Chapter 110 The young man saw his homeland on the shore.
At dawn the next day, the army returned to the camp.
Most of the wounded soldiers were brought back in baggage carts. Song Xieqing held Zhu Hao in his arms and drove the horse slowly along the way. He was very careful, fearing that the bumpy ride would make her feel uncomfortable. He wished he could wrap Zhu Hao up in three layers of clothes so that not a single wind could get through.
When they were about to reach the tent, Song Xieqing pulled the reins and sighed silently. Zhu Hao looked up and saw that he had turned his horse's head and was looking back the way he came. Zhu Hao also poked half of his muddy face out from Song Xieqing's arms and looked back along his line of sight.
Not far away, the figure of a young man looked lonely in the rising sun. Seeing the two of them stop, the young man froze in place as if in meditation, looking around helplessly, and finally, he lowered his head, like a jade grass wilted by frost.
Song Xieqing dismounted and gently carried Zhu Hao down. He took a few steps and, just before entering the camp, he suddenly turned around, glanced at the young man who was still pinned to the spot, and asked calmly, "Why aren't you following me?"
Yu Xiang swept away his previous lethargy, and sprinted forward in two steps, answering crisply, "Yes!"
When they entered the camp, they saw military doctors walking around the open field applying medicine and bandaging the wounded. Song Xieqing supported Zhu Hao as they walked around several tents. The sound of a dispute in front of them pierced their ears. It sounded like a group fight, and it was quite intense.
The two looked at each other, and without saying anything more, Song Xieqing had already helped Zhu Hao steady himself and walked towards the noisy place.
"Pianpian!" Mei Lianjun was also among them. Seeing that it was Zhu Hao, he hurriedly asked the people around him to retreat to a small path to avoid bumping into each other.
Xiangyu had just delivered the message, saying that Zhu was well, but he never expected that Song Lang would also come.
Zhu Hao looked towards where the crowd was gathered, and his chest suddenly felt heavy.
There was a half-rolled straw mat, wrapped around a soundless young man in Hu clothing. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was a trace of dried blood at the corner of his mouth. A cold arrow pierced through his abdomen and back. The person sitting on the mat was Zhang Sa.
"General! I simply don't understand. Zhang Sa was already abducted as a slave by the Qiu Di, and now he's wearing Qiu Di clothing. The fabric is so smooth and lustrous, it must be of the highest quality. If Zhang Sa hadn't surrendered, what else could he have done... Why bother transporting his body back to the camp?"
"Zhang Sa, whose brother was publicly beheaded by the general for inciting morale in the camp, must have harbored a grudge. Perhaps he was already a hidden agent in the enemy camp when he was in Ying's tent?"
A question was like throwing a huge rock into the calm water, triggering a series of questions.
Zhu Hao's eyes were misty. She broke free from Song Xieqing's hand, walked to the table in a daze, leaned over and placed her warm palm on the boy's eyes that refused to close. When she moved away, the boy finally closed his eyes.
His hair was disheveled and his clothes were dirty. He didn't know how long he had been running. He saw his homeland on the shore, just across a bridge. But when he was about to set foot on his homeland, he was shot with an arrow from behind.
Zhu Hao leaned over the table and gently wiped the stains off his face with the corner of his sleeve, and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes. Only then did everyone see that the young man's hand, hidden under his sleeve, was tightly clutching a piece of burnt flag flower.
The soldiers surrounding one side seemed to understand something, and the crowd fell silent, leaving only the rustling of flags in the wind.
Mei Lianjun emerged from the crowd in the silence. Her armor was soaked in blood, and wounds of varying sizes were countless. The blood splattered on her face made her look like a sated animal. "We, the soldiers of Daying, each performed our duties and sacrificed our lives. We are all the backbone of our country."
"In this battle, the soldiers who lured the enemy deep into Lugu were heroes, and those who followed me directly into King Qiudi's tent were also heroes..." She paused, her eyes filled with admiration and sorrow fixed on the young man at the table. "But there's another kind of hero. He plunged himself into the situation, willingly bearing the reputation of a traitor, mediating for our army in the wolves-ridden Qiudi tent. He became our mouthpiece in the enemy camp, delivering military secrets to our army across the river."
"Without Zhang Sa, how could we have won today?" Mei Lianjun said slowly, "Of course, I understand the patriotism of all the officers and men. I didn't reveal Zhang Sa's identity before because it was for the greater good. If even a single word leaked, everything would be ruined."
