Lu Tu got up and went outside, calling out towards the warehouse: "Liu Hu".
"Big brother, what's wrong?"
"Go to the drill ground and call Liu Hong over."
"yes!"
Lu Tu suddenly realized that they both shared the surname Liu, and wondered if there were any emperors from the Liu family in this world.
After all, in his previous life, the concept of Han people was proposed by the Liu family, so he was naturally interested in the Liu family.
Before long, Liu Hu brought Liu Hong over. Liu Hong quickly cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "What business does my lord have with me?"
Just then, Song Yuxi's voice, trembling with tears, came from behind: "Lieutenant Liu?"
Liu Hong was startled by these words, then looked in the direction of the voice. When he saw Song Yuxi clearly, his eyes reddened: "Princess!"
After saying that, he knelt down on the ground with a thud: "This humble general Liu Hong pays his respects to the princess. After I was demoted to a military slave, I inquired about the princess's whereabouts in many ways. I never thought that I would be able to see the princess safe and sound again today. Even if I die, I will have the face to see the young general!"
"Liu Hong, please rise!" Song Yuxi quickly stepped forward to help Liu Hong up, and said with concern, "It is my Song family that has harmed you."
Liu Hong stubbornly shook his head: "Princess, don't say that. It was clearly the late emperor who was incompetent and deposed the eldest son in favor of the younger one. What's wrong with the General supporting the former Crown Prince?"
Song Yuxi had previously told Lü Tu that her father was a general of the former Great Yu Dynasty and one of the Eight Pillars of State, so it was normal for Liu Hong to call her a princess.
Liu Hu, who was listening from the side, was shocked. He thought his older brother was already very powerful, but he never expected that his sister-in-law's background was even more terrifying!
Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "Little Tiger, go and rest."
How could Liu Hu not understand Lü Tu's meaning? He quickly cupped his hands in farewell and said, "Brother, rest assured, if a single word is leaked, I, Liu Hu, will offer my head to you!"
Lu Tu threw the long sword in his hand to him: "I took it from the Wuhuan people today, and I'm giving it to you."
Liu Hu was overjoyed with the longsword: "Thank you so much, brother!"
"Let's talk inside," Lu Tu said, leading Liu Hong into the house.
With the light on, Song Yuxi could see that Liu Hong was already emaciated from hunger, so she quickly ladled a bowl of porridge and a few steamed buns from the pot: "Liu Lieutenant, have something to eat first."
Liu Hong quickly stood up and waved his hand, "No! How can I let the princess bring me food?"
Seeing this, Lü Tu took the rice bowl and then handed it to Liu Hong: "Since you have been kind to Yu Xi, then you are my benefactor, Lü Tu. What's wrong with serving tea and water to your benefactor?"
"Thank you, Lord Lü! Thank you, Princess!" Liu Hong said, choking back tears as he accepted the bowl of thick millet porridge.
He was so hungry he was practically ravenous, and when he smelled the aroma of food, he couldn't resist. He ate the steamed buns in large bites and swallowed the scalding hot porridge without a second thought.
When Liu Hong was a military officer in the capital, countless people fawned over him, and he lived a life of luxury.
But those other foods seemed so meager compared to this bowl of millet porridge.
He didn't know what was wrong, but drinking this bowl of scalding hot porridge made his eyes water.
Song Yuxi smiled at Lü Tu, then added a few more bowls of porridge and steamed buns for Liu Hong, which was just enough to satisfy his hunger.
Just as Song Yuxi was about to add more porridge to Liu Hong's bowl, Lü Tu stopped her, saying, "People who have been starving for too long shouldn't eat too much, or they might hurt their lives."
Although Liu Hong was still not satisfied, he clasped his hands and said, "Princess, Lord Lü is right. I have seen people who have not eaten for three days die suddenly after having a big meal. I can't eat anymore."
"Princess, have you married Lord Lü?"
"Yes, my husband treats me very well." She then recounted how she was married to Lü Tu at the Wuchuan vegetable market that day.
Liu Hong listened with deep respect: "Fortunately, you helped us, Princess. Otherwise... if that had happened, we who follow the young general would have no face to see him even after death!"
Song Yuxi listened from the sidelines, tears streaming down her face. One of the four great joys in life is meeting an old friend in a foreign land. Although Liu Hong did not hold a high position in the Southern Army, he and the other soldiers, even when implicated, did their best to protect themselves on the road to exile.
Thinking of this, Song Yuxi burst into tears and leaned on Lü Tu's shoulder.
After comforting Song Yuxi for a while, Lu Tu finally calmed her down. Then, he solemnly bowed to Liu Hong and said, "Thank you, righteous man Liu!"
"The old general and the young general have treated us well, it is only right that we do so! I am unworthy of such praise from you, sir."
Lu Tu helped him sit down and asked, "Are all the brothers who came back today one of our own?"
Liu Hong nodded: "Yes! It's a pity that three months ago we had 1,000 men. Some died of disease, and some died at the hands of the Wuhuan people. Now we only have 200 brothers left."
As the conversation turned to the tragic part, Liu Hong became emotional and began to cough violently.
Lu Tu said to Song Yuxi, "Bring some medicine; they most likely have lung infections."
"Husband, can this medicine also treat lung problems?"
Liu Hong was overjoyed: "Sir, you mean you know medicine?"
Song Yuxi nodded: "On the way to Wuchuan, I was shot with a poisoned arrow and it seemed that I would not be able to save my life. It was only because of the medicine that my husband got that I was able to recover."
"So, does that mean our other brothers can be saved too?"
Lu Tu shook his head: "Not necessarily! I can only say to give it a try, and I can't be sure if it will work. You try it first and see how it goes before you give the medicine to others."
"Good!" Liu Hong patted his chest loudly.
A spoonful of garlic extract was handed to him, and Liu Hong tilted his head back, drank it down, and smacked his lips: "Why does it taste like vegetables?"
Song Yuxi smiled and said, "I said the same thing the first time I ate it."
The sickly redness that Liu Hong had previously developed due to coughing had subsided considerably, and he was overjoyed: "Sir, I'm not dead! I didn't die after taking that medicine!"
Lu Tu couldn't help but roll his eyes: "It wasn't poison you were given, how could you die?"
It turns out that Liu Hong thought Lü Tu was using the method of fighting poison with poison, and he had gone to test the medicine with the mindset of certain death.
Looking at his dark face, Lü Tu secretly praised him as a true man, willing to risk his life to test medicine for the sake of his brothers.
"Then I have a favor to ask. Could I take some back for my brothers? You may not know, but many of them are much sicker than I am. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid..."
Lu Tu looked at Song Yuxi: "How much medicine do we have at home?"
"There are still more than three pounds left."
Lu Tu chuckled to himself. He hadn't instructed Song Yuxi to continue refining garlic extract all these days, yet the girl had actually stored up so much.
"That's perfect, let Liu Hong take it back."
Liu Hong clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, sir. You have troubled the princess!"
Song Yuxi corrected him, "Lieutenant Liu, please don't call me Princess anymore. That's all in the past."
Liu Hong nodded and said, "Yes, Madam Lü! Please don't call me Captain anymore, that was in the past."
The three men burst into laughter upon hearing this. Lu Tu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go back and administer the medicine to everyone. I'll come earlier tomorrow and release you from your slave status in front of everyone!"
"Is it really so, my lord!"
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