Chapter 1 - If I Were Strong and Powerful

A strong and courageous man would be revered by hundreds; a hero would revered by thousands. As for the one and only Great Ning Empire...naturally, it was revered by the entire world.

It was not known when it began, but religious activities to pray for blessings started springing up in the Ning Empire’s neighboring countries. The earliest sightings of it could be traced back to its next-door neighbor, the Nanyue Empire - every year, on the ninth day of September, the day where the founding emperor of the Great Ning Empire ascended the throne, the Zhaoli Empire’s emperor would personally lead the civil and military officials to pray for Great Ning’s blessings. Thereafter, he would secretly throw in one more line in his prayers...that Great Ning would not mobilize their army or wage a war on them.

To put it simply, every year, he would pray for their safety against war...

One might find it ridiculous. However, the reason why the Zhaoli Empire would do such a thing was because of what happened to the Nanyue Empire. The Ning Empire sent 120,000 troops down south, vanquishing and erasing the Nanyue Empire off the map a couple of years ago, all because a few of their goats crossed the border and ate some of the cabbages of the inhabitants who lived there. The Zhaoli Empire was not any stronger than the Nanyue Empire - the two empires had fought for hundreds of years, but were still evenly matched prior to the incident. With the 120,000 troops still stationed there, it was entirely normal for the Zhaoli Empire to be fearful.

Great Ning was able to use a couple of cabbages as an excuse to vanquish Nanyue. For all they knew, they could use a similar absurd excuse as such to vanquish Zhaoli as well.

To the present day, the dethroned emperor of the vanquished Nanyue Empire, who was currently placed under house arrest in the Eighth District Alley in the capital of Great Ning, continued to lament about the fact that he should have killed every single goat, sheep, and similar livestocks in the entire country. He was filled with regrets - regardless of how much he drank his sorrows away, it was not sufficient. The emperor of the Zhaoli Empire had learned from this incident, and started killing every single goat and sheep in his country...

Scapegoat.

Great Ning was adept and powerful in every aspect except for one - their navy.

When it came to their land-based military forces, naturally the strongest would be the elites from the four borders and four depositories - the Northern Border Cavalry, the Western Border Armed Forces, the Southern Border Special Forces, and the Eastern Border Combat Forces. As for the four depositories, they were the Four Borders Military Resources and the Four Depositories Military Repository. Every single year, valiant generals were produced out of these competent talents.

If not for Great Ning’s hundreds of years worth of substantial national treasury, even if they had the strongest military power, they would not be worthy of being revered by the entire world.

There were nineteen divisions within Great Ning; each division had nineteen cantons. The most populous and affluent division was Jiangnan. Every year, a fifth of the taxes that went into the national treasury came from Jiangnan. As for the most affluent canton within Jiangnan - it was Anyang, where weaving manufacturing took place within Great Ning.

Great Ning’s brocades were considered number one in the entire world; it was hard to fathom the Westerners’ obsession with Great Ning’s brocades. It was rumored that the emperor of the Chetuo Empire, in the western region, flaunted that all eleven pieces of clothing on his body weighed less than 500 grams. The emperor of the neighboring country, the Tubo Empire, immediately splurged lavishly on better quality textiles. Similarly, he started flaunting his clothes, that all fifteen pieces weighed less than 500 grams.

Naturally, decent clothes were desirable. As for using their weight to determine their quality, it was questionable.

Anyang was situated next to the Nanping River. In the huge Nanping River, there was an endless stream of merchant ships transporting brocades. The taxes coming from the brocade merchants accounted for sixty percent of Jiangnan’s total taxes.

The world did not lack of desperate criminals who were willing to take huge risks. The sea bandits had always been a huge curse that had historically plagued Jiangnan. Initially, Great Ning’s battle troops were mobilized to deal with them. However, the battle skills possessed by the sea bandits trumped that of the troops, who were specialized in land-based battles. Hence, they were unable to wipe out the sea bandits.

For that reason, His Majesty, Li Chengtang decided to properly establish their own navy. Initially, they were known as the Water Patrol of Jiangnan’s weaving prefecture - they dealt with the sea bandits as part of their training. Although it started showing results, getting rid of the sea bandits entirely was a long and arduous process that could not be done overnight.

