Chapter 72
Upper reaches of Jizhou.
The dam had been blown up, and the yellow water was overflowing the riverbed, and with the force of the heavy rain, it was surging downstream.
The rain was heavy like a waterfall. After a bloody battle, the camp was littered with corpses and a depressing silence.
The surviving soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield in the rain. An old man and the general who was in charge of building the dam stood in the rain, looking at the roaring flood and the new soldiers who died in the battle that night, with an indescribable heaviness on their faces.
After a long while, the general asked the old man, "Master, tell me, will it be useful if we release the flood water downstream?"
The person who had been trapped in this camp with Fan Changyu for many days was none other than Master Tao, who had resigned from office and lived in seclusion for many years.
Raindrops slid down his wrinkled eyelids. He put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky and said, "Let's do our best and leave it to fate."
The soldiers who were clearing the battlefield in front suddenly stopped what they were doing, looked in one direction and made some quiet discussions. Master Tao and the camp commander looked towards the source of the sound, and saw a woman riding a horse slowly walking towards them in the dark rain.
Amidst the lightning and thunder, when the woman came closer, everyone could see clearly that there were several horsemen following her. They were all wearing the uniforms of the soldiers from Hebei Province. Hanging on the horses' backs were several heads that had been washed clean of blood by the heavy rain.
The woman was Fan Changyu.
Master Tao probably guessed something, and he raised his old eyes to look at her, with three parts of surprise, three parts of admiration, and four parts of satisfaction that he had not made a mistake in selecting Miaozi.
Several riders had arrived. The soldiers on horseback fell off their horses and knelt in the rain to report the military situation. They couldn't hide their joy. "General, we went to chase the three scouts who had escaped, but found that they had all been killed by this girl! We brought back the scout's head."
The general in charge of supervising the construction of the dam was shocked, and then his face was filled with joy. He stepped forward in the rain, clasped his fists towards Fan Changyu and said, "You, the heroine, have stopped this rebel from reporting back, and saved the thousands of soldiers and civilians in Lucheng from danger. On behalf of the people and soldiers of Lucheng, I would like to thank you, the heroine."
Fan Changyu led a red warhorse that she had seized from a scout and said, "General, you are too polite. I was entrusted with this task by the general at the mine before his death."
Raindrops fell from the general's eyelids. He sighed and said sadly, "That's General Anding Bei'an."
Andingbei? Fan Changyu thought, this is a name that a great general should have.
The soldiers who died in this rainy night, no matter they were generals or soldiers, may now rest in peace knowing that their night of fighting was not in vain.
The main reason she came back this time was to get her package back. She had put the package on the horse's back when she crossed Wuling to kill the three scouts. When she came back, the horse was no longer in the place where she had climbed the mountain. Thinking that the old horse knew the way, it probably returned to the barracks, so she followed the cavalrymen who went to hunt down the scouts and returned to the camp together.
After a brief greeting, Fan Changyu told everyone the purpose of his trip, but the night was so chaotic that no one noticed whether a horse had run back from outside by itself.
The camp owner set up a separate tent for Fan Changyu, letting her rest temporarily there, and ordered his men to look for her things.
Fan Changyu had been climbing over mountains and ridges on a rainy night, and his body was indeed bruised in many places, and his clothes were soaked. He also needed to tidy up, so he thanked and agreed.
There were no suitable clothes for her in the barracks, so the commander ordered someone to bring her a new military uniform. The uniform was the smallest size and it fit Fan Changyu perfectly.
As soon as she finished packing, she couldn't wait to go to the stable in the camp to look for her package. Master Tao came to look for her but found nothing.
It rained heavily that night. Even though the victory report had been sent back, the soldiers still had no time to rest. They cleaned up the battlefield to search for the wounded, dug graves and buried the dead soldiers...
Even the stables were busy. Some horses were slashed, and some had their hooves stepped on sharp objects during combat. The veterinarians in the barracks were as busy as the military doctors, and they didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.
