After pondering for a moment, Wei Musheng said with a murderous look, "Dong Zhuo, that bastard, is determined to compete with our Youzhou Army with infantrymen after all. The number of cavalrymen under this fatty's command is small. With General Yuan Nanting and General Qi Dangguo supporting us, even if there are some unexpected changes, we will still be in an invincible position. We can fight this battle with all our might!"
Li Hanlin revealed a bitter smile.
Wei Musheng hesitated for a second before saying, "Now that we want to lure the snake out of its hole, Beimang barbarians are not all idiots. At that time, Sun Ji proposed that we three draw lots. Whoever gets the first one will be the bait. To be honest, when Sun Ji got the first one, I felt lucky. It's not that I, Wei Musheng, was afraid that my 500-600 brothers would die with me. Captain Li, you don't have to blame yourself too much. Old Wei's heart is actually clear. You were the one who suggested this plan to the Protectorate Manor, and you were the one who wanted to be the bait the most. No one can be blamed but you. If Sun Ji wants to blame someone, he can only blame his bad luck and his blindness for having such a disloyal brother like me … "
Li Hanlin shook his head and raised his arm to wipe off the blood at the corner of his mouth. "Sun Ji was the one who suggested the drawing of lots. He also prepared the objects for the drawing of lots himself. In the end, Sun Ji was the first to draw the lot. Lieutenant Wei, do you really not understand?"
Wei Musheng stared blankly for a moment before he smiled sadly. "What a good General Sun Ji. What a good General Sun Minghao. He fought countless fierce battles in his life, but he didn't even get injured that many times. So in the end, he just returned his good fortune to the Heavens."
Li Hanlin wanted to say something but stopped on second thought. In the end, he didn't say it out.
Sun Ji and Wei Musheng were from the same hometown of Yanzhi Prefecture in Youzhou. When they were young, they looked down on the local Youzhou infantry and joined the Liangzhou Border Army together. They were both once low-level soldiers in the Torch Battalion, the predecessor of Beiliang's crossbowmen, and were highly valued by Hu Kui. Later on, the two brothers' advancement was roughly the same. Eventually, they both became crossbowmen captains and became the two most glorious captains among the dozens of captains in the Beiliang Frontier Army. However, when one of them became a captain, there was a conflict between the two brothers, Chen Zhibao, the Protector General of Beiliang, and Zhong Hongwu, the Cavalry Commander. After all, the captains of crossbowmen were an official position that the Beiliang Frontier Army would not change even if it was called the General of the Three Provinces. It was not simply a special position that could be explained by the words "high official and generous salary". In the end, Sun Ji, who had the backing of the old Huaihua Great General Zhong Hongwu, was the first to become a captain. When Zhong Hongwu had yet to retire in a fit of anger, his power in the Frontier Army was at its peak. As a result, Wei Musheng, who had a slightly better military exploits, continued to hold the position of captain for two more years. As a result, one of the two brothers went to his hometown in Youzhou to celebrate the New Year while the other stayed in the Frontier Army.
After Li Hanlin had drawn lots at Fuling Military Town, he and Sun Ji walked together on the street. The two people who were not familiar with each other did not talk much. Sun Ji had always been a ruffian in the Beiliang Frontier Army, but he was also popular. He dared to throw a tantrum at General Xu Xiao and ask for horses and money, and also dared to joke around with veteran generals like Yan Wenluan and He Zhonghu. Even Liu Jinu of Hutou City was willing to call Sun Ji his brother. In contrast, the taciturn Wei Musheng was much inferior, especially after his backer Chen Zhibao betrayed Beiliang in the past. As for Li Hanlin, the son of Administrator Li Gongde, his meteoric rise to become a crossbowman captain, many of the generals of the frontier army speculated that ultimately, it was because the new Liang Prince was not at ease with the White Horse Crossbowmen in Beiliang.
During the conversation on the street of Fuling Military Town, Li Hanlin had told Sun Ji why he had become a crossbowman in the frontier army. He was very open and honest, and Sun Ji did not feel that it was a matter of three hundred taels of silver being hidden here. Sun Ji talked about Hu Kui and Zhong Hongwu, these two important people in the officialdom. He also talked about his old brother Wei Musheng, who was gradually drifting away. He talked about the old and new Liang Princes, and he talked about Liu Jinu, who had died in battle at Hutou City and whose corpse had been exchanged by Hsu Fengnian for the heads of Yang Yuanzan and several others. In the end, Sun Ji said something that was very appropriate for the hot summer. He made fun of Li Hanlin, the son of one of the few officials in Beiliang. He said that in the summer, the wealthy people of Lingzhou not only had resorts to avoid the heat, they could also enjoy quite a few luxurious foods to avoid the heat. He said that in the early years of his life, he had always had a dream, which was that in the future, when he could no longer fight, he would bring his family to Lingzhou to retire. When that time came, he would definitely let Li Hanlin, this rich person, do the honors of being a host. At the time, Li Hanlin did not know what to say. He could only smile and say that in the summer, every rich person in Lingzhou would have a food called immortal grass. It was a local thing that was sent from the distant Nanjiang Road to Lingzhou in Beiliang. After it was ground, it was added with ice and made into a large bowl of cold jelly. With one bite, it was truly cool like an immortal.
At the time, Sun Ji was walking on the street in armor. Under the scorching sun, the stocky middle-aged man was sweating profusely. He closed his eyes and smacked his lips. With a brilliant smile on his face, he muttered that in the future, his most beloved daughter would definitely be able to eat that thing every year.
Before Li Hanlin parted ways with Wei Musheng, he said without any reason, "Lieutenant Wei, I've long heard that you and your old brother Sun Ji have been competing for your whole life. From the time you fought in the military and became an official, to the time you married a wife, and in the end, you didn't even miss out on having a few children. Is that true?"
Wei Musheng was ashamed and resentful as he said, "Sun Ji is a lucky guy. He gave birth to three sons in one go. Last year, his family had another little daughter. Old Wei, my wife's belly was disappointing. She only gave birth to daughters for Old Wei. Up until now, there hasn't been a single child. I've never lost to Sun Ji in anything in my life. Only this matter, I have no choice but to accept it."
Li Hanlin smiled and said, "Old Brother Wei, if you don't blame me for being meddlesome, then I'll have to say a few more words. If sister-in-law gives birth to a son for you in the future, why don't you arrange a child marriage with Sun Ji's youngest daughter? A girl three years older than your son is a golden brick. Don't despise the girl for being older than your son. Knowing how to dote on others is better than anything else. "
The burly man who was called Old Brother Wei by Li Hanlin and not Lieutenant Wei was in a daze. No one knew what he was thinking.
In the end, Wei Musheng laughed loudly and said, "This matter, I think it's fine. Later on, if I don't die on the battlefield, I'll personally ask Sun Ji … If that old fellow doesn't say anything, then I'll take it that he agrees to this child marriage!"
He was already dead, how could he open his mouth to speak?
In that case, this impromptu betrothal was most likely set in stone.
In the second year of Xiangfu, the Great Summer.
Beiliang's White Horse Crossbowmen Lieutenant Sun Ji and Wei Musheng successively died in battle on the Longyan Plains outside the border.
On this day, Beimang's Yelu Hongcai also died in battle.
Old Liang's Prince Xu Xiao's adopted son, Qi Dang, also died in battle.
And that seemingly inconspicuous child marriage on the battlefield of the border where iron hooves were like thunder did not happen in the end.
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