nycdaug Chapter 215 Bloodline
Chapter 215 Bloodline
"The medicine is in the cabinet on the left." Zong Yanli raised his eyes slightly and glanced at Wen Nian. Seeing him endure the pain and turn around to get the medicine, he raised his eyebrows and thought to himself that this kid has good physical fitness.
"Why did the fight happen?" Zong Yanli asked after Wen Nian took the medicine.
Wen Nian fell silent, tightened his grip on the medicine bottle, lowered his head and said nothing.
Zong Yanli sat upright at the table, leaning back slightly and looking at Wen Nian with a frown.
Although it was just such a light gaze, Wen Nian felt more pressured. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, knelt on one knee, lowered his head and apologized respectfully, "I know I was wrong."
Wen Nian said that he heard them privately discussing Zong Yanli's appearance, jokingly saying that if Zong Yanli took off his armor, he would really be as pretty and heroic as the heroic girl. He also heard Panshi shamelessly say that the wife of his dreams, who could hold hands with him, should be like Zong Yanli.
"I couldn't help it for a moment..." Wen Nian couldn't bear to hear these words any longer. He was sharpening his spear in the process, and in a rage he picked up the spear and started fighting with Panshi.
"I can't tolerate his insulting words to the general." Wen Nian felt angry just thinking about it.
"..."
Zong Yanli listened to Wen Nian's words for a long while before saying, "From another perspective, this is not an insult, but rather a compliment."
Zong Yanli smiled, raised his eyebrows and said, "Wen Nian, don't get angry about such trivial matters in the future. It's just a few words."
She stood up and looked at Wen Nian, paused and said, "I don't care."
Wen Nian raised his head and heard Zong Yanli wave his hand and say calmly, "Go down and apply the medicine yourself. Don't delay the military affairs."
Wen Nian agreed with his head down in disappointment. After he walked out of the tent, he lowered his eyes to look at the medicine in his hand. The disappointment and heartache in his heart eased a lot for no reason. In fact, what made him angry was perhaps not Panshi's words about Zong Yanli's appearance.
Perhaps it was because he would have admired Zong Yanli if she were a woman.
Wen Nian couldn't help but clench his medicine bottle tightly. He had no right to discipline him, otherwise he wouldn't have fought with him and received a beating from a military stick for no reason...
Wen Nian returned to his own military tent. When he took off his coat and was struggling to apply medicine on himself, he heard Gao Feilin's voice outside. He responded calmly. Gao Feilin entered the tent and said, "Deputy General Wen, the general asked me to apply medicine to you."
Wen Nian was stunned, probably because he didn't expect Zong Yanli to let Gao Feilin come. He thought Zong Yanli was angry because of his private fight.
"The general is the kind of person who appears cold on the outside but is warm on the inside. Lieutenant General Wen, please do not blame the general for punishing him." Gao Feilin said as he helped Wen Nian apply medicine.
"Yeah." Wen Nian responded with his eyes closed and said nothing more.
After Gao Feilin helped Wen Nian apply the medicine, he turned around and had someone bring him some food. Wen Nian had not eaten because of the punishment.
After finishing the work, Gao Feilin left. On the way, he couldn't help feeling tired. As a personal soldier, why should he take care of the general's deputy general?
This incident did not cause much of a stir, but the next day Long Feiguang brought Panshi to personally apologize to Zong Yanli.
Zong Yanli said a few words to indicate that it was okay, and since everyone had been punished, the matter was over.
At the end of March, Zhan Haoyue finally came back, and Mr. Zhuang also came back with him.
Perhaps because of the hard journey, Zhan Haoyue was worried about the battle situation at Shanping Pass. He rushed back without much time to rest. His face looked much more haggard, and his messy hair was casually tied up with a hairband. Zhuang Chengbi, who was standing next to Zhan Haoyue, was not much better.
"General." Zhan Haoyue looked at Zong Yanli with a face full of sadness. He leaned over and bowed to Zong Yanli, as if he had a thousand words to say.
"Sir, you have worked hard on the journey. Please come in and talk." Zong Yanli extended his hand, stepped aside to make a gesture of invitation, and turned to Gao Feilin and said, "Go boil some water and make some tea."
"Did the journey go smoothly?" Zong Yanli asked after he gestured for everyone to sit down after entering the tent.
Zhan Haoyue nodded and smiled. This journey was not at all smooth.
Just as Zong Yanli expected, the Northern Army really sent assassins to search for and kill Zhuang Chengbi. Zhuang Chengbi hid everywhere to avoid the Northern Army's pursuit. Zhan Haoyue went to Nankang first and did not see Zhuang Chengbi return for a long time. After much deliberation, he decided to go out and look for him.
After finally meeting Zhuang Chengbi, Zhan Haoyue naturally explained his purpose and tried to persuade him.
