After receiving permission, Guo Honglei strode into the meeting room. He was startled to find Prince Li present, then he knelt on one knee as per protocol, clasped his fists, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Prince Li, with his naturally noble air, sat upright, gazing at the handsome young man in bloodstained uniform, and said sternly, "Stand up. Daily etiquette is unnecessary."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Guo Honglei stood up, his armor shrouded in snow and chilled. He pulled out a document and handed it to the commander, reporting, "General, the battle at Hongchuan Bay is over. The details of casualties and captured enemy troops are detailed here for your review."
Dou Yong took the document, coughing uncontrollably, and frowned as he asked, "Wounded again? Is it serious?"
"It's just a minor wound, nothing serious." Guo Honglei didn't care at all, his eyes were bright and he was in high spirits.
Dou Yong lowered his head, his temples graying as he squinted his eyes as he reviewed the official documents. He instructed, "Since your injury isn't a problem, please carefully annotate the battle map on the table, marking every river bend and ferry crossing, as well as any major battles in recent times."
"Yes!" Guo Honglei took the order and took a closer look. He found several maps on the table. Just as he was about to ask -
Prince Li understood and pointed at one of the paintings, "This one."
"Yes." Guo Honglei stood in front of the table, bent down to examine the newly made map. In a moment, he quickly made a plan in his mind, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, marking one by one. His strokes were vigorous and powerful, and fluent and unrestrained.
Across the table, Prince Li stared at her for a long while, then suddenly praised her: "The handwriting is quite good."
Guo Honglei was startled, his pen hovering over the picture. He looked up and saw that he was the only one writing. Then he humbly replied, "Your Highness, you are too kind."
"How many years have you been practicing?" Although Li Wang was not yet forty, he had a "川"-shaped wrinkle between his eyebrows, and deep nasolabial folds on his face. He looked majestic even without being angry.
Guo Honglei straightened up and said, "I started learning calligraphy at the age of four, and my father urged me to practice calligraphy."
Prince Li nodded, as if thinking about something. "Master Guo is proficient in calligraphy. It's no surprise that he can teach you to write like this."
When talking about his father suddenly, Guo Honglei felt sad and stopped talking. He clenched the pen tightly, not knowing how to answer.
Li Wang came back to his senses and said calmly, "Continue writing yours."
Guo Honglei gathered himself, then bent down again, his pen rising and falling as he buried his head in his annotations. He was tall, and the desk was too low for him, so stooping was a struggle. Blood oozed from his left arm, staining the white bandage red, but his expression remained calm, his brows unfurrowed.
Prince Li took a sip of tea and said gently, "Sit down and write."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Guo Honglei was neither humble nor arrogant, and his actions were measured. Although there was a chair nearby, he picked up the map and retreated to another table before sitting down, his back straight, and he bent over his desk to write.
When Prince Li saw this, he couldn't help but admire it.
Several candlesticks, each with six candles burning, illuminated the meeting room brightly.
After a while, Dou Yong finished reading and leaned forward to present the war document to Prince Li. "Your Highness, would you like to take a look too?"
"Hmm." Prince Li took it and did not feel neglected at all - he was ordered to escort military rations, but he did not have the status of a military supervisor. He was only supervising the battle as a prince, and he could not surpass the commander-in-chief in the army.
Afterwards, the commander-in-chief discussed military affairs with the prince. Guo Honglei was standing nearby, and while doing his job, he couldn't help but listen attentively.
After a full quarter of an hour, he finally put down his pen, put the battle map back where it belonged, and asked loudly, "Your Highness, please review this. Is this appropriate?"
Prince Li fixed his eyes, took a quick glance, and said without looking up, "At first glance, it seems very detailed. I will take a closer look."
"yes."
Prince Li intended to test him, and unexpectedly picked out several river bends and questioned him again and again.
When new recruits first joined the army, they were required to patrol the border every day. Guo Honglei put in a lot of hard work and made careful observations, becoming familiar with the south bank of the Cang River. He was able to answer questions fluently and passed the test smoothly.
"Not bad." Prince Li finally nodded with satisfaction.
The meeting room was spacious, and the north wind blew in through the cracks, bringing a bone-chilling chill.
Dou Yong was old and worked day and night, and his old illness relapsed. "Cough, cough, cough." The old man inhaled the snow wind and was stimulated to cough violently, becoming old and hunched.
Guo Honglei quickly approached and asked in a low voice: "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?—"
"No need."
