Chapter 4, Nostalgia (Part 1)

"It is what father owes them, and it should be repaid." The voice remained as warm and calm as ever

Zhao Zhongwen nodded with a smile and said: "It is true, he is quite famous in the Qiang Cavalry Camp. He can locate water sources just by smelling with his nose, which is why the general has brought him over like a precious treasure"

Zhao Zhongwen assisted him, helping him onto the horse's back

The wind whistled past her ears as Ziqing stared intently into the void ahead, continuously urging the horse to go faster and faster. This rapid galloping seemed like a matter from a past life.

A shadow flashed by, and the two regained their senses, looking up to find that Ziqing had galloped ahead on horseback. Zhao Zhongwen observed her steady riding, showing no signs of a novice, and curiously asked, "Has your brother learned to ride at home?"

The blood had long since been drained, with drops seeping into the ground beneath him.

Although Dìsù is younger than him, Yìyě shows no signs of embarrassment and nods in admiration, saying: "You ride really well!"

Zi Qing brought over a water pouch, which was only half-filled with water. She first handed it to Xu Datie, reminding him, "Just moisten your lips, don't drink too much." Xu Datie thought there was too little water to share, so he obediently took a small sip and then handed it back.

Yi Ye pressed the horse's belly, and the horse indeed ambled forward a few steps slowly. He steadied himself, unable to contain his joy, and said: "So riding a horse is this easy"

I can do it

Zhao Zhongwen waved them away, fearing that the child, Di Su, might act recklessly. If he were to poke at Yi Ye's horse's rear, the current Yi Ye would not be able to handle it

Of course, we Qiang people can walk and ride horses, and that is nothing remarkable. Di Su said proudly, "However, learning to ride a horse is quite quick; as long as you are not afraid of falling, it is fine."

Yi Ye accompanied Zhao Zhongwen in hearty laughter. Seeing that he did not pursue the matter further, he finally let out a sigh of relief. When he looked up again, he noticed that Ziqing's figure had become smaller, having already run quite a distance away

As long as you get along well with the horse, it is not difficult at all Zhao Zhongwen said with a smile

Sigh... Zhao Zhongwen did not suspect anything and turned back to Yi Ye, sighing, "More than 1,000 people have already surrendered, yet it still seems to be a dead end."

Zhao Zhongwen sighed, saying: "I have heard that Li Guang deliberately lured the Qiang people into surrendering, and they truly capitulated. Li Guang, without losing a single soldier, managed to eliminate all the rebellious Qiang people."

Yi Ye sat nervously on the horse, glancing down, his heart racing even more: "So high..." Meanwhile, Zi Qing had mounted the horse without him noticing, holding the reins in one hand while gently grooming the horse's mane with the other, making the horse obediently lower its head.

She slowly knelt down and gently leaned against her grandfather

Yi Ye was momentarily stunned, recalling the gentle woman from his hometown: in a few days, she would also be getting married, wouldn't she? ... But who the groom would be, he did not know ... ...

On the other side of the training ground, Huo Chang waved to Zhao Zhongwen, as if to convey something. Zhao Zhongwen hurried over.

Kill the hostage! ? '' Yi Ye exclaimed

Di Su nodded repeatedly: "Indeed, it must be so!"

The two of them are the slowest among the five, and after just two laps, Yi Ye felt as if he could collapse to the ground, his spear growing increasingly heavy, pulling his body down towards the ground.

Yi Ye pondered for a moment: "Could it be that he wants to spare Zhao Laoda's life, so that he can slowly torment him?"

Di Su was extremely thirsty, propping himself up to reach for the water pouch. Zi Qing still reminded him to drink sparingly before handing it over to him. ... While Di Su complained that they should have filled the pouch with more water, he greedily took a couple of sips ... ... Grabbing the water pouch, Yi Ye took a sip himself and then, puzzled, urged him to explain: "What exactly is this hatred of stealing a wife? Hurry and tell me!"

The subordinate Qing, who had already returned at an unknown time, said nothing and simply reached out to take the halberd.

"Do not mess around, do not just focus on playing!" Zhao Zhongwen shouted a reminder from behind

In the distance, the veterans either practiced archery on horseback or trained with halberds, sabers, and spears in fierce combat. The sounds of hooves, neighing, and the clashing of weapons merged into a noisy giant dragon, roaring out from the clouds of dust. This was the first time Yi Ye had seen cavalry training so closely; he had not yet mounted a horse, yet his heart raced uncontrollably, and his hands gripping the reins trembled slightly.

