Chapter 5 Spring Dawn (Grade 7, Volume 2)

  The scene in the dream was so thrilling that when Wang Xuan woke up, he could still clearly hear his heartbeat like a drum. He raised his head to look at the bright light coming through the window gap, got out of bed, put on his clothes and boots, fetched cold water from the wooden bucket placed at the door to prevent fires, quickly washed his face, and rinsed his mouth. As he quickly tidied himself up according to the habits he had developed over the past few months, he looked back at the two empty beds in the dormitory and suddenly remembered that the two deputy captains had gone home yesterday afternoon. To make up for the regret of not being able to reunite with their families during the New Year's training, General Feng announced yesterday that they would have a five-day holiday starting from today. Except for those above the rank of captain, almost all new and old soldiers left the camp immediately after hearing the news. Today's morning exercise had been cancelled, and the entire Second Company of the Seventh Regiment was empty, leaving only Wang Xuan, who was still hungover from last night and stayed in the barracks.

  "Look at my memory!" Wang Xuan patted himself in frustration, his face bitter. It was not yet the fourth watch, and outside it was still dark. At this hour, he couldn't even enter Chang'an City! He thought about lying down to sleep some more, but his whole body felt unwell. The intense training of over four months had left a deep mark on his mind. Before, he used to hate that the dawn came too early, now he didn't even have the interest to sleep half a moment longer.

  "It's just as well to go for a run anyway!" After messing around for half the day, Wang Xuan finally decided to stick to his routine and go for a jog, rather than sitting at home waiting for dawn. He ran three laps around Baima Castle, and suddenly remembered how he used to be so exhausted when he first joined the army that he would pant like a dead dog with his tongue hanging out. The memory flashed back to life in an instant, and everything seemed as if it had happened just yesterday. But in the blink of an eye, the difficult tasks that had made him want to quit several times were now incredibly easy to complete. And the things he used to try so hard to avoid had become habits.

  Running, stone-locking, boxing, and wielding a long spear. No one was urging him on, nor could he hear the familiar scolding voice of Zhou Lao Hu. All the morning exercises were completed by Wang Xun with precision. He found that he actually liked this kind of orderly life in the military camp, and didn't have much nostalgia for his previous luxurious and idle life. "Actually going to Anxi Military to serve isn't such a terrible thing!" A thought suddenly emerged from his heart, quickly rekindling the blood that had just cooled down. "Riding horses with Hu hooks, swiftly crossing the mountain pass. At dawn, thinking of serving the country, not loving the title of Marquis..." The poem he heard at yesterday's banquet suddenly echoed in his ears again. Although he was clearly drunk at the time, he remembered the content of the poem crystal clear, without missing a single word.

  After finishing his morning exercise, the sky had brightened up. Calculating that there was still some time before the city gate of Chang'an would open, Wang Xun ran to the dining hall to get breakfast. Fortunately, most of the generals in the military camp were temporarily transferred from Anxi by Feng Changqing and did not have their families in Chang'an, so the dining hall still provided breakfast as usual. Several mid-level generals had already sat down at the large square table commonly seen in the northwest, ready to start eating, and when they saw Wang Xun rushing in panting, they were taken aback for a moment, and a hint of appreciation flashed on their faces.

  "King's team is here, come and eat over here!" Li Yuanqin tapped the table with his hand and smiled as he extended an invitation.

  "No, no more, thank you, Captain!" Wang Xun smiled and shook his head in refusal. Now, he was no longer a new recruit who had just entered the camp. He knew that Zhao and Li, the two deputy captains who had originally assisted him, actually held higher official ranks than himself, the captain of this team. The so-called temporary lack of vacancy was clearly a kind lie made up by Old Tiger Zhou in order to take care of himself at the beginning.

  "Come sit down when I tell you to, young man! How come you're getting more and more disobedient!" As if guessing what Wang You was thinking, Zhou Lao Hu's scarred face immediately lifted from Li Yuan Qin's side, giving a stern command.

  "Alright!" Wang Jun held up his rice bowl and made a fist, playing a small joke on his superiors. Then he quickly finished breakfast and walked swiftly to the front desk.

  "Hey little guy, not bad at drinking, huh?" Zhou Lao Hu looked him up and down, admiring him like a treasure, making Wang Xun's heart feel hairy, "How about it, did you have a headache last night after midnight?"

  "It's okay!" Wang Xun replied, stuffing his mouth with steamed buns. If Zhou Lao Hu brought up the old matter again and extended an invitation to him once more, he would definitely feel extremely embarrassed. His superiors had been taking good care of him lately, so it wouldn't be right to reject their kindness. But thinking about how Cloudy Madam and Zi Luo would cry if he accepted the invitation, all his passion for going out to battle and reporting back to the country would slowly dissipate.

