Chapter 79 "Don't make me a widow."...
On the wide official road, the departing army marched in orderly formation, like a thick, dark iron chain twisted and strong. As noon approached, the sunlight intensified, and the iron chain gleamed.
The number of Imperial Guards drawn from the capital region was limited; this seemingly endless force actually numbered only around ten thousand. Several other conscripted armies from various parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty would also be placed under Xie Zhuo's command upon arrival in Xichuan.
Xie Zhuo, having slept too little the night before, rode his horse for a while before getting into the carriage to catch up on sleep. Just as his mind was drifting off, he suddenly heard the coachman exclaim in surprise, "General, Madam, it sounds like Madam!"
Xie Zhuo thought he was dreaming until the driver called a second time, at which point his heart jumped and he opened the car window to look out.
On the dusty official road, a woman in a red cloak rode a white horse galloping towards them. The dazzling sunlight gilded her with a flowing golden edge, illuminating her beautiful face. Xie Zhuo gazed at her from afar and felt as if she were a goddess, his breath catching in his throat.
The coachman reined in the horses, and the surrounding soldiers stared in disbelief, all hesitant to move forward.
Xue Mingyao calmly passed by thousands of eyes, decisively stopped next to Xie Zhuo's car, and looked down at him.
"Xie Zhuo, I want to go to Xichuan with you," she said firmly.
Xie Zhuo stared at her for a few moments, then jumped off the carriage, scooped her up with his strong arm, and shoved her into the carriage without saying a word.
As the sunlight diffused, the iron chain began to move forward in an orderly fashion again, as if it had never been interrupted.
Inside the general's carriage, the general's wife, who had just been so spirited, nestled in Xie Zhuo's arms, groaning and complaining that he was being too rough. Xie Zhuo massaged her aching back and legs with his large hands, saying helplessly, "Can't you be a little kinder to yourself?"
Xue Mingyao used to be extremely pampered. Her food was exquisite, her afternoon naps were a must, and she only wanted to enjoy herself by playing with spears and riding horses, never wanting to tire herself out in the slightest. But after being tricked by Cen Zongjing, she became ruthless to herself. She chased after him for dozens of miles in one morning, riding so fast that even the Xie family guards he sent to protect her couldn't catch up with her.
Xue Mingyao glared at him and said, "You'd better treat me better first! What kind of person were you tormenting me like that last night, with no tomorrow to worry about?"
"I wanted to discourage you from going on campaigns with me, but who would have thought you would—" Xie Zhuo sighed, amused.
“I’m determined to go with you,” Xue Mingyao said. “You’re going to risk your life for us, and I’m left at home. How can I be at ease? What if this war lasts for two or three years? Am I supposed to live in fear for two or three years and never see you?”
"Don't even think about kicking me out. I have legs, and no one can stop me from going to Xichuan." Xue Mingyao struggled to sit up and shook her finger to warn him.
"I understand," Xie Zhuo pinched the soft flesh on her waist, "I won't rush you, we'll go to Xichuan together."
He agreed so readily that Xue Mingyao was momentarily taken aback.
Xie Zhuo kissed her. "I don't want to go two or three years without seeing you either."
The truth is, he already missed her terribly after only half a day apart.
......
Yuzhou was the last line of defense for Xichuan, and its significance was paramount. The remaining Zhou army in Xichuan abandoned some of their positions and retreated here to gather their strength and defend the city with great difficulty. In the past few days, they had clashed with Wuxi many times, suffering heavy losses.
Along with the defeated army, many civilians from Xichuan, whose land and wealth had been plundered by the Wuxi people, also flocked to Yuzhou. Yuzhou was not a large prefecture with limited grain reserves. With so many mouths to feed all at once, and the city under the relentless siege of the fierce Wuxi army, it was naturally unable to withstand the pressure and soon faced a desperate situation. The army collapsed, food ran out, the people looked pale and sickly, and the wounded soldiers had no medical care and groaned all night in hunger and cold.
Fortunately, Xie Zhuo arrived with his troops at this time and quickly provided food relief and treated the wounded.
To his and Xue Mingyao's surprise, the person in charge of the defense of Yuzhou was Chen Liangqing, who should have been in the southern border region.
It turned out that he had come to aid Xichuan with the general stationed in the southern border. The general in the southern border and the general in the Xichuan army were not on good terms. In terms of ability, they were about the same, and they hindered each other when dealing with such a complicated crisis. Chen Liangqing had great insight into military affairs and was well-known. Officials and people respected him. In the end, he was simply put in charge and everyone obeyed his orders.
Half a year later, Chen Liangqing, who was directing troops to settle the people in the besieged city, was not quite the same as before.
He greeted them at the entrance of the prefectural government office, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, still tall and elegant, with striking features. Although his physique and facial features hadn't changed much, his ethereal, otherworldly air had largely faded, and his demeanor had become more rugged and straightforward.
"Thank you, General Xie." Chen Liangqing nodded to Xie Zhuo, his gaze lingering on Xue Mingyao for a moment, a complex emotion flashing across his face. "The princess has also arrived."
“Yes,” Xue Mingyao smiled, “I came with my husband.”
With a formidable enemy at hand, there was no time for reminiscing, nor should any awkwardness linger. After exchanging greetings, Xue Mingyao went to instruct Xie Zhuo's personal guards, while Xie Zhuo, along with Chen Liangqing and several generals, discussed strategies for dealing with the enemy.
