Chapter 145 Collecting the Corpse
Songbai Academy
Seven or eight students gathered in the warm classroom after class. Because it was early spring, the room was still cold, so the students were reluctant to leave the classroom.
The morning classes had just ended, and a group of people were gathered together discussing their lessons. Someone started talking about the current traitors, and everyone had their own opinion.
However, the most frequently mentioned event was the suppression of the rebel army by the imperial court.
"Brother Xu, when do you think the imperial court will be able to take down the rebels? It's been quite a while, and there's still no news. If the fighting lasts for several years, it might affect our fate."
One student scoffed, "Brother Qian, don't worry. With your abilities, you still have plenty of time before the imperial examinations. It won't delay you, hahaha."
"Wang Fushen, if you keep making fun of people, I'm going to turn on you!"
"Okay, okay, I won't say it."
Chang Zhiyuan shook his head and continued reading his book. His teacher said that his foundation was not solid and that he needed to review and reinforce this knowledge frequently.
Fortunately, his older sister has kept him out of the competition for the past three years, so there's no rush and he has enough time to prepare for the exam and brush up on his basics.
"Have you heard the news lately? The grain supplies of Daxing were burned by those villains, and the four border cities all surrendered to the rebels. Daxing refused to surrender to the rebels even at the cost of its own life, and just then, the Tartars attacked the city. Alas~"
"The Tartars are attacking the city? Brother Li, where did you get this news?"
Li Lai shook his head as he recounted the situation in Daxing, saying with a hint of regret, "It's normal that you don't know. A relative of mine happened to be buying furs on the border. I heard from him that recently, Daxing's grain supplies were burned, the supply route was destroyed by the rebels, and they also happened to run into the Tartars who gathered tens of thousands of people to attack the city. The other cities all surrendered to the rebels, leaving only Daxing and Changlong."
Li Lai took a sip of water and didn't keep people in suspense: "Changlong is self-sufficient in food and supplies. Although the pressure is great, it can still hold on. Daxing has run out of food and supplies and is unwilling to join the rebels, so it has naturally become the Tartars' primary target. What a pity."
Li Lai shook his head and lowered his voice: "According to my relatives, tens of thousands of Tartars attacked the city. Daxing had no food or manpower. Two or three thousand people held out for three or four days. By the time the people had all evacuated, the people were all gone."
My relative glanced at the scene from afar and saw that there was not a single survivor in Daxingwei. Later, remembering that these people were heroes who defended their country, they dug a pit on the spot to bury them. By chance, they found one who was still breathing and brought him back.
Only then did I learn that Daxing City had fallen, border soldiers had died in battle, and the people had all fled. Our Daxing Garrison was wiped out. I heard that several of Daxing's generals had died in battle, the youngest of whom was not even as old as us. He was already dead, yet he was still standing there guarding Daxing City. How magnificent, how tragic!
Chang Zhiyuan's head buzzed, and he could no longer hear anyone else speaking. Only the phrase "the youngest general, who was already dead, was still standing there guarding Daxing City" kept repeating in his mind.
Chang Zhiyuan suddenly stood up, slamming his desk down with a loud thud. Everyone around him turned to look. He Sheng, still half-asleep, woke up and asked, "Zhiyuan? What's going on?"
Chang Zhiyuan staggered to Li Lai's side, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up: "What did you say? The entire Daxing Guard was killed in battle?"
Li Lai responded hesitantly, "Ah, yes, my relatives told my parents. No, let go first, what's wrong with you, Zhiyuan?"
He Sheng's eyes widened as he hurriedly stood up to reassure Chang Zhiyuan: "Zhiyuan, don't worry, sit down first, sit down and talk. Li Lai, are you sure the news your relative brought back is true?"
Li Lai was puzzled, but after pulling away Chang Zhiyuan's hand that was grabbing his collar, he nodded: "That's right, it shouldn't be long before the news from the court arrives. It is indeed Daxingwei. The people who fled to Taiyuan there should be able to testify. No, Zhiyuan, why are you getting so excited about Daxing? Your family isn't even in Daxing."
He Sheng slammed his hand on the table with a bang, his eyes filled with anger: "Zhiyuan's elder brother is in Daxingwei, and he's a military general there..."
Li Lai fell silent, a look of shame on her face. Thinking about what she had just said, she wanted to slap herself twice.
Seeing his classmate hurriedly begging for forgiveness and trying to smooth things over, he said, "Hey, Zhiyuan, look at my loose tongue. My relatives did see that Daxingwei suffered heavy casualties. Your brother might not have died in battle. He should be alright. The only thing that's certain so far is that the generals have been killed. Your brother must be quite old. The generals who died this time were all quite young."
He Sheng wanted nothing more than to tear Li Lai's mouth apart; why did he have to bring up such a sore subject?!
Chang Zhiyuan gripped Li Lai's wrist tightly and asked again, enunciating each word clearly, "How old is that youngest general? What's his surname?"
Seeing that the two looked even worse, Li Lai stammered, "I heard that his surname is Lin or something, I'm not sure, and he's about fifteen or sixteen years old. My relative said that there's a very young general in Daxing who has bought a lot of furs from people. He buys them at fair prices and doesn't let his subordinates do anything reckless. He's a good general."
Chang Zhiyuan's face turned ashen instantly, his head buzzed, and he almost collapsed.
He Sheng grabbed Chang Zhiyuan, who was on the verge of fainting, and helped him to his seat.
The others were also in a hurry to find water and food. Li Lai casually poured the teacher's tea from the desk and handed it over.
"Come on, have some water, calm down, calm down."
He Sheng took the water and poured it for Chang Zhiyuan. The master had already entered the room, but the group of people had not yet dispersed.
Teacher Xie glared at them, grabbed his ruler, and slammed it on the desk: "Why are you all huddled together? Class is starting!"
A group of people turned around and bowed to the Master, saying, "Greetings, Master."
Li Lai bowed and looked ashamed: "Master, Zhiyuan is not feeling well. Please take him to the clinic first."
The Master's expression tightened as he stepped closer: "What's going on?"
Li Lai said somewhat nervously, "Reporting to Master, this morning I was chatting with my classmates about the death of all the soldiers of Daxingwei. Zhiyuan's family is currently in Daxing when they suddenly heard the tragic news, and that's when..."
The master took Chang Zhiyuan's pulse and then breathed a sigh of relief: "Go back to your seats."
Overwhelmed with anger, he fainted due to phlegm clouding his mind. The teacher pointed at He Sheng and said, "Go, carry him to my courtyard."
He Sheng carried the unconscious Chang Zhiyuan on his back and got up with the teacher. The teacher walked to the door and turned back: "Review yesterday's subject and check it when you come back."
After saying that, he and He Sheng returned to their own courtyard. He found an acupuncture needle and inserted it into Chang Zhiyuan's acupuncture point. A moment later, Chang Zhiyuan woke up with a start.
After taking a deep breath, he started coughing until he coughed up phlegm and regained consciousness. He Sheng patted Chang Zhiyuan on the back: "How are you, Zhiyuan?"
Chang Zhiyuan's eyes suddenly cleared, and upon seeing the Master, his eyes suddenly reddened. He lifted his robe, got off the bed, and knelt down.
"Master, my elder brother died in battle at Daxing, and his body is lying exposed in the wilderness. I must go to Daxing to retrieve his body..."
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