Luzhou-Mond - Kapitel 92
Seeing me looking around on horseback, Lin Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Huai'en, do you find the scenery beyond the Great Wall quite charming?"
Although these are not what I'm thinking about right now, it does have a unique charm, so I nodded in agreement.
Lin Zhaole said, "Once you leave Jinyan Pass, the boundless grasslands outside will probably surprise you even more."
"Then let's hurry up and break through Jinyan Pass to see the vast grasslands outside." I winked at Lin Zhao, but in my heart I wondered when this war would end.
As the sun set, the horsemen arrived at Yuqiu Pass first. The fiery red glow of the sunset cast golden light on the towering city walls, gilding the soldiers stationed on the towers. Backlit, I couldn't even make out the color of their clothes; I could only see their dark silhouettes. The cliffs on both sides were steep and precipitous; this must be considered a dangerous pass.
After checking the documents, General Cao, who was guarding the pass, finally allowed them to pass. At this time, only Shen Zexuan and Shen Haoyu's group had entered the pass; General Cui and his soldiers were still behind and would arrive later. Spending the night inside Yuqiu Pass, they heard the bugle calls outside and realized with a start that they were truly close to the battlefield.
Before dawn, General Cui had already gathered his soldiers, who were now fully equipped and ready to depart outside the north gate. The large army once again headed towards Bozhou. Having calculated the journey carefully, they finally arrived at the smoke-filled city of Bozhou at dusk. In the distance, I saw banners fluttering along the road, heavy armor and soldiers, and the thunderous cheers of the soldiers on the city walls. The heavy city gates slowly opened, and 80,000 iron-clad troops entered the city in neat rows. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief: we've finally arrived.
Upon entering Bozhou, Shen Zexuan and the others were invited to a meeting, while we stayed behind to organize our belongings. Knowing we were already at the front lines, we no longer entertained any thoughts of going out for a stroll on our own. We dutifully helped Zinuo put away Shen Haoyu's things one by one. With no one else to serve him, this task fell to us. Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao spent half their time by Shen Haoyu's side, taking turns with Zhao Ming and the others to protect his safety.
Books, pens, inkstones, all sorts of winter and summer clothes, and... lots of snacks! My goodness, when did Shen Haoyu pack all this in his luggage? He finished the dried meat on the way, and I didn't expect there to be snacks too. Isn't he afraid they'll spoil on the way? These people really have no sense of insurance at all.
Take the bag of pastries out and place it on the table. Remember to tell Shen Haoyu that these foods need to be disposed of as soon as possible, otherwise other creatures will grow on them, even though the weather in the north is still slightly chilly. I didn't realize this young prince was so particular about his food and clothing. Looking at those two large bags of clothes, I was speechless. I have no idea how those other people managed to take care of him.
They ate a simple dinner, content with just enough to fill their stomachs, not caring about the taste. Incense was burned, candles were lit, and hot water was prepared. They waited patiently for Shen Haoyu to return. This was a special instruction from Yin Yan, who said Shen Haoyu had a habit of burning incense while bathing, and it had to be a specially made incense infused with medicinal herbs. The life of the nobility was truly luxurious. They had been lazy on the road and hadn't paid attention to him, but now that they were settled, they had to follow Yin Yan's instructions and take care of everything for him.
Shen Haoyu finally returned, and I quickly had someone bring in hot water and pour it into the large wooden tub. Shen Haoyu glanced at me with a smile, walked to the screen, opened his arms, and stood still. I stood in front of the door watching him, thinking that he hadn't done his movements correctly and that some joint was stuck, so I quickly stepped forward and asked, "Young Prince, are you alright?"
Shen Haoyu raised his arm slightly: "Help me undress, what are you standing there for?"
This guy is still trying to get everything done for him, so I asked him curiously, "How did you get here on the way?"
Were those guards helping him change and bathe on the way? The thought of several men together sent a chill down my spine.
