Five Immortal Sects - Chapter 3: Green Mountain Pass

Chapter 3: Green Mountain Pass

On the horse-drawn carriage, there were two other young boys, Li Yu and Li Shan, who were only 11 or 12 years old. They were able to become apprentices because their families were slightly more affluent than Li Yan’s.

In their village, there were only 12 or 13 households, so the three boys were quite familiar with each other. As the scenery along the road changed, the boys’ personalities began to reveal themselves.

As the carriage ride continued, Li Yu and Li Shan started chatting, and their excitement grew as they took in the varying scenery. Their mood was like the warm sunshine in the sky, gradually becoming more vibrant. They began to imagine their future and started talking loudly.

Li Yan, on the other hand, remained mostly silent, only occasionally responding or agreeing with their conversations. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, considering his future, his family, and his goals. He made a silent resolution to himself:

‘After this trip, I must work hard, earn more money, and build two large houses when I return to the village. One will be for my third brother, so he can get married; the other will be for my parents and me to live in, so they can live a good life. During holidays, I’ll bring my three sisters back home, and we’ll be reunited as a family, never to be separated again.’

This revealed the innocence of his youth, as he only thought about his brother getting married and himself living with his parents, without considering that he would also need to establish his own family in the future.

As they journeyed on, Li Guoxing took the opportunity to quietly advise Li Yan, telling him to perform well in the army and strive to gain the favor of the commanders, which might lead to a better assignment. He also reminded Li Yan that the Imperial Guard might participate in guarding the city, so he must not be careless.

Of course, he only said that there might be a possibility, and said that basically there would be no such thing. This was while considering the reminder, and he was afraid that he would scare Li Yan if he said it too much.

Li Yan was awakened from his daze by Li Guoxing’s words and nodded silently, which made Li Guoxing feel slightly more at ease.

After finishing his advice, Li Guoxing continued in a louder tone, “Li Yan, if you join the Imperial Guard, you might not have the opportunity to return home for a while, unless you achieve some merit. It’s unlikely that you’ll achieve that soon, so if you need to send something or a letter back home, you can leave it with Li Yu or Li Shan. Villagers often come and go, and each time they come, you can ask them to bring it back to your parents.”

Li Yan responded, “Uncle Guoxing, if villagers come, just ask them to come to my place. The barracks should be easy to find.”

“You’re still so naive! But it’s not your fault, you’ve just had limited experiences. Those military barracks aren’t places ordinary people can easily access. If you’re lucky, you might just get questioned; if you’re unlucky, you might be mistaken for a spy and thrown into prison.”

Li Yan looked embarrassed and scratched his head, saying, “I didn’t know that.”

Li Guoxing teased, “But after you’ve been in the army for a few years or become a high-ranking official, we can come visit you in a grand manner. Just remember to recognize your Uncle Guoxing then!”

Before Li Yan could respond, Li Yu jumped in, “Uncle Guoxing, when I’ve mastered my cooking skills, I’ll treat you to the best dishes every time you come, and they’ll be the most delicious and satisfying!”

Li Shan also chimed in, “Uncle Guoxing, when I’ve become skilled, I’ll make the best sickles, hoes, and hunting knives for your family and every household in the village.”

Li Guoxing laughed loudly, “Haha, great! In the future, our Li family village will rely on your generation. With you all, we old folks can enjoy our retirement, drinking wine, eating wild game, and watching the sunrise and sunset on Great Green Mountain, living a carefree life.”

The conversation became lively, and Li Yan occasionally joined in, imagining his future.

As they journeyed on, the county town came into view, situated at the foot of Great Green Mountain. The mountain range stretched out in all directions, with no end in sight.

At noon, they stopped at a shaded area by the road, and Li Guoxing took out food, inviting the boys to rest and eat. Li Yan and the others also took out dry rations from their bags and sat down to eat together, chatting happily.

Finally, in the late afternoon, they arrived at the outskirts of the county town. In the distance, they saw a vast open area with a town nestled within, surrounded by mountains on both sides.

