Chapter 143
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Such an atmosphere was something Jia Qing had never experienced before.
Yet, once he found himself immersed in it, he felt an irresistible sense of comfort.
That night, as Jia Qing helped his drunken subordinates back, one of them slurred, “General, I feel that Youzhou is much more comfortable than Jizhou! Forget about Wu Shanshi, let’s stay here and live comfortably.”
In his inebriated state, the subordinate continued, “General, I really don’t want you to experience imprisonment again.”
Jia Qing sighed.
The subordinate’s speech became more emotional, “General, I asked General Yuan Li’s men, and they also keep their families safe in the rear, protected by Governor Yuan… But their families live so comfortably, receiving both rice and meat. Look at the delicious food we had tonight. I’ve never eaten such delicious food before. If our families could live in peace and enjoy such meals, even if they were under Governor Yuan Li’s control, it would still be better than in Jizhou!”
Jia Qing patted the subordinate’s back, saying, “Quiet now. I know you fear that I might face trouble again or hesitate to abandon our former lord. But since I decided to escape from prison, I won’t look back.”
The subordinate replied, “Then we can rest assured…”
Supporting his snoring subordinate with closed eyes, Jia Qing looked at the lanterns hung on both sides of the road. The cold wind blew, clearing his mind and revitalizing his spirit.
This was Youzhou.
He stood still for a moment, even though the darkness concealed much of the scenery, Jia Qing couldn’t bear to leave; he was captivated by the sight. It was only when the subordinate sneezed that Jia Qing was startled back to reality and hurriedly left.
Meanwhile, Yuan Li was discussing Jia Qing with Chu Hechao.
The two of them were nestled in bed, speaking in hushed tones.
Yuan Li asked, “What do you think of him?”
Chu Hechao gave Jia Qing a high evaluation, saying, “With him, Wu Shanshi still has a chance to contend with me. But without Jia Qing, I can take control of Jizhou within a month.”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Li chuckled, “Not bad, not bad. I’ve gained another formidable general under my command.”
Chu Hechao pulled him closer, snickering, “Am I formidable?”
Yuan Li sighed, “Your skin is thicker than the city wall.”
Chu Hechao smirked, “Just ask anyone outside, and they’ll tell you I’m the fiercest general.”
Yuan Li suddenly realized, “So you’ve been eavesdropping on people praising you as a fierce general.”
Chu Hechao’s face flushed slightly, “…”
Yuan Li burst into laughter and tugged Chu Hechao’s hand, “Brother, how did you get those burns on your hand? Are you willing to tell me now?”
He lowered his head, gently caressing the burns on Chu Hechao’s hand.
What kind of reason could leave such severe scars on Chu Hechao’s hand?
Chu Hechao hesitated, his lips tightly pressed, and he fell silent.
Yuan Li looked up at him, saying, “It’s okay if you don’t want to say.”
Chu Hechao shook his head.
He reached back to hold Yuan Li’s hand, calmly saying, “Yang Zhongfa had two sons; they used to be my junior officers.”
Yuan Li listened quietly.
This was the first time he learned that Yang Zhongfa had two sons because Yang Zhongfa had never mentioned it, and Yuan Li had never seen these two sons before.
With this mention, Yuan Li had already guessed that these two sons might have met with an unfortunate fate.
Chu Hechao said, “During the battles with the Wuwan people, I faced life and death situations several times. In the final battle against Gulichi, despite the danger of being on the grasslands, he used fire as a tactic. That battle caused heavy casualties in the Northern Frontier Army. Yang Zhongfa’s two sons also died on that battlefield.”
Yuan Li pursed his lips.
Chu Hechao’s eyes were already moist, and he wiped his face before continuing, “As the commander-in-chief, I suffered the most from the fire attack. The grasslands are highly flammable, and the fire raged. They got caught in the flames with me. To protect my escape, Yang Zhongfa’s elder son even shielded me from an arrow. When I managed to get them out, my hand was injured, and they were burnt to death.”
