The wounded soldiers gritted their teeth and retreated one after another.
But one wounded soldier with two broken legs was completely dumbfounded.
Others could barely make it out, and even those who couldn't move had brothers-in-arms to help them. But today, his brothers had died on the battlefield. There was no one to help him, and with both legs broken...
He really couldn't move!
He could only plead with the Postmaster. My Lord, I... my legs are broken. They were just set by the military doctor. I really cannot move right now.
And if I move, I'm afraid...
I will be crippled for life.
The Postmaster's eyes were cold as he lowered his voice. What, are you blind? Can't you see the Garrison Commander is busy? How dare you delay the Commander's important business?
His gaze was like a knife, piercing the wounded soldier's heart.
Under such pressure, the soldier dared not say another word. He just turned his head and glanced over. Wang Haichao and Tang Zhiyou were kissing passionately, oblivious to the world around them.
Being on the sidelines, he was...
An eyesore!
Gritting his teeth, he rolled off the stretcher.
With his legs broken, he couldn't use them.
So he used his hands.
Like a maggot, he dragged himself outward, inch by inch...
Finally, he made it out of the medical camp.
He felt the howling cold wind rushing from outside the camp.
The Postmaster was the last to leave the medical tent. To prevent anyone from disturbing Wang Haichao and Tang Zhiyou, he even deliberately stood at the entrance, standing guard for the Commander.
His face...
Had long since broken into a fond, doting smile!
The smile only grew wider!
Clack, clack, clack...
Footsteps rang out as an armored soldier hurried over.
Lord Postmaster, the Garrison Commander is here, right?
Yes, he is!
Receiving an affirmative answer, the soldier was about to rush inside, but the Postmaster immediately reached out and stopped him.
Lord Postmaster, what are you doing?
I am here to report the ammunition count to the Commander. Ren Tianye's army will surely make a comeback soon. Our ammunition dictates whether we can hold Qingfeng Station, and I dare not delay.
Besides, the Commander has always been strict in running the army. If I delay the report, I'm afraid he will have me flogged.
The doting smile on the Postmaster's face did not fade; it grew even more intense as he said, If you go in now, that is when you will be flogged.
Huh?
Listen to me. Wait half an hour before you go in. Otherwise, the Commander will give you at least a hundred strokes.
Huh?
The soldier was dumbfounded.
A hundred strokes? Although military floggings usually weren't meant to kill, if he really took a hundred strokes, he could forget about ever standing up again.
I have partnered with the Commander for many years, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call me his trusted advisor. Would I lie to you?
If I tell you to report in half an hour, then report in half an hour.
Helpless, the soldier dared not refuse.
Alright, fine.
He could only wait outside the tent. The cold wind blew, and the chilling air crept in. As the hot sweat on his body gradually turned freezing cold, he found it unbearable. Seeing the many wounded soldiers sitting in a circle outside, he went over with the intention of huddling together for warmth.
Upon asking, he found out that the Garrison Commander, Wang Haichao, and his wife, Tang Zhiyou, were inside the medical tent being all lovey-dovey, staring deeply into each other's eyes, and passionately kissing.
He was momentarily stunned.
Wait, the Commander kicked you all out just so he and his wife could... do that? And he won't let me report? Is this what a human being does?
Someone immediately replied.
It wasn't the Commander's doing; it was the Postmaster.
This was instantly refuted.
Cut the crap. Is the Commander blind or deaf? It's obvious the Postmaster knew what he wanted and did it, and the Commander tacitly approved.
My body is still aching, yet I was thrown out of the medical camp.
You have it easy. Look at that guy over there. He's unconscious with a high fever. Blasted by this cold wind, it's uncertain if he'll even live to see tomorrow.
The Commander really doesn't treat us like human beings.
He's usually pretty normal. How come he loses his mind the moment he sees his wife?
Hmph, just a moment ago I felt I should pledge my life to the Commander. But he doesn't even treat me like a person. Why should I give him my loyalty?
The more they talked, the more agitated they became.
Gradually, the topic shifted to Ren Tianye.
I heard that in Ren Tianye's army, such things are absolutely forbidden. Whoever dares to bring female family members is violating military law and will be beheaded as a public warning.
Hmph, how can the Lord Duke be like us? For him, military law is supreme. For us, love is supreme. And the worst part is, damn it, it's not even my love that's supreme.
I heard the Lord Duke is never burdened by women? If that's the case, then the foot soldiers serving under him are truly blessed!
More than just blessed, they get full pay!
Envy, jealousy, hatred... why am I not a soldier under the Lord Duke?
Sigh, I'm envious too. I heard the Lord Duke treats his soldiers incredibly well. Ever since he raised his army, he was willing to risk everything to storm Sifang City just for the sake of his soldiers' families.
How about...
Finally, someone whispered a strategic proposal.
Let's surrender to the Lord Duke!
Besides, our fathers-in-law aren't in Yunjing, so we don't have any worries holding us back!
A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples!
The crowd instantly fell silent.
Traces of panic subconsciously surfaced on their faces, but this fear did not last long. Soon, their eyes filled with eager anticipation.
It seems, probably, maybe, perhaps... we could!
Let's do it. Surrendering to the Lord Duke is better than freezing to death as wounded soldiers.
Damn it, I'm surrendering first. If I don't, these two legs of mine won't be mine anymore.
I'm in! I'm in! Whoever the hell doesn't surrender, I'll kill him myself.
Yes, let's surrender!
...
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
On the matter of surrendering, everyone quickly reached a consensus.
Surrender!
We must surrender!
And just as the plan was settled, the Postmaster's voice rang out: Commander, you've come out?
Hearing this, everyone's eyes snapped toward the sound.
They saw Garrison Commander Wang Haichao and his wife Tang Zhiyou standing hand in hand at the entrance of the medical tent. One was handsome, the other beautiful, looking just like a pair of immortal lovers. Unfortunately, serving as their backdrop were these wounded soldiers who had fought half to death for their country, only to be left shivering in the freezing wind.
Mmh! Commander Wang Haichao nodded, then spoke softly to his wife, Tang Zhiyou: My lady, return to your tent first. Your husband must...
I will come find you tonight.
For now, your husband must first deal with the matters at hand.
Tang Zhiyou nodded gracefully, her eyes still filled with bottomless affection. Standing on her tiptoes, she placed a gentle kiss on Wang Haichao's cheek, leaving a red print, before gracefully floating away.
...
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