He was turning twenty this year, and his biggest dream was to be extremely strong and powerful, possessing the ability to kill all the bandits at sea. Leng, who had just finished loading the cargo, sat by the river. He was lost in thought, as he stared at the battleships of the Water Patrol. He was the adopted son of Mr. Meng, the boss of a weaving mill in a small town called Yulin. It was more accurate to describe him as a coolie, rather than an adopted son.

The reason why he was so determined was because he had a feeling that his biological parents were killed by sea bandits, which was the reason why they tossed him, who was an infant back then, into a nearby underbrush in the wintry twelfth lunar month. If Mr. Meng did not pass by the underbrush and brought him home to ward off evil for his biological son, Meng Changan, he would have died as soon as he was born.

Mr. Shen once said: Take gratitude more to heart, and less hate.

Leng suffered hardship living under the Mengs’ roof - he started working for them when he was five or six years old. Other merchants hired coachmen to transport their goods, however, for the Mengs, Leng single handedly transporting everything on his shoulders ever since he turned ten years old. Many people assumed that Leng would not live a long life. After all, he started work at such a young age. Mr. Meng gave him nothing but two steamed buns every single day. How was it sufficient for him?

Leng was like a weed in the snow-covered ground that should not have sprung up - forcefully prying his way out of the frozen ground and tearing through the layer of snow above it, growing taller and taller towards the sun...When he was twelve years old, he was already 1.7 meters tall. Even though he had a very lean figure, he was strong.

From dusk till late into the night, Leng had been sitting by the river. He could not leave because Mr. Meng ordered him to wait for Meng Changan - the young master who was of the same age as him, but led extremely different lives.

Six years ago, there was an old Daoist devotee who passed by the area. When he laid eyes on Meng Changan, his eyes lit up. He said that Meng Changan looked strong and powerful, and that he would grow up to be a very capable person. Hence, he brought him to Changan city’s Yanta Academy of Classical Learning to study academic books and learn martial arts.

Every year before the mid-autumn festival, Meng Changan would make his way home from Changan city. Every time he came back, Leng would be the one pulling a heavy rickshaw and escorted him home. The Meng family owned chariots that were pulled by horses, however, Mr. Meng said that it was too bumpy and not as comfortable and steady as one that was pulled by a person.

Little fatty, Chen Ran, ran over from afar. He sat next to Leng and handed him two steamed buns that were nice and warm. “Leng’er, why haven’t you gone home for the day? I saw that you have finished loading the cargo earlier in the evening.”

“I’m waiting for Meng Changan.”

Leng laughed and continued, “What about you? It’s already pretty late, why aren’t you going back?”

“I’m accompanying my father. My father said that there’s one more cargo to be loaded in a while. He had accepted payment from a customer. No matter how late it is, I still have to wait.”

He gave the slightly bigger steamed bun to Leng. Leng, however, picked the smaller one and bit off half of it at one go.

Chen Ran smiled. He followed suit and took a big bite too. His cheeks were bulging with food but he still wanted to continue talking. “Meng Changan is coming back. That fella has been bullying you since you two were children...Come to think of it, did he really become a great general?”

“Great general?”

Leng shook his head; he was not sure whether or not Meng Changan was going to become a great general. He recalled the day the old Daoist devotee came to take Meng Changan away; when he saw Leng carrying a batch of fabric back, the old Daoist got so scared that his hands trembled. The old man started muttering under his breath - something about a trapped dragon in the deep pool. Leng did not understand a single word he said. He even said that Mr. Meng was incurring the wrath of heaven, and that a catastrophe would befall Yulin town in time to come.

Whatever.

He did not like that old Daoist devotee because he looked secretive and mysterious. He did not seem like a person that others would like. However, Leng liked Mr. Shen. Mr. Shen would make monthly trips to the Mengs’ to replenish goods. He seemed like a very warmhearted person. He also appeared to be extra nice towards Leng; every time Leng loaded the cargo, he would give him three copper coins. Three copper coins might not be a lot of money - it was only sufficient for him to buy two steamed buns. Nonetheless, it was the thought that counted.

Every time Mr. Shen visited, he would bring some gifts with him. Even though they did not worth much, they were very special. This time, he gave Leng a stainless steel hunting knife. It was not yet sharpened, nor did it have a scabbard. Leng did not understand why Mr. Shen would give him such an item. Regardless, he really liked it a lot.

