Seeing Old He looking at Hua Mulan with a questioning gaze, I quickly changed the subject, saying, "Old Marshal, I promise you, as long as this battle is over, I'll grant you your third wish as well..."
Chapter 183 The Final Battle
Around 8 a.m., Lao He set off with 10,000 men. Their main objective was to lure the enemy, much like the bait used in fishing. We know that no matter how big the fish caught, the bait is rarely usable again, so the fate of these 10,000 men was uncertain; no one knew how many would return. But following behind their commander, they showed no fear, marching proudly past us. Hua Mulan and the entire Northern Wei army watched them depart, without any grand pronouncements or large bowls of wine—aside from the bandits of Liangshan, I've never seen any other army carry such large quantities of wine on a campaign.
This is the helplessness and magnificence of the era of cold weapons; it was an era that could produce epics. Wars where the enemy was beaten bloody without even meeting could only give rise to military commentators. Of course, from the perspective of human survival, it would be best if neither of these two professions existed. But that's unrealistic. That's what they call "where there are people, there is conflict"—when I was in kindergarten, I already knew about competing with the boys in my class for girls. Our teacher was mediating between us while also thinking about getting a raise. Can you imagine how chaotic the world would be?
After Lao He left, Hua Mulan arrived at the mountainside of Yanshan with only a dozen or so riders. Below us were two cavalry squares formed by 100,000 Northern Wei soldiers. In the distance, the dust raised by Marshal He's troops was still faintly visible. Hua Mulan gazed into the distance and softly said, "I hope this battle is my final battle, and that the people of Northern Wei can enjoy peace forever."
I nodded and said, "I hope this is the last battle I'll ever see. I've come all the way to ancient times, but I haven't accomplished the Four Great Inventions, nor have I managed to become a harem. I've just been meddling in your messes. I've never seen such a pathetic time traveler as me."
Hua Mulan smiled and held out her hand, saying, "Xiao Qiang, give me your phone."
I handed it to her, and after Mulan took it, she called Xiang Yu: "Where are you now?"
Xiang Yu replied, "I'm climbing up the back of the mountain."
"Will you be here in half an hour?"
"If you tell us to come, we will come."
Hua Mulan said, "Alright, wait for my orders when we arrive before we act."
"Yes, Marshal Hua!" This is the advantage of using modern tools in the era of cold weapons; there's no need to fear the enemy intercepting signals.
Mulan smiled slightly and hung up the phone. Looking at the long list of names on my phone, she sighed, "They're all old friends. I really miss them."
I said, "Since it's still early, let's give them a call and have a chat."
Mulan chuckled. No one answered the first call. The second call reached the Liangshan special line, and Wu Yong answered. Upon hearing that there was a battle going on, Wu Yong even offered a few suggestions…
The third one reached Zhu Yuanzhang, who asked, "What are you doing?"
Hua Mulan said, "There's a war going on."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Hey, this little girl is already fighting a war..."
Mulan hung up the phone as soon as she heard his tone. The next call went to Li Shimin, who was quite generous, patting his chest and saying, "Want Brother Li to help you? I'll send you 200,000 troops if you open another military road."
Finally, Mulan chatted with Hua Rong and Fang Zhenjiang for a couple more minutes, then handed the phone to me and said, "Old Wu, you haven't gone yet?"
I sighed, "Yeah. Old Wu is a real pain; he'll be embarrassed whether you go early or late." I asked her, "Why don't you call Shishi and Ying Ge?"
Hua Mulan said, "That's too much to say. Let's talk about it when we meet."
Just then, the first call came in again, and I recognized the voice as Yan Jingsheng. He said, "Xiaoqiang? I was in class and couldn't answer the phone."
I laughed and said, "You're still so dedicated even as a vice principal. Guess where I am?"
Yan Jingsheng said, "How could I possibly guess? You're just running around between the Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties."
I said, "I'm in Northern Wei. Guess who called you just now?"
Yan Jingsheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly asked nervously, "Is it Mulan?"
I wondered, "Huh, why are you calling me so affectionately?"
Mulan answered the phone, not yet knowing who was on the other end, and asked, "Who are you?"
Yan Jingsheng stammered, "I am Yan Jingsheng."
Hua Mulan asked, bewildered, "Yan Jingsheng?"
"...You forgot, back at Yucai, when you guys beat up Lei Laosi, you slapped me."
Mulan chuckled, "Oh, it's you. What, holding a grudge?"
Yan Jingsheng whispered, "No...we all missed you a lot after you left..."
Just then, a scout horse galloped up the mountain. Mulan hurriedly handed the phone to me, and I heard Yan Jingsheng say, as if he had mustered up his courage, "I... miss you too."
I whistled.
Yan Jingsheng said awkwardly, "How did it become you?"
I laughed and said, "Marshal Hua Mulan is leading an army of 200,000 to fight a decisive battle against the Xiongnu. She has no time to deal with you."
Hearing the rapid hoofbeats of our horses, Yan Jingsheng knew it was probably no joke and said urgently, "Xiaoqiang, you must protect Mulan!"
I retorted angrily, "Nonsense! What could I do if 120,000 Xiongnu charged at me? Do you think my brick is some kind of magic seal?"
Yan Jingsheng said sternly, "But we are men!"
I chuckled and said, "Men have a weak side too—okay, I won't argue with you. You have to be a real man and beat Tong Yuan in a brick-breaking contest first."
After hanging up the phone, I laughed and said, "No wonder our vice principal has been so absent-minded lately, it turns out..."
Hua Mulan asked, "What's wrong?"
"I've fallen for you."
Hua Mulan didn't take it seriously, scratching her head and saying, "Why don't I have any impression of this person?"
I sighed for Yan Jingsheng and said, "Don't let his weak appearance fool you. In my eyes, he and Brother Yu are both remarkable men."
Hua Mulan asked with great interest, "Oh, what weapon does he use?"
I adopted a heroic and sacrificial demeanor and said, "The benevolent are invincible!" I told him about how he gave up his studies to devote himself to nurturing his child, and Mulan nodded and said, "Yes, such a person deserves to be called a hero."