“Brother,” Yuan Li suddenly regretted asking about this, “I’m sorry…”
Chu Hechao shook his head softly, saying, “Yuan Li, please don’t mention his two sons in front of Yang Zhongfa.”
Yuan Li nodded and went to embrace Chu Hechao.
Chu Hechao held Yuan Li close, looking at the top of the canopy, “They were my good friends. After their death, Yang Zhongfa often drank to numb the pain of losing his sons. It wasn’t until his youngest son was born that he gradually recovered.”
Yuan Li had no idea that beneath Yang Zhongfa’s carefree and alcohol-loving demeanor, there was such a tragic experience hidden. His brow furrowed, and he suddenly said, “It’s all the fault of those Wuwan people.”
“You’re right,” Chu Hechao’s eyes darkened, “It’s all the fault of those Wuwan people.”
No one spoke further. In the darkness, the two embraced each other and fell asleep.
The next day, Yuan Li sent healing ointment for frostbite to Jia Qing and had Zhou Gongdan take Jia Qing’s group around Jixian and also for Zhou Gongdan to see the changes in Youzhou over the years.
When they saw the various projects such as the farmlands and the wind and water mills, Zhou Gongdan quickly grasped the brilliance behind these ideas and couldn’t help but praise them.
Five years seemed like a long time, but in the blink of an eye, Youzhou had experienced earth-shattering changes. Whether it was the public restrooms or the wind and water mills, it left the group dazzled.
Zhou Gongdan marveled at the ingenuity of the lord, regretting that he hadn’t been a part of it. After seeing all these things, he sought out Yuan Li and shared his thoughts with him.
They talked from morning until evening. After five years apart, they had much to discuss.
If it weren’t for Chu Hechao personally coming to call them for dinner, the two of them might have chatted through the night.
During the meal, Yuan Li was still talking to Zhou Gongdan, “Since you used your real name in Wu Shanshi’s presence, now that you’re back, you might need to use a false name to conceal your identity for a while.”
Zhou Gongdan smiled and nodded, “To be honest with you, my name Zhou Gongdan is indeed quite conspicuous. I’ve been wanting to change my name for a long time.”
Yuan Li grinned, “But I really like your name.”
Chu Hechao tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks, producing a crisp sound that startled the two who were talking.
Both of them turned their heads, looking at him in confusion. Chu Hechao passed the bowl and chopsticks to Yuan Li with an expressionless face and said, “Eat.”
Yuan Li blinked and took the chopsticks to eat.
Zhou Gongdan looked at Yuan Li and then at Chu Hechao, gradually appearing thoughtful.
Chu Hechao lifted his eyelids to glance at Zhou Gongdan, a hint of threat in his eyes.
Zhou Gongdan smiled faintly and obediently averted his gaze, eating his meal calmly.
By the end of March, the Emperor, who was far away in Yangzhou, couldn’t bear Wu Shanshi’s increasingly audacious actions and became anxious. He issued an imperial edict, promising to grant the title of duke to anyone who could eliminate Wu Shanshi, who had declared himself an emperor.
As the saying goes, being titled a duke is the highest rank below a Wang, and under the circumstances where the imperial family had not conferred the title of duke to outsiders for a long time, this gesture showed the Emperor’s utmost sincerity.
After the death of Chu Wang, Chu Hechao inherited his title. Chu Hechao did not need to be made a duke, but Yuan Li did. Upon hearing this news, Youzhou, which had been quiet for so long, finally made a move. Yuan Li, as the governor of two provinces, resolutely declared to the world that it was his duty to remove the rebel, and in ten days, Youzhou would march to attack Wu Shanshi and punish the man who dared to call himself an emperor without authorization.
When the news reached Jizhou, Yuan Li had not arrived yet, but Wu Shanshi was already panicking.
He hurriedly searched among his generals for someone who could deal with Yuan Li, but none of his subordinates dared to step forward and accept the challenge.
In a fit of rage, Wu Shanshi suppressed his anger, but he couldn’t help feeling some regret.
