Chapter 438: Women Disguised as Men Entering the Military Camp

Gu Yuchuan had just recovered from a coma and was still very weak.

He held onto the door frame and walked out of the room with unsteady steps. His face was still pale, and when he said, "Let me go this time," his voice was trembling, which stunned everyone in the room.

"Why are you, a scholar, joining in the fun?" Father Gu was the first to react. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his tone was full of disapproval.

Gu Yuchuan is the most promising child in the Gu family. He will take the imperial examination in a few months. How can he go to the front line to fight?

Not only Father Gu, but no one in the family supported his idea.

Second Uncle waved his hand, his tone unquestionable and resolute: "Go back and lie down! You haven't recovered yet, wouldn't it just cause trouble if you went to the front line?"

"Grandpa, Dad, Second Uncle, please let me finish what I'm saying." Gu Yuchuan slowed down, slowly walked to the middle of the crowd, found an empty seat, and sat down. He placed his hands on his knees, his eyes focused on seriousness. "I'm not trying to be a hero. I know I can't match my eldest brother and second uncle in physical strength or martial arts, but I have brains. On the battlefield, it's not just about brute force, it's also about strategy. If I go to Yanshan, maybe I can offer advice to the generals and help analyze the battle situation."

He wanted to give more examples to illustrate his advantages, such as the military books he had read and his ability to analyze situations, but the Gu family refused to listen.

My aunt wiped her tears. "Yuchuan, please stop interfering. Study hard and pass the imperial examination. That's better than anything else. Our Gu family is counting on you to bring honor to our family!"

In the end, it was Grandpa who made the final decision. "Stop arguing, Yushan. Draw lots with your father and uncle. Whoever draws the red lot goes."

Everyone was silent.

Everyone knew that if they went to the front line, they would die, but no one dared to refuse the conscription order.

The government had long said that if anyone dared to escape or disobey, their entire family would be implicated, and all that awaited them would be the destruction of their family and the death of their loved ones.

Father Gu, Gu Yushan, and second uncle walked to the table and looked at the three crumpled paper slips in grandfather's hand, but no one took the first step.

In the end, Gu Yushan took a deep breath, reached out to pick up a piece of paper, and unfolded it.

It's red.

“Big Brother!”

"Ushan!"

The eyes of several sisters instantly became red, and the youngest sister couldn't help sobbing.

Gu Yushan, however, seemed particularly carefree. He placed the red stick on the table, patted his sister on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Why are you crying? It's not like I won't be coming back. Maybe when I return from the battlefield, I can become a general. Then you will be the general's sister. How impressive!"

His optimistic attitude was like a warm current, slightly easing the heavy atmosphere in the main room.

My aunt-in-law was unwilling, but there was nothing she could do.

It was Gu Yushan who drew the lot himself, so he couldn't blame anyone else.

She could only wipe her tears while holding the hand of Gu Yushan's wife Zhao Xing'er, and stood up and said, "Come on, Xing'er, let's go back to the house and pack Yushan's clothes."

Zhao Xinger's eyes were also red. She held her one-year-old child in her arms, her fingers tightly grasping the child's clothes, trying hard to hold back her tears.

But as soon as she entered the room, she could no longer hold back her emotions, and her tears fell one by one as if the strings had broken.

Gu Yushan panicked immediately, standing by at a loss. He reached out to wipe her tears, but was afraid of touching the child, so he could only hurriedly say, "Wife, wife, don't cry, I'm not not coming back."

Zhao Xing'er wiped her tears with her sleeve, sniffed, and spoke with a choked voice. "I don't want to cry, but these tears won't obey me. The battlefield is so dangerous when you go there, so you must be extra careful about everything. If you really encounter a battle, don't just rush forward blindly. Hide if you can. Saving your life is the most important thing, understand?"

"Okay, I understand." Gu Yushan nodded quickly, moved closer to her, and teased her deliberately, "Many people in the village are going. I will hide behind them and stay out of everything. I will definitely be safe."

He paused, then smiled and said, "Just stay home and take care of the children. When I come back, maybe I can really become a general. Then I will buy you the gold hairpin you liked last time, so that you can also be glorious."

Zhao Xing'er glared at him, her cheeks flushed slightly. "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever set my eyes on a gold hairpin?"

Gu Yushan chuckled and moved closer. "Don't try to trick me. The last time we went to the city together, you went to the jewelry store to buy a longevity lock for the child. Your eyes were glued to that gold hairpin inlaid with pearls. I saw it all."

"So, this is the reason why you hide your private money?" Zhao Xinger changed the subject, with a cunning look in her eyes.

"Ah?" Gu Yushan was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect her to bring this up suddenly, and he was at a loss for words for a moment.

He hid his little bit of private money very secretly, in the compartment under the bed. How could she know about it?

Seeing his embarrassed look, Zhao Xing'er couldn't help but burst out laughing and reached out to punch him. "Hmph, I'll let you go this time, but if you dare to hide your private money again next time, I'll break your legs!"

