

Xiang Shaolong saw that Xiao Pan is slowly growing up to be a young man and assessed his extraordinary features and aura. 

His most remarkable features are his two high and round cheekbones, making one feel subservient. It may be due to the numerous secrets that he is hiding that his eyes are becoming more and more mysterious looking. When he is looking straight at you, even Xiang Shaolong who is so familiar with him will feel his goose pimples standing. His lips are thick which does not make him handsome but his mouth is well-defined which gives people a sense of determination and resolution. As a result, his appearance is very different from other people and he does have a dominating aura around him. 

As he continue to grow older, these attributes become more and more significant. Xiang Shaolong can no longer see any signs of the childish Xiao Pan he saw back in Handan Palace. 

This future Qin Shi Huang shares a common height but he has wide shoulders and his hands and feet are bigger than most people. When he moves, he carries an aura of might and invincibility. If there are any fortune tellers, they can easily tell that he is of noble birth. 

At this point, there is a flock of water eagles that began to fly into the sky from the lakeside. Xiao Pan shot an arrow but only hit empty air. Xiao Pan laughed: “So many birds! Someone shoot them down.”

Xiang Shaolong is not interested in these aimless killings and he watched as the other men began to shoot arrow after arrow. 

Qiang! Xiang Shaolong eardrums resonated with a loud sound. Beside him, Guan Zhongxie took out his iron bow and rushed in front of everyone, shooting two arrows in succession. However, the bow only rang out once, showing his incredible firing speed.

Over a hundred arrows flew through the air.

The water eagles cry out tragically and twenty odd birds fell down from the sky. 

The escorts quickly released the hunting dogs to bring the birds back. The loud barking of the dogs shattered the tranquillity of the plains.

Xiao Pan was ecstatic and rode towards the lakeside. Everyone has to follow him in his pursuit.

Xiao Pan finally stopped on a little hill that overlooks the entire lake. 

As everyone stopped behind him, Lu Buwei rode up to his side and laughed: “The Crown Prince has good horsemanship!”

Prince Dan and his men arrived at the hill around the same time. 

Xiao Pan smiled: “Thanks for your compliment. Look, our Qin has such beautiful scenery with large plains and abundant animals.” 

He pointed to the west mountains and continued: “Can every one of you see the famous western waterfall? It falls down from a height of a few hundred feet down and resembles a brocade of white silk. I can imagine that when the water finally land on the rocks below, the water will splash with a tremendous impact and become thousands of shimmering water drops.” 

Behind him, Xiang Shaolong glanced around the wilderness with interest. It is like a scene from a beautiful dream with the lake in front of them and the mountains in the background. The green vegetation and the mountains are stack in their natural layers, resembling a landscape painting. Although Xiao Pan is still a teenager, he is fully immersed in his role as the King of Qin. He is analyzing his territory with pride and joy. 

Lu Gong came to the other side of Xiao Pan and described: “I often go there to hunt myself. When the waterfall finally reaches the bottom, it flows to the east and take a turn, running through two mountains and valleys. Finally, it will run in the southwest direction and form the west river. After another ten miles, it will merge with the Jing River. It is a spectacular sight to behold.” 

Xiang Shaolong scanned everyone’s expression and saw that everyone was intoxicated in their emotions. Only Prince Dan is eyeing Xiao Pan with suspicions. He was shaken and thought about Jing Ke’s assassination. He secretly believed that this is the time when Prince Dan is beginning to harbour thoughts about assassinating Xiao Pan. 

Xiao Pan resolutely declared: “That shall be our goal for today. If I do not witness the splendour of the western waterfall personally, I will not be able to go to sleep tonight.”

Xu Xian smiled: “If this is the case, we must set off now. It will take us six hours to go there and come back.” 

They were interrupted by the escorts and the hunting dogs who came back with the water eagles. In total, there were a total of twenty-seven birds that were shot down. The arrows are marked with names so everyone can tell who shot the most number of birds. There are two arrows that went through two eagles each. It is truly killing two birds with one arrow.