  It seemed as if Zhou Xiao had guessed that Wang Xuan was avoiding something, and the new recruit, Zhou Xiao, smiled and shook his head. "Your family is from Chang'an, are you familiar with all the fun places in the city?"

  Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan immediately felt relieved and thought for a moment before nodding in response, "Not too familiar, but basically can find them. It depends on what the adults want to play!"

  "What a big fart!" Zhou Lao Hu's eyebrows twitched, and the scar on his eyelid began to jump up and down again. "Call me Old Zhou or Zhou Lao Hu, call them Old Li, Old Zhao, it's not a formal occasion, why be so polite?"

  "Brother Zhou is right! I was careless," said with a smile, swallowing a mouthful of plain rice porridge. Wang Xun nodded in agreement.

  "Is that right?" Zhou Lao Hu was very satisfied with Wang Xun's performance, and patted him on the back, almost choking him with porridge. "Our families are not in Chang'an. It's rare to come to the capital once, but we've been stuck in this military camp all along. If you know of any fun places, feel free to introduce us. Let's take advantage of these few days and go out for a stroll together. When we get back, we can also brag to our comrades that we've been to Chang'an!"

  "Yes, being able to fart in the capital is also a way to defend our ancestors' honor!" Li Yuanchen was very humorous when speaking informally. "In the Western Regions, I often bragged to people from various tribes about how prosperous and flourishing Chang'an was, saying it's the number one capital in the world. Those old men from the barbarian tribes were left stunned. Hehe, actually, we few had never even seen it."

  As soon as the words fell, a burst of laughter erupted. Zhao Huaiyu, Li Wenda, Zhou Xiao Feng, and even Su Shenxing, who couldn't fart out a single word, all had an uncontrollable proud smile on their faces. It was clear that everyone had done similar things to deceive the barbarian leaders with the prestige of Tianchao before.

  After laughing, Wang Xuan's relationship with everyone became closer. After thinking for a moment, he proposed: "If you want to talk about strolling, the most worthwhile place to visit in Beijing is naturally the area between Zhuque Gate and Xuanwu Gate. If several brothers have the opportunity to take turns...!"

  "We've all been there!" Zhou Xiao Feng said frankly, "Don't be fooled, brother, I'm telling you, the first month we returned to the capital, we took turns going on duty near the imperial palace. Except for places we shouldn't have entered, we more or less sneaked a peek at everything else!"

  "Hahaha......!" Everyone's silly smile that spoke volumes. Between the Zhuque Gate and the Xuanwu Gate lay the Imperial City, where the Taiji Palace, the residence of His Majesty the Emperor, was located. Having come to the capital to present their captives to the Emperor, if they didn't take the opportunity to sneak a peek at what the imperial palace looked like, this trip to the capital would be for naught.

  "The second place worth visiting is probably Qujiangchi. However, it's just the beginning of spring now, and the willows haven't grown leaves yet, so there's nothing to see if we go!" After laughing with everyone for a while, Wang Xun made another suggestion.

  "It's not interesting!" Zhao Huai Xu was the first to speak out against it, "Even if there is a warm spring scenery to watch, it doesn't make sense. The more secluded and less visited a place is, the more breathtaking it is. If it's over-ornamented, it will lose its original charm!"

  Zhou Xiao smiled slightly and secretly winked at the people around him, "Yes, after we exit Yumen Pass to the west, with just one glance, the yellow sand stretches for thousands of miles, and the wind's traces are left unhidden on the surface of the sand. That's what you call magnificent! And then there's the Hot Leaf Sea, which suddenly emerges from the boundless yellow sand, also stretching as far as the eye can see. The water inside is as clear as well water, and you can see clearly where the fish are swimming!"

  "That's right, Qujiang is indeed a small pool compared to our Hetian!" Another high-ranking military officer from Anxi Town, Li Wenda, nodded in agreement and chimed in with a smile.

  "There are also the Populus euphratica trees in the desert, each one as strong as iron, lining both sides of the ancient Silk Road from Yumen to Tulufan! Whenever they talk about the Western Regions, the Ansi generals can't help but say: 'Three thousand years alive, three thousand years dead, yet still standing after three thousand years!'"

  "That's where men should be!"

  "This prosperity of Chang'an City, which one is not achieved by us with our knives!"

