Outside the tent, captains from various divisions and their soldiers were queuing up to receive the fine wine. According to the order of King Pingnan, two jars were kept and the rest were distributed to reward the three armies!
Cai Sibei and his men also brought a lot of live poultry, and King Pingnan also ordered that they all be distributed as rewards. The army was now as lively as New Year's Day. The soldiers sat around the campfire, waiting for the meal to be cooked. Some soldiers who brought musical instruments played the strings, some danced with swords to the music, and some sang loudly along with the instruments. There was joy and peace in the twilight.
Jian Ning came out of the tent and saw many soldiers washing their horses by the mountain stream. She suddenly thought of "Ancient Military March" and became interested. She picked up her sword and danced for the soldiers to entertain them.
Mountain climbing during the day
At dusk, drinking water beside Jiaohe River
Pedestrians fight against the dark wind and sand
The soldiers are happy playing the pipa
…
She only remembered the first four lines completely, and she even improvised the last line to suit the occasion. Everyone just wanted to have fun, and there were very few men in the army who understood poetry. She danced with the sword well, and it sounded lively and festive. Moreover, the meaning of the four lines she recited was not difficult to understand, especially the second and last lines, which were suitable for the occasion. The soldiers all understood it and applauded.
Ding Youwang's eldest son, Ding Peng, and several other young men from the village also came this time, all carrying their bedding rolls. Ding Youwang told Ding Youtian, "The village head and the clan leader said that in peaceful times, raising children to farm is a way to support us in our old age. Now that foreign tribes are invading, the young and strong men in our farming families should also contribute to the court. Let them stay and go back to farming after the war."
Ding Youtian smiled and said, "Go back and tell the village head and the clan leader that I will report their wishes to the court. However, there is no need to recruit soldiers at the moment. Take them away tomorrow morning and spend the rest of your days at home in peace."
When King Pingnan learned that the people who sent the wine were Ding Youtian's brothers, he came with Concubine Li, Dabao and Da Niu.
"My dear son-in-law, I heard that it was your brother who brought the wine, but are these three?" He smiled and his eyes moved back and forth between the faces of Ding Youwang and his three brothers.
"Father, aunt, this is my eldest brother Ding Youwang, and this is my second brother..." Ding Youtian introduced him and Concubine Li.
This was the renowned Prince of Pingnan. Oh my goodness, the Prince of Pingnan actually smiled broadly at the three of them. The eldest, Ding Youwang, was stunned, the second wasn't much better, and the third, though also terrified, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I'm honored! Your Highness, I'm honored! Your Highness, I'm honored!"
"Please stand up quickly. My son-in-law's brother is a family member. Get up quickly and don't be polite." Prince Pingnan took two steps forward and wanted to help him up himself. The eldest and second brothers realized what was happening and dared not let the prince help them up. They hurriedly pulled up the third brother one by one. The three brothers bowed to Prince Pingnan and smiled innocently at Concubine Li.
"Nephew greets my eldest uncle, second uncle, and third uncle." Seeing that his father had acknowledged his relatives, Dabao also bowed respectfully to the three brothers.
The big girl also accepted it and bowed.
Before the family split up, they were mainly bullied by Meng and the aunts of the first and third houses, and by Ding Gui and Ding Quan. The three uncles just ignored them and never beat or scolded them. The brother and sister did not feel wronged when they recognized their uncles.
Instead, Ding Youwang took the lead in sobbing, "Uncle is so sorry for you, I am ashamed to be your uncle..."
He squatted down with his head in his hands.
Prince Pingnan laughed heartily. "Hey, why bring up the past? I wasn't born a prince or a noble. With a whole family eating from the same pot, how can there not be trouble? The past is the past. Let's not talk about it anymore."
Ding Youwang and his two brothers as well as Cai Sibei were invited to the main tent for dinner. The three brothers never dreamed that one day they would be able to dine at the same table with King Pingnan at the grand banquet. They had no idea what the food tasted like, they only remembered King Pingnan's smile.
During the meal, Prince Pingnan asked with a smile, "Are Old Ding and Meng doing well?" Prince Pingnan thought that they had done him a great favor by raising his daughter, and it was only natural for him to show some concern for them.
Jian Ning felt very unhappy. His original body was forced to death by the Meng family. If the King of Pingnan knew the truth, would he still be so polite to the three brothers?
Because Jian Ning was there, Ding Youwang and his brothers didn't know how to answer. If they said okay, they were afraid that their sister-in-law would feel uncomfortable after hearing it. After all, they knew how their mother treated their sister-in-law. If they said no, they were afraid that their fourth brother Ding Youtian would worry after hearing it. In this dilemma, the eldest brother looked at Jian Ning.
"Why are you looking at me?" Jian Ning wanted to frown, but since everyone was having a good time today, she didn't want to spoil the fun, so she forced a smile and said, "If it's good, it's good. If it's not good, it's not good. Just say it directly."
The eldest brother then nodded and smiled at Prince Pingnan, "They are fine. They have always been in good health. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
That night, Ding Youtian slept in a tent with his three brothers. He expected that the King of Pingnan would give the village some silver tomorrow, as well as some for his parents. He told the eldest brothers, "If the King gives your parents any silver tomorrow, give it to the clan as well to support the children's education. This will also help them accumulate virtue and do good deeds. It will only benefit them."
The bosses all agreed.
The next morning, after breakfast, the King of Pingnan gave several envelopes of silver, one hundred taels of silver for Old Ding and Mrs. Meng. He also gave five fine animal skins for the village head, the clan leader, Master Chen, and Old Ding and Mrs. Meng to make winter clothing.
The boss quietly asked Ding Youtian whether he would give the animal skins to them.
Ding Youtian thought that if the two of them were on equal footing with the village head and the clan leader, they would feel superior if they received the animal skins awarded by King Pingnan, and would inevitably stir up trouble and bully the villagers. So he said, "You keep it for now, and then give it to my parents later. Just say it's an act of filial piety from the three of you, and that you pooled the money to buy it for them."
The boss thought this was a good idea and nodded in agreement.
Ding Peng and several young and strong men from the village rested together with Ma Xiaomai and others at the Wuyi Camp last night. After listening to Ma Xiaomai and others talk about the battle yesterday, they all felt itchy and wanted to stay and watch at least one fight before going back.
The older brothers also wanted to watch so that they could learn how to sing for the villagers, but they had to catch the boat and could not delay, so they had to go by ox cart.
In the six competitions in the morning and afternoon of that day, the Dayan Army once again won a great victory. Qi Pengfei, a young general from the Bo Mansion, and Shi Youheng, a young general from the Hou Mansion, performed well. They both used what they had learned in their lives. They were all in high spirits, as if they were assisted by God.
The third day continued the results of the previous two days. Tong Bajin, Xu Dali and Erlangzi all went into battle. The three of them were no less capable than the generals in the army. Lei Jiang, who had recovered from his injury, nodded frequently at the performance of his beloved disciple when Xu Dali was the last one to go on stage in the afternoon.
When Xu Dali knocked his opponent off his horse with his spear, King Pingnan on the platform waved his flag and gave the order to attack the city!
Suddenly, thousands of horses galloped, yellow sand filled the sky, and the soldiers of the three armies rushed towards the city of Fengyi like tigers descending from the mountains, howling.
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