Chapter 92
Amid the rumbling of wheels, Fan Changyu was silent for a long time before he asked, "If I stay in the army, I will have to kill many, many people in the future, right?"
She raised her eyes, reflecting the sky and mountains outside the car window, and there was a hint of silence in her eyes. "Old man, I don't really like killing people at all."
"Yesterday on the battlefield, I saw many panicked and frightened faces. They were chopped down like pumpkins in the field. Prince Changxin rebelled, and the soldiers under him have suffered the most deaths so far. They did not volunteer to go to the battlefield, but deserters would be executed immediately. Their wives, children and parents are also in Chongzhou City, so they have no way to retreat."
"I know that the thieves deserve to die, but facing the confused and terrified faces on the battlefield, I can't bring myself to do it."
"They are also Dayin people. If there had not been this war, they would have been just like ordinary people, either planting crops in the fields or selling goods on the streets to earn a few dollars to support their families."
"When I saw them, I thought of those people who were captured from the public and sent to the army by the Jizhou government because of the siege of Lucheng. They might have died on the battlefield like ants."
Master Tao looked at her with some surprise, and said, "You are right. How can those in power be so unkind and treat the people of the world as straw dogs just for their own ambitions? But there are already unkind teachers. If we don't stop them, won't they cause even greater disasters?"
Seeing that Fan Changyu seemed puzzled, he asked, "Girl, tell me, why did you cross Wuling on a rainy night to kill those three scouts?"
Fan Changyu pursed his lips and said, "You said that if they brought the news back, the people of Lucheng would suffer."
Tao Taifu nodded: "You killed the three scouts because you thought their lives would affect the lives of the people of Lucheng. But isn't this war against the rebels also for the people of the world? How many people in Chongzhou were displaced by the rebellion of Prince Changxin? If you let them continue to grow and march south in the future, how many people will continue to suffer from this war?"
"You killed the scouts to save the soldiers and civilians of Lucheng. The imperial army executed Prince Changxin to save the people of the world."
"Even if the court is full of problems, we should reform it, fight against Wei, and fight in the officialdom, instead of provoking a war and putting the people in danger. Compared with being hungry and cold, which is more important, girl, do you understand?"
Fan Changyu felt his heart sink even more as he listened to this.
Tao Taifu continued, "The army in the hands of Prince Changxin is his sword for marching south. He is reluctant to break his sword, and more innocent souls will die under his sword."
"Since ancient times, there has been no war without bloodshed and death."
"Buried in the yellow sands of the battlefield are countless loyal souls, as well as those who were forced to go to the battlefield and died in vain as you mentioned. But it is precisely because of the loyal souls who have gone to stop the cruel army in every dynasty that the torn world can be stabilized again."
"The purpose of military strategy is not to kill people, but to end the war with the least possible casualties."
Fan Changyu stood up from the carriage couch, knelt down and bowed solemnly to Master Tao: "Changyu thanks you for your teachings, Master."
Master Tao looked at her with a smile and said, "Girl, you still only want to call me Sir?"
Fan Changyu kowtowed three times on the spot, picked up the tea in the wooden cup beside him and handed it to Master Tao: "Teacher."
Master Tao took the teacup, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes made his smile even deeper. He said, "You are a girl that suits my taste. I am willing to take you in as my adopted daughter. You can call me your adopted father in the future."
Fan Changyu called again: "Adoptive father."
This time, Master Tao's face was full of smiles. He took a sip of tea, put it down and said, "Since you are my daughter, I will give you a name. You were born in the year of the tiger, and the name 'Changyu' is elegant and gentle, which has suppressed the sharpness in you. If you have only courage, it will not be a good thing if you go to the battlefield in the future. How about giving you the name 'Shanjun'?"
Fan Changyu was confused and asked, "Is this what the gentleman in the mountains meant?"
Master Tao stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "If we just translate it literally, it can be interpreted this way. But Shanjun can also mean a fierce tiger in the mountains."
Since ancient times, only men could be given a name by their elders. Some women didn't even have a name of their own until they got married. Before getting married, they were simply called "Mou Ji Niang" according to their surname and ranking in the family.
