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August 1st.

The dawn was breaking, and the morning breeze swept across the plains as usual.

Wanyan Qingjue was restless and woke up early. He sat in the darkness, listening to the sounds outside. The Huaxia Army camp was already stirring, with faint voices and occasional shouts. Dim light filtered through the fences and cracks of the wooden houses of the prisoner camp.

Footsteps crunched on the ground, like ants crawling. Inside the dim barracks, there were also sounds of people turning over. Most of his companions were awake, but they didn't make any noise. Even the rattling of shackles during the night had lessened.

Wanyan Qingjue recalled learning to listen to the ground in the old forests of the north. Old hunters had this skill, and so did soldiers. They camped and slept on the ground at night, ever vigilant, and could be awakened by the slightest disturbance within a few miles. Those imprisoned here were all elite generals of the Jurchen army. Although it wasn't dawn yet, the sounds coming from the nearby military camp were as if they were happening right beside them.

Huaxia Army soldiers were getting up one after another, organizing their belongings, washing up, and having breakfast. Mixed in with the seemingly chaotic footsteps were the sounds of orderly formations and synchronized shouts. These movements were immersed in a large area of chaos, but slowly, those chaotic footsteps would completely turn into orderly sounds.

For nearly two months, they had been stationed near the Huaxia Army camp. These sounds were the first things they witnessed every day. These things were ordinary and monotonous, but gradually, they understood the terror within them. To them, these footsteps were oppressive and sinister.

But they came day after day, and today was no exception.

Wanyan Qingjue's mind followed the memory of his father teaching him to listen to the ground, as well as the scenes of his first battles and his first encounters with armies. At his age, the Jurchens were no longer hunters. It was an era of heroes, constant battles, and constant victories. He had grown up following Gushen, fighting until now.

If he could do it again, how should he respond to these footsteps?

The morning breeze was gentle, the shackles on his feet were heavy. Perhaps many in the room were thinking the same thing: they had once made the most ferocious enemies tremble before them, and made the weak Han kneel on the ground to accept slaughter. They had lost, but that didn't mean they couldn't win again. If they could do it again…

The sound of wheels came from outside the prisoner camp. The Huaxia Army's catering unit brought breakfast. Then footsteps came from outside, ordering them to get up.

The eastern sky began to turn a fish-belly white. They lined up and walked toward the central square for their meal. In the distance, the lights of the military camp were gradually extinguished as the sun rose, and the footsteps gradually became more orderly.

The breakfast tasted good, but it wasn't plentiful. There was no meat. Many people breathed a sigh of relief. They secretly sized up the surrounding soldiers, and some who understood Chinese and were good at socializing even asked a question or two in private, but they didn't find any ominous signs. On the mobile terminal, remember 『→m.\』 to provide you with wonderful\novel reading.

In the distant military camp, many formations had already lined up.

……

A scarred face was reflected in the mirror, looking fierce and menacing. A brush dabbed some powder and applied it to the face.

The fierce and menacing face showed some embarrassment, and recoiled slightly.

"Hey, I think, should a grown man not do this..."

"Don't move, don't move. You're the one who said we need to find a way, and you're the one who's being fussy. Mao Yishan, can you just be straightforward!" Qu Qing grabbed his big head and twisted it.

"I mean... this scar on my face is ugly, I'm afraid it will scare the children, after all, I'm walking in front of our regiment, but this... me, a grown man, wearing powder, it's too inappropriate to say it..."

"What powder, this is called disguise. Do you understand disguise? When we fought Li Touhe, someone in our midst disguised as a Jurchen prince, and disintegrated the enemy's 100,000-strong army without any effort... So this disguise is a high-level technique, passed down from Yan Qing, Yan Xiaoge. Although we are not that proficient, it is still no problem to make your scar less scary with a small test on your face~"

"I always feel like you are trying to trick me..."

"We've been brothers for so many years, when have I ever tricked you? Hey, don't move, spread it evenly so you can't see it... Look, it's the same color as your face... Our method is not to make others unable to see your scar, but the burned scar is really ugly, so just make it a little less obvious, this technique is very advanced, I only learned it recently..."

"Recently... hey, you haven't seen that Yan Qing Yan Xiaoge recently, who did you learn it from... You learned it from Yong Jinrou, isn't that still learning to apply powder from a woman... Forget it, I won't apply it..."

