Chapter 0008: Persuading the Elder Brother

The two individuals walking behind them seemed to have noticed that Liu Yan and his group had suddenly disappeared, and both quickened their pace.

Xiangyang is one of the gathering places for the righteous army, and the destination of Liu Yan and others is Xiangyang. With only a distance of fifty li, they can easily reach it in a day.

Liu Xiu recognized him and exclaimed in surprise and joy: "Zhong Bo, you have returned!"

Everyone looked to Liu Yan for guidance. Once he finished speaking, the crowd nodded in unison. The group led by Liu Yan suddenly quickened their pace, and before long, they had arrived near the woods

His equipment is among the most complete in the team. Most people do not even have a decent weapon, let alone armor; some have a sickle tucked into their waist, while others carry a hoe on their shoulder

Liu Liang specifically sought out Liu Xiu and said meaningfully: "A Xiu, you are already tired enough working in the fields every day, there is no need to chop so much firewood every day, let yourself take a break."

Long Yuan took a breath, slightly frowned, and said: "My lord, participating in the righteous army, does it not mean assisting the reckless bandits in their endeavors?"

Looking at Liu Xiu's determined expression, Liu Yan pondered for a long time and ultimately compromised, saying: "In this participation with the righteous army, no matter what happens, you must not act on your own accord; you must listen to me. Do you understand?"

He took a deep breath and said softly, "Do you think war is a game? People can really die!"

Liu Xiu said: "In addition to the 100,000 troops led by Lian Dan, Wang Mang also plans to form another 100,000 volunteer army. My elder brother intends to join the volunteer army, and I want to go too"

Longyuan smiled wryly and shook his head, saying: "Although I have not been able to find the two of them, I have discovered the marks they left for me in Lantian County. I have also left marks for them; as long as they see them, they will come here to find me"

At Liu Yan's signal, the crowd immediately split into two groups, one moving to the left and the other to the right, swiftly concealing themselves within the woods

Seeing the appearance of the two of them, everyone was stunned. Liu Yan exclaimed: "A Xiu?"

"Do you have the ability?" Liu Yan was almost amused; even he himself would not dare to claim that he could return safely from the battlefield, let alone A Xiu

Nanyang Commandery is adjacent to Yizhou, and Caiyang County is even closer to Yizhou. Traveling westward for more than 50 li leads to Xiangyang, and another 50 li further west brings one to Hanzhong Commandery in Yizhou

Longyuan nodded and said, "I have heard a little about it."

Unfortunately, Longyuan returned empty-handed from Lantian County this time and was unable to bring back Longzhun and Longbo

Liu Yan chuckled softly, gesturing with his lips towards the woods by the roadside ahead, and said: "Let's hide in the woods up ahead and see clearly who is following us, then we can decide whether to take action or not"

He focused intently and took quite a while to recognize the visitor, who looked like a victim of suffering; this man was none other than Long Yuan, who had been away for a month

Liu Xiu smiled, patted Long Yuan's shoulder, and said, "Both my uncle and elder brother oppose my going, so we must sneak out when the time comes." As he spoke, he looked Long Yuan up and down and asked, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, let's go cook!"

Indeed, elder brother, I am no longer a child; I am already twenty. Just let me go! Liu Xiu looked at Liu Yan with great anticipation

Given my uncle's temperament, it is impossible for him to allow Ah Xiu to join the righteous army. Even when I expressed my desire to participate in the righteous army, my uncle caused quite a commotion at home several times.

Elder brother, I have the ability to protect myself! Liu Xiu said urgently

Two days later, Liu Yan bid farewell to his family, shouldered his pack, and, accompanied by a group of friends, set off in a grand procession towards Yizhou

Of course, after this period of time, Liu Xiu's clothes were almost soaked with sweat

Liu Yan and others set off at around half past the hour of the Tiger, which is a little after 4 o'clock in the morning. At this time, it was still dark, and by the hour of the Rabbit, around 5 o'clock in the morning, the sky was fully bright.

During this period, it can be said that Liu Liang's family lacks everything, except for firewood.

Liu Yan furrowed his brows and firmly refused, saying: "No! You must go back immediately!"

Due to his practice in martial arts, Liu Xiu initially could only fell a small tree with a diameter of one and a half human widths each day. Later, he gradually became capable of felling a large tree with a diameter of more than one human width in a single day

During Wang Mang's administration, the names of places across the country were changed, resulting in considerable confusion. Xiangyang was renamed to Xiangyang, but in popular usage, it is still commonly referred to as Xiangyang.

Upon returning to the cabin, Liu Xiu inquired in detail about Long Yuan's experiences during this journey

I don't care! Anyway, I have already come out, and even if you beat me to death, I will not go back like this! In front of Liu Yan, Liu Xiu has always been a very obedient and sensible younger brother, but this time he is rare in showing his temper.

After hearing this, Liu Xiu simply smiled and said nothing. Indeed, he no longer carried firewood back home; all the firewood he chopped was stored near the small wooden house. Once he accumulated enough, he loaded it onto an ox cart and took it to the market to sell, making a small profit.

Liu Xiu suddenly recalled something and asked: "Zhong Bo, have you heard that Wang Mang has sent Lian Dan to lead an army of 100,000 to enter Yizhou and counter the Nanman?"

Hearing that they might encounter mountain bandits, Liu Yan and the others were not afraid; instead, they became invigorated. Zhu Yun grinned and said, "Hehe, this time we have some fun ahead. Before we reach Yizhou, we can practice our skills on the mountain bandits!"

