C143. Sprained Ankle.
The atmosphere was something that Jia Qing had never experienced before.
But once he found himself in it, he couldn't resist the feeling.
At night, as Jia Qing helped his drunk subordinates back, one of them drunkenly said, "General, I feel like Youzhou is more comfortable than Jizhou! Forget about Wu Shanshi, let's just stay here."
As he spoke, the subordinate started crying, "General, I don't want you to go through imprisonment again."
Jia Qing sighed.
The subordinate continued, "I asked Governor Yuan's subordinates, they also send their families to the rear for protection... but their families live much comfortably, receiving grains and meats. Look at the meal we had tonight, I've never had such a delicious meal before. If our families could live in peace and enjoy these kinds of meals, even if they are still under Governor Yuan's control, it's better than being in Jizhou!"
Jia Qing patted his back, "Shut up. I know you're afraid of me repeating the same mistakes and reluctant to leave your old master. But I made the decision to escape from prison, and I won't look back."
The subordinate said, "Then we can rest assured..."
Supporting the snoring subordinate with closed eyes, Jia Qing looked at the lanterns hanging on the sides of the road. The cold wind blew, clearing his mind and energizing him.
This was Youzhou.
He stood for a moment, even though the night covered many sights, Jia Qing couldn't bear to leave, mesmerized. It wasn't until the subordinate sneezed that Jia Qing was startled back to reality and hurried away.
*
Yuan Li was also chatting about Jia Qing with Chu Hechao.
The two were whispering in bed.
Yuan Li asked, "What do you think of him?"
Chu Hechao gave a high evaluation of Jia Qing, "With him, Wu Shanshi still has a chance to oppose me, but without Jia Qing, I can take over Jizhou within a month."
Yuan Li chuckled, "Well done, my army has gained another fierce warrior."
Chu Hechao pulled him to lie on top of himself, smirked, "Am I fierce enough?"
Yuan Li sighed, "Your thick skin is thicker than a city wall."
Chu Hechao half-jokingly said, "Ask anyone out there, who wouldn't say I'm the fiercest warrior."
Yuan Li suddenly realized, "So you've been eavesdropping on people praising you as the fiercest warrior."
Chu Hechao blushed, "..."
Yuan Li couldn't help laughing, took Chu Hechao's hand, "Brother, how did you get that burn on your hand? Will you tell me now?"
He lowered his head to look at Chu Hechao's hand, carefully touching the burn marks on it.
What kind of reason could leave such severe scars on Chu Hechao's hand?
Chu Hechao was stunned, his mouth tightly pursed as he fell silent.
Yuan Li looked up at him, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."
Chu Hechao shook his head.
He held Yuan Li's hand in return, calmly saying, "Yang Zhongfa had two sons who used to be close to me."
Yuan Li listened quietly, seeming lost in thought.
It was the first time he heard about Yang Zhongfa's two sons, as Yang Zhongfa had never mentioned it before, and Yuan Li had never seen his two sons.
With this mention, Yuan Li already guessed that perhaps these two sons had met with an unfortunate fate.
Chu Hechao said, "During the battle with the Wumang people, I faced death several times. In the final battle with Bulichi, he disregarded the grassland we were on and used fire attacks. In that battle, the Northern Border Army suffered heavy casualties. Yang Zhongfa's two sons also died on that battlefield."
Yuan Li pursed his lips.
Chu Hechao's eyes were moist, he wiped his face and continued, "As the commanding general, I suffered the most serious burns from the fire attack. The grassland was highly flammable, and the fire had already started. They were caught in the flames with me. To help me break through, Yang Zhongfa's eldest son even took a blast for me. When I managed to get them out, my hand was injured, and they were burnt alive."
"Brother," Yuan Li suddenly regretted asking this question, "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, embracing Chu Hechao.
Chu Hechao held Yuan Li, looking at the canopy of the bed, "They were my good friends. After they died, Yang Zhongfa often drank to numb the pain of losing his sons, until his youngest son was born, and he started to recover."
Yuan Li didn't realize the sorrowful experiences hidden beneath Yang Zhongfa's carefree and alcohol-loving facade. His brows furrowed slightly, and he suddenly said, "It's all the fault of those Wumang people."
"You're right," Chu Hechao's eyes gradually darkened, "It's all the fault of those Wumang people."
No one spoke further. In the darkness, the two embraced each other and fell asleep.
The next day, Yuan Li sent ointment for frostbite treatment to Jia Qing and arranged for Zhou Gongdan to take Jia Qing and his group around Ji County, so Zhou Gongdan could see the changes in Youzhou over the years.
When Zhou Gongdan saw the military farming matters, he quickly understood the intricacies and couldn't stop praising.
In five years, which seemed like a long time but passed in the blink of an eye, Youzhou had undergone profound changes. Whether it was the public toilets or windmills and watermills, they left the group dazzled.
Zhou Gongdan was amazed by the lord's ingenious plans yet regretted not being a part of it. After seeing all these things, he specifically sought out Yuan Li to share his thoughts with him.
They chatted from morning until evening, topics flowing easily between them after five years without seeing each other.
If it weren't for Chu Hechao personally calling them for dinner, they might have chatted all night.
During dinner, Yuan Li was still talking to Zhou Gongdan, "Since you used your real name by Wu Shanshi's side, now that you're back, you might need to use a fake name to conceal your identity for a while."
Zhou Gongdan nodded with a smile, "To be honest, Lord, the name Gongdan is quite conspicuous, I've been wanting to change it for a while."
Yuan Li raised an eyebrow, "I actually quite like your name."