"Don't move, it'll be done soon... This is the same destination by different routes in idioms, it is that the stone of another mountain can attack jade, what do you bumpkin understand... It'll be done soon, hey, take a look again, is it much lighter, won't it scare the children?"

Mao Yishan looked at himself in the mirror: "It seems... almost..."

"It looks much better at first glance, after all you

this face has been burned, if you want to not see it at all, you can only put a piece of skin on it." Qu Qing finished his own business, patted him on the shoulder, "Okay, brother can only help so much, you see how evenly the powder is applied, pay attention, I guarantee you won't be exposed for half a day, of course, if you really feel awkward, you can also wipe it off..." First release on TV..

Mao Yishan stared at the mirror, fussing: "Or should I wipe it off? What's going on with me..."

"You said that you were burned like that and went back to scare Stone, so I helped you find a way, and how are you like this after finding a way, what a big deal, just put something on your face! You have a guilty conscience!"

"I mainly don't want to show my face, to be honest, I don't want to walk in front, you said that my comrades sacrificed, what is it for me to walk in front and boast, I'm not Zhuo Yongqing, he looks beautiful and others like to watch..."

"Okay, okay, okay, bumpkin, I haven't seen you nervous on the battlefield, anyway, the powder has been applied for you, there are still things to do, I have to go to the assembly point first, by the way, let me show you something first." Qu Qing scoffed at Mao Yishan's performance today, then took out a booklet and handed it to him, "Look, it was just printed these past two days, and it will be sent out this afternoon, the merits and touching deeds of each army and division in this great battle are written in it, your regiment also has it, your name is in it, this is a thousand-year fame."

"Really? M-My name... what's so good about writing..."

Mao Yishan stared, took the booklet called "Huaxia Army Southwest Campaign Medal Spectrum". He opened and flipped through two pages, Qu Qing waved his hand and left. Mao Yishan hadn't turned to his regiment yet, and wanted to say a few more words to Qu Qing, but thinking that the other party had something to do, he gave up. After Qu Qing left, he turned two pages of the book, and couldn't help but look at himself in the mirror a few more times.

He probably hasn't cared about his appearance much in his life, but he is somewhat reluctant to show his face in front of the people, and the scars left on his face during the attack on Jianmen Pass are still relatively obvious, so he couldn't help but complain a few words. He complained casually, and Qu Qing also helped him solve it casually. At this time, the makeup has already been applied, and he is really entangled in his heart. On the one hand, he feels that a grown man shouldn't care about this, on the other hand...

"...It seems okay..."

He looked at himself in the mirror a few more times, and the obvious burn scars seemed to have faded a lot.

After hesitating for a moment, he saw the powder box and brush left by Qu Qing.

Qu Qing's kung fu is not good enough, he probably only learned half of Yan Xiaoge, this scar still looks very obvious, or I'll apply a little more... Anyway, I've already done it, might as well go all in...

He picked up the brush and added a little more powder to the scar on his left face.

It looks... much better.

Mao Yishan scratched his head and went out of the room.

The dawn was breaking, and teams of soldiers were lining up on the huge military camp square. Mao Yishan gave a gesture to the deputy head of the regiment, and nearly a hundred people in his regiment quickly gathered and began to line up nearby to align themselves.

The military parade doesn't require everyone to participate. A total of more than ninety people from the regiment led by Mao Yishan came, one-third of whom were still reserves. Among them, some soldiers were wounded with broken hands and feet - the three with broken feet were sitting in wheelchairs. They had all made great achievements in this battle. Now it is the first military parade after defeating the Jurchens. There may be many battles in the future, but for these disabled warriors, this may be their only opportunity to participate.

Mao Yishan walked to the front of the formation and counted the number of people. The sun was rising from the eastern horizon, and the city was waking up in the distance.

"Although it's nothing compared to fighting the Jurchens, today is still a big day. You all know the specific itinerary. We will set off later, gather at the designated point, enter the city at Chenshi three quarters, join forces with the Seventh Army, and accept the inspection."

