Chapter 27, Twenty-Seventh Enemy Attack
Unbeknownst to him, Lu Huantang once looked up during a patrol and saw a thin patch of tender green grass growing out of nowhere, standing alone in the vast sandy ground, yet it had a lovely vitality.
Lu Huantang didn't even notice the faint smile that appeared on his lips. However, Wu Kingdom had been unusually quiet for the past month, with no further provocations or disturbances, which was somewhat strange.
After Lu Huantang changed shifts, he met Zhang Wanchun again.
Zhang Wanchun squatted by the field, carefully examining each wheat seedling.
This amused Lu Huantang. Although he had never farmed before, he knew that farmers couldn't possibly tend to each and every wheat seedling. Lu Huantang walked over and said, "It's time for lunch. If we don't go soon, all the vegetables will be gone."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Wanchun stood up. His legs were so numb that he could no longer feel them, and he staggered a couple of steps before regaining his balance.
Lu Huantang reached out to help him steady himself before continuing forward, asking, "You've never farmed before, have you?"
“You noticed,” Zhang Wanchun said, scratching his head sheepishly. “My family used to be well-off. I went to school for a few years, but then we fell on hard times and I joined the army. I’ve never farmed before.”
As expected, Lu Huantang didn't ask any further questions, but simply praised the field for being well-cultivated, saying that the wheat produced would definitely be more fragrant than the rice grown in Wu Kingdom, which was harvested three times a year.
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Wanchun became even more excited upon hearing this, saying, "After the war ends, I will go to the Ministry of Works to oversee water conservancy and help the people farm."
"You can earn military merits by fighting, but you can't do that by farming." Lu Huantang used this fact to test his meaning.
"I don't like fighting, and I don't need to get promoted. As long as the people are well-fed and the land is good, that's enough." There was a sad light in Zhang Wanchun's eyes, which, reflected in the green of his pupils, revealed a hope before the ice was broken.
Just as Lu Huantang had expected, he neither said anything to him nor lectured him. Firstly, there was no need; it was someone else's business. Secondly, it was someone else's business, and differing opinions were normal.
When the two arrived at the restaurant, they were surprised to find two more meat dishes than usual. Zhang Wanchun, grinning, held up a large bowl of meat and asked, "Have you struck it rich? So much meat!"
The soldier standing nearby, his mouth greasy from eating, mumbled, "The emperor is afraid people will come to roast the soldiers (the emperor sent people to reward the soldiers)."
It's quite amusing that the Regent's soldiers, and the Emperor's men, are being rewarded. Lu Huantang, curious about which unlucky fellow was sent to do this thankless task, chuckled and asked, "Who came?"
"Who else could it be but that money-grubbing bitch surnamed Jiang?" He ate the meat that Jiang had brought him, but made no attempt to hide his contempt.
Lu Huantang, who had been watching the show just a moment ago, instantly turned cold. He knew Jiang Linzhi had a bad reputation, but hearing these words with his own ears still made him uncomfortable. He was usually easygoing, and at this moment he smiled and said, "If you're eating someone else's food, you should keep your mouth clean. Be careful what you say."
Although the person opposite was smiling, the group of soldiers who were laughing and agreeing felt a chill run down their spines, as if the meat in their bowls was about to cause trouble the next day.
The atmosphere became unsettlingly heavy for a moment, but Lu Huantang smiled and broke the silence: "It's just a custom in my hometown, nothing more."
The person involved gave him a way out, and Lu Huantang had considerable prestige in the army, so Zhang Wanchun quickly tried to lighten the mood with jokes and laughter. Everyone laughed it off and didn't take the little incident seriously.
Lu Huantang finished his meal early, preoccupied with his own thoughts, and then casually went to the drill ground. Even if the two factions were at odds, General Li would still pretend to take Jiang Linzhi on a tour.
Sure enough, at a quarter past noon, Jiang Linzhi, dressed in flamboyant attire, strolled in with her deputy general. Women were rare in the military camp, except for prostitutes, let alone a woman of Jiang Linzhi's exceptional beauty. And beside her was a man even more stunning than any woman.
The group that had just been cursing Jiang Linzhi were stunned, forgetting what they were doing and unable to utter a single word.
Lu Huantang adopted his usual stern demeanor when training troops, and scolded, "Don't you think you'll survive a war? What are you looking at?"
The soldiers immediately gripped their weapons and resumed their training.
Jiang Linzhi made his way around, but didn't speak to Lu Huantang alone. He exchanged a few polite words with Deputy Qi before going to the reception room to rest.
During the break, Qi Er glanced at Lu Huantang and said, "I'll keep an eye on this. You go and bring some tea."
Lu Huantang rushed over immediately, but then, realizing his impatience, he slowly made his way over.
Before even opening the door, one could hear Jiang Linzhi and Qi Lingjun laughing and talking inside; to be more precise, it was Jiang Linzhi making everyone laugh.
It was probably a new joke, and Jiang Lin was laughing uncontrollably.
Lu Huantang paused for a moment before knocking on the door, and then knocked again after a long while.
Qi Lingjun opened the door, and the two faced each other. After a moment of silence, Qi Lingjun smiled and stepped aside, saying, "Lord Lu, it's been a long time." Qi Lingjun took the teacup, poured water, and said, "We'll be setting off soon. I'll go find Chen to prepare."
Only the two of them remained in the room. Jiang Linzhi tilted his head and looked at Lu Huantang, saying, "Long time no see, young master."
Lu Huantang, who had been maintaining a calm demeanor, couldn't help but smile. He squatted down in front of Jiang Linzhi and said, "Yes, it's been a long time. No reward?"