When the two individuals approached the edge of the forest, suddenly, a whistle sounded from within the woods, followed by a rush as Liu Yan and the others charged out, surrounding the two of them completely.

To make a long story short

Quite a number of people accompanied Liu Yan, in addition to his inseparable companions Zhang Ping and Zhu Yun, there were also more than twenty others

Following Liu Yan and the others were Liu Xiu and Long Yuan. Liu Xiu glanced around at the crowd, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and cleared his throat. He first performed a hand salute to his elder brother, and then greeted Zhang Ping, Zhu Yun, and the others.

It is actually understandable; anyone with some wealth at home, who can manage to get by, would not willingly go to Yizhou and risk their lives against the southern barbarians

The world is experiencing a severe drought, and the people are struggling to survive. Many have resorted to banditry, and incidents of murder and robbery occur frequently in various regions

Liu Xiu pulled him and repeatedly said, "Hurry and sit down, hurry and sit down!" He let Longyuan sit on a tree stump and asked, "Zhongbo, have you found Longzhun and Longbo on this trip?"

Zhang Ping and Zhu Yun were both amused by Liu Xiu's appearance. They said to Liu Yan, "Bosheng, on our journey to Yizhou, the main forces will be the official troops, and we only need to assist a little. There is not much danger, so let A Xiu go. Moreover, with our group of brothers taking care of A Xiu, what is there for Bosheng to worry about?"

On that day, after felling a tree, Liu Xiu was sitting on the tree stump resting, preparing to split the felled wood shortly. At that moment, a faint rustling sound of footsteps came from behind him.

Among this group of people, only Liu Yan's equipment is relatively complete. It is unknown where he obtained a set of leather helmet and leather armor, and he also has a short sword hanging under his ribs. This is all of Liu Yan's gear for the expedition

Covered in dust and dirt, looking disheveled, Longyuan first brushed off the dust from his body, then quickly approached Liu Xiu, bowed down to the ground, and said: "My lord, I have returned!"

Seeing Liu Xiu carrying a large amount of firewood home every day, Liu Liang was initially quite pleased. However, as Liu Xiu continued to bring back such a huge pile of firewood day after day, there was no longer any space in the house to store it.

On that day, Liu Xiu inspected the crops in the fields and then went to the mountains and forests to continue his martial arts training

As they walked forward, a young man quickly caught up with Liu Yan ahead and said, "Brother Bosheng, there have been two people following us from behind. Could they be scouts for nearby bandits?"

Liu Xiu said with a serious expression: "Elder brother, my younger sister has uncles and aunts to take care of her, so I really do not need to worry about her!"

Firstly, he is quite curious about Long Zhun and Long Bo. Secondly, to achieve great things, it is essential to have a group of trustworthy individuals by one's side. Long Zhun and Long Bo are brothers of Long Yuan, and naturally, they can be utilized for his purposes

Liu Yan pressed his lips together and said, "Did I not mention before that you cannot accompany us to Yizhou? You must stay behind to take care of your younger sister"

So it is. Long Yuan nodded thoughtfully, realizing that in order to overthrow Wang Mang's tyranny, one must have money at hand. He said with a serious expression: "If the lord wishes to go to Yizhou, I shall certainly follow the lord and go together!"

The individuals following Liu Yan were typically idle ruffians, lacking any meaningful skills, but excelling in brawling and fighting. Upon hearing Zhu Yun's words, their eyes lit up, and they rolled up their sleeves, all looking towards Liu Yan with eager anticipation.

It has been nearly one month since Longyuan left, and Liu Xiu has made significant progress in both his arm strength and leg strength. Now, he can fell a tree with a thickness equivalent to that of a person using an axe in less than one hour.

Liu Xiu shook his head and recounted the details of the matter to Long Yuan. He then said, "My elder brother believes that participating in the righteous army this time is a good opportunity to earn wealth, and I also think this opportunity should not be missed"

Liu Yan quickly calmed down from his shock; without needing to ask, he already knew Liu Xiu's purpose for following them. With a serious expression, he asked, "A Xiu, you sneaked out, didn't you?"

Indeed, Liu Xiu nodded and said softly, "Elder brother, I have left letters for uncle, aunt, and younger sister!"

Since the day he encountered the two 'robbers', Liu Xiu realized that his skills were still lacking, and he became even more diligent in his practice

Liu Xiu said with a mournful expression: "Elder brother, it may not be safer at home than in Yizhou. Have you forgotten what happened last time?"

He was reminding Liu Yan that he had nearly died at the hands of two "bandits" last time. Upon hearing this, Liu Yan's expression indeed changed, and his attitude was no longer as resolute as it had been earlier

Liu Xiu let out a sigh, feeling somewhat disappointed in his heart

Liu Xiu almost instinctively stood up from the tree stump, grasped the axe that was propped up beside him, and turned to look back, only to see a ragged man with a full beard walking towards him.

The felled trees were naturally chopped into firewood by him

Seeing Liu Yan still wanting to refuse, he hurriedly said: "Elder brother, I have already run away, and I have left a letter. Uncle will definitely see it. If I go back now, Uncle will not let me off easily! Moreover, it is only natural for brothers to fight together and for sons to go to battle with their fathers. It is only right for me to join you, elder brother, in participating in the righteous army in Yizhou." As he spoke, he turned to look at his closest friends, Zhang Ping and Zhu Yun, and kept winking at them.