Fan Changyu was grateful that Master Tao took such pains to choose a name for her, and she said earnestly, "Thank you, foster father, for choosing a name for me."
Chang Ning blinked her big black grape eyes and said, "Mother Ning wants one too!"
Master Tao shook his head and laughed: "You are still too young, wait a few more years."
Chang Ning pursed his lips in displeasure, and stretched out his little finger and said, "Then let's play hook and tug, and don't lie to Ning Niang."
Master Tao was in a good mood. He touched Chang Ning's fingers with his old hands and said with a smile, "Okay, I owe you a word, little girl."
After pulling the hook, Changning was finally satisfied. He took off his shoes, stepped on the carriage seat, and looked out through the window. When he saw a Saker Falcon flying low in the sky, he pointed at it and shouted excitedly, "It's a Saker Falcon!"
Fan Changyu was afraid that she would fall, so he held her up with one hand.
Master Tao said to Fan Changyu, "You probably know who my student is now. I will tell him if you want to stay in the army."
Fan Changyu said, "Father, I want to stay in the army in Jizhou."
Tao Taifu raised his wrinkled eyelids and looked over, asking, "Are you not joining his army to avoid suspicion with him?"
Fan Changyu said: "That is one of the reasons. The military achievements of ordinary soldiers are also gained through fighting on the battlefield. For some roads, I want to try walking alone and see how far I can go."
No matter how impartial Xie Zheng was, he probably wouldn't want her to go if it came to real danger.
Having decided to take this path, Fan Changyu wanted to temper himself.
But Master Tao laughed: "I was right about you. You played a great role in the battle of flooding Lucheng. The commander of Lucheng, Tang Peiyi, led the troops to build the dam. He is a loyal and righteous man. It would not be a disgrace for you to serve under him."
Fan Changyu felt mixed emotions and said, "Thank you, foster father."
Master Tao smiled and said, "Why are you thanking me? I am very pleased that you have such ambition."
The carriage continued to wind along the mountain road.
Fan Changyu looked out the window. After a heavy rain, the sky was clear.
An eagle flew across the sky, and its cry was clear and distant.
-
It was two days later that Xie Zheng learned that Fan Changyu had joined the army but had become a member of the Jizhou Army.
The army was only half a day's journey away from reaching Chongzhou, but the army sent to pursue Sui Yuanqing sent a message back that Sui Yuanqing had fled back to Kangcheng, the hometown of Princess Changxin. With only 5,000 cavalrymen, there was no hope of taking Kangcheng.
The only solution now is to split our forces into two groups.
The Jizhou army led by He Jingyuan has arrived at the city of Chongzhou. The rebels have been trapped and killed. It is only a matter of time before Chongzhou falls.
The imperial court was still holding back on military pay and rations, and He Jingyuan was Wei Yan's man. At this moment, as long as Xie Zheng gave up his power, the money and rations from the imperial court could be released. As for who would get the credit for the military achievement after taking Chongzhou, it would be a matter of struggle between the Li family and Wei Yan.
After he gave up power, he was afraid of being bullied, so besieging Cannes was the best way out.
After much discussion, Xie Zheng and Gongsun Yin and their advisers finally decided to attack Cannes.
The Yanzhou Army changed its route and headed for Kangcheng, while the Jizhou Army that came to support it had to continue on to Chongzhou.
Xie Zheng had been too busy dealing with military and political affairs these past two days and could only listen to the personal guards' reports on Fan Changyu's itinerary every day. He learned that Fan Changyu was almost always in Master Tao's car, either learning to play chess or reading books, which often made Master Tao so angry that he blew his beard and glared. Thinking of his teacher's temper, Xie Zheng raised the corners of his lips.
However, after the two armies parted ways that day, while Xie Zheng was still discussing with Gongsun Yin the method of attacking the city after arriving at Kangcheng, Xie Wu rushed over in a hurry: "My Lord! It's bad! Madam and Master Tao have left with the Jizhou Army!"
Xie Zheng raised his cold eyes from the map, frowned and asked, "What's going on?"
Xie Wu took out a letter and handed it to Xie Zheng: "This is what Master Tao asked me to pass on to the Marquis."
