Chapter 16: Liu Bei's nonsense

  Xiao Mohe looked at Gaoxing with a puzzled expression, Gaoxing scanned the surrounding Northern Qi soldiers and said loudly: "In these days, you have had many opportunities to escape and cause great harm to us, but you have always kept your promise, never harming anyone on our side, nor have you ever chosen to escape. Just now, you even showed mercy, I am grateful and deeply admire you!"

  Gaoxing grabbed the two jars of wine brought by the soldier, threw one to Xiao Mohai, and directly broke open the mud seal. He said loudly: "I respect you as a true hero, a true man. I don't want to shame you. Drink this jar of wine, and let's forget about past matters. You can go back to Chen Guo now. If we meet again on the battlefield in the future, Gaoxing will definitely not show mercy and take your head!"

  Having said that, he happily raised the wine jug and poured some slightly turbid liquor directly into his mouth. The spilled liquor wetted the front of his shirt.

  Soon, the joy will drink a pot of wine, throw the wine pot high, smash it on the point will stage, and shatter into powder. The joy turns his body shape and says: "General Xiao, please!"

  "General——" Shang Buqi and some of the officers were anxiously looking at Gaoxing, wanting to say something, but Gaoxing raised his hand and said in a low voice: "Make way!"

  Xiao Mohe looked at the white, thin figure, then at the wine jug in his arms, and his expression changed constantly, with anger, joy, admiration, loss, and shame.

  The scene suddenly fell silent, and the generals looked at their commander with a face of reverence. Soldiers value bravery the most. The thrilling shout that killed several Chen soldiers and captured Xiao Mohe's feat, although they had witnessed it personally, was also experienced in that war.

  At this time, Gao Xing was delighted to defeat Xiao Mohai, who was famous for his bravery, and he was even more proud of it. In addition, although Gao Xing had been training them strictly for a month, he never punished them maliciously, and after training, he showed even more care for them, so they admired Gao Xing even more in their hearts.

  No one knows what is on his mind at this moment with a happy heart.

  "Xiao Mohe, don't disappoint me!" He muttered to himself in a low and gentle voice, as soft as a whisper of the breeze, which no one else could hear.

  Thinking back to more than a decade ago, in front of that floating bridge, that lean and handsome figure almost single-handedly intimidated the 200,000-strong Chen army, only to be defeated by one move and captured. What a heroic bearing it was! As a defeated general, I had been treated with respect rather than enthusiasm by the soldiers in the camp over the past few days, without any slight or contempt. Earlier, they even supported me to prevent me from falling to the ground and losing face. Now, they let me leave safely. Given the current situation of Chen Qi's unrelenting battle, if he had handed me over to the imperial court, it would have been a great merit, but his choice was diametrically opposed to that. What a broad-minded and courageous spirit!

  A real man should be brave and resolute, speaking with conviction and acting accordingly. But now he himself is as timid as a woman, feeling depressed and lost, worrying about gains and losses. The more Xiao Moye thinks about it, the more ashamed he feels, unable to show his face, and the more he admires and respects Gao Xing.

  Xiao Mohe fell silent for a moment, the despair and loss on his face suddenly retracted, he abruptly pried open the mud seal on the wine jug, and vigorously poured it down, the liquor splashing all over his head and face, slipping into his collar, but he seemed to be unaware.

  Xiao Mohe drank it all in one gulp, and with a loud crash, he smashed the wine jug on the ground. Just as everyone thought he was about to leave, Xiao Mohe's tall and sturdy body suddenly fell to his knees like a collapsing mountain or a toppling jade pillar, facing Gao Xing.

  Xiao Moye saw the general, from now on I will take the general as my goal, follow the general to fight in the battlefield, and die for it. I hope the general will not abandon me! Xiao Moye's words were sincere and loud, the depressed atmosphere on his body also disappeared, only a hint of sadness remained in the depths of his eyes.

  Delighted, he turned around and rushed forward to grab Xiang Yu's arms, pulling him up from the ground. He exclaimed loudly: "General Xiao, from now on, I'll be able to drink and make merry with such a heroic and unparalleled warrior like you! From this day forward, you are the commander of one of my troops in Xuancheng!"

  "General Xiao is well!" All Northern Qi soldiers stood at attention and saluted under the leadership of Shang Buqi, paying their respects to Xiao Mohe.