As they drew closer, they saw that the city walls were over 30 feet high, with dark shadows of soldiers moving on top. A golden flag with the character “Emperor” fluttered in the wind, and the three large characters “Green Mountain Pass” on the city gate were striking.

Li Yan and the others on the carriage stopped talking, their mouths agape, staring at the towering city gate. Unlike the adults in their village they had never seen anything like this before.

Growing up in the village, the farthest they had ever been was just around the village perimeter. They had never seen such a magnificent and majestic city wall, and the sight took their breath away.

At the city gate, there weren’t many people coming and going, probably because it was already late in the afternoon.

Li Guoxing gently pulled the reins, slowing down the horse carriage, and turned to Li Yan and the others, saying, “This city is built on both sides of the mountain, with only two city gates, north and south. The north gate is relatively relaxed, but the south gate is heavily guarded, as it faces the Meng Kingdom. Although it’s not the enemy’s territory, there’s still a buffer zone of several dozen miles before reaching the Meng Kingdom border. For cavalry, it’s almost a matter of moments to reach the border.”

Li Guoxing continued, “Fortunately, the east and west sides of Green Mountain Pass are connected to high mountains, making it difficult for the enemy to attack from any direction except the south. The city walls are steep and narrow, making it impossible for many people or horses to climb up simultaneously. Even if someone manages to climb up, it’s still a problem to attack from the top, as they’ll likely be discovered and shot by the city guards before they can even get down.”

Li Yan and the others looked up at the towering city walls, but they were too high, and from their angle, they could only vaguely see the dark shapes on top of the walls, pointing towards the mountains on both sides, like a beast baring its teeth.

Li Yan thought to himself, ‘Uncle Guoxing said the north gate is relaxed because most people coming from this direction are from our own country.Those dark shapes on the wall must be the crossbows, and the mountain ridge is indeed steep and narrow, making it difficult for many people to climb up simultaneously. It’s impossible for me to climb up, and even in the village, only a few people like Uncle Guoxing can make it up, and it’s still very difficult.’

‘Walking on the mountain is extremely difficult, and if you slip, you’ll fall to your death. Even if someone manages to climb up, if they try to attack the city walls from the top, the sound of their footsteps will alert the guards below, and they’ll be shot by the crossbows.’

Li Yu and Li Shan also snapped out of their shock, listening to Li Guoxing’s words, and Li Yu asked, “Uncle Guoxing, with such a strong city wall and guards, wouldn’t it be impossible for the Meng Kingdom to invade?”

Li Guoxing’s expression turned solemn, and he said, “This is hard to say, but I’ve heard that in recent years, the Meng Kingdom’s bandits have attacked us several times. One time, the enemy troops even breached the southern city wall. Fortunately, General Hong led the troops in a bloody battle and managed to repel the enemy. Afterwards, I heard that the blood flowed from the city wall into the city, flooding the entire area.”

“Moreover, the streets were filled with blood and flesh, and the city walls and the area outside the southern city gate were piled high with corpses. Although most of them were enemy soldiers, there were also some of our own people.”

Li Yu and Li Shan, upon hearing this, turned pale with fear, thinking that if they were to stay here as apprentices, they would have to be constantly on edge. They couldn’t help but glance at Li Yan, worried that he would have to go to battle as well, which would be even more dangerous.

Li Guoxing, realizing he had said too much, abruptly stopped talking and forced a laugh. “These are just rumors, and we shouldn’t take them to heart. Otherwise, our county wouldn’t be as prosperous as it is now.”

In reality, as the village head, Li Guoxing knew that due to the frequent wars in the border regions, the imperial court had issued a decree prohibiting local residents from migrating easily. This was to demonstrate the people’s patriotic spirit, to make them cherish their homeland and be willing to defend it against strong enemies.

Li Guoxing didn’t know the situation in other border regions, but he had received an official document from the government, ordering that villagers were not allowed to migrate, lest they be punished severely.

Fortunately, the Green Mountain Pass had successfully repelled many enemy invasions, ensuring the current peace and stability of the villages behind it.