"Ahem, the medicine the medical staff recently sent is enough for me to last until next year." Dou Yong interrupted, catching his breath with difficulty and giving a helpless smile. "Old bones, old problems, there's no cure. You're just wasting medicine."
As the eldest prince, Prince Li had been brought up in a strict, even harsh, upbringing. He was graceful and composed, and quite respectful to others. He frowned with concern, then soothed, "Old General, don't be discouraged. When we recapture Yongzhou and return to the capital in triumph, I will report this to my father and ask him to send an imperial physician to nurse you back to health."
Dou Yong stood up and saluted. "Thank you, Your Highness. Alas, it's already the twelfth lunar month, and I haven't been able to recapture Yongzhou yet. I feel increasingly ashamed."
"Sit down, sit down and talk." Ambitious and determined, Prince Li said solemnly, "Everything is ready now. We just need to wait for the Cang River to freeze enough to support a massive army, and then we can attack Beijiao!"
"Indeed."
Dou Yong sat down, picked out an official document, handed it to his confidant, and said, "Give it to Cao Chenshi immediately."
Guo Honglei took it with both hands, "Yes!"
"You, ahem, your wound looks quite deep. You should go to the doctor's tent and get it bandaged again." Dou Yong, his face weary, instructed, "The decisive battle is imminent, and we need manpower right now. Get well quickly, and don't take minor injuries lightly just because you're young!"
Guo Honglei touched his arm, not caring at all, but willing to follow suit. "I understand. I'll go to the medical tent. Thank you for your concern, General."
"Go ahead."
Guo Honglei took his leave and turned to leave, his back broad and straight.
Prince Li watched them go for a few moments, then lowered his head to carefully examine the battle map covered with annotations. He asked cheerfully, "Old General, you have so many talented people under your command. Why should you worry about not being able to retake Yongzhou?"
Dou Yong smiled, with pride in his eyes, "I hope my men will forge ahead bravely and recover the lost territory as soon as possible."
"God bless Dagan, Beiqi will eventually be destroyed!"
As the night deepened, Prince Li saw that the old general was ill and could not bear the consequences, so he said goodbye and went back to his room to rest.
"Your Highness, have you had a rest?" Some of the trusted attendants made the bed, some added charcoal, and some massaged his legs.
"No rush, it's still early."
Prince Li sat back on the couch, pondering the battle plan. Suddenly, he looked up and asked in confusion, "It's snowing outside. Why hasn't Xiaojiu come back yet?"
The attendants looked at each other in bewilderment, then gritted their teeth and bowed their heads, answering, "His Highness the Ninth Prince said there were too many charcoal braziers in the room and it was a bit stuffy, so he went outside to get some fresh air."
Prince Li snorted and laughed, "If there are too few charcoal basins, it's cold. If there are two more, it's stuffy! In the freezing snow, what's the point of being stuffy? Most likely he's going to meet Guo Honglei to catch up on the past."
"It's cold and late at night, it's not suitable for strolling. Hurry and find the person."
"Yes." The attendant obeyed the order.
Prince Li closed the battle map and spoke slowly, feeling deeply moved. "The founding Marquis of Jingyang was loyal and devoted, following Taizu closely, campaigning throughout the country and achieving remarkable military success. Unexpectedly, his reputation was tarnished by his unworthy descendants."
"The corruption case caused a lot of uproar back then. The prince of the marquis's mansion was really outrageous." The trusted attendant responded.
Prince Li's neck ached from exhaustion. He leaned back against the soft pillow and suddenly smiled. "I once thought the Guo family was completely ruined, but after observing them for more than half a month, I've come to realize that Guo Honglei is quite good. He's a son of a general and a promising talent."
The attendants, all of them shrewd and adept at reading people's expressions, echoed in agreement, "We've heard he's incredibly brave. Every time he goes into battle, he always leads the charge."
"You're young, but you're quite steady."
"No wonder General Dou appreciates him."
…
Prince Li closed his eyes and said solemnly, "Let's see how much real talent and knowledge he has. A truly talented person is rarely buried and will stand out sooner or later."
Meanwhile, medical bills
The group of acquaintances were all injured, but fortunately not seriously, and they walked together in the snowy night.
Pan Kui, slightly wounded, put his arm around Guo Honglei's shoulders and whispered, "Prince Ning has been defeated. Among all the princes, no one can compete with Prince Li anymore. In my opinion, the throne will definitely pass to Prince Li!"
Guo Honglei was surrounded by Lin Qin and the Peng brothers. He carefully observed his surroundings and whispered, "According to the law, it should have been his."