Fan Changyu was asking an officer where General An's horse was imprisoned when he heard an old but familiar voice: "There's a wooden wedge stuck in the horse's hoof. Bring me a pair of pliers."
Fan Changyu looked over and was overjoyed. He hurriedly called out, "Uncle Zhao!"
Carpenter Zhao was tending to the wound of a warhorse. When he heard Fan Changyu's voice, he thought he had misheard. He looked outside with his empty old eyes. When he saw that it was really Fan Changyu, he was very surprised. But then he found that she was wearing a soldier's clothes, and his face changed instantly.
He directed the soldier who helped him lift the horse's leg, "Go get the pliers."
After the soldier left, he called for Fan Changyu to come forward to help. The soldier who led Fan Changyu to the stable was about to refuse, but Fan Changyu said that she and Carpenter Zhao were from the same hometown and had already stepped forward to talk to him enthusiastically.
Carpenter Zhao was almost furious. Under the pretext of asking Fan Changyu to help him, he lowered his voice and asked her, "Why are you in the army? If others find out that you are a girl, you will be beheaded!"
After Fan Changyu changed into dry clothes, he took down his hair and wiped it before tying it up again.
This was a military camp, and she was wearing the clothes of a soldier. It was not appropriate to wear her hair in a bun like a girl, so she just tied it up randomly. It was not that she was deliberately disguising herself as a man, but there was a heroic air between her eyebrows. At first glance, she really looked like a young man with delicate features.
Seeing that Carpenter Zhao had misunderstood, Fan Changyu hurriedly told him briefly what had happened in the past few days.
Carpenter Zhao was relieved when he learned that she was not a woman disguised as a man to join the army. However, when he heard that Qingping County was burned to death by bandits and his wife was injured, he felt very sad and kept raising his sleeves to wipe away tears.
After treating the wound on the horse's front hoof, the two found a place to chat.
Fan Changyu asked: "Was Uncle Zhao also sent to repair the dam?"
Carpenter Zhao sighed and said, "I was originally building city defense equipment in Lucheng. Later, I heard that Yanzhou wanted to borrow 20,000 soldiers, so my old bones were sent here as well. After trekking for several days, the army settled here, and I learned that they wanted to repair the dam. Along the way, the war horses always get sick, and the mules that carry stones often get their hooves stuck in stones, and they also need medical treatment. I come here mainly to treat livestock."
Fan Changyu had been under guard before and was digging rocks. He had never been to the military camp. Carpenter Zhao had also never been to the camp there, so they had never met. For a moment, both of them sighed.
Fan Changyu thought of Yan Zheng and asked again, "Did Uncle Zhao get any news about Yan Zheng during the time he was in the military camp?"
When talking about this, Carpenter Zhao looked at Fan Changyu hesitantly and said, "He was one of the first soldiers loaned to Yanzhou. I asked someone to pass on the things you asked me to bring to him. I originally thought he was also repairing the dam here, but after asking around for a few days, it seems that he was transferred to Yanzhou."
Yanzhou is close to the front line, and is fighting against the Northern Jue people. To some extent, it is more dangerous than being in Lucheng.
After a moment of silence, Fan Changyu said, "He has a lot of skills, so he should be able to have a good future."
Carpenter Zhao didn't know that the package contained a divorce letter, so he said with a smile, "If he succeeds, you can enjoy happiness, girl."
Fan Changyu had no intention of hiding the fact that he and Yan Zheng had divorced from Carpenter Zhao. He pursed his lips and said, "Uncle Zhao, he and I have actually divorced."
Carpenter Zhao was drinking hot water from a rough earthenware bowl to ward off the cold. He almost dropped the bowl when he heard this. He raised his wrinkled eyes and asked, "What's going on?"
Fan Changyu said truthfully: "The original bribe was fake, just to deal with Fan Dabao to save the family property."
