Chapter 112
This year's cold winter arrived earlier than last year. A few snowfalls in mid-October brought freezing temperatures.
Ye Jia's timely delivery of wine, winter clothing, painkillers, and other supplies significantly bolstered the Libei Town stronghold's combat effectiveness. Although the Turks had agreed to cooperate with Dayan, taking advantage of the Yan court's suppression of rebellion to attack the Beiting Protectorate from the north, their surprise attacks were often perfunctory. The Turks hadn't recovered from the heavy losses they had suffered the previous time, and the death of the Turkic king's third son and the deaths of several key generals had significantly reduced their military strength. Minor surprise attacks were repelled by the city's garrison.
In order to resolve the issue once and for all, Sun Yushan led his troops to force the Turks out of the area north of the Mongolian steppe and retreat back to Siberia.
Because of his ruthless and varied fighting style and his ruthless approach to killing, the Turks nicknamed Sun Yushan "Beiting's sharpest boning knife." Ye Jia, braving her large belly by the brazier, could barely believe Xiao Li's story. It was hard to reconcile the taciturn and even somewhat honest Sun Yushan with this nickname.
But it was normal when I thought about it. The first person Zhou Jingchen got around was Sun Yushan.
Sun Yushan guarded the northwestern border of Libei Town, impregnable with ample provisions and adequate winter clothing. Oghuz, guarding Suiye Town, had also been diligently working these days. The northwest and western defenses were secure; as long as Luntai was not taken, the people of Beiting could enjoy a peaceful winter.
After entering the cold winter, the situation in Anxi Protectorate underwent a dramatic reversal.
While Huang Xuanyun possessed extensive combat experience, Zhou Jingchen was no less experienced. Initially, Zhou Jingchen struggled to consolidate the scattered troops of the Anxi Protectorate. His hasty efforts to consolidate his forces led to his entanglement at Jiayu Pass by the Lingnan Army. After several battles, the army's morale was steadfast, and Zhou Jingchen's reputation as a skilled military commander had long been recognized. The Anxi Protectorate, transformed from a disorganized group to a well-trained force, fundamentally resolved its unstable morale through combat experience.
Now the Anxi Army has become a battle-tested sword under Zhou Jingchen's command, and its sword is extremely sharp wherever it points.
In contrast, the Lingnan army suffered a severe setback. The Lingnan border troops differed fundamentally from those stationed in the harsh, cold regions of Beiting and Anxi. Lingnan's climate was warm and humid year-round, and the troops, known for their shorter stature and agility, were renowned for their mobility. However, having been relocated from their original location, they were unable to adapt to the harsh northern climate. As the weather turned cold, their military supplies and fodder were not delivered in time, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
Zhou Jingchen mentally calculated the date of his child's birth, and he had lost all patience. Realizing that the Lingnan army was out-equipped, he decided to take advantage of their weakness to kill them. He mobilized troops from Kucha, Khotan, Shule, Gaochang, and other places, forming a semi-encirclement to annihilate the Lingnan army.
By the end of October, 60% of the Lingnan Army was successfully annihilated. Huang Xuanyun and the remaining soldiers were forced to retreat back to Sishui, abandoning their weapons and armor.
The day Zhou Jingchen rushed back to Dongxiang Town, Beiting was hit by a heavy snowfall. He stood in the snow, carrying a rabbit lantern and draped in a heavy banner, like a slender, green bamboo rising from the ground. His eyes were clear yet sharp. Snow blanketed his shoulders and eyelashes. He stood in the courtyard, looking at Ye Jia, who was clutching a dusty child and glaring at him, and slowly opened his arms.
Ye Jia froze for a moment, the child in her arms scuttling away like a mouse that had escaped a cat's claws. Unsure what to do, she unconsciously walked towards Zhou Jingchen.
Zhou Jingchen couldn't bear to let her go so far. Ye Jia was already seven months pregnant. Her already thin figure made her normal pregnancy belly look unusually large. Ye Jia had only taken one step when Zhou Jingchen quickly stalked over to her and held her in his arms.
A warm atmosphere surrounded Ye Jia's body. Zhou Jingchen opened his big flag and covered Ye Jia's body.
He leaned down slightly, burying his face in Ye Jia's neck, breathing in her delicate pear blossom scent. His thick eyelashes trembled slightly, shaking off the icy particles that had fallen from them. After a long pause, he spoke softly, accusingly, "...How cruel, Jia Niang! You never mention my situation in your letters."
Ye Jia's heartbeat quickened. Six months had passed since they last met, and Zhou Jingchen's appearance, sculpted by time, had become even more remarkable. While Zhou Jingchen used to be a graceful gentleman, elegant as jade, he now seemed like a beauty imbued with soul, captivating at first sight.
“…What can I write if nothing happened to me?”
"You can't write if nothing happens?" Zhou Jingchen frowned, looking a little dissatisfied.
Ye Jia looked at him silently, and their eyes met. Zhou Jingchen's eyes were so deep that they seemed to suck people in.
She scratched her cheek, feeling a little hot. She had never noticed such lust in this man's eyes before. How could he be so attracted to her like a dog seeing a bone after not having eaten meat for so many years? Reaching out to pinch his chin and push away his face that was so close to her, Ye Jia calmed herself down and warned him righteously, "Pregnancy makes a woman stupid for three years. Don't you know that my brain hasn't been working well in the past six months? I racked my brains to remember to write to you. Don't ask for too much."
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
As expected, Ye Jia was the retribution given to him by God, revenge for his lack of understanding of romance in his previous life.
