reconstruction

When Liang Hongyu woke with a start in the commander's tent, the black iron wristband dug deep into her wrist, leaving a blue-gray bruise. A splitting headache, a throbbing temple, and a churning stomach were worse than being trapped in a pile of corpses for three days and three nights without sleep.

The wine last night was too strong, as strong as Han Shizhong's eyes that almost burned her.

The charming scene suddenly came into her mind - how she tore off Han Shizhong's rhinoceros armor belt, how she took the initiative to press her red lips against his lips and teeth, and how he pressed his calloused palm against the back of her neck and kissed her back fiercely.

That kiss, with its strong smell of alcohol and the heat that had been suppressed for too long, was like a thunderclap that shattered her sanity.

The aroma of wine between his lips and teeth still lingered in her heart for a long time. The subtle fragrance of the liquor seemed to fill the entire tent, constantly reminding her of the impulse that should not have happened last night.

The oath she had made to Zhao Gou before the emperor suddenly flashed through her mind: "In this life, I will prioritize the affairs of state, annihilate the Jin bandits, and recover our lost land. I dedicate my heart and body to the Song Dynasty and hold no personal feelings for Han Shizhong. If I break this oath, I will die tragically at the hands of the Jin army."

That oath was the shackles she put on herself when she was completely desperate, and it was also the token of her loyalty that allowed her to return to the army as a woman and take charge of an army on her own.

Although the emperor was forced to let her go, he would never allow his woman to sleep in the arms of another man. This was not only a provocation to his self-esteem as a man, but also a contempt for the royal dignity. Since she chose this path, she was destined to be a sharp, pure and selfless sword in Zhao Gou's hand.

And this sharp sword cannot have emotions.

"Squeak——"

The door was gently pushed open, and Han Shizhong walked in with a cup of sobering soup.

The smile in his eyes could no longer be hidden, like a ray of sunshine in the early morning, carrying unconcealable joy and anticipation.

He placed the bowl of soup on the table, his voice softer than ever before: "Are you awake? Does your head still hurt? I asked my personal guards to make some soup, drink it while it's hot."

He looked at her cautiously, as if he were looking at a priceless treasure that had been lost and then found again.

Liang Hongyu's heart suddenly twitched, as if it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand.

She avoided his gaze, threw off the quilt and got out of bed. Her voice was as cold as the ice in Chuzhou in winter: "General Han, thank you for your concern. Military affairs are very busy, and I dare not trouble you with such a small matter."

The call of "General Han" instantly created a bottomless gap between the two men.

The smile on Han Shizhong's face froze.

He took a step forward and tried to pull her hand, but she dodged it calmly.

He was a little anxious and a little aggrieved: "Hongyu, you... have you forgotten what happened last night?"

Liang Hongyu had her back to him, straightening her slightly wrinkled battle robe, and every movement she made seemed extremely stiff.

"I was drunk last night and spoke nonsense. If I have offended you, I hope you will forgive me, General." She paused, her tone calm, "As for what happened last night, I have long forgotten."

"Don't you remember? Or do you not want to remember?" Han Shizhong's voice suddenly rose, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes. Why had he already taken those ninety-nine steps towards her, but she still stayed where she was, refusing to take a step towards him?

Liang Hongyu finally turned around slowly. Her eyes were clear and resolute, like an ancient well with no bottom, sinking all her emotions to the bottom.

"General!" she said, emphasizing each word. "Chuzhou City is in ruins. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians are starving. The city walls are broken, and the Jin army could return at any time. You and I are officials appointed by the court. We eat the emperor's salary and share his worries. We should be thinking about how to rebuild the city and comfort the people, not these boring affairs of love!"

Her words were like an ice-hardened knife, piercing Han Shizhong's heart.

He looked at her, at her face that looked particularly pale because of her determination, his heart was in turmoil, but it finally turned into a long sigh.

He knew her temper. Pushing her too hard would only push her further away. Perhaps she had her own reasons. This was the only way he could comfort himself.

"General Liang, it's me, Meng Lang," the light in Han Shizhong's eyes dimmed little by little, "You are right, the most important thing right now is to rebuild Chuzhou City." After Han Shizhong finished speaking, he turned and left.

Looking at Han Shizhong's lonely back as he left, Liang Hongyu's eyes turned slightly red. In the end, she hurt his heart.

From that day on, Liang Hongyu seemed to have turned into a tireless iron man. She poured all her energy, and even those emotions that had nowhere to go, into the scorched earth of Chuzhou.

When rebuilding Chuzhou City, there was no wood, so she led her soldiers to cut through thorns and bushes, deep into the mountains and forests, and forcibly opened a path; when there were no bricks and tiles, she mobilized the people to dig the earth and burn kilns, and she mixed the mud herself, and her hands were calloused with blisters.

After many days, because there was no kiln firing technology, the bricks and tiles produced were still as soft as mud and could not be used to build houses.

Liang Hongyu felt frustrated for the first time. She patrolled along the river bank. It was early winter and the river breeze was already carrying a chill. If the roofs were not built by the time the cold winter came, how would the people survive this cold winter after the war?

Liang Hongyu frowned and held tightly onto the cattails by the river, but the cattails showed no signs of breaking. She found that the cattails by the river were flexible and tough, so she thought it would be better to use them to build a roof to get through this cold winter.

