Chapter 589

The terms include Tang Boxi, Li Jiangjun (the name Li Jiangjun), Hu Xiaotian, and Sir; the word General might also be considered a separate term, although it is already part of Li Jiangjun's name, but if it appears elsewhere we could list General as a term; in line 1, Li Jiangjun is the name, which we already have, and Sir also appears.

The terms include Hu Xiaotian, Sir appearing again, and two generals which translates to General; also Dakang, Da Yong; the word Princess appears, as in princess marriage; although the glossary lists Princess Dowager as Princess, we can still treat Princess as a title; also the phrase land of rites is generic and not needed.

The terms include Li Chenzhou, Tang Boxi again, the generic term soldier, possibly Dakang envoy though not needed, Da Yong again, Princess Anping from the glossary, and Dakang soldier also not needed.

Li Chenzhou had already completely calmed down; killing people was pointless, even if he slaughtered every member of the Dakang envoy, his brother would not be resurrected. Moreover, Princess Anping was unharmed, this marriage alliance could still proceed, so he had no reason to continue killing. This cannot be let go; he must uncover the true murderer, avenge his brother whom he never had a chance to recognize, and thus console his brother's spirit in heaven.

The terms include Hu Xiaotian, Sir, and Your Majesty, which we can translate as His Majesty as a title, even though it is not in the glossary; it refers to the emperor. Also included are Yongdu, Princess from the glossary, and the generic term holy grace.

Li Chenzhou nodded. Although he could not be entirely sure Hu Xiaotian's words were wholly sincere, they still moved him somewhat. Li Chenzhou said, "Sir Hu, your loyal service to the nation truly earns my admiration; I raise a bowl to you." He picked up the wine bowl before him.

Hu Xiaotian also raised his wine bowl. He spoke softly: "General Li, no matter what happened before, what's past is past; I will certainly not slander General Li. I hope General Li can help us escort the princess safely to Yongdu."

The terms include Hu Xiaotian and, from line 8, Li Chenzhou and the term soldier, which is not needed.

Li Chenzhou snorted coldly in his heart. If it weren't for Princess Anping's timely appearance, even if I killed a few more of you, I could not quell my hatred. Do you think I fear you spreading this abroad? That eunuch actually dares to think he has the qualifications to negotiate with me, and how could Dakang's national strength be compared to that of today's Da Yong? Although Li Chenzhou likewise looked down on Dakang in his heart, he showed nothing on the surface, speaking softly: "Sir Hu, rest assured. The princess marrying into Da Yong will become the future consort of Da Yong's crown prince; her safety is something we will certainly strive to ensure." Li Chenzhou lifted the bowl of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Hu Xiaotian also drained that bowl of wine, inwardly sighing that Li Chenzhou had just claimed he couldn't hold his liquor, yet after finishing this bowl his expression didn't change—this man is not straightforward. He didn't want to linger, and bade farewell to Li Chenzhou: "Today too many things have happened, General Li; please allow me to take my leave first."

Li Chenzhou said, "Sir Hu, get some rest early; I will have people make proper arrangements, and please tell the princess not to worry—everything will work out."

The terms include Hu Xiaotian, Da Yong again, possibly Dakang though not mentioned, and the term physician, which is a profession rather than a named entity; we may consider including it as a title, although it is not in the glossary.

The terms include Wu Jingshan, Hu Xiaotian, and Princess possibly referenced in the phrase 'recognize Zijun as the princess'; the term Zijun may be a name or nickname for the princess, which we could romanize as Zijuan, though its exact status is uncertain.

The terms include Wu Jingshan, Hu Xiaotian, the place name Nanyang Water Stronghold, Yong troops though not needed, Li Chenzhou, Princess Anping, and the Dakang envoy which is not needed.

Wu Jing Shan pulled Hu Xiaotian to the side of the tent and whispered, "Sir Hu, there aren't many tents; tonight we'll have to make do and share one."

Hu Xiaotian knew the invitation to share lodging was a pretext; he really just wanted to ask about the situation. There was nothing to explain to this old fellow, and letting him worry a bit was fine. He whispered, "Sir Wu, you'd better go rest early; you're old and shouldn't stay up late—I still have matters to attend to tonight."

Wu Jing Shan couldn't possibly sleep peacefully; he gave a bitter smile and asked, "What did they say?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Sir, there's no need to worry excessively; I'll take care of everything. As long as the princess is safe, we'll get through this."