Jia Qing was still reliable. If Jia Qing were still here, he wouldn’t be in such a situation…
But no matter how much he regretted it, Jia Qing would not return.
…
Before the large army set out, as usual, Yuan Li went to inspect the spring planting in the fields.
During the inspection, Yuan Li accidentally sprained his ankle.
He didn’t feel much, but Chu Hechao pulled him to the side of the road and put on a stern face as he removed Yuan Li’s shoes and socks to check his ankle.
Yuan Li was a bit uneasy and fidgeted his foot. “It’s nothing serious, really.”
Chu Hechao didn’t say a word, and his fingers pressed somewhere, causing Yuan Li to suddenly feel a burst of pain, making his expression scrunch up.
“Still think it’s not serious?” Chu Hechao glanced at him with a wry smile. “Do you have to wait until it swells to consider it serious?”
Yuan Li touched his nose and remained silent.
Chu Hechao stood up decisively and said, “Let’s go back. You, the governor, need to rest.”
Having said that, without waiting for anyone’s response, Chu Hechao had the guards bring the horses over and helped Yuan Li mount.
Yuan Li helplessly said to Liu Jixin and the others, “I’ll head back first. If you’re done here, just go back directly as well.”
The subordinates saluted, “Yes.”
Back at the residence, Yuan Li’s foot began to swell even more. He looked at Chu Hechao in admiration and surprise, “I didn’t even feel it was swelling. How did you know? I know more medical books than you do.”
Chu Hechao used a towel soaked in cold water to apply a compress on Yuan Li’s ankle and said nonchalantly, “Reading more medical books doesn’t mean my experience is useless.”
He carefully applied the compress for a while, and when it was about done, he rubbed his palms together to warm them up and placed them on Yuan Li’s ankle, asking, “Does it hurt?”
“Not too bad,” Yuan Li said with a furrowed brow.
After Chu Hechao finished applying the compress and removed his hands, Yuan Li felt much more comfortable. He looked down at his foot and noticed that the swelling had subsided somewhat.
Impressive.
Chu Hechao washed his hands and returned to sit by Yuan Li’s side. He said, “With this injury, you’ll need at least five or six days of rest before you can get out of bed and walk. The army is about to set out, so I’ll go on your behalf. I’ll take Wu Kai and Wang Meng with me to claim the credit for conquering the duke title. You can stay in Youzhou.”
Yuan Li smiled, “To be honest, I was thinking the same.”
Even if he hadn’t sprained his foot, Yuan Li was still hesitating about whether to go with them.
In the previous campaign against Li Li, Yuan Li had no choice but to go. However, he was not much help on the battlefield. The actual fighting could be handled by the generals, and Yuan Li was better off staying behind to oversee the overall situation.
The victory against Jizhou was already certain, and Yuan Li didn’t need to personally go with them.
“It’s just that it’s hard on you,” Yuan Li sighed and said, “You’ve just recovered from your injury, and now you have to go back to the battlefield.”
Although Chu Hechao said he would use Wu Kai and Wang Meng as the main force, he would still expend a lot of effort. He had to instruct Wu Kai and Wang Meng on how to fight, which was like working hard again and handing over the credit to them.
“If the general doesn’t go to war, then what is the general here for?” Chu Hechao laughed, teasingly staring at Yuan Li. “Besides, fighting for my wife makes me happy.”
His tone lowered during the last few words, sounding like he was flirting.
Yuan Li couldn’t help but laugh and beckoned Chu Hechao closer, “Come here.”
Chu Hechao hooked his leg around the chair and moved closer.
Yuan Li lifted his other uninjured foot and placed it on Chu Hechao’s thigh, clearing his throat, “General Chu, your…”
Lin Tian’s voice suddenly rang from outside the door as if intentionally reminding them, “Master, Madam is here!”
Yuan Li’s face changed, and he immediately retracted his foot, giving Chu Hechao a meaningful look.
Why was his mother here?
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