Before he could make a proper identification, the horse arrived in a flash, and it was indeed Zheng Boyuan.
Zheng Boyuan, clad in full armor, grinned broadly when he saw Xu Zhi standing on the carriage shaft. Xu Zhi, unsure of what to say, simply smiled along with him. Zheng Yuanyuan lifted the curtain of the carriage window and, seeing her brother, called out to him with laughter. Zheng Boyuan said to Xu Zhi, "We'll be at Wuzhou City soon. You should go in first, and we'll talk properly once we get there."
Xu Zhi agreed and entered the carriage. The procession slowly began to move forward again. Zheng Boyuan followed the carriage at a distance. Zheng Yuanyuan simply opened the curtain and said with a smile, "Brother, you have so much time to come and pick me up in person?"
Zheng Boyuan said, "I was patrolling around here with my men. I came here to wait after receiving Lord Feng's letter. You must have had a hard journey."
Zheng Yuanyuan nodded and said, "It was indeed a tough journey, brother. You have no idea how many people wanted our cotton-padded clothes. But Uncle Xu had foreseen this and asked the Emperor to send the Imperial Guards to escort us, which is why we were able to get here safely."
Zheng Yuanyuan finally relaxed when she saw her brother, chattering about her experiences on the road. Zheng Boyuan didn't interrupt her, but just smiled and looked into the carriage through the curtain. He saw Xu Zhi smiling with her lips pursed, and his heart was instantly filled with warmth.
Feng Zhongyi and his entourage were already waiting outside the city gate. After Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan came over to pay their respects, Feng Zhongyi said to them, "We truly admire your noble character. On behalf of the people of Wuzhou, I thank you both." Xu Zhi quickly replied, "Lord Feng, protecting our home and country is the duty of every citizen of Daliang. It is everyone's responsibility to protect our home and country. My sister and I have only done what we should and could do."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xu Zhi bid farewell to Feng Zhongyi. She insisted on going to the military camp by the border river first, as the temperature in Wuzhou had been very low recently. Sending these cotton-padded clothes there so that the soldiers could wear them was the most urgent task.
There were still over a hundred miles to go, and it was almost lunchtime. Despite Feng Zhongyi's repeated attempts to persuade her to stay, Xu Zhi insisted on continuing the journey. Feng Zhongyi had no choice but to let her take the lunch he had prepared for the road.
They ate lunch as they walked. Zheng Boyuan took out a leather water bag from his pocket. Xu Zhi took it and touched it. It was still warm. She looked at Zheng Boyuan with great surprise.
As Zheng Boyuan rode on his horse, he said to Xu Zhi with some pride, "This is hot water that was brought from Wuzhou City this morning. I was worried that you two wouldn't be able to drink cold water, so I prepared it. Fortunately, the water is still warm. You should quickly pour some out and drink some to warm yourselves up."
Xu Zhi's car had several fixed drawers containing teacups carved from bamboo. When water was poured out of the water bag, it was still steaming.
This group of people usually camped out in the wild rather than stay in inns. Although they could drink hot soup and porridge, Xu Zhi hadn't had hot water for a long time since last night. She picked up the cup, took a sip, and swallowed it. She felt a warm feeling go from her throat to her heart.
The road from Wuzhou to the Jiehe military camp was relatively smooth, and the vehicles and horses traveled quickly. They arrived before it even got dark.
Xu Zhi lifted the carriage curtain, and under the twilight, she could only see a dark mass of barracks standing between heaven and earth. Because the border between Daliang and Dayan was a river that flowed year-round, several watchtowers were built outside this military camp, and people were on duty every twelve hours. If there was any unusual activity on the other side of the river, an alarm would be sounded, and the people in the camp would quickly assemble after receiving the alarm.
After Xu Zhi alighted from the carriage, she found it parked in front of a room in the first row of the barracks. Zheng Boyuan was busy with something, but a young soldier in armor, around ten years old, was standing by the carriage. When he saw Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan get off the carriage, he came over and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Madam Zheng. I am General Zheng's attendant. General Zheng went to settle the esteemed guests who came from the capital and instructed me to serve Madam Zheng and Miss Zheng here."
Xu Zhi nodded and asked, "What's your name? How old are you?"
The young soldier seemed quite composed, but some of his small movements betrayed his nervousness. When Xu Zhi asked him, he quickly replied, "My name is Xi Jing'an, and I'm thirteen years old."
Xu Zhi asked in surprise, "Can someone as young as thirteen join the army?"
Xi Jing'an said somewhat embarrassedly, "I was brought here by the general from outside. I was originally from a farming family in this area. Last year, the Great Yan people came and killed my parents. My uncles and aunts were unwilling to support me, so they told me to go to Wuzhou to find work and earn money to support myself. I fell ill and became unable to move. I was rescued by the general in a dilapidated temple outside the city, and then I came here to serve as the general's attendant."
He was a pitiful person, and Xu Zhi felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. The people in the border regions were constantly harassed by these foreign tribes. If they were lucky, the foreign tribes would just rob them and leave. If they were unlucky, they might become victims of those foreign tribes' swords.
Zheng Yuanyuan's eyes reddened as she listened, and she said to Xi Jing'an, "Those damned Great Yan people, let's stay here and guard them properly. When they come, let's make sure they never come back."
Xi Jing'an nodded and said, "That's what the general said too. After the general arrived, he led us in training. It's only been a few months, but our Wuzhou garrison is really different from before. Especially with the reward and punishment policy the general formulated, everyone is training like crazy."
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