“Times have changed.” Shen Haoyu stubbornly held out his hand, seemingly determined to have me help him undress. I pushed him behind the screen: “Young Prince, it’s cold in the north, you’d better hurry, or the water will get cold.” I pointed to the clothes laid out beside me: “Those are clean, don’t wear the wrong ones.” Then I strode out of his room, not forgetting to say as I closed the door: “I wish you a pleasant bath, Young Prince.”
He's already done a great job, and now he wants me to bathe him? Humph...
From now on, I'll leave these things to Zinuo and do other odd jobs.
I was sound asleep in the middle of the night when I was awakened by the sound of drums. I had no idea what the drums and bugles meant in the army, so I sat up and looked at Zinuo, who was also looking bewildered. There was still some humanity here; there were two small beds in the room, so Zinuo no longer had to curl up on the low couch.
"I'll go out and take a look." Zi Nuo said, jumping out of bed and walking towards the door. A moment later, she returned and said, "The enemy has launched a night attack on the city."
I was startled, unsure whether to get up or stay here. Thinking about the enemy attacking the city and the large number of people outside, I figured I wouldn't be of any use, so I sat down again. After a while, I got dressed and ran to Shen Haoyu's room next door, only to find the light already on, the door open, and Song Zhixuan and the others already inside.
“You all just stay put. If you’re really worried, you can come and guard me,” Shen Haoyu said with a smile, standing by the desk. “However, don’t do anything on your own initiative unless I tell you to.”
Knowing their own identities, we can't really be considered military personnel. To put it nicely, we're assisting Shen Zexuan, but in reality, we're just... Everyone responded in unison and turned back to their rooms.
That way, there will be far fewer things to worry about; all you need to do is keep your life.
There was fighting outside, but I couldn't fall asleep, so I lit a lamp and played cards with Zinuo under it. I don't know how much time passed, but the drumming outside gradually subsided. I didn't know if this meant the battle was over or just paused. In the end, I couldn't resist sleepiness and collapsed onto the bed.
Shen Haoyu and his men went to discuss military matters, and we knew nothing about it. Song Zhixuan and the others who accompanied them were just waiting outside. We had no way of knowing what happened in the battle last night. Shen Haoyu was probably just listening in.
Although Shen Haoyu walked the streets of Bozhou that day, he saw many large tents erected in some relatively remote open areas. These tents had roofs but no walls, and could only provide shelter from the air. Inside the tents were some people, men, women, and children. Seeing our puzzled expressions, a young captain accompanying us explained, "These are people who fled from the front. Those who have no money are allowed to stay here, while those who have money naturally find other places to stay."
"But eleven cities have been captured. If we're talking about refugees, how come there are only so many? And we haven't seen a single one in Ningzhou either?" Shen Haoyu asked, which was exactly the question I was wondering about.
The captain gave an awkward smile: "Young Prince, don't you know this? Yuqiu Pass isn't a place you can just enter whenever you want. As long as Bozhou still exists, Yuqiu Pass will probably have a hard time letting these refugees in to disrupt Ningzhou's prosperity. As for why there aren't many refugees, it's naturally thanks to General Chen. He has been stationed in the Northwest for many years and has been very compassionate to the people there. He has many supporters, and even though he has surrendered to Xuan Ying, there are still many people willing to follow him."
Given that he was such a benevolent general who loved the people, General Chen's defection to the enemy seemed all the more suspicious. I couldn't help but turn my gaze back to Shen Haoyu. That mysterious shadowy figure from that summer night suddenly became clear, sending chills down my spine: In order to create turmoil and change the military power in the Northwest, were they really gambling with the safety of the entire Northwest?
Noticing my gaze, Shen Haoyu frowned slightly. Fortunately, Zinuo gently tugged at my almost out-of-control brow and secretly shook her head at me. It seems Zinuo remembered as well.
Separated by a wall, outside lay a battlefield raging, while inside, the lives of ordinary people continued as usual. Entering a tavern, the innkeeper greeted us with a beaming smile and personally escorted us upstairs, saying as we walked, "Commander Xu, you've worked hard. With these continuous battles, it won't be long before you're promoted to general, will it?"
