Chương 40: Accompanying 5 Women, Heading South to Yingchuan

The next day it was the turn of the aloof and talented Zhen Tuo.

As Liu Ce walked to the backyard of the Zhen residence, he heard the sound of a zither drifting over from the pavilion.

Liu Ce followed the sound and saw Zhen Tuo sitting on a stone bench in the pavilion. Her moon-white dress accentuated her slender figure, and she held a seven-stringed zither in her hand, her fingertips lightly plucking the strings.

She didn't look up when she heard footsteps, until a musical phrase ended, at which point she slowly raised her eyes to look at Liu Ce, a faint smile on her lips.

"This zither was left to me by my ancestors. I usually can't bear to play it, but today I thought the general would like to hear some refreshing tunes, so I dared to take it out."

Liu Ce sat down on the stone bench opposite her, his gaze fixed on the strings of the zither:

"I'm used to the sounds of bugles and horses' hooves in the military camp, but this is the first time I've heard such soothing music. Does the piece you just played, Second Miss, have a name?"

"It hasn't been properly named yet. I made it up because I heard that the general was going south to suppress the bandits in a few days and I couldn't sleep at night."

Zhen Tuo gently plucked the strings of the zither with his fingertips.

"I thought that the south wind could bring the general a smooth journey, so I'll call it 'The Song of the South Wind' for now. If the general doesn't like the sound, it's fine to change it."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to play the zither again, and the music began to play once more. Liu Ce listened and fell into deep thought.

"General, what's wrong? Is the music disturbing you?" Zhen Tuo stopped playing the zither when she saw him lost in thought, her eyes filled with worry.

Liu Ce snapped out of his daze, smiled, and shook his head:

"No, I just felt that there was a story in the music, and I was mesmerized. Not only does the Second Miss play the zither well, but she is also very thoughtful."

Zhen Tuo blushed slightly at his praise, and before leaving, she slipped Liu Ce a handkerchief embroidered with crookedly shaped mandarin ducks.

"I secretly learned needlework yesterday, please don't find it offensive, General."

Liu Ce stared at the handkerchief and sighed inwardly, "These mandarin ducks look like they've had a stroke, but... at least they're SSR merchandise!"

On the third day, the dashing Zhen Dao entered the camp, this girl carrying a red-tasseled spear:

"General! I heard you defeated 100, 000 with only 800? Let's have a go!"

Liu Ce picked up his training halberd to fight, deliberately letting her win.

As Zhen Dao pressed the tip of his spear against his throat, he raised an eyebrow triumphantly: "General, you flatter me!"

Liu Ce suddenly flipped over and pinned her wrist down: "The enemy won't go easy on you on the battlefield!"

While demonstrating close-quarters grappling, he leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"But when it comes to my own wife, I always lose and never win."

Zhen Dao immediately blushed and transformed from a female general back into a little girl, unable to even hold her gun steady.

Zhang Fei, who was spying from afar, nudged Dian Wei's arm and said, "I bet ten catties of beef! Our lord is definitely being a scoundrel!"

Dian Wei reached into his money pouch: "I'm betting more! Third Sister-in-law's ears are very red!"

On the fourth day, the charming Zhen Rong dragged Liu Ce to stroll through the market, and they couldn't resist the sight of the sugar figurine stall.

Liu Ce tossed a wallet to the stall owner: "I'll have the whole place to myself!"

After that, they fought their way from the rouge shop to the silk shop, and Liu Ce's bundles were piled higher than Dian Wei's.

Zhen Rong, holding up a sugar figurine, pouted and said, "General~ I also want that spinning lantern!"

Liu Ce's hand trembled as he reached for his purse: "Buy it! Anyway, the Yellow Turban Army will reimburse me..."

When Zhen Rong tried on a jade hairpin at a jewelry stall, the stall owner praised her:

"Young lady, you are so lucky! Your husband must be a high-ranking official in the court!"

Liu Ce smugly touched his money pouch, but Zhen Rong blinked:

"He's a bandit king who specializes in robbing Yellow Turban rebels!"

The stall owner was so frightened that he gave away two hairpins for free. When Liu Ce returned home, he looked at his empty wallet and wailed:

"Supporting five wives is more expensive than raising an army of soldiers!"

Zhen Rong gave Liu Ce a peach blossom hairpin: "If you see peach blossoms on the road... just think of me."

Liu Ce thought to himself: This girl must have read a lot of storybooks.

On the last day, facing the ethereal Zhen Mi, Liu Ce unleashed his ultimate weapon: he moved a low stool and sat opposite her.

Today we'll talk about "The Little Mermaid".

When the story of the Little Mermaid turning into sea foam came up, Zhen Mi suddenly grabbed his sleeve:

"No bubbles! We want reunion!"

