"Difficult, truly difficult."
At nightfall, the head of the Yang family, also one of the three elders of the village, Yang Xuan, sighed like this for who knows how many times.
The Yang family fortress is located in Jizhou, a place constantly beset by warfare. Not far north is the territory of the Hu people, who frequently ride in on horseback to pillage and plunder. Although major incursions by Hu armies have been less frequent in recent years, smaller raids have barely ceased.
Normally, living in such a place is akin to courting death, and anyone with a bit of common sense knows they should at least move to a place far from military threats. Yet, Yang Xuan has his own reasons for stubbornly staying here with his family.
"Uncle, we can no longer retreat this time."
While Yang Xuan was heaving long sighs, a short-bearded man dressed in a simple outfit pushed the door open and entered.
The man's name was Yang Sanlang, Yang Xuan's nephew, and the most valiant among the younger generation of the Yang clan. It is said that when Yang Sanlang was still a young boy, the Yang family fortress had a fierce water dispute with a neighboring village, and in the midst of this conflict, the young men of the neighboring village hurled foul insults at the Yang clan, including their ancestors.
It was at that moment that Yang Sanlang stood out.
"You can curse me, but how can you insult the ancestors of the Yang clan?"
With that, Yang Sanlang grabbed a spear and threw it, pinning the man who had been shouting insults to the ground. The adversaries of the Yang family, witnessing this tragic sight, scattered like scared animals.
It was precisely because of his decisive and deadly reputation that Yang Sanlang soon became somewhat renowned in Jizhou.
But now, this man known for his rugged valor furrowed his brows tightly.
"Last year, because of those Hu people coming over, we didn't deliver enough grain to Commander Liu. If something goes wrong this time, Commander Liu might..."
"Stop it, stop it... Sanlang, stop it, I know it all."
The elderly Yang Xuan sighed once more.
This is one of the reasons why the Yang family fortress cannot be relocated. Commander Liu, who commands a large army, is both the protector of the Yang family fortress and demands grain from them to defend the border. If the Yang clan were to slip away silently, with Commander Liu's fierce temperament, he'd pursue them even from a thousand miles away to teach them a harsh lesson.
Of course, Commander Liu is not solely a taker. The stout fortress in the village was built by his order. Though the fortress isn't large, it's solid and robust, lacking none of the necessary watchtowers and corner towers. In times of conflict, the villagers could hide inside for safety, and that's why it's called the Yang family fortress.
Yet, problems ironically arise because of this fortress.
People can take refuge inside, but the crops in the fields can't grow legs and walk in. The Hu raiders, when they find no loot, will destroy houses and ravage the land. For the villagers, losing household items might be manageable, but if the grains are lost and not enough can be handed over at harvest, the Yang clan of Jizhou would then...
"How many able-bodied men do we still have?"
The elderly Yang Xuan clenched his fist.
"Include the refugees as well."
"Counting myself, we have forty-six who can wield weapons."
The short-bearded man named Yang Sanlang thought for just a moment before reporting the numbers.
"If we include the able-bodied among the refugees... we could gather around a hundred or so?"
"...Is that all?"
The clenched fist loosened, and the elderly Yang Xuan appeared somewhat dispirited.
A hundred or so able-bodied men is not insignificant. At least for quarrels over water or land with neighboring villages, they are a formidable force. But the issue is, what lay before him now is not merely a village brawl, but a confrontation with the fierce Hu riders from the north.
Could just a hundred untrained able-bodied men withstand a few charges?
Moreover, more than half of them are newly gathered refugees, who are not as rooted here as the Yang clansmen. Whether these pale and scrawny refugees will genuinely fight for the Yang fortress is doubtful.
The seeds of discord within the ranks even before the battle starts, this is simply...
"Uncle, don't fear."
Yang Sanlang immediately noticed Yang Xuan's worry and quickly approached, lowering his voice.
"If worse comes to worst, we'll use the ancestral treasured blade!"
"You..."
Hearing his nephew mention this, Yang Xuan's eyes widened.
The ancestral treasured blade is a hidden treasure of the Yang clan. According to the genealogy, the ancestors of the Yang clan followed the Great Emperor to his many conquests, slaying countless enemies with this very blade. Although Jizhou and the Yang family, once glorious, fell into decline due to the Hu invasion, the prestige of this ancestral blade remains undiminished. The previous head of the Yang clan was able to wield this sword and kill over a hundred Hu riders in dire straits.
But, just like the troublesome fortress, the ancestral treasured blade has its own issues.
"It's not that I'm unwilling to let you use the blade. You are the most outstanding young man of this generation in the Yang family, and that blade will be yours eventually. However, you know that the previous head of our clan already drew malevolent energy into the blade, and it has yet to be cleansed. If you wield it now, the evil qi might enter your body, and you could then..."