He sighed deeply and silently grasped Ye Jia's paw, which was covered in black ash. "...Alright, alright, stop wiping it. You can't clean the ash on your hands off my face except by scrubbing it with soap."
Ye Jia couldn't help but smile, her eyes curved. The kid who had just grabbed her hand to dig sweet potatoes from the brazier was covered in black ash. "Why did you come back so suddenly?"
"I'm afraid you'll forget me."
Zhou Jingchen held Ye Jia's hand. Her hand was warm in the icy snow, which made him feel relieved. They were standing at the bottom of the courtyard. The ground was already covered with snow. Even though someone would come to clean it up in an hour or so, it would still accumulate easily. Afraid that she would slip, Zhou Jingchen carefully helped her up the stairs. "You are a blockhead with a heart of stone. If you don't keep warm for a long time, you will get cold quickly."
"Don't spit bloody words at me. I value friendship and loyalty above all else." Ye Jia was displeased by this. What did she mean by a heart of stone? She was clearly the most considerate person. "Has the Anxi Protectorate issue been resolved? Has the Lingnan army been repelled?"
"Yeah." Zhou Jingchen didn't seem to mind the fact that his white fingers had been stained black, as if he wasn't the one with the obsessive-compulsive disorder. "Liu Yuan has taken over from me at Jiayuguan. After six months of fighting, the soldiers are quite exhausted. They need to rest and recuperate for a while before the end of the cold winter. Unless there are special circumstances, they should be able to see the birth of our child with their own eyes."
"It should be at the end of the year, or the beginning of next spring..." Ye Jia nodded and was about to speak when one of his feet accidentally hit the edge of the step as he stepped on it. He almost fell to his knees because of his unstable footing.
Zhou Jingchen quickly grabbed the woman and supported her. The man who had remained calm in the face of a sudden collapse suddenly broke into a cold sweat. He wrapped his arms around Ye Jia, tightly protecting her with his arms, his face pale. Ye Jia had never encountered such a strange situation in her pregnancy, and Zhou Jingchen's return was a surprise. She was also shocked. She licked her dry lips and realized that her arms had been tightly wrapped around his neck.
Zhou Jingchen's face turned pale in an instant, and cold sweat broke out in an instant.
Ye Jia was a little embarrassed. She had always walked very steadily and had never stubbed her toes on the edge of a stair before. She felt a little embarrassed and a little scared. She hugged Zhou Jingchen's neck and let out a sigh, "I was so scared."
"You scared me to death." Zhou Jingchen received such a big gift just for coming here. "Forget it, I'll carry it and go."
After saying that, regardless of what Ye Jia said, he bent down, picked the person up and walked into the house.
There were now several more servants in the house. Ye Jia had originally disliked using slaves, but circumstances forced her to change this habit. With the increasing number of household chores and her increasing health, she was no longer able to handle many things herself. Not wanting to buy slaves from outside, she recruited some of the Wu and Yang families' slaves to serve in the mansion.
Now, in addition to Xiaoli and Huanpei, her main house also housed two elderly, sensible mothers and two sturdy maids who served tea and water. To facilitate delivery, she had even arranged for a midwife to move in early.
Aside from Huanpei and Xiaoli, everyone else was seeing Zhou Jingchen for the first time. Their jaws dropped at the sudden sight of him. Clearly, they had never expected their master, a man they had never met, to possess such remarkable and unusual features. The two young maids, in particular, erupted in a flurry of indignant laughter upon their encounter.
Ye Jia couldn't help but glance at Zhou Jingchen, and the black and gray hand wiped his forehead.
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
The main house of the Shen family had underfloor heating. Once the heating was turned on in the winter, it felt as warm as February. Entering the house, a wave of heat washed over her face, eliminating the need for heavy outer clothing. As Ye Jiayue grew older, her body heat increased, so she wore thick outer clothing while wearing only two layers of clothing underneath. She felt the heat rising after entering, so she patted Zhou Jingchen's arm, motioning for him to let her down.
The bedroom floor was carpeted, so it was not easy to fall. Zhou Jingchen put the person down, and Xiaoli immediately ordered someone to bring hot water.
Zhou Jingchen took off his coat and didn't come back for a long time. The furnishings in the room were different.
He slowly glanced around the room, his expression turning from soft to dull. If there were still a few of his belongings left in the house before he left, now there was nothing left. The books on the shelf were put away, and the books on the table were turned into account books. Even the seat he usually sat in became Ye Jia's. Zhou Jingchen held his forehead helplessly. This young woman was so heartless that it made him sad.
"...Jia Niang, did you leave a drawer for me in the room?"
After a long time, Zhou Jingchen asked quietly.
Ye Jia's body stiffened, and after a pause, she accused him with a stern face: "...Don't say it so sadly, I'm not that domineering, okay."
"Oh," Zhou Jingchen washed his face, "How many?"
Ye Jia: “…three.”
Zhou Jingchen's hand that was wiping his face paused, he turned his head and looked at Ye Jia in silence.
“…Add a cabinet.”
Ye Jia hadn't expected him to come back so early! She'd assumed the chaos in the Anxi Protectorate would take at least a year to quell. After all, it took Zhou Jingchen two years to take over Beiting, even with his old subordinates still in Beiting. Normally, the Anxi Protectorate was much larger than Beiting, so a year was an overestimation. "You don't have much stuff, so it's better not to have those rags..."
Zhou Jingchen's eyes grew darker, and Ye Jia's voice grew softer and softer until it became, "At worst, I can buy you a new one!"
"Yeah." Zhou, who was living off his wife with a clear conscience, said, "As long as half of the bed is mine, that's fine."
Ye Jia: “…”
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