Chapter 20: The Wind of Shedding Armor

The march across the Grassland is still continuing.

After another five days of travel, the distance to Kaiping City is only three hundred li.

At noon that day, the army set up camp and rested in a lush water‑grass meadow.

Shiniu was washing his horse by the river when Wang Gui hurried over and said, "You fool! General Chang is looking for you!"

Shiniu tied the horse and followed Wang Gui toward the Central Command Tent.

On the way, Wang Gui whispered, "I heard the court may summon General Chang back to the capital for a report; you're a Vanguard Officer, so you might have to go as well."

"Back to the capital?"

Shiniu didn't quite understand.

"Yingtian Prefecture! Imperial City! If you go, you might even see His Majesty! When the honors are bestowed, you'll truly be a marquis!"

Wang Gui said excitedly.

Shiniu had no notion of a marquis, but having heard of the Imperial City, he asked curiously, "Imperial City… is it big?"

"Huge! Ten times bigger than Helin City! The palace has countless rooms; the Imperial Kitchen's meals… they say a single banquet can feature hundreds of dishes, and His Majesty's chopsticks are all solid gold!" Wang Gui gestured as he spoke.

Shiniu's eyes lit up: "So… will it fill us up?"

Wang Gui: "…"

The two walked to the outside of the Central Command Tent and heard General Chang's booming laughter from inside.

Pulling back the curtain, they entered to find Chang Yuchun drinking with Lan Yu and several other commanders.

Seeing Shiniu come in, Chang Yuchun waved him over, "Shiniu, come, have a bowl with me!"

Shiniu walked over, took the bowl, and drained it in one gulp.

The wine was fierce, so hot it made him frown.

Chang Yuchun laughed loudly, "Good! Refreshing!"

He patted the seat beside him and said, "Sit."

Shiniu sat down.

Chang Yuchun looked at him, admiration in his eyes, "Shiniu, in this Northern Expedition you earned the first merit; I've already drafted a Memorandum of merit. Once we return to Kaiping, I'll send it to Yingtian; His Majesty will see it and surely grant you great rewards."

Shiniu scratched his head and said, "General, I don't need a reward, just enough food will do."

The commanders burst into laughter.

Lan Yu laughed scoldingly, "You fool, you only think about eating! Don't worry, the reward His Majesty gives you will feed you a lifetime!"

Chang Yuchun also laughed, then turned serious, "But there's a saying I must remind you of: Yingtian Prefecture isn't like the army camp; it has many rules and people's hearts are complicated."

"When you go, speak little, observe more; if someone questions you, say you don't know; if anyone causes trouble… come to me."

Shiniu nodded, "Mm, I'll heed the General."

After a few more bowls of wine, Chang Yuchun's face flushed, and he stood up to stretch, saying, "We've been sitting too long, it's uncomfortable; Shiniu, accompany me for a horse ride!"

The two stepped out of the camp tent, and Imperial Troops led the horses forward.

Chang Yuchun swung onto his mount, tightened his grip on the horse's belly, the warhorse let out a long neigh and charged out.

Shiniu hurried onto his horse and followed.

The two riders, one ahead and one behind, galloped across the Grassland.

Autumn wind brushed the face, and the scent of grass filled the nose.

Chang Yuchun rode swiftly, as if to vent the frustration of the past days.

He was a fierce commander who usually led charges, but in this Northern Expedition he mostly stayed at the Central Command, his hands itching for action.

After ten li, Chang Yuchun reined his horse, gazing at where Heaven and Earth met on the horizon, and suddenly asked, "Shiniu, do you know what my greatest wish is?"

Shiniu shook his head.

"I want to see Great Ming's flag planted in every corner of this Grassland. The Yuan People have oppressed the Han People for a hundred years; that ledger must be settled, but unfortunately… this time the Yuan Emperor escaped."

Chang Yuchun's voice lowered as he said.