"Your Majesty is long-lived, yet hesitant and indecisive, he hasn't yet appointed a crown prince. It's truly like 'the Emperor isn't anxious, but the entire court is!'" Pan Kui, his beard untidy and his nose red from the cold, grumbled in the snowy wind, "Our place is in turmoil and chaos, and the sudden arrival of two distinguished princes is truly remarkable!"
"His Highness the Ninth Prince is kind and gentle, and seems to be here for fun. But Prince Li is different. He spends all day studying military intelligence, and it is said that he even burns the midnight oil at night to ponder strategies against the enemy. It is obvious that when we recapture Yongzhou, he will be the greatest hero! Even if it is not him, it must be him. The eldest son has made great contributions, and the emperor has made him the crown prince, which is justified."
Guo Honglei remained vigilant and alert, whispering, "It's best to avoid saying things like this. Be careful if outsiders overhear it and can't explain it."
"Tsk, of course I don't dare to shout. It's just a casual chat between us brothers." Pan Kui said carelessly.
The next moment, a man suddenly rushed out from the sheltered corner, knelt down, and crawled to Pan Kui, looking up and crying, "Sir, I really know I was wrong. Please be magnanimous and forgive me once!"
"If you don't take me in, I'll be left with nowhere to go."
"Please, forgive me once." As he spoke, the man kowtowed continuously.
"Huh?"
"Ouch?"
"Isn't this Tian Bo? Why are you here again?!"
Lin Qin and the Peng brothers were amused. They felt relieved and gloated over the other's misfortune. They suppressed their laughter and asked, "Hey, didn't you choose to join Captain Wu? Why are you looking for trouble with our Brother Kui?"
Guo Honglei looked down with an expressionless face, and never took this person seriously from beginning to end.
Tian Bo was filled with regret, forcing out tears, and changed his address, "Brother Kui is very generous—"
"No! No, no, no! I don't dare to recognize someone like you as my brother."
Pan Kui's face darkened, and he was extremely impatient and disgusted as he said, "Tian Bo, you are no longer my subordinate. Since you have surrendered to Wu Hai, you should go to him for help if you have any problems. It is not my business."
"Get up and go back to where you came from!" Pan Kui dodged and ignored his kowtow.
Tian Bo ran after him on his knees, his forehead covered in snow from knocking against his head. He complained bitterly, "Wu Hai repeatedly failed to lead effectively, and was demoted. He's moody and often punishes his personal guards. He almost broke my leg... Back then, I was completely bewildered and confused, so I betrayed Brother Kui."
Guo Honglei was about to speak when he saw a group of people coming towards him, led by the Ninth Prince.
"Guo Honglei!"
"What are you doing here, kid? Admiring the snow?" The Ninth Prince was very quick in his steps. He had been in the military camp for more than half a month and was extremely bored. He often sought out old friends to reminisce about the past.
Guo Honglei turned around and quickly stepped forward, smiling and bowing. "It's freezing cold, Your Highness, why haven't you rested yet?"
"The charcoal smoke is making me feel suffocated. I'm going out for a walk to get some fresh air." The Ninth Prince, wrapped in his cloak, waved his hand casually. "No need to be polite, no need to be polite!"
"Thank you, Your Highness." Everyone said respectfully.
When the prince spoke, Tian Bo did not dare to kneel, so he stood up and quickly squeezed to the front to show his face.
The Ninth Prince glanced at Tian Bo, ignoring his attentive and flattering smile, and said, "Let's go! I saw the victory report from Hongchuan Bay and have something to ask you."
"Okay." Guo Honglei was used to it. After saying goodbye to his companions, he cheered up and followed to answer the prince's questions.
In a blink of an eye, it is already the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and the festive atmosphere in the county town is getting stronger and stronger.
The wind was howling, heavy snow was flying all over the sky, and the rivers were frozen with ice several feet thick.
Jiang Yushu lived in the back hall of the county government office. Although her life was peaceful, her heart was not at peace as she was worried about her family far away.
This morning, I caught a cold and had a fever, so I called a doctor for treatment.
Nanny Pan insisted on lowering the curtains and letting her stay in bed, so she could stretch out her hand for the doctor to take her pulse.
"Doctor, how is it? Is my wife's illness serious?"
The old doctor with gray hair and beard frowned and answered hesitantly: "This, this..." He stopped, stood up and walked out, winking. Pan Mama was instantly frightened and hurriedly followed -
The author has something to say:
A fight to the death is about to begin!
The baby is coming soon...? ('???'?)
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