I joined the army at the age of sixteen. Before joining the army, I followed my second and third brothers around all day. I did whatever they told me to do, thinking that this was how my life would be. But then I joined the army.
This was something I never dared to imagine. When my mother told me about it, I was so happy that I couldn't sleep that night.
The Lin family had just fled to Jinnan City and had nothing. The family members relied on their mother and aunt. Although they were just two women, they were very capable.
I don't know why my mother is so strong. I just think it's because of the hardships we faced. After all, we encountered so many difficulties along the way, the most common of which was not having enough to eat or drink.
The hardest part was the refugees we encountered from time to time, as well as packs of wolves. Fortunately, although it was tough, we managed to get through it. Of course, we relied on my mother and Aunt Xia.
The hardest thing was cholera. Compared to others, we had food on our journey of fleeing famine, even though it was tough. But I never expected to get cholera.
When I found out, the village gate had never been opened. At that time, I was very puzzled as to how my mother and the others knew there would be cholera and even prepared medicine.
But I didn't ask, because no one in the village asked; they seemed to tacitly accept it.
After the cholera outbreak ended, my third brother, Da Niu, and I set off for the frontier to join the army. I was very happy along the way, and even when I was tired, I was always smiling. But the others didn't think so; instead, they disliked my smile.
To avoid trouble, I had to keep my smile to myself and wear the same bitter expression as them. After entering the camp, I vowed to myself that I must achieve something great and earn a title for my mother.
Although it seemed my mother didn't need it, I still wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, all my ambitions vanished after a great battle, because I thought that soldiers like us were of no use except for adding another corpse.
I started training even harder, and I never took the sandbags off my feet. I wasn't as good as my third brother because I thought he had learned boxing from Dad, but I hadn't.
But I wasn't afraid. Every day after training, I would have my third brother teach me in the evening, along with my eldest brother. As time went on, we fought more and more battles, and our responsibilities grew heavier.
Looking at the enemy ahead, we actually charged forward. Of course, we also routed the enemy forces on the other side, which can be considered a small achievement.
Then, we made meritorious contributions time and time again, and eventually caught the attention of the general. The general valued our talent and would give us pointers from time to time.
But we were no match for our mother and aunt. Once, during a battle, all three of us were wounded and lying in our tent waiting to die. It was our mother who saved us. After that, every now and then, she would teach us how to lead troops into battle.
But we didn't come often, and we didn't learn enough. Time flew by, and in ten years, Third Brother became a First-Rank General. The previous general was killed, and Third Brother took his place.
I became a first-rank general, and my mother and aunt came to the camp, saying that they were plotting a rebellion and wanted my nephew Yan Zhen to become emperor.
When I heard this, I felt that it would be better to let my mother or aunt be emperor than to let Yan Zhen be emperor.
After all, Yan Zhen was only a teenager and didn't understand anything. But I didn't dare to say anything and could only agree to my mother and aunt's plan. Anyway, there were still a few years left, and maybe my mother would change her mind by then.
But not only did my mother not go, she went to the border. Although I didn't know why she went there, not long after, my mother wrote to me, asking me to go too.
On the way there, I also had to take my little nephew with me, because he was going too. When we arrived at the border, I suddenly had a father. Although he wasn't my biological father, it was too hasty. But I couldn't disobey my mother.
My so-called godfather even took me to watch soldiers train, talked about the methods he used in battle, and introduced me to the lieutenants.
But I was very confused. Did my mother call me over just so she could teach me how to lead troops into battle and watch soldiers train?
That evening, my nephew and I followed General Xiao to dinner. Unexpectedly, my mother was staying in the general's tent.
Although I am not as good at fighting as my third brother, nor as smart as my sixth brother, I am not stupid. How could I not understand General Xiao's eyes? It turns out he didn't want to be my godfather, but wanted to be my father directly.
But I was afraid my mother would be angry, so I pretended not to know. As long as my mother was happy, having another father wouldn't matter. After leaving the general's tent, I was too lazy to explain to my nephew who seemed to want to say something but didn't.
Over the next few days, General Xiao took me out and taught me very seriously. A few days later, my mother and General Xiao left, leaving the camp to me.
Four years have passed, and I thought my mother had changed her mind, but she hadn't. She still put Yan Zhen on the throne. However, Yan Zhen did not disappoint my mother and aunt and did a very good job.
When they heard that General Nangong of Jincheng was plotting a rebellion, Mother and General Xiao returned to the border, intending to deal with General Nangong and the King of Shu in one fell swoop.
I started following General Xiao around, watching how he led troops into battle, and he was truly amazing, which made me admire him.
After the matter was resolved, General Xiao and his mother gave me the military tally for the border, and I became a first-rank general, with more than 200,000 soldiers remaining.
That day, I suddenly received a secret letter from the Emperor, ordering me to return to the village. In a hurry, I could only entrust the affairs of the military camp to a few adjutants and rush back to the village.
I thought something had happened to my mother, but it wasn't. Besides the Emperor, my sixth brother and the others had also returned from the capital.
That evening, I learned that my mother was leaving. Actually, I had known all along that she wasn't my mother, but since she didn't say it, she was still my mother.
Mother said that there were some things she didn't know very well, and told us to ask our maternal grandfather, but not to let our eldest brother know.
After our mother left, my two brothers and I went to find our maternal grandfather. He was not surprised at all when he saw us and began to tell us what he knew.
It turns out that this world has a past life. If I didn't know that my mother and aunt were not from this world, I would never have believed my grandfather's words.
In our previous life, when we caused trouble, our mother was hit by a stone and died. It was only because our mother came into this world in this life that she woke up.
Before my mother and aunt came into the world, none of the Lin family members escaped the famine. The fate of our family and my maternal grandparents' family was particularly tragic.
No wonder Mother wanted Yan Zhen to be the emperor. Now I can finally understand Mother's good intentions. I turned my head and looked at my cousin Huairou in the distance. She is also very pitiful. In the previous life, she was missed by Xiao Zicheng, and in this life, she is Xiao Zili.
Thinking of the already dead Xiao Zili, I went to Yan Zhen, the current emperor, and asked him to send out his secret guards to find Xiao Zicheng. I wondered where he and the previous emperor were hiding and enjoying their lives. If we didn't kill him, we wouldn't be able to quell our hatred.
Yan Zhen wasn't surprised. He handed me a piece of paper and looked at the place on it. "That old guy has been hiding pretty well. He's actually in the Wilderness Kingdom."
After leaving the village, I headed to the border with ten secret guards. Then I infiltrated the desolate country and killed Xiao Zicheng, his father, and his mother. Only when I saw their eyes wide open in death did I feel at ease.
In this way, it can be considered revenge for them in their previous life.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