Zhuang Chengbi did not agree immediately, but said that he needed to think about it.
After Zhan Haoyue had tried hard to persuade Zhuang Chengbi, the journey back was also dangerous. The assassins from the Northern Army were like leeches that could penetrate any hole. If Zhan Haoyue had not been good at martial arts, they would have suffered a lot along the way.
"Thank you for your concern, General. I'm fine." Zhan Haoyue's eyes were full of fatigue, but there was a gleam in them. He turned his head to Zhuang Chengbi and said, "This is my good friend. His surname is Zhuang and his name is Chengbi."
"Greetings, General Zong Yan." Zhuang Chengbi stood up and bowed to greet him.
"Sir, please take a seat, no need to be polite." Zong Yanli smiled and looked at Zhuang Chengbi and said with a laugh, "We are already familiar with Mr. Zhuang's name. Did the general gain anything from the trip to Jin State?"
"We have gained a lot." Zhuang Chengbi smiled, lowered his eyebrows and said helplessly: "It's a pity that Master Wu is dead. Now Jin State is at the mercy of others."
Listening to Zhuang Chengbi's words, Zong Yanli thought of the brilliant Grand Tutor Wu of Jin State, and the proud Shao Weiyi. Although both of them were defeated by her, Zong Yanli still had respect for them.
She lowered her eyes and whispered, "The Jin State was playing with fire by inviting the Northern Army to enter the country. Now that the Lu Army is approaching, the Jin State is in dire straits and cannot save itself."
Zong Yanli looked at Zhuang Chengbi and said, "I have taken so much trouble to invite Mr. Wujiu to meet you. First, I think you are a rare talent. It would be a pity if you were to live your life in obscurity. Second, I think that since you are leaving Jin at this time, you must be well aware of the danger of Jin."
"Whether it's Daqian or Jin, we are neighbors who rely on each other. Why should we allow foreign races to invade and humiliate us?"
"If you are willing to persuade Jin to submit to Daqian, I will treat you with courtesy, establish friendly relations with Jin, and jointly resist foreign enemies."
Zhuang Chengbi anticipated Zong Yanli's intention, but he didn't expect her to tell it so bluntly and sincerely.
As early as when Zhan Haoyue persuaded him, Zhuang Chengbi guessed that Zong Yanli might want him to persuade the State of Jin to surrender, and the fact that Zhuang Chengbi agreed to come showed that he did have this intention.
Zong Yanli continued slowly, "The current position of Jin is very awkward. If it insists on joining the northern countries, how will the path it takes be different from that of Qing?"
"With such a vast territory and so many people, are we going to allow foreign races to trample and humiliate us?"
"Sir, you should know the character of Zong Yanli. Qing can still be saved. Why should Jin be afraid of me?"
Her words were so sincere that Zhuang Chengbi was deeply moved. He stood up and bowed deeply to Zong Yanli, saying, "I am deeply grateful for your heart to save the country and the people. Now that I am in your tent, I will share your worries."
Zhuang Chengbi took a deep breath and said, "To be honest with you, General, when I left Jin State, I left you a message to persuade you to surrender."
Zhuang Chengbi stood up and said with a smile on his face: "Now that I understand the general's intention, it's just a change of identity to persuade you again. Bi will do his best!"
Zong Yanli was very happy to hear these words. He stood up and held up the teacup and said, "Sir, your righteousness is admirable. I will use tea instead of wine to toast you, sir!"
Zhan Haoyue heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this scene. It really was worth his efforts!
"General." Zhan Haoyue stood up and said, "I met a young man on the way back to the camp."
"After asking about this man's background, I learned that he came to join the army. I then asked him in detail about his reasons and felt that the general should meet him." Seeing that Zong Yanli and Zhuang Chengbi had almost finished their conversation, Zhan Haoyue took the initiative to bring it up.
"Oh? Who?" Zong Yanli raised his eyebrows in surprise. Is there anyone who would join the army at this time?
Zhan Haoyue asked someone to bring the man in. The young man in a short cloth shirt walked into the tent. He was tall and strong, with thick eyebrows and big eyes.
The object he was carrying on his back looked like an axe, and the slightly huge battle axe did not bend his back.
The young man's trouser legs were covered in mud, and his eyes were bright as he looked at the many people in the tent without any fear. He looked around and finally landed on Zong Yanli. He knelt down and said in a simple and honest manner, "I, Shi Gandang, am here to see the great general!"
When Zong Yanli heard the name, he raised his eyebrows slightly and was stunned. He looked closely at the young man's eyebrows and eyes, but did not say a word for a while.
"Your name is Shi Gan Dang?" This name is interesting. Zong Yanli stared at him for a long time and asked, "What are you carrying behind you?"
