Zhao Xiheng subconsciously wanted to consult with Wei Li, but suddenly realized that he had been on the battlefield for two months and had not returned.
Only letters were delivered intermittently.
She thought about it and decided not to bother him with these things. He couldn't offer any constructive advice on the battlefield anyway, and asking him would only annoy him.
"Report!" Song Xuan's loud voice came from outside, followed by a series of hurried footsteps.
She rushed in like the wind, taking three steps at a time, and handed the battle report to Zhao Xiheng, her handsome face full of joy.
"Madam, the lord captured the cities of Altay and Fuyu the day before yesterday, but retreated a hundred li from Goguryeo."
Altay and Fuyu were the two most important lines of defense for Goguryeo. Originally, they were the territory of the Mohe tribe. Later, Goguryeo unified seven minority tribes in the northeast and established a unified state dominated by five ethnic groups: Yemaek, Buyeo, Evenki, Mohe, and Khitan.
These two cities occupied almost a third of the territory of Northern Goguryeo. Once they were captured, conquering Northern Goguryeo would be much easier.
Zhao Xiheng read the victory report over and over again, and finally, after confirming that she was not dreaming, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
If the journey goes smoothly, she should be able to return before September, as her due date is between early and mid-September.
After two months of intense tension, today's victory brought a sense of relief and jubilation to the entire army. Wei Li ordered a reward ceremony for the troops and two days of rest, so much so that cheers could be heard several miles away from the camp.
Wei Li led his men to occupy Fuyu Mansion.
Yang Zeli was injured and was recuperating. Chen Ruojiang led a group to post notices in Fuyu and Altay to indicate their affiliation. General Song went to comfort the wounded soldiers and prepare for the victory celebration banquet that evening.
Wei Li wrapped the gauze around his shoulder, pink blood seeping through it. He seemed oblivious to the pain, his expression unchanged. Finally, he tore off the end with his teeth, tied it up, and then put on his clothes.
The water in the copper basin had been stained red.
For him, it was just a minor injury, nothing serious.
This battle was both easy and difficult to fight.
Goguryeo's military style was consistent with their diplomatic style: timid and hesitant, unable to take the lead, provoking people to anger, and then retreating like rats.
This not only infuriates people but also dampens their morale.
After repeating this several times, Wei Li feigned anger and launched a fierce frontal attack, but in reality, he secretly maneuvered around them to encircle them from the rear, thus capturing Fuyu and Altay in one fell swoop.
The difficulty lies in the excessive time spent and the lack of results; the ease lies in the weak fighting strength of the Goguryeo army.
After pouring out the water, Qing Changwei Li rolled up in the blanket and lay on the bed, staring at the double bat pattern above his head. He couldn't fall asleep for a long time, and then sat up, still wrapped in the blanket.
He wanted to know when Zhao Xiheng got up today, when she ate, what she ate, how big the baby was, how many times she felt fetal movement, and whether anyone had bullied her.
This kind of rambling, pointless longing had been spreading and fermenting since before he even left the city of Buxian. As time went by, it became more urgent and heavy each day, almost uncontrollable.
In short, he missed Zhao Xiheng; he couldn't live without her.
Even though his longing for her surged like a tide, growing ever stronger with each rise, Wei Li never once wrote a single word about missing her in his letters.
He wanted to write it down, but felt embarrassed and unusually timid.
Then, recalling how she had recently mocked the cheesy letters exchanged between Zhao Xiheng's parents, she dared not put pen to paper to express her longing.
Counting the days, it had been three days since he last wrote to Zhao Xiheng. In those three days, he had accumulated a lot he wanted to say to her, but was writing letters so frequently not a good idea?
Wei Li frowned, crumpled the blanket into a ball, rested his sharp chin on the blanket, and draped his long legs over the edge of the bed, revealing a section of pale and slender ankle bone, which had a kind of ascetic beauty.
He ran his fingers through the letters, recalling how Zhao Xiheng's father and mother used to write to each other every two months.
The distance between Youzhou and Jinyang is about six times that between Fuyu and Buxian. According to this calculation, he should write a letter every few days so that he doesn't exceed the frequency of Zhao Xinglie and his wife.
Writing too frequently would seem cloying and make him appear as if he couldn't live without Zhao Xiheng, which could easily make her take his favor for granted.
These are not the most important things. The most important thing is that Zhao Xiheng wrote back to ask him last time if he had finished copying the stack of calligraphy books that were stuffed in his luggage.
He didn't touch a single word. What general goes to the battlefield and still needs to copy calligraphy?
should……
He frowned deeply. "It should be...it should be..."
He struggled to even read a memorial, let alone calculate these things. He calculated left and right, but still couldn't figure it out. Finally, with a bitter face, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, dipped his pen in ink, and wrote down what he wanted to say to Zhao Xiheng that day.
I could vaguely make out that the words on the paper were already listed in a very long series.
After blowing away the ink stains, Wei Li stuffed the paper back into his sleeve. He decided to be patient for now and not write a letter until tomorrow.
