They ate and drank for a while longer. It was already dark outside. He Xiong asked them to stay. "Jiye, Manager Chen, why don't you stay in the camp tonight? Firstly, it's cold and the roads are difficult to travel. I'm worried about you going back. Secondly, the Sixth Prince also needs to prepare some manpower."
The Sixth Prince said, "Yes, I've sent people to the palace to dispatch some personnel, and they'll arrive by tomorrow evening at the earliest. How about you set off the day after tomorrow?"
Tai Jiye looked at Chen Zhao, who nodded in thanks. "Thank you, Sixth Prince and General He. Our convoy is staying inside the pass, but we have nothing to worry about. We'll be sorry to bother you for one more night."
He Xiong was very happy and asked people to clean up the tent for them. The Sixth Prince also ordered people to go back to the palace.
Tai Yongan rarely saw his younger brothers, so he wanted to play with them for a while longer and asked them to go back to live with his battalion commander, and He Xiong agreed.
For a moment, the boys disappeared and were replaced by a few side dishes. Several grown men held up bowls of wine and started talking about all sorts of things. It was more lively than before.
The gathering ended only when the moon reached its zenith.
Seeing He Xiong already half drunk, he called for his personal guard to fetch him a basin of cold water. He washed his face with a chuckle to sober up. Then he wrote down everything that had happened today in detail and had his personal guard deliver it to the general...
In Tai Yongan's tent, the soldiers did not complain about the three extra boys. On the contrary, they were very happy.
Who doesn’t have brothers and nephews in their family? It’s just that they have been in the army for many years and have no chance to see each other.
Now that Yong'an's younger brothers have come and brought them so many dumplings, they should take good care of them even if they have to feel grateful.
So, everyone made room on the big bunk bed and invited the three boys to lie down, chattering away.
The soldiers can't go home all year round, so I heard everything is new to them!
The three boys were also chatterboxes. One talked about the bumper corn harvest at home, another talked about how they fought wits and courage with the thieves when they were kidnapped, and another talked about how delicious the roasted rabbits they hunted in the mountains were.
In short, in their words, farm life is not hard at all, it is interesting everywhere and lively.
The soldiers listened with great interest and treated the Tai family as their own.
But Tai Yongan is no longer the silly boy he used to be. After hearing about these things at home, he couldn't help feeling guilty.
He is the eldest son and grandson, and the big brother to his younger brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, when something happens at home, he can't help at all!
Chen Ruiyang was careful and noticed that his elder brother's eyes were a little red, so he quickly went back to make up for it.
"Brother, we went to the city to play. When people heard that our brother was guarding the border, they were very polite and welcoming to us.
"They said that without the border guards, we have all been captured by the grasslands and Luosha to do hard labor. Brother, you are the guardian gods of Wei!
"When we grow up, we will earn a lot of money, buy the most food, and send the best swords and guns to big brother!"
Tai Yongan patted his brother's belly and was delighted to hear this. "Okay, from now on, big brother, kill more enemies and become a general soon, so that you can also be proud."
"Me too, I also sent food and money to big brother!" Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue were unwilling to be left behind and shouted in unison.
The other soldiers were envious and couldn't help but make fun of him.
"Our captain is so lucky, he has several brothers to help him!"
"That's right, my two younger brothers don't even bother to take care of me. They only write to me once a year and still ask me for money to marry a wife!"
"Don't mention it, it's the same in my family."
Everyone was talking at once, discussing the sad and happy things in each family, until they were really sleepy in the middle of the night and slowly began to snore.
The nights in the military camp are always short. As soon as the sky gets light, the cooks start preparing breakfast. All the horses need water and grass, and the patrolling soldiers need to be replaced. Even all the other people cannot sit still and have to train for half an hour on an empty stomach.
Tai Yonglu, Tai Yongyue and Chen Ruiyang were like spectators, following Tai Yongan and others from a distance, and watching with their own eyes as they waved their sabers repeatedly in the cold morning light, until their heads were steaming.
The three of them yawned, occasionally shrinking their necks due to the cold wind, and their yearning for the military camp faded.
Outsiders only talk about the glory of border guards, but not everyone knows the hardships they endure.
Instead, they felt more and more sorry for their eldest brother.
When they were lazy in bed, when they were thinking about going to the city to buy food, when they were lazy and didn't want to write, the eldest brother was suffering and polishing himself in the military camp day after day, striving to forge himself into a general with outstanding military achievements as soon as possible.
This is his dream, and it is also to bring honor to the family, to support the family, and to protect his younger brothers!
For a moment, the three of them thought a lot, and they especially hoped that they could grow up quickly!
After breakfast, when Tai Jiye called his nephews to leave, none of them made a fuss. They were extremely well-behaved and obedient. This surprised him...
Everyone in the caravan got the news last night, so they stayed peacefully in the pass for one night. When they got up early and had nothing to do, they walked around the city a few times, which was a rare relaxation before entering the grassland.
At nightfall, the Sixth Prince's men finally arrived: twenty guards, a middle-aged doctor, and a cartload of various medicinal herbs.
I wonder if the Sixth Prince has sent his best team. The guards look very ordinary, and they might not be noticed if thrown into a crowd. But the sharpness that occasionally appears in the corners of their eyes and eyebrows shows that they are not cowards.
The middle-aged doctor was kind and could chat happily with anyone.
Chen Zhao specifically ordered someone to clear out a carriage for the doctor. After all, the doctor's safety was related to the success or failure of this trip, and anyone in the team who fell ill would have to rely on the doctor for rescue.
The Sixth Prince did not appear in front of everyone, but only took Tai Jiye and Chen Zhao to a restaurant for a meal.
He didn't hide it and said to the two of them openly, "I also have a selfish motive in sending the men and the doctor. Although the grasslands have a truce agreement with our Great Wei, no one can predict what the situation will be. Knowing ourselves and the enemy will definitely benefit our Great Wei.
"If it were in the past, I would definitely hope that the grassland would be in chaos, so that the border of Wei would be more stable. I wouldn't have to worry about being coveted all the time, and I could just focus on guarding against the Rakshasas.
"But now that Shopkeeper Chen is close to the Third Prince, there's another possibility. Shopkeeper Chen is a man of loyalty and wisdom. Since he's recognized the Third Prince, he must be a very good person.
"If we support the Third Prince's ascension to the Khan throne, we won't just be able to cease hostilities with the grasslands. We might even be able to engage in large-scale trade, mutually beneficial. This will surely be more beneficial to our Great Wei and the prosperity of the border."
Chen Zhao didn't expect the Sixth Prince to be so frank, and the slight suspicion that he had in his heart disappeared.
The most important thing is that every word the Sixth Prince said was for the sake of the Great Wei, and his considerations were extremely long-term, even things that would happen 10 or 20 years later.
This is definitely not something an unloved, abandoned prince should consider. He must also have the ambition to fight for the throne of Wei...
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