Chapter 246 |
Chapter 246 The Letter from the Eldest Miss
He had turned the envelope over and over several times, but it was blank with no hint of who had written it. Hastily opening the letter, he was greeted by a faint, ethereal scent. His keen senses, akin to a dog's, caught a whiff of a rose-like perfume after a few sniffs.
There were only a few lines on the pristine paper, with neither salutation nor valediction. His eyes scanned over the beautifully written characters: "Since your departure, news has been scarce, and my younger sister is anxious, having sought me out multiple times to ask about you. She's requested me to write you a letter. With a childlike worry, she asks you to eat meat when hungry, add clothes when cold, avoid raw and cold food, keep away from strangers, avoid disputes, and stay away from young women! All is well at home, so you may assist Mr. Xu without worry. Do not dwell on home matters. Safety is paramount when abroad. Do not act impulsively; be prudent and circumspect. Do not seek prosperity, only a safe return. Once you receive this letter, write back, to put Yushuang's mind at ease. Even a few words will suffice, don't write too much, so as not to trouble me. All the instructions given above are Yu Shuang's words, not mine. If you hold her in your heart, you must take care of yourself and return as soon as possible. If you forget, even as a ghost, I won't let you off! Remember!"
Lin Wanrong read the letter several times over. Its content was puzzling - a mix of concern and irritation that was difficult to grasp. One thing, however, was clear: the letter was written by the Eldest miss. It was completely unexpected. He couldn't figure out how she had managed to get it to Xu Wei. No wonder that old Xu had referred to it as a "family letter."
The letter, peculiar as it was, fit the Eldest miss's character. Lin Wanrong could almost see Xiao Yuruo, frowning under the lamplight, huffing in exasperation. Without a doubt, the girl must have been upset with him. Having spent so much time with the Eldest miss, he had developed feelings for her. After days without seeing her, his longing was strong. Overwhelmed with emotion, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. Without thinking, he wrote hastily, "Eldest Miss, I miss you; Second Miss, I miss you; Madam, I miss you, too."
His letter was indeed succinct and startling, just as the Eldest miss wanted, and he didn't feel like writing more. He sealed the envelope and summoned a soldier on guard outside his tent, instructing him to deliver the letter to Marshal Xu and onward to the Xiao family in Jinling.
After writing the letter, he felt overwhelmingly tired. He yawned several times before collapsing onto his bed, quickly falling asleep.
The next morning, he was awakened by the sounding of the military training horn. As he remembered what he had done the day before, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He urgently called for the messenger from the previous day, "Hurry, hurry to Marshal Xu's tent and retrieve the letter I wrote yesterday."
The messenger returned after a moment, saluting, "General, Marshal Xu sent the letter to Jinling by express courier yesterday. It's too late to retrieve it now."
As he sat there, helpless and worried, Gao Qiu walked in with a smile, "Brother Lin, did you sleep well last night?"
"Don't even mention it. I was sleeping just fine until I realized that I've done something foolish, now I'm filled with regret," Lin Wanrong said with a wry smile.
Gao Qiu shook his head, hardly believing it, "With your wit and wisdom, Brother Lin, how could you have done anything foolish? Don't be overly modest."
Whether it was foolish or not, time would tell. Lin Wanrong sighed and asked, "Brother Gao, have you ever been interested in a woman?"
"Interested in a woman?" Gao Qiu was surprised. "What would I need that for? Oh, Brother Lin, are you missing a wife? That's easy to solve. Tomorrow, I can accompany you out of the camp, we can visit some local brothels and that should rid you of your worries."
A cold sweat formed on Lin Wanrong's brow as he hastily replied, "Brother Gao, how could a brothel girl compare to a woman one is truly interested in?"
Gao Qiu nodded in agreement, "That's true. Finding a woman you're interested in is time-consuming and hard. It's not as easy and enjoyable as being with a courtesan. I still prefer courtesans."
There was clearly no common ground for conversation. Seeing that it was getting late and Xu Wei should have set up his command tent, Lin Wanrong quickly put on his armor. Just then, Hu Bugui, Li Sheng, and Du Xiuyuan, dressed in brand-new armor, walked in looking quite formidable. They saluted him, "Greetings, General!"
Lin Wanrong returned the gesture with a grin, "Good morning, thousand-man commanders!" All three men had been newly promoted to thousand-man commanders and their faces radiated joy. They had come early to pay their respects to General Lin.
Hu Bugui's dark face was flushed with excitement, "Thank you for your guidance, General. We swear to follow you to the death!"
"We swear to follow you to the death!" Du Xiuyuan and Li Sheng echoed in unison, their faces stern with determination.
Knowing that he would not stay in the army for long, yet sharing a deep bond with these hundreds of soldiers, Lin Wanrong found it hard to let go. He simply smiled and asked, "So, how does it feel to be promoted to thousand-man commanders?"
Du Xiuyuan gave a bitter smile, "Without your guidance, General, even if we were promoted to ten thousand-man commanders, it wouldn't be enjoyable."
Seeing their earnest words, Lin Wanrong didn't know what to say. He excused himself, mentioning that the command tent had been raised, and left with Gao Qiu. Xu Wei's command tent was situated at the center of the large camp. When Lin Wanrong entered, everyone was already in place. The military discipline was strict, and upon seeing Lin Wanrong, everyone nodded but no one dared to speak.
