As soon as he saw Lieutenant General Yu, Li Xian said in a gracious tone, "It has been a long time since I last saw Lieutenant General Yu return to the camp, and there has been no news from him. Now that I see Lieutenant General Yu is back safely, I can finally rest assured."
"It is my fault that I failed in my duty and made General Li worried." Deputy General Yu clasped his fist and apologized.
Li Xian raised his hand, indicating that he didn't need to do so, and asked, "Where did Deputy General Yu go on patrol this time? Why was he gone for so many days?"
Deputy General Yu: "I was just patrolling the east of the city. When we were questioning a caravan from Huazhou, we accidentally learned that a man with similar features to the Grand Commander had subdued a group of bandits near Huazhou, solving a major problem for the local people and passers-by—"
Li Xian asked calmly, "So, Deputy General Yu took his men to Huazhou?"
"That's right. It's very difficult to get clues about the Grand Commander. I dare not neglect it. And because it has not been confirmed, I dare not rush to report it to General Li. I will take people to verify the truth first."
Li Xian asked with concern: "What was the result? Was that man General Cui?"
Although he was asking questions, he still subconsciously believed that Cui Jing was dead. The news sent back from Anbei Protectorate was very clear. Cui Jing was assassinated in Hedong Road, suffered fatal injuries, and was shot into the icy lake by the assassin. There was no way he could still be alive.
However, these watchdogs who were loyal to Cui Jing still didn’t know the details. Although they had heard the rumors, they were still trying to find out Cui Jing’s whereabouts.
"That's right." Deputy General Yu smiled happily: "We met the Grand Commander halfway before we even reached Huazhou!"
Li Xian's eyes changed slightly, and then turned into a look of surprise: "...really?"
He then asked hurriedly, "If that's the case, where is Commander Cui now? Is he alright?"
"The Grand Commander is still injured, but he is fine now." Vice Admiral Yu continued, "After we met the Grand Commander, we wanted to rush back to Luoyang to see General Li. However, we encountered Xu Zhengye's 10,000 cavalry on the way. We were defeated and almost met with an accident. Fortunately, General Ning Yuan chased Xu Zhengye all the way and killed him, which resolved our predicament."
The words were not long, but to Li Xian, there were many things worth thinking about.
The military advisor beside Li Xian was depressed for a while, but soon a smile appeared on his face: "It's great that General Cui is safe and sound... There have been rumors circulating in the army recently. Now that General Cui is safe and sound, these rumors will be refuted."
"That's right." Li Xian slowly let out a sigh of relief, his expression becoming relaxed: "According to this, Commander Cui is now with General Ningyuan and other soldiers?"
"Yes, at that time the Grand Commander took us back to the battlefield with General Ningyuan to deal with post-war affairs together." Deputy General Yu said: "Now he should be leading his army to Bianzhou."
"Officials in Bianzhou have set up a banquet to celebrate General Ningyuan's success. The governor of Bianzhou, Hu, invited the Grand Commander to go with him. It's hard to refuse such a kind invitation." Deputy General Yu smiled and said, "The Grand Commander has specially asked his subordinates to return to Luoyang to report safety, and has also invited General Li to go to Bianzhou to celebrate the great victory at the Bian River!"
In the eyes of Chang Suining and Cui Jing, since everyone was celebrating now, it would be inappropriate to miss out on Li Xian, who came here with the emperor's order. Besides being inappropriate, there was no need to deliberately treat him coldly.
However, to Li Xian, this invitation sounded full of irony and boasting.
He silently stroked the purple jade ring on his thumb and said with a smile, "Such a great victory, such a remarkable achievement, we should celebrate it greatly."
"General Cui is safe and sound, which is a double blessing. Deputy General Yu should inform the army of this good news as soon as possible to reassure the people." He smiled and said, "After I have arranged the military affairs, I will set off for Bianzhou to pay a visit to General Cui."
Deputy General Yu clasped his fists and replied "Yes", then quickly retreated.
There was a brief silence in the tent, and this silence was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.
"General..." the military advisor spoke carefully.
"General Cui..." Li Xian sighed slowly, "He survived a disaster. He always has such good luck."
In other words, are these four words "escaped death in a great disaster" themselves, as well as the events that preceded and followed them, really as simple as they appear on the surface?
But no matter what, Cui Jing came back alive... This is a fact that is before our eyes, and it is a fact that is more difficult to deal with than any other fact.
People who are already "dead" should go to the underworld peacefully... Coming back suddenly is not a happy thing.
The military advisor frowned.
Just now he was still trying to comfort the general, saying that temporary military achievements were nothing, and the military power of the Xuan Ce Army was the most important thing, but now...
The military merits are gone, and the military power...