Suddenly, there was the rustling of armor, and all the generals took off their helmets and lowered their heads, bowing deeply to the young man at the table.
Mei Lianjun still remembered that after she and Zhu Hao had discussed the strategy for Lu Valley, she was worried that no one would be around King Qiu Di, and then Zhang Sa came under the starry night.
At first, Mei Lianjun had some reservations when she heard that this child was the brother of the soldier who had taught her to kill him. But she was being narrow-minded. Though the young man's back was still frail, he was already capable of shouldering the responsibility of his country. He bowed solemnly under the tent, raised his blazing eyes, and said, "Zhang Sa wishes to serve Qiu Di, not for fame, but for the benefit of the country and the people... Also, to atone for my brother's past sins, I hope the general will grant me permission."
Military morale has been the foundation of the military since ancient times and cannot be shaken. The young man knew that his brother had made a serious mistake, but to say that he had no resentment towards this female general was not the case...
He knew his brother, and he thought that maybe his brother just took the wrong path... Zhang Sa understood that his brother just wanted to defeat the enemy as soon as possible and protect Xiayang, but he used the wrong method. However, military rules were like mountains, and he had to kill one to warn the rest.
So, the young man took up his brother's unfinished wish in his own way and vowed to defend Xiayang... Their mother had settled in Xiayang City for many years.
Mei Lianjun will never forget the blazing fire that burned in the boy's eyes that night. It was so hot that even thousands of snow-capped mountains could not shake it.
Zhu Hao touched Zhang Sa's chest and felt a slight bulge under her fingertips. She was stunned for a moment, reached in, and took out a tiger head embroidery.
She had a photographic memory for needlework since she was young, and recognized at a glance that the tiger head embroidery came from the old woman who made mutton soup noodles.
The wild grass is desolate and tears are flowing again.
…
Zhu Hao fell into a deep sleep. In her trance, she felt someone pouring medicine into her mouth, which was so bitter that she choked and woke up.
At first glance, I ran into Song Xieqing.
She always felt that Song Xieqing was different from before, and her eyes were fixed on him.
Song Xieqing paused holding the bowl, averted his gaze from her, and turned his face away. However, the man on the couch had already stood up, straightened his face, and carefully examined him from head to toe. He concluded and asked, "Song Xieqing, are you sick?"
"No."
Zhu Hao persisted, "Song Xieqing, you don't look well."
She threw her arms around him and said, "You've lost weight too."
Zhu Hao had just escaped from under the shed and was busy with the matter of Zhang Sa. He was in a trance and naturally had no time to look closely. Now when the two looked at each other, he was shocked to find that his brow bones were sunken and he looked very haggard.
Song Xieqing seized the opportunity and fed Zhu Hao another spoonful of medicine. It was so bitter that his face wrinkled. He only heard the man say indifferently, "The court affairs were very complicated a few days ago. I often discussed politics with Your Majesty and the ministers until dawn. Perhaps... I was too exhausted and haven't recovered yet."
"really?"
"Do you think I'm you?" Song Xieqing snorted, not knowing whether it was true or false. "I'm not Miss Zhu, who is used to coaxing and deceiving people."
After a moment of silence, Song Xieqing sighed softly, stroked the top of her hair, and said softly: "Pianpian, you did a good job."
With just one sentence, Zhu's tense body relaxed as if all the air had been released. Then, she could no longer hold back and threw herself on him, bursting into tears.
In front of him, she could always cry out loud without any scruples.
That's good, she thought.
Song Xieqing stroked her back and stopped forcing her to drink the medicine. He whispered, "Zhang Sa's body has been buried, and the tiger-head embroidery has been carefully placed in his arms. General Yun Wei has just escorted him... home."
"elegant……"
"……Um."
No more words were needed, she just needed him by her side to feel at ease. The warm yellow candlelight reflected in her tearful eyes, and she caught a glimpse of her arm around his waist, which was slightly translucent.
She knew her time was running out.
If she died like this, wouldn't she...become a lonely ghost with nowhere to turn to? After all, she would have already passed through a hundred years later, right?
"Song Xieqing, let's leave tomorrow. I want to...see where you grew up." Zhu Hao grabbed his collar, "Huaicheng is my home too."