Carpenter Zhao put down the water bowl and was silent for a while to digest the news. Then he sighed and said, "Changyu girl, I see that Yanzheng doesn't seem to be indifferent to you. Young couples are always impulsive and prone to go astray. If you can meet again in the future, it's better to talk it out. Don't leave a mess behind at your age."
Fan Changyu remembered that he didn't even have a good word with Yan Zheng on the day he left. He felt a little uncomfortable in his heart and lowered his eyes and replied "OK".
The soldiers outside the tent brought in another injured warhorse and shouted to Carpenter Zhao to go and have a look.
Fan Changyu found his package and, having nothing to do, went to help Carpenter Zhao.
Tao Taifu waited for Fan Changyu in the military tent but she didn't come back. When he came to find her in person, he saw her helping an old veterinarian lift the horse's legs in the stable without any hesitation. Her eagerness was completely different from her distant attitude towards him.
Master Tao's face suddenly looked unhappy. He was teaching this girl something and it would have been fine if she didn't want to be his disciple, but was she so shortsighted that she wanted to learn from an old veterinarian?
He coughed several times while standing outside the stable, but the noise in the stable and the thunder successfully drowned out his coughs.
When a veterinarian was pulling out the arrowhead from the leg of a warhorse, the horse suddenly got startled and kicked the veterinarian. It then rushed around in the stable, knocking down a wooden pillar and causing the entire stable to collapse. All of a sudden, all the warhorses were frightened and ran out madly, and the officers and soldiers couldn't stop them even if they wanted to.
Fan Changyu quickly dragged Carpenter Zhao outside, avoiding the collapsed shed. When she looked up, she saw the old man standing at the door in a daze, and a horse was charging towards that direction. Without thinking, she rushed over and carried the old man to an empty place.
After Fan Changyu put the man down, Langxi wiped the rain from his eyes and asked Master Tao: "Why are you here?"
Carpenter Zhao asked, "What is this?"
Fan Changyu said, "This is the old man I just told you about, the one I met while I was detained here mining for rocks."
Master Tao was almost carried here by Fan Changyu. Not only was his stomach churning, but his head was also a little dizzy. He was busy tidying up his clothes for the sake of appearances and didn't want to pay any attention to her.
All the frightened war horses were calmed down by the horse trainers, and a nearby military tent was set up to temporarily treat the injured.
Fan Changyu was planning to help Carpenter Zhao and Master Tao to get out of the rain, but when he touched Carpenter Zhao's arm, he uttered an "ouch".
Fan Changyu asked hurriedly, "Were you injured by me just now?"
Carpenter Zhao waved his hands and said, "Old bones are useless. The joints are often hurt by touching them."
Fan Changyu knew that he had probably pulled too hard in a panic, causing the old man to sprain his joints. Feeling guilty, he went into the military tent and found a chair for Carpenter Zhao to sit on.
The veterinarian who was kicked by the horse's hoof was rescued by the officers and soldiers. He was now lying in the military tent having his bones fixed, crying miserably and loudly. Fan Changyu saw that it might take some time to bandage him, so he fetched a basin of hot water and rolled out a towel to apply to Carpenter Zhao's arm first.
Master Tao stood in the tent for a long time, watching Fan Changyu busy taking care of Carpenter Zhao, while he himself was completely left out and not given the same treatment as Carpenter Zhao. He was so unhappy that his beard was drooping at the corners of his mouth.
He walked to the chair opposite Carpenter Zhao and sat down, and also let out an "ouch!", the sound even louder than that of the veterinarian who was kicked by the horse's leg.
Fan Changyu was busy spinning like a top. When he heard the voice, he turned around and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Master Tao closed his eyes and said, "I have a headache."
Fan Changyu said: "He must have caught a cold from the rain."
He then asked the military doctor to take the patient's pulse and give him medicine.