The next day, Liang Hongyu led a hundred thousand soldiers and civilians to the riverbank. They leaned over and hacked through the ten-foot-tall cattails. The sound of the scythes echoed the rain of arrows from the Yellow Sky Dang. Children, clutching their warmed mats, ran, their stumbles into the grass, startling green-winged waterfowl hiding within. She plunged her long-tasseled spear into the mud, the tassel unraveling into a thousand strands of hemp, tangling with the dried cattails to form the veins of the roof beams.

The Hongyu who used to play the piano under the lamp and dance under the moon, now stands in the fields with her trouser legs rolled up, covered in mud, and directs everyone in a hoarse voice.

Since there were no bedding at night, she led the female soldiers to weave thin straw mats by hand. Although they were rough, they could keep out the chill of early spring.

She ate from the same pot of brown rice, drank from the same bucket of cold water, and slept in the same thatched hut as the soldiers.

The people saw it with their own eyes and remembered it in their hearts.

When a white-haired old woman stuffed a hot steamed bun into her hand and said in a trembling voice, "General Liang, you saved our whole family."

She felt that it was all worth it.

After three sleepless days, the new houses were lined up along the water.

Finally, Liang Hongyu was so exhausted that she leaned against the thatched wall and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. The bitter scent of cattails filled her nostrils. The sound of dewdrops rolling down the roof, like silver beads dripping onto a jade plate, brought her a sense of peace in her dreams.

A stable home is only the first step; a happy career is the foundation.

Chuzhou is located in a plain with a water network and is low-lying. It is prone to floods and has no strategic locations to defend. It is an ideal battlefield for cavalry to roam freely.

The food and defense issues are like two huge mountains pressing down on everyone.

One rainy night, Liang Hongyu stayed up all night, repeatedly calculating on a map of Chuzhou.

When the first rays of morning light shone into the general's tent, an idea so bold as to be almost crazy took shape in her mind.

She wants to put a layer of armor on the land of Chuzhou!

She summoned all the generals and agricultural technicians and put forward an unprecedented idea - "three-layer compound ridges".

The specific method involves digging deep into the flat ground and piling the excavated earth on both sides, forming a "one ditch, two ridges" pattern. The deep ditch at the bottom is used to store water, draining during the rainy season and irrigating during the dry season. It also allows for fish and lotus root farming, increasing profits. The ridges in the middle are used to grow water-loving crops such as rice. The wide ridges at the top are used to grow dryland crops such as millet and wheat.

When this method was introduced, everyone was shocked. This was simply unheard of!

Inside the newly constructed Chuzhou City government office, Han Shizhong gazed at Liang Hongyu beside him. Her eyes were resolute, but her face was a touch pale. For months, she had toiled day and night to rebuild Chuzhou City, finally providing its people with a place to live. He only wished she could rest a few more days, instead of acting like she was today, proposing some ridiculous "triple-row field" scheme. If she continued like this, she would surely die of exhaustion in Chuzhou City before the Jin army even arrived.

He had to come up with a plan to let her rest for a few days. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he stretched out a hand to Liang Hongyu's back and knocked her unconscious. Then he took the opportunity to support Liang Hongyu who fell into his arms.

Everyone in the government office widened their eyes upon seeing this.

Someone asked, "What is General Han doing?"

Han Shizhong said calmly, "I'll let this general think about this method again. You can go back first."

Since Han Shizhong had spoken, no one could come up with a solution and they had to leave.

Han Shizhong looked at Liang Hongyu in his arms. His long eyelashes cast a gray shadow on her pretty but pale face. Her breathing was steady, as if she were truly asleep. He lifted her up by the waist and walked towards the bed in the government office.

Looking at Liang Hongyu sleeping soundly on the bed, Han Shizhong felt deeply distressed. He had never imagined that a woman like her could do such a thing, sleeping on the same bed with soldiers and civilians, working tirelessly, just to ensure that the people had a safe place to live. She did it. Even though she was still as cold to him as before, that night, on the tower of Chuzhou City, her kiss was so passionate, as if all the emotions that had been suppressed in her heart were gushing out at that moment. He could feel that she admired him from the bottom of her heart that night, not just the drunken misconduct she claimed after she sobered up.

In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight shone into the house, carrying the warmth of early winter. Liang Hongyu woke up under the warm sunshine.

Only then did she remember that day when she was suddenly knocked unconscious at the government office. Although she was still upset about it, after a few days of rest, she did feel much more energetic.

But, isn’t this the Han Mansion? Why would she sleep here?

She got up from the bed and walked out of the house. The sun was shining brightly outside.

When Qiu Feng saw Liang Hongyu leave the room, she walked up to her and said, "Miss, you're finally awake. You've been sleeping for three days and three nights."

"Oh, has it taken so long?" Liang Hongyu asked, "Who sent me to the Han Mansion?"

"Miss, I told you not to be angry with General Han!" Qiu Feng stammered, "It was General Han who knocked you unconscious and sent you to the Han Mansion."

"General Han?" Liang Hongyu asked in confusion, "Why did he knock me out?"

"It's because you haven't rested for several months, and he's afraid that your body will collapse, so he has to do this. But don't worry, young lady. General Han hasn't returned home these days, but has slept in the military camp." Qiu Feng replied.

Hearing this, Liang Hongyu said, "Come on, take me to see him."