Most of the courtyards in the governor's mansion were cleared out to temporarily house the wounded soldiers brought back this time. Almost all the military doctors and physicians in the city gathered here.
Chang Suining also ran around to help, and was busy for most of the day, until dusk, when Chang Kuo, who had arranged various affairs, came over.
"Okay, take a break and wash your face."
Chang Kuo asked someone to bring a basin of warm water, and Chang Suining washed the dried blood off his hands and face, and the powder used to conceal his skin color was also washed off.
The girl wiped the water droplets off her face with swift movements. Chang Kuo stood aside and watched, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.
Along the way, combined with what he saw when the two armies faced each other, he had an intuitive feeling that this girl could do all of this with ease.
He had seen martial arts geniuses and those who were great at using troops, but he had never seen anyone who could face the blood and fighting on the battlefield for the first time and remain calm, or even have no emotional fluctuations when killing the enemy.
He had seen many recruits collapse and look hideous when they killed an enemy for the first time. Under such bloody shock, they even trembled and vomited uncontrollably.
Of course, there are people who are born with a desire to kill, and who will show an excitement different from ordinary people when faced with blood and corpses, but his daughter is obviously not one of them.
So, how to explain all this? Although Chang Kuo's temperament seems to be as flamboyant as his beard, he has never been a careless person.
It’s just that some possibilities are beyond the scope of ordinary people’s cognition. For a long time, they have stood like an insurmountable mountain, blocking all imagination.
The change in the girl in front of him was more like she had no intention of concealing herself anymore and was revealing her original appearance.
Like a bead, it brushed away the distant and old dust, and a ray of brilliance burst out.
Like a tree, it suddenly stretches out its branches and leaves in this winter, growing rapidly along a familiar trajectory, strange and eye-catching.
So at this moment, he had to use this big tree that seemed to have grown overnight to look up at the mountain and try to touch the truth hidden behind the mountain.
Chang Kuo's heart was churning with mixed emotions, but his face showed little sign of it.
"Thank you." Chang Suining took the kettle handed to him by a deputy general and started drinking.
The deputy general looked at her curiously and said, "Are you a soldier under General Chang? Why haven't I seen you before? You look like a little chicken, but you are smart and powerful when it comes to killing the enemy!"
He was surprised and said, "After washing the dust off his face, he is still a fair and handsome boy."
Several soldiers also gathered around. Being fair and pretty was naturally secondary. People naturally admire strong people, especially those in the army.
Hearing them bragging about their excellent archery and spear skills, Chang Suining screwed on the kettle and said modestly, "Want to learn? I can teach you."
The "boy" spoke in the same arrogant way as when he was killing the enemy. In the eyes of everyone, he was a complete teenager.
The deputy general burst into laughter, and some of the soldiers nodded seriously.
After chatting for a few more words, Chang Suining walked towards Chang Kuo, carrying a kettle.
She stood straight and straight, clasped her fists and saluted him: "General."
Chang Kuo looked at her, hiding all the thoughts in his mind at this moment, and did not ask any more questions.
"Thank you for your hard work." He raised his hand and patted the girl's head, with an unclear emotion in his eyes: "We Suining have worked hard."
Yun Hui, who was walking towards here, saw this scene and felt a little thoughtful.
General Chang seemed to be very kind to the young cavalryman. Did General Chang really love his soldiers like his own sons?
General Chang's demeanor was really like the way he treated his own child... When his father was still alive, he also looked at him in this way.
The young man felt a dull pain in his chest, but he didn't dare to let himself get lost in it. He took a breath of the cool winter air and walked towards Chang Kuo.
"Yun Hui thanks General Chang for his help today!"
The young man was about to kneel down, but was stopped by Chang Kuo in time.
"You got it wrong." Chang Kuo said, "I want to thank Yun Erlangjun for defending Hezhou City before I arrived."
When Yun Hui heard this, his eyes suddenly became moist.
"How is your brother now?" Chang Suining asked.
At that time on the battlefield, the two brothers both had linen tied on their heads, making their identities easy to identify, so she knew from the beginning that the child who was shot by the arrow was Yun Gui.
"He hasn't woken up yet, and his life is still in danger. The doctor said... this stage might be difficult to pass." Yun Hui looked at her and said, "But the doctor said that Ah Gui was injured in a vital part, and he was lucky to be able to return to the city with a breath left, all thanks to the medicine given by my little brother."
"No need to thank me." Chang Suining said, "Your family is full of loyal and heroic souls. You are blessed with great fortune. I will surely be able to escape safely."
Yun Hui nodded at her: "Thank you."
Then he asked, "I don't know your name, little brother."
He wanted to thank the other party not only for the life-saving medicine, but also for the arrow that saved him in the first place.
