"A soldier sacrifices his life for the sake of righteousness, while a soldier must achieve his own success with the blood and flesh of others. A general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers, and sometimes a single careless thought can turn one's own life into nothing more than bones. You've been on the battlefield, so you should understand this."
"Over a decade ago, at the Battle of Qingping Ferry, Marquis Qinghuai rose to fame and led his troops into the Blue Frontier. However, his eagerness to win led to his defeat at Sanmu Pass. If the Guangyao Battalion had not abandoned the ancient ferry crossing of the Tianmu River and come to our aid, few of the 200,000-man Subei army would have survived. The commander of the Guangyao Battalion at that time was none other than General Fei Lian, my beloved daughter, Mei Ruogu."
Xiao Nanhui couldn't hide his shock.
There were few records of General Fei Lian in the Tiancheng court, but she did not expect that she was a woman like herself.
Mei Qiao didn't care about her reaction. He was still immersed in the past, and even his face was shining. "If Ruogu Ruofei was a woman, she would have been a general by now. Her spear skills were taught by her brother, and the flat string was forged by me. She is the red tassel on the spearhead of the Mei family, and the pride of me, Mei Qiao, my life. It's a pity that she met that man..."
Mei Qiao's face became old again, and his voice gradually became colder.
"She married, had children, and became more loving and forgiving, less fierce and murderous. She judged the battle at Sanmu Pass to be a fraud, but cherished Xiao Zhun as a talented general, so she disobeyed orders to support him. She was trapped against Bai Hun's fierce generals, her string severed by the Black Iron Heavenly Spear, and she herself was seriously injured. She wanted to return to her hometown, but she didn't live to see that day. She rode away from Quecheng with a smile on her face, but returned wrapped in a straw mat. From then on, I don't know where to find her."
Xiao Nanhui listened to this story in silence, feeling a lot of emotions in his heart, but not too much sadness.
The fate between people is really so wonderful.
Because Mei Ruogu was seriously injured, Xiao Zhun led the army to stay in Suyan for a few days, and it was during those few days that her life changed drastically.
Several years later, she inherited Mei Ruogu's weapon and her will, but she didn't know about the past until the string broke.
Perhaps, in some mysterious way, Mei Ruogu's heroic spirit was attached to the gun, invisibly leading her step by step to the path that the female general had once taken, and protecting her from danger countless times.
"General Fei Lian was a man of integrity and righteousness. I, a younger generation, only wish to spend the rest of my life on the battlefield defending our country and carrying on his aspirations. But I know that even though a man may die, his spirit lives on. Since the old general undertook the task of reforging the broken spear, he must have felt the same way."
Mei Qiao was fully aware of what Xiao Nan meant by his reply, but he did not deny it.
"I've spent my life in battle, and countless blood has fallen on my hands. Heaven spared my life, but took Ruochong and Ruogu. I resented this injustice, and my obsession was so deep that I could no longer control myself. This is why I reforged the broken spear. I was obsessed with this for years, until I finally realized my mistake and gave it to your adoptive father. You must understand that a spear is inherently upright. All gunmakers in the world consider a seamless whole to be superior, while complex and intricate techniques are inferior. Perhaps this spear should never have existed."
Every word Mei Qiao said was so powerful that it struck Xiao Nanhui's heart like the beat of a drum.
She murmured, as if she was talking to the other person, or to herself.
"I don't care about complexity or inferiority. Pingxian means much more to me than just a weapon."
The cold wind started to blow again, and Mei Qiao's voice seemed to ring in his ears, and it seemed to come from far away on the wind.
"No matter how much you place your affection on an object, Pingxian is ultimately just a gun. It couldn't replace Ruogu in the past, and it can't replace what you feel in the present. Have you ever considered that perhaps you're just looking for an excuse to stop moving forward?"
If the other party's previous words were just the breeze before the storm, then this sentence was like thunder and lightning that struck Xiao Nanhui deep in her heart.
She was like a moth struggling in the darkness in one direction. Suddenly, she saw light everywhere and lost her direction.
Mei Qiao's voice still lingered around, making the light burn even brighter.
"I have tasted the pain of remembering people when I see things. However, the only things in this world that cannot be brought back are the things that are gone, just like the plum blossoms on this branch. We only need to remember their beauty when they bloomed, and when they wither, we should let them go."
As soon as the words fell, the cold wind blew through the hall.
Many more plum blossoms fell from the branches, and the two fell into silence again, just like when they first met.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Nanhui finally took a few steps forward slowly.
The old general's back was still straight, and he was so majestic that no one could look directly at him when he sat upright. However, his hands, which no longer held a gun, now had nothing to hold, so they could only curl up stubbornly on his knees.
"Today I will return the Pingxian, and I hope the general will find a good home for it."
Xiao Nanhui stretched out his hand and gently shook the back of the old general's hand. Mei Qiao's hand trembled slightly.
Those were a pair of hands very similar to Ruogu's, with a thin layer of calluses on the palms, rough and prickly knuckles, and distinct joints that did not look like those of a woman.
A pair of hands trained by a marksman.
The next second, the hand was withdrawn.
Xiao Nanhui slowly took three steps back and solemnly performed a military salute.
"General Xiao Nanhui bids farewell to General Mei. I hope the general takes care of himself and lives a long and prosperous life."
She did not look up to see the old general's expression, but walked out of the pavilion with her head down.
Ah Qiu, who was waiting not far away, came over quietly and led her out of the yard where the winter plum blossoms were in full bloom.
Xiao Nanhui was still a little dazed as he walked back the way he came. Ah Chu, who was walking beside him, suddenly spoke.
"Ah Chu thanks Master Xiao."
She finally came to her senses and hurriedly returned the greeting: "Why do you say that, sir? Even if I were to express my gratitude, it should be from me, the old general and you, sir."
Ah Qiu smiled amiably, seeming a bit more casual than when they first met.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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