The personal guards who came with Master Tao knew his true identity and were afraid to let him get into trouble. They said they would take him back to the main account and ask a military doctor to see him, but Master Tao refused to leave.
When the military doctor finally went to check Master Tao's pulse, he found that the stubborn old man had already developed a fever, so he hurriedly asked his soldiers to go back and get a packet of medicine for treating colds and winds.
There were not enough people to decoct the medicine, so Fan Changyu took the initiative to take on the job of helping Carpenter Zhao and Master Tao decoct the medicine.
Because Master Tao refused to return to the military tent that the commander had assigned to him, he insisted on being squeezed into the wounded tent. The soldiers under him saw that he and Carpenter Zhao were both old men, so they arranged their beds together.
Carpenter Zhao was a kind person. However, Master Tao had a headache and his temper became more and more strange. He ignored Carpenter Zhao when he spoke to him.
When Fan Changyu went to boil the medicine, he endured the headache and said, "My medicine must be boiled first!"
Fan Changyu felt that this old man was just like a child, arguing about who should come first in such matters. He said helplessly, "We are frying them in two pots at the same time, so there is no order."
Only then did Master Tao remain silent.
Carpenter Zhao didn't realize that Master Tao had an inexplicable hostility towards him, and even chatted with Master Tao: "It's a blessing for Changyu to meet a teacher even though she fell into the army, and it's also the old master's willingness to make this a good fate."
After hearing these words, Master Tao felt relieved and asked, "Who are you to that girl?"
Carpenter Zhao said: "We have been neighbors for more than ten years. I watched that girl grow up, just like my own granddaughter."
Master Tao suddenly felt that this seemingly easy-going old man was quietly showing off to him how close he was to that girl? Thinking of his failure in accepting a disciple, he was angrily silent.
Carpenter Zhao sighed again as he spoke: "What a good girl, but what a miserable life she had. Not only did she lose her parents, but she also divorced her husband who had taken her to Zhao Yao. Now I don't know where my sister has been kidnapped..."
Master Tao originally thought that Fan Changyu was more determined than others, but after hearing Carpenter Zhao's story about her life, he felt more sympathy for her, and his resentment towards her for refusing to become his disciple was also reduced. He said, "I have a student in the army, who is also half my son. He is an official now. If that girl can't find a good family in the future, I will let that stinky boy find a down-to-earth and ambitious young man from his subordinates to marry her."
When Carpenter Zhao heard that the old man was willing to take care of Fan Changyu's life-long affairs, he felt more and more that he was Fan Changyu's benefactor. After he thanked him, the two of them got along better and better as they talked.
Without that prejudice, Master Tao felt that although this old veterinarian could not read a few words, he was a very insightful person. Listening to him talk about his experiences as a veterinarian and carpenter for most of his life, he also discovered a lot of wild fun.
When Fan Changyu came back from decocting the medicine, she saw that the two of them looked like they regretted not meeting each other earlier and were having a very pleasant conversation, which made her confused.
She didn't know that they had arranged a husband for her: a "down-to-earth and ambitious young man".
-
On the afternoon of the second day, the victory report of the battle of Lucheng was delivered to the camp. The Yanzhou Army also won a great victory in ambushing the Chongzhou Army in the First Line Gorge, and captured the Prince of Changxin alive. The morale of the army was greatly boosted, and everyone was excited.
However, the spring rain triggered a mudslide, and the remaining troops of Yanzhou were now trapped on the mountain. After learning that the troops of Lucheng were defeated and Yanzhou's borrowing troops was a trick, Prince Changxin was probably forced into a corner, so he took the lead and led the remaining troops of Chongzhou to surround the gorge, claiming that he would trap the Yanzhou army and Marquis Wu'an to death on the mountain.
After receiving the news from the scouts, the camp commander quickly summoned all his generals to discuss ways to break the siege.
The 20,000 soldiers who came to repair the dam were all new recruits with almost no combat experience. They were so flustered when faced with the Chongzhou army's sudden attack the night before that three scouts escaped.