The birds are displayed on the floor for everyone’s assessment.

Xiang Shaolong saw that the two arrows that killed the four birds are similar. Shocked, he stared at Guan Zhongxie.

Everyone is starting to notice the two special arrows.

Xiao Pan was astounded: “May I know who it is that possessed such amazing archery skill?”

Guan Zhongxie leapt down his horse and kneeled down, reporting: “Crown Prince, please do not mind my lowly skill.”

Lu Gong and Xu Xian exchanged a look and they have a concerned expression on their faces. 

It is already very challenging to fire two arrows at the same time. It takes even more skill to shoot down four eagles with only two arrows. Among the hundred odd flying eagles, one must aim both arrows concurrently so as to score two kills each. It is a feat that cannot be topped. 

Xiang Shaolong can feel his whole body turning cold. If they happened to duel, he would be unable to avoid his powerful arrows. Looks like Guan Zhongxie is superior to Teng Yi in both arm strength and archery skill. 

Xiao Pan tried to hide his unnatural expression and forced a smile: “Subject Guan’s archery skill is peerless. I want to reward you. What suggestions do the rest of you have?”

Lu Buwei will not let this chance slip by. He smiled: “If Crown Prince can reinstate him to his former position, it will be good enough.” 

Xiao Pan had agreed to this matter earlier when Empress had spoken to him about it. She wanted to support Lu Buwei and curb his ambitions. Xiao Pan nodded: “From this moment on, Subject Guan will resume his former duties and assist me in protecting Xianyang City.”

Guan Zhongxie hurriedly kowtowed with thanks.

Xiao Pan pointed his horse whip to the western mountains and exclaimed: “Let’s race there!”

Leading the group of riders, he sped down the slope.

Short after noon time, Xiao Pan and his followers came back with their mission accomplished. 

Back at the camp, Xiang Shaolong had some free time and went to find Li Si. He told Li Si about Huan Qi’s appointment and Li Si agreed wholeheartedly. Other than him, there is no one who knows how close Xiao Pan and Xiang Shaolong are.

Xiang Shaolong was amused. 

When he came to this ancient world through the time machine, he did his best to locate Qin Shi Huang in Handan City so that he can gain his friendship and enjoy a life of luxury. After so many twists and turns, he became the one who ‘invented’ Qin Shi Huang. There is no other miracle bigger than this in the past or in the future. 

Wu Tingfang and Zhao Zhi came up to him and were chirping non-stop like two little birds. They told him about the interesting stories during their own hunt and Xiang Shaolong praised them for their abilities. By now, Qin Qing, Ji Yanran and the Tian sisters have joined them.

While they were busy talking, the hunting groups are slowly returning back to camp. 

At the main assembly ground, everyone is occupied with reporting their catch and inspecting the animals. Wu Tingfang and Zhao Zhi hurriedly joined in the fun. 

Ji Yanran is very observant and told Xiang Shaolong: “Little Jun is back and is chatting with Lu Dan’er besides the assembly ground. Hubby, you can spend more time with Sister Fang and Zhi Zhi. I wish to take a nap back at our tent. When I wake up, let’s go for a shower in the river!”

Xiang Shaolong knew that she has a habit of taking afternoon naps and consented. 

After Ji Yanran left with Qin Qing and the Tian sisters, Xiang Shaolong jumped down his horse and instructed Wu Shu to bring his horse back to camp first. He finally saw Jing Jun with Lu Dan’er. Jing Jun appears to be saying some teasing words and Lu Dan’er is raining blows on him. Jing Jun turned around and allowed Lu Dan’er to hit his back. After a short while, her blows softened and nearby, the female warriors are laughing at them.

Xiang Shaolong is happy for them. “Commander Xiang!” Huan Qi came up to him. 

Xiang Shaolong turned his head and smiled: “Brother Huan, why didn’t you join Little Jun in having fun? Based on your talents, you should be highly regarded by the female warriors.” 

