Unmarried - 3
"Has the news of my childlessness spread?"
The night was as dark as ink, covering the entire earth, and the campfire crackled in the camp.
The wind outside Xijing City was free of sand, making people drowsy.
Zhao Yunkang sat on a low stool by the campfire, the firelight flickering on his angular profile. His half-worn clothes were faded from washing, and he held a cotton cloth to wipe his plum blossom spear.
"General, the news has already spread throughout Daqing!"
Liang Qiu sat on a thick cushion, leaning against a wooden stake. His moon-white brocade robe was spotless. He held a wine cup in his hand, and his voice carried a lazy smile.
"General, I heard that the Empress Dowager is preparing various flower-viewing banquets in order to find you a second wife."
Beside him, Xue Ning rubbed his thick beard, his smile as simple and honest as an old farmer resting on a field ridge.
"Bang!"
Xu Zhihao, who had been sitting silently in the shadows, suddenly slammed his fist on the low table, causing the rough ceramic teacup to jump up and roll to the ground.
"The general is willing to ruin his reputation and doesn't want any more women to come into the mansion and cause trouble, so why is the Empress Dowager... mmm!"
Liang Qiu and Xue Ning covered Xu Zhihao's mouth from either side, giving him a look that said, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Even if the general is dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager's arrangement of the marriage, that is a matter between the mother and son, and it is not their place to interfere, let alone slander.
The Empress Dowager had two sons, one of whom became emperor and the other a general, making her the most honored woman in the Great Qing Dynasty.
This idiot just blurts things out... Does he have a death wish?
"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Xu Zhihao pushed aside his two friends and looked at Zhao Yunkang with a somewhat aggrieved expression in his eyes.
He was telling the truth!
Besides, the camp is full of our own people, is it really necessary to be so strict with security?
"General, you are born to wield a long spear, draw a powerful bow, and fight to save your country!"
Too... She had already forced the general to marry once.
In order to bear a child, that woman did not hesitate to give the general a potent drug... which almost ruined him.
She knew all of this, so why did she do it a second time?
We fought tooth and nail on the battlefield, forcing the Khitans to surrender, but upon our return, we were still forced into a marriage arrangement.
Is this how you treat a hero?
Xu Zhihao's chest heaved violently, his eyes red with anger, as if he were the one who had been forced to marry and suffered all kinds of grievances.
"Hey~ I'm talking to you, Little Black!"
Liang Qiu put his arm around Xu Zhihao's shoulder and rubbed his ear while complaining.
"Can you please change your habit of raising your voice when you get excited?"
The shockwave made my ears ring; it didn't kill the enemy, it only injured my comrades!
This is a general's family matter.
Why are you worrying about this, you idiot?
Would a mother harm her own son?
Liang Qiu quickly gave Xue Ning a wink, his chubby face beaming with a bright smile as he nodded in agreement, "Exactly! Exactly!"
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Zhao Yunkang tapped the gleaming tip of his plum blossom spear with his fingertips. The sound was not loud, but it traveled through the crackling of the campfire and clearly struck the hearts of the three lieutenants.
He raised his head and looked through the campfire at the three men: Liang Qiu was charming, Xue Ning was shrewd, and Xu Zhihao was straightforward.
"Let's have a fight, Xiao Hei!"
Zhao Yunkang curled his lips into a smile, a hint of mischief barely perceptible in his expression.
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhihao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly attacked his two friends, showing a complete lack of martial ethics.
"Hey~ Hey~ Hey!"
"You idiot, why didn't you say anything before you attacked?"
"General, tell Xiao Hei to stop! We two brothers can't beat him!"
...
Normal competitions aren't like going to war; people don't go all out when they spar.
Xu Zhihao's martial arts skills are second only to Zhao Yunkang, and far superior to Liang Qiu and Xue Ning.
He usually enjoys sparring with the soldiers, and when he goes back, he thinks about how to win next time.
