I was stunned for a while before I came to my senses. I said to Xiang Yu from behind, "Luckily, I managed to loosen it after pulling for a while, otherwise this spear would have been really bad..."
Chapter 181 Wings
We returned to the camp when someone came to report that Marshal He of the Northern Wei army had come to scout the camp on light cavalry and was now outside the gate.
Upon hearing this, Hua Mulan quickly adjusted her armor and went out to greet him. Outside the tent, accompanied by a dozen guards, an old general leaped off his horse with remarkable agility. He wore golden helmet and armor, his white beard flowing down his chest, and his eyes held an imposing presence without anger, exuding a dignified yet refined air. This was probably what people meant by a scholar-general.
Hua Mulan knelt on one knee and said, "Greetings, Marshal!"
Marshal He lifted Hua Mulan up, scrutinizing her intently for any injuries, before smiling and saying, "I heard you were ambushed and ran into the Rouran's 5,000-strong vanguard. I was worried about your safety, but I didn't expect you to fight such a brilliant battle."
Hua Mulan glanced back at us, but didn't know where to begin. Marshal He pulled her into the tent and said, "Come, tell me how this battle was fought."
Hua Mulan said hesitantly, "Marshal, please allow me to introduce you to a few friends first."
Marshal He's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he fixed his gaze on us. He had, of course, already discovered that there were strangers in his army, but Mulan hadn't mentioned it, and he hadn't asked.
I awkwardly raised one hand and waved to Lao He, "Hi, hello." I didn't know how to greet him. Strictly speaking, I wasn't his subordinate, so kneeling was unnecessary. But we were on his turf now, and I was afraid I'd have to rely on him for a living in the future, so I guess I was half a boss.
Hua Mulan pointed at me and scratched her head, saying, "Who is this...?"
I spoke first: "I'm Hua Xianfeng's cousin, just call me Xiaoqiang."
After entering the tent, Lao He no longer paid much attention to his demeanor. He nodded to me, then turned his gaze to Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu was currently adjusting his battle robes; he hadn't had time to change yet, and his armor was covered in blood and holes. Seeing Lao He looking at him, he continued working without saying anything, waiting for Hua Mulan to introduce him.
Hua Mulan pointed at Xiang Yu and stammered, "This is Xiang... Xiang... you can just call him Little Xiang."
Marshal He stepped forward two steps, his eyes fixed on Xiang Yu, and said, "Young General Xiang."
Xiang Yu wiped the blood off his armor and said, "You're too kind. Just call me Xiao Xiang."
Marshal He said, "You're the one who defeated 5,000 Rouran troops with only a few hundred men, aren't you?"
Hua Mulan rubbed her hands and said, "This..."
Marshal He said, "I've already heard about it. The younger generation is truly formidable. I've fought my entire life and never experienced such grandeur. But why have I never seen the young general before?"
Xiang Yu stopped what he was doing and smiled, "I am but a humble villager, it's normal that the Marshal hasn't met me before." Though he said this, everyone could see it was just politeness. What humble villager could be so composed when meeting the Chairman of the National Military Commission?
However, at this critical juncture, it doesn't matter who it is; as long as they can help you fight, they are your friends. So Marshal He didn't press the matter and said gently, "Regardless of your background, young general, you are incredibly brave, and what's even more admirable is your fervent patriotism."
Xiang Yu waved his hand and said, "My country is not here. I help your army for two reasons. First, I regard Vanguard Hua as my sister..." Hua Mulan pinched him hard, and Xiang Yu hurriedly changed his words, "...like my younger brother; second, my army is running out of food and I want to borrow some supplies from the marshal."
Marshal He smiled slightly and said, "Young general, you are indeed a straightforward person. There is no problem with the provisions." As he spoke, he placed his hand on Hua Mulan's shoulder affectionately. "As for your two times helping Muli (Hua Mulan's former name), I must thank you in particular. Muli has been serving under me since he joined the army at a young age. I like the young man very much because he is brave and steady. Over the years, he has been like my own son."
Xiang Yu: "..."
I gloated, thinking that Xiang Yu had finally suffered a setback. He said he treated Hua Mulan like a younger brother, but she said she was like his son. By that logic, Lao He was just his adopted son.
Of course, Lao He didn't mean any harm by saying that. In terms of age, he was perfectly suitable to be Xiang Yu's godfather, who was in his early thirties. Besides, given Xiang Yu's high status, he didn't need to secretly gloat by recognizing godchildren everywhere; his main intention was to encourage younger generations.
