Chapter 249: Bringing the Zhenbei Army Home

Wei Xikang looked around; the remaining Zhenbei Army was still substantial, roughly over ten thousand soldiers.

That meant that, relying on Lin City's defenses and street fighting last night, they had at least lost over ten thousand soldiers.

In contrast, the Xiongnu had lost at most a few thousand, most of whom were killed by the Ming Army.

Seeing the military flags in the Ming Army's ranks rustling, Wei Xikang's expression was very complex; after a while he shifted his posture and said to the Vice General, "First go help Yangguangzhai… clean up the battlefield!"

"Understood!"

The Vice General replied, waving toward the Zhenbei Army behind him: "Brothers, clean the battlefield; once it's cleared, cook a meal!"

Wei Xikang leaned against the city wall, lost in thought, and remained motionless for a long time.

The Zhenbei Army and the Ming Army, like two clearly separated streams, jointly cleared the wreckage left by the Xiongnu, carried comrades' or enemies' corpses, repaired damaged fortifications, yet there was almost no communication between them.

They were all Beijiang civilians; perhaps they could still spot one or two familiar faces in the opposing ranks, but their gazes deliberately averted, and the flags behind them had already drawn a clear line.

By noon, the high hanging sun finally brought a hint of warmth, and Lin City had just finished clearing the battlefield.

The Zhenbei Army tacitly took the western side, leaving the east for the Ming Army to set up camp.

Huang Yan entered Lin City carrying provisions; on the way he had already linked up with the main Ming Army force, but Jiang Jinshi had told him to finish the battle before bringing food into the city, so he arrived a bit late.

Everyone was hauling food; feeding tens of thousands wasn't a joke, they had to cook the meals quickly.

In the Zhenbei Army's camp on the western side of the city, the atmosphere was very gloomy.

Several large pots clanged, the water inside boiled and churned, yet only sparse grains of rice could be seen.

The soldiers held bowls, queued to ladle the thin porridge, no one spoke, only suppressed coughs and the belly's uncooperative gurgle.

Soon everyone smelled a whiff of fragrance, inhaled deeply twice, and asked puzzled, "Are we starving to the point of delirium? Where's that meat aroma coming from?"

"I smelled it too, seems to be from the Ming… across the way!" a veteran, unable to hold back, wiped the drool from his mouth corner.

"The scent of oil fills the whole city; must be a lot of meat!"

The troops, smelling the meat aroma and glancing at their thin porridge, seemed less hungry, as it was hard to swallow.

Wei Xikang sat at the camp tent entrance, his gaze still blunt, his thoughts seeming to have tunneled into a dead‑end.

The Vice General, holding a bowl, looked somewhat sallow; he knew Yangguangzhai's meals were excellent, but could he consider their feelings?

He looked at the gaunt brothers, and the words "hold on a bit longer" could not be uttered, because he himself had silently swallowed saliva several times.

At that moment, a commotion arose at the camp entrance!

"Ming Army! The Ming Army is coming!" the sentry shouted anxiously.

The exhausted Zhenbei soldiers instantly tensed, instinctively grabbing the weapons at their sides.

The Vice General set down his bowl and shouted to the Zhenbei Army, "It's fine! Everyone eat!"

Because he saw that the leading figure was Jiang Ze, followed by a Ming Army detachment, hauling several heavily loaded carts, marching straight toward the camp gate.

Jiang Ze was not in full armor, not even bearing a weapon; at a glance he was clearly not there to cause trouble.

Jiang Ze stopped before the camp gate, raised his hand to halt his subordinates, and stepped forward alone.

He clasped his fists toward the Vice General and said, "General, we meet again!"

The Vice General stepped forward, his voice a bit hoarse: "Brother Jiang, what advice do you have?"

"My elder brother told me to bring you some food!" Jiang Ze pointed to the wagons behind him: "My brother said we cannot let the warriors who drove away the wolves starve at home!"

He said this to the Vice General, but his voice was loud enough for the surrounding Zhenbei Army to hear.

A suppressed inhaling sound rose among the Zhenbei ranks, countless gazes instantly fixed on the heavy sacks of grain and meat baskets, filled with incredulous longing.

A muscle twitched on the Vice General's cheek; dignity made him want to refuse, but reality choked his throat—he knew his brothers hadn't had a full meal in a long time.

He said with difficulty, "Brother Jiang, this… is against protocol… our camps differ; accepting this generous gift, we would feel ashamed…"

"Rules? Who set the rules?" Jiang Ze's voice rose: "I only know that without this armor, we are all Beijiang civilians, born of mothers and raised by fathers; what rules are there for eating?"

Without waiting for a reply, Jiang Ze turned to the Ming Army behind him and said, "Unload the carts! First get the fire going, so the brothers can have a hot meal!"

The Ming Army behind him answered with a shout and immediately began unloading.

A few young Ming soldiers lifted a sack of corn and headed toward the Zhenbei Army's pots simmering thin porridge.

The Zhenbei soldiers froze in place, bewildered, staring at the Vice General, with some glances also on Crown Prince His Highness.

The Vice General moved his lips, then let out a heavy sigh, waved his hand and said, "What are you still standing around for? Help out!"

With that order given, the Zhenbei soldiers actively surged forward to help.

The Ming Army wore a beaming smile: "No need, no need, we'll finish unloading in a moment!"

"Brother, where should this sack go?"

"Here, there's an empty pot here."

"Be careful, this meat is a bit heavy."

The stiff atmosphere was completely shattered at that moment as Jiang Ze strode to the Vice General's side and extended his hand: "Old brother, after all this time I still don't know how to address you, General?"

The Vice General rubbed his hands before shaking Jiang Ze's hand: "Zhenbei Army Vice General, Han Xiao!"

"Brother Han! Don't be awkward; this is Beijiang, we both know how long it's been since the Imperial Court's provisions arrived. Let the warriors protecting Beijiang eat their fill; it's not about camps, only about our hearts."

Jiang Ze's gaze swept over the soldiers unloading and stoking the fire, a hint of emotion in his eyes.

Han Xiao wasn't unaware of the reasoning, just overly rigid; he clasped fists toward Jiang Ze and said, "Brother Jiang… great kindness needs no thanks! I, Han Xiao, will remember this favor!"

Jiang Ze tossed his hand casually: "When you're free, just treat me to a drink!"

Whether Ming Army or Zhenbei Army, they were all Beijiang civilians; now the barrier was gone, and the two sides interacted naturally and pleasantly.

They hauled identical grain sacks, gathered around the same pots, discussing their shared hometown, similar experiences, and a common hatred of the Xiongnu.

The Zhenbei Army watched the water in the big pot boil again; this time, golden corn was added, and large chunks of salty, fragrant jerky were tossed in.

The rich aroma gradually dispelled the original despair, letting the dimmed light in the Zhenbei soldiers' eyes shine again.

"Oh! Right!" Jiang Ze remembered something, solemnly approached a cart, took a brocade box, and, cupping it with both hands, presented it before Han Xiao.

"This… what is this…" Han Xiao vaguely guessed what was inside the brocade box.

Jiang Ze nods respectfully: "This is the Prince's head, which our scouts have brought back; we have not yet found the Prince's corpse!"

"Take the Prince home! My condolences…"