He constantly seeks out opponents, reviews past experiences, and challenges them again... a terrifying battle maniac!
"Little Black, beat them up! That'll stop them from chattering away all the time!"
A man holding a feather fan walked over, smiling and fanning the flames.
"Strategist! My good strategist! Why didn't you stop Xiao Hei? Why are you supporting him?"
Liang Qiu dodged Xu Zhihao's punch in a sorry state, but the force of the punch stung his face.
"Little Black, you shouldn't hit someone in the face!"
Do you even know the rules?
Liang Qiu had no choice but to roll on the ground to avoid a punch aimed at his face from behind.
The moon-white brocade robe instantly became filthy, and his dashing demeanor was instantly stripped back to its "original" state.
"Only the winners have the right to talk about the rules!"
Xu Zhihao's punches landed squarely, Xue Ning's chubby body moved nimbly, and Liang Qiu dodged and weaved; no one was willing to take his punches head-on.
LOL!
With the power to smash a boulder with a single punch, who would be foolish enough to try and meet it head-on?
Xu Zhihao possessed superhuman strength. His martial arts master initially chose double hammers as his weapon, but after going to the battlefield with the general, he changed it to a long spear.
The three were locked in a fierce battle: a nimble wild boar, a filthy monkey, and a ferocious bear...
"Being a general is no easy task!"
Ma De rubbed his forehead in exasperation; each of the three deputy generals had their own "strengths."
In serious matters, they are all excellent at leading troops and fighting battles; in private, they each have their own flaws.
"Being a strategist isn't easy either!"
Zhao Yunkang put his gun aside, stood up, dusted off his robe, and went over to join the "battle."
Faced with absolute power, any resistance seems utterly futile.
Zhao Yun Kang descended the mountain like a tiger, kicking away the "wild boar," swatting away the "monkey," and throwing the "bear" over his shoulder.
He successfully got the three men to lie flat on the ground, then kicked each of them before heading back to his tent.
"Strategist?" Liang Qiu gasped for breath. "Please help explain, please explain!"
He was always the one who received the least punishment among the three lieutenants!
Why was I treated indiscriminately by the general today?
"Are matters of the royal family something you few military officers can discuss so casually?"
Ma De patted his forehead with a feather fan, and seeing that the three still didn't understand, he sighed to the heavens.
"If the general doesn't give you a beating today, how many heads will you have to chop off if word gets out?"
Zhao Yunkang's beating plugged the loophole, and if anyone tried to use this incident to their advantage, he would have an excuse to deflect their criticism.
"Come in!"
Zhao Yunkang called out from inside the tent, and the four men outside dusted themselves off and stepped inside.
The general's tent has a high and wide ceiling, with several thick wooden pillars supporting the dome. In the center is a small table, and on the left is a weapons rack with various knives, spears, swords, and halberds. On the right is a screen that separates the living area at the back.
"General, we will never say such things again!"
Liang Qiu was the first to admit his mistake, followed by Xue Ning and Xu Zhihao. Ma De, waving his feather fan, smiled with great satisfaction.
To err is human, to forgive divine!
"Hmm!" Zhao Yunkang turned the page and didn't pursue the matter further. "Uncle Ma, do we still have detailed information about Zhao Yun?"
"General, no!"
Ma De's playful expression faded, and he closed his eyes and then opened them again.
"Not only did we fail to obtain any information from the other side, but our men were also discovered by Zhao Yun, who sent them back with a letter."
He handed over a slip of paper with both hands, on which was written neatly in the official script: "Stop investigating!"
The characters are neat, but only one side is written, with a blank line space between them.
It's not hard to imagine that what wasn't written down wouldn't have sounded so good.
"Zhao Yun?" Liang Qiu took a few steps forward. "The man who brought us news of the Khitan civil war?"
"yes!"
Their battle with the Khitan on the frontier was at a stalemate, the imperial court's food supplies were not timely, and the northern winter was so cold that people couldn't even open their mouths...