"It's my father's battle axe." Shi Gandang raised his head and replied, reaching out to untie the straps on his chest, then placed the heavy battle axe in front of him and untied the cloth wrapped around it.
The battle axe lying flat on the ground was covered with scars, but the handle had been replaced with a new one, and the blade was polished to a very bright shine. There were blood stains in the grooves on the axe, which showed how much baptism of war the axe had experienced.
The moment Zong Yanli saw the battle axe, he was greatly shocked. He couldn't help but stand up and step forward. He lowered his head to look at the battle axe, then raised his eyes to look at the young man in front of him, and his throat choked.
"Your last name is Shi." Zong Yanliduan looked at his features and asked, "What's your father's name?"
"My father's name is Shi Potian."
Zong Yanli could no longer hold back, his eyes seemed to turn slightly red, he stared at Shi Gan Dang for a long time and suddenly smiled and said, "You are his son, how old are you this year?"
Shi Gan Dang straightened his back and answered loudly: "General, I am already fifteen years old this year!"
Fifteen.
Shi Gan Dang raised his hands, clasped his fists, looked at Zong Yanli with warm eyes and said: "General! I am here to join the army in accordance with my father's wishes! Please accept me!"
Zong Yanli opened her mouth for a long time without saying anything. She reached out her hand to help Shi Gan Dang stand up. She looked at the young man's energetic and enthusiastic face. After a long time, she said, "War is not a joke. Your father died on the battlefield for his country, leaving only a trace of his blood in you."
"Child, you shouldn't come here." Zong Yanli took a deep breath and said in a low voice.
"Father is still able to fight for the country and the people! I don't want to be the one who only knows how to enjoy himself!" Shi Gan Dang was anxious, clenched his fists and said: "I have been practicing martial arts since I was young, and I can also lift my father's battle axe. Since I am my father's son, I must not be worse than him!"
"I can kill the enemy! I can fight! Defending my country is what a man should do!"
"General, please accept me!" Shi Gan Dang knelt down again, looked up at Zong Yanli and said, "I will never bring disgrace to my father's name."
Zong Yanli was moved by the young man's passionate and enthusiastic words, and everyone in the tent was full of admiration.
She did not agree immediately. After thinking for a long time, she said, "I was a partner with your father in the past, but we were not in the same camp. I will introduce you to General Peng. He was your father's former commander. If anyone wants to keep you, it should be him."
Zong Yanli sent someone to invite Peng Deqing, and also sent someone to inform Fu Jiashi.
"Mr. Wujiu, please take Mr. Zhuang downstairs to rest." Zong Yanli did not forget to say to Zhan Haoyue, "If there is anything missing or uncomfortable, just ask my personal soldiers to take care of it."
"Thank you, General." Zhuang Chengbi and his companions had no intention of staying any longer. After all, they were very tired. Seeing that Zong Yanli still had something to do, they stood up and said goodbye.
When Peng Deqing arrived after hearing the news, Zong Yanli was asking about Shi Gan Dang's family affairs. He learned that his mother had also passed away due to illness a year ago and the child was now alone. He felt extremely heartbroken.
When Peng Deqing came in, he first greeted Zong Yanli, and then turned to look at Shi Gan Dang. Just one glance made his expression change.
Shi Potian was only a teenager when he joined the army and served under Peng Deqing early on. He gained fame through his battles and became a general under Peng Deqing. Now that the child was standing in front of Peng Deqing, it seemed as if Peng Deqing had returned to the time when he first met Shi Potian.
"You are so much like your father." Peng Deqing sighed, and when he looked at the battle axe on the table, his eyes were filled with even more complexity.
"General Peng." Although Shi Gandang had never seen Peng Deqing, he always knew him. Now that he saw him in person, he felt as if he had met his own elder.
Zong Yanli invited Peng Deqing to take a seat, then turned around and asked Gao Feilin to take Shi Gan Dang for a walk outside the tent, which obviously meant that he wanted to talk to Peng Deqing in private.
Gao Feilin agreed and led Shi Gan Dang out. Zong Yanli then said, "General Peng, this kid is determined to join the army. I can't persuade him..."
Peng Deqing was very sad to hear that Shi Gan Dang was all alone. He was even more distressed to hear that his mother had passed away and he was homeless. He seemed to have tears in his eyes. After a long time, he said, "Shi Potian wanted to follow you back then, but unfortunately..."
"General Zong Yan, I am already old, and I will not be able to lead the army for many years." Peng Deqing sighed deeply and said, "This child is here to defend the country and protect his father's legacy, so let him join the general's camp!"
"This can be regarded as the fulfillment of Shi Potian's old wish. His son should live up to the name of Potian." Peng Deqing said, turning slightly sideways and bowing to Zong Yanli. This bow seemed full of entrustment and expectation.