This discussion lasted until the moon was high in the sky.
When Xie Zhuo returned to his room to rest, he looked very tired. He held Xue Mingyao and talked for a while, then suddenly brought up Chen Liangqing, saying that he felt Chen Liangqing had changed a bit, “He’s a bit like his older brother.” He looked at Xue Mingyao, hesitant to speak.
Like Chen Liangzheng? The honest, serious, and reliable Chen Liangzheng? Xue Mingyao thought about it and couldn't help but agree.
"Yes, a little," she said, raising her hand to close Xie Zhuo's eyelids and kissing his cheek. "Go to sleep, you'll be busy tomorrow morning."
Xie Zhuo has indeed become very busy.
He led the Imperial Guards to relieve the siege of Yuzhou, not only repelling the Wuxi army stationed outside the city, but also taking the opportunity to push the defensive line hundreds of miles westward, recapturing several small towns around the city that had fallen into the hands of the Wuxi people.
Meanwhile, reinforcements from the four regions arrived one after another, making Yuzhou the rear base of the entire Xichuan battlefield. Xie Zhuo reorganized his troops and felt it was time to advance westward, reclaim lost territory, and launch a counterattack on Wuxi.
He planned to keep Xue Mingyao in the safe city of Yuzhou instead of going to the front lines with him. He thought it would take some persuasion to convince her, but to his surprise, Xue Mingyao agreed as soon as she heard it.
Xie Zhuo was puzzled and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is it because Chen Liangqing is in Yuzhou that you're willing to stay here?"
"What are you saying? You still don't trust me at all. Haven't you noticed what I've been doing these past few days?" Xue Mingyao pouted, both amused and exasperated.
Xie Zhuo was so jealous that, in order not to make him worry or get distracted, she tried to avoid Chen Liangqing as much as possible in the prefectural government office. She hardly spoke a word to Chen Liangqing again, and never mentioned him to Xie Zhuo.
Who would have thought Xie Zhuo would ask such a question?
"I'm sorry, Yaoyao, it's not that I don't trust you—" Xie Zhuo was speechless.
After all, that was Chen Liangqing.
“You once said he resembled me in the past,” he said in a muffled voice, as if defending himself.
"I already have you now, why am I still thinking about the you from the past?" Xue Mingyao whispered in his ear, "Isn't Xie Zhuo, who loves me and is good to me, better than Xie Qinglang, who always makes me angry?"
Xie Zhuo paused for a moment, then hugged her tightly. "Yaoyao, I really should have made you angry less before."
He clearly liked her a lot back then, so why did he never acknowledge his own feelings?
Xue Mingyao chuckled softly, "Then you wouldn't be yourself."
“I’m willing to stay because I feel I’m more useful in Yuzhou,” she pushed him away and explained seriously, “After all, I’m both a princess and a general’s wife. I’m better at handling things like comforting the people and wounded soldiers.”
She used to be stationed in the southern border region with her parents and had seen her mother do some of the things she did as a general's wife. Now she is learning to do them one by one and has gained a lot of insights.
"Besides, it's really inconvenient for me to come and go from your tent," Xue Mingyao said frankly.
She neither knew how to serve Xie Zhuo tea and water nor how to discuss formations and tactics with him. With a face that could stun anyone, it was hard for her not to attract attention.
It's good to retreat to Yuzhou, so we can hear the battle reports as soon as possible, and even if something happens to Xie Zhuo, we can still go to see him in time.
Xie Zhuo pecked her on the cheek and looked at her tenderly, "Yaoyao, I can't bear to part with you."
"Of course I'll miss you too," Xue Mingyao sighed.
These days, watching Xie Zhuo work tirelessly day and night to organize his troops, strengthen his defenses, and devise tactics, she was filled with mixed emotions. He was brave and resolute, skilled in strategy, and willing to take responsibility; he was more like a general than her father and brothers.
But he was different from her father and brothers. They had a fervent passion for fighting the enemy and a heroic ambition to reclaim the land and expand the territory for the emperor. She never saw this clearly in Xie Zhuo. He suppressed all his emotions and did his best to do what he was supposed to do. He not only comforted the people of Xichuan, but also treated the prisoners of Wuxi with special leniency. He was not arrogant in victory, nor discouraged in defeat. He considered everything carefully. When he lay beside her at night, he was only filled with endless exhaustion.
At times like this, Xue Mingyao would recall how he used to gently care for the injured rabbit and leisurely tease the ducks and geese by the pond, and feel a lingering sense of melancholy.
Xie Zhuo said that she was the meaning of his life.
What did being a general and fighting mean to him? Xue Mingyao never asked him, but she had a vague answer in her heart.
"Xie Zhuo, remember this," she earnestly instructed him, "Although you are very capable and good at fighting, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. If you encounter danger, don't think about anything else, your life is the most important thing. If you can't win, just run away. Don't make me a widow."
"I never want to be a widow again in my life," she murmured.
Xie Zhuo gazed into her eyes and solemnly said only three words, "Don't worry."
No matter how difficult it may be, I will always come back to find you alive.
This is something Xie Qinglang has been practicing for the past seven years since becoming Xie Zhuo.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
