Chapter 328 - The Marshals Marriage Partner (1/2)
Ling Zhang’s words were heard by not only Jiang Xi but also some others. He neither downplayed nor dramatized it but just expressed his real opinions about it in a matter-of-fact way. His voice was not as sonorous as that of a serviceman, but he sounded sincere and affable, his eyes bright and sparkling, making every one of his listeners feel an upsurge of affection for him.
Jiang Xi laughed, “Haha… Although you didn’t guess any of the three greatest features, those things also count as characteristics of this city, but speaking of the highest ramparts, the most conscientious soldiers and the most straightforward residents, you should wait until you visit the border city in Shengzhou to draw a conclusion. That place is our headquarters. Some day when you get there, you’ll know what I mean.”
Ling Zhang said, “I look forward to it.”
Jiang Xi burst into laughter.
After he finished laughing, Ling Zhang asked, “So what are the three greatest features that you just mentioned?”
Having no intention to keep him in suspense, Jiang Xi replied, “The strongest liquor, the fiercest winds, and the most henpecked husbands.”
Ling Zhang’s eyes slightly dilated. “I understand what you mean by ‘the strongest liquor’ and ‘the fiercest winds’, but what is ‘the most henpecked husbands’ about?”
Jiang Xi threw a significant glance at Yuwen Tong and then answered with a smile, “That’s because most people living in this city, except for merchants, are kin to troops of the North-western Army. Many servicemen’s family members live here. When soldiers are fighting a war, their wives are worried about them all the time, which is something soldiers always feel guilty about. In addition, whenever the troops return from the battlefield, their wives always prepare the most delicious food for them to eat and the warmest beds for them to sleep in, treating their husbands as the light of their lives. As a result, although in this city men always act like they were the mightiest warriors in the world, at home all of them are the most henpecked husbands, because they don’t have the heart to anger their wives. As for the Marshal… haha… naturally he’d outs.h.i.+ne most of the others in this regard. Childe Ling, you may rest absolutely a.s.sured that the Marshal will be very good to you after you two get married.”
Most of his words sounded reasonable and sensible, but the last remark…
Ling Zhang flushed, casting a sideward glance at Yuwen Tong.
Appearing very composed, Yuwen Tong looked back at him innocently as if saying, “Jiang Xi is telling the truth.”
Ling Zhang, “…”
Seeing the two of them start to exchange amorous glances again, Jiang Xi smugly twisted his head around and grimaced at the others.
“That sounds a pretty sweet feature,” observed Ling Zhang. Anxious to steer the conversation away from this feature, he added, “I’d like to hear more details about the strongest liquor and the fiercest winds.”
Jiang Xi, who had a sense of propriety and didn’t dare go too far, responded, “The strongest liquor is called Raging Flame, which could only be made in Youzhou. It’s available in all these roadside taverns and eateries. If you want to find out how it tastes, you may have the Marshal spare some time to take you here to give it a try. The owner of the tavern or the eatery would definitely entertain you with the best Raging Flame he has. A small bowl of Raging Flame is enough to bring a man with a decent tolerance to alcohol to the ground.
As regards the fiercest winds, what with the special geographical location of this city, in winter there are wild gales from the direction of the Luohai Kingdom, and soldiers on the rampart facing that direction would be blown away if they don’t tie themselves to the battlements with ropes.”
“I see. This is indeed something I’ve never heard of before,” said Ling Zhang, getting somewhat curious.
Having worked himself up, Jiang Xi was just about to continue when Yuwen Tong shot him a disgruntled glance and with that Jiang Xi held back the words that had sprang to the tip of his tongue.
“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. We’ve just won a fight, so the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom won’t be making trouble for us in the next couple of days, which means I can spare some time and show you around the city,” Yuwen Tong said to Ling Zhang gently after he silenced Jiang Xi.
Ling Zhang’s attention was instantly drawn to Yuwen Tong. “Great. So where are the coalition forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom now? Did they retreat?”
“They backed away fifty miles. Currently, our troops are stationed outside the city. Sooner or later there will be a large-scale final battle,” replied Yuwen Tong.
Seeing Ling Zhang’s attention had s.h.i.+fted completely away from him, Jiang Xi, who had just received an admonitory look from the Marshal, knew that if he uttered another word, he would anger the person he couldn’t afford to anger, so he curled his lip, slowed his horse down and lagged behind to progress with his comrade-in-arms.
“Humph. How could the Marshal kick down the ladder like that? Just now it was me who raised Childe Ling’s spirits,” snorted Jiang Xi under his breath.
Someone on the side said, “Don’t be so bitter. Given how wary the Marshal is of other men Childe Ling speaks with, you should feel lucky that he let you talk to Childe Ling for that long.”
Jiang Xi gave a dramatic chuckle and then lowered his voice. “That guy has been a bachelor for ages, and this time he hit a jackpot, so of course he’s wary of other men.”
The one on the side snickered but didn’t dare make any other remarks.
…
The group of them went riding through a long street, took a turn and continued proceeding. It would take quite some time to traverse this large border city to the city gates on the other side.
Ling Zhang curiously asked Yuwen Tong, “How did you come to arrive so soon just now?”
“I did some calculation and figured you’d get here today or tomorrow, so yesterday I stayed in the General’s Office,” explained Yuwen Tong.
Comprehension dawned on Ling Zhang’s face. In the knowledge that he’d been waiting for him for more than a day, Ling Zhang said, “I got a little bit sidetracked during the journey. Am I delaying your handling of any military affairs?”
Yuwen Tong shook his head. “I can deal with important issues in the General’s Office just as well as I can in the encampment. As for small ones, my subordinates will handle them. Currently we are still waiting for the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom to make their move. They’ve lost four battles running and been forced to back away fifty miles. There’s a wide divergence of opinion inside the coalition and they’re engaged in heated arguments. When they’re done arguing, they’ll launch another attack on us.”
Ling Zhang’s brow corrugated in a slight frown. The very mention of the names of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom made him feel uncomfortable.