  Xiao Mohe didn't know what kind of official position the team leader held, but seeing that everyone wanted to salute and ask after him, he understood in his heart that it wasn't a low-ranking position. He hadn't expected Highness to attach such importance to himself, Xiao Mohe was deeply moved in his heart, his lips opened slightly, wanting to be interrupted by Highness's bright and cheerful laughter.

  "Today's training is over, everyone go back and rest well, recharge your energy. Tomorrow's battle, if we lose, you'll be eating bran for a month!" He said with an evil smile hanging from the corner of his mouth, his voice not loud, his tone not heavy.

  But to all the soldiers, it was a chilling gust of wind that made them shudder and tremble with fear, their bodies suddenly stiffening by three points, their eyes revealing a faint glimmer of terror.

  "Let's disband the troops for now, and then you bring some wine and meat to my tent." He said with a smile, instructing Shang Buxie, before pulling on Xiao Moye's sleeve and heading towards his own tent.

  The happy camp was very large. Although he had never stayed overnight in a month, the inside was tidy and clean, without a speck of dust.

  Delighted to sit in the main seat, he lazily stretched his waist, but saw Xiao Moye standing somewhat awkwardly in the center of the camp, Delighted hurriedly stood up and smiled apologetically: "General Xiao, please sit down, you and I are now one family, not during official duties, be more casual, don't be so formal."

  Xiao Mohe sat down, his face still somewhat unnatural. Gao Xing was about to say something when a voice came from outside the door: "Report!"

  "Come in."

  Shang Buqi strode in with a large step, his footsteps steady and his movements nimble, earning a silent nod of approval from Xiao Moye.

  "Please, have a seat." Gao Xing instructed with a smile, then introduced to Xiao Mohe: "General Xiao, from now on you should be addressed as Commander of the First Unit. This is Shang Buqi, Commander of the Second Unit."

  "I have not yet given up on seeing Commander Xiao, today I got to see Commander Xiao's martial arts, I am ashamed that I am not as good as him. From now on, please instruct me more!" Shang Buqi stood up and bowed with a fist, his serious face had a faint smile.

  "General Shang has misspoken, Xiao is just a roughneck with innate strength. On the other hand, you have trained your troops rigorously and have a good system in place, surpassing me in many ways! I hope you will not hesitate to instruct me in the future!" Xiang Mohe replied with courtesy, praising him.

  "General Xiao is being modest, but it's not abandoning shame that the method of training soldiers is all General Gao's credit, and not abandoning is just faithfully executing!" Shang Buqi said, casting his gaze at Gao Xing, with a face full of admiration.

  "Hey, don't be too hard on yourself. I just mentioned the plan, and all the training is your responsibility. You've worked hard this month!" Gao Xing said with a smile, looking at Shang Buqi seriously. Just as Shang Buqi was about to speak, Gao Xing raised his hand to stop him, saying: "Buqi, come on, let's toast Colonel Xiao and welcome him to our First Brigade."

  "Yes." Without another word, he raised his cup with both hands and drained it in one gulp. Xiang Mohe didn't dare to be slow, and respectfully finished the wine in his bowl after a slight smile of appreciation.

  "Good, come on!"

  Gao Xing had a good life, and didn't abandon Xiao Mohe to follow him. The three of them didn't say anything, and only after drinking three bowls did they put down their bowls and let out a sigh of relief. Xiao Mohe's awkward feeling also dissipated somewhat. Gao Xing laughed heartily and said with relish, looking at Xiao Mohe: "Commander Xiao, I think you seem to have some worries on your mind!"

  Delighted to be a super agent, profession requires, coupled with his own six senses being far more acute than ordinary people, he had long noticed the hint of hidden worry in Xiao Mohe's eyes, and only asked when the three of them were familiar with each other.

  "Although brothers are like hands and feet, women are like clothes. Now that I have surrendered to the general, Emperor Chen will surely know about it and will definitely make things difficult for my wives and concubines. How pitiful they are, suffering because of me!" Xiao Mohe's face darkened, he self-mockingly smiled, picked up his cup and drank with a gloomy expression.

  Delighted, he furrowed his brow and placed the wine bowl on the table, saying loudly: "Yuan Yin's words are wrong. That Liu Bei is a deceitful scoundrel, always speaking nonsense, how can he be counted? As a man, if you can't even protect your own woman, how can you talk about fighting battles, achieving merits and protecting your family and country? You being deeply affectionate to all your wives proves that you are a passionate hero, I haven't misjudged you!"

