Chapter 38
He died for the villain for the fourth time (38)
After Chen Mei left, Yu Tang covered his face and swallowed several times before finally managing to choke back his sobs.
His other hand was gripped tightly, and Xiao Lin pulled him to a secluded corner at the foot of the city to sit down.
Then he reached out and gently put his arm around Yu Tang's shoulder.
The two remained silent.
It's been so long...
The women and children had already prepared the meal and brought it to them. As Yu Tang ate, the steam stung his eyes, and tears silently streamed down his face.
After finishing his porridge with tears in his eyes, Xiao Lin put the bowl aside, pressed Yu Tang's head down so that he could rest his head on his shoulder, and said softly, "General, you should sleep for a while. Before the second wave of attacks comes, you should be well-rested so that you can continue to fight."
Yu Tang pursed her lips, but took the initiative to grab his hand, their fingers intertwined tightly.
"Your Highness, how wonderful it would be if there were no war."
So many soldiers who were laughing and joking with him just a few days ago have turned into cold corpses overnight.
But this war has only just begun.
More and more people will die in the future.
Whether they were the defending troops or the enemy troops, they were all human lives lost, all innocent souls.
Xiao Lin could hear the emotion in his voice, the sorrow and unease.
Hearing this made his heart ache terribly.
The Xiao Kingdom occupies the most fertile and prosperous land on this continent. When it is strong and prosperous, no one dares to bully it. But once its national strength declines, it will become the target of everyone's attacks.
Only a prosperous era can bring peace.
This is a truth that everyone knows.
"Your Highness, you must live." Yu Tang gripped his hand tightly and said, "This country... needs someone to change it."
For the first time, Xiao Lin did not refute Yu Tang's words.
She no longer emphasized that the man before her was more important than the vast land.
Instead, they fell into a long silence.
When I close my eyes, the memories in my mind are jumbled and disorganized.
One moment it's the blood-red scene he witnessed as a child. The next it's his mother teaching him to be kind to others. Then it's the dark room of the cold palace, where his elder brother holds his arm down, a branding iron pressed against his collarbone, surrounded by sharp mockery.
One moment he was being taught by Scholar Wang about governing the country and ensuring its peace, putting the people first, and considering the nation and the world.
One moment it's Emperor Xiao Sheng's repulsive, wine-and-women-indulging face, the next it's what Yu Tang just told him: "This country needs you." If only it were a prosperous era, free from war.
On the training ground, he practiced alongside the soldiers, listening to their jokes and crude remarks, and smiled gently.
In the spring fields, hoes and sweat fell together. He sat with the others, and Yu Tang took his hand and revealed their identities.
The blessings I received.
There's also Chen Mei, who once smiled and handed him a pair of mandarin duck pillows, now facing her husband's death.
Instead of breaking down in tears, she spoke with red eyes and a firm voice, expressing her pride in her husband.
And they are willing to use their limited abilities to protect this border, this northern city...
When Xiao Lin opened his eyes again, his throat was dry and his voice trembled slightly, but he still gave Yu Tang a positive answer.
"Okay, I will definitely live."
He emphasized each word, adding, "But the general must also promise me that he will live with me, okay?"
Yu Tang was taken aback.
He knew that Xiao Lin was a man of his word and never went back on his promises.
If you dare to say it, you will definitely do it.
This is the boy he... likes.
like……
An unprecedented surge of emotion rushed out as if a sealed container had been burst open, causing Yu Tang's heart to clench instantly, and cold sweat to break out on his forehead from the pain.
The sounds of chanting and bells, accompanied by a jumble of words, echoed continuously in my mind.
Love is useless; you don't need love.
God is God without love.
Why would you ruin your future for that monster?
"General? What's wrong?" Xiao Lin noticed that he was not in a good state and quickly called out to him.
Yu Tang came to his senses: "Maybe I'm just too tired..."
He leaned against Xiao Lin, took out the jade pendant from his pocket, and told the boy in front of him what he had thought of before.
"Your Highness, with your jade pendant protecting me, it's not easy for me to die even if I want to."
Having told so many lies, Yu Tang now even begins to believe them himself.
He said, "If the jade breaks, I will die; if the jade doesn't break, I won't die."