The general had not made any achievements this time, nor had he established any prestige through military exploits. Yet Cui Jing appeared alive in front of people. Even if he was a saint, there was no way and no reason to directly hand over the military power of Xuan Ce's army to the general.
Everything that was originally certain to be achieved suddenly fell through at this moment.
The military advisor could only advise: "General, don't be anxious. You must know that where the Sacred Heart is is the final destination... It will only be a little later. The general must remain calm and wait patiently."
"Patience..." Li Xian smiled with an ambiguous tone: "The thing I have the most is patience."
"Yes, General, you have always understood that a lack of patience can ruin a great plan." The military advisor said, "It is because of your tireless hard work and patience in the southern border over the past few years that you have earned the special regard of the saint."
After he finished speaking, he asked, "General...are you going to Bianzhou to celebrate with them?"
"Yes, of course I will go." Li Xian said with a smile: "Since I am here by order, I represent the will of the emperor. How can I be absent from such a great victory?"
"Besides, if everyone else went and I was the only one missing, wouldn't that make people speculate for no reason and think that I'm narrow-minded?"
"Besides, Grand Commander Cui and I are old acquaintances. We haven't seen each other for such a long time, so we should catch up."
The military advisor replied, "Yes," and said, "Then I will arrange for someone to go to Bianzhou."
"Go ahead." Li Xian said as he slowly and leisurely picked up the empty wine cup beside him.
He said slowly, "It seems that I am not lucky enough to enjoy the fine wine sent by the Luoyang officials. I should take it to Bianzhou and present it to General Cui... Oh, and General Ningyuan who has made another outstanding contribution."
"No, Arlan thinks the general can enjoy it first."
The woman in blue at the side picked up the wine jug that had just been prepared with a smile and poured wine into the empty cup in Li Xian's hand.
Li Xian quietly watched the wine cup gradually fill up to about 70%, then raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.
The smile in the blue-clothed woman's deep eyes became even more intense, and she wanted to pour him more wine.
However, just as he stretched out his hand, he saw the wine cup make a light "pop" sound and shattered in Li Xian's hand.
Broken porcelain splattered and bright red blood flowed out from between Li Xian's fingers.
The woman in blue quickly put down the wine jug, took out the medicine box, and tried to stop his bleeding.
Li Xian gently lifted her chin with his bleeding hand and said with a smile: "Arlan, you will soon meet the enemy who killed your father and the daughter of another enemy who killed your father... But now is not a good time to take revenge, you have to understand this."
The woman looked at him meekly, her right hand resting on her chest, and said as if swearing, "Allan understands. Allan will obey the general's arrangements and will never act on his own to ruin the general's cause."
Li Xian showed a satisfied smile, and his bloody palm left her chin. Instead, he gently stroked her slightly curly hair, with a loving look as if he was looking at an animal that he had tamed with his own hands.
…
Chang Suining and Xiao Min led the army away from the Bian River and ordered the army to temporarily camp outside the city of Bianzhou.
Xu Zhengye has been executed and the victory report has been sent to the capital. However, there are still many things to be dealt with. The repair of the warship will not be completed in a day or two, and the soldiers also need to recuperate.
Furthermore, the matter is not really over yet, as Xu Zhengye's accomplices are still in Luoyang City. However, the noble families are implicated in this, so we still have to wait for the Emperor's instructions.
Decisions such as the future direction of the army also need to be discussed with the capital before they can be decided.
Before that, Chang Suining's task was to take good care of the soldiers' injuries.
She came to Bianzhou because Governor Hu had repeatedly invited her, and she did want to get a free meal.
At this moment, the main army and Xu's captives were settled outside the city. Chang Suining, Xiao Min, and Cui Jing and his entourage led only 2,000 soldiers and followed the Hu governor into Bianzhou City.
Hu Lin sat on the horse, clearing the way in front, his heart surging with emotion, as if he had returned home in glory.
Although the defeat of Xu's army was not due to his personal ability, the invitation of General Ning Yuan to visit Bianzhou City was truly due to his own efforts.
It should be noted that before this, officials in Bianzhou City sent a letter, and later the women in his family repeatedly asked the servants to pass on the message, asking him to invite General Ningyuan to Bianzhou City no matter what means.
For this reason, the always virtuous lady even spoke harshly to him - if General Ningyuan could not be invited, the young master himself would probably feel ashamed to return to the city, right?
He heard the implication clearly, which was - if you can't bring General Ning Yuan back, then you shouldn't come back.
Now, on the first day of the new year when he entered the city, Governor Hu understood the true meaning of his wife's words.
With the widely circulated manifesto as a guide, and the good fortune of surviving a disaster where he nearly lost his home, the people in the city admired General Ning Yuan so much that it was unprecedented and passionate.