It turned out that the young captain's surname was Xu. Thinking of General Cui in his white robe, who was also so young, it seemed that there was no shortage of talent in the army. Captain Xu smiled and stopped, indicating to the innkeeper that there was no need to see him off any further. The innkeeper then turned and went downstairs, and the group found a table and sat down upstairs.
There weren't many patrons upstairs; the sounds of people drinking and chatting were scattered throughout.
"Those up here can do whatever they want, but it's only us ordinary folks who suffer," a drinker leaning against the window suddenly said indignantly. His voice wasn't very loud, but many people still heard him.
"That's right, I don't know how my shop in Haozhou is doing. I've worked hard to run it for half my life," a customer sitting next to him said with some regret.
The man who had spoken earlier chuckled and said, "Old Wu, don't complain. You still have a few shops in other places, but look at them," he said, pointing to the large sheds outside, "look at those people, they have nothing at all."
“Since there’s nothing here anyway, why not stay where we are? Didn’t they say General Chen treated them very well?” This time, it was Lin Zhao who spoke.
Another drinker replied, “Young man, you don’t understand. No matter how good General Chen is to them, in the end, it’s the people of Xuan Ying who will be in charge. How good can their lives be? Those who can see clearly have left, while those who can’t see clearly have trusted their general and stayed there.”
I don't quite understand, but if I had to choose, what happens there in the future is a matter for the future. Right now, it's best to leave and avoid the smoke of war. Perhaps General Chen can truly protect them, or perhaps they don't trust General Chen, but simply the land where they've lived for so many years…
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 77 of the main text.
Chapter word count: 4065 Update time: 09-08-23 18:13
Zi Nuo went out with Song Zhixuan and the others, leaving me behind. I protested, but to no avail. Shen Haoyu said he needed a clean and comfortable room when he returned, with hot water and new clothes prepared for him. Resigned, I started tidying up his room, only to find the bag of snacks from a few days ago still there. Opening it, it seemed untouched. Fortunately, most of it was dried fruit and such…
Many flowers were in bloom in the courtyard: white pear blossoms, pink apricot blossoms, red crabapple blossoms, purple lilacs… all crowding the branches, vying for attention. I lingered under the flowering trees, trying to pick a few branches to put in Chen Haoyu's room. Although he didn't particularly like fresh flowers, the natural fragrance was surely better for his health than artificial scents, right?
Reaching out his demonic claws to grab the half-opened crabapple blossom, he was struck by a sharp palm wind. I dodged to the side, but instead of picking the flower, I tripped and fell, struck by the palm wind. Petals rained down on me, covering my head and body. Before I could stand up, someone grabbed me by the back of my collar and lifted me up: "Who's lurking around like that?"
I couldn't reach the ground, so I could only kick my legs wildly and yell in dissatisfaction, "Who's sneaking around? It's just a broken branch of flowers, what's the big deal!"
The person behind me loosened their grip, and I slumped to the ground again. Looking up, I saw it was none other than General Cui Lang. My previous good impression of him vanished instantly. "General Cui, you yourself are bad at judging people, but there's no need to be so paranoid, especially not in this general's mansion."
Cui Lang looked down at me and said, "Enemy spies sneaked into the city last night. Who told you to be acting so suspiciously?" His tone was stern, and he showed no intention of apologizing.
I stood up, glared at that unromantic handsome face, and gritted my teeth: "That's because I'm gentle, I should be tender and careful, so as not to frighten the flowers, don't you understand?" It's infuriating! I haven't been ruthless enough to destroy the flowers, yet I'm accused of being sneaky. But, have enemies infiltrated the city? Is that why they won't let me go out with them? Besides, my martial arts skills are weak; it's not very safe for me to be alone in this general's mansion… Oh well, it's only right that I do my best to protect Shen Haoyu, not that he should protect me.