MHNEB 26 (2/2)

Book 2: Generals die after a hundred battles; heroes return after ten years’ time.

Chapter 26: The First Companion <1> [Part 2 of 2]

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A-Dan ZhiQi is the "Captain" of Hua Mulan and her companions. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the military system consisted of ten people and one "team", they cooked and ate together, and whenever they go to battles, they attack and retreat as one. 

Because he learned how to cook at home and was the oldest cavalry in the "team", A-Dan ZhiQi was appointed as the leader of the team in charge of cooking and chores. Every day, he was the big brother-like in charge and distributed and instructed to the team companions in regard to their food, clothing, appointed shelter and transportation.

He also came from a Xianbei Military family. He belongs to the A-Dan clan, and in WuChuan town in the south, it is considered a common surname. 

The A-Dan family had been serving in the army for generations. Once these Xianbei nobles or leaders are recruited, they will enlist in the army and head to the battlefields. The children of A-Dan's family can do nothing but fight. They have been learning to hold a knife and a gun since they the day they were born. Once the most capable man in the battlefield in the family dies in battle, it often represents the downfall of that family.

A-Dan ZhiQi was twenty-five years old when he received the edict to enlist in the army. He had been posted to the HeiShan camp. He has a four-year-old son in his family, and he is someone who is considered to have a descendent. His eldest brother died in the war several years ago, so, now it's his turn to become the man to continue his family’s legacy in the army.

There are more Xianbei men than Xianbei women, especially in the six towns in the north. It is common for Xianbei men to be single when they are 20 years old. A-Dan ZhiQi's "glorious resume" of having a wife and a son has stimulated many companions among the team. Compared to him being a captain, him having a wife and a son is more enviable. 

In the eyes of the "old" and "experienced” captain, Hua Mulan is a very strange and unusual companion.

He (3) is not keen on the daily training of riding and shooting and is not particularly energetic in practising formation training. Even if he knows that these will help him survive in the battlefield in the future, he often shows a face that he was daydreaming. 

He offered to sleep in the extreme corner of the tent. There are slits at that place, and because of the wind blowing all year round, there is no one in the same team willing to sleep around that area. However, he seems to have been sleeping for two or three months unexpectedly.

His riding skill is very good, but he doesn't want to race with his fellow soldiers in the army; his martial arts seem to be poor, but he's not as tired as a dead pig when he comes back to the barracks after training as compared to other Xianbei soldiers, who snored loudly.

He rarely even spoke to them, or to others. Other than attending the required daily training every day, Hua Mulan has hung a quiet and thoughtful look on his face.

In fact, their companions are envious of Hua Mulan.

They are all Xianbei-ren. They can only speak Xianbei dialect, and only a few can speak little Chinese phrases like "My name is xxx.". But because Hua Mulan's mother is Han-ren, he is both familiar with the Xianbei dialect and proficient in Chinese.

In the Great Wei army, the military divisions, counsellors, clerks, military doctors and rear logistics officials were all Han-ren and most of them were the soldiers were Xianbei soldiers and the various ethnic group’s military families. So, there are also a lot of interpreters in the army, who are responsible for translating languages for both sides.

In the early period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the biggest drawback in the army was not that there were few brave men who dared to brave death, but because of the language barrier. From time to time, the situation of unclear command and chaotic management has caused much chaos in the army.

Here, a cavalry that can converse in Xianbei dialect and Chinese, whose skills are not bad, climbs up in ranks fast. That is also let alone the fact that Hua Mulan knows how to write a few simple Chinese words.

The Xianbei dialect has no written form. For people who can write, the Xianbei-ren would naturally respect them.

A-Dan ZhiQi knew that Hua Mulan must have hidden some of his abilities, but he didn't ask Hua Mulan about it. 

Who hasn't had a story or two back in their home before one came to be a soldier in the army? Even he himself has a lot of past stories. 

If Hua Mulan does not want to say, there must be some reason behind it. 

A-Dan ZhiQi has always been understanding and never asks until a day……

One day, a sandstorm suddenly appeared in some distance away from the HeiShan camp. It zipped across the grassland that is covered with dead grass, dust and all kinds of strange things. Like a rotating black column, it rose to the sky and seemingly caused the sun to darken.

A storm that blows up suddenly in the desert is very scary, as endless strong wind blow by, it could seem as if the whole world would be swept in. HeiShan camp is built at the foot of HeiShan mountain. Even so, in days where the strong winds would be swept here, all the soldiers have to keep their tents, and they are commanded by the chiefs of the army to move everything they can to a safer place to hide.

In this kind of weather, the dust and gravel brought by the wind dyed the sky into hues of greyish yellow, and the sun seemed like it became dim. Even the bravest soldiers can only walk with their heads down and their faces covered.

The world is no longer the world that ordinary people can live in at this time, and everything and everyone is waiting for the wind to pass down its commands. 

A-Dan ZhiQi, the captain, was ordered to help with the moving of "Black-4". These unlucky lads are doing the hard work that other armies can't help but want to avoid. Even Hua Mulan, which appears thin and would be swept away by a gust of wind, has to carry things with them to the designated place in such a windy day.

A-Dan ZhiQi's other companions have already carried a lot of things by while shouting "Hey-yo, hey-yo", while he and Hua Mulan had to stay behind to continue to dismantle the tent.

Gu-la-la-la-la-la……

The wind blew through the empty camp and it started to cause the wooden pillars in front of A-Dan ZhiQi to shake.

Suddenly, the wooden pillar thicker than the size of a human head fell down. Hearing the sound, A-Dan ZhiQi looked back dully. He only saw the huge wooden pillar that rapidly falling towards him. 

‘I am finished.’

A-Dan ZhiQi started to shiver violently.

At this time, he was squatting on the ground to untie a rope, and now it seems to be too late to turn around and run away. 

Fear made his legs so numb that he could not move. His face was white akin to a piece of white paper, and he could only close his eyes powerlessly.

He did not experience his expected pain. 

He opened his eyes fearfully. 

What entered his line of sight is an incredible sight!

The thin and tall Hua Mulan, under the strong winds that seem to be able to tear apart her body, is supporting a wooden beam with both of her hands.

The beams that need to be erected by many powerful men in the army is currently inclined in an alarming angle as if these beams would collapse on his body at any time.

Hua Mulan carried a huge wooden beam with her hands and opened her mouth.

He shouted as loudly as he could through the raging winds to send the message to A-Dan ZhiQi’s ears. 

"What are you standing there being stunned silly for! Run!"

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(3) This “He” is referring to Hua Mulan but from A-Dan ZhiQi’s perspective. In his perspective, Mulan is a male, so it is referred to “he” here. 

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Fleur's Corner:

Next Update on Sat/Sun!

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