If they rashly went to Yixianxia to rescue people, the mountain had just rained and there had been a mudslide, and the terrain was complicated. If they accidentally fell into the trap set by the Chongzhou military, the entire army might be wiped out.
When everyone was at a loss, Master Tao, whose cold had slightly subsided, dragged his sick body into the central military tent and proposed a strategy of "besieging Wei to save Zhao".
He said: "The main force of the 20,000 troops stationed at the river mouth will go to Chongzhou and surround it without attacking. We are not afraid that Prince Changxin will turn back to defend his old nest. After all, Chongzhou is gone. Even if he kills the Yanzhou army in the mountains, it will be useless."
The commander was delighted and said, "This is a brilliant plan! I will order the camp to be moved now!"
Tao Taifu had not recovered from his cold, and after a hoarse cough, he added, "The remaining troops in Yanzhou are trapped on the mountain, and they must have very little food and grass left. We have to send more troops to deliver some."
The battle between Yanzhou and Chongzhou was a field battle and they did not bring much supplies. It was only because they were trapped by a mudslide after the victory that Chongzhou was able to seize the initiative.
The commander was almost dizzy with anxiety. After hearing what Master Tao said, he hurriedly said, "Master, you are right! But the team transporting food is too large. There is no guarantee that the Chongzhou scouts will not notice it. For the time being, we will just send a thousand men and horses to take food and fodder to deal with the emergency."
The order to mobilize troops and transport supplies came down quickly, and the army was packing up and preparing to move out.
Carpenter Zhao had to follow the army to besiege Chongzhou. Fan Changyu originally wanted to go with them, but she had a daughter and was currently staying here. Firstly, she had made a contribution, and secondly, there were some surviving refugees who were temporarily left here to be taken care of. If she continued to follow the army, it would be a violation of military regulations.
Even though she killed the three scouts, the commander could only give her a reward but could not give her a military position or anything.
It's not impossible for her to go on her own, but Fan Changyu is a little hesitant now. Prince Changxin has led his troops to the mountain to besiege Marquis Wu'an, and Chongzhou City must be closed. If she goes there, she won't be able to enter the city to find Changning.
Carpenter Zhao said that Yan Zheng seemed to be among the one thousand people borrowed by Yanzhou. After a bloody battle, a mudslide broke out on the mountain due to heavy rain, and it was unknown whether Yan Zheng was dead or alive.
Should she go to Yixian Gorge to find Yan Zheng first?
When Master Tao returned, he saw Fan Changyu standing outside the tent in a daze, and asked her, "Girl, I am going to deliver food and fodder to the Yanzhou Army in the mountains. Do you want to go with me?"
Fan Changyu only found out these past two days that this strange old man's surname was Tao, and because he had some real talents and knowledge, he seemed to have become an aide to the army, and even the commander-in-chief treated him with great courtesy.
She looked at Master Tao's wrinkled old face, thought about it seriously, and finally nodded.
It would be good for her to see Yan Zheng again. If he died there, she would bury him and erect a tombstone for him.
It seemed that there was no one else in his house. After all, they had known each other and had been nominally husband and wife for a few months. From now on, when they burned paper money for the dead during festivals, she would just burn some for him as well.
If he were still alive, they would not have cut off contact with each other until they died.
The army transporting supplies left first, and Carpenter Zhao came to see them off. What puzzled Fan Changyu was that Carpenter Zhao said more words to the old man when he said goodbye than to himself.
-
In order to avoid the scouts of the Chongzhou Army, the supply transport troops had to take a detour through the mountains. Even so, they still encountered several groups of scouts. Fortunately, there were archers accompanying the army, who chased them for more than ten miles and shot and killed the scouts, so that the news of the march was not discovered by the Chongzhou Army too quickly.