Chu Hechao tapped the edge of his bowl with his chopsticks, making a loud noise that startled the two of them who were talking.
They both turned to him, puzzled. Chu Hechao handed the bowl of chopsticks to Yuan Li, expressionless, and said, "Eat."
Yuan Li blinked and took the chopsticks to eat.
Zhou Gongdan looked at Yuan Li, then at Chu Hechao, and gradually began to ponder.
Chu Hechao lifted his eyelids to give Zhou Gongdan a threatening look.
Zhou Gongdan smiled faintly, obediently averted his gaze, and ate his meal peacefully.
At the end of March, the emperor in Yangzhou, seeing Wu Shanshi's increasingly bold actions, finally grew impatient and issued an edict, stating that whoever could eliminate Wu Shanshi, who had proclaimed himself emperor, would be granted the title of Duke.
As the saying goes, a duke is the highest title below a Prince for individuals of a different surname. With the imperial family not having granted the title of duke to anyone outside the royal family for a long time, the title of Duke was the emperor's greatest sincerity.
After the death of Prince Chu Hengping, Chu Hechao automatically inherited the title of Prince Chu. Chu Hechao did not need the title of Duke, but Yuan Li did.
Upon hearing this news, the usually quiet Youzhou finally made some noise. As the governor of two provinces, Yuan Li boldly declared to the world that it was his duty to eliminate the rebel who proclaimed himself emperor.
Ten days later, Youzhou would launch an attack against Wu Shanshi to punish the unfaithful man who dared to claim the imperial title.
When the news reached Jizhou, Yuan Li had not yet arrived, but Wu Shanshi was already in a panic.
He quickly searched among his generals for someone who could deal with Yuan Li, but his subordinates cowered and none dared to step up.
Wu Shanshi flew into a rage, and after suppressing his anger, he couldn't help but feel regret.
Jia Qing was still useful; if Jia Qing were still around, he wouldn't be in this situation now...
But no matter how much he regretted it, Jia Qing would never come back.
...
Before the army set out, Yuan Li routinely went to inspect the spring planting in the fields.
During the inspection, Yuan Li accidentally sprained his foot.
He didn't think much of it, but Chu Hechao dragged him to the side of the road, frowning, and took off his shoes and socks to examine his ankle.
Yuan Li felt a bit uncomfortable moving his foot, "It's nothing serious."
Chu Hechao didn't say anything, his fingers pressuring somewhere, causing Yuan Li to suddenly feel a sharp pain, his expression twisting in discomfort.
"Still think it's not serious?" Chu Hechao chuckled half-heartedly, "Do you have to wait for it to swell up before you consider it serious?"
Yuan Li touched his nose and remained silent.
Chu Hechao stood up decisively and swiftly, intending to take Yuan Li away. "You all can continue watching, I will take our governor back to rest first."
Without waiting for anyone's reaction, Chu Hechao had his guards bring the horses over and helped Yuan Li to mount.
Yuan Li helplessly said to Liu Jixin and the others, "I will head back first. If you are done watching, you can also go back directly."
His subordinates bowed and said, "Yes."
Back at the residence, Yuan Li's feet were getting more and more painful. Upon closer inspection, they were swollen.
Astounded, Yuan Li looked at Chu Hechao in admiration, "I didn't even realize they were swollen. How did you know? I know more medical knowledge than you."
Chu Hechao applied a cold water-soaked towel to his ankle and calmly said, "Having knowledge is different from having practical experience."
He carefully applied the towel to Yuan Li's ankle for a while, then rubbed his hands warm and covered Yuan Li's ankle. "Does it hurt?"
"It's fine," Yuan Li frowned.
After he pressed and released his hand, Yuan Li instantly felt much more comfortable. He looked at his foot and noticed the swelling had gone down somewhat.
Impressive.
Chu Hechao washed his hands and returned, sitting down nearby. "It will take at least five or six days of rest before you can walk again. The army is about to set out, so I will go in your place. Let your subordinates Wu Kai and Wang Meng accompany me to achieve victories for you. You can stay and guard Youzhou."
Yuan Li smiled, "To be honest, I was thinking the same thing."
Even if he hadn't sprained his foot, Yuan Li was hesitating whether to go with them or not.
He was forced to join the campaign against Li Li previously, but he didn't contribute much on the battlefield. Leading troops in battle was a responsibility for these generals. Yuan Li was more suited to remain in the rear, overseeing the bigger picture.
The conquest of Jizhou was already a sure victory, so Yuan Li didn't need to personally go.
"It's just that it will be hard on you," Yuan Li sighed, "just recovered from injuries a few months ago, and now back to the battlefield."
Although he was told that Wu Kai and Wang Meng would serve as the main forces, Chu Hechao would still invest a lot of effort. He would have to teach them how to fight, ultimately taking credit for their success.
"If the general doesn't fight, what else should the general do?" Chu Hechao smiled and teased Yuan Li, "And besides, I am happy to fight for my wife."
In a lower voice, almost flirtatiously, he added, "Which makes me very happy."
Yuan Li couldn't help but smile and beckoned Chu Hechao to come closer.
Chu Hechao moved his chair closer by propping it with his legs.
Yuan Li lifted his uninjured foot and placed it on Chu Hechao's thigh, clearing his throat hesitantly, "General Chu, this..."
Suddenly, Lin Tian's voice rang from outside the door, as if intentionally giving a reminder, "Master, the madam has arrived!"
Yuan Li's face changed immediately, retracting his foot and giving Chu Hechao a meaningful look.
Why was his mother here?