Chapter 160

"Sir, the main roads in the county have been repaired, and the city wall in the southeast has also been rebuilt." Yang Yan reported.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ayan. How is the training of the soldiers in the city going?" Lin Shuge put down the documents in his hand and asked with a smile.

"Ever since you said that, my lord, Chu Xu and I have been training the soldiers and villagers strictly. My lord, the Huns are..." Yang Yan knew that the Huns were cruel and bloodthirsty. If the Duwei Mansion failed, the entire Dingyuan County would be under the attack of the Huns.

Lin Shuge sighed, "Several groups of people have come to the Duwei Mansion recently, but none of them have mentioned the situation of the Xiongnu. There has been no news from the court either. But I have seen the Duwei Mansion mobilize troops in recent days, so I am afraid we should prepare early."

Lin Shuge's face was heavy, and Yang Yan also frowned. Captain Zhao had been guarding Dingyuan County for many years and had fought with the Huns for many years. Moreover, there were firearms to help this time. Even if there was no complete victory, the battle situation should not favor the Huns.

"But we don't need to worry too much. It's a good thing that there is no news. Besides, we still have Zhongxuan here. Even if there is a war, Wei Xiaowei has many elite soldiers and generals under his command. We are not afraid of the strong Xiongnu soldiers. Besides, you and Chu Xu train every day. No matter how strong the Xiongnu are, they are still flesh and blood. There is no need to be so afraid of them."

Yang Yan smiled suddenly. Yes, if the war is really going badly, there is still the captain of the guards here. In recent years, the adults have developed firearms and introduced grain varieties. It seems that they are indeed far-sighted. Why should I encourage others and destroy my own prestige?

"Sir, I will continue to train the soldiers." Yang Yan chuckled and clasped his fists.

When Lin Shuge saw him go out, his eyes moved to the window and he heard Xie Chen's words. He sighed deeply. Captain Zhao was not doing well in the battle at Hupo Mountain and no news had been received so far. He was afraid that it would be a fierce battle.

"elder brother."

Xie Chen's voice woke him up from his thoughts. Lin Shuge came back to his senses and saw Xie Chen had arrived without him noticing. He still had a smile on his face. "What's wrong? Is there any news from the Duwei Mansion?"

"Brother is still worried about the war. I called you several times but you didn't respond." Xie Chen's eyes were full of helplessness. He added, "I got the news that a general under Captain Zhao led his troops in a surprise attack and defeated the cavalry of Hu Yanlu, the left leader of the Xiongnu. They captured hundreds of Xiongnu surrendered soldiers and tens of thousands of livestock. However..."

"Really? This is really good news. I haven't heard any news for days, and the war situation has been unfavorable recently, so I've been worried... Well, let's not talk about this. I wonder which general is so powerful?" Lin Shuge was a little curious.

Xie Chen had a strange expression on his face, and after a while he said, "It's Captain Zhao's nephew Han Jue. I've dealt with him before..."

"What's wrong with him? Is there something wrong with this person?" Lin Shuge asked when he saw that he was hesitant to speak.

Xie Chen sighed, "It's nothing, he's just arrogant and can't stand others being stronger than him, but that's nothing. Since he has the ability to defeat the Xiongnu cavalry, others should obey him."

Based on Lin Shuge's understanding of Xie Chen, he must have concealed something in what he just said, but he also knew that he was not the kind of person who would damage others' reputation behind their backs, so he simply stopped asking.

"Zhongxuan, what do you think? If we win this battle, will the Duwei Mansion continue to fight hard and defeat Huposhan?"

Xie Chen nodded. "King Zuo Guli is brave and good at fighting. If we can eliminate his power, it will be like cutting off an arm of Mu Xie. Captain Zhao is certainly aware of this. If my judgment is correct, the Captain's Office should concentrate its forces to fight the Xiongnu."

Lin Shuge believed in his judgment. Seeing that he looked serious and seemed to be worried, he smiled and said, "Let's go, my captain. Since the war is going well, I have nothing to worry about. Let's go quickly. I'm starving. I asked the kitchen to prepare a lot of dishes, including new dishes made from potatoes. You will try them later. I'm sure you will like them."

Xie Chen was pushed out by him, he turned around and looked at Lin Shuge with a smile in his eyes, the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously, forget it, he and his brother will always be able to solve any problem.

"What's the new dish my brother mentioned? It can't be the French fries I made for Yuan and Xuan last time, right?"

"Of course not. Have you seen the flour that every household in the county dried a few days ago? Today I asked someone to make a variety of potato flours. You will know in a moment."

"Then I can wait and see."

…

It was drizzling outside the house. Xie Chen opened his eyes and touched his side. It might be a little cold because of the rain. Lin Shuge felt the cold wind blowing into his quilt in his sleep. He squinted his eyes and squeezed towards Xie Chen.

Xie Chen tucked the quilt in for him, got up from the bed, and closed the window that was blown open by the wind. It was drizzling outside, and the raindrops blown in by the wind wet the books on the table.