Xie Zheng took it with his long fingers, opened it and looked at it. His face instantly became frosty, and a hint of hostility could be seen in his eyes. He said in a cold voice, "Prepare the horses!"
Gongsun Yin saw how unhappy he looked and asked, "What was written in the letter?"
But after the guards brought the warhorse, Xie Zheng had already jumped on the horse and whipped it to leave. Gongsun Yin could only pick up the letter that Xie Zheng had thrown on the ground and read it himself. After reading it, he also let out a soft "hiss": "These old and young people, are they trying to anger him to death?"
Then he stroked his chin and said, "But... Grand Master knew that the outcome of the Chongzhou battle would lead to a fight between Wei Yan and the Li family, but he still agreed to let the girl go to Jizhou to join the army. Maybe it's not a bad thing?"
If the Li family really overthrew He Jingyuan, and the Li family had no one who was good at commanding the military, they would never dare to let the military power of Jizhou fall back into the hands of Xie Zheng. At this time, someone who could take on the responsibility would be needed to stabilize the military power of Jizhou.
Fan Changyu has the courage to kill Shi Hu, and he has the help of Master Tao in military strategy. He may really become a big shot in Jizhou.
-
When Fan Changyu was holding Changning in the carriage, she felt her right eyelid twitching. She looked out the window and raised her hand to pinch her eyebrows.
Master Tao, who had been pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyelids and said, "You have been fidgeting since noon. Do you regret not telling him?"
Fan Changyu said: "My foster father has made it clear in the letter."
Master Tao snorted and laughed twice: "You have figured out the bad temper of that boy. If you tell him in person, I'm afraid he will tie you up with him."
Fan Changyu looked down at his toes, embarrassed and silent.
The carriage, which was moving slowly, suddenly stopped. Fan Changyu, who was sitting in the carriage, felt herself staggering. If Changning had not been protected by her in time, he would have nearly hit his forehead.
Outside, there was the neighing of war horses.
Master Tao was not so lucky. The back of his head happened to hit the wall of the car. He cursed, "It must be that brat!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the car curtain in front of him was opened, and Xie Zheng's cold and handsome face appeared at the door. His dark eyes were emotionless, and he stared at Fan Changyu and said, "Come out by yourself, or I will carry you out."
Master Tao covered the back of his head and scolded: "You traitor, are you going to kill your master?"
Xie Zheng turned his dark eyes towards him, and Tao Taifu's pretentious demeanor instantly weakened, and he turned away with a guilty conscience.
Xie Zheng said: "The student asked the teacher to adopt the student's sweetheart as his adopted daughter, but the teacher left without saying a word. Shouldn't the teacher give the student an explanation?"
Master Tao muttered, "Didn't I leave a letter for you?"
I just didn't expect that the letter that he was supposed to see tonight would fall into his hands so early and let him catch up.
Fan Changyu was silent for a while, then he raised his head and looked at Xie Zheng and said, "I'll go with you."
She put Changning on the carriage and said to Master Tao, "Father Lao, please help me keep an eye on Changning."
Chang Ning was a little scared when she saw Xie Zheng's expression. She grabbed Fan Changyu's clothes and refused to let go, calling softly, "Sister."
Fan Changyu touched her head and soothed her, "Don't be afraid, Sister will be back soon."
Yan Jue carried her to Master Tao. As soon as she opened the curtain and before she jumped off the carriage, a big hand lifted her up and slid her onto the horse's back.
The moment his back touched his chest, Fan Changyu felt that he was breathing like a beast suppressing its rage.
He ran out with his horse's belly, but in an instant he left the Jizhou army behind. Fan Changyu realized that it was the road to join the Yanzhou army, and said to him calmly: "I must go to Jizhou to join the army."
He was not wearing any armor, and Fan Changyu could clearly feel that all his muscles tightened almost instantly.
He pulled the reins hard, and the warhorse stopped with a neigh. She was pulled off the horse and pressed against a huge tree beside the road that was so big that one person could not hug it.
The force in his hand was so fierce that bloodshot eyes even burst out of extreme anger. His eyes were red. However, his voice seemed particularly calm and even a little bit smiling when he asked her: "Do you hate me so much? You would rather go to Jizhou to join the army than stay away from me?"
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