Nightfall

Retiring and Growing Old

According to the law of the Tang Empire, a general who returned to Chang’an from battle had to enter through the Eastern City gates. That was why the Feat Posthouse located dozen of miles away from the Eastern Gates became a very important location. Since the beginning of the Tang Empire, many brave warriors had passed through the posthouse after returning victoriously from their battles. The stables in the posthouse and the tall straight trees by the road bore witness to such history.

Xia Hou stared out at the majestic city in the west in silence. According to the rules of the imperial court, he and his subordinates were to spend the night at the Feat Posthouse and enter the city tomorrow at dawn, heading straight to the palace to meet His Majesty.

Chang’an City looked extremely majestic in the twilight. The black and green city walls reflected the light of the setting sun, shining purple and copper, looking impregnable and extraordinarily magnificent.

As one of the four generals in the Tang Empire who were revered by the masses, Xia Hou had served in the military for many years. He had forged a strong connection with Chang’an. However, not many knew that he did not spend much time in Chang’an even though his General’s Mansion was in the northern city and he often returned to the capital to work.

Over the past decades, he had spent most of his time leading the cavalry and guarding the bitterly cold northern territories. He had conquered lands for the empire and inspired awe over the cavalry of the Yan Kingdom and Left King’s Palace.

He had finally left the biting cold of the northern territories. Tens and thousands of his cavalry were left at the Northeast Border Military camp in Tuyang City. The imperial court had already sent General Shu forth to take charge, and there shouldn’t be any issues.

Only a couple of soldiers who were close to him had come with him. The imperial court had allowed him to take more soldiers with him to Chang’an, but he was very careful the night before he retired and did not make any moves that would arouse the suspicions of officials.

In order to give the imperial court a peace of mind, Xia Hou’s two sons were still in Chang’an and had voluntarily imprisoned themselves in the General’s Mansion. Meanwhile, his wife, relatives, and some loyal servants had moved to his hometown several months earlier. They had planted in the fields and retrieved pickles from the cellar, preparing for his return.

Of course, that wasn’t truly his hometown. Xia Hou was from the Cold Region in the far north. It was one of the largest Desolate Man settlement. With the Desolate Man moving southwards, he could no longer return to that hometown. Perhaps he had been unable to return to that place since he turned his back on the Enlightenment Doctrine.

“Gu Xi is dead, so is Lin Ling. Many of those who followed me back then have died…”

The sky grew darker as the sun set. The purple and bronze wall of Chang’an was bathed in blood red. Xia Hou looked at that place with narrowed eyes as he thought of how those he trusted had died to pay the price and couldn’t help but feel sad.

In spring, the news of Huang Xing and Yu Shuizhu’s death reached the Military camp in Chang’an. The news did not sadden him. He only grew vigilant.

Sorrow and vigilance were not emotions powerhouses should have. Xia Hou suppressed these emotions forcefully and began to grow weary. He started coughing.

The Tang military was a place that revered powerhouses. An ordinary general would be unwilling to cough before his subordinates as it would show that he was weak. But Xia Hou did not care because he knew how powerful he was in the eyes of his subordinates. Not to say, he knew that he was powerful.