"Pianpian, the doctor said you need..."
"I don't want to rest."
Song Xieqing knew she was naturally stubborn, so he had no choice but to go along with her and said, "Okay, we'll set off tomorrow morning. Now you can rest assured, okay?"
"But..." He brought the medicine bowl back, "Good medicine tastes bitter... Drink it, otherwise there's no room for negotiation."
"Oh..." Zhu Hao responded sullenly.
The girl in his arms buried herself in his heaving chest and suddenly whispered, "Song Xieqing, when we get to Huaicheng... let's get married, not for a hundred years."
Song Xieqing placed a kiss on her wet eyelashes, "Pianpian, it's my turn to speak."
…
Although the coalition army led by Qiu Di has retreated, the Ying army in Xiayang has no intention of withdrawing. News has come from the Qing Kingdom that 100,000 reinforcements will arrive soon. When the time comes, they will join forces and take down the five small countries in one fell swoop.
Another army of 300,000 has quietly set out, heading straight for the capital of Ying State. The purpose of this is self-evident to everyone.
Early in the morning, Zhu Hao led Song Xieqing and Mei Lianjun to bid farewell. Mei Lianjun looked at the two with a smile, and said in a light but weighty tone, "My Lord Imperial Master, if this general knew that Pian Pian had suffered even the slightest injustice, I would definitely take my silver spear and march straight to Huaicheng."
"Song will bear this in mind." After saying this, Song Xieqing corrected him, "However, I have already resigned from Your Majesty. I am not an official."
Mei Lianjun said no more and just watched the two of them support each other as they got into the carriage. Xiangyu whipped the carriage and drove it, sending dust flying all the way.
Xiayang is not far from Huaicheng. We traveled during the day and stayed in an inn at night. Within five days, the outline of the city wall appeared in the car window.
Huaicheng is now temporarily under the administration of Song You, Song Xieqing's uncle. The situation has been turbulent in the past few months, with frequent border battles. Therefore, most of the city gates are closed and security is tight.
Huanzhen had arrived at Huaicheng three days ago. No matter how he explained the pros and cons, Song Youlei remained unmoved and refused to open the city gate. Huaicheng was too small to accommodate a large army. There was no other way, so 250,000 soldiers had to be stationed 30 miles outside the city. Another 50,000 elite soldiers followed Huanzhen and waited at the city gate for three full days.
If he wanted to enter Yingdu, the best way was to go through Huaicheng. In addition, this city would soon be under the control of the country. Song You was so stubborn that he kept him out of the city for three whole days. If he had not had a good relationship with Song Lang, he would have ordered 300,000 troops to flatten Huaicheng long ago.
Unexpectedly, after Song Lang resigned from his post, he did not immediately return to Huaicheng to help him. Instead, he made him wait outside the city for three days.
Just for a woman.
When I really think about this, I feel that Song Xieqing is confused.
He wanted to see what kind of woman it was that made Song Lang so worried. If she was a scheming woman, he would help Song Lang get rid of her.
A green-covered carriage slowly stopped.
Song Xieqing got off the car first and put his palm into the curtain. He saw slender fingers intertwined and skirts dragging on the ground. Sure enough, a girl came out from behind the curtain.
They actually met Zhu Hao's eyes, and both of them were stunned.
His original intention of helping Song Xieqing get rid of this woman was instantly extinguished, but he didn't know why.
The snow fox perched on Huanzhen's shoulder leaped down and flew into Zhu Hao's arms. While Zhu Hao was stunned, he held the warm fur ball and gave a meaningful look to the so-called military advisor of Qing Kingdom.
Zhu Hao couldn't understand why he... was here?
Except for the fact that she lacked the innate immortal aura of being above the mortal world, everything else, whether it was the red dot between her eyebrows, or her beauty that surpassed that of a woman, and... the snow fox in her arms, who should be called "A Zhao", were exactly the same as the young man who floated in the air and made a so-called deal with her a hundred years later.
In a trance, every word of Wu's words echoed in my ears——
"After you die, I will use your soul to search for Ah Zhao's three souls and seven spirits. From then on, your soul may wander in the human world, but it will never be reincarnated again."
"This ball is the door that opens the crack, and you are the key. When the door opens, yin and yang are reversed, and their souls may float back to ancient times with the aftermath..."
Because of this, she was able to float to this day a hundred years ago.
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