Zhao Liang, who had joined Lü Tu's ranks long ago and was also one of Lü Tu's former neighbors, was still bleeding from his right leg. With tears in his eyes, he said, "It was you, sir, who taught us swordsmanship and led us to kill the Wuhuan people, allowing me to avenge my mother in my lifetime. Please accept my bow, sir!"
As Zhao Liang was about to kneel down, Lü Tu quickly said to Liu Yang, "Quickly help them up. Don't make a fuss if they're injured. I understand how you feel!"
"My lord, we've lived our lives as cowards, never imagining that one day we could kill the Karasuma soldiers with our own hands. It was you, my lord, who gave us the backbone of men!"
Lu Tu felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. They were all men, so naturally they could empathize. Men aren't afraid of being called bad or dirty, but what they hate most is being called useless or worthless.
"You've done very well. Just focus on recovering during this time. Once you're fully healed, you'll all be promoted to my personal guards!"
Sun Meng and Sun Kuang, who were standing nearby, felt a pang of envy, thinking how lucky these people were to become Lü Tu's personal guards; they must have benefited immensely from it.
Putting aside how much they could learn, just following Lü Tu in fighting bravely against the enemy would earn them a lot of military merit. Their regret was that they hadn't been by Lü Tu's side that day, and only came to support the main force after discovering the signal fire, thus missing such a good opportunity.
"Thank you, sir."
Lu Tu looked at Nie Yun: "Go to the village and call some villagers over to help take care of the wounded soldiers during this time."
"Yes, sir!"
With the help of the two men, Lü Tu sat back in the carriage. After driving around the village for a few hours, he finally went home.
Hu Delu wiped his sweat and said, "Sir, I'll come again tomorrow to take you out for a stroll."
"No need for that, I understand your sentiments. The best way to repay me is to thank me for not focusing on these things, but to train our soldiers well and improve their survivability on the battlefield."
Hu Delu nodded: "I...I understand!"
For the next two weeks, Lü Tu went out for walks every day with the help of Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu, in order to maintain a moderate amount of exercise, which would help him recover faster.
During this period, Commandant Yun Tian sent people to urge Lü Tu to hand over the heads of the Wuhuan people quickly, but Lü Tu was not comfortable sending anyone else, so he repeatedly declined.
After all, this was the greatest military achievement he had ever made since joining the army. Moreover, according to his daily observations, peddlers had been passing by the village from time to time recently, although they were stopped by the soldiers that Lu Tu had arranged to patrol.
This also proves that everyone in Wuchuan knew that Lü Tu had killed at least a hundred-man squad of Wuhuan, and everyone knew that this was bound to bring immense wealth.
It's unknown how many people are secretly coveting these heads. Perhaps when he sent Nie Yun to hand over the heads, they would be intercepted before he even reached Wuchuan.
As for storage, there's even less to worry about. During this period of late spring cold snaps, the snow hasn't thawed yet, and there are dedicated personnel to oversee it, so there's no need to worry about the human head rotting and becoming unrecognizable.
Song Yuxi's belly was already slightly protruding, and the maternal glow on her face was becoming more and more intense. Looking at the continuation of his bloodline, Lü Tu felt genuinely happy.
"My dear husband, you are in such good health. You can already walk on the ground despite such a serious injury. In less than half a month, you will be as energetic as ever again."
Nangong Huiyu sighed inappropriately from the side: "Does that mean I'll be bullied by my husband again in two months?"
Lu Tu chuckled and pinched her round, pert buttocks: "Even if I'm not fully recovered, I can still bully you."
Song Yuxi reminded him, "Husband, you must not harm your own vital energy. You should not think about matters between men and women for the time being."
The pregnant daughter-in-law's words carried more weight than an imperial edict, so Lü Tu quickly nodded in agreement, took Song Yuxi's hand, and said, "I'll do whatever you say."
Just as the three were flirting, Xiao Zhong's voice came from outside: "My lord, are you home?"
"Mr. Xiao, please come in."
"Sir, the house that the captain bestowed upon us was robbed yesterday."
"What happened?"
Xiao Zhong shook his head slightly: "I don't know either. After I went to the Commandant's Mansion to receive the reward that day, I hired a few people from the market to guard the house. I also visited the house that day and found that there was nothing inside. But this morning, the guard sent a message by carrier pigeon to tell me that a group of thieves broke in last night. They didn't steal anything, but they stole the only wooden Buddha statue in the Buddhist hall."
"A Buddha statue?" Lu Tu asked, puzzled.
"Yes, I've seen that Buddha statue. It's a completely rotten Buddha statue. The previous Po Rong Captain was Zhou Taishan. I don't know why he didn't take it."
Nangong Huiyu asked in confusion, "Junior brother, you've been smart your whole life, yet you never imagined that Zhou Taishan, who is so greedy, would have a broken Buddha statue in his home?"
Xiao Zhong bowed apologetically: "I was in such a hurry to return and report that I was negligent. I only remembered it after receiving the message by carrier pigeon, so I came here specifically to apologize to you, sir!"
Lu Tu patted Nangong Huiyu's hand, then said to Xiao Zhong, "It's okay if it's lost, it's not a big deal. Your primary task that day was to collect the reward, so it's not your fault."
Xiao Zhong suddenly raised his head, his face showing shame, and said, "Sir, you really don't blame me? I suspect that there must be some gold and silver treasures that Zhou Taishan was unable to take away that day. They used to be guarded by the inner guards of the Commandant's Office, and they only found an opportunity to sneak in and steal them recently."
"Don't blame yourself. Even if there were mountains of gold and silver inside, it's not your fault. There's no need to dwell on the past."
"You are truly a gentleman!"
Lu Tu waved his hand: "Stop flattering me. You should keep a close eye on getting the irrigation ditches dug and make sure to cultivate more wasteland before spring planting. That's the important thing. Coveting wealth that we don't even know about is something only women do."
This was Xiao Zhong's first mistake since arriving here. He was already very proud and thought that Lu Tu was kind to him, perhaps only because of Nangong Huiyu. So he wanted to do everything perfectly.
However, a mistake still occurred. He had thought it through before he came today. He was fine with Lü Tu blaming or punishing him, but he would leave.
To Xiao Zhong's utter surprise, Lü Tu didn't take it seriously at all. Instead, he comforted him, telling him to look forward and not dwell on the past, and continued to treat him well as always. This impressed Xiao Zhong, who had seen so much depravity.
"Thank you, sir. I will certainly fulfill your orders!"
After Xiao Zhong left, Nangong Huiyu asked curiously, "Husband, sister, do you think there really is gold and silver inside that Buddha statue?"
Song Yuxi shook her head: "I don't think so. After all, this is just our speculation. If there really was gold and silver, why didn't Zhou Taishan take it with him when he was demoted? He was only demoted, not his property was confiscated. He had plenty of opportunities to take it with him."
Nangong Huiyu suddenly noticed a smile playing on Lü Tu's lips and asked in confusion, "Husband, what are you laughing about? After all, it's our things that were stolen."
Lu Tu smiled wickedly: "So I guess that these burglars were not sent by Zhou Taishan at all. Perhaps some of them just wanted us to rush to Wuchuan to check, and also wanted us to hand over the Wuhuan heads while we were at it!"
Upon hearing this, the two women's pupils dilated in shock, and they exclaimed, "My husband is so amazing!"
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