"Even if one day you can't find me, if you don't see this jade pendant, it means I'm still alive, living somewhere in this world."
"I will watch you build a prosperous era and wait for you to come to me."
Yu Tang closed his eyes. The winter wind was biting, but Xiao Lin was very warm, which made him move even closer.
She whispered, "Your Highness, you must come to find me."
His tone was so sincere that every word was etched into Xiao Lin's heart, causing the boy's body to stiffen slightly before slowly relaxing.
With their fingers intertwined, Xiao Lin replied, "Alright, if that day ever comes, I will definitely seek out the General, no matter where he is."
As in the original story, Emperor Xiao Sheng did not send troops to support the northern border after receiving the news.
The difference this time was that not all court officials were in unison advocating for peace.
During the time Xiao Lin returned to the capital, he won over many people's hearts.
Perhaps it was because he had spent a lot of time with Yu Tang that his rough edges had been smoothed out, and his speech, conduct, and demeanor had become more convincing.
Therefore, with the army pressing in, a group of court officials stepped forward, hoping that Emperor Xiao Sheng would send troops to support the northern border.
It is said that if we continue to tolerate the rampant behavior of foreign tribes, the status of the Xiao Kingdom as a great power will eventually plummet, and it will no longer be able to deter other countries.
But the foolish emperor wouldn't listen, which completely chilled everyone's hearts.
The war is still raging.
All nine cities were in dire straits, with the northernmost city facing the most hardship.
Other cities sent troops to support Beiyi City, but they either lost most of their forces en route or were wiped out as soon as they entered the city.
The city gate was dented and cracked from being struck by huge wooden stakes, and the city walls, which had stood for a hundred years, were also scarred, riddled with arrows, and blackened by fire.
For the past two weeks, the soldiers of Beiyi City have not had a good night's sleep; their eyes are bloodshot and their faces are exhausted.
The number of dead and wounded soldiers was increasing, and the military doctors simply couldn't save them all.
The people watched helplessly as their loved ones who were soldiers died tragically, yet they dared not cry too loudly lest it shake the morale of the army.
She only dared to sob softly late at night, forcing out low sobs through her throat.
Yu Tang's injuries had not fully healed to begin with, and in the past half month, he had suffered many new injuries. He sat on the ground with Xiao Lin, leaning against the wall of the city tower, looking at the setting sun on the horizon, his eyes filled with the blood-red color of the evening glow.
Xiao Lin's bandaged wound on his shoulder had already reopened, and now blood had soaked through his thick clothes, but he was unaware of it.
He simply held Yu Tang's hand tightly, remaining silent.
Both of them knew that with the military strength of Beiyi City, they would soon be unable to hold out.
When the city falls and the people flee, all that remains for the soldiers is death.
After a long while, Yu Tang seemed to remember something and smiled wryly.
He said to Xiao Lin, "Your Highness, we..."
As if what he was about to say was too embarrassing, Yu Tang paused for a moment before letting out a sigh.
He continued, "Let's get married."
Chapter 39
He died for the villain for the fourth time (39)
Xiao Lin was taken aback.
I thought I had misheard.
He faced Yu Tang, his mouth agape, and after a long pause, he managed to choke out, "General, you..."
Before he could even utter the words "You're not kidding, are you?", Yu Tang grabbed his collar and sealed his lips with hers.
Because a battle had just ended, most of the soldiers had left the city walls, and there was no one around the two men.
They wouldn't even notice their actions.
But this was indeed the first time Yu Tang had ever abandoned any sense of shame and taken the initiative to do something like this.
My heart is beating very fast and it hurts a lot.
The chanting in his mind continued to cause trouble, but he ignored it and instead closed his eyes.
Try to truly feel this excitement.
After enduring wind and rain for half a month, guarding this city gate, both of them had disheveled hair, bloodstains and small wounds on their faces, and dry lips. The friction of their skin was not a pleasant sensation.
But Xiao Lin's nose suddenly stung and his eyes reddened.
With one hand around Yu Tang's neck, and the other hand overlapping the man's palm, she braced herself on the ground, inserting her fingers between them, only to be held tightly by the other man, responding forcefully.