Mr. Shen heard about Leng’s story, hence he chose to replenish the goods from the Mengs. One day in winter that year, Mr. Meng had a son. He invited a Daoist from a nearby Daoist temple to tell his son’s fortune. The Daoist said that Meng Changan was a very blessed person. However, he was unlucky. He instructed Mr. Meng to look for an ill-fated child who was the same age as Meng Changan and adopt him, to help Meng Changan ward off evil. Coincidentally, as he was on his way back from the Daoist temple, Mr. Meng heard an infant crying in an underbrush nearby.

Ill-fated child? What could be worse than being abandoned?

Mr. Meng felt that it was heaven’s will and happily took Leng home, naming him Leng’er. He casually named him without giving much thought. In any case, he was not important to him at all. He did not take the last name, Meng, as well - it was not a big deal for him to have no last name.

Leng’er pondered to himself - if it is possible, I want Shen to be my last name. Mr. Shen’s last name...Shen Leng.

Mr. Shen mentioned before that gratitude was more important than hatred. For some reason, Mr. Shen always repeated that to him whenever he visited. When he looked at Leng’er, the look in his eyes made it seem as though he was asking for forgiveness. Leng’er was not sure, and neither did he think that Mr. Shen was asking for forgiveness. This was because Mr. Shen did not do anything to let him down.

Mr. Shen also added that a man should not be narrow-minded; he should have magnificent aspirations, and should always remember to be grateful while taking revenge on people who did him wrong. Be it repaying debts of gratitude or taking revenge, it should be done as soon as possible, without delay. In truth, Leng’er did not understand why Mr. Shen gave him a small hunting knife. What Mr. Shen was trying to tell him was that without a scabbard, the sharpness of the knife would not be concealed.

As his thoughts ran wild, Leng’er vaguely heard Chen Ran’s voice - he was still rambling on and on as he was sitting next to him. He had finished his steamed bun.

Leng’er abruptly recalled something. “Are the steamed buns your father’s dinner? If he gave them to us, how is he going to load the cargo on an empty stomach?”

Leng’er took out three copper coins, “The person selling steamed buns by the river works through the night. Buy another two steamed buns and give them to your father. As a son, you should consider how weary your father would be.”

Chen Ran’s nose twitched, “I got it! I’d rather starve than let my father starve.”

He took the three copper coins and ran like a clumsy fat duck.

Leng’er chuckled. Mr. Shen once said before that people should have more compassion for others and always treat people with kindness...Mr. Shen was truly a strange person. He seemed to know everything, but sometimes his words contradicted themselves.

Leng’er kept the copper coins that Mr. Shen had given him over the years - even if he was cold and hungry, he could not bear to spend them. He heard that the food and drinks in Haohai, an establishment in Yulin town, were the best. However, they were exceptionally expensive. He had to save a lot more, before he could bring Mr. Shen there to treat him.

It was midnight and yet the cargo ship had not arrived. The coachmen waiting by the riverbank started grumbling and expressing their discontentment. Even though their voices were not loud, they were rather piercing to the ear.

Leng’er stood up and stretched. His shoulders still ached from carrying all the heavy things and the marks from the ropes were still there. He had worked the entire day, and pulled the heavy rickshaw all the way there. His muscles and bones had been struggling to endure his heavy workload since a long time ago.

At this moment, balls of red light appeared upstream. It was a spectacular sight. Everyone assembled at the loading trestle and looked towards the light. The people with good eyesight suddenly yelled, “The ship is on fire!”

The balls of red light were in fact cargo ships that were being ignited. Leng’er gasped...sea bandits! They must have been plundering upstream again. Mr. Shen left in the evening. Please be safe.

He stood at the riverbank and tiptoed. A cargo ship that was burning passed by before his eyes. The fire was raging - Leng’er managed to catch a glimpse of the ship’s logo with the help of the fire...it was Mr. Shen’s ship.

Leng’er’s head was spinning. It was the first time in his entire life experiencing such sorrow.

Regardless of how miserable his life was, he was not sad. Mr. Shen was such a good man, how could he have died?

Without hesitation, Leng’er took out the small hunting knife and held it in his mouth. He clenched his teeth and looked down. Akin to a calf that did not know the evil nature of human beings, he charged through the fence and jumped into the icy cold river, and started swimming towards the burning cargo ship.

If I were strong and powerful, I will kill all the sea bandits in this world.