I will write down all these words I've saved up and send them over tomorrow.
After muttering to himself like that, he was even more wide awake and wandered around the room.
The weather outside is perfect; the osmanthus tree planted in the yard is graceful and elegant, with lush and verdant leaves.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows. Beneath the tree was a stone table and benches, with a few fallen osmanthus leaves.
Imagine a family sitting under a tree on a summer night or at midday, watching the moon and enjoying the cool shade – what a heartwarming scene that would be!
Father, mother, and the newborn baby babbling.
When the child gets a little older, he/she runs around the tree. When the child gets tired from playing, he/she clings to his/her parents for a hug, and then the mother gently fans the child.
Wei Li leaned his arm against the window frame, half his body hanging out. He thought that perhaps in September or October, the family would gather under the osmanthus tree to pick the blossoms and make honey and pastries from them. He looked at the osmanthus tree and thought that he should plant one in his and Zhao Xiheng's yard, since the yard was big enough.
When Zhao Xiheng gave birth in September, she couldn't go out to pick osmanthus flowers, but he could.
Next year, she can hold her child and watch him pick osmanthus flowers, and in a few years...
Wei Li counted on his fingers, a huge smile spreading across his face, like a fool.
"My lord?" Chen Ruojiang called out cautiously.
As soon as he came in, he saw Wei Li smiling foolishly and thought he was possessed.
Wei Li quickly composed herself and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "Have you finished the things I arranged for you? You're back so early?"
Chen Ruojiang nodded hurriedly, "It's done, it's done, my lord, don't worry."
Wei Li pursed her lips and gestured with her chin toward the osmanthus tree in the yard. "When we get back, you should find an osmanthus tree and plant it in my yard too."
Chen Ruojiang's expression almost cracked open. Planting osmanthus trees in Pingzhou?
"In the yard?" he asked again.
Wei Li nodded.
Chen Ruojiang felt that Wei Li was not making things difficult for him, but trying to kill him. Planting osmanthus trees in the open air in Pingzhou? Was he crazy?
"My lord, this osmanthus tree was brought from Qingzhou by the owner of Fuyu Mansion at great expense. Countless manpower and resources were spent along the way just to see the osmanthus bloom once."
Wei Li didn't like hearing this. What, could the owner of Fuyu Mansion be richer than him?
Seeing that Wei Li clearly didn't understand what he meant, Chen Ruojiang quickly raised a finger and gestured, "Once, you can only see it once. If nothing unexpected happens, this tree will freeze to death this winter. Osmanthus trees can only survive in Qingzhou or south of Qingzhou. People can freeze to death in Pingzhou in winter, let alone osmanthus trees."
Wei Li's face turned ugly for a moment, not only because his beautiful fantasy of everything unfolding under the osmanthus tree had been shattered, but also because Chen Ruojiang's bluntness made him lose face and appear uncultured.
With a stern face, he kicked Chen Ruojiang in the butt, "Get out of here, and don't let me see you again this month."
Chen Ruojiang grabbed the tree trunk to keep from falling, his buttocks aching. Even with his thick buttocks, Wei Li's fall was quite a blow!
"My lord, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we'll have to meet again tonight." After saying this, Chen Ruojiang covered his backside and scrambled away.
Wei Li's face turned pale and then red. He kicked the stool next to him hard. "Damn it, if we can't plant osmanthus trees, can't we plant something else? We have to plant trees!"
The stool wobbled but eventually stabilized, then Wei Li kicked it again, and this time it completely collapsed.
I'll take Qingzhou sooner or later, and the whole courtyard with the osmanthus tree!
He stood angrily by the bed, pulled out a thin blanket from underneath, thought for a moment, and folded the blanket into a strip about the length of a forearm and the width of two wrists.
It looks like something, but I really can't quite put my finger on what it is.
Wei Li looked at the round, long object, licked his lips, forgot the unpleasantness Chen Ruojiang had brought him, rolled up his sleeves, and tried to gently pick up the object.
He first stretched out both hands and lifted it up with his palms, then frowned, as if that wasn't right, that wasn't safe either, it would easily roll off.
Wei Li rolled the long strip further in, into the crook of his arm, making it safer. However, his posture was too stiff. He tried to pat the blanket in the crook of his arm with his palm, but unfortunately, he couldn't touch it.
And while he was still agonizing over what was the correct posture, General Song pushed open the door, "My lord!"
Feeling guilty, Wei Li shuddered and almost dropped the folded blanket, instinctively clutching it tightly.
General Song's gaze slowly fell on the blanket in Wei Li's arms, revealing a thoughtful expression.
Wei Li pursed his lips, his face and ears burning, and quickly unfolded the blanket, asking, "General Song, do you know how to fold a blanket?"
General Song shook his head, his eyes filled with affection and a smile. "I don't know how to fold blankets, but I do know how to hold a baby."
"Splash!"
Wei Li's expression froze, and the blanket in his hand fell to the ground.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com