Chapter 149 Heading to Daxing
When Li Mingxiu saw someone asking, he nodded and said, "Don't worry, they've all been settled in the outer courtyard. All the commanders are doing well, so relax and focus on recovering from your injuries."
Qi Rong responded, "Brother, you've gone to so much trouble. Let everyone recover from their injuries first, and then the more than 1,000 soldiers from Daxing can all return to Taiyuan."
The King of Chu waved his hand: "Alright, alright, focus on recovering from your injury and don't talk about official business. There will be someone to take care of all the personnel transfers. Arong, you should focus on recovering from your injury first, and we'll talk about other things later."
Li Minghua nodded his head: "That's right, that's right. Second brother should take good care of his injuries. With so many people at home, are we worried about not having anyone to do the work?"
Qingshui County —
Chang Zhiyuan and He Sheng headed home along the escort agency. The agency had sent a total of twelve skilled men. He's father also wanted to take this opportunity to discuss the situation on the frontier. As soon as He Sheng mentioned it, he immediately arranged for men to accompany them.
He's mother was somewhat worried about her son. This was the first time He had ever traveled so far from home, and to such an unstable frontier, so she couldn't help but feel concerned.
The inner lining of the clothes alone was sewn with three layers, with a banknote sandwiched in each layer, just in case something happened to the child on the road and the family couldn't get there in time.
Chang Zhiyuan only had ten taels of silver on him, which he kept very secret. He saved four taels for himself, his maternal grandmother gave him one tael, and his uncle and aunt, who were worried about him, secretly gave him five taels.
A poor family should travel with extravagance. Changning died in battle on the frontier, but now he at least knows the place. As the only able-bodied man in both families, he should bring his sister's body back.
His mother, second brother, and sister-in-law were unaware of this matter. He didn't know how to face his mother and brother when he passed by their home on the way.
He Sheng sat on the caravan, popping peanuts into his mouth, looking relaxed and carefree. Chang Zhiyuan, on the other hand, leaned against He Sheng with a furrowed brow. The other caravan guards, their atmosphere tense, glanced at him several times.
He Sheng comforted him, "Zhiyuan, we're almost at your aunt's house. Shall we stop in Qingshui County for a day? Or..."
Chang Zhiyuan looked at the familiar scenery on the official road and shook his head: "I'm not going there. Let's go directly to Daxing."
Even if he went back, he didn't know how to face his family. If he had already achieved fame and success, if he had been stronger, or even more of a rogue, his sister wouldn't have had to join the army for him.
Chang Zhiyuan's eyes glistened with tears. He turned his head away and quietly wiped them away. He Sheng saw it clearly, but Chang Zhiyuan was still a man, so he didn't want to expose him.
Men, you know, care about their image.
After a while, He Sheng saw that Chang Zhiyuan's expression was normal, so he tentatively said, "Zhiyuan, your brother might not be in any danger. That kid surnamed Li has been spreading the word countless times. I had my father inquire about it, and it's true that many Daxing Guards were killed in action. But think about it, your brother was at least an official with personal guards protecting him. How could he just die like that?"
Chang Zhiyuan hung his head and looked listless: "My brother is easy to recognize. Although Li Lai is not good at keeping his mouth shut, he is right about one thing: my brother is not much different from me in age. If he is a young general, then it is almost certain."
He Sheng raised an eyebrow: "That's not necessarily true. Most of the people on the frontier are military households. Perhaps it's a young man who just happened to inherit his father's or brother's position. Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe your brother is still alive and well. Who knows, he might be in Taiyuan right now."
Chang Zhiyuan understood that He Sheng was trying to comfort him and nodded, his expression softening: "You're right, then let's hurry up and get ready."
After saying that, he instructed the bodyguard to speed up and move forward.
That evening, the two men and the bodyguards lit a fire and stayed at a dilapidated temple.
The temple had been deserted for a long time, so the group quickly tidied up and rested. The journey was still long, and they needed to replenish their energy.
In the middle of the night, a light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky, and the copper bells under the eaves of the temple tinkled as the raindrops struck them.
The bodyguard on night watch put on his robe and went out to patrol as usual, but he noticed something was wrong as soon as he stepped out of the temple gate.
Where would such a bright torch come from in the middle of the night?
Before long, a series of loud screams and the sounds of weapons clashing came from the mountainside.
Chen, the bodyguard, instantly became alert. He reached for his willow-leaf dagger at his waist and hurriedly entered the temple. Seeing everyone fast asleep, he shoved them, "Wake up, wake up! There are thieves at the foot of the mountain. We can't stay here any longer!"
Chang Zhiyuan woke up almost instantly, quickly put on his clothes, and pulled He Sheng up. He Sheng sat up groggily: "What's wrong, Uncle Chen?"
Chen, the bodyguard, tossed a dagger to He Sheng and said with a serious expression, "Put out all the fires. It seems like there's a fight going on halfway up the mountain. We're not sure if it's bandits or something else."
Chang Zhiyuan pondered for a moment, then said, "This place is still far from the border, so they shouldn't be rebels. They must be bandits who have become outlaws."
The bodyguards who had gone out had already packed their things and entered the gate: "There's a road behind the temple. Let's go there tonight, we don't know how many people are down there."
Another bodyguard nodded: "Judging from the firelight, it must have been twenty or thirty. That carriage at the foot of the mountain looks like it belongs to someone, and it appears to have attendants and guards. The battle hasn't been decided yet, so it's best to leave first."
He Sheng hesitated: "With so many of us, shouldn't we go down there and help out?"
Chang Zhiyuan grabbed He Sheng and pulled him away, saying, "He Sheng, it's important to protect yourself when you're out and about. Don't meddle in other people's business."
Not to mention that they only have a dozen or so people, their subordinates have guards, and they are clearly stronger than them.
At a time like this, he's still thinking about helping others instead of protecting himself. He Sheng is clearly spoiled by his family and doesn't know the dangers of the world.
Chen, the bodyguard, pulled the caravan back and said, "Young Master Chang is right. We should not meddle in other people's business before we have ascertained the strength of both sides. There may be no benefits, but trouble is certain."
As they spoke, the group hurriedly walked along the back path of the temple toward another hilltop.
The rain on the mountain gradually intensified, and the ground began to become slippery.
The rain poured down, and large raindrops pounded on the loess slope, splashing up layers of water.
Zhou Wanning and Su Mingshu's skirts were already soaked with mud and water, fluttering wildly in the wind.
"Quick, Sister Zhou, hold on tight!"
Clutching their embroidered handkerchiefs tightly, they stumbled and ran towards the faintly visible temple ahead, surrounded by four guards.
When they first started climbing the mountain, they could clearly see that there were some lights in the temples on the mountain. They originally planned to stop and rest in the temples today and continue their journey tomorrow. However, they encountered villains when they had only reached halfway up the mountain.
They abandoned a great deal of treasure in order to escape from the encirclement with their guards.
Zhou Wanning's hairpin had already fallen off, and her wet hair clung to her pale face. Su Mingshu was also in a sorry state, her embroidered shoes covered in mud.
A thunderclap boomed, and lightning flashed across the sky, casting their figures in flickering light.
"To the temple! Tomorrow, the temple will have lights on. Let's go to the temple to ask for help!! Quick!"
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