Chapter 0001: Traveling through the Sui Dynasty

With a bang, a gunshot rang out, and Liu Huaqiang felt as if a scorching electric drill had penetrated his skull, causing a searing pain. His last memory in this world was the faint smell of gunpowder that had entered his nose

Wang He nodded excitedly: "As long as there is nothing wrong, as long as there is nothing wrong, you should rest well. A Da will come back to see you later." As he spoke, he tucked Wang Shichong's hand under the quilt and adjusted the corners of the blanket, his eyes filled with paternal love. Then Wang He stood up, laboriously shifting his body, supporting himself against the table and door frame in the room, and slowly made his way out the door. That unsteady figure gradually became blurred in Wang Shichong's eyes as tears welled up.

The subsequent circumstances regarding Wang Shichong became unknown. From the hurried departure of Wang He, he should have been able to surmise that his elder brother and younger brother were also severely injured. Now, as he could still lie in his own home, it is likely that Wang Shiji also recognized his wrongdoing and chose to retreat for the time being

Wang Shichong recalled the last image he saw before losing consciousness, which was his father's frail body desperately shielding him, blocking the rain of fists from a burly man named Huangfu Xiaoxie, who was as strong as a bear.

At the end of last year, Wang Shichong's grandmother passed away, and his grandfather Wang Jie, who had once held the title of Yitong (a military position in the Northern Zhou, equivalent to a fifth-rank general), had already passed away long before Wang Shichong was born

Wang He’s father, who is also his grandfather, once held the military title of Yitong General. After retiring, he engaged in business. Although Wang He came from a merchant family, he relied on his ability to calculate with an abacus from a young age, rising from a minor treasury clerk to the position of Lower Prefectural Historian in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. During the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the administrative divisions had already changed from the nine provinces of the Qin Dynasty and the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty. The counties of the Qin and Han eras had been elevated to the status of provinces, and by the end of the Northern Zhou, there were more than 280 provinces. From the Zhou to the Sui Dynasties, provinces were categorized into Upper, Middle, and Lower based on their population. Wang He held the position of Lower Prefectural Historian in a province with only a few thousand households, which would have been barely sufficient to be a county magistrate during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In an era where civil officials primarily relied on familial connections to inherit titles, and military positions required risking one’s life on the battlefield to achieve fame, this was already considered a miracle.

A roar with a Guanzhong accent came from beside my ear: "Huangfu Xiaoxie, you despicable creature, how could you be so harsh on a child? I, I will fight you to the end!"

The middle-aged man before me is my father, Wang He. He is a庶子 from a merchant family in Xinfeng County, located ten miles east of the capital of the Sui Dynasty, Daxing City (present-day Xi'an). He has served as the governor of two lower prefectures and is currently idling at home. My mother, Liu, passed away twelve years ago during childbirth while giving birth to my younger brother, Wang Shiwei.

When Liu Huaqiang opened his eyes again, he was struck by a blinding sunlight, but his head felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead. The back of his head throbbed painfully, and there seemed to be something salty flowing down from his nostrils and the corners of his mouth. He wanted to raise his hand to touch the back of his head, but his hand felt as if it were burdened with a thousand pounds, unable to lift it at all

Seeing Wang Shichong's expression turn painful again, Wang He quickly said: "Shichong, do not move around, your health has always been somewhat weak, and this time you have been seriously injured. Take some time to recuperate before anything else"

Liu Huaqiang closed his eyes and shook his head

A figure of modest height stands at the doorway, lost in thought. From a distance, his face is indistinct, revealing only that he is wearing a blue silk long gown and a carefree cap.

Wang Shichong (Liu Huaqiang, hereinafter referred to by this name) suddenly understood that he had truly traveled through time, and this body retained too many memories of its original self, causing him excruciating pain in his head whenever he tried to think.

With a burst of piercing laughter, Liu Huaqing fainted directly.

Wang Shichong closed his eyes, listening to Wang He's footsteps gradually fading away. Two lines of clear tears flowed down unconsciously, while some fragmented memories in his mind surfaced in waves.

Wang Shiji and Wang He are cousins of the same generation, yet their standings are as different as heaven and earth. This disparity arises because Wang Shiji comes from a prestigious family and inherited his father's military title. He also achieved military merit in the battle to quell Wei Chijiong, which has led him to be arrogant and dismissive of Wang He.

At the beginning of this year, shortly after the funeral of Wang Shichong's grandmother was completed, relatives coveting the Wang family's wealth came knocking at the door. The one leading the charge was Wang Shiji, a high-ranking official holding the title of Senior General, who commanded troops in the Twelve Guards under the military system of the Northern Zhou dynasty, equivalent to a modern military district commander.