Mao Yishan walked in front of the formation, tidied up the clothes of some soldiers, and said casually: "Regarding today's military parade, what should be said has already been said during training. A few dozen people from our regiment will walk this trip in front of everyone, which is a glorious thing, and you deserve it, but in my opinion, it is also your blessing! Why? It is a blessing that you can live."

"...Today is just the first time we have defeated the Jurchens fairly and squarely, so it's not yet time to enjoy the blessings. Today in this Chengdu city, there are our relatives, friends from outside, and ill-intentioned enemies, so they call this military parade accepting the inspection, one is to let these relatives and friends see how we usually train, and what we have trained into, and the second is to let those troublemaking bastards see what we look like, so today's military parade is no different from fighting... Look at your collar, you don't have the attitude of fighting."

The soldiers in the team laughed.

"...Today is just the first time we have defeated the Jurchens fairly and squarely, that is to say, there will be many more times in the future..."

Teams of soldiers were gathering on the military camp square. Since it wasn't time to set off yet, the leaders of each regiment were mostly giving instructions, or just letting the soldiers stand still. Mao Yishan criticized the soldier whose collar was not properly tidied, and said casually here in front of the formation, but then fell silent. He looked at everyone with his hands behind his back, and then looked back at the situation on the entire square, and lowered his head to adjust his mood.

"...Um, speaking of which, there is another good thing, today is a good day... You will gain glory in the military parade and be remembered in the future. I have a book here, which also records the merits of our regiment. According to what they said over there, this is a good thing that will last for thousands of years. Here, this is the book, it has already been printed, I got it first, let me see, the things about our regiment..."

Mao Yishan took out the book Qu Qing gave him from his military uniform pocket and flipped through it in front of the formation, quickly turning to it.

"Here, it's here, it's written for several pages, although our regiment belongs to the Fifth Division, but this time it has made a collective first-class merit, you see above, it says that we are the Fifth Division's sharp knife regiment, killing Erlili in Yushui Creek, and later attacking and breaking Jiange Pass, are all great merits. It is written here that the regiment leader... Deputy regiment leaders Li Qing, Gu Aliuliu, Li Chuan, Zhuo... Little Zhuo is called this name... There are so many deputy regiment leaders... Doesn't this seem like my regiment leader is not very authentic..."

He didn't look at this book carefully before, but now when he took it out and flipped through it on the spot, the situation was a bit embarrassing. There were five deputy regiment leaders' names after a regiment leader. The reason was also simple. Four of them had already sacrificed, and even the one who was habitually called Little Zhuo couldn't pronounce his big name because it was too uncommon. He muttered in his mouth, his voice gradually lowered, and then he reached out and wiped his nose. The book not only recorded the battle achievements of Yushui Creek and Jianmen Pass, but also recorded the many tragic battles along the way, but at that time, they kept fighting, and the sacrificed people were replaced by new people, and there was no time to think about it carefully. Now that they were all listed out, he realized that they had originally gone through so many battles.

"...Enemy on all sides... Repelled thirteen enemy attacks... Battalion commander Xu San'er held the rear, heroic... When did I report his sacrifice, this grandson stole my coat, didn't get it back..."

"Li Qing, you read it to them, there are a few words in the middle that I don't recognize!" Mao Yishan suddenly shouted, and the deputy regiment leader Li Qing who came to the top came over, took the book and started reading from the beginning. Mao Yishan stood there with a dark face, but a group of soldiers looked at him, and after a while, some people seemed to start whispering to each other, and some looked at Mao Yishan, seemingly holding back laughter.

Mao Yishan frowned and looked back, and the other party suddenly turned into a solemn face, but the other soldiers were already looking at him: "Regiment, regiment leader..."

"What!?"

"Y-Your face..."

Someone chuckled.

Mao Yishan reacted, reached out and wiped his face, his hands full of powder. His burn scar was on his left face, and it was also below his eyes. At this time, the powder was still stained with some wet things and became clumps. Mao Yishan's face remained unchanged, he reached out and touched it hard: "Damn it, Qu Qing!" turned and left.

He strode to the pool next to the camp, scooped up water with his hands and washed all the powder off his face, and then walked back with a serious face. When he washed his face, his cheeks were a little hot, but now he didn't recognize it.

The soldiers were still laughing, and the deputy head of the regiment, Li Qing, was also laughing. Some of them were intentional. Someone opened their mouth: "Regiment leader, this applying powder is really not suitable for you."

