Chapter 17 The Eastern Expedition Against Lü Bu (Part 1) What is this called, "The Love of Male Concubines..."
As autumn deepened in the third year of Jian'an, a somber atmosphere once again pervaded Xuchang.
An eastern expedition against Lü Bu is imperative.
However, at this critical moment, Guo Jia's health deteriorated again. He even collapsed while coughing in front of everyone during a military discussion at the Sikong Mansion.
He was thus hastily transported back to the Guo residence by a group of armored soldiers and handed over to Deng Jie.
Deng Jie cared for her with both tenderness and skill.
But as soon as he opened his eyes, he started talking about going to war.
"Don't think about these things, you should just lie down and rest."
Deng Jie set up the fumigation equipment, prepared the medicinal materials for him, and lit the stove.
Guo Jia weakly shook his head, "This battle... is of paramount importance..."
He then coughed again, "The expedition is scheduled for tomorrow... I must also..."
Although Deng Jie wanted to stop him, she knew that his insistence must have been at Cao Cao's request; otherwise, he would have stayed home to recuperate as before.
She had no choice but to silently get up and prepare his medicine.
After arranging the entire medicine bag, Deng Jie moved it in front of Guo Jia and explained to him, "This is for fumigation. You should know that it's used once a day."
He then changed to a plain cloth medicine bag, saying, "This is one dose per day, and you must finish it before dinner."
"And this..."
"Wait, wait... cough cough..." Guo Jia raised his hand to press down, "What you said... cough cough, how can I remember it now?"
Deng Jie shoved his hand back and put down the medicine bag. "Then I'll go find the army doctor and give him instructions personally."
Guo Jia shook his head and smiled weakly, "There aren't many military doctors to begin with, and they'll all be busy treating the wounded... they won't have time to care about me..."
He leaned his head back, stared blankly, and sighed, "Let me die..." Then he coughed again, his voice filled with a heart-wrenching pain.
"Don't talk nonsense..."
"Filial piety!"
Before Deng Jie could scold him, he was interrupted by a voice.
The man stepped straight into the bedroom and approached him to look at him.
Deng Jie's eyes widened in surprise; the newcomer was none other than Cao Cao.
"Lord Cao..." Deng Jie stood up and bowed, making room for Cao Cao.
Cao Cao nodded, then turned to Guo Jia, took his hand, and patted it to comfort him: "Fengxiao, don't say discouraging things, I will arrange everything."
Deng Jie couldn't bear to see Guo Jia taken away in this state, so he knelt down and pleaded with him, "Lord Cao, Fengxiao is in such a state... could... could you please make an exception and let him stay at home!"
Cao Cao did not disregard Guo Jia's health, but when he thought of the pain of Wancheng, he felt that if Guo Jia had been by his side at that time and could have persuaded him, perhaps he would have had fewer regrets.
He suppressed his reluctance and said firmly, "No! Fengxiao... must go with the army."
He lowered his eyes to meet Guo Jia's sickly gaze, "I... cannot be without Fengxiao's... plans."
Guo Jia felt a surge of warmth in his heart. To have met such a wise ruler, he would gladly give his life for it.
But in that moment of emotion, Deng Jie noticed his worried expression and a glint of light in his eyes. He immediately perked up, grasped Cao Cao's hand, and said, "My lord... perhaps... Jia should take her?"
Cao Cao was taken aback, his thick eyebrows instantly furrowing, his previous tenderness turning into anger, "What do you want to do?"
Guo Jia hurriedly raised his hand to explain, which triggered another bout of coughing, "Cough cough, Jia, Jia is in such a half-dead state now... how can he have the energy for romance... cough cough cough... at least he has someone to take care of him... get through this..."
He gasped for breath, his eyes filled with a pleading look as he gazed at Cao Cao.
Cao Cao was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to Deng Jie, "Going with the army, does it mean enduring hardship?"
Upon hearing that Cao Cao was willing to take her along, Deng Jie immediately changed her attitude, straightened her back, and said, "I'm not afraid!"
Instead of sitting at home anxiously waiting, it's better to stay by his side, at least I can see him.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, and glancing at Guo Jia, who had mostly recovered, Cao Cao finally nodded: "Very well. Pack your things, and tomorrow morning I will have Zhongkang take you to the military medical camp."
