Chapter 32: Chapter 31 You’re not calling someone, you’re beckoning a soul! Chapter 32: Chapter 31 You’re not calling someone, you’re beckoning a soul! Dawn breaks after the night.
This night, the entire Yang Family Village was immersed in sorrow.
Even the atmosphere in Yang Zhenshan’s home was exceptionally solemn.
Although the people of the Yang family were all safe after the battle, many had died or were injured in the village, and everyone’s mood was still very heavy.
A night without words, the next morning came.
Early in the morning, Yang Mingzhi went to relieve Yang Minghui on patrol.
Despite just having been through a battle, the defense duties of Yang Family Village remained as strict as ever, with the necessary vigilance and patrols still essential.
Fortunately, these matters no longer required Yang Zhenshan’s personal attention, as Yang Mingcheng, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Mingwu would discuss and handle these affairs together.
After breakfast, just as Yang Zhenshan was about to visit the injured, Yang Mingzhi hurried back.
“Dad, the general from yesterday wants to see you!”
“Does he have something important?” Yang Zhenshan asked with a furrowed brow.
He had not allowed the border army soldiers into the village last night, only sending them some hot water and food instead.
He was a bit more kind to the border army than to the Hu Clan, but that didn’t mean he was without defense.
Don’t assume that the army of Da Rong are all one’s own people. In fact, many civilians have been killed by the swords of Da Rong’s own army. Some soldiers are more dreadful than bandits and Northern barbarians.
“I don’t know, he’s waiting outside the village!” Yang Mingzhi said.
Yang Zhenshan thought for a moment and then walked toward the back of the village.
When he reached there, he saw Zhou Lan directing a dozen soldiers, moving lots of things.
“Commoner Yang Zhenshan pays his respects to the General!” Yang Zhenshan greeted with a deep bow.
“The brave sir has saved my life, no need for such formalities!” Zhou Lan returned the gesture and said.
Yang Zhenshan raised his head to look at Zhou Lan.
But upon seeing her, he was taken aback.
A woman!
Although they had fought side by side the day before, he really hadn’t noticed that this general was actually a woman.
This couldn’t be blamed on him—for yesterday, Zhou Lan was in such a disheveled state, and with her dusty face, it was impossible to discern her features. Furthermore, her voice was husky, sounding almost like a man’s, which naturally led Yang Zhenshan to believe she was a male.
Seeing Yang Zhenshan’s stunned look, Zhou Lan smiled and said, “The brave sir might not yet know of my standing. I am Zhou Lan, the Guerrilla General of the Left Camp at Chongshan Town!”
Yang Zhenshan was stunned again.
Da Rong’s military system was divided into two types: garrison system and conscription system.
The garrison system meant that from the Capital City to the counties, there were garrisons in place, with external governance by commanders and internal governance by the Five Army Commandery.
The conscription system involved recruiting soldiers and officers with Silver, using strict standards to recruit soldiers, offering them military pay, and exemption from corvée labor taxes.
The border army had both the garrison and conscription systems.
The border defense forts were part of the garrison, meaning that soldiers would farm as well as guard these forts.
The Camps were based on conscription. Chongshan Town had five such Camps: forefront, rear, left, right, and center, with each Camp ranging from three to five thousand men, all elites.
In previous years, the original body had joined the border army through conscription and, with his Martial Artist cultivation, became a small soldier in the forefront Camp at Chongshan Town.
Therefore, Yang Zhenshan was quite familiar with the Camps in Chongshan Town.
The woman before him was actually the Guerrilla General of the Left Camp!
Such a position is typically held by a Deputy Commander, meaning she was indeed a Standard Third Rank Military Officer.
Standard Third Rank!
A glint of surprise flashed through Yang Zhenshan’s eyes.
This did not conform with the rules of the Camp!
The Camp employed the conscription system, which had always favored the strong.
Simply put, holding an important position required corresponding cultivation and strength.
A Guerrilla General was the main commander of a camp, and according to the memories of his predecessor, one should at least have cultivation at the Postnatal Fifth Layer or higher.
