Chapter 161
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After dinner, Yuan Congyun took out the sand table he had made.
The sand table was as big as two tables combined, meticulously displaying hills, rivers, and dense forests. Everything was detailed, and it could be easily taken in at a glance.
In addition to the topography, flags were marked on the locations of the barbarian tribes and the Xiongnu royal court.
Yuan Congyun rubbed his hands and said, “Duke Wen, do you think the positions are correct? This was drawn with the help of the staff from your Liangliao Institution.”
Yuan Li carefully examined the map and found the hill where he and Jia Qing had evaded the Xiongnu cavalry. He nodded, “Overall, it’s accurate.”
Chu Hechao immediately gave Yuan Congyun an appreciative look, “Well done.”
Yuan Congyun let out a sigh of relief.
From the sand table, it was clear to see how far the Xiongnu’s royal court was from the northern border.
Yuan Li guessed what Chu Hechao wanted to do and turned to him, seriously asking, “Do you want to attack the Xiongnu?”
Chu Hechao nodded, “Yes.”
As Yuan Li had thought, creating such a detailed sand table wouldn’t be a short-term endeavor. Chu Hechao must have had the idea of attacking the Xiongnu for a while.
Yuan Li directly asked, “When do you plan to launch the attack?”
“Early spring,” Chu Hechao answered succinctly, “It’s the best time to attack the Xiongnu.”
Yuan Li agreed with a nod.
The best seasons to attack nomadic tribes were winter and spring, especially early spring.
During the winter, the Xiongnu would hibernate and give birth to children. As winter ended, their women would be pregnant, and the strong men had to return to the herds to work, leaving them in their weakest state. The cattle, sheep, and horses of the Xiongnu were also famished after a whole winter, and their horses would become too weak to run. In order to take care of their livestock, the Xiongnu would disperse across the vast grassland to graze, making it difficult for them to organize a powerful cavalry to resist Chu Hechao’s army.
Attacking nomadic tribes at this time was the most advantageous. The enemy was weak, and the attacking force was strong, completely reversing the situation from the autumn when the Xiongnu were strong and well-fed. If they could do it well, they could even use the war to destroy the Xiongnu’s herds. Without livestock, the Xiongnu would lose their nomadic advantages, and their economic foundation would completely collapse.
Yang Zhongfa had said before that they wanted to attack the Xiongnu in winter, but they lacked food and warm clothing, so it was just wishful thinking. Now that they had winter reserves of food and warm clothing, they could try attacking the Xiongnu in late winter and early spring, directly targeting the Xiongnu royal court.
Chu Hechao had probably been thinking about this for a while.
Yuan Li glanced at Chu Hechao and felt as if he saw a naughty child who dared to act recklessly when he had enough support.
Chu Hechao’s eyebrows twitched, and he suddenly turned his head to stare at Yuan Li, his eyes fixed on him, “What are you laughing at?”
Suppressing the smile at the corner of his mouth, Yuan Li said seriously, “You’re mistaken.”
Chu Hechao narrowed his eyes. If Yuan Congyun hadn’t been there, he would have stepped forward to interrogate Yuan Li.
Their attention returned to the sand table. Yuan Li used his own experience to tell them which route would be the safest. “If we attack in early spring, the General will have to set off in about a month. How confident are you in this battle?”
“About 80%,” Chu Hechao lowered his head, looking at the sand table with a slightly cold gaze, “For the map you risked your life to bring back, I will give you a great victory. The Xiongnu royal court will eventually relocate, and the earlier we attack, the less prepared they will be.”
Yuan Li didn’t actually feel aggrieved by the hardships he endured when he ventured into the grasslands, but Chu Hechao felt that way and wanted to stand up for him. When Yuan Li saw Chu Hechao’s resolute support, he couldn’t help but raise a triumphant smile and firmly said, “Let’s do it.”
***
Before attacking the Xiongnu, they had to celebrate the New Year properly.
This year, Yuan Li didn’t celebrate the New Year with his own family. Instead, he found an excuse to spend it alone with Chu Hechao in the Chu Wang Mansion.
Chu Hechao never liked leaving Yuan Li alone to go back to his family for the New Year, and Yuan Li didn’t want to leave Chu Hechao all by himself in the Chu Wang Mansion. But Chu Hechao didn’t fit in with Yuan Li’s family, and when he sat with them, there was always some discomfort on both sides.
If they couldn’t enjoy the New Year happily, then what was the point of celebrating it? Yuan Li had secretly visited his parents yesterday and offered them New Year’s greetings in advance, explaining that he couldn’t come to the Yuan Mansion during the New Year.
Now that he was Duke Wen, his parents naturally wouldn’t say much and thought he was busy with official affairs during the New Year. They told him to take care of his own matters.
Yuan Li still felt somewhat guilty.
He was not busy with affairs but busy with another man…
The New Year was a rare chance to sleep in a bit longer. Early in the morning, when Yuan Li was still lying in bed, Chu Hechao woke up.
