Chapter Eleven: Gentle Breeze and Rippling Moon
"Lingyu has broken through three enemy forces in this campaign, burned down the granary, tied down most of Yanzhou's military strength, and personally led the charge, working tirelessly. She is truly a model general." Zhongli An ignored Zhongli Shuo's words and looked at Yang Xiao with concern, "How are you? Is your body able to handle it?"
Yang Xiao clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhong Li'an, "My lord, rest assured, I am only slightly tired, nothing serious. Besides, charging into battle is our duty, so how can you say it's hard work?"
"Regardless, your first victory was indeed a great achievement, and it has completely won over the entire army." Zhong Li'an looked at Yang Xiao approvingly. "From now on, your prestige in the army will probably be even higher than Yu De's, right?"
"Hey? Brother, why are you siding with outsiders?" Zhongli Shuo feigned displeasure and glanced at Zhongli An.
“They are all my comrades-in-arms, so how can there be any distinction between insiders and outsiders?” Zhongli’an smiled and tapped his younger brother’s forehead. “Last night, Lingyu and Yude conquered the entire Yanzhou, and Zhaoqing led troops to pacify the northern part of Yuzhou. In the past, I would not have dared to hope for such a magnificent scene.”
"Speaking of which... with the granary burned down, what will become of the people of Yanzhou?" Yang Xiao pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhong Li'an with a questioning gaze.
"Don't worry, Lingyu," Zhongli An waved his hand and smiled at Yang Xiao, "The grain sent to Yanzhou is on its way, and the new tax system has been set. You just need to go ahead and fight as you please. I will take care of these matters."
"That's good, my lord. You've gone to a lot of trouble."
Seeing Yang Xiao's meticulous thinking, Zhong Lishuo looked at her with admiration. "My brother told me earlier that you are steady, decisive and resolute. When he was about to entrust the most difficult route to you, I was still full of resentment."
Yang Xiao turned her head and smiled at Zhong Lishuo, "And now?"
"Now I truly admire you." Zhong Lishuo clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yang Xiao. "Hey, I only admire your thoughtfulness, not your martial arts skills. Don't forget the match you owe me."
"Don't worry, I won't break my promise," Yang Xiao said with a smile, waving her hand. "I'll spar with you once I've rested up, how about it?"
"Alright, it's a deal." Zhong Lishuo raised his glass of wine, then looked at Bai Ming, who was only drinking tea, and said, "Hey? Zhao Qing, I remember you have a pretty good alcohol tolerance, why are you drinking tea?"
Bai Ming glanced at the teacup in his hand and smiled, "Drinking alcohol can lead to trouble, so you should drink less too."
“Neither of you are drinking,” Zhong Lishuo said, looking at the three people drinking tea beside him, then glancing at Yang Xiao and Bai Ming. “You’ve been back at camp for so long, and everything that needed to be arranged has been said. Shouldn’t you two tell us how you met back then?”
"Alright, alright, tell me, tell me." Yang Xiao nodded with a smile, then turned back to look at Bai Ming. Under the moonlight, her eyes, as calm and clear as the ocean, were no different from five years ago.
The two smiled at each other, and under the moonlight, as they reminisced about the past.
Soft light bathed them in a serene stillness. The two reminisced with deep emotion, their conversation flowing back and forth. The friendship of gifting a gun five years ago, in their words, became clearer than moonlight and more enduring than a gentle stream.
It is a story of chivalry and heroism, but also tinged with some inexplicable emotions.
Perhaps the bond forged during our most innocent and naive years will be the purest and most unforgettable friendship we share.
"One day, we will surely meet again in Chang'an."
"It definitely will."
-
Bai Ming leaned against the table, holding a teacup and his eyes gleaming.
“When General Yang attacked me just now, his expression was exactly the same as when he fought against villains back then.” Bai Ming looked at Yang Xiao, his eyes rippled with amusement.
Yang Xiao smiled and turned to look at Bai Ming, "How can the general compare himself to a bandit?"
Everyone laughed upon hearing this. Bai Ming was taken aback, then shook his head and chuckled, "Don't you understand what I mean?"
“How could I not understand?” Yang Xiao sighed with relief. “But General, you are much more mature than you were five years ago.”