Yet the woman before him seemed only to have the cultivation of the Postnatal Second or Third Layer.
Yang Zhenshan could only think of two reasons for this situation: either the current Camps were different from twenty years back, or this woman’s identity and background were exceptional, allowing her to break some of the rules of the border army.
Perhaps for both reasons.
But none of this matters to Yang Zhenshan.
Yang Zhenshan just gave it a thought, then bent down again and paid his respects, “Greetings to General Zhou!”
“You saved my life; there’s no need for formalities. If you don’t mind, you may call me by my first name, Brother Yang!” Zhou Lan said.
This address of “Brother Yang” from Zhou Lan made Yang Zhenshan shiver involuntarily.
What does that mean?
Why is she calling me big brother?
Even though he had helped Zhou Lan a lot, it wasn’t enough to warrant such intimacy.
This is a feudal society after all, where men and women are kept strictly apart like fetters, locking away everyone. Not to mention calling someone brother, even speaking to a stranger of the opposite sex requires extreme caution.
It’s that way even in the village, not to mention within the noble clans with their rigid and infuriating rules.
As for women joining the military, that’s not unheard of.
With the prevalence of martial arts, the military needs powerful fighters, and there are many female martial arts masters. So inevitably, there are some remarkable women in the army.
These women might have more flexibility regarding rigid norms, but certain rules still have to be followed.
Calling someone big brother right off the bat does disregard the rules to some extent.
However, Yang Zhenshan’s shiver wasn’t because Zhou Lan broke the rules; as a person from another time, he didn’t care about all that messy propriety.
The reason he shivered was that Zhou Lan’s address of “big brother” was too gentle.
Yes, gentle.
The voice seemed to pierce straight into Yang Zhenshan’s heart like a hook.
Just yesterday, this woman’s voice was as unpleasant as tearing cloth, but today this “big brother” made Yang Zhenshan’s heart go numb.
Damn it!
Is this woman sick?
It’s not that he found her voice pleasing, but it made him feel uncomfortable, giving him the chills.
At the mention of “big brother,” Yang Zhenshan involuntarily stepped back and looked at Zhou Lan with eyes full of surprise and doubt.
Only then did he notice that Zhou Lan seemed to be quite attractive—oval-faced, with big eyes, double eyelids, and delicate features, although her skin was a bit rough.
She was probably around thirty years old. As for her figure, well, it was hard to tell. She was wrapped up tightly in a cotton armor, so it was difficult to discern any details.
Ahem!
Isn’t my gaze a bit off?
Yang Zhenshan quickly averted his gaze and looked at Zhou Lan with an awkward smile, “General Zhou, you should just call me by my name!”
Calling him big brother was more than he could bear.
The goosebumps had not subsided yet.
Zhou Lan seemed to realize she had been a bit too melodious with her “big brother,” and a touch of blush crept onto her face.
“Brother Zhengshan!”
Feeling embarrassed, she deliberately deepened her voice and called out again.
“Uh uh, this is much more comfortable!” Yang Zhenshan wiped the sweat from his forehead.
So awkward!
He’s not someone who hasn’t seen a woman before.
But that “big brother” of yours, I truly can’t handle it.
You’re not calling out to someone; you’re seducing a soul!
Zhou Lan’s face turned even redder.
“Ahem.” She coughed lightly, trying to relieve the awkwardness inside, and then pointed to the large pile of items behind her, “These are the spoils of war; the merits go to us, the loot goes to you!”
Oh my, that’s too fake, making a fool of myself!
It’s all because of that idiot, insisting that I act demure, saying that being gentle could make people feel closer.
I’ve already said it, I’m not a demure person!
While pointing at the spoils of war on the slope, Zhou Lan mentally criticized.
Yang Zhenshan was unaware of her inner rant and looked up toward the slope. He saw the soldiers, like ants moving house, carrying over a large pile of items.
There were leather armors, cotton clothes, weapons, bows and arrows, and even a dozen dead horses, all sorts of things forming a huge pile.