That arrow was the beginning of the reversal of today's battle situation and the turn of defeat into victory.
Chang Suining was about to answer, but she heard Chang Kuo beside her smiling and answering for her: "Chang Suining."
His daughter is so amazing, of course he wants people to know who she is.
Chang Suining looked at Chang Kuo with some surprise, then smiled and nodded: "Yes, my name is Chang Suining."
Yun Hui was a little surprised: "Little brother, your last name is also Chang?"
"Of course." The "young man" turned around and looked at Chang Kuo again, as if he was proud: "This is my father."
Yun Hui was extremely surprised. It turned out that he not only loved his soldiers like his sons, but also loved them like fathers and sons... That's what he said! He looked at Chang Suining: "... So it was General Chang. It's true that a tiger father will have a dog son!"
Seeing that he was serious and respectful, Chang Suining reflected for a moment. It seemed that her reputation was not loud enough and had not spread to Hezhou.
Realizing this, Chang Kuo also laughed: "It seems that we Suining still need to continue working hard!"
Yun Hui hurriedly said: "General Chang is already very outstanding!"
The young man does not know the true face of Mount Lu, and he talks about the world while others talk about the heavens.
Chang Suining only seriously corrected one other point: "You don't have to call me that. I'm not a general yet."
Yun Hui looked at the humble yet totally unmodest "young man". So, if it's not the case now, will it be the case in the future?
Then, the other party asked, "How is the governor's wife? Is she awake?"
"My mother has just woken up and is fine for now. She fainted due to the tension and weakness she suffered in the past few days and her worry about Ah Gui. She is still unable to get out of bed, so she asked me to come and thank General Chang first."
Chang Suining felt relieved. The mother and son of the Yun family were all respectable people. The fact that such respectable people were alive and well was the greatest comfort to others and to the people of Hezhou.
Chang Kuo looked at Yun Hui's hands wrapped in wound cloth and asked, "How is Yun Erlang's injury? Is it serious?"
"The kid is fine, it's just a superficial wound."
"Okay then." Chang Kuo nodded, "In that case, let's talk about business."
Yun Hui replied "yes" seriously, led the way, and went to the study in the mansion where they could hold meetings with Chang Kuo.
Also called over were several of Chang Kuo's trusted subordinates and General Peng from the governor's mansion.
…
The door of the study was tightly closed. As the conversation deepened, Yun Hui looked shocked: "...So, General Chang only brought more than 10,000 people?"
He subconsciously looked at Chang Suining who was standing next to Chang Kuo.
So, the other side's arrogant words and deeds during the battle were just bluffing, to make the enemy believe that they really had a hundred thousand troops to support them? After figuring this out, Yun Hui recalled the situation at that time and felt a little scared.
No wonder General Chang did not continue to chase him!
Peng Canjun was also shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. He asked hurriedly: "When will the remaining reinforcements arrive?"
"The rest won't come." Chang Kuo said calmly.
However, General Peng and Yun Hui could not remain calm.
"What do you mean, General Chang?"
"I called the troops that day and took the cavalry and part of the vanguard out of the camp first, but after I left, Li Yi changed the strategy." Chang Kuo said, "I sent people back to Shouzhou camp to get information, and just now I got a 'statement'. Li Yi claimed to his subordinates that he thought it would be more appropriate to let the main force of the army take the opportunity to attack Yangzhou. After the army took back Yangzhou, they would rush to Hezhou, and then join me in attacking from both inside and outside to wipe out the Xu family rebels in one fell swoop."
General Peng and Yun Hui were both shocked and dazed.
Will this work? The Dasheng language is profound, so why can't anyone understand a single word of it at this moment? At first glance, this statement seems to be quite tricky, with both a feint to the east and an attack to the west, and both internal and external attacks... But if you think about it carefully, you will find that the most ingenious part of this method is not this, but its whimsical nature.
There was a strange silence all around.
General Peng frowned tightly. If he had only doubted Li Yi's ability to lead troops when he heard about Li Yi before, then at this moment, he couldn't help but begin to doubt Li Yi's mental state.
Yangzhou is the place where Xu Zhengye started his army. How can he take it back just by saying so? Well, even if he can take it back, how many days can Hezhou hold out? Once Hezhou is broken, the entire Huainan Road will fall into the hands of Xu Zhengye. By then, Xu Zhengye will have fought his way out of Huainan Road, and the grass will have grown on their graves. Who can fight him from both inside and outside! How to fight, and who to fight! Seeing that Peng Canjun and Yun Hui were hesitant to speak, Chang Kuo explained their doubts in time: "Don't worry, he is not crazy, he just wants me to die in Hezhou with you all."
Yun Hui was shocked.