"Regiment leader, you are quite handsome usually."

"Yes, it's the kind that is different from ordinary people, very special..."

"Haha..."

"Alright!" Mao Yishan flicked the water off his hands, "After I was burned here, I scared my child when I just got home, and as a result, Qu Qing came up with this bad idea for me... That's what I said before, it's your blessing to be able to walk this trip alive, we represent our regiment today, and also represent... all the living and dead people! So give me a boost and don't let anyone lose face today!"

"Yes!" everyone replied.

"Also, don't spread today's matter..."

"Pfft—"

"Stand! At! Attention—"

Mao Yishan shouted loudly.

So the soldiers suddenly stood at attention, the sound of footsteps shook the ground.

"Eyes right—"

More than ninety people shook their heads, the queue was like suddenly stretched steel, with the revealing dawn, it was organized...

Similar situations are happening in different places.

In the military camp north of Chengdu, Chen Hai was also arranging the military appearance for a group of soldiers. In front of him was a young soldier whose arms had been broken off at the elbows. Chen Hai patted the dust off his clothes for him.

There were other disabled soldiers in the team. After this military parade, they would leave the army. Perhaps because of this, in the previous pace training, many disabled soldiers walked the most seriously.

Chen Hai checked and tidied them up one by one, without speaking.

Liu Muxia, Niu Chengshu and others were also gathered in the team.

The sun rises.

*****************

In the city, crowds are gathering.

The news of the Huaxia Army's military parade had been released long ago. The actual process was the reunion of the Huaxia Fifth Army and Seventh Army in Chengdu City. The two armies would enter from different city gates, pass through some main streets, and then converge at the "Victory Square" newly cleared on the northwest side of Mohe Pond. There would also be an inspection ceremony for the Jurchen prisoners in the middle.

Although there was no video recording or live broadcast of the current military parade, and only people with status could enter the best viewing position on the edge of Victory Square with tickets, the long streets through which the march passed could still watch the ceremony. Even the restaurants and teahouses on both sides of the road had already communicated with the Huaxia Army and launched services such as VIP viewing seats. As long as they passed a round of inspections, they could go upstairs to the best position to watch the army pass by.

The team maintaining order separated most of the streets for the army to march, and the other half of the road did not restrict pedestrians, but there were also staff wearing red armbands loudly reminding that when the Jurchen prisoners passed by, it was strictly forbidden to hit people with lethal objects such as stones and ironware. Of course, even if they were hit with mud, rotten eggs, and vegetable leaves, it was not advocated.

Some red silk and ribbons had already been hung on both sides of the road, and red flowers tied with silk cloth were sold for a very low price. At this time, various colors of paint were still scarce in the city, so red was always the most eye-catching color. The Huaxia Army's control over the hearts of the people in Chengdu was not yet very solid, but once the cheap little red flowers were sold, many people happily joined this pro-military carnival.

Yu Hezhong, Yan Daolun and others had breakfast on the roadside. At this time, they did not take a car, but walked all the way, watching the scenery on the street.

The suggestion to walk was made by Yan Daolun. For this trip to Chengdu, his current mood was complicated. Originally, as Liu Guangshi's representative, the general policy was to obtain some trading conveniences by taking the initiative to show goodwill to the Huaxia Army. The current trend has not gone astray, but in terms of details, it is not necessarily very satisfactory.

When doing business, even if you have made a decision to take the initiative to show goodwill, you will hope that your goodwill has greater value to the other party. If other parties have caused great trouble to the Huaxia Army, and you have also grasped some of his flaws and weaknesses, then you can obtain the greatest benefits by showing goodwill at this time. If the other party is not in much difficulty, then your goodwill will not show such a pivotal necessity.

Therefore, he was happy to see the riots on the night of July 20. If he could kill Ning Yi, of course, it would be best. Even if he couldn't, causing some trouble to the other party would greatly increase his importance.

As of now, although the Huaxia Army has given him many courtesies and preferential treatment, Yan Daolun understands from the bottom of his heart that the courtesies when he had constraints and threats on the other party were completely different from the current courtesies.

The interaction between people seeks mutual non-threat and harmonious harmony, but the interaction between forces is most reliable only when there is a relationship of mutual threat and mutual demolition. If you don't have the ability to be a bad person, then you are not far from death.