Liu Ce quickly changed the ending: "Later, the Heavenly Emperor was moved and granted her rebirth, allowing her to grow old with the prince!"

Zhen Mi burst into laughter through her tears: "General, you're lying. You just touched your nose."

Before parting, Zhen Mi slipped a sachet to him, saying, "Wear this, and arrows will fly around you."

Liu Ce smelled the delicate fragrance and secretly rejoiced, thinking to himself, "As expected, this young lady is the most considerate!"

On the morning of the sixth day, when they were about to leave, the five sisters stood in a rainbow-like formation as they bid farewell.

Zhen Jiang handed over the battle robe she had sewn herself: "The collar lining has five-colored threads hidden inside, which are the hair of us sisters."

Zhen Tuo Sailai's poem manuscript: "There's a surprise on the last page." (Liu Ce later discovered it was an acrostic love poem.) Zhen Dao shoved a dagger into your hand: "You dare to be unfaithful? I'll use this to trim your beard!"

Zhen Rong hung a bunch of amulets around his neck, saying, "I've blessed them all!"

Zhen Mi grabbed his armor and burst into tears: "The bubble story is fake, you can't let it be fake!"

Liu Ce frantically wiped away his tears: "Don't worry! The Yellow Turban rebels can't transform!"

……

The army disappeared at the end of the official road, and the five sisters still stood on tiptoe, looking back.

Their figures solidified in the dust, forming the Waiting-for-Husband Stone.

When the army reached the outskirts of the city, Liu Ce suddenly ordered a halt.

He dismounted and squatted in front of Zhang Niujiao's grave (a hastily dug mound of earth), sticking a branch into the ground as incense:

"Old Zhang, thank you for the kill and experience pack. When your brother Zhang Baiqi comes to avenge you, I'll have Yide burn paper money for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei exclaimed, "Brother, paper money is too expensive! I'll just burn some Yellow Turban flags for him!"

As the sun set, the army, laden with spoils of war, continued its southward march.

On the way south, Cheng Yaojin chimed in, "My lord, what if all five sisters-in-law are consummating their marriages at the same time?"

Guan Yu coughed lightly: "We can follow the example of Emperor Shun and establish two palaces, one in the east and one in the west."

Zhang Fei shouted, "I think drawing lots is the fairest method!"

Liu Ce took a deep breath and thought to himself, "Should I deal with the Yellow Turban Army first... then go shopping for a 'Time Management Master Crash Course'?"

Leaving Wuji County, Liu Ce led eight hundred Xuanjia Iron Cavalry and six thousand infantrymen, marching leisurely southward. The yellow earth kicked up by their horses stretched for miles like a dragon.

On his journey south, Liu Ce was on horseback, but his mind was far from idle.

As he pondered this, he suddenly felt like slapping himself.

"No matter how fierce the Yellow Turban Rebellion became, it ultimately came to an end, didn't it?"

"History is written very clearly. Even if my appearance caused history to deviate a little, it can't deviate completely."

"What the hell am I doing, charging into battle, fighting to the death with those desperados? What's the point?"

"It would be better to preserve our strength, seize the opportunity, and grab some ready-made credit. That way, we can both get a good reputation with the emperor and reap some real benefits. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

After much deliberation, he set his sights on Changshe in Yingchuan.

Why? Because there's a "gift package" of Bo Cai there!

The phrase "100, 000 Yellow Turban soldiers" sounds terrifying, but I know the plot. You little brat, you set up your camp in a haystack, aren't you just waiting to have your camp burned down?

Liu Ce's mind was racing with calculations:

"By the time we get to Yingchuan, it will be almost May. The weather will be dry and the wind will blow, which will be just the right time to give Brother Bo Cai a 'fiery' surprise."

(Bo Cai: You f***ing... Liu Ce: You're welcome.) ……

On the road.

"Brother, at this rate, by the time we get to Changshe, that old man Huangfu Song will have already taken Bo Cai's head, won't he?"

Zhang Fei shouted at the top of his lungs, impatiently waving the spear in his hand.

Liu Ce glanced at him sideways, a sly smile playing on his lips:

"Yide, you have to wait for the fish to bite when you're fishing. Bo Cai has 100, 000 troops besieging the city, while Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun are hiding inside. The longer this stalemate lasts, the more valuable our reinforcements will be."

……

Throughout the rest of the journey, Liu Ce frequently chatted and laughed with his generals.

Guan Yu rode on horseback, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, his expression solemn; Zhang Fei, on the other hand, loudly proclaimed that he wanted to personally behead that scoundrel Bo Cai; Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and others were all eager to try their skills.

So the team traveled day and night and finally arrived at Changshe territory at the end of April.

Before they could even set up camp, Liu Ce, along with his six fierce generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yaojin, rode their horses and quietly made their way to a nearby high slope.