CHAPTER 28 The Expedition
Two days and two nights of hasty marching without stopping. Half of the journey, to avoid arriving exhausted in case of an ambush, Hussar General Wei Kongji ordered the whole army to rest and reorganize for half a day before departing.
Ouyang Zhong was appointed as the left guard general by the ruler of Zhongming, and his rank was only half a step below that of the Hussar General. he was already considered a royal nobleman, according to the rules; General Wei Kongji also had to bow to him. But before the departure, Ouyang Zhong took the initiative at Wei Kongji's request; after all, he was still young and had his first time on the battlefield, so please let him and the ordinary officers and soldiers with training not engage in any special privileges. General Wei initially looked down on Ouyang Zhong, a family son of a son, and did not expect him to do so. Then, he nodded his head and acquiesced.
Such a long time without stopping the rapid march for the perennial pampered Ouyang Zhong is indeed a considerable test. Initially, when he set out, he was thinking of taking care of Linghu Xian, worrying that she would be unable to stand such hard work in her female disguise. But he did not expect that he was a big man, just marching for less than a day. He was hungry and tired and could not support him. But as a man's dignity is maintained, even if hungry to stomach pain, he is still embarrassed to say anything, just silently will hand over the stomach lying on the back of the horse gasping for air.
Seeing him like this, Linghu Xian was both distressed and amused, and quickly walked a few steps to Ouyang Zhong's side and whispered, "In the backpack under Red Flame's neck, I put two small bottles, the red one is the gold sore medicine, and the yellow one is your stomach medicine." As soon as Ouyang Zhong heard this, he immediately took out a stomach medicine and swallowed it, and in no time, he was pretty comfortable.
At this time, Linghu Xian was like a magic trick: he took a small cake from his pocket and handed it to Ouyang Zhong to show him how much to eat. Ouyang Zhong took the small cake with the body temperature of Linghu Xian, a mouthful swallowed, ate too quickly, choked, and began to cough violently. Fortunately, Linghu Xian's quick eyes and hands hurriedly handed over the water bottle, Ouyang Zhong's greedy gulp of water before finally calming down.
"How can you walk for so long and not see fatigue?" Ouyang Zhong asked, somewhat depressed.
Linghu Xian snorted, "I'm a slave. What dirty work and hard work haven't I done since I was young? Now that I can let the horse carry me, it's already a heavenly relaxation. How can I be tired?"
Ouyang Zhong lowered his head and felt ashamed. Instead of fulfilling the man's responsibility to care for and protect a girl, he even had to take care of her, as if he could not live independently for a day without her.
Finally able to stop and camp to rest, the generals sat around in twos and threes to rest and nap in place. A few backroom cooks were also responsible for everyone's food, busy building stoves and cooking pots and fires. The further north the weather goes, the more clothes I need on my body, and it's not too noticeable when I'm traveling. Still, when I stop to rest for a few moments, I feel that the cold winds are starting to invade my body, and I need to burn some firewood to keep me warm to prevent wild beasts from attacking me.
Linghu Xian is a horse that goes around to find firewood and water, ready to give the best Ouyang Zhong boiled water for cooking, and then wash your face and soak your feet. Just when he was about to get a stretcher to jump into the water, he was stopped by Ouyang Zhong.
"Emperor's son-in-law, what are you doing?" Linghu Xian looked at him strangely.
"Now that we are in the army, I am no longer your great young master or extra horse harnessed by the side of a team; we are the same generals. Don't you do these things? I'll do it!" Then he snatched the bucket from Linghu Xian's hand and went to the river to fetch water. Linghu Xian smiled and, no longer squirming to excuse himself, turned to find an axe to prepare to chop firewood and was shouted by Ouyang Zhong: "That you do not need to care, I'll do it, you now just sit and rest well."