Marshal He asked Xiang Yu, "The 50,000 troops at the foot of Yanshan Mountain were brought by you, young general?"
Xiang Yu replied, "Yes. They are just a bunch of weak soldiers. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, old marshal."
Marshal He waved his hand and said, "No need to be so modest. From my observation, your army is disciplined and obeys orders without question. It should be a battle-hardened army. However, there is one thing that puzzles me quite a bit - why are Chu flags planted all over your camp? And the young general's surname is Xiang, so you and Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu..." Speaking of the Hegemon-King, Old He couldn't help but show a hint of respect.
Xiang Yu said dejectedly, "Then... let's just say it's our ancestor."
I burst into laughter. After me, Xiang Yu finally became the second person to claim himself as his ancestor.
Old He's eyes lit up when he heard him say that. He took a step back and looked at Xiang Yu again, clicking his tongue as he looked and exclaimed, "So alike, so alike! In my whole life, I have two regrets: first, that I was born two hundred years too late to see the Hegemon of Western Chu; second, that I could not drive out the Rouran. I never thought that I would be able to see a descendant of the Hegemon in my remaining years."
Xiang Yu could only awkwardly clasp his hands in greeting: "Old Marshal, you have misunderstood me."
Marshal He looked excited and turned to say, "Mu Li, how come I didn't know you had such a friend before?"
Hua Mulan covered her mouth and laughed, "How should I put it? Brother Xiang and I hit it off immediately, it must be a blessing from a past life."
After a moment of excitement, Lao He suddenly became serious and said, "Xiao Xiang, your men are not changing their Chu army flags. Do you have the intention to restore the country?"
Xiang Yu knew that Marshal He was worried that he would endanger the Northern Wei regime, so he said, "No. Didn't I say that our country is not here? We are a bunch of uncivilized people. If possible, after this battle, I hope that my men can lay down their arms and return to their fields, and become ordinary people under the Marshal's rule."
Marshal He nodded with relief. Just then, a scout came to report: "Marshal, Vanguard, the main force of the Rouran army, numbering over 100,000, has been spotted 50 li north of Yanshan, and is slowly moving towards our position!"
Upon hearing this, Lao He hurriedly went to the battle map, observed the situation for a while, and sighed, "The moment of decisive battle has arrived. I always thought we would have to wait another two years, but I didn't expect this day to come ahead of schedule."
We were all astonished—the old man was incredibly prescient! But he made this deduction based on the situation, unlike the protagonist in a certain TV series who excitedly declared in 1937, "The eight-year War of Resistance is about to begin."
Old He beckoned and said, "Come on, Muli, Xiao Xiang, let's have the three of us think this over."
Xiang Yu, who had been a "little general" for a while, was now back to "Little Xiang" and even became "father and son" with Old Man He. He reluctantly came to the table. Seeing that Old Man He had already marked the sphere of influence of the Xiongnu with black lines, he also took a pen and drew an inverted arrow on the opposite side, saying, "In this way, let my Chu army be the spearhead, and you support them on both flanks. We will crush them in one fell swoop, and then we will fulfill the old marshal's second wish."
Old He looked completely bewildered, then sneered, "You want us 150,000 people to be your 50,000 bodyguards?"
Xiang Yu shrugged: "As long as we can win the battle, why can't 150,000 men serve as escorts for 50,000?"
Hua Mulan secretly tugged at Xiang Yu from behind...
Old He wasn't angry. He took the golden marshal's helmet in his hand, gently brushed off the dust, and said with a smile, "I joined the army at the age of 15 and have been serving for 40 years. I only became a marshal after my hair turned gray. I feel that I have some experience in troop deployment." Needless to say, he was showing off his seniority.
Xiang Yu looked at the golden helmet in Lao He's hand and said, "I used to have a suit of armor like this too." This was his way of showing no sign of weakness.
Seeing that the two had already started arguing before they even got started, Mulan stamped her foot and said, "Stop arguing. We currently have 200,000 men against the Rouran's 120,000. We have the advantage, so why can't we come up with a foolproof plan?"
With two powerful forces clashing, and this point of balance emerging in the middle, the two grown men fell silent. Hua Mulan straightened the map and studied it for a while, then said thoughtfully, "Since this is a decisive battle, we must deploy a considerable force on the front. That extra force is the key to our victory."
Marshal He said, "Actually, I think Xiao Xiang's method is quite good, simple and direct. However, the Chu army brothers are guests, so we should still fight the main force. We should ask Xiao Xiang's men to be our left flank."