A deputy general beside Chang Kuo said, "What do you mean by sending troops to attack Yangzhou? If he has the guts, I'll chop off his head and pound it into a cesspool! In my opinion, the attack is fake, and the real purpose is to hook up with Xu Zhengye!"
Chang Suining: “…” The words may be rough, but the logic is there.
This is indeed a major concern, so we need to resolve the trouble in Hezhou as soon as possible and get rid of Li Yi in time.
Peng Canjun's face turned pale. He thought that if Chang Kuo really led a hundred thousand troops to drive back Xu Zhengye, but now...
Yun Hui also fell into a state of tension and anxiety again: "Xu Zhengye should be able to find out the truth soon, and then he will attack Hezhou again..."
"If an enemy comes, we will stop him." Chang Suining, who had not interrupted until now, finally spoke up: "They have an army of 100,000, and if we put our forces together, we will have 20,000—"
Yun Hui looked at her: "Twenty thousand versus one hundred thousand, the gap is still too big..."
"The 20,000 I mentioned are 20,000 elite soldiers." Chang Suining said, "In addition to these 20,000 elite soldiers, don't we have many soldiers like them?"
Yun Hui was puzzled for a moment.
"There are 150,000 people in Hezhou City. Excluding the elderly, women and children, there should be 50,000 men available." Chang Suining said, "Even if another 10,000 are gone, there are still 40,000. Most of the troops under Xu Zhengye's command were forced to come here. Now that Hezhou is trying to protect itself, why can't the young and strong men do it? How do we know that they are unwilling to put on armor and fight the enemy together?"
Yun Hui's eyes lit up and he subconsciously looked towards the direction outside the study.
At this moment, outside the governor's mansion, there were still many people gathered who were unwilling to leave.
…
After discussion, a temporary conscription order was issued in Hezhou City overnight.
In just one night and one day, they had gathered more than ten thousand soldiers.
This number and speed are rare. Even the deputy general beside Chang Kuo sighed: "Hezhou is a land of good fortune, with many loyal and righteous people."
After getting the soldiers, they had to be trained. Time was pressing, so they had to be taught the most basic ways to defend against the enemy and protect themselves. Chang Suining drafted a training charter that was suitable for the current situation. After Chang Kuo reviewed it and nodded, he gave it to Yun Hui.
Other people in the city were also busy with their own things. Those who could read and write were temporarily employed in the governor's office, drafting documents or running around to convey orders. The old, the weak, women and children were busy weaving armor. The granaries and armories in the city were opened, and every household donated farm tools, copper and iron to be used to cast weapons.
There are bustles and disputes. The existing resources are limited after all. An ordinary old woman is destined not to be able to sew an indestructible armor, but a stitch and a thread can gather people's hearts. All this is enough to make the public opinion of this city indestructible.
The molten iron in the foundry furnace boils day and night, enough to awaken the blood of more people.
There was no mandatory call-up on the draft order, but the numbers continued to grow.
On the third night, the lights in Hezhou City were still bright.
Chang Suining was temporarily appointed as a supervisor by Chang Kuo, and was busy supervising the city defense all day long.
They take turns working in different places and do not stop at night.
Chang Suining sat on the highest point of the city wall to take a rest. There was noise in her ears all day long and she was busy with everything. Sometimes she needed to get away from the noisy crowd and calm down to think carefully about whether there were any mistakes or omissions.
The night wind was cold, and she sat quietly for a long time. She looked up at the night sky, and could faintly hear the hammering sounds of the craftsmen under the city wall.
She cleared her mind for a moment and looked towards the north. She suddenly thought that she was repairing the city defenses in Hezhou, while Cui Jing was building border defenses in the north. They were coincidentally doing the same thing.
I wonder if Cui Jing is as diligent as her and works overnight?
After a little careful thought, he felt that Cui Jing could not compare with her. In the north at this time of year, water had already turned into ice, and it was extremely cold at night. It was probably impossible to rush the work. Even if he wanted to compete with her, he had to ask the half-man-high icicles under the eaves whether they agreed.
Well, he should have lain down and fallen asleep by now.
Chang Suining was tired of sitting, so he simply lay back, put his arms behind his head, and continued to think about the things in the city.
Suddenly, she sneezed loudly.
…
Two thousand miles away in the northern border, Cui Jing was indeed unable to work overnight, but he did not sleep either.
While he was handling official business, he would occasionally look far to the south through the gaps in the frosted window frames.
This is the origin of Chang Suining’s sneeze.
…
When Chang Suining returned to the governor's mansion, it was already midnight.
When she returned to the temporary residence that Yun Hui had arranged for her and Chang Kuo, she saw someone standing outside the yard waiting for her.
Didi, good night!
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