This is strange! How was this pampered from childhood to be served by big Ouyang big prince, the current county princess, extra horse harnessed by the side of a team, instead of taking the initiative to serve on their own? Linghu Xian is happy to be free; he is probably just curious on a whim, plays for a while, and then will play the rogue quit, taking advantage of this time to eat something good. Linghu Xian went to receive dry food and two bowls of porridge, a small dish of pickles, back to Ouyang Zhong's side. Seeing that he hadn't returned yet, he went to feed. Again, I checked the luggage. A tea time passed, and Ouyang Zhong was still not back.
What's going on? Linghu Xian is very strange but also a little worried that he will not be in danger, right? He hurriedly took his sword and ran towards the river.
Linghu Xian's nervous about running to the river to see is such a picture of the situation:
Ouyang Zhong can easily handle two buckets of water, but with the stretcher to pick up the water, this technique can only be mastered somewhat.
One needed to install a good.
The bucket spilled most of the way.
A balance did not find the right and spilled a lot of it.
He had to go back to pick; this back and forth two or three times; two buckets of water still needed to improve.
Linghu Xian put her sword away, paced with a smile, and looked around Ouyang Zhong while teasing, "This gentleman, you haven't done any work at home, have you? Do you want me to help you?" Ouyang Zhong smothered his head and tinkered with the stretcher, not wanting to pay attention to her. Linghu Xian added: "Are you hungry? The steamed buns and congee have already been prepared. Why don't you go and eat first, and I'll do the rough work?"
"Why is your nonsense so much? Just come and teach me how to use this crap!" Ouyang Zhong yelled impatiently.
Linghu Xian was angry and amused, and after squatting down to help him get it right, he looked him in the eyes and said, "Grand Duke, you haven't done these things since you were a child, and I'm worried that you won't be able to take care of yourself in the days to come. After all, going to the battlefield to lead soldiers and fight is completely different from being in the house where the wind doesn't blow, and the rain doesn't beat and reading military books."
Ouyang Zhong grasped Linghu Xian's hand and slowly opened it, looking closely at the layers of calluses and a small, thin cut; where is this the hand of a 13-year-old girl? "You have been tossed and tortured by me for so long. Do you hate me?" Ouyang Zhong burst with heartache and remorse.
"Well, to be honest, hated and angry." Linghu Xian nodded, "But since this world is all about dividing people into three, six, and nine classes, and you and I were not in the same class from birth, some things are not for you and me to decide personally. Let's go! If you don't go back, the food will get cold." Saying that Linghu Xian was about to take the flat burden but was still stopped by Ouyang Zhong.
Ouyang Zhong seriously and earnestly said to Linghu Xian: "Since we have arrived at the barracks, I am no longer the original me. You are not the original you. In the future, I will learn to do these rough jobs gradually, and you need to teach me."
"But Grand Prince, oh no, Emperor's son-in-law, slave maids can do these dirty jobs; you are the proud son of heaven; you don't need to do these things?"
"In the past, I did get used to you taking care of me, but many things are different. I will learn to take care of myself and how to take care of you as well. Linghu Xian, I hope you will also learn afterward to live in this world like a real person, on top of the world."
Looking at Ouyang Zhong's tall back, not too skillfully picking up the flat stretcher and walking forward, Linghu Xian stood dumbfounded and recalled his words, surprisingly different? He wanted her to be a natural person, a top person. The current self is not a person.
After eating, many generals had fallen asleep leaning against each other in the shade, and Linghu Xian and Ouyang Zhong snuggled up and dozed off. Just as Linghu Xian was about to fall asleep, Black Wolf's voice again lingered in his mind, "Come to the river for a bit. I'll wait for you there."
Linghu Xian instantly woke up and looked at Ouyang Zhong beside her, who seemed to still be in a deep sleep, so she planned to go to Black Wolf alone, but unexpectedly, the corner of her clothes was pressed under Ouyang Zhong; she tugged, and Ouyang Zhong looked at her confusedly. In order not to cause too much commotion, Linghu Xian had to hurriedly cover Ouyang Zhong's mouth, signaling with her eyes that he should go somewhere with her. Then, she stiffly brought Ouyang Zhong together to see the Black Wolf.
