Chapter 0145: Soldiers Who Insist on Suffering Unnecessarily, and an Ancient Arrow Wound

The rumors circulating in the army were utterly absurd. Fortunately, as the soldiers went to work at the ice field, these rumors gradually died down.

The Hun River ice field was slowly being renovated, and Liaozhou’s second blizzard had arrived.

This blizzard came swiftly and violently—a massive snowstorm unique to Liaozhou. The bitter wind whipped the heavy snow into a frenzy, and thick white snow fog obscured visibility, making roads and houses indistinguishable. Chickens and ducks kept in courtyards were herded indoors, and some roofs, thatched for wind protection and warmth, were torn off and carried miles away.

Walking in such a storm, if one accidentally slipped and lost consciousness, they would likely be buried under the heavy snow, their body never to be found.

Yet, in these harsh conditions, many soldiers still trudged through the blizzard, patrolling Tianshui City, which had taken in the army.

Most of the local residents lived in wooden houses, with only the slightly wealthier using stone. As a result, the heavy snow easily collapsed homes. Although the court had distributed disaster relief funds for residents to reinforce their houses, no one could guarantee how effective these measures were or whether the structures would still collapse in the storm.

The border regions also experienced heavy snowfall year after year. Whenever it snowed, Xie Shoujun would dispatch a squad of soldiers to patrol the city, ensuring no one committed crimes out of hunger and cold or was trapped under collapsed houses without rescue. Thus, in Tianshui City, Xie Shoujun continued to send out patrols.

The soldiers did not resist or complain—they were accustomed to it. Compared to fighting the Xiongnu on the battlefield, where a single misstep could mean death, patrolling the city was hardly a heavy burden.

But in the eyes of the Standing Army composed of former bandits, they were fools.

“Really insisting on suffering for no reason—patrolling in such a blizzard,” one bandit-turned-soldier muttered scornfully as he watched the returning patrol soldiers, their faces covered in ice and their clothes soaked through, their legs and feet nearly frozen stiff. Gathered around the coal stove for emergencies, the former bandits wore expressions of disdain.

“Talking about fearing someone might go out in the snow or a house might collapse. If you ask me, saving a few worthless, stupid poor folks isn’t worth the misery,” another bandit sneered. “I still miss the old days of freedom. Ever since joining this Standing Army, it’s been nothing but exhaustion—clearing snow day in and day out. It’s damn boring!”

“Exactly! If it weren’t for this fierce snow, I’d really consider going back to being a bandit. This daily grind of shoveling snow and cutting ice is breaking our hands and feet—they’re treating us like slaves!”

One bandit whistled at the soldiers preparing to take over the patrol shift and said kindly, “Hey, buddy, just take it easy. No one’s watching you anyway—pretend you went out and come back!”

The squad of soldiers glanced at the bandits huddled by the coal stove, shook their heads without a word, and continued on their way out.

“Hey, what’s with these guys and their stubborn attitude?” the bandit couldn’t help but complain to the others. “Forget it, let them be. If they love suffering, let them suffer!”

“Right, why bother with them? As long as we don’t freeze, that’s all that matters!”

Several bandit-turned-soldiers exchanged knowing smiles as they continued warming themselves, watching wave after wave of soldiers return and depart. Some had been struck by collapsing beams while rescuing civilians trapped under collapsed houses, biting down on sticks yet still groaning in pain during medical treatment. Gradually, a peculiar emotion stirred within their hearts.

These soldiers seemed different from the government troops they had previously encountered.

…

The three-day blizzard had finally ended.

No sooner had the Standing Army managed to rest than they were dragged away from warm heated beds, grumbling as they took up snow-clearing tools. They half-heartedly cleared the path to the Hun River ice rink, becoming even more lax when they saw regular soldiers coming to assist – merely going through the motions while following behind the troops.

Being former mountain bandits at heart, they remained difficult to discipline. Shen Yuan observed all this without comment.

These Standing Army troops composed of former bandits had been recruited through questionable means and had been exploited for labor constantly. Shen Yuan had long prepared for eventual unrest, having initially planned to train them gradually. But now that Xie Shoujun had arrived, it seemed more appropriate to let the Crown Prince handle the matter.

After handing over command of the Standing Army to the amiable Xie Shoujun, Shen Yuan leisurely went to find Xie Chengze.

He found Xie Chengze at Old Gu’s place, where the prince was fastening a pair of blade-equipped shoes to his feet before rising with Su Qinghe’s support.

“Your Highness, be careful,” Su Qinghe firmly supported Xie Chengze’s hand and waist. The ice skate blades on the soles appeared sharp and thin, making him deeply concerned about potential falls.

“Not to worry.” Xie Chengze flexed his ankles, finding them stable, and declared, “We’ll test them at the ice rink later. If they perform well, we can mass-produce them.”

As he sat back on the wooden chair to remove the skates, Su Qinghe immediately knelt to untie the laces. From this position, Xie Chengze spotted Shen Yuan approaching and teased, “Well now, what brings Lord Shen here? Not busy today?”

“Indeed, I’ve delegated my tasks to others.” Shen Yuan approached unhurriedly, glancing at the kneeling Su Qinghe with a raised eyebrow. “Where’s Wuji? Why isn’t he attending to Your Highness instead of making Young Master Su perform such menial work?”

Before Su Qinghe could respond that it was fine, he felt his collar being lifted as Shen Yuan said calmly, “Young Master Su is delicate. Your Highness shouldn’t bully him. Henceforth, I shall handle such rough tasks.”

Su Qinghe looked at Shen Yuan in confusion. Was Brother Shen protecting him? But something felt odd about the situation.

“Then you do it,” Xie Chengze readily lifted his foot. “Don’t just talk about it.”

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow and knelt on one knee, mimicking Su Qinghe’s movements to untie the skate laces.

Old Gu glanced over and snorted disdainfully, “Spoiled brats.”

“Old Gu, you’re just jealous,” Xie Chengze watched as Shen Yuan removed the ice skates and helped him into regular boots, his young face full of self-assurance. “Jealous that I have friends who dote on me, while you have none.”

Old Gu, struck by this unexpected blow: …

So what if I have no friends! What’s it to you!

After packing up the ice skates, the group headed toward the Hun River ice rink, where soldiers had already cleared a section of the ice. Xie Chengze put on his ice skates again, and just as Su Qinghe was about to help him up, a figure suddenly darted in front of them, blocking the Second Prince completely.

Looking up, it was Shen Yuan again.

Shen Yuan casually extended an arm. “Get up. Let this subject see what tricks Your Highness has up his sleeve this time.”

Xie Chengze shot him a puzzled glance, feeling that Shen Yuan’s words carried a sharp edge today, though his actions seemed perfectly normal.

Perhaps he’s been too tired these past few days and is a bit irritable. Well, I’ll generously let it slide.

Xie Chengze removed his outer fur coat, placed his hand on Shen Yuan’s arm, and stood up.

It was time for his performance.