Huan Qi paid his respects and answered: “This is the time for me to contribute to my country and I am not interested in women or family planning. Hei! Commander Xiang can just call me Huan Qi.” 

Xiang Shaolong reckoned this the difference between him and Jing Jun. One of them is a dedicated worker while the other is all out to enjoy life. He smiled: “How young are you?” Huan Qi respectfully responded: “I am nineteen.” 

Xiang Shaolong decided: “You are only one year older than Little Jun. I shall call you Little Qi!” He led him away from the assembly ground towards a secluded spot, enquiring: “Any new discoveries today?”

Huan Qi detailed: “Assistant Commander Jing and I went deep into the mountains to spy on the enemy. The weather has been good for the past few days and there is no fog. Thus, we can see everything very clearly. From what I observed, there is about ten thousand rebel soldiers but they are disunited and in disarray. Their formation is untidy; their banners are in a mess; they have tired looks on their faces; they dragged their feet wherever they go and their morale is very low. I only need one thousand elite soldiers to attack and overpower them.”

Xiang Shaolong was blown away: “How can Little Qi make so many conclusions with just half a day of spying?” 

Like a different person altogether, Huan Qi explained: “Before a battle, it is important to observe the enemies’ activities from higher ground. From the small details, we can draw important conclusions about their strength and strategies. Lord Gaoling’s men may be hidden in the dense forests but we can still observe which areas of the forest are populated with birds and beasts and which areas are void of them. From there, we can gauge the size of their camp and the number of men they have. We can proceed to look at the ground for clues. From the rising dust, I am sure that they are cutting trees and accumulating rocks to be used to attack us later.” 

The more he spoke, the more enthusiastic he became. Squatting on the floor, he used some stones to display the enemies’ formation. He was extremely detailed and left nothing out, showing his extraordinary memory and observation skills. 

Xiang Shaolong was moved: “If I give you a group of two thousand elite soldiers, what will you do? You must remember that you can only attack them after they have made the first move.” 

Huan Qi stood up and used his leg to destroy the stone formations on the ground. He seriously state: “Besides knowing the food supplies and strength of the enemy, the most important thing is the motivation behind their fighting spirit. If we manage to convince them that their fight is meaningless, we will defeat them without losing a single soldier. Now, our enemy is inconvenienced by the river so their communication is hindered. They are based in the uncomfortable wet areas of the forest where there are many thorny plants. I am confident that they are ill-prepared which caused the soldiers to be exhausted and their morale to be low. We can attack them from the river and on land simultaneously. Even if they manage to destroy the bridges, there is no loss to us. We can fortify ourselves along the river and remain undefeated.” 

Xiang Shaolong could not help but improve his opinion about him. Jing Jun may have other strengths which he cannot match but in terms of wisdom and military warfare, Jing Jun lags far behind him. 

If these words come from Lu Gong or Xu Xian, it is to be expected. But Huan Qi is only nineteen and has such capabilities. There is only one word that can describe him: Genius. 

Xiang Shaolong had a brainwave: “Let me bring you to see someone. When you see him, you must tell him everything you told me earlier. It will benefit your career in the future.”

Huan Qi was astonished: “Who are you bringing me to see?”

Xiang Shaolong clapped his shoulder and pushed him towards the royal tents, laughing: “Of course to see the Crown Prince!” 

Huan Qi trembled and halted. He lowered his head and muttered: “Why don’t I tell you my ideas and you can report them to the Crown Prince?” 

Xiang Shaolong continued to nudge him forward and smiled: “That would be wrong as I don’t deserve the credit for your work. Stop hesitating. I like men who are easy-going.” 

Huan Qi is so touched his eyes start to redden. He sobbed: “No wonder General Wang always say Commander Xiang is the most generous man and the number one hero of our Qin Empire. I will never forget your kindness.” 

Xiang Shaolong smiled: “It is what you truly deserve. I am just the introducer. But you must remember that this round, we must make the Crown Prince show off his might in front of his people. We must not take any credit for ourselves. Understand?”

Huan Qi naturally understood and hurriedly nodded his head.