Wu Jing Shan nodded and leaned close to Hu Xiaotian's ear, whispering, "But among these surviving warriors, many are his close confidants." He did not mention Wen Boyuan's name; Hu Xiaotian understood his meaning: "No one would complain about having too long a life."

The terms include Hu Xiaotian, Zhou Mo, and Wen Boyuan from line 20, who are described as former close aides; also possibly the generic term warrior which is not needed.

The term is Hu Xiaotian.

In the distance came Xiong Anmin's coughing; he and Xiong Tianba were also helping on the scene. Upon hearing that Hu Xiaotian had arrived, they came over to meet him, bringing more than fifty of their followers aboard to assist Hu Xiaotian. Including the father and son, only four managed to escape by luck; the rest are completely missing.

Hu Xiaotian felt somewhat guilty toward the father and son; if it weren't for his spur-of-the-moment decision to have them see off the party, they wouldn't have been dragged into this calamity.

Xiong Anmin said, "Sir Hu, we have found the bodies of seventeen of our men."

Xiong Tianba said, full of grief and indignation, "If I find out who did this, I will certainly not spare them."

Hu Xiaotian apologetically said, "It's my fault that I've implicated Sir Xiong."

Xiong Tianba said, "Sir Hu, please don't say that; protecting the princess was originally our duty. No one wants this to happen. In my view, those who escaped are not only us; speaking of nothing else, the soldiers who boarded the ship with us were mostly youths who grew up by the river, excellent swimmers—crossing the Yong River would be no problem for them, so how could they easily drown?"

Xiong Tianba added, "Yes, most of the seventeen brothers who died were crushed by stones, some were slain by swords, and few drowned."

Xiong Anmin said, "Leaves return to their roots; these fallen soldiers are all Dakang natives. Leaves return to their roots—I hope Sir Hu can discuss with them the possibility of sending their bodies back to Dakang."

The terms include Hu Xiaotian, Wuxing Commandery, Qinglong Bay, and the generic term rebels.

Xiong Anmin sighed, his voice grim: "Separated by a single river, they must now lie forever in a foreign land."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Try to identify their identities as much as possible, so we can later inform their families."

Zhou Mo said, "Although they did not die on the battlefield, they are still Dakang's righteous warriors."

The term is Hu Xiaotian.

The terms include Liu Yuncai and Tang Boxi.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I can't sleep; losing so many brothers weighs heavily on my heart."

Liu Yuncai said, "A total of 467 bodies have been found; since it's late, salvage can only continue tomorrow morning, but there likely won't be any more survivors."

Hu Xiaotian felt grim in his heart: "One general's success is built on ten thousand bones; though I can't remember most of these warriors' names, they have all become cold corpses. Ji Feihua, in order to eliminate Wen Boyuan and Princess Anping, did not hesitate to sacrifice so many young lives—this person is truly cold-blooded and ruthless. In fact, if I weren't fortunate, I too could have ended up among these corpses. Having been born in troubled times, one must adapt to the world's rules."

Hu Xiaotian said to General Liu, "General Liu, how do you intend to dispose of these bodies?"

Liu Yuncai said, "Just cremate them on the spot."

Xiong Anmin, hearing this, couldn't help but feel anxious: "Could you give us a plot of land so they may be buried in peace?"

Liu Yuncai said coldly, "This is Da Yong; Da Yong's land will not be given away for free to outsiders."

Xiong Tianba snapped, "What's the big deal? This land used to belong to our Dakang."

The terms include Liu Yuncai and Xiong Tianba.

Xiong Tianba was about to repeat himself when Zhou Mo snapped, "Nonsense—you have no say here. Get lost."

Although Xiong Tianba feared neither heaven nor earth, he held great respect for this newly acknowledged master; he muttered under his breath but nevertheless walked over to a distant spot.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "General Liu, why bother arguing with a child?"

Liu Yuncai said with a sarcastic tone, "What the kid says might not be anything other than what an adult taught him."

Hu Xiaotian said: "General Liu, could you provide us with a ship for us to escort these corpses back to Dakang?"

Liu Yincai shook his head and said: "My general has said before, after you identify these corpses, they will be immediately cremated on the spot; no ship will be sent to take them back." Before leaving, he added: "What our general has decided will not be changed; Hu Sir, you need not waste your breath any further." (To be continued~^~)