Gu Yushan lay down on the bed and watched Zhao Xinger packing her luggage with a smile, his tone full of doting. "My wife is still the best."

"What's so good about that? You must remember what I said and don't take it lightly." Zhao Xing'er reminded him while folding clothes.

"I know, I know. I'll keep it in mind."

As he was speaking, his aunt opened the door and walked in, holding a heavy cloth bag, which she handed to Gu Yushan. "Take this money with you. They say a poor family makes a rich journey. If you encounter any unexpected situations on the road, try to settle them with money if you can. I heard it's hot in Yanshan, and if you have money, you can buy some food to cool you down. Don't let yourself get hurt."

Gu Yushan took the cloth bag, weighed it, and felt a pang in his heart.

This bag of silver should be all the savings that my parents have accumulated in the past two years.

He quickly pushed it back. "Mom, you don't have to give me so much. Soldiers get paid, and there's a big pot of food in the barracks. Even if I had money, I wouldn't know where to spend it. You should keep it for the family."

"Just take it if I give it to you. Stop talking nonsense!" The aunt-in-law said with a fierce look on her face, stuffing the cloth bag back into his hands. "With money on you, you feel at ease. But don't be stupid. Don't put all your money in one place. Hide it in several places. Even if it's lost or robbed, you won't be left with nothing."

"Forget it. It's inconvenient for you to hide the silver close to your body. I'll try to think of a way to exchange it for silver notes. It's safer."

Just then, Gu Jiayue pushed open the door and walked in, holding two neatly folded sets of coarse cloth and a small wooden box. "Brother, this is one thousand taels of silver. Have your sister-in-law sew it into the lining of your clothes and keep it close to your body. In case of an emergency, take it out and use it."

"Oh, I was just saying that silver is hard to hide, and you're here to give me silver notes." The aunt smiled and handed the cloth bag in her hand to Gu Jiayue, "Jiayue, keep this bag of silver. Just think of it as an exchange from your aunt. I can't let you spend it in vain."

"Aunt, what are you talking about?" Gu Jiayue pushed the cloth bag back and said deliberately in a playful way, "This is what I gave to support my elder brother. When he becomes a general in the future, he must help me, his younger sister, so that I can also benefit from it."

Her words made everyone in the room laugh, and the heavy atmosphere became a little lighter.

"Don't worry, second sister. When your brother becomes a general, you will be the lady of the general's mansion. You can choose any good man in Kyoto at your leisure!" Gu Yushan also joked.

When talking about this, the eldest aunt became excited and pulled Gu Yushan's arm and said, "That's right! Yushan, when you go to the military camp, if you see a young and promising man with good character, you must keep an eye out for him for your sisters. If you find a suitable one, ask him about it. Our Jiayue is already old enough, it's time to find a husband."

Well, my aunt’s carefree personality is really not suitable for sadness.

At this time, she still cares about finding a husband for her daughter. She is a good aunt.

When Gu Jiayue heard this, she immediately felt overwhelmed and quickly stepped back. "Brother, I've delivered the things. You guys continue to pack. I won't bother you anymore."

After saying that, he turned around and walked out, fearing that his aunt would drag him to talk about marriage again.

Watching her fleeing figure, her aunt shook her head, her tone full of worry. "This child, she's almost eighteen, why hasn't she come to her senses yet? Other girls are already mothers by this age."

"Mom, Jiayue is different from us." Zhao Xing'er said with a smile as she folded clothes for Gu Yushan, "She has her own ideas and ambitions and doesn't want to be trapped in marriage so early. Let's not push her too hard."

"No matter how much you want and have ambition, you still have to get married," my aunt sighed. "You can't be alone your whole life. When you're old, you won't even have someone who cares about you. That would be so pitiful."

As soon as Gu Jiayue walked to the door, she saw her second uncle, aunt, parents and all standing in the yard, holding either clothes or purses in their hands. It was obvious that they had come to give something to Gu Yushan.

After a while, my grandparents also came with crutches. My grandmother was holding a peace amulet tied with a red string in her hand. It was the amulet she always wore on her body. It seemed that her sister from her natal family had asked for it for her.

"Yushan." Grandma walked up to Gu Yushan and put the amulet in his hand. Her voice was a little old and choked with sobs. "Grandma doesn't expect you to achieve great things, nor does she expect you to become a general. I just hope you can come back safely."

Listening to her grandmother's words, Gu Jiayue couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes.

"System, are there any items in our store that could help with this battle? For example, items that could protect you, or increase your combat effectiveness, or even just reduce casualties."

"Host, you haven't paid off your previous credit points yet..." The system's voice was somewhat embarrassed. "Also, the war-related items in the mall require a lot of points. You don't have enough points to redeem them now."

"But..." Gu Jiayue felt uncomfortable. Those who were about to go to the battlefield were her relatives, friends, and neighbors who she had been with day and night. How could she watch them die?

"They won't completely die." The system quickly added, "Host, have you forgotten? Didn't Ye Yuntang develop a bomb today? Although it's not powerful enough now, as long as she continues to improve it, it might come in handy on the battlefield, which would reduce casualties."