The beginning of a story set in the Bei Caozhen relay station, where several station soldiers encounter a girl seeking help. Despite it being almost the start of spring, the weather remains very cold. At the crack of dawn, a squad of mounted soldiers gallops toward the Bei Caozhen relay station. Five people wearing military robes, thick hats, and with their faces wrapped in red scarves, arrive covered in dust from their journey. They leap off their horses before fully stopping at the entrance.
“Five pots of shaojiu!” one soldier shouts.
The dozing gatekeeper is awakened, and still irritated from losing money gambling the previous night, emerges: “The relay station has no alcohol. Where are your credentials, official warrants, and documentation?” Before he can finish speaking, he’s spat in the face.
“The relay station has no alcohol? Did you drink it all yourself? You son of a—, you dare steal military supplies?” The dismounted soldier grabs the station guard by the collar. “I’ll send you to prison right now.”