At the age of sixteen, he went to the battlefield to look for his father, and killed a general under the command of Xu bandit, and tried his best to protect Hezhou.
He then personally captured and killed the rebel Li Yi, preventing a greater turmoil.
Now, when she was just seventeen years old, she wrote a manifesto known to the world, threatening to kill the thief Xu on the seventy-third day. She really did what she said and brought back the head of Xu. She did not disappoint the absurd hope of the people in difficult situations who had been displaced, which was almost like a life-saving straw for her, nor did she give the contemptuous words of those who mocked her a chance to come true.
She put her promise into practice and gave an explanation to everyone in the world who had read or heard the manifesto.
In troubled times, what is needed is a hero like this, who is full of mystery, emerges out of nowhere overnight, can do what ordinary people cannot and dare not do, and is willing to save the people from dire straits. The eyes of all people follow such a hero, which is equivalent to following the hope in their hearts.
Today, the streets of Bianzhou City are deserted, and both sides of the road are filled with spring flowers that are competing to bloom.
Looking at the gazes cast by the people, He Wuhu's eyes widened.
In his entire life, this was the first time that someone looked at him like a hero.
This feeling... it's that feeling! This kind of satisfaction is incomparable to any amount of money you rob people of.
Is this the beauty of doing the right thing and taking the right path?
Looking at the flowers flying all over the sky, He Wuhu couldn't help but be intoxicated by them, as if he had secretly drunk the nectar that was being served to the immortals at the Queen Mother's banquet.
Why did he say he drank secretly? Of course, it was because he knew in his heart that he was not a hero at all, but a scum. He would never be able to get the flower leaf in front of him in his entire life. Only because he followed behind General Ning Yuan at this moment, he had the opportunity to pretend to receive this glory that did not belong to him.
But he will definitely turn over a new leaf in the future and follow General Ning Yuan to make great achievements!
At this moment today, just treat it as an advance payment from He Wuhu! He Wuhu clenched the reins and glared at several brothers on the side with encouragement. He only brought less than ten people into the city. He only picked those who were as handsome and mighty as him to give General Ningyuan face. The rest of those ugly and ferocious people were left outside the city with disgust.
Just last night, Chang Suining agreed in front of Cui Jing to accept them as his subordinates.
Nowadays, they all regard themselves as "General Ningyuan's men". Now that they have obtained the status, they work harder and harder. They also keep Chang Suining's words in mind and remind themselves to restrain themselves at all times.
For example, right now——
They rode slowly along the long street, and when they passed the largest brothel in the city, the beautiful prostitutes in the building threw flowers to them.
He Wuhu didn't see clearly where the flower was thrown from, but he caught it happily, and then he heard the flower lady say with a smile: "General, you have received my flower, but remember to come to me for a drink!"
He Wuhu's entire flower branch trembled when he heard this, and he quickly stuffed the flower to Yuan Xiang beside him. He is now a serious man, and he can't do anything that violates military discipline! Yuan Xiang was panicked for a moment: "......?"
Flowers continue to fly out of the flower building.
A pink and white branch with green leaves fell from the second floor of the flower building and was caught by Cui Jing.
Yuan Xiang, who was standing behind him, became even more panicked when he saw this. What's wrong with the Grand Commander? Tell us and let's work together to fix this problem!
After a moment, Cui Jing handed the flower to Chang Suining beside him.
It was a pink and white crabapple.
For a moment, Chang Suining seemed to have returned to the spring of last year, when she had just returned home and sat in a carriage, following Lao Chang and Xuan Ce's army into the capital. At that time, a branch of pink and white crabapple brushed past Cui Jing's armor and fell on her car window.
So... he actually remembered such a small thing? Or did he pay attention to her at that time?
Chang Suining looked at Cui Jing subconsciously.
The young man was also looking at her. Behind him was a gorgeous world with countless flying flowers, but in his deep eyes, there was only her shadow at this moment.
"Look, General Ning Yuan... General Ning Yuan took my crabapple!"
At the fence on the second floor of the brothel, the most beautiful courtesan screamed in surprise.
Upon hearing this, Chang Suining looked past Cui Jing and looked at her.
The moment they looked at each other, the courtesan's cheeks flushed with excitement. She clutched her handkerchief tightly and said, "General Ningyuan... you can come here to drink when you have time! Then... then I will play the zither and sing songs for you!"
Although she mustered up all her courage, she bit her lip with some regret after she said it. Although they were both women, the other party was a respected general, while she was just a lowly and dirty person who had fallen into the dust... How could the mud offend the bright moon? How could she be so ignorant? Good night, everyone.
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