He looked out the window at the cold wind, and it instantly refreshed him. Chu Hechao exhaled two puffs of warm air, quietly washed up, and then changed his clothes before calling out to Yuan Li, “Wake up, we’re going to your home for the New Year today.”
Yuan Li buried his head even deeper, facing away from Chu Hechao.
Chu Hechao chuckled, reached out and touched Yuan Li’s neck. His hand was cold, and the moment he touched him, Yuan Li shivered and pulled the blanket over himself, trying to hide from the cold. “Stop fooling around.”
“Yuan Le Jun, get up quickly,” Chu Hechao bent down, pinched Yuan Li’s chin, and kissed him on the lips, “Hurry up.”
The fragrance of lotus leaves rushed into his nose, cool with a touch of winter chill. Yuan Li sleepily said, “I’m not going to the Yuan Mansion for the New Year this year. Let me sleep a bit longer.”
After speaking, he turned over and continued to sleep.
Chu Hechao was stunned. Not going to the Yuan Mansion?
He subconsciously looked down at the splendid clothes he was wearing. If he wasn’t going to the Yuan Mansion, why did he wake up so early and dress so nicely?
Chu Hechao’s lips twitched. He took off his clothes and got into the bed, hugging Yuan Li and said with a teasing tone, “Are you doing this on purpose, deliberately not telling me that you wanted to see me make a fool of myself?”
Annoyed, Yuan Li turned over and gave Chu Hechao a perfunctory kiss, “Brother, let me sleep a bit longer.”
Chu Hechao fell silent, patting his back gently, and then followed Yuan Li back to sleep.
They slept soundly for another hour and a half until it was almost noon when they woke up.
When they woke up, they found that the sky outside had become gloomy, and it had started snowing.
They were warm and comfortable under the blanket. Yuan Li was reluctant to get up, but he finally put on some clothes and got up to go to the toilet.
When he came back, he was shivering from the cold. His nose had turned red from the cold, and he hurriedly closed the door, saying, “It’s so cold outside.”
“Stay inside,” Chu Hechao rubbed his hands together and also looked outside, “We don’t have to go out today. We can stay inside all day.”
But it was the New Year, and they couldn’t just be perfunctory. Yuan Li thought for a moment, and then asked the kitchen to bring some noodles and stuffing, preparing to make dumplings with Chu Hechao inside the house.
The room had a heated kang, and it was warm and cozy inside, a world apart from the outside.
Before making dumplings, Yuan Li took out the gift he had prepared for Chu Hechao for the New Year and said, “Take a look.”
Chu Hechao’s lips curled up, his eyes filled with a smile, “What is it?”
Yuan Li gave a mysterious smile, teasing, “You’ll know when you see it.”
Chu Hechao cautiously opened the wooden box, and inside was a set of knitted clothes.
He took them out and found the style of the clothes to be very strange, “Are these clothes?”
Yuan Li nodded repeatedly and took out another set of similar clothes, “Yes, they are clothes. We each have one set. Wearing knitted clothes inside the house is more comfortable. Hurry up and try them on.”
The clothes did look odd, but since his wife was wearing the same outfit, Chu Hechao didn’t mind. With Yuan Li’s guidance, he quickly put on the clothes.
Yuan Li had already changed into his set of clothes a step ahead and smiled at Chu Hechao, “Looks good on you.”
Praised by Chu Hechao, he felt ecstatic and leaned in to kiss him, “You look good too.”
Though the clothes were peculiar, they were incredibly comfortable to wear. Loose yet fitting, much more convenient than wearing robes.
The kitchen had already prepared the filling and the dumpling skins. After Yuan Li made a few dumplings, Chu Hechao also tried his hand. However, his dumplings looked awkward and crooked, unable to stand on their own, which earned him some mockery from Yuan Li.
Chu Hechao clicked his tongue, “As long as they taste good, who cares if they look nice.”
Blunt but sensible, Yuan Li let him off the hook.
As the two of them sat at the table, chatting while wrapping dumplings, the scene was so familiar to Yuan Li that he occasionally glanced at their modern knitted outfits and felt a sense of bewilderment. It was as if he had traveled back to the future.
Yuan Li, who had always been unsure how to explain his origin to Chu Hechao, suddenly felt a desire to confide in him. Holding his chopsticks, he leisurely said, “Brother, I had a very peculiar and vivid dream when I was young.”
Chu Hechao carefully held the dumpling skin, “What kind of dream?”
“A very magical and realistic dream,” Yuan Li smiled, “You’ve always been curious about how I knew about things like training soldiers, sand tables, and refined salt, right? Well, I learned all those things from that dream. In the dream, my parents died early, and I was adopted by my father’s fellow hometown friend…”
As Chu Hechao listened to the story, he put down the things in his hands and focused on Yuan Li.
The cold wind howled outside, making the trees in the courtyard rustle. It sounded like the cry of ghosts and wolves, but it couldn’t disturb the warm candlelight inside the small room.
