Chapter 396 Becoming a Father
Li Mingde nodded, a hint of annoyance on his face: "We did capture them, but they were all suicide squad members. They bit their tongues and committed suicide as soon as we caught them. We didn't leave a single survivor."
Lin Changning sighed softly, "There will only be more and more of these kinds of things in the future, so we can only be more careful and vigilant."
After speaking, Lin Changning looked at Li Mingxiu and said, "Your Highness, we don't know if there are any other forces in the city. Let's take the Xie family back to Taiyuan tomorrow."
Li Mingxiu nodded, his expression not very good: "Okay."
Now that the city has been captured, giving them a good start, and the Xie family has already submitted, there's not much point in staying here any longer. Besides, it's unclear whether there are other forces still in the city.
Who knows if this is the only wave of assassins?
He understood that Lin Changning was worried about his safety.
After saying that, Lin Changning looked at Li Gouwa, who was crying and had fainted under the covers, sighed, wrapped himself in the covers, and picked Li Gouwa up in his arms, preparing to walk out.
Li Mingxiu sighed as he looked at the baby in Lin Changning's arms, and then walked out of the room with Li Mingde.
Early the next morning, Lin Changning and Li Mingxiu led a group of people to return to Taiyuan.
Behind him were Xie family private soldiers, while several carriages in the center carried members of the Xie family. Lin Changning had been riding a horse the whole way, and the road was quite bumpy. Li Gouwa was entrusted to the Xie family and was taken care of in a carriage with Xie Yonghuai.
Led by Lin Changning and Li Mingxiu, the group slowly rode their horses towards Taiyuan. When they saw that it was evening, they set up camp, planning to rest for a while and let everyone eat something before continuing their journey.
Lin Changning, Li Mingxiu, and the other two sat around in the tent, reviewing the results of the battle. They would report back to the King of Chu upon their return.
Lin Changning received several eye-rolls from Li Mingxiu:
"Changning, don't rush in too fast next time. If we hadn't arrived in time with our men, you would have been trapped in the doorway by Commander Yan! You don't value your life at all! Don't let this happen again."
Lin Changning looked a little embarrassed, coughed lightly a few times, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Mingxiu: "Yes, Your Highness."
Li Mingde shook his head and sighed. The day before yesterday, Lin Changning led more than a dozen guards into the city, which really frightened him and Mingxiu. Lin Changning rushed in and saw him locked inside the city gate. The two of them went crazy and led their soldiers to kill their way to the city gate.
Losing a city is a small matter; it can be taken back sooner or later. But if a great general is lost, King Chu and Ming Xiu will be devastated.
Fortunately, the result was good.
"Changning, never again gamble with your life!"
Lin Changning nodded hesitantly. He knew the two men were concerned about her, but under those circumstances, it was indeed the fastest way for her to lead people into the city and open the gates to capture the city walls.
The opportunity to win a battle is fleeting.
She was a general; the sooner she opened the city gates, the fewer ordinary soldiers would die or be wounded.
However, she could understand their thoughts. A general is naturally worth as much as many ordinary soldiers, and the two were just concerned about him, so she couldn't say anything.
However, if there is a next time, she will still choose the optimal solution.
As the three were reviewing the situation, they suddenly heard a guard outside shout, "Commander, Young Master Xie requests an audience."
Lin Changning turned to look at Xie Yonghuai, who was standing outside the door holding a child, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.
Could something be wrong with the child?
Thinking of this, Lin Changning glanced at Li Mingxiu and Li Mingde, and shouted to the guards outside, "Let them in."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Yonghuai walked in carrying Li Gouwa in his arms.
Lin Changning looked at Xie Yonghuai with a hint of suspicion: "Young Master Xie, what is it?"
After bowing to the three men, Xie Yonghuai put Li Gouwa down from his arms, opened his mouth with a conflicted expression, and said after seeing Lin Changning's face, "It's not me looking for you, sir; it's Gouwa who wants to see you."
All three people's eyes turned to Li Gouwa, who was standing next to Xie Yonghuai.
All that could be seen was Li Gouwa, pale-faced and thin, staring intently at Lin Changning.
Lin Changning and Li Mingxiu exchanged glances, took a few steps down, squatted down to be at eye level with the child, softened their expressions, and tried to force a kind smile: "What does Gouwa want from me?"
Li Gouwa glanced at Lin Changning, pursed his lips, and suddenly knelt down. After Lin Changning kowtowed three times, Li Gouwa called out in a clear and resonant voice, "Gouwa greets Father!"
Lin Changning's smile froze: ? ? ?
Who taught this child to randomly claim any father?
Li Mingde and Li Mingxiu, who were behind him, had just taken a sip of tea when they heard Li Gouwa call out "Dad" in a clear and resonant voice.
Unable to hold it in, he spat out a mouthful of tea.
Li Mingxiu coughed a few times and looked at Lin Changning subtly. Lin Changning glared back and gestured for Li Mingxiu to quickly defuse the situation.
Li Mingxiu looked at Xie Yonghuai, who was covering his face, with a suspicious gaze, and glanced at the child, indicating what exactly was going on.
Lin Changning helped the child kneeling on the ground up, found a stool for him to sit on, and half-squatted down, looking at Li Gouwa with a serious expression: "Gouwa, I'm not your father, just call me brother."
Tears welled up in Li Gouwa's eyes as he looked at Lin Changning, his voice choked with emotion: "But Master Xie said that you would take care of me in the future, make sure I'm well-fed and clothed, and give me a chance to study. Master Xie said that you could be my godfather, and that I should take good care of you and never forget you when I become successful."
Lin Changning looked at Xie Yonghuai, whose smile was somewhat awkward. Xie Yonghuai coughed lightly and explained, "I saw that this child was troubled by something, so, so..."
Lin Changning shook his head and chuckled, then rubbed Gouwa's head and said, "Just call me brother, you don't need to acknowledge me as your father. Brother is still young."
Li Mingxiu gave Xie Yonghuai a meaningful look, chuckled softly, and then teased Li Gouwa, saying, "That's right. If Gouwa acknowledges Changning as his father, it will be difficult for Changning to find a wife with such a big son in the future. Tsk tsk tsk."
Lin Changning emphasized, his face showing some helplessness: "Your Highness, don't talk nonsense in front of the children."
After saying that, he looked at Li Gouwa, who seemed a little uneasy, and said, "Although my family isn't very wealthy, it's enough to provide for Gouwa's food, drink, and education. My family also has my mother, my second brother, and my two sisters-in-law. All my relatives are very kind people. Gouwa will be able to meet them when we return to Taiyuan."
Lin Changning called out "Gouwa" (Doggy) with a hint of awkwardness, then rubbed Gouwa's head and said, "What's Gouwa's real name? I don't know."
Li Gouwa tilted his head back, covered his mouth, coughed lightly a few times, and looked at Lin Changning with some confusion: "It's called Gouwa."
Lin Changning frowned slightly. Li Mingxiu sat on a chair to the side and looked at the two of them: "A lowly life is easy to raise. Why don't you give Gouwa another name, and Gouwa can be used as a nickname?"
Lin Changning pondered for a moment after seeing how obedient Gouwa was: "Let's take the character 'Xi', which means joy and prosperity. Let's call him Li Xi."
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