In Mount Zhongnan, Lu Dongbin returned the green stone chessboard to its original position. Han Zhongli walked out of the cave and asked: "How was it?"
Lu Dongbin smiled and said: "Life is like a game of chess, it is hard to predict."
Han Zhongli was a little surprised: "You can actually lose in chess."
Lu Dongbin smiled: "Haven't I always lost to Shixiong?"
"Hahahaha, what did I say? Dongbin is arrogant and will definitely lose. Coincidentally, I brought some good wine, let's drink and celebrate."
Amidst a burst of laughter, a sloppy man with an iron crutch walked out of the cave. Beside him were five other people, including a handsome young man with long hair on his temples and a beautiful woman wearing a lotus dress. All of them were looking at Lu Dongbin with smiles on their faces, without the slightest bit of sympathy for his failure.
Lu Dongbin looked up to the sky and sighed: "I, Lu Dongbin, have a great reputation but I have made careless friends."
Before he finished, a wine gourd flew towards him. He caught it and drank a few mouthfuls: "Good wine indeed!"
…
When Pan Yu faintly woke up, she discovered that she was already back in the tent. Xu Xian was by her side. She said with a smile, "You're awake." She propped her up and brought a bowl of water to her mouth.
Pan Yu drank a mouthful of water to moisten her throat and asked: "How is the battle?"
Xu Xian replied, "Of course it is a complete victory. The Hu army was almost completely annihilated, even that Khan perished in the chaos. The various tribes of the grasslands must have been thrown into chaos, but our losses are also not small. Basically it can be said that we lost ten thousand of the enemy and eight thousand of our own."
He remembered Lu Dongbin's method of using the chessboard as a battlefield and could not help but sigh: "Does this count as the mortals suffering when the gods fight?"
Pan Yu propped herself up and said, "Han Wen, you are too bookish. The war between the Hu and Han is unavoidable. As long as we can win, it will be a meritorious service to the country. Not to mention injuring ten thousand of the enemy while injuring eight thousand of our own, even if it is one against one, five against one, or even ten against one, the rulers of the past would be willing to do so. After all, the number of Hu is limited. These one hundred thousand people are already the soldiers of the grasslands. At least for the next ten years, they will not be a threat to the Central Plains."
"This time, I have to thank Lu Dongbin for his great help. Normally, when fighting against the Hu, we can only focus on defense. Even if we achieve a great victory, the speed of the Hu cavalry makes it very difficult for them to injure us. Often, it won't be long before they come back."
Xu Xian smiled bitterly. As expected, she was the only one who could play this game of chess. Otherwise, even if she could really compete with Lu Dongbin in terms of chess skills, it was inevitable that she would be indecisive when she thought about how the chess pieces in her hand represented the lives of countless people.
He had never been able to count human lives as numbers. He was not born to be a leader.
Pan Yu raised her hand and gently stroked Xu Xian's face. She smiled and said, "But this is good."
A personal guard reported from outside the tent, "Marshal, the generals outside the tent ask for an audience!"
Pan Yu immediately announced that the tent was opened again. Under the respectful gazes of the generals, Pan Yu sat on the commander-in-chief's seat. Beside her stood Xu Xian.
There was a clanging sound in the tent. The generals kneeled on the ground and sincerely said, "Congratulations to Marshal for this great achievement."
Although they did not really remember what happened on the battlefield, they did not understand why the Hu gave up their usual tactics and chose to fight to the death with them on flat ground.
But this did not matter. On the battlefield, heroes were judged by victory and defeat. No matter how ingenious the tactics were, if they were defeated, it would just be empty talk.
Even if they only knew how to charge head-on, as long as they could lead the army to victory, they would be regarded as a famous general.
Xu Xian saw that these fierce generals, who would not frown even when blades were pointed at them, were now crying. Even those who did not cry could not help but have their eyes turn red.
When he listened carefully, he could hear that other than cheers and laughter, there were more sounds of sobbing outside the tent.
Xu Xian sighed in her heart. It was easy to imagine how difficult it was for these soldiers to resist wave after wave of attacks from the barbarians in this bitter cold land beyond the Great Wall. Today, they finally had a draw with the barbarians. Perhaps they could once again return to their homeland, and this was all her credit.
Pan Yu ordered the generals to rise. After reading the battle report, she immediately ordered someone to send it to the capital. She then announced that the troops were returning to the city and a celebratory banquet was to be held.
The generals loudly agreed. When it was time for the banquet, the generals repeatedly toasted Pan Yu, praising her like 'a tiger father will not have a dog son' and 'the pupil has surpassed the master'. Of course, based on the cultural level of these generals, this was basically all they could say.
Xu Xian also drank a few cups of wine, but suddenly he heard a lot of painful moaning and groaning. He found an excuse to go out and find the source of the sound. Along the way, he saw a lot of half-drunk soldiers, their arms around each other's shoulders, singing songs from all over the world.
At this time, the city was brightly lit. Everyone was immersed in the joy of victory. However, in a courtyard in the west of the city, it was rather dark. The moans were coming from there.
There was no one guarding the door. Xu Xian pushed the door open and entered. The scene in front of him was rather shocking. Amidst the unpleasant smell, the wounded soldiers were lying on the bed. The pain caused them to have no mood to eat or drink. They could only lie there in despair, waiting for death.
As long as the soldiers could move, they would not be willing to stay here.
Xu Xian had heard a little about it. The medical facilities in ancient times were simple and crude. It was especially inconvenient in the army. Once a plague was triggered, the consequences would be even more severe. Most of the injured soldiers would die from the pain.
But now that he saw it with his own eyes, he could not help but be shocked.
Xu Xian considered himself to be half a doctor. Naturally, he could not let these things happen in front of him. He was about to take action.
"The people in front, don't block the way." A shout came from behind.
Xu Xian turned his head and saw a few soldiers surrounding a person. They pushed Xu Xian to the side and went to a bed. They started to treat the wounded soldiers. Only then did he know that it was a doctor from the army.
Xu Xian watched from the side. She saw that the doctor only bandaged the wounds hastily and casually applied some ointment before going to the next bed. It was almost as if he was doing something perfunctory. She frowned and said, "You're treating them like this?"
She felt that the doctor's silhouette was vaguely familiar, but the doctor was surrounded by a group of tall and burly soldiers, and Xu Xian did not see his face clearly when he brushed shoulders with her.
When the doctor heard the sound, he turned his head and said with an anxious and impatient look: "Dont delay things."
Xu Xian finally saw the doctor's face. So, he was surprised: "Doctor Wu!"
It was Wu Renjie, who took care of him for a period of time in Suzhou. Before Xu Xian left, he entrusted the huge mansion and Baicaotang to him. So, how did he end up in the army?
Wu Renjie saw Xu Xian's face through the dim lights in the camp. Then, he called out: "Xu … … Xu … …" He hesitated for a long time and didnt know what to call him.
Xu Xian said: "Just call me nephew. Why are you here?"