Chapter 67: Eating Fruit and Chatting in the Camp

Each person in Anling County received a lychee and a strawberry.

At the military camp, considering that everyone had worked very hard in the battle, each person was given three lychees and three strawberries.

Cavalry battalion.

Captain Yu Yan held up a lychee and said to his men, "Neither of these fruits can be stored for long, so everyone should eat them as soon as possible."

The soldiers looked at the four pieces of fruit lying in their palms. Some were willing to eat them, while others wanted to put them in their pockets and take them back to their families.

Yu Yan saw through their thoughts and said in a deep voice, "I'm not lying to you. These two kinds of fruits can only last two or three days at most. We haven't even finished fighting yet, and they've already spoiled. You can only take the seeds back with you."

Soldiers: "..."

That would indeed be better to eat it myself, but... it just feels like such a waste.

Some people looked at the fruit with a pang of heartache.

Yu Yan smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, the goddess not only bestowed fruit upon us, but also upon all the people of Anling County. Of course, each of them only received one strawberry and one lychee."

Soldiers: "!"

They looked at their eldest son with surprise and delight.

The goddess even bestowed fruit upon our family members?

Yu Yan casually tossed a strawberry into his mouth, chewing as he asked, "Can I eat it now?"

Some people admired the red strawberries, muttering to themselves, "The boss is really something. He could have mentioned the goddess bestowed fruit upon our families first, but he had to put it off until later. Was he deliberately teasing us?"

Yu Yan turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on the person cricketing.

Soldier: "..."

Damn it, boss, you have such terrible hearing!

Vanguard Battalion.

The soldier who had once been fortunate enough to taste a lychee stared at the crystal-clear fruit in his palm and couldn't help but exclaim, "So this is what a freshly picked lychee looks like!"

The brother standing next to him peeled the lychee, took a bite, and the sweet juice instantly filled his mouth. He turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I've eaten lychees before, and after peeling them, they look all white." The soldier clicked his tongue twice. "I never imagined that the flesh of a fresh lychee would be transparent!"

His brother suddenly thought of something and subconsciously recited, "If separated from its original branch, its color will change in one day, its fragrance in two days, its taste in three days, and after four or five days, its color, fragrance, and taste will all be gone." [Note 1]

A question mark appeared above the soldier's head. "What did you say?"

His brother shrugged. "There was a sentence in an article about lychees that my sister read to me several times last month, and I inexplicably memorized it too."

The soldier chuckled: "It's because you're greedy, isn't it? I've never seen you have such a good memory before."

His brother picked up a strawberry, its bright red color emitting a sweet fragrance. "Fruit is meant to be eaten freshly picked; it doesn't taste good if it's left out for too long, woof!"

"nonsense."

"How wonderful it would be if we could one day enjoy lychees and strawberries without worry! I can't stop eating them now!"

"...Then you should actively participate in the activities organized by the Administration Hall and try your best to win awards!" the soldier said encouragingly. "Perhaps the goddess will even give us fruits that we've never eaten before as prizes."

Infantry battalion.

Watching the soldiers happily eating fruit and sharing their feelings, Pi Baoshan couldn't help but smile.

Ma Jinsheng, who was also a centurion, sat down beside him.

A man in his thirties held a lychee in his hand, tossed it into the air, caught it as it fell, and then tossed it again.

Pi Baoshan glanced at him, reached out, and caught the lychee in mid-air.

Ma Jinsheng panicked, "Give it back to me!"

Pi Baoshan snorted, "Just say what you want to say."

Ma Jinsheng stared at him for a moment before speaking, "Do you think we'll be able to see the captain again when we return in triumph?"

Pi Baoshan suddenly squeezed the lychee with his fingers, breaking the shell.

Ma Jinsheng closed his eyes. "I've always felt something's wrong with him lately. Before he left for the campaign, he said he was sick, but he clearly..."

“He came to me and asked what I thought of the envoy from Maozhou.” Pi Baoshan took a deep breath and revealed the secret that had been weighing on his mind for a long time. “I said I would obey the goddess’s orders, and he didn’t say anything more. But I had a bad feeling all along.”

Unexpectedly, Chen Changhai requested sick leave before the expedition. Pi Baoshan immediately went to report to Xiang Yuesheng.

Ma Jinsheng stared in disbelief. "What did you say?"

Seeing Pi Baoshan's serious expression, Ma Jinsheng understood the meaning behind his words. He gritted his teeth in anger, "As expected of the captain!"

He couldn't understand, "The goddess saved our lives, how could he do something to betray her?"

Pi Baoshan looked up at the night sky.

The moonlight was as cool as water, just like his mood at that moment.

"Throughout history, how many examples have there been of people who were grateful for a small favor but resented for a large one? He, or rather they, not only do not appreciate the goddess, but may even feel that the goddess is blocking their path to success."

Too many people lack a clear understanding of themselves, thinking they are just missing an opportunity to soar to great heights.

Little did they know that without the goddess, they were of no value to Sun Yannan.

All Sun Yannan wanted from beginning to end was the goddess.

Ma Jinsheng is more open-minded than Pi Baoshan.

He sneered, "If a captain really wants to be an ingrate, then he is no longer a captain of our infantry battalion!"