Fan Changyu had gained some fame among these new recruits because she had defeated three Chongzhou scouts in Wuling. Sometimes, she would be invited to go along when chasing scouts.
She was not good at using a bow and arrow. When she was learning from an archer, although she was strong enough to break a bow directly, her accuracy was very poor and she was not even as accurate as picking up a stone from the ground and throwing it.
Fan Changyu was afraid of wasting weapons, so he simply stopped learning. But when he saw an archer shooting down a hare for a snack on the road, he became a little greedy and kept praising the archer for his prowess.
The more experienced soldiers all laughed and said, "Miss Fan, you have never seen our Lord shoot arrows. His archery skills are truly extraordinary. He can even shoot a willow leaf, let alone a rabbit, within a hundred steps."
Fan Changyu had heard of the story of shooting through a willow tree from a hundred steps away, but this was the first time he had heard of shooting through a willow tree from a hundred steps away. Willow leaves were so thin, how could one hit them from a hundred steps away?
Although she was shocked, the image of the capable and warlike Marquis Wu'an still became much higher in her mind.
-
After traveling day and night for a day and a half, they finally reached the first line of the mountain pass. Prince Changxin had probably heard the news that 20,000 troops were going to besiege Chongzhou, so the troops guarding the mountain retreated a little. It didn't seem like there were many, but they were not something that the 1,000 troops they were delivering food could handle.
If they wanted to deliver the grain and fodder to the mountain, the only plan now was to coordinate internal and external forces, catch the Chongzhou army off guard, and then find a way to get in.
But their forces are weak, and it is still unknown whether they can hold out until the people on the mountain discover them and join forces with them.
When Master Tao and the young general who led the troops were at a loss, they happened to meet reinforcements from Yanzhou. The two sides gathered their troops, about two to three thousand strong, and rushed up from a key road guarded by the Chongzhou army at the foot of the mountain in a mighty manner.
This movement really attracted the attention of the Yanzhou remnants on the mountain. They immediately cooperated with the reinforcements to attack the Chongzhou army from the inside. They quickly tore a hole into the mountain, and all the food, grass and some medicines were rushed up the mountain.
However, the reinforcements that brought food did not go up the mountain with them. After the remnants on the mountain had moved everything, when the Chongzhou Army stationed elsewhere rushed over, they withdrew into the dense forest and hid with the Chongzhou Army. This was so that when the Yanzhou Army on the mountain behind attacked down the mountain, they could provide support from outside.
Fan Changyu had originally been watching the battle with Master Tao. Seeing that the progress of carrying supplies up the mountain was so slow, she became anxious and couldn't help but join in the effort. After they had carried large and small bags of food up the mountain, they discovered that the exit had been blocked again. She and the other soldiers who were transporting supplies up the mountain had no choice but to stay on the mountain.
Fan Changyu was not too discouraged. She had been planning to look for Yan Zheng, so she could just ask around in the mountains.
The Yanzhou soldiers trapped on the mountain had not eaten for two days. It was just the beginning of spring, and there were not many wild vegetables growing on the mountain. They could only rely on the game they hunted to stew soup and taste the meaty flavor.
Now that they had rice, the soldiers immediately started to make a fire and cook.
The situation in the sick and wounded camp was even more grim. Many soldiers had developed high fevers due to being caught in the rain, but the few medicines brought by the military doctors were not enough. There were also those who were injured in the fighting and mudslides, and there were no hemostatic drugs. They only had cloth strips made of torn undergarments wrapped around their wounds, lying in the sick and wounded tents in various postures.
Now that they had the medicinal materials, the military doctor quickly boiled the medicine and gave it to the wounded soldiers.
Fan Changyu felt a little sorry to see the miserable condition of these wounded soldiers. They didn't know whose fathers, sons, or husbands they were, and they didn't know whether they could return alive.
She had taken care of Chang Ning and Yan Zheng in the past, so she had some experience in decocting medicine. Seeing that the military doctor was too busy, she volunteered to help decoct the medicine.
