Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang were busy at the school military field all day, and they didn't return to the city guard's house until dark, taking off their helmets and armor, and preparing to make sacrifices to the five internal organs temple that had been waiting for them for a long time.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the two of them walked to the door of the dining room, they heard the sound of dishes falling to the ground. Immediately afterwards, Efentia pouted and walked out angrily. When she saw the two of them, she didn't even say hello. She glared at Li Jiangyao and went back to the back hall.
"Hey! This little girl is getting more and more outrageous. She's so angry." Li Jiangyao looked at Efentia's back and muttered inexplicably: "Who provoked her?"
Xu Youchang responded casually: "I'm afraid it's menstruation, right? I have a bad temper."
Li Jiangyao smiled and punched Xu Youchang: "You know a lot! You are a friend of women!"
Xu Youchang also punched Li Jiangyao: "You taught me all this!"
The two of them walked into the dining room laughing and joking, and saw that only Ma Mu and Xia Lian were dining. Xia Lian saw them coming and quickly stood up to greet them: "Sir, are you back? Hello General Xu. I will go and serve you a meal right now."
Li Jiangyao sat down opposite Ma Mu with a smile and responded: "Thank you for your hard work, Xia Lian, we almost starved to death. Hey, Ma Mu, why was Efentia so angry just now? Hesi Where's Jia? Why didn't she come to dinner? "
Ma Mu picked up the wine jug on the table, filled two glasses of mead for Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang, and then explained: "Sir, the two eldest ladies are a little homesick."
"Missing home?" Xu Youchang was a little curious: "What did they tell you?"
Xia Lian came over with hot food: "Yes, General Xu. In recent days, Efentia has been particularly homesick and missed her father. She secretly cried several times at night. Sister Hesijia originally wanted to I wanted to comfort her, but I didn’t expect that after the two chatted for a long time, Efentia also affected her.”
Li Jiangyao picked up a large piece of beef and stuffed it into his mouth, and asked vaguely: "So Hesijia won't eat either?"
"Well, I don't seem to have much appetite lately." Xia Lian nodded.
Li Jiangyao thought about it for a while, as if he suddenly remembered something, and asked: "Why did Efentia lose her temper and throw the bowl just now? I can't take it out on you because she misses home, right?"
Xia Lian did not answer him, but looked at Ma Mu, as if asking him: Can you tell me?
Mamu hesitated for a moment and responded: "Oh, that's for me. Efentia... Efentia wanted to find someone to kidnap her father to Metasequoia City. As for me, I said a few words of opposition... …”
Poof - the food in Li Jiangyao's mouth spurted out in one gulp: "Wha...what?! Kidnapped her father?"
"What on earth is going on?" Xu Youchang was also a little confused: "Isn't her father Emine from the Persian Merchant Mission?"
Xia Lian continued on the side: "Elfantia really wanted to see her father, but she couldn't return to the merchant mission, otherwise she would never come out again. So...so sister Hesijia gave her a plan Idea, find a way to invite her father here."
"Well, to put it nicely, it's a invitation," Mamu sighed: "Actually, it's just to find someone to kidnap Emani."
Xu Youchang was puzzled. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "Looking for someone? Who is she looking for? None of the officers and men in the army can be transferred without the military order from your lord."
Mamu nodded and said helplessly: "That's what you said. Therefore, Efentia has no intention of asking our legion for help. She is looking for Kuliban, the young prince of the Shenhua family."
When Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang heard what Ma Mu said, they suddenly realized. Because of the black crystal jade incident, Efentia was considered a great benefactor to the Shenhua family and Kuliban, and the young prince still owed her a huge favor.
And according to everyone's observation, Curiban seems to like Efentia very much, and he is more or less admiring and pursuing her. As long as Efentia opens her mouth, Curiban has absolutely no reason to refuse. In addition, the two of them are similar in age, and they are both the kind of masters who are not afraid of anything, love to play, and the kidnapping target is Efentia's own father. How could he not help with such an interesting little request? Woolen cloth?
The prince of the Shenhua family controls the army himself, and the elder Samoor and the tribe leader Yuduoluo are also the commanders of the Intelligence Department of the Metasequoia Army. I don’t know how many spies have been placed in the royal court of Chechi. They are indeed responsible for carrying out this task. The most appropriate person to act.
"This... I'm afraid this is not appropriate. Do you want to stop them?" Xu Youchang asked Li Jiangyao.
Mamu sighed: "Oh, it's too late! I just heard from Efentia that Kuliban rushed to King Chechi's court two days ago and personally directed the kidnapping operation. Calculating the time, if everything goes well, it is estimated that Ai Maini is on his way back to Metasequoia."
Li Jiangyao frowned when he heard this and told Xu Youchang: "Immediately transfer five hundred elites from your First Army, search along the road, and be ready to respond to them at any time. If an unexpected situation occurs, you can launch a counterattack on the spot without asking for instructions. . Remember, the safety of Kuliban and Emene must be ensured at any cost."
Xu Youchang said "yes", put down the bowl and chopsticks, got up and left.
Li Jiangyao thought for a while, then suddenly called him out again, and then took out a token from his waist: "It's better not to use your first army. Send out the white robes of the commander's battalion. You have another one more." If you have important things to do, go and see Hesijia. It’s not okay to skip meals all the time.”
-
Dangdangdang, Xu Youchang knocked on the door gently and asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, have you rested?"