With the demeanor of a dog and the ambition of a wolf, Jiang Linzhi cupped Lu Huantang's face, examined him carefully for a while, and said, "You've lost weight, and there are scars on your face."
Knowing that Jiang Linzhi was teasing him, Lu Huantang deliberately said in a huff, "Yes, he's not as handsome as Mr. Qi."
Jiang Linzhi kissed the scar on his forehead, wiped off the lipstick, and said, "I left you some things. Take care of them. It's not good for me to stay here any longer. I'll be leaving in a bit."
Lu Huantang nodded, feeling extremely reluctant to part with her. He twirled Jiang Linzhi's sleeve. Even though he no longer needed to rely on her influence, and it was actually her who was relying on him, he still couldn't bear to part with Jiang Linzhi.
A light kiss wasn't enough. He looked up at Jiang Linzhi, his gaze intense and direct. "You have to give me something sweet, don't you?"
Jiang Linzhi smiled brightly and slowly lowered her head. Suddenly, a loud bang shook the entire earth. Lu Huantang instinctively drew his sword and stood up to protect Jiang Linzhi.
Qi Lingjun pushed open the door and entered. Thick smoke was already billowing outside. He said urgently, "Miss, the Wu Kingdom has invented a cannon with a range of a thousand paces. We must leave quickly."
Lu Huantang immediately pushed Jiang Linzhi to Qi Lingjun and said, "Protect her as she goes, I'll see you off for a while."
Despite his reluctance and worry, Jiang Linzhi only said "Take care" before leaving with Qi Lingjun.
The air was thick with the smell of kerosene and dust. Lu Huantang covered his mouth and nose and saw that a hole had been smashed into the eastern city wall. He couldn't see where the cannon fire was coming from in the distance. What kind of cannon could be so powerful? He said to Qi Lingjun, "Go from the west, quickly."
Seeing Jiang Lin board the carriage, Lu Huantang felt relieved and went to find General Li, saying, "General, I am willing to lead a hundred light cavalry."
At such a great distance, it's impossible to attack from inside the city. If the Wu Kingdom continues its assault, the city walls will be destroyed.
Seeing that General Li still had reservations, Lu Huantang said, "With such artillery fire, we can only attack at close range, but they will definitely figure it out and set up an ambush for us. We will die anyway."
General Li had fought on the battlefield for many years, and it was impossible for him not to distinguish between eliminating dissidents and expelling foreign tribes. He took a deep look at Lu Huantang and sighed inwardly, wondering why he was not on the Regent's side. With a wave of his hand, he gave him three hundred iron cavalry and ordered him to lead them in a surprise attack.
That battle was incredibly difficult. The cannons loaded with bushes fired non-stop. Nearby was Wu territory, and thousands of soldiers were lined up outside the city. It was difficult to break through the layers of flesh walls, let alone the well-equipped soldiers.
Lu Huantang was truly in a killing frenzy. He led a dozen men to block one cannon, which they blew up. The rest of his men blew up five cannons. Only two cannons remained.
The Wu soldiers, used to a life of luxury, had never seen such a reckless fighting style. They quickly brought in their newly developed cannons to surround and wipe out the remaining few dozen men.
Lu Huantang didn't know how he fought his way out. When he returned to the city, the sword his master had given him was faintly flashing with an ominous red light. He couldn't let go of the sword. The long fighting had made the way he held the sword instinctive.
He stared blankly around at the ruins. Half of the city, which had been destroyed, was still shrouded in smoke, and the cries of agony from within the city were deafening, like the howls of ghosts in the dead of night.
He looked back and saw that only a handful of the three hundred cavalrymen remained, some lying on their horses, their fates unknown.
After a long time, Lu Huantang's senses returned to normal. He had three major wounds on his shoulder, thigh, and abdomen, and the rest were covered with countless other wounds. His body felt like it was leaking air, and finally, he lost his strength and fell off his horse.
While unconscious, he seemed to hear the anxious voice of the army doctor, "Hurry! Stop the bleeding first, or he won't make it!"
He seemed to hear his senior's voice, "If I take a chance and make something of myself, they can't deny it, can they?"
Then came the army doctor's voice, "We don't have dendrobium, but bring more rehmannia and notoginseng."
How is my senior brother doing?
I forgot, it seems he received a death benefit.
But his senior brother was only transporting snuff bottles; who would dare to rob snuff bottles meant for official positions, and who would have the ability to do so?
"It's no use anymore, it's no use anymore."
Lu Huantang, who was unconscious, tensed up all over. A pair of cool hands were placed on his shoulders, as if a gentle stream was flowing into his parched body. It was as tender as when his older sister held him in her arms and applied medicine when he was a child and his father punished him for making a mistake.
After an unknown amount of time, the army doctor's voice came again, "Thank goodness! His life has been saved. If he doesn't develop a fever tonight, he'll be out of danger."
General Li had only thought Lu Huantang was talented, after all, he was someone the Regent had personally spoken to. But his achievements today were truly astonishing to everyone, so General Li decided against lying about his merits. Even if this person belonged to a different party, he was still someone who benefited the country.
After handling the post-war reorganization matters, General Li wrote a letter to the court, clearly listing the meritorious individuals, including those who died in battle.
After finishing writing, General Li thought for a moment and then wrote another letter to the Regent. In the letter, he pleaded his case, saying that he could not bear to suppress such a talented general and that he would try his best to persuade Lu Huantang to join the Regent's camp.
General Li had just handed the letter to the messenger who was in charge of communicating with the Regent when it was opened and read thoroughly. The messenger, after looking at the contents of the letter, immediately imitated General Li's handwriting and wrote another letter.
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