-
As soon as the military doctor got the medicine, he gave it to Xie Zheng in exchange. Ever since they encountered the mudslide two days ago, they were trapped on the mountain, and the way down the mountain was blocked by the defeated Chongzhou army. Xie Zheng hardly slept a wink, and had been working with Gongsun Yin on how to repel the enemy.
His injuries were extremely serious, but due to the shortage of medicine, he had not changed the medicine for the past two days, and the military doctors asked them to give the medicine to the seriously injured soldiers first.
Changning's body was doing well too. After taking the medicine that day, the fever subsided. However, because he had not eaten for a long time, he had lost noticeable weight.
The prey hunted by the personal soldiers had no salt or other seasonings, and the soup cooked from it had a strong fishy smell. She vomited at the smell and could not eat it at all. Xie Zheng had people apply grass juice on the barbecue, and only then did she reluctantly eat a little.
Gongsun Yin knew that Xie Zheng was injured and could not take care of Changning, and his generals would come to his residence to discuss matters from time to time, so he took the child to his own residence and let his personal soldiers look after him.
At this moment, the military doctor went to persuade Xie Zheng to change the dressings. Knowing that the soldiers had enough food and medicine, he felt dizzy from losing too much blood and exhausted from not sleeping for two days. Xie Zheng felt that he could fall into a deep sleep if he closed his eyes. He raised his hand and pressed the corner of his forehead, his eyes were full of bloodshot, and said, "I can still hold on. Give medicine to the soldiers below first. There are too many people in the wounded tent, so you can move some soldiers to the main tent."
There were not enough military tents on the mountain, so many soldiers cut down branches on the spot and built a makeshift rain shelter.
The military doctor was worried about Xie Zheng's health and said hurriedly, "Master, there is enough medicine for the wounds. Your health is more important..."
Xie Zheng suddenly raised his eyes and glanced at the military doctor. The military doctor lowered his head due to the cold and weary gaze, and all the words of persuasion were stuck in his throat.
He knew that although his master had a reputation for being fierce, he loved his soldiers very much. He sighed and left the military tent, thinking that he would have to ask Mr. Gongsun to persuade him later.
After hearing this, Gongsun Yin only ordered the wounded soldiers to be bandaged and transferred to the main account.
The military doctor did as he was told in confusion, and then he realized that Gongsun Yin was thinking that when Xie Zheng saw the wounded soldiers, he would believe that the medicine was enough.
Xie Zheng was extremely tired. After the military doctor left, he propped up his hands and wanted to continue rubbing his aching forehead, but he couldn't stand the tiredness and fell asleep. The wounded soldiers were transferred to the main tent, and he woke up when he heard some noise.
The personal guards placed several makeshift military beds made of tree branches in the main tent and asked Xie Zheng to rest for a while on an empty military bed.
Seeing that he was sitting in the main seat and the wounded soldiers were looking at him frequently, Xie Zheng nodded.
He was wounded on the chest, and wearing armor would press on the wound, so he was only wearing a single layer of clothes.
Most of the wounded soldiers who entered the camp were low-level soldiers who had hardly ever seen Xie Zheng at close range. They were transferred to this camp without knowing it. Seeing that he was not wearing armor and had injuries on his body, they thought he was also transferred here because of injuries.
Since Xie Zheng had lent the main account to these wounded soldiers to recuperate, he naturally did not want to let them lie there trembling under his nose, so he told his personal soldiers not to reveal their identities, and after they lay down with their clothes on, he began to catch up on their sleep.
The guards were afraid that he would catch a cold, but they did not dare to give him the thick brocade cloak. After thinking it over, they could only find a tattered soldier's uniform to give him.
After Fan Changyu prepared the medicine, she learned that a group of wounded soldiers had been sent elsewhere, so she came to deliver the medicine. She passed the medicine bowl to each soldier one by one from the military beds at the door. When the wounded soldiers found out that she was a girl, they were a little shy and thanked her in a low voice.