Nobody knows if we can pull through.
Someone quietly left a letter on the general's desk. When unfolded, it contained details of the internal strife within the Khitan royal family written in neat, official script, as well as the location of supplies placed in the mountains outside the military camp. At the bottom of the letter was written, "Respectfully submitted by Zhao Yun!"
Xu Zhihao led his troops to search for supplies in the mountains and found a large amount of supplies at the marked location, including top-grade liquor from Yuelai Tavern.
In the northern winter, even the worst liquor can double in price, and you might not even be able to buy it.
What's even more surprising is that in the center of the wine jar were three tightly wrapped transparent glass bottles, with a matching white envelope between them.
Xu Zhihao waved for the soldiers to stop, then stepped forward alone to inspect the bottle. He opened the cork, and a strong smell of alcohol, even stronger than that of strong liquor, wafted out.
Upon opening the envelope, a beautifully printed document came into view, stating that the liquid in the glass bottle was called "alcohol," along with detailed instructions for use.
Xu Zhihao's eyes lit up the more he looked at it. With this, many soldiers would no longer need to undergo painful treatments involving cutting flesh and scraping bones.
When the supplies were transported back to the barracks, the soldiers' eyes lit up at the sight of the mountains of grain, cotton-padded clothes, and wine jars, and their morale soared to unprecedented heights.
Zhao Yunkang had the military doctor inspect the food, fed it to the wild dogs, and waited a day to confirm that it was safe before distributing it.
He decided to take a gamble!
Based on the information relayed by Zhao Yun, a battle plan was formulated, and a fierce attack was launched against the Khitan. After killing the enemy general, no new generals were sent to the frontier.
Zhao Yunkang led his troops in pursuit of the victory, almost reaching the heart of the Khitan territory, forcing them to send a letter of surrender and peace.
This battle severely weakened the Khitan, but it at least brought five years of peace to the northern border of Daqing.
When Zhao Yun returned victorious and overturned the entire battle situation, the letter and supplies he sent became the most crucial part of the battle.
Zhao Yun delivered the white envelope directly to the general's tent, and afterwards it was impossible to find out who delivered it or when it was delivered.
While the surrounding tribes were unaware of the internal conflicts within the Khitan royal court, Zhao Yun had already learned of them and prepared military supplies.
Zhao Yun Kang waited and waited, but Zhao Yun never sent another letter demanding "reward".
He was uneasy and sent out many people to gather information, but not a single useful piece of news came up.
Just when you finally get a lead, they turn around and send you a warning.
Such a powerful and influential person is fine as long as he is a friend, but if his stance changes... Daqing is in grave danger!
"Just who is this Zhao Yun? I really want to thank him in person!"
Xu Zhihao has a very good impression of Zhao Yun, whom he has never met before!
Despite the imperial court's delay in allocating military funds, such a large amount of supplies was provided to the army at once.
This not only solved the urgent problem in northern Xinjiang, but also greatly boosted the soldiers' confidence in victory.
As a general, it would be difficult for Xu Zhihao to harbor any ill will towards Zhao Yun.
"I'd also like to see who he is?"
Zhao Yunkang was filled with curiosity about this person whose name differed from his own by only one character. He picked up the note on the table and stuffed it into the white envelope.
"Uncle Ma, withdraw the men investigating Zhao Yun and keep a close eye on the situation in the northern frontier, lest the Khitans launch a surprise attack."
"promise!"
Ma Desong sighed, fearing that Zhao Yunkang would persistently seek out Zhao Yun.
If the conflict escalates, it's hard to guarantee that Zhao Yun won't defect to another country.
If the two sides become enemies, Zhao Yun's ability to penetrate everywhere will deal the most fatal blow to Daqing.
The four left the main tent. Zhao Yunkang stroked the white envelope and tucked it into a copy of "The Art of War."
That's enough!
Let's leave it for now!
Upon returning to Beijing tomorrow, even greater challenges await Zhao Yunkang…
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