The cold wind howled, and rain and snow fell in a mix. Liu Huaqiang, dressed in prison garb, knelt on the execution ground, with the long barrel of a rifle pressed against the back of his head. The voice of the rifle's owner, a soldier of the armed police, coldly echoed: "Liu Huaqiang, do you have anything else to say?"

When Liu Huaqiang awoke once more, he found himself in a room with an antique charm, covered by a blue quilt. His neck seemed to be fixed by something, making it impossible for him to turn, and he could only move his eyes to observe the interior of the room

A wave of fragrant camellia scent penetrated his nostrils, and the first thing that caught his eye was a short-legged round table made of elm wood, unvarnished and only at the height of a tea table. Surrounding the table were two or three cushions, and a pot of blooming camellias was placed on the table.

Liu Huaqiang felt a sense of familiarity towards the person before him, a feeling that had been rare in the past. However, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words and remained silent, merely observing the individual closely from head to toe.

Liu Huaqiang felt another wave of dizziness, and unconsciously let out a moan. He was surprised to discover that his voice sounded very youthful, completely unlike the voice of a middle-aged man in his forties.

Wang He had never practiced martial arts since childhood; he was merely a scholar. In a fit of anger, his three sons, seeing the situation, rushed forward, with even the frail Wang Shichong desperately trying to drive Wang Shiji out of the house

Liu Huaqiang felt a sense of doubt in his heart: Could it be that I have traveled through time, or am I just filming a period drama?

His injuries have not yet healed. Today, he suddenly thought of so much that he was immediately overcome by dizziness and fell into a coma. In his subconscious, his last thought was that in this lifetime, he would never allow his loved ones to be bullied or slaughtered again

The person saw Liu Huaqiang in silence and sighed, "Shichong, you wouldn't have fallen so hard that even A Da wouldn't recognize you, would you?"

Wang Shiji did not take action, but the several guards around him, fierce as wolves and tigers, were well-prepared. With a flurry of punches, they knocked Wang Shichong unconscious on the ground. In fact, Wang Shichong was well aware that the reason he could traverse into the body of this young man was that he had already died.

As he spoke, he tightly grasped Wang Shichong's hand, tears shimmering in his eyes. Wang Shichong suddenly understood that the unusual sense of intimacy he had just felt was precisely the paternal love he had lacked in his previous life. His father's hands were bruised and battered, and the deep contusions on his face reminded Wang Shichong that this was the result of his father covering his frail body with his own to protect him from the brutal blows of those ferocious soldiers.

The person at the door trembled slightly, suddenly turned around, and a face in its forties, with high nose and deep-set eyes, gaunt and bearded, came into Wang Shichong's view. However, this face was marked with bruises, looking as if it had just been violently beaten. The right eye was bloodshot and swollen, appearing larger than the left eye, yet the gaze directed at him was filled with joy.

I have an older brother and a younger brother. My older brother, Wang Shishi, is one year older than me, and my younger brother, Wang Shiwei, is one year younger than me. We are all siblings from the same mother.

Liu Huaqiang's body suddenly trembled, and he felt as if a considerable number of memories had suddenly emerged in his mind

I should have been born in the fifth year of the Tianhe era of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (570 AD), and the current year is already the third year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (583 AD), on the twentieth day of the fourth month, a Bingyin day. I am thirteen years old this year, and my name is Wang Shichong

Wang Shichong felt a wave of acidity in his nose, and his eyes also began to heat up. He forced himself to speak, drawing upon the memories of this body, and said: "A Da (during the Sui and Tang dynasties, people in the north referred to their fathers not as 'father' but as 'A Da', meaning 'big man'), the child is fine, please do not worry."

Just as he was missing him, that person rushed forward, grasped Wang Shichong's hand, and with a joyful expression said: "Shichong, you have finally woken up!"

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Yang Jian, a powerful official from the Northern Zhou dynasty, usurped the throne and established the Sui dynasty. With no background or support, Wang He had no choice but to resign and return home to become a merchant

Originally, this year the Sui Dynasty planned to launch a southern expedition against the Chen Kingdom, with hundreds of thousands of troops already prepared along the thousand-mile Yangtze River. However, at this moment, the Turkic forces from the north took advantage of the situation to invade, with 400,000 troops attacking from multiple directions into the interior. In desperation, Yang Jian had no choice but to recall the southern expeditionary forces to the north to extinguish the fire. Meanwhile, Wang Shiji, who was originally stationed in Jingzhou, happened to lead the vanguard northward, passing through Xinfeng County, and seizing the opportunity to forcibly take over the Wang He family's property with a group of Wang family relatives.