He specifically emphasized "medical battalion," the meaning of which was self-evident: he wanted her to disguise herself as a man and infiltrate the medical team.
The next day, before dawn, Deng Jie packed his things and began to prepare.
Despite his illness, Guo Jia wrapped a breast wrap around her chest.
The last time I wrapped her up, she was still an unmarried girl, and the two of them blushed with embarrassment.
Although he can now cope with things calmly, his hands still tremble due to illness.
"Cough cough..." Guo Jia strained to tighten the knot for her, panting heavily as he leaned against her back. "Does it hurt...?"
Deng Jie endured it for a moment, "It's alright, a little pain is good."
That's true... Compared to then, things are different now... cough, Guo Jia looked away.
He put on the coarse linen uniform of a military doctor and wrapped his long hair in a blouse.
"Where can you find a military doctor who is so clean-cut and handsome..."
Guo Jia sighed, "I suddenly regret having asked you to travel with the army... I thought we'd have many carriages..."
Deng Jie laughed and went to the yard to smear mud on his face. "Isn't this a common trick?"
Guo Jia then looked at the medicine pouches on the ground and the wooden box containing the fumigation equipment, "So many things... how can you carry them all?"
Deng Jie stepped forward and hugged him, deliberately tilting his dirty face back a little to soothe his muffled cough, "Don't worry about me, take care of yourself, just wait for me in the tent."
Guo Jia cupped her face in his hands, gently wiping her lips with his fingers. Just as he was about to kiss her, Deng Jie stopped him, saying, "No, it'll get dirty."
Guo Jia frowned, and was about to increase the intensity when a metallic taste rose in his throat again. He turned his head away and coughed.
When her cough became severe, he let go of her and instead raised his hand to cover his own face.
“Never mind…” he sighed softly, “It’s tainted.”
Deng Jie felt a surge of warmth in her heart, cupped his face, and kissed him.
After they separated, they wiped the blood from each other's lips and couldn't help but smile at each other.
Guo Jia watched her being led away by Xu Chu, his heart torn between the conflicting emotions of reluctance to let her go and the expectation that she would stay with him in the military camp.
Guo Jia sat down in Cao Cao's camp. As Deng Jie had instructed, he should not smoke from the stove, so soft cushions and blankets were specially placed inside to keep him warm.
The heavy curtains blocked out the wind, sand, and noise from the outside world.
But he still coughed violently, and Cao Cao would pour him water to comfort him while annotating his military treatise.
While Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun were talking behind the curtain, Guo Jia reached out to the window and searched for the slender figure in the vast marching army.
However, amidst the clanging of armor, the thunder of hooves, and the throngs of people, such a vast sea of people could hardly be seen.
Seeing his cautious, peeking manner, Cao Cao deliberately lowered the curtain and sneered, "Look at you. Regretting it now?"
Guo Jia, his secret exposed, curled up on the mat, hugged the blankets, and coughed muffledly, "A little..."
Little did he know that the medical battalion was following the logistics team, and Deng Jiegeng, carrying two boxes and being physically weaker than the men, was left at the back of the team.
The heavy ceramic pot for fumigating medicine was slung over her back, and the cloth bag containing the medicine was slung diagonally in front of her. With each step, she stumbled and bumped against her body, making her steps even heavier.
She finally caught up with the back of the group, but the rest of the main force had already finished. She simply wiped the fine sweat from her face, gritted her teeth and endured the pain, and continued to keep up with the pace of progress.
After chasing them all the way to their campsite, Deng Jie was almost completely exhausted.
Without even taking a breather, she hurriedly lowered her voice and inquired about the location of "Master Guo's" camp.
When Deng Jie finally lifted the curtain of Guo Jia's tent, he saw him being helped by a soldier to cough up phlegm into a ceramic basin.
Guo Jia heard the commotion, looked up and saw the dusty and disheveled military doctor, and waved for the soldiers to leave.
"Feng... libationer, lie down quickly." Deng Jie put down the heavy chest and began to prepare the medicinal fumigation and stove fire.
Guo Jia, clutching his aching chest, knelt beside Deng Jie. Seeing the thin fabric binding her shoulders, his heart tightened. He pulled open her collar to check, and found bloodstains on her fair skin.