Hearing that it was Xu Youchang who had arrived, Hesijia couldn't help being slightly startled, and quickly got up and opened the door: "Hello, General Xu. It's so late, what can I do?"
Xu Youchang held the tray in his hand and smiled sheepishly: "I...I was ordered to bring you dinner."
Hesijia looked at his stupid look and was confused for a moment, then laughed and said: "According to orders? Whose order are you following?"
Xu Youchang originally planned to say that he was following Li Jiangyao's orders, but then he thought about it and felt that it was not right to say so. The dignified commander of the Metasequoia Army ordered his vanguard general to deliver food to a little girl. Isn't this sick?
So he smiled and said, "I am following Miss Xia Lian's order." After saying that, regardless of whether Hesijia invited him into the room, he squeezed in directly with the tray.
Hesijia waited for Xu Youchang to put dinner on the table, and generously invited him to sit down and drink tea and talk. Seeing this, Xu Youchang felt very happy, nodded in agreement, and shamelessly sat next to Hesijia.
Hesijia's face looked flushed against the backdrop of the candlelight. She was a little afraid to look directly at Xu Youchang. She chatted at times while playing with the butter milk tea she had cooked for him.
Xu Youchang took the steaming tea bowl with both hands. The mellow fragrance of milk tea hit his nostrils, and he couldn't help but praise it again and again. Hesijia pursed her lips and smiled: "This is a traditional method in my hometown. If we can use tea produced in the Kas Plateau of the Western Continent, the taste will definitely be more authentic."
Hearing her mention her hometown, Xu Youchang immediately remembered what Xia Lian and Ma Mu had said before. He was slightly startled, and then said apologetically: "Your Highness, you have stayed in Western Xinjiang for so long, are you homesick? Otherwise, Shall I go talk to Jiang Yao and send someone to send you back? Although the two countries are at war, in the end, you are not a prisoner and have not lost any freedom..."
"I know," Hesijia interrupted Xu Youchang: "From the first day I met General Xu again, you told me many times that I am not a prisoner of war and I can leave at any time if I want. It's just... …”
"Just what?" Xu Youchang heard that Hesijia was not determined to leave, and he rekindled hope in his heart, and asked quickly.
A bitter smile appeared on Hesijia's face: "The various experiences I had in Western Xinjiang this time gave me some different views on my father and the Turkic Empire. Now that I go back, I feel a little dissatisfied. Know how to face them.”
Xu Youchang didn't know why: "Your Highness, what do you mean when you say you have a different view than before?"
"To put it simply, it is the war we are facing now." Hesijia sighed softly: "In the past, the Turkic heroes went out to fight and expand the territory of the empire. As a princess, my heart is full of I admire and love them and hope that they will have a prosperous military career and a safe and triumphant return. However, when I was on the other side of the war, I suddenly discovered that all the Turkic armies brought were disasters and misfortunes."
She paused for a moment, adjusted her mood, and continued: "Thousands of miles away in Western Xinjiang, countless families have been torn apart because of the war; countless children have lost their parents and relatives and become orphans; the originally prosperous Silk Road trade route has now become It has long been like a ghost desert, desolate and lifeless. And the soldiers who participated in the war, no matter which camp they belong to, may be buried in a foreign land and never be able to return to their loved ones... All of this makes me feel very painful. "
As he said that, Hesijia's tears couldn't stop flowing down.
Xu Youchang couldn't help but fell silent. Only now did he finally understand that the young and kind-hearted Turkic princess in front of him was not just missing home and food, but what made her even more uncomfortable was the guilt caused by the Turkic Empire's invasion of Western Xinjiang. , so heavy that she couldn't breathe.
"Your Highness...the war is not your fault, and it is not something you can control or change," Xu Youchang sighed: "I am very moved by your thoughts, but you and I, and everyone involved in it, There is nothing we can do about it. Perhaps the only thing we can do is to stick to what we believe in and live with a clear conscience."
Xu Youchang's words were a bit heavy, making both of them a little confused about what to say next. After a while, Hesijia wiped away her tears and forced out a smile: "General Xu, besides giving me gifts, Besides the meal, do you also have the intention of asking me to challenge you?"
"Ah? What crime are you asking about?" Xu Youchang was a little confused: "I don't quite understand what your highness means."
Hesijia smiled slightly: "Of course it's Efentia's business. I came up with the idea to let her kidnap her father to come to Metasequoia. Master Li must be unhappy, right?"
Xu Youchang came to his senses and said carelessly: "Oh, you said this, no, no, how could Jiang Yao blame you for this?"
"If you act without authorization, you may cause some big trouble. Why doesn't Mr. Li blame me?" Hesijia asked with interest.
Xu Youchang responded seriously: "It's human nature for Efentia to miss home. You gave her advice and asked Kuliban to help, and you didn't violate the military orders and disciplines of the Metasequoia Corps, so I don't think Jiang Yao will really It’s your fault.”
Hesijia smiled and shook her head when she heard this: "It seems that General Xu did not understand my intention. However, Mr. Li may have guessed it to some extent."
When Xu Youchang heard this, he suddenly became curious: "Please tell me, I am very confused sometimes."
Hesijia burst into laughter: "The general is not confused, but his mind is all on leading troops to fight, and he rarely thinks about the intrigues in politics. Kidnapping Emene, a great god of wealth who no one can offend, but It won’t make him angry and retaliate, such an opportunity is rare.”