Xie Chen wiped the wet book with a towel, spread it out to dry, raised his eyes and saw Lin Shuge sleeping soundly. He thought that since it was a day off today, he should go back to bed and take a nap, but when he turned around and saw the zither on the desk, he suddenly felt itchy.

This zither was the birthday gift that Lin Shuge gave him last time. Thinking of Lin Shuge's smile when he gave him the zither that day, Xie Chen felt hot in his heart.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

"Why don't you give it a try? This piano will get rusted if you keep it there."

Xie Chen turned and looked at Lin Shuge: "Brother, are you awake? Why don't you sleep a little longer? Did I wake you up?"

"No, I can't sleep." As he spoke, he took the robe from Xie Chen and put it on.

The rain outside was getting heavier, and the tiles on the roof were crackling with raindrops. Lin Shuge glanced out the window and said, "Play a song. I just want to listen. The rain is making me feel annoyed."

Xie Chen readily agreed. His fingertips lightly touched the strings, making a "clang" sound.

After a moment, the sound of the piano poured out, the sound was ethereal and distant, like the sound of a spring flowing through rocks coming from a silent valley. At first it sounds like the lingering snow falling on the branches, but when the key changes it sounds like the sound of pine waves, like the sound of nature. The sound of the piano in the house is silent, isolating itself from everything outside.

After the song was over, Lin Shuge propped up his face and looked at him, "Zhongxuan, your piano skills will be enough to support yourself when you are old and open a school to recruit disciples."

Xie Chen stroked the zither and smiled, "Brother, do you want to learn? I can reluctantly accept you as my student first."

"Then you have to teach me well," Lin Shuge was pulled to his side by him. Xie Chen put his hands around him, touching his palms with his, and said with a smile, "Brother, you have to play it like this."

Lin Shuge studied hard until he noticed that someone was making a lot of small movements. He would either gently tickle his fingers while teaching him the technique, or he would say that his movements were not appropriate and then hug him in his arms under the pretext of demonstrating.

Lin Shuge was almost laughing at his anger. He slammed the table and was about to get up and leave. Xie Chen quickly made amends: "I saw that brother was teasing him so seriously. I promise, I won't move around again."

Lin Shuge looked at him suspiciously. At this moment, the sound of claws scratching the door came from outside the house. The two looked at each other, and Lin Shuge raised his chin towards the door.

Xie Chen resigned himself to his fate and went to the door to carry in Xiaobai, who was soaking wet and looking up at the owner of the house, cursing why he didn't open the door.

"This little thing has been running outside every day since it grew up, and only comes back when it rains." Lin Shuge hurriedly wiped its fur with a towel. Xiaobai was shivering with cold and meowed at him.

It didn't know where it came from, and its four furry paws were covered with mud and water. Lin Shuge wiped them clean one by one with a towel and wiped them clean. Seeing Xiaobai like a drowned chicken, he couldn't help laughing and stretched out his finger to poke its pink nose, "You stay away from home every day."

Xiaobai didn't understand what he was saying and just kept rolling in his arms. Lin Shuge wrapped Xiaobai in a blanket and tucked it into the quilt to keep it warm.

"The rain is getting heavier. Fortunately, the autumn harvest has been collected. Otherwise, if it is left until the rainy season, there will be disasters. If the rain continues, we must send people to check whether the people in each village have been affected."

"Brother, how can you be an official like this? In recent years, the people of Qingquan have been able to make cashmere and grow cotton, and they have also obtained new grain seeds. Their lives are much better than before. If there were no war in the northwest, you should also take a break and have a good rest. The officials in the county government are not there to eat and do nothing, so why do you have to do everything yourself?" Xie Chen lazily slumped in the chair, leaned over and looked at Lin Shuge.

Lin Shuge tilted his head to look at him, "Agriculture is the foundation of the country, how can I be careless?" He saw Xie Chen holding the handkerchief he had just used, "Return it to me after use."

There was something wrong with Xie Chen. He would always take his handkerchiefs. Lin Shuge thought he liked them, so he had someone make a batch of identical ones for him. But Xie Chen didn't like to use them, so he always took his handkerchiefs away. As a result, one time when he went out, he touched his cuffs and found they were empty.

"Brother is so stingy. What others ask you for are rewards. You can't even let me take the handkerchief you have used." Xie Chen walked over and squatted beside him, his eyes full of frustration.

Xiaobai's fur dried in the warm quilt. He stretched himself and half of his body appeared from under the quilt, with one of his paws still pressing on Lin Shuge's hand.

Lin Shuge was used to seeing him like this, and was not moved. He kneaded Xiaobai's paw and said, "If you really like it, there is everything in Chen Niang's shop over there. There is also a new batch of paper made in Ganzhou, which is soft and can be used. Why are you stealing mine?"