"Those who betray the goddess must never be forgiven!"

Old Cheng and his group are not to be underestimated, so why is Chen Changhai so confident in himself?

He reached out and patted Pi Baoshan on the shoulder, comforting him, "Don't think too much about it. It was Chen Changhai who betrayed the Goddess, not you, Pi Baoshan. What's there to be ashamed of?"

Pi Baoshan: "..."

The man sighed softly, "What are you saying? He's a captain in our battalion! He betrayed the goddess; our entire infantry battalion has lost all face!"

"So what? We didn't do anything wrong." Ma Jinsheng took the opportunity to snatch his lychee back from Pi Baoshan, peeled it, popped it into his mouth, and chewed it. "Maybe he doesn't even feel ashamed. Why are you feeling guilty for him?"

Pi Baoshan: "Don't you ever think about the idea that we all prosper together or suffer together?"

Ma Jinshan's expression remained unchanged: Why should we have it?

Pi Baoshan: "..." Okay.

Supply Battalion.

The centurion in charge of guarding the food came to see Captain Lü Yuanwu to report that the military doctor Zhou Xuan had collected food for the children in the neighborhood.

Finally, he suggested, "Could we bring all the people along the way who are willing to come with us back to Anling County? We need people to farm, build roads, and mine coal in Anling."

At this point, the centurion, slightly embarrassed, added, "I think raising a child is faster than giving birth to a child and raising it."

Lu Yuanwu looked at the centurion with a half-smile, "You always seem to pity others."

The centurion knew the captain had seen through him, so he smiled bitterly and explained, "The people are pitiful. With this war, they have been forced to leave their homes, either going to distant places or hiding in the mountains. I don't know how many people will starve to death."

Are they not just like we were yesterday?

"..." Lu Yuanwu's expression turned serious. Yes, why are we fighting here now?

In order to protect our families and the people of Anneung County.

I hope they can live a peaceful life, I hope they have food to eat and a place to sleep, I hope they don't have to leave their homes, and I hope they won't become victims of evil people!

The people of Anling County are ordinary people, and the people of Sifang County are also ordinary people.

Anyone willing to follow the goddess will be protected by them!

Lu Yuanwu had figured it out and said to the centurion, "Come with me to see the general and the strategist."

The centurion looked up at Lü Yuanwu, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said happily, "Yes! Thank you for your understanding, Captain!"

Lu Yuanwu waved his hand, "Why thank me? Thank the goddess!"

He called over a soldier and said, "Go to the military tent and inform the military doctor, Zhou Xuan, to go to General Ning's main tent."

Zhou Xuan understands that child better.

Firearms Battalion.

Shang Xiaorong and several centurions from the camp were having a meeting.

He peeled a lychee, ate it, and his eyes immediately lit up – it was delicious!

I peeled another one.

Peel another one.

They finished eating very quickly.

Shang Xiaorong savored the sweetness of the lychees and said to his men, "These lychees are really delicious! It's a pity there are only five; we can't eat them all."

Several centurions: "..."

They were familiar with their boss's style and knew he might be about to create problems for everyone, but they couldn't let his words fall flat.

They exchanged glances.

After a moment, the centurion chuckled, “There’s nothing we can do about it; we can’t grow lychee trees in Jinzhou.”

Did I answer correctly?

But then their leader clapped his hands, as if suddenly enlightened, and said, "If we can take Ningzhou and conquer the entire Lingnan region, and I become an official there, wouldn't I be able to eat lychees whenever I want?"

Several centurions: "!!!"

The centurion, Yi, was troubled. "Captain, we only have one prefecture now, and we haven't even taken Jinzhou yet, let alone Ningzhou?"

Centurion Bing: "The Cao family has occupied Ningzhou for generations; it probably won't be so easy to take it down."

Commander Ding: "Moreover, Lingnan, like the southwest region, has poisonous miasma. If we can't figure out a solution, aren't we just sending ourselves to our deaths?"

Shang Xiaorong looked at them with a smile, then suddenly changed the subject, "Some time ago, General Hu, General Ning and the captains of our various battalions discussed the idea of ​​establishing a vehicle battalion."

The centurions: "..."

Huh? What does this have to do with Lingnan that we just talked about?

But they quickly followed up, with Centurion Bing asking thoughtfully, "Does 'chariot battalion' refer to a battalion that fights entirely with chariots?"

Shang Xiaorong nodded, "It's not just about chariots. According to the strategists, it's about infantry, cavalry, and chariots forming a chariot formation, and it would be best to add our firearms as well."

The centurions fell into thought upon hearing this.

Centurion Yi's eyes darted around. "But I think that if we are attacking Ningzhou, artillery wagons would be more suitable."

The combination of cannonballs and catapults is still under research at the firearms workshop.

"Let's blast open the gates of Ningzhou City with one shot!"

Shang Xiaorong looked at him in surprise, "You actually knew I wanted to go back to Ningzhou?"

Centurion Yi straightened his chest.

Shang Xiaorong: "It's hard to say which is faster, establishing a wagon battalion or developing a catapult. When will I be able to go to Ningzhou to eat lychees?"

Centurion Yi silently shrank back.

-----------------------

The author's note: 1. [Note 1]: Bai Juyi's "Preface to the Lychee Painting"