  The vast desert, the great lake, the solitary city, the sunset, and the poplar trees pointing to the sky like swords. And along the ancient Silk Road, the Tang Dynasty men galloping with their whips... just thinking about it makes Wang Xun's heart boil over. However, as a native of Chang'an, he cannot let a few military leaders devalue his hometown. After some thought, he proposes another suggestion: "Why don't we go take a look at the White Horse Temple? That's where the great monk Xuanzang translated scriptures, and it's still very prosperous. Or we could go to Shengye Fang, where many scholars gather to prepare for the exams. If not, we could go to Beili, also known as Pingkangli, which has fun things to do from afternoon till late at night, even after curfew. Or we could go to Dongshi, where there's a cockfighting arena - I'm one of the shareholders! If you guys go, I guarantee you'll have a great time!"

  "No way!" "Been there, done that" "Not interesting!" The officers all shook their heads, completely unimpressed by the things Wang Xun thought were his strongest suits. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he remembered something someone had once told him: "The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty is not just about military might; its cultural achievements are also unmatched, even by all the surrounding barbarian tribes riding their precious warhorses." He slapped his thigh with force and exclaimed loudly, "I've got it! I remember a few places that will guarantee you gentlemen won't regret going for the rest of your lives!"

  "Speak up!" The crowd looked up at him with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.

  Wang Xuan's pride was suddenly stirred up, his hand pressed against the edge of the table, and he stood up tall. "Gentlemen, haven't you heard that in Chang'an City there are 'Four Greats'? I don't dare say that all eight of them can be met with ease, but going to their places or inviting one or two of them for a drink should still be manageable!"

  "Really?" This time, several officers were indeed stunned, lifted their heads, and their eyes were filled with incredulity.

  "Not a single false word!" Raising his head to gaze at the spring day bursting forth in the sky, Wang Yun's young face was instantly filled with confidence and pride. "However, you guys have to give me some time to make arrangements, those people are all very proud, not...not..."

  Xie Feiyan's guqin, Hu Abian's waist, are not hard to see, as long as your purse is full of drums. Others, in the Da Si Jue, Li Bai still owes Lei Wanchun a poem, and he goes to ask him under the name of Lei Wanchun, also calling Gao Shi and Cen Shen together, I guess Li Bai won't refuse. And in the Xiao Si Jue, you can definitely invite Bai Yuzhi, through her to find Gong Sun's wife...

  Thinking of Bai Wei, Wang Xun's smile froze for a moment. Suddenly, he realized that before entering the military camp, many things had been pressing in on him one after another, and he had actually forgotten to inform her. And in the military camp over the past four months, every day was so busy that there wasn't even time to yawn, let alone write a single word to her.

  This is also too unfair to others! A surge of guilt welled up in his heart. Immediately, this guilt was replaced by astonishment. At first, he couldn't even bear a day without seeing her, and now for more than four months, he had hardly thought of her smile.

  "What's wrong? Has your ego inflated again? Haha!" Zhou Xiao Feng had always been a bit mischievous, and he shrugged his shoulders, laughing as he teased.

  "Aren't you afraid that I won't keep my word?" Wang Xun quickly withdrew his wandering mind and smiled in response. "I was just thinking about where to invite everyone, so many people at once. Don't worry, if I can't get any of the four greats to come, when we get back from vacation, you can all find fault with me and beat me up! Anyway, Big Brother Zhou is always keeping an eye on things, there's no shortage of opportunities!"

  "Little kid, is your Big Brother Zhou really that unworthy?" Zhou Xiao Feng laughed and shook his head. In the end, he didn't dare to believe that Wang Xun had such a big face, able to invite any one of the Four Greats to drink with him.

  Wang Xun smiled and didn't say much, just waiting to give everyone a surprise. He agreed to meet at noon in three days at Linfeng Tower in the city, then bid farewell to his companions and headed out of the military camp with his luggage.

  This breakfast took a bit of time to eat, and the sun was already climbing up the treetops. As he walked, Wang Xun imagined the scene when he returned home. When Cloud Aunt saw him in this state, she would surely feel a wave of relief in her eyes. And little Purple Orchid, who knew if she had lost weight these past few days? And then there was Bai Wei Qi, it had been many days since he last attended to her, and hadn't even sent someone with a message, surely she would be very annoyed. If she really got angry, it wouldn't be easy to coax her out of it. Should he buy her another hairpin or take the time to show her the courtyard he had just purchased...

  Just then, a familiar cry suddenly reached his ears, with a hint of trembling and a few hints of resentment, "Second Brother, is that you? You've finally come out!"

  "White sister?" Wang Xun raised his head suspiciously. Just saw Bai Hui Ci accompanied by a young maid Ping Er, standing under a willow tree at the entrance of the military camp with a gentle and elegant demeanor.

  Spring has come again, a few pairs of swallows whispering as they sweep across the sky, bringing with them a wisp of cloud.