Chapter 333 - The Enemy Took the Bait, but the Marshal Was Still Jealous All Day (2/2)

At this moment. In the encampment of the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom.

“Shao Feng took the bait as expected. He faked his reconciliation with Yuwen Tong, waiting for an opportunity to deal Yuwen Tong a blow. We may start to execute our plan now,” said Dong Gao.

Shan Congwen thought about it for a moment and then asked, “Are you sure Shao Feng is not playing any tricks?”

Dong Gao answered, “You were the one who came up with this plan in the first place, King Ming’en. Although it took some doing and we lost quite some men, things are going exactly in the direction we want them to. What doubts do you still have in these circ.u.mstances? We’re so close to reaping the rewards. You’re not getting cold feet, are you, Your Highness?”

Shan Congwen said, “I’m not. It’s just we can never be too cautious about Yuwen Tong, given how cunning he is.”

Dong Gao chuckled contemptuously, “No matter how resourceful Yuwen Tong is, he cannot keep everything under his complete control, not without the a.s.sistance of loyal subordinates. Surely he’s not some three-headed, six-armed demon capable of bewitching people?”

Shan Congwen felt a little piqued by the dismissive sneer on Dong Gao’s face. He was fully aware of how many defeats Yuwen Tong had inflicted on the Wan Kingdom over the years. The Luohai Kingdom, however, had been standing by all along. Dong Gao, as the general-in-chief of the Luohai Kingdom, had never fought Yuwen Tong’s army on the battlefield before, which was why he was so proud. By taunting Yuwen Tong, Shan Congwen believed, Dong Gao was actually taunting the Wan Kingdom, and taunting him about his overcautious behavior as well.

“Okay, then. Please give the order for the final plan to be carried out, General Dong,” said Shan Congwen.

Dong Gao chuckled, “That’s the spirit! Guards!”

…

The allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom were on the move. There was frequent deployment of large groups of troops, not small detachments like the ones they’d sent the last few times.

Tension was rapidly reaching flashpoint, and even Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowu in the headquarters inside the city were feeling it. Soldiers were being drafted out of the city, along with a lot of physicians, leaving those who stayed really short-handed. Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowu had to bustle around in the infirmary all day along to share the burden of army physicians.

Even Qiu Bing had been summoned to help. He was not an army physician. It was under the ident.i.ty of Ling Zhang’s bodyguard that he was offering a.s.sistance. The relations between Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had long since reached a lot of people’s ears. During the past few days, he had been fully occupied in the infirmary from dawn until dark and barely had any time to rest, and many soldiers had seen it. If previously it had been because of Yuwen Tong that they liked Ling Zhang, now their liking for Ling Zhang was based on their acknowledgement of his character and their recognition for his deeds.

Of course, not surprisingly at all, Ling Zhang caught a group of young paramedics’ fancy in this place as well. They all liked to stay around Ling Zhang and talk with him.

It saddened Ling Zhang that they had to come to a war zone at such young ages, though they were staying in the rear where it was relatively safe. As a result, he was very patient with them. No matter which one of them came to ask him about something, as long as he had some acquaintance with it, he’d always answer the questions. He helped them sort medicinal herbs, too, which made the teenagers like following him even more.

Before the battle, Yuwen Tong paid a visit to the infirmary, and his face fell drastically at the sight of the scene, instantly scaring those teenagers off, leaving Ling Zhang looking at him walking over with a mixture of surprise and delight in his eyes.

“Do these brats have too little to do? Everybody else is working flat out, but they have the leisure to idle around you. I think they are getting a little slack and need disciplining,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang paused briefly. “What are you talking about? They were sorting medicinal herbs and filling prescriptions with me, not slacking.”

Yuwen Tong stepped closer. “But it’s unnecessary for all of them to cl.u.s.ter around you. Surely there are things to be done elsewhere?”

Ling Zhang was thrown into perplexity at the sight of his sulky face. He stopped what he was doing and looked at him apprehensively. “Did something happen? You don’t look very well.”

Yuwen Tong, “…”

He opened his arms.

Ling Zhang blinked his eyes. His immediate reaction was to look around him. There was n.o.body else nearby, and those in the distance were occupied with their own business and probably wouldn’t look in this direction. Seeing this, he also opened his arms and hugged Yuwen Tong. Then he persisted, “Did something really happen?”

“No.” Having Ling Zhang in his embrace, Yuwen Tong was no longer unhappy. He said, “I wouldn’t have come here if something did happen.”

Ling Zhang felt that these words made sense, but why had Yuwen Tong appeared sullen just now? And why had he acted grumpily?

“The very sight of those brats around you made me unhappy,” said Yuwen Tong.

Light dawned on Ling Zhang and he pulled a wry face. “What are you talking about? They’re just kids, and we were all incredibly busy. What are you thinking?”

After saying this, he tried to free himself from Yuwen Tong’s embrace, but Yuwen Tong didn’t let him. “Let me hug you a little while longer. Soon there will be another battle and I won’t be able to come here until it’s over. I want you and your father to stay here. Only by knowing that you’re safe can I have piece of mind. Both my heart and my life are in your hands, so on no account are you to be taking any risks.”

Ling Zhang quietly stopped struggling, willingly let Yuwen Tong cuddle him. He took a deep breath and said, “Likewise. If you don’t want to see me charge onto the battlefield, you must stay safe. I don’t dare imagine what I would do if anything happens to you. I think I’ll go crazy.”

He put his arms around Yuwen Tong’s back tight, his voice trailing away to a whisper as he made the last remark.

Yuwen Tong twisted his head aside and planted a kiss on Ling Zhang’s neck. “I promise I’ll keep myself safe. For your sake alone I’ll win this fight and come back unharmed.”

“Um,” said Ling Zhang. After a long silent hug, the two of them reluctantly released each other. Yuwen Tong had specially carved out some time for this visit and had to return to the encampment. He had been telling the truth when saying that he wouldn’t be able to find the time to come downtown again until the war was over.

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