“General Yang is just as persistent as he was five years ago.” Bai Ming nodded and smiled, looking up at Yang Xiao’s smiling eyes, then awkwardly looked away, focusing on the tea rippling in his cup.
“I never imagined that the two of you had such a past,” Zhong Lishuo swallowed the wine in his cup. “It seems that ‘those who share the same path will surely share the same path.’”
“Who says otherwise?” Yang Xiao nodded, looking at Bai Ming. “These five years are neither long nor short. I had longed for our reunion countless times in the early days, but I never thought we would meet on the battlefield.”
Zhong Li'an smiled at the two of them, "Perhaps this is how fate was meant to be. I was actually looking forward to your first meeting at this moment."
"You didn't expect that, did you, brother? Those two have known each other for five years, which is longer than we've known Zhao Qing." Zhong Lishuo smiled at Bai Ming, then asked curiously, "By the way, Zhao Qing, who had the upper hand when you two fought just now?"
“In terms of momentum and boldness, Lingyu naturally has the upper hand.” Bai Ming said, turning back to look at Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao looked at the two of them and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. "Zhao Qing is a reinforcement that the lord invited. How could he possibly fight me seriously? Besides, I was exhausted at that time. In terms of tactics and strength, I was no match for Zhao Qing."
“Yude, look at the question you’re asking,” Zhongli’an teased with a smile. “Both of you generals are exceptional talents, so why are you so modest? With a few of you joining me on this journey, how can we worry about the future?”
He looked at the people below him with deep emotion, then looked up at the bright moon hanging high in the sky. “It’s getting late, and the three of you have been busy for a long time. Why don’t you go back to camp and rest soon?”
“Very well,” Yang Xiao stood up, bowed to everyone and said, “Then I will take my leave. My lord, generals, you should also get some rest.”
Yang Xiao turned around, smiled, looked into Bai Ming's eyes, nodded slightly to him, and walked away.
Bai Ming kept staring at Yang Xiao's figure until that bright red figure disappeared under the moonlight.
-
The crowd had long since dispersed, but Bai Ming remained standing in the pavilion, gazing at the bright moon.
Five years have passed, and her abilities have improved so much. Back then, she was just a young girl with aspirations from the theater, but now she has truly become a general capable of leading troops into battle.
When he saw Yang Xiao again, he felt a strange joy and relief. The person who was about to fade into a blur in his mind suddenly came to life. The person whose face he could no longer remember but who was always in his heart was riding towards him with a spear in hand.
He breathed a sigh of relief, gazing at the hazy moonlight, momentarily at a loss for how to explain such emotions.
"General Bai?"
Bai Ming was startled and abruptly snapped out of his thoughts. He turned around abruptly and saw the person in his heart smiling at him, walking towards him step by step from the steps not far away.
-
"Why are you admiring the moon so late? Can't you sleep?" Yang Xiao walked to Bai Ming's side, looked at him, and then looked up at the moon.
"I..." Bai Ming lowered his eyes to look at Yang Xiao, momentarily at a loss for words. He smiled knowingly and gently shook his head, "I've just been feeling a bit sentimental lately. What about you, General?"
Yang Xiao stretched her arms and sighed softly, "My mind is a bit tangled, so I thought I'd go for a walk."
"Your mind is in turmoil?" Bai Ming frowned as he looked at Yang Xiao. "What is it about?"
"I can't figure it out myself; it seems the more I try to understand, the more confused I get. But when I think about all the things I have to do, I feel much more at ease."
The soft moonlight reflected in Yang Xiao's eyes and then fell into Bai Ming's. Yang Xiao let out a soft sigh and unconsciously turned to look at Bai Ming, as if his figure blended with the moonlight. Unexpectedly, this glance was met with Bai Ming's gaze. She smiled and turned her head, trying to look away, but involuntarily found herself drawn into Bai Ming's eyes.
"How have you been these past few years?" Bai Ming asked Yang Xiao softly.
"It's alright," Yang Xiao nodded with a smile, "I've spent a few years experiencing the local customs and culture of Jiangnan, made a like-minded friend, and improved my martial arts skills... Although there are some regrets, no journey is ever wasted."