  He paused for a moment, then continued with a smile: "However, Yuan Yin, you don't have to worry. Although I hope you can surrender to me, I also don't want you to feel ashamed about your family's affairs and harbor resentment towards me. Therefore, more than ten days ago, I spread the news that Chen Ziang Shao Mohe pretended to surrender, then killed several Qi army generals, suffered over a dozen injuries before disappearing without a trace! In this way, Emperor Chen will not blame you, but instead praise you. As for your family, don't worry, Gao Mou will definitely find an opportunity to bring them back safely."

  Xiao Mohe was taken aback, then excitedly thanked him: "General, you have considered everything in detail. Xiao Mohe is grateful and tearful. Even if he were to die a thousand deaths, it would not be enough to repay the general!"

  He happily got up, pulled Xiao Moyu up, patted his arm, and slightly tilted his head: "Yuanyin, don't be so polite in the future, we're all brothers. This temper of yours always puts pressure on me. Come, sit down quickly, let's have a drink." He jokingly said, pressing Xiao Moyu to sit down.

  "Yes." Xiao Mohe responded with a smile, his face flushed with excitement, the worry in his eyes disappearing. He was indeed a brave and daring person, and his capacity for liquor was also astonishing. With a joyful heart, he drank with Gao Xing and the monk in the camp until they were all drunk and dizzy.

  When he returned home with joy, the sky had already darkened, and Gao Zhang Gong had also returned to the mansion, sitting in a chair holding a teacup, frowning and thinking about something.

  Recently, the war on the front line has been urgent, and with many refugees in Guangling County, Gao Changgong was very busy, under great pressure, and lost a lot of weight, which made Zheng worried. However, he was much more spirited and didn't want to be as depressed as he was in Ye City.

  "Xing Er, you're back! Have you eaten?" Zheng Shi came forward and asked warmly. Suddenly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed in concern and puzzlement: "Such a strong smell of wine, Xing Er, how did you drink so much? Quick, sit down, Mother will make some hangover soup for you!"

  Laughing happily, he pulled Zheng's hand and said: "Mother, a little wine won't hurt, don't worry. I'm not hungry, have you and Father eaten?"

  "Look at you, kid, your face is all red, reeking of alcohol, who knows how much you've had to drink. Have some sobering soup and eat something, then get some rest." Zheng's wife glared angrily at Gao Xing, pushed him into a chair, and hastily left the living room.

  "Dad, what are you thinking about? Are you worried that I'll lose to the kid tomorrow?" he asked with a smile.

  Gao Changgong was taken aback, muttering to himself, "Has the deadline of one month arrived already? It's really fast!" Then he pretended to be disdainful and hummed a tune, saying: "I've been in the army for over a decade, how could I possibly lose to you, a young whippersnapper? Tomorrow when you get beaten up, don't cry your nose off!"

  Smiling confidently: "Dad, don't be too confident, beware of the horse losing its footing! I have another good news to report to you, Xiao Moye has surrendered."

  Gao Chang raised his cup and took a sip of tea, his movements slightly paused, as he said in a somewhat disbelieving tone: "Really?"

  He smiled with joy: "Of course, with a child coming out, isn't it easy to capture?" Although he was excited and mature in heart, as long as he was in front of Gao Changgong and Zheng Shi, he was willing to be a half-grown child again, showing off and being coquettish in front of his parents, which made him feel warm and precious.

  "Hmph! Don't be too happy too early." Gao Changgong snorted disdainfully, lowered his head to take a sip of tea, and then sighed: "The newly recruited brave warriors need to intensify their training. Although Wang Lin has contained Chen Jun's offensive momentum in Linyang County, the Emperor is still uneasy about this outsider, with the Governor of Huai State on one side restraining him, Wang Lin cannot fully resist the enemy!"

  "Father, don't worry too much. General Wang has been through many official circles and is well-versed in the ways of advancement and retreat. Moreover, this is a critical moment, and the governor of Huai State should understand that one loss will lead to all losses!"

  "Gao Chang Gong shook his head and sighed: "Politics is always a very complicated thing, people's hearts are hard to fathom, and the heart of the ruler is even harder to fathom!"

  At this moment, Gao Changgong suddenly looked tired and dispirited, much older, with a deep sense of unwillingness and a hint of anger in the depths of his eyes, and a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth.