Dandere General and his Lord

52. Flower Street and Willow Lane

“Finally found out, I finally found out.” Liu Hou’er; Yang Lu Hou ran back, gasping for breath.

At this time, the troops were resting and reorganizing. Yang Sheng and several other captains were squatting on their heels as they talked to each other, and after hearing these words, they all turned their heads.

“How was it? They were willing to tell you?”

“When I, Liu Hou’er, take action, one is the same as two.”1 Yang Lu Hou spoke triumphantly. “I found a fellow villager in the first group of the third team and cottoned up to him.2 He told me the secret behind how their team manages to line up properly.”

The group of men all tipped their heads forward together.

“So, if you want to line up quickly and neatly, you must…”

In another team, the captain; A’Yuan ran back towards his team.

“How was it? Did you ask them?” The centurion of their team, Han Shen turned around and asked him.

“Ask… I asked about it.” A’Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead.

During the last battle, he had finally managed to cut off an enemy soldier’s head.

Although he was still far from attaining the title of the first rank, he had been fortunate enough to be selected to become a captain in their team.

The number of people who could collect ten heads in a battle were still too few.

Hence, as a tall and strong civilian who had managed to cut off an enemy head, he had assumed the position of a captain in their team.

“They didn’t try to conceal it deliberately, as soon as I asked, they carefully instructed everything to me.”

“All right, you can explain carefully. Our team mainly consists of soldiers with proper origin,3 as long as we know the method, how could we possibly lose to those ignorant and lowly slaves?”

This Han Shen was a veteran who had experienced the battle of defending a city and had made outstanding military service. He had recently been promoted to the position of a centurion and he rubbed his fists, feeling eager to display his prowess as soon as possible.

When Helan Zhen arrived, the sun had already set.

The rest of the military training grounds had disbanded long ago.

However, the training grounds occupied by Mo Qiao Sheng were still as crowded as before with booming shouts spreading throughout the space.

But what struck him as odd was the strange sentences that came from the mouths of the soldiers.

“Fuck! You’re in the wrong position again, even pigs are smarter than you, do you still want to eat meat? Or do you not want to eat meat?”

“Stand up straight for Laozi,4 keep your backs straight! Look at the other teams and then look at you. Do you want to get your ass beaten in public tomorrow? You all can afford to lose, but Laozi can’t afford it!”

Seeing Helan Zhen’s arrival, Mo Qiao Sheng rushed over and offered a military salute.

“Your current training method is the correct way to solve the knot.” Helan Zhen patted him on the shoulder. “The victory of an army depends on how you govern them. Qiao Sheng, your starting approach is not wrong. Initially, I was worried that you would only focus on fighting bravely and firmly, simply paying attention to training their fighting skills while neglecting the soldiers’ battle formations. Now it seems that my worries were superfluous.”

“However, there’s no need for you to be overly impatient, you need to know when to be strict and when to be sympathetic. It’s already gotten so late tonight, you should allow the soldiers to rest.”

“Reporting to General Helan,” Mo Qiao Sheng cupped his fists and replied, “I have already dismissed the soldiers, and all the troops remaining in the training grounds are here of their own accord in order to practice independently.”

“Oh? The matter is actually like this?” Helan Zhen was shocked.

After seeing the arrival of Helan Zhen who was the leader of their entire army, the five other commanders rushed over to salute him.

Among them, there was a commander above 50 years of age with a handlebar moustache by the name of Li who was one of Helan Zhen’s old subordinates.

Met with Helan Zhen’s questions, they all laughed and replied;

“General Mo’s governance of the army is really unique, and he has the ability to touch the pulse of these soldiers. These new recruits are much better than Beizhi5 imagined they would be. Each and every one of them act like they have been injected with chicken blood,6 refusing to leave even after being dismissed.” Commander Liang spoke.

“General, when you transferred me here, my heart was filled with reluctance. But after just one day, I, Lao Li, have been convinced by General Mo.” Commander Li cupped his fists and said, “I am convinced.”

Helan Zhen pointed at them with two fingers and said, “I’m telling you, Xiao Mo is my brother. If you support him well, you will have the chance to get promoted and gain wealth in the future.”

Liang and Li, the two men nodded in agreement.

The remaining three commanders still felt a sense of resistance towards Mo Qiao Sheng in their hearts.

They were discontented with how Helan Zhen had arranged them there, however, Helan Zhen was a nobleman with outstanding achievements in battle, in addition to being a newly promoted favourite of the Lord. They did not dare to offend him, thus they were forced to chorus their agreement.

“Let’s go, I invite you all to have drinks. First of all, we can become familiar with each other, and secondly, we can congratulate General Mo on his promotion.” Helan Zhen placed his arm around Mo Qiao Sheng’s shoulder and led everyone out of the training grounds.

Bianzhou had recently achieved success in the war.

There were numerous young soldiers filled with vigour inside the city, each and every one of them hugging the monetary rewards that had been bestowed upon them who had barely managed to struggle back from the thin string between life and death. They were all brimming with an excess of energy with nowhere to release it.

As a result, in the city in the past few days, whether it was Tianxiang Pavilion or the Baihua Building where the young girls worked at, or the Chuhuai Hall or Qinfeng Building where the youths worked at, they were all teeming with visitors and filled with music and singing night after night.

Once the skies darkened and the streets were illuminated with evening lights, red lanterns lit up the flower street and willow lane.7

The spring wind of night brings a thousand trees to bloom, the sleeves of the enchantress hide fragrance within, while the young men meet with amiable expressions.8

The phoenix flute coos resounding, the jade urn gleams with lustre, and Tianxiang Pavilion was bustling with more noise and excitement than usual.

Mo Qiao Sheng stood before the signboard in front of Tianxiang Pavilion and stopped moving.

He hadn’t expected that Helan Zhen’s proposal to drink meant coming to this kind of location.

For him, regardless of whether it was the courtyard of young women or youths, they were all places that made him exceptionally uncomfortable.

It reminded him of the dark days of his youth, when the young him had struggled desperately for his survival while stuck in the silt, just like the little escorts who had been around him.

“What’s the matter, Xiao Mo? Let’s go.” Helan Zhen and the commanders who had been walking forward with their arms around each other’s shoulders saw his pause and turned back around to reach out and pull him forward. “As a man, don’t be so coy, Brother will take you to see the world today.”

They went up to a private room on the second floor where they could overlook the song and dance performances from downstairs with no need of having to squeeze together with the stinky and sweaty old veterans below.

Several graceful women knelt beside them, pouring wine and serving dishes as they attended to them eagerly.

After filling themselves with some wine, a couple of soldiers at a table downstairs had already forgotten the occasion and sprayed out their saliva as they discussed the matter of the battle this time in loud voices.

“Let me tell you, I shall only serve that newly promoted Officer Mo from this campaign,” One of the men who had a full beard stretching across his face discussed with his companion, “When I was at the east of the city, I saw him leading two horses with my own eyes. Both saddles were spilling over on both sides with the heads of Quanrong soldiers. The horses passed by me and the blood from the heads dripped the entire way, the two clerks couldn’t even count all the heads, tsk tsk.”

“Hmph, you’re so spineless, actually obeying a slave.” A burly man with a purplish face slapped the table, “That Mo Qiao Sheng is just the Lord’s little pet and occupying his favour. He’s just made a few military merits, I refuse to accept him.”

With a loud ‘bang’, a cup of wine fell from high above and smashed on top of the table causing wine and food to splatter everywhere.

The soldiers jumped to their feet. They were about to start cursing as they looked up at the second floor and saw the few men dressed in commanders’ clothing whose faces were concealed behind the curtains. Nonetheless, it was obvious that small soldiers such as themselves couldn’t afford to offend them.

The men instantly shrunk back like quails, unable to utter a sound.

“This purple faced man, how many enemy heads did you collect in the battle?” A faint masculine voice came from the private room.

The soldier sobered up in an instant. He bowed his head and replied timidly, “Report… Reporting to the Official, Xiaoren9 captured one, one head.”

Several people inside the private room snickered derisively. 

The hall burst into a peal of laughter.

“I was wondering what a fierce and powerful man he was, daring to challenge Commander Mo. It turns out that he can’t even make up a fraction of the other.”

“Ridiculing others as slaves, but doesn’t even realize that he himself isn’t as good as a slave.”

“Commander Mo can be regarded as our army’s God of Death, his fierce aura is enough to make my knees go weak when he walks past me. He captured only one head yet he has the audacity to talk such nonsense, even I can’t compare with him.”

“I wonder how many heads this younger brother captured?”

“You brothers are going to laugh at me, I barely managed to seize three heads. I do not dare to boast.”

“Not bad, not bad. Zaixia10 also captured three heads. Haha.”

Amid the roars of laughter, the man with the purplish face stood awkwardly within the crowd, not daring to wipe off the soup and wine splattered on his face.

He had no choice but to withstand the ridicule of the crowd as he retreated with a flushed face.

Inside the private room, Helan Zhen raised his cup and toasted, “Xiao Mo, there is no need for you to be concerned. Your path is still far and wide and your talent will be seen by the world. Sooner or later, all these rumours and slanders will disappear silently.”

Mo Qiao Sheng raised his cup and drained the wine in one gulp.

A woman dressed in red served him at the side.

The woman’s skin was smooth and supple, softer than the snow. She lightly lifted up the silver pot to pour more wine for Mo Qiao Sheng.

Mo Qiao Sheng held the cup with one hand while supporting the bottom with the other as he nodded faintly towards her.

The woman raised her sleeve to cover her cherry lips as she giggled softly.

“Junye11 is a real gentleman, so polite to Nujia,12 completely different from those vulgar soldiers, really deserving of being a military officer.”

After speaking, she gently swayed her willowy waist and turned to nestle up against Mo Qiao Sheng.

“Nubi13 is called Zhihua and does not know whether she can have the fortune to serve Your Excellency tonight.”

A steely palm instantly squeezed her wrist and prevented her from moving. The strength was so great that Zhihua couldn’t help softly crying out.

Mo Qiao Sheng did not speak, but the strength of his hand clearly expressed his refusal.

Zhihua straightened up angrily and did not continue to overstep.

There were numerous people with crude and brutal temperaments among these soldiers who had walked out of the battlefield and she had no desire to provoke such people.

She quietly rubbed her aching wrist, feeling regretful. She had thought that he was a charming and affectionate official and that she could seize the opportunity to gain a bit more, but it turned out that he was just a rude and reckless young man, it appeared that it would simply be a waste of her time and effort.

I just hope these people will leave quickly so that Laoniang14 can go pick another rich gold master to serve.

Mo Qiao Sheng lived up to her expectations and got up to leave after three rounds of drinks. Helan Zhen was unable to detain him no matter how hard he tried and was finally forced to let him go.

Away from the soft fragrance and warmth where the fish and the dragon intertwine in dance;

The clean and fresh nighttime wind blew outside the door. Mo Qiao Sheng sucked in a deep breath, feeling that he had come back to life.

He took a big step, eager to break away from the noisy bustle behind him and return to the place where he felt the most ease in the depths of the night.

In an inconspicuous alley by the wayside, he could hear the wails of a woman accompanied by the wretched laughter of several men.

Mo Qiao Sheng stopped and hesitated.

In the moonlight, he could vaguely see the figures of several men as they bullied a woman on the ground, exposing a touch of green.

The depressed screams and struggling limbs appeared particularly glaring in the night.

In the past, whenever a battle had ended, such scenes could be seen everywhere within the slave camps. Mo Qiao Sheng had never intervened in these affairs, nor did he possess the ability to intervene.

But for some reason, this time he stretched out his hand.

He waved a steely fist and unceremoniously beat those men until they were bruised and battered.

After the men scattered in all directions, the bullied woman crawled up from the ground and dragged over the tattered green cloth, barely managing to cover her body. Her eyes were filled with fear as she looked up at the strong and powerful man in front of her.

Mo Qiao Sheng suddenly remembered Lu Xiu from Chuhuai Hall a long time ago.

The youth who had always loved to wear green clothing and had skin better than snow. Lu Xiu had been mean and impatient, and he had frequently scolded Mo Qiao Sheng who had been responsible for attending to him.

However, Mo Qiao Sheng had always been grateful towards him. Back then, he had always been unwilling to surrender and was pressed into the water time and time again by the owner of Chuhuai Hall, suffering torture back and forth between the edge of life and death.

Lu Xiu had appeared at the door, spoken a word for himself and fished him out.

But it didn’t take long before Lu Xiu died in front of him covered in horrible scars.

Mo Qiao Sheng looked at the woman in front of him who was also dressed in green. He took off his robe and threw it in front of her.

I’m sorry I was unable to save you back then. If it were today, I wouldn’t watch you die like that.

~

After returning home, Mo Qiao Sheng lay on his bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The Lord had his own team of personal guards now and no longer needed him to guard him at night.

However, the Lord still allowed him to rest in the inner chambers of the sleeping hall.

He and the Lord were only separated by a small door.

The elaborate wooden door was slightly open, revealing the interior illuminated by candlelight. As though waiting for him, waiting for him to take the initiative to open the door.

Today, the red lanterns and green wine did not disturb his thoughts, but at this moment, the candlelight passing through the crack between the door and its frame threw his heart into disorder.

Mo Qiao Sheng stood up and quietly walked over to the door, looking at the world on the other side.

The Lord sat at the desk, concentrating his attention on scanning through the official documents.

The flame of the candles in the lampstand shone on the Lord’s jade-like face.

Mo Qiao Sheng’s gaze couldn’t help lingering on his face. From the drooping eyelashes, the focused expression, to the delicate bridge of the nose, to… the pink lips.

Those lips.

With a pale pink lustre, they appeared so soft and gentle, but they had been so overbearing.

Mo Qiao Sheng did not dare to keep looking.

He looked down and his gaze slipped across a shiny white neck with a high collar beneath.

The Lord had always liked to wear clothes with a high neckline.

His gaze paused at the soft lapel of the robe.

Mo Qiao Sheng slapped himself in the face and fled back to his bed before covering his head with the quilt.

Cheng Qianye who had been absorbed in government affairs heard the sound of a light smack. She lifted her head and looked at the door that linked Mo Qiao Sheng’s room together with hers. The crack between the door and the frame was dark and didn’t expose anything.

Where did Qiao Sheng go? Has he still not returned?