Lin Wanrong, serving only as a military strategist, held no formal rank and didn't even know where to stand in the command tent. Therefore, he had no choice but to take the last seat. Gao Qiu, his personal bodyguard, stood at his back without a care for the stares of those present. The other generals, surprised to see that this military strategist had brought a bodyguard into the command tent, fell silent as they noticed the supreme commander, Marshal Xu Wei, smiling without a word.
Once everyone was present, Xu Wei nodded and loudly asked, "Does anyone have any important reports to deliver?"
The leader of the cavalry, Tong Cheng, suddenly stepped forward and reported, "Marshal, my deputy Zhai Canghai, who was ordered to rescue General Lin and his party, returned yesterday with both legs crippled and his tongue injured. We ask for your justice, sir."
"Oh? Something like this happened?" Xu Wei's eyes narrowed as he said, "Zhai Canghai is a deputy of the cavalry, in charge of five thousand men. Who would dare touch him? Do they have a death wish?"
Lin Wanrong stepped forward, fist to palm, and admitted, "Marshal, I am responsible for this."
Tong Cheng, enraged, asked, "May I ask, General Lin, why you would order such harm to a man who was sent to rescue you? Even as a military strategist, what right do you have to punish my deputy?"
‘Damn it, everyone knows what happened,’ Lin Wanrong snorted and responded, "Everything has its cause and its root. I, Lin San, always act justly and stand straight. No one can frame me. Deputy Zhai Canghai of the cavalry, while rescuing our army, was late and that's tolerable, but he insulted our soldiers who had fought to the death and disrespected our fallen comrades. This offense is detested by both humans and gods, and it chills the hearts of our soldiers. Breaking his legs was already letting him off easy."
After recounting the previous night's experience, Lin Wanrong asked, "This is all witnessed by the soldiers and cavalry. I ask all the generals here, what would you have done if you were me?"
Every general in the tent was a commander. As they heard of Zhai Canghai's words and deeds, they started to curse. Zuo Zongyou, the general of the left flank, cursed, "Serves him right! I've disliked this Zhai Canghai for a long time. Just because he is a protege of Minister Tie, he acts high-handedly. How dare he insult our fallen soldiers? If I were there, I would've killed him with a single strike. Brother Lin, you did right. It's a great relief to us all."
Xu Wei asked with a poker face, "Tong Cheng, has Lin Wanrong said anything untrue?"
Tong Cheng clenched his teeth and replied, "Even if General Zhai was wrong, how can Lin San, a mere military strategist, punish my deputy? I request you to enforce strict military discipline, Marshal."
Xu Wei nodded and agreed, "Enforce strict military discipline? General Tong, your words align with my intentions. Zhai Canghai insulted our fallen soldiers, chilling the hearts of our army, he should be beheaded according to the rules. But considering his disability, I'll spare his life and strip him of his deputy position, sending him back to till the fields."
‘Ah, this old Xu is quite just,’ thought Lin Wanrong, nodding in approval. However, he heard Xu Wei continue, "As for military strategist Lin, the punishment should indeed be severe for taking the law into his own hands, a flogging is inescapable."
Lin Wanrong jumped up, cursing inwardly, ‘Damn it, Old Xu, if you think I'm going to let you whip me, I'd rather turn tail and run. I can't bear that shame.’
Xu Wei smiled slightly and said, "However, Zhai Canghai was the one at fault first. Lin San, in his effort to uphold the army's morale, struck out in anger. His actions are somewhat understandable. Just a few days ago, he fought nearly a thousand of the White Lotus elites single-handedly and even killed Meng Du, our army's first war merit. Balancing this merit against his mistake, the two offset each other. As Marshal, I will neither reward him nor punish him. What do the rest of you generals think?"
"All hail to the Marshal's wisdom and fair judgment!" the generals chorused in unison. General Lin had courageously held off the enemy's elite forces and valiantly slain their greatest warrior. These heroic deeds far overshadowed the minor transgression of breaking the leg of a foul-mouthed deputy general. Though it was said the merit and fault were balanced, any discerning eye could see that the merit far outweighed the fault. Naturally, there were those who sympathized with him.
Xu Wei laughed and asked, "Lin San, do you have any objections?"
"Marshal Xu is wise and heroic, honest and upright. I have the utmost respect for you," Lin Wanrong replied.
"Don't be so quick to feel relieved," Xu Wei interjected. "Having broken the legs of their deputy, the cavalry of five thousand is now without a leader. This cannot be simply dismissed." He slapped the armrest of his chair and shouted, "Lin San, hear my command!"
"I'm here!" Lin responded.
"You've crippled the cavalry's deputy, leaving thousands without leadership. This is your fault. I'm punishing you by putting you in charge of these five thousand elite horsemen. I'll integrate them with your original troops, and assign an additional five thousand infantry and Divine Machine Unit soldiers to your command. I order you to lead these ten thousand elite soldiers as the vanguard of our right wing, heading straight for Jining. Are you willing?"
"This..." Ten thousand soldiers? The vanguard of the right wing? General Lin was momentarily stunned.
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