"Why are you ... all here?" Black Wolf opened his mouth to speak, "It's also good; the things I want to explain are not confidential; it won't hurt for him to listen together."
Ouyang Zhong needed clarification. He pointed at the black wolf shivering and said to Linghu Xian, "You you you ... it it it it ... can talk!" With an incredulous face, he looked at the wolf and then at Linghu Xian.
Linghu Xian felt that she had disgraced herself at her grandmother's house. She embarrassingly gave Black Wolf an arch to apologize: "My son just awoke from a nap; his brain is still not very good; please don't blame me."
The Black Wolf ignored this and went straight to the point: "Your journey is going to be very dangerous. Not only is it a long trek, but it's not as simple as going out to fight. Your opponents are not ordinary humans; that great sorcerer I have checked, her name is Feisun, is a spider spirit with a thousand years of magic power. Linghu Xian, do you still remember the spider spirits you met at the Temple of the Azure Cloud last time? This Feather Sun is their grandmaster. Let me remind you to be careful of the poison of this spider spirit. Especially you, Linghu Xian, with your previous life, I'm afraid she will use it against you."
After saying that, he looked at Ouyang Zhong and said, "Your current life is not as pleasant as your previous life. You care for each other; don't be instigated and utilized by villains." The black wolf left like the wind.
"What did it mean just now when it said that I am not as pleasant to look at as my last life?" Ouyang Zhong asked Linghu Xian with a dark face.
Linghu Xian shook his head, pretending to show he didn't know, then added, "I can't remember too much about the past; probably in your last life, you were more handsome than now?"
"How could that be?" Ouyang Zhong ran to the creek and took a picture. More handsome as Fan Li praised his face as a child, so he still called it unpleasant; what must he have been handsome before?
Linghu Xian looked at his self-absorbed stupidity with some contempt and sighed. How to get involved in such a two-bit, but also repeatedly entangled with him for several lifetimes, really what a sin!
As she walked, she thought about what the black wolf had just said. Although the wolf's cruel words were not much, they had a considerable amount of information:
First of all, the enemy army is numerous and fierce; secondly, there are two commanders of the Dingling tribe's vanguard forces, one is the Great Prince Tuoba Cheng, and the other is their great sorcerer Yu Sun; the third point is the most difficult to deal with, that is, Yu Sun is an old spider spirit, possessing a thousand years of magical powers and is good at making poison.
In addition to this basic information, Linghu Xian needs help understanding his previous life. Could that old spider tell I was a fox spirit in my last life? If that's the case, being more careful is necessary.
Ouyang Zhong caught up and asked: ''That day when Mother wanted to reward you at the family banquet, didn't she say that on the way to the Azure Cloud Temple, you encountered outlaws and robbers and fought to save them? How did you turn into a spider spirit again? What's going on here?"
"This is a long story. I'll tell you slowly later. If that great sorcerer is a thousand-year-old spider spirit, as Black Wolf said, then I'm afraid this battle will be even more dangerous. I'm worried about your safety, so never let me stay by your side to protect you."
"Your words say the opposite, right? How can it be you protecting me? It should be me protecting you." Ouyang Zhong's childish temper came back.
"I have thick skin. What can I do? Besides, my life is as small as grass; if I die, I'll die; it's nothing."
"Don't you dare talk nonsense; I won't allow you to die; you can't die either!"
"Okay, let's not talk about these bad luck words. Whether you protect me or I protect you, when we go to the battlefield, we don't care that much. But please promise me not to risk your life. Your life is the most important thing to me, you know?" As Linghu Xian spoke, she couldn't help but grab the corner of Ouyang Zhong's coat and look at him intensely. Ouyang Zhong's heart was moved; he was afraid that this was the first time that Linghu Xian had conveyed his feelings to him in such a straightforward manner; he grinned happily.