At present, General Liu can only pose limited threats and limited help to the Huaxia Army. Although the other party has given courtesies, such courtesies are empty. This is what makes him feel complicated and entangled.

On the other side, Yu Hezhong's mood has also become more and more disturbed recently.

Under the promotion of Shishi and the help of the Huaxia Army, his position as a "mouthpiece" between the Huaxia Army and Liu Guangshi's forces has become more and more solid, but at the same time, the initial enthusiasm in his heart has gradually calmed down, and he has felt that the distance between himself and the other party seems to be constantly increasing.

After July 20, Shishi was quite busy, and he only went to see her once. Although Shishi was still kind to him, in the whole negotiation process, he gradually felt the power reflected by the Huaxia Army and Shishi's position in it.

Some things can't be seen clearly from a distance, and the complexity can only be understood up close. Just like the possible transactions between the Huaxia Army and General Liu, this is a very large action, and he actually can't play a big role in it. However, in the whole negotiation process, the power that really guarantees his position basically comes from the Huaxia Army. Shishi opened his mouth to that officer named Lin Qiu once, and in the subsequent negotiations, the Huaxia Army basically took him to nod his head. If not, how much importance can he show in it?

In the middle of the night, he can also clearly think of the problems in the middle. Especially after the riots on July 20, the power of the Huaxia Army has already lifted the lid in Chengdu City, and he can't help but think, if compared with Bianliang City in those years, what kind of position does Shishi have in it? If Ning Yi is regarded as the emperor...

He originally thought that if he became a link between the two forces, he might be able to interact with Shishi in an equal posture in the future, but now he is increasingly feeling the distance between himself and the other party. Shishi's alienation and kindness made him feel患患得失.

She is such a capable and high-status person now... If she really likes me...

Several thoughts were intertwined in his mind, and he followed Yan Daolun through the crowd and moved forward.

Similar to them, many people have already left their homes at the moment, passing through the crowd in the morning breeze to the "Victory Square". Among them, some are excited, some are novel, and some have serious eyes and carry reluctant resentment - but even these people, after all, have traveled thousands of miles to Chengdu, so how can they miss the "big move" of the Huaxia Army?

……

At Chenshi, outside Chengdu City

, Wanyan Qingjue and others were wearing shackles and were escorted to prisoner transport carriages - they didn't even have to walk during this military parade.

……

Under the protection of his servants and disciples, Yang Tiehuai walked out of the Xiangwu Guild Hall.

He was wearing a neat cyan long gown, a high crown on his head, his lips were tightly pursed, his eyes were serious, and he was carrying the viewing invitation sent to him by the Huaxia Army.

……

The sound of birds came from the yard.

Qu Longjun opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of a figure leaving the room, which gave her a big scare.

She didn't know when the figure came in. It didn't seem to be the fat Gu Dasao. If she hadn't woken up by chance, she probably wouldn't have seen this scene.

Long Aotian, Doctor Long...

Qu Longjun lay on the bed, not understanding why the other party would enter her ward early in the morning. Although she had been delivering food and medicine these past few days, the two had not said a few words to each other. He occasionally asked her about her physical condition, and it seemed to be a normal inquiry about her illness.

Her body was lying in the quilt, warm, and there were no signs that her clothes had been touched. She listened in the quilt for a while, but there was no sound of footsteps outside - the fleeting glance just now was as if it were fake.

She secretly turned her head to look around. The sun was shining outside the room, but the room was not very bright yet. On the small cabinet next to the bed... there seemed to be something new. She reached out and touched it, then picked it up. It was a book.

In the dim light, Qu Longjun, who had just woken up, looked at it several times before she could see the words on the book cover clearly. The title of the book was not very particular, it was one of the miscellaneous books issued by the Huaxia Army after occupying the territory. Wen Shoubin had criticized this type of book: the language is vulgar, there is no literary talent, and there are scum in the book...

The name of this book is: "Women Also Hold Up Half the Sky".

Qu Longjun shook the book several times, there was no mechanism in the book, and there were no messy things夹杂, smelling the smell of ink it even seemed new.

Why did that little killer god put this kind of thing next to my bed?

……I'm not a woman.

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