She looked at Bai Ming with deep emotion, "You told me back then, 'If you regroup, you'll always have a chance to start over.' Looking at it now, it's really true. Your words have inspired me for years."
“General, your ambition is so firm, how could you be shaken by a temporary setback?” Bai Ming looked at Yang Xiao, shook his head with a smile, “It was just a few words of encouragement. What is truly steadfast is your own heart, General.”
“That’s different.” Yang Xiao looked at the moon and gently shook her head. “To you, General, I may just be someone you helped out of a chance encounter; but to me, General, you are a friend in need.”
She sighed softly, then looked back at Bai Ming with a frank and sincere expression. "It's easy to say. Five years is a long time. How could everything be perfect? But every time I see that silver spear, I think of the first time I met you. It's as if I can overcome any difficulty."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming's heart began to race for no apparent reason. "Do you still remember our promise to go to Chang'an together?"
“Of course,” Yang Xiao nodded without hesitation, “How could I forget such a grand ambition?”
"You just said that I and the gun are your inspiration. In these five years, haven't I been the same way?" Bai Ming knocked on the door of his heart, his gentle gaze and the moonlight shining on Yang Xiao. "Ever since the day we met, your image has been lingering in my mind."
“Whenever I’m studying or practicing martial arts, I would inexplicably wonder if you would work several times harder than me?” He recalled the past, nodded and smiled gently. “I was always afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you and achieve great things in Chang’an together.”
He turned to look at Yang Xiao and said, "You know how difficult it is to find a kindred spirit these days."
"So you've been secretly competing with me all along," Yang Xiao teased Bai Ming, pointing at him. "I've made quite a bit of progress in the past five years."
Bai Ming was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and waved his hands repeatedly, "How could I dare? I could see your progress right before I was on the battlefield."
Under the moonlight, the two figures were very close together. They both noticed each other, but neither of them moved away even a fraction of a second.
Yang Xiao smiled and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. "We agreed to meet in Chang'an, but we never expected that we would meet again sooner than anticipated."
"Perhaps... this is fate?" Before he finished speaking, Bai Ming's ears began to burn slightly. He suddenly realized the ambiguity in his words and quickly coughed lightly to cover it up, turning to look at Yang Xiao beside him, "Our ambitions are not yet realized, and we will have to walk and encourage each other on the road ahead."
Yang Xiao smiled at Bai Ming and nodded vigorously, "From now on, I will ask General Bai for your continued assistance."
A cool breeze blew by, gently lifting the strands of their hair.
"Although it's late spring, it's still not warm at night." Bai Ming turned slightly to the side, his back to the wind, and looked down at Yang Xiao. "You've been working hard all day, so you should rest early and not catch a cold."
"It's still early, I plan to go check on the barracks. There are quite a few wounded in the Eagle Squad." Yang Xiao glanced at the moonlight, then smiled at Bai Ming, tilting her head. "Don't worry about me, get some rest."
As she spoke, she walked backwards, smiling and waving at Bai Ming, "See you tomorrow!"
Another gentle breeze swept by, and Yang Xiao felt a surge of joy and delight. She leaped onto her horse and galloped towards the barracks under the moonlight.
-
A few oil lamps burned in the dimly lit tent, and the overwhelming stench of blood rushed in from the doorway, where the groans of wounded soldiers could be heard.
Yang Xiao frowned, stood at the door, and listened to the sounds inside.
Inside the tent, Zhang Ping was bandaging a wounded soldier with gritted teeth, the tightly pulled gauze revealing faint traces of blood.
"Ouch—Zhang Ping! Be gentle!" The wounded soldier couldn't help but cry out in pain, grabbing Zhang Ping's ankle and shouting, "No, don't tie it up anymore, just leave it alone."
“That won’t do,” Zhang Ping said without stopping his work. “What, General Lingyu fought so brilliantly in her first battle, don’t you want to stay with her for a few more years?”
The wounded soldier nodded and lay down on the bed without making a sound.
Yang Xiao felt a pang of sadness. She lifted the curtain and stepped into the tent. "Why do you have to mention me when you're treating an injury?" she teased, but there was no smile in her eyes.
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