Shiniu didn't understand, but he sensed the regret in Chang Yuchun's tone and said naively, "General, next time I'll go catch him."

Chang Yuchun was startled, then laughed, "Good! Next time I'll go catch him with you!"

The two rode a while longer and returned to the Military Camp.

At dusk, the army broke camp and continued marching.

Riding his horse, Chang Yuchun felt his head a little dizzy and his body chilled.

He thought it was just the wine and the wind, and paid it no mind.

After another twenty li, the sky grew darker.

Chang Yuchun felt increasingly unwell, his vision blurred, and his hand on the reins trembled.

"General?" the nearby Imperial Troops noticed something amiss.

Chang Yuchun opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Then his body tilted, and he fell off the horse.

"General!"

"General Chang has fallen from his horse!"

The cries of alarm rang through the ranks.

The army halted.

Lan Yu rushed over, lifted Chang Yuchun, and saw his face pallid, his body scorching, already unconscious.

"Military doctor! Send a medical officer quickly!"

The military doctor hurried over, took his pulse, flipped his eyelids, and his complexion grew ever worse.

"How is he?" Lan Yu asked anxiously.

The army doctor said trembling, "Xie Jia Feng… and it's extremely aggressive. The general was exhausted from earlier battles, today he drank Wine and rode a horse, wind‑cold entered his body, evil heat attacked his heart… I'm afraid… I'm afraid it is…".

"What are you afraid of!" Lan Yu grabbed the army doctor's collar and shouted.

The army doctor lowered his head and said, "I'm afraid… there's no cure."

The surrounding commanders were struck as if by lightning.

Lan Yu, eyes reddened, shouted, "Bullshit! General Chang has fought a hundred battles, how could this be… Treat him quickly; if my brother‑in‑law doesn't get better, I'll kill you right now…"

"General Lan, it's true… this symptom, I've seen too many, it comes so violently… none have survived." The army doctor was about to cry.

The troops fell into dead silence.

Shortly after.

Several swift horses burst from the formation, galloping toward the Vanguard direction.

Shiniu was leading the Vanguard unit forward.

Suddenly he heard urgent hoofbeats behind, turned, and saw two messengers charging like madmen.

"Shiniu, Vanguard! General Chang… General Chang fell from his horse and is unconscious, the army doctor said there's no cure, General Lan orders you to return quickly!"

Shiniu was stunned.

"General Chang… no cure?"

In his mind flashed images of Chang Yuchun patting his shoulder, giving him baked flatbread, teaching him military strategy.

And also earlier on the Grassland, General Chang said, "Next time I'll go with you to capture the Yuan Emperor."

Shiniu abruptly turned his horse.

"Wang Ge! You all keep moving forward, I'll go back for a moment!"

"Han Zi, what are you doing?" Wang Gui asked urgently.

Shiniu gave no reply, squeezed the horse's belly, and the date‑red horse shot out like an arrow, racing back along the path.

The wind brushed his face like a knife.

In Shiniu's mind there was only one thought.

General Chang cannot die…

He suddenly recalled that on his birthday last year, besides receiving a hammer and the Hammer Technique, he also got a small bottle.

He didn't know what was inside the bottle at the time, but felt it was important, kept it; though invisible, he could retrieve it whenever he thought of it.

Now, he remembered.

The bottle contained ten white pills, fragrant with a light scent.

At the time, a voice in his head said,

"For saving lives."

Shiniu hadn't understood what "for saving lives" meant before, but now he did.

The horse's speed reached its limit, the Grassland whistled past his ears as it receded.

Ten li away, it arrived in the blink of an eye.

At the Central Camp, the commanders formed a circle, each with a pallid complexion.

Lan Yu held Chang Yuchun, her hand trembling.

"Step aside!" Shiniu leapt from his horse and rushed into the crowd.

Lan Yu looked up, eyes reddened: "Shiniu, you…"

Shiniu ignored him, crouched, and looked at the unconscious Chang Yuchun.