"Di Su is so young, yet he has to train in the army every day, it is truly a hardship for him." Yi Ye continued to let the horse walk slowly and asked, "I have heard that Di Su is good at finding water sources, is that true?"

Behind them, it seemed as if they were being struck heavily by a massive iron hammer. Ziqing lowered her head deeply, her shoulder blades slightly arched, her hands tightly gripping the reins, veins subtly visible, and her knuckles pale.

The wind howled through the vast sky, dragging the clouds along as if tearing cotton apart. In a corner of the camp, Meng Tang was meticulously sharpening the arrowheads on a whetstone, while a strand of white hair had already appeared at his inconspicuous temple.

Yi Ye recalled the cheerful expressions of the two physicians as they departed, as well as the remaining medicinal wine for bruises in the tent, and now he finally understood their intentions

Xu Datie sat on the ground, picking up a twig and scratching it on the earth, muttering to himself. Di Su regarded Xu Datie as a giant cushion, leaning against his back and squinting his eyes to rest. Yi Ye pondered for a while and tentatively asked, "What exactly are we being punished for today? I just can't seem to understand it."

Ha... Ha ha... even Di Su is so tired that her laughter is broken into several segments, "... you are right!"

Yi Ye expressed admiration with a click of the tongue

Yi Ye increasingly puzzled: "Why can't it be mentioned?"

In the afternoon sun, two figures, one large and one small, swayed ahead. Zhao Zhongwen, Yi Ye, and Di Su were somewhat lost in thought. After a moment, they quickened their pace to catch up with the two.

The person has already lost their breath, the hand gripping the long knife is cold, stiff, and no longer possesses the warmth of days gone by

Xu Datie, feeling a bit foolish, started to respond, but was immediately nudged by Disu with an elbow. He scratched an itch and did not continue speaking

Yi Ye was stunned for a long time, and for once, he found himself at a loss for words, truly unsure of what to say.

Zhao Zhongwen turned his head in astonishment and looked at her: "Do you know?"

Such an extraordinary person, Zi Qing had never heard of before, and could not help but secretly admire in his heart

Zi Qing walked slowly to the weapon rack, propped up the halberd, and when he returned, his breathing had already steadied. Seeing that everyone was parched and thirsty, he turned back to fetch water

Qing'er, no!" Yi Ye stumbled as he chased after her, wanting to retrieve the spear, "Don't be stubborn, you will tire yourself out.

Looking in the direction where Ti Su and Xu Datie had departed, Zhao Zhongwen recalled something and reminded them: "By the way, it is best not to mention General Li Guang in front of Ti Su, and even more so not to speak well of him, otherwise this child will go mad, and even Tietie won't be able to stop him"

Di Su chuckled lightly and turned his horse around to leave. Xu Datie grinned, revealing his bright white teeth, and quickly followed Di Su as he ran away

Di Su Wei sighed and lifted her eyelids: "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have mentioned Old Zhao's wife"

Yi Ye dragged his halberd, panting heavily, his steps so slow that it was almost as if he were crawling, yet his mouth was still not idle

Yi Ye raised his eyes to look at Zi Qing and, with a pained smile, said: "I originally thought I would be the one to take care of her, but unexpectedly, in the end, it is she who has to take care of me. As her older brother, I am truly embarrassed."

Zi Qing avoided him and simply said

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment.

Do not come here to cause trouble! Go on, continue practicing!

Upon seeing this, Zhao Zhongwen also turned back in the same manner, taking the halberd from Di Su's hand. The two heavy halberds nearly caused him to tumble, making it impossible for him to run. Di Su noticed that he could hardly lift it and hurriedly tried to take it back, but the halberd was snatched away by another large hand. Looking up, he saw Xu Datie already carrying the halberd and running ahead, while Ziqing followed closely behind, his steps somewhat heavy.

Ziqing lowered her eyes and said in a low, muffled voice: "I... I have heard it mentioned before."

Yi Ye opened his mouth in disbelief: "The hatred of a husband losing his wife!"

Zhao Zhongwen smiled and said, "It is already quite remarkable that you can last for ten laps; the previous physicians were not as capable as you."

