It is early summer, a season when grass grows tall and birds fly, and flowers and trees flourish.
The Tatars relied on cattle and sheep for survival, feeding them and their warhorses until they were plump and strong, just waiting for the autumn chill to come before they slaughtered, burned, looted, and hoarded supplies.
The soldiers of the Dayu Dynasty thus had the opportunity to recuperate, cultivate wasteland, or go home to visit their families.
General Jiang Jizu was already used to it. He was holding a pen, thinking about writing a letter home, and also sending back the trinkets he had collected to Jiang Sheng.
Having fought away from home for decades, aside from missing his parents in his childhood, he had never felt an urgent desire to return to Fengjing.
Unfortunately, being away from home means being unable to control one's own destiny. In the past two years, the war with the Tartars has become increasingly protracted. The territory that the late emperor fought so hard for cannot be retreated. The young general is brave but still inexperienced. There must be someone who can take the lead.
Countless longings could only be compressed into words, then accumulated into exquisite and rare items, which were sent back to Fengjing by official post stations and delivered to his plump and playful little daughter.
"General, you're writing another letter home." The lieutenant lifted the curtain and came in, unable to suppress his smile. "They say that people get homesick the most when they get old, and you seem to be aging quite quickly these past few years, General."
"Could it be that Vice General Jin has finished cultivating the wasteland?" Jiang Jizu put down his brush with his rough hand. "What's wrong with me missing my daughter? Don't you miss your two brats?"
"The general already said he's a brat, how could he think of that?" Vice General Jin said with a look of disgust. "It's a pity that he hasn't been able to go home these past two years. He wanted his wife to have another daughter, but she couldn't. The general is so much better. Not only does he have both a son and a daughter, but the young general is also incredibly brave, and the young lady... the young lady is so beautiful."
It was clear he was trying hard to find the right words, but Jiang Sheng had neither outstanding looks nor dignified composure; even her calves were as thick and sturdy as those of the Jiang family.
"Round and smooth" is probably the most beautiful phrase that Vice General Jin could come up with.
Jiang Jizu glared at her, then remembered the chubby and greedy little girl, and quickly laughed again, "What do you know? Chubby girls are the easiest to raise. Being healthy and not getting sick is better than anything else."
"Yes, yes, yes, the girl is so well-behaved and cute, she even provides us with meat to eat." Deputy General Jin quickly added, his eyes unconsciously glancing into the tent.
That's also the reason he came to the general's tent today.
After acknowledging his father, Jiang Sheng's workshop in Anshui County not only supplied sausages and cured meat to Fang Heng's team, but also sent a lot to General Jiang's main camp.
Therefore, she specifically instructed Uncle Zhang to expand to three workshops and recruit aunts and uncles from half of Anshui County to smoke and bake as much as possible.
The advantage was that the title of Jiang's eldest daughter was well-known in the northern frontier; the disadvantage was that it cost her a lot of savings.
All the sausages and cured meats delivered were free of charge.
General Jiang felt sorry for his daughter, but he couldn't afford to buy her anything with his military pay, so he had to write to his mother, Old Madam Jiang, and ask her to take the money from You Ran Ju and send it to her.
However, Jiang Sheng rejected him.
The little girl argued, "If I can bring meat to my third brother, then of course I can bring meat to my father. If I take the money from You Ran Ju, it's the same as my father buying meat himself, and I'll feel guilty."
What my brother has, my father also has.
She loved money, but she loved her family even more. While banknotes in the money shop could bring her joy, accumulating too many would turn them into cold, impersonal numbers.
My second brother once said that money is dynamic.
Either use it to make more money, or use it to buy a better life.
The profits from the two Jiuzhenfang workshops were enough to support the four workshops in Anshui County, not to mention Baiweisheng, which gradually became a scenic spot in Fengjing.
Jiang Jizu reluctantly took back the money, but he felt even more grateful. What did he do to deserve such a well-behaved, sensible, worldly-wise yet innocent daughter?
Especially after eleven years of being lost.
"The value of something lost and then regained surpasses that of what was originally possessed."
He picked up his pen and wrote this sentence before looking at Vice General Jin. "The weather has warmed up, and there is more fresh meat available. It is also becoming increasingly inconvenient to make cured meat and sausages. I have ordered Anshui County to stop supplying them and wait until autumn and winter to send them again."
Theoretically speaking, eating fresh meat is definitely better than eating cured meat.
But there were some people in the military camp who had a particular fondness for it; the unique flavor of cured meat was irreplaceable by any other prey.
Deputy General Jin was somewhat disappointed. "Then I'll go back to reclaim the wasteland."
He really did turn around and leave without any hesitation.
Jiang Jizu was both amused and exasperated. He hadn't expected the cured meat and sausages to be so appealing. He glanced outside the tent, then quickly flipped the box to the bottom, revealing two juicy sausages inside.
"Looks like this last little bit can't be hidden anymore." He laughed and placed the sausage on the table.
Letters home must continue to be written. Small items are carefully wrapped in old clothes, and oily sausages are wrapped in yellowed paper, which flutters in the wind at the tent entrance.
Everything was so beautiful.
Until the bugle call of the enemy attack sounded.
"General, the Tartars have launched a surprise attack, a surprise attack on us..." Another lieutenant staggered over, "The first, second, third, and fifth squads are all assembled. Should we engage them?"
Of course, we should meet them head-on, but it's rather unusual for the Tartars to launch a surprise attack at a time when they should be recuperating.
Jiang Jizu glanced at the letter home with only two words left, then finally put down his brush, donned his battle robe, and ordered, "Proceed with the defenses first, and send out sentries to scout the enemy's situation."
The golden sunlight outside shone into the tent, making the sausage, half-wrapped in yellow paper, appear even more oily. Thin strands of grease meandered along the grooves, finally gathering at the end and dripping onto the blank space of the letter home.
"Waaaaah~~~"
"Waaaaah~~"
The bugle calls rang out one after another, and the different sequences conveyed different meanings.
“The enemy launched a surprise attack, likely with a large number of troops.” Vice General Jin listened intently. “This is highly unusual, extremely unusual.”
"Could it be that they're trying to seize more supplies while we're off guard?" Deputy General Liu frowned.
Jiang Jizu shook his head. "The nomadic tribes of the grasslands kill and plunder because they are starving in winter and spring. Summer is the harvest season. If they miss feeding their cattle and sheep because of our attacks, it will be a loss for them."
If surprise attacks were truly effective, it would be impossible for both sides to take a break and recuperate every summer for so many years; this has almost become a tacit agreement between them.
“There must be something extraordinary going on.” Jiang Jizu tapped the table lightly. “We still have to fight. Since the Tartars have attacked, the soldiers of the Dayu Dynasty cannot back down. However, we need to be extremely cautious in this battle.”
"Lieutenant General Liu led the 13th Squad to meet the enemy on the left, Lieutenant General Xu led the 25th Squad to surround us on the right, and Lieutenant General Jin led the 4th Squad to confront us head-on."
He quickly issued military orders and devised tactics.
In any case, when the enemy comes, we must meet them; when the enemy charges, we must fight them.
Serving on the frontier as soldiers, our mission is to protect the people and defend the territory.
He stopped reading the unfinished letter home, drew his usual spear, and resolutely and defiantly mounted his horse, heading to the battlefield.
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