The personal soldier guarding Xie Zheng glanced outside, and when he saw Fan Changyu, his eyes instantly widened like copper bells.
If he was not mistaken, this was the girl that their Lord Hou had personally found in the bandit den in Qingping County not long ago?
How come she is here wearing a Suizhou military uniform?
The personal soldier immediately imagined a heart-wrenching scene of searching for her husband across thousands of miles. She looked at Xie Zheng who was soundly asleep, then at Fan Changyu who was still delivering medicine, and hesitated whether to wake up her own master.
Before he could hesitate for too long, Fan Changyu came to him with the bowl of medicine.
Xie Zheng thought the light was too bright, so he slept on his side with his face facing inwards, with most of his face buried in the shadows. Fan Changyu did not recognize him for a moment. He only saw that half of his clothes were soaked with blood, and the gauze wrapped around his body was also stained red in a large area. He did not look like he had just been bandaged, and he seemed to have fainted.
She frowned and shouted outside the tent: "Military doctor, this man's wound seems to have broken open. It needs to be bandaged again."
Almost at the moment he heard her voice, Xie Zheng suddenly opened his eyelids.
Fan Changyu was about to help the seriously injured man adjust his position. She turned to the bed and unexpectedly met Xie Zheng's eyes. She was obviously stunned for a long while before she asked uncertainly, "Yan Zheng?"
As soon as he uttered the name and looked at him covered in blood, Fan Changyu's nose suddenly felt a little sour.
It turns out that he almost died here.
Xie Zheng looked at her without saying a word, his brows furrowed with consciousness. Others could not tell what he was doing, but those who knew him well knew that he was simply confused.
After careful consideration, the guards quietly moved away.
The other wounded soldiers thought that Fan Changyu had come all the way to find Xie Zheng in search of her husband, and they all cast envious glances at her.
Xie Zheng looked at Fan Changyu for a long time, and seemed to confirm that she was really here, then he asked hoarsely: "Why are you here? What are you doing here?"
He hadn't slept for two nights and his voice was a little hoarse.
Fan Changyu had never thought that she would see Xie Zheng like this again. She looked at the bloodstains on his body, her eyes inexplicably cold, and said, "I came to find you."
This was the truth. She learned that he was also in the Yanzhou Army and was afraid that something might happen to him, so she followed him to deliver supplies.
When Xie Zheng heard this, his pupils shrank slightly. His heart seemed to be hooked by a hook, stinging and itching, as if something wanted to take root in that flesh. His dark eyes stared at Fan Changyu without blinking: "Looking for me?"
Fan Changyu had already unwrapped the gauze for him. Looking at the nasty wound that ran across most of his chest, which was mixed with herbal juice and black blood, his eyes became redder. He didn't bother to answer him, but pursed his lips and asked him with a sad look, "How did you get hurt like this?"
Worse than the wounds he had when she picked him up.
It was the first time Xie Zheng saw that look in her eyes. It was like the morning light shining through the misty forest after the rain, warm, gentle, bright, and compassionate.
The hook on his chest tightened, it hurt and itched, as if the wound was giving birth to new buds. His fingertips moved, subconsciously wanting to touch something, and he looked away and said, "The wound looks scary, but it's not that serious. It didn't hurt the lungs. It will heal after lying down for a few days."
Fan Changyu naturally didn't believe his words. She looked at his pale face still stained with blood and suddenly felt very sad. She said, "Don't join the army anymore. Come back with me. I will kill a pig and raise you."
Gongsun Yin and the military doctor had just walked out of the tent and were about to lift the curtain, but when they heard these words, they stopped in their tracks.
The author has something to say:
Gongsun: ??? What did I miss?
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Sorry that I am late in posting this story, luckily the fire is out! I will give a small red envelope to all the readers who leave comments on this chapter~
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