The whole army assembled, started again, and soon arrived at the barracks station in Beiwang City. Many generals were new to this small border city, yet just by entering the town, they already felt that the entire city was shrouded in a gloomy and sluggish atmosphere. That atmosphere made people's hearts tighten. It was almost dark; General Wei Kongji ordered all the departments to set up camp and settle down quickly and then called Ouyang Zhong and several generals to the general's tent to discuss the strategy to deal with the enemy.
Each sat down. Wei Kongji saw Ouyang Zhong behind the standing Linghu Xian, looking still like a child; how could they also be here to listen to the military affairs? But in the way of Ouyang Zhong is now the royal emperor's son-in-law and the identity of the left guard general, on this supervisor in the face more or less to get by, had to politely say: "Ouyang general, now is the discussion of military affairs, idle people or should be shunned it."
Ouyang Zhong got up and saluted the marshal, respectfully replying, "Great General, and all the generals have been riding the sands for many years. Chong knows I am still young and inexperienced, so I should ask for more advice from all the senior uncles. At the moment, we still don't have a clear picture of the enemy's situation, and it is said that knowing the enemy and ourselves is the only way to fight a hundred battles without danger. At a time when our army is most in need of people, I would like to recommend this young man behind me. His name is Linghu Xian, and he is my side to follow many years of guards. Do not look at the age, but his martial arts sword skills are far above the heavy. And he also has some information about the enemy's situation that needs to be reported to the generals, but please, great generals can listen patiently."
Ouyang Zhong's words look earnest, not at all the domineering vigor of the royal family, a change in the arrogant and extravagant appearance of the past son. Wei Kongji and several generals listened and then nodded in agreement. Let's hear what this kid has to say before making plans.
Linghu Xian walked to the great general, kneeled to salute, and then explained the encounter with the Spider Spirit at the Azure Cloud Temple and the Black Wolf, telling them that the great sorcerer was a thousand-year-old demon. But two things have to cover up the fact that a little lie, one naturally can not tell these people, is a wolf to help solve the spider spirit, can only say that an encounter with a world outside the high man of righteousness to help solve the siege; the other is that you can not say that they are a girl, after all, a woman into the barracks is a felony, not only their own life is challenging to ensure that Ouyang Zhong, even more, to be implicated.
After listening to Linghu Xian's statement, several people were present. You look at me; I look at you. All feel incredible. But the enemy army leader is a great sorcerer with high magic power. This is indeed not false; then, she is, in the end, not a demon, which no one can easily assert.
Hussar General Wei Kongji is a straight and bright character with a very literary and military strategy of the military; he practiced martial arts since childhood, was famous, and never believed in ghosts and monsters. He looked at the following Linghu Xian, whose heart was very disdainful but continued to ask: "According to your opinion, what is the best plan?" Wei Kongji wanted to swindle Ouyang Zhong a bit and counted on giving him a downward spiral to save him from babbling nonsense and disturbing the military in the future. Unexpectedly, Linghu Xian and Ouyang Zhong exchanged glances, then loudly reported back:
"Reporting to the Great General, I do have a plan. This great sorcerer, up until now, has not been seen by anyone with their own eyes. All things are rumors, not to be believed but not to be disbelieved. Therefore, I want to pretend to be a shepherd, sneak into the enemy's jurisdiction, and take the initiative to be captured in the enemy camp to explore reality. When we find out the details of the information, we will be sent back. This way, we can turn passive into active and wait for an opportunity with a target."
"I can't imagine you, a small child, would also have courage and tactics. Your courage is commendable." Wei Kongji laughed, then continued to ask, "Then let me ask you, how can you not be beheaded on the spot after being caught by them? And how can you transmit useful information back to the camp after being captured?"
Linghu Xian was prepared: "Great General, if the enemy wants to slaughter me on the spot, I have my way of stalling and resisting. As for transmitting information, well ...," she took out the peach kernel whistle from her neck and shook it, "Don't worry, I have this."