Deng Jie grabbed his collar, "Go back and lie down..."
Before she could finish speaking, Guo Jia grabbed her and said, "I'll have General Zhongkang send you back right now."
He closed his eyes tightly, unable to bear watching Deng Jie's expression, so focused solely on his mangled body. "It's too painful..."
Deng Jie pulled a clean piece of linen from his sleeve and gently tucked it into his forehead. "What nonsense are you talking about? We've come this far, how can we go back? I haven't complained, so don't worry about it."
"I wish you would resent me..." Guo Jia tried his best to avoid her busy hands and rubbed against her.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." She touched Guo Jia's ear, helped him to lie down on the bed, and lit a fire for him.
After settling Guo Jia in, and seeing that he was almost asleep, she quietly got up, packed up the medicine pot, and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going?" Guo Jia grabbed her wrist, his eyes now showing a clearer understanding.
"Back to the medical camp," Deng Jie said matter-of-factly. "The tents are all set up, and we'll have to roll call later."
Guo Jia was instantly wide awake, sitting up abruptly. "You're going to sleep in the medical camp? With...with those people?!"
The thought of his wife sleeping with a group of men, not to mention the various unpleasant smells and sounds of sweat, teeth grinding, and so on, made Guo Jia's head throb with pain, as if struck by lightning.
"Otherwise what?" Deng Jie shook off his hand and stood up with a "doesn't that even need asking" look on his face. "Don't cause trouble, Cao Gong is watching."
"………………"
Guo Jia's hand was left hanging in mid-air as he watched helplessly as she walked out of the tent.
A huge wave called "regret" engulfed him.
He felt dizzy and his chest ached; he wished he could smash his head against a pillar in the tent and die.
Why did I ever come up with such a terrible idea?!
As the army marched to Pengcheng, the sound of war drums clashing with Lü Bu's army could be faintly heard.
As usual, Deng Jie finished his physical therapy and was about to leave, looking rather hurried.
"What are you panicking about?" Guo Jia mustered his strength and got down to stop her.
"The war has already begun, and wounded soldiers will be brought in soon. They're busy over there!"
Deng Jie felt that Guo Jia was blocking his way, and kept glancing outwards.
"But you came here to take care of me, didn't you?" Guo Jia asked, his bewildered expression tinged with a hint of grievance.
Deng Jie looked up at him with clear eyes, "Isn't your problem already solved? You've taken your medicine, had the fumigation done, and even had a massage. You look much better today!"
She then broke free from his grasp and walked away.
Guo Jia stood there blankly, his hand outstretched, watching the curtain fall and cover her departing figure.
"………………"
It's over, completely over.
Regret means deep regret.
He felt like a fool who had thrown a treasure into the sea with his own hands.
The battle at Pengcheng was raging, with shouts of battle shaking the heavens and the earth.
Although Guo Jia had not fully recovered, the siege strategy he devised with Xun You gradually made the battle situation clearer.
His health gradually improved under Deng Jie's daily care.
As the war drew to a close, Guo Jia finally had a moment of free time.
He set off immediately, eager to find the figure that had been both on his mind and filled him with regret.
However, as soon as he approached a makeshift medical tent, he witnessed a scene that instantly made his blood boil and his eyes widen in fury:
Two wounded soldiers who looked to be in good spirits were surrounding Deng Jie.
Although she was dressed in loose men's clothing and her face was deliberately smeared with dirt, her profile as she focused on treating the bandages, the slightly exposed lines of her neck, and her clear and bright eyes when she occasionally looked up still revealed a delicate beauty that was hard to completely conceal in the rugged military camp.
One of the wounded soldiers grinned and reached out, seemingly wanting to touch Deng Jie's cheek, teasingly saying, "Young man, you're really handsome, just like a girl..."
Another chuckled and chimed in, "Yeah, those hands are so fair and clean..."
Deng Jie's eyes turned cold, and he abruptly turned his head to avoid the groping hand, then tightened the bandage with force.
"Ouch!" the wounded soldier cried out in pain. "How dare you!"
Seeing his appearance, the medic soldier next to him dared not stop him. He watched as Guo Jia almost slashed at the wounded soldier, but was stopped by Deng Jie's horrified yet angry look. Guo Jia had no choice but to angrily stab the knife into the sand.