Yi Ye imitated her manner, reaching out to groom the mane of the horse. However, his horse did not take kindly to it, shaking its head irritably and snorting loudly, which startled Yi Ye into retracting his hand, making him hesitant to touch it again.

Seeing Yi Ye and the other person moving slowly, Di Su approached with a smile and asked: "Is this your first time riding a horse?"

Go up

... ...

"Your younger brother is truly impeccable!" Zhao Zhongwen, exhausted, leaned against the tree trunk and gave a thumbs up to Yi Ye

Holding a spear ... ... ten circles ... ... being implicated together ... ... speaking without thinking! He, he thinks ... ... he is calling his family's ... ... dog!

Yi Ye selected the horse that appeared to be the most docile among his two horses, while Zi Qing chose the slightly sturdier one. Zhao Zhongwen led them to a secluded area outside the camp, intending to teach the two how to ride.

Yi Ye also did not expect Zi Qing to be able to ride a horse, and could only force a smile: "... ... She has ridden a donkey at home."

The donkey is nothing but skin and bones, and since I am heavy, I have never had the heart to ride it

Why is this?" Yi Ye was puzzled

Yi Ye and Zi Qing couldn't help but smile upon seeing each other, while Zhao Zhongwen let out a helpless sigh. Despite being filled with worry, there was nothing he could do, saying: "The two kids have come together!"

Zhao Zhongwen also mounted the horse and smiled, saying: "There is no need to be afraid, you just need to hold the reins well. Let's take a walk first, and you can gently squeeze its belly with your legs."

Round after round ... ... The flag bearer on the high platform finally waved the signal for ten laps, and Ti Su stopped in his tracks, exhausted to the point of wanting to lie down on the ground. Yi Ye firmly supported him: "You cannot sit down now; you can only rest before sitting down."

Zhao Zhongwen shook his head and sighed: "Years ago, the Qiang people rebelled, and his parents were among them; later, they were all killed by General Li"

The cavalry officer Yue looked at Zhao Laoda with raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes, seemingly wishing to find fault with us every day to impose a punishment. While Di Su took advantage of Yi Ye's moment of distraction to take a sip from the water pouch, he said, "But there is one thing I truly cannot understand. He hates Zhao Laoda to the point of gritting his teeth, as if he wishes for Zhao Laoda to die sooner rather than later, yet he still insists on having Zhao Laoda serve as the flag bearer, avoiding the front lines. What could be the reason for this?"

The sun sets and the moon rises, the moon sets and the sun rises

Ziqing, who was trailing behind, suddenly turned pale upon hearing this. After hesitating several times, he still asked: "Is it about the incident outside Zhi Shui Pass six years ago?"

Zi Qing slowly followed beside Yi Ye, also riding at a leisurely pace.

When she arrived frantically on horseback, what she saw was her father kneeling on the ground, a long blade piercing through his heart and protruding from his back, propping up his body to prevent him from collapsing

No wonder, no wonder. But how do you...

The surrounding noise gradually faded away from her, becoming distant and unfamiliar. It was as if she had returned to that evening six years ago, with the setting sun over the long river and the remnants of the sunset resembling blood.

The cavalry officer has a deep-seated grudge against our Zhao Laoda regarding the matter of seizing a wife. He cannot stand to hear anyone mention it, and I suspect he would be pleased if Zhao Laoda were to die.

I guess, Zi Qing took the water pouch, drank a mouthful, sighed softly and said: "He does not wish for that woman to become a widow, he fears that she will be heartbroken"

Because he did not want to harm Zhao Laoda

But he did not tell her that this matter could only be repaid with one's life

Xu Datie imitated others, also raising his long spear high, performing as if it were a juggling act

Not far away, two horses were galloping towards us, namely Di Su and Xu Da Tie. Di Su held the reins in one hand and a short sword in the other; Xu Da Tie wielded a long spear. Observing the way they rode, it was evident that they were quite skilled.

I see now

Di Su smacked his lips and wiped the water stains at the corners of his mouth with his sleeve before saying: "Yue Qi, the cavalry officer, and our Zhao Laoda are actually from the same hometown, and he has always been quite fond of Zhao Saoniang. Ahem, back then Zhao Saoniang was still a young girl, so we couldn't call her 'Saoniang.' Later, before Yue Qi had the chance to propose, he joined the army, and subsequently, Saoniang married Zhao Laoda."

Without turning her head, Di Su merely lifted the short blade and shook it slightly, indicating that she had heard.