Chang Yuchun's complexion was ashen, his breathing weak, his whole body scorching hot.

Shiniu closed his eyes, thinking of that bottle.

In the next moment, a small white jade bottle appeared in his hand.

He pulled the stopper, poured out a white pill, without hesitation pinched open Chang Yuchun's mouth and stuffed it in.

The pill dissolved instantly upon entering.

Everyone watched.

Time passed bit by bit.

Chang Yuchun's complexion, from ashen, gradually regained a hint of color.

His breathing, from weak, slowly became steady.

Then he coughed once, and his eyes slowly opened.

"The… General is awake!" the army doctor shouted hoarsely.

Lan Yu widened her eyes, looking at the jade bottle in Shiniu's hand, and said, "Shiniu, this… this is…"

Shiniu shoved the bottle back into his chest and said naively, "It was given by an immortal, said it can save lives."

Chang Yuchun weakly spoke, his hoarse voice saying, "…Han Zi?"

Shiniu grinned and said, "General, you're awake."

Chang Yuchun looked at him, then at the surrounding people, apparently understanding what had happened.

He struggled to sit up, and Lan Yu quickly supported him.

"This general… what's wrong?"

"Brother‑in‑law, you contracted Xie Jia Feng, fell from the horse; the army doctor said… said there's no cure. It was Shiniu; Shiniu took the immortal medicine and rescued you," Lan Yu said, her voice trembling.

Chang Yuchun looked at Shiniu, his eyes complex.

Shiniu scratched his head and said, "General, you still owe me a roast whole lamb, you can't die."

Chang Yuchun was stunned, then burst into laughter, laughing until he coughed, and after coughing laughed again.

"Good… good! This general owes you a roast whole lamb! No, ten of them! Enough to fill you up!"

The generals watched the scene, and someone quietly wiped away tears.

Lan Yu gave Shiniu a firm pat on the shoulder and said, "Shiniu, from now on you are my brother. If you need anything, just speak up."

Shiniu nodded, "Hmm."

The army doctor then asked cautiously, "General, how do you feel now…?"

Chang Yuchun felt himself and exclaimed in surprise, "I feel much lighter, just a bit weak."

He looked at Shiniu and asked, "Han Zi, do you still have that medicine…?"

Shiniu pulled a bottle from his chest—actually taken from that invisible compartment—and handed it over, saying, "There are nine left."

Chang Yuchun took it, glanced at it, then shoved it back into Shiniu's hand, saying, "Keep it safe; it's a lifesaving treasure, don't show it to anyone lightly."

"Oh." Shiniu tucked the bottle away.

With Lan Yu's support, Chang Yuchun stood up; though still a little dizzy, he could already stand steady.

He looked at the generals and said gravely, "What happened today must not be spread. If anyone asks, say this general merely fainted from heatstroke and is fine now. Understand?"

The generals replied in unison, "Understood!"

Chang Yuchun again looked at Shiniu, his gaze gentle, and said, "Han Zi, this time… thank you."

Shiniu gave a goofy smile and said, "The general is good to me, I'm good to the general."

Chang Yuchun's eyes welled, he turned his head, inhaled deeply and said, "Send the order: set up camp here, rest for the night, and tomorrow… continue marching back to Kaiping."

"Yes!"

The night grew deeper.

The camp's bonfires flickered.

Shiniu sat in his own tent, feeling the invisible bottle compartment in his chest, and felt reassured.

General Chang was fine.

How nice.

Outside the tent, Wang Gui poked his head in, "Han Zi, General Lan had someone bring over roasted lamb leg, saying it's a reward for you."

Shiniu's eyes lit up; he rose and headed out.

At the doorway, he glanced back toward the Northern Region.

The Grassland night sky was studded with bright stars.

Next time, I'll definitely go with General Chang to capture the Yuan Emperor.

He thought that, then turned and walked toward the scent of the roasted lamb leg.