Seeing that he was indifferent, Xie Chen stuffed the handkerchief into his arms, took off his shoes in two moves, jumped into the bed, moved Xiaobai, who was already soundly asleep, to a different position, lay down with his head resting on Lin Shuge's legs, and chatted with Lin Shuge with his eyes squinted.

"Brother, there is a mountain in Yandu called Duanyun Peak. Looking from the foot of the mountain, it seems that the clouds can be cut through. The scenery on the top of the mountain is very beautiful. I will take you there to see it if I have the chance."

Lin Shuge hummed softly, "Zhongxuan, tell me about your past."

Xie Chen took his hand and put his palm together with Lin Shuge's. Lin Shuge watched him helplessly as he played childish games.

"Brother, what do you want to hear?" Xie Chen asked.

"I want to hear about Lord Xie." Lin Shuge lowered his head and looked straight at him. "Everyone in the world is talking about Lord Xie's achievements. Zhongxuan, what about you? In your eyes, what kind of person is Lord Xie?"

Xie Chen's eyes were filled with nostalgia, and he laughed out loud, "My great grandfather was actually just an interesting old man. When I was very young, he told my parents that I was a martial arts genius and that I must not be handed over to my father, a pedantic scholar. Therefore, I was raised by my great grandfather since I was a child."

Xie Chen chuckled as if thinking of something funny, "I followed my grandfather in the military camp, climbing trees to get bird eggs and fishing in rivers every day. I forgot all the etiquette and norms of the noble families. Later, when I followed my grandfather back to Yandu, my mother almost fainted when she saw me. But because my grandfather was the head of the Xie family and an elder, she could only discipline me strictly in private. Therefore, kneeling and being beaten as punishment was commonplace for me."

Lin Shuge smiled and said, “I didn’t expect you to have such an experience.”

Xie Chen went on to say, "But it was only during those few years that my grandfather was a man of both military and literary talents. He personally taught me all my martial arts and knowledge. I followed him to all the mountains, rivers, and historical sites in Longxi. Later, when we were fighting the Qiang people, I was a young and inexperienced person and secretly followed the army. Now I think back to how brave I was. I dared to take advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and followed the vanguard troops straight into the battle. I wiped out a small Qiang tribe and even killed a small leader."

Lin Shuge looked at him in shock. This man has been like this since he was a child. No wonder he dared to gamble his life alone when they first met.

Xie Chen looked up and saw his surprised expression, then got up from his lap. "It was not until the army was rewarding meritorious service and a group of soldiers pushed me out that the vanguard commander recognized me and immediately sent me back. Grandfather thought I was lost at the time and was sending people to look for me everywhere. It was only after hearing what his subordinates said that he realized that I had sneaked into the army."

"Did he punish you?" Lin Shuge asked.

Xie Chen shook his head and nodded again, "He praised me for being a smart kid in front of everyone, and the other soldiers had no choice but to praise me. That was my first time on the battlefield, and everyone praised me so much that I really thought that Grandfather would not punish me."

"Later, my schoolwork was increased several times. I was so tired every day that I had no time to think about other things. Moreover, I was taught etiquette every day by people who came from nowhere and was under strict supervision. I was not allowed to go out to practice martial arts even when I wanted to. Only then did I realize that my grandfather had bad intentions. He knew that I could not stay still for a day, so he wanted to put me in solitary confinement." The corners of Xie Chen's mouth curled up slightly.

"Those people were sent by my mother. The children of the Wei family in Yandu have always been the model of Yandu's noble families. Every family in the family is eager to hire a tutor. It is said that after being trained by them for a period of time, no matter how spoiled a playboy is, he will always be able to look up to them."

"It actually has such an effect?" Lin Shuge asked.

Xie Chen nodded, as if he couldn't bear to look back. "Grandfather usually doesn't like these red tapes. This time, he was obviously really angry, so he teamed up with mother to punish me. I was annoyed by those people every day. I couldn't hit them, and I couldn't scold them. In the end, I could only bow my head to Grandfather and promise him that I would never do it again."

Lin Shuge burst out laughing, "Mr. Xie is indeed an extraordinary person."

Green Book Pavilion was naturally clear about Xie Chen's character. If he was punished with something else, such as being beaten with a few sticks, Xie Chen would naturally accept the punishment with pleasure, and would dare to do it again next time. Only by finding his vital point can you make him surrender.

"Later, my grandfather was transferred back to Yandu, and I was under the supervision of my mother. I was always busy, either going out to race horses or fighting with some people. Every time I came back, my mother wanted to punish me, so I asked someone to invite my grandfather. If it was an insignificant matter, my grandfather would naturally help me cover it up. Later, my grandfather was busy, so he would always invite my brother and sister-in-law."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Brother, do you want to eat something?" Xie Chen's eyes were dazed, but he suddenly regained his clarity.

Lin Shuge was half lying on the head of the bed, watching him get up and go out to instruct the servants, and sighed in his heart. It was a pity that all this could only remain in his memory.