The two wounded soldiers dared not move when they saw Guo Jia. They wanted to run but could not because their injuries had not been treated.
Guo Jia sat down beside them, staring at the two of them with a dark expression.
The two men were terrified by Guo Jia's murderous gaze and dared not utter a sound. They let Deng Jie treat their wounds and then fled in panic.
Seeing that Deng Jie had finished packing, Guo Jia suddenly stood up, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her out without saying a word. Deng Jie noticed the strange looks from everyone, pulled her wrist back, and silently followed behind him until they returned to his tent.
"Don't cause trouble here!" As soon as they entered, Deng Jie was the first to scold Guo Jia in a low voice, "Everyone's watching!"
Guo Jia turned around abruptly, pointed at her, and growled, "You're not allowed to go to the medical camp anymore! I said it! Even if the lord comes, he can't stop you!"
Deng Jie scoffed, rubbing his wrist. "These are your soldiers. Besides, I'm a registered military medic now. Losing one of them will be..."
"I don't care, from now on you are my personal military doctor! Your personal bodyguard! You are only allowed to stay with me, and you are not allowed to go anywhere else!"
He paced back and forth anxiously, "Has this happened before? Tell me honestly, I'll find out one by one and deal with them all according to military law!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier and more frightened he became. He realized he had actually let her sleep in a place like that, and he felt he must have been crazy not to stop her.
Seeing that he was really about to lose his temper, Deng Jie was both angry and helpless: "Alright, stop causing trouble!"
"You started this whole thing, and now you're making a huge fuss. Do you want me to be beheaded in public?!"
"How could that be!" Guo Jia pulled her into his arms. "Then promise me you won't go out again..."
Deng Jie patted his back helplessly and coaxed, "I know, I know..."
I sighed inwardly, thinking, "Once you leave the camp, you won't be able to care about me anymore."
However, the news of Deng Jie being detained by Guo Jia caused an uproar in the military medical camp.
"Hey? Did that Brother Deng never come back?"
"You didn't see how angry the chief priest was back then!"
“I heard from the brothers over there that the chief military officer won’t even let him leave the camp; he’s going to be his ‘private’ military doctor…”
"Tsk tsk tsk, 'private'... just how 'private' is it? The Grand Master looks so slender and refined, I never expected him to have such a hobby?"
"What do you know? Some people just like that... What's it called? 'Homosexuality, homosexuality'!"
"He actually did this behind his wife's back... Ugh, will he be found out when he gets back?"
"Who knows? But that young man does have fair and delicate skin, so it's no wonder..."
Such rumors inevitably reached Cao Cao's ears, but whether he explained it or not, it would shake the morale of the army, so he could only treat it as an unverifiable rumor and let it go with the wind...
Cao Cao rubbed his forehead wearily.
Xun You felt that these rumors were a mixture of truth and falsehood, and that they were completely different from Guo Jia's style of doing things in the city, so he took the opportunity to go to Guo Jia's tent to verify them himself.
"Fengxiao, the Lord asked me to bring this to you."
When he entered the tent, Deng Jie was tidying up Guo Jia's clothes. Upon seeing an outsider, Deng Jie instinctively lowered his head and hid.
Xun You looked her over and saw that she was delicate and slender, with features that were completely feminine, and he understood.
That's right. This is the style of Guo Fengxiao that his uncle described as the one who was repeatedly attacked at the Guo residence.
Guo Jia, seeing that it was Xun You, was not on guard and invited him to sit down. Xun You waved his hand, "We are going to Xiapi next, Fengxiao, please make preparations in advance."
He glanced at Deng Jie and smiled calmly, "When you're out and about, please don't... worry about your wife."
After saying this, he took his leave and left.
Deng Jie crawled to Guo Jia's side, his face filled with worry, "Did he...did he see through me?"
"It's alright." Guo Jia unfolded the map Xun You had brought. "It's normal for Gongda to see through it."
Deng Jie collapsed to the ground. He had sneaked back to the medical camp the day before yesterday, only to be bombarded with questions. Now, the strategist had seen through his deception, and he really couldn't go out anymore. But what would he do on the march afterward...?
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