Yuan Li spoke intermittently, as if telling a story. After he finished, the dumplings were also cooked, and his throat felt dry from talking.
Chu Hechao placed a bowl of dumplings in front of him, and Yuan Li quickly finished it with bright eyes. He looked at Chu Hechao, half proud and half curious, “So, how do you feel about the world in my dream? Do you think it’s fascinating?”
Chu Hechao hesitated for a moment and asked cautiously, “Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”
Yuan Li’s eyelids twitched, “…What’s the lie?”
With a poker face, Chu Hechao said, “Fascinating.”
“…” Yuan Li’s head started to hurt. He rubbed his forehead, wondering what else Chu Hechao could say, “Then what’s the truth?”
Chu Hechao said earnestly, “I don’t understand.”
At first, Yuan Li was still able to explain what a sedan car was, what nine-year compulsory education meant, while telling the story to Chu Hechao. However, as Yuan Li got more excited and immersed in the story, he completely forgot about explaining various terms to Chu Hechao. He mentioned things like “skyscrapers,” “satellites,” “television”… and Chu Hechao became more and more confused, not understanding any of it.
Who could possibly understand all this?
Even though Chu Hechao was incredibly intelligent and recognized every character, he could remember every sentence, but he only understood the meaning of a few words in Yuan Li’s speech. Even if a saint came, he still wouldn’t be able to comprehend it.
“You mentioned ‘computer,’ ‘flush toilet’…” Chu Hechao struggled to pronounce these awkward words, “What are these things?”
He knew that ‘electricity’ was related to lightning, and ‘brain’ was the brain itself. So, was a ‘computer’ a brain that had experienced electricity?
Chu Hechao had a strange expression. Did his wife really like these things?
Yuan Li: “…”
He silently pressed his forehead, took a few deep breaths, and quietly reminded himself: Don’t get angry, don’t get angry, getting angry will harm your health and nobody can take your place…
However, Yuan Li couldn’t hold back. He raised his head and looked at Chu Hechao with a complex expression, “You should be able to understand.”
Aren’t these things commonly shown in novels, movies, and TV shows? Why is Chu Hechao not following the common script?
Chu Hechao helplessly said, “I really didn’t understand.”
Yuan Li was almost defeated. All the passion from earlier turned into ashes. He leaned on the table, feeling weak and said, “Forget it.”
Chu Hechao sighed and pulled Yuan Li into his arms. Yuan Li was placed on his lap, with his legs apart, and his arms draped over Chu Hechao’s shoulders listlessly.
Chu Hechao cupped Yuan Li’s face and coaxed him, “I’m just too stupid to understand your words. Could you repeat it for me?”
Yuan Li shook his head gently, feeling frustrated, “I can’t put the appearance of the dream into words.”
Chu Hechao felt a pang in his heart and spoke gently, “Although I can’t understand the city in your dream, I understand one thing.”
“What?” Yuan Li asked.
“You miss it, don’t you?” Chu Hechao said.
Tears welled up in Yuan Li’s eyes in an instant. He couldn’t speak but nodded.
Chu Hechao’s warm palm gently caressed Yuan Li’s cheeks, a bit tender and itchy. He apologized softly, “I feel guilty that I can’t see the sights in your dream through your eyes, making it impossible for you to find someone who shares the same feelings and misses that place. But Le Jun, you can freely express your feelings of missing, whether I understand it or not, I can still feel it.”
He gently pressed Yuan Li’s head down and kissed his forehead, sighing, “As long as you don’t suddenly disappear from me and enter your dream without a trace, then that’s enough.”
Yuan Li’s eyes were sore, and after a moment, he leaned over and kissed Chu Hechao.
No, it won’t happen.
Yuan Li thought, no, it won’t happen.
Because he had already found a place to anchor himself amidst boundless time and space.
After the New Year, time seemed to speed up.
The leaders of the Wuwan tribes, Dadan and Puyan, had already received Chu Hechao’s order to assist in attacking the Xiongnu. Both of them promised to provide troops actively.
Dadan was already old and frail. Even eating and walking were difficult for him now, so he sent his trusted son to lead the troops. Puyan, who was in much better condition, led the troops personally.
Just like the Xiongnu, the Wuwan people were also at the time of grazing and nurturing their livestock in early spring. Eventually, they could only muster 20,000 idle cavalry for the campaign.
These 20,000 Wuwan cavalry also needed Yuan Li to provide them with food because after an entire winter of one-way delivery, the Wuwan people genuinely couldn’t come up with enough food to support a large army.
After some consideration, Yuan Li realized that although they had a reason to attack the Xiongnu, it was actually an arduous and thankless task for them. Even if they defeated the Xiongnu and forced them to flee northward, he and Chu Hechao wouldn’t have any positions or titles to gain. At most, they would earn some good reputation. In that case, it would be better to share this credit with others and let them do the hard work while saving themselves the trouble.
With this in mind, he sent a letter to Lanzhou’s Lu He, inviting him to jointly attack the Xiongnu.
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