An ge'er was heartbroken. Qiao Qingjun couldn't help but tear up when he thought of that possibility, his heart aching with pain.
My husband joined the army for their sake; life can be taken at any moment on the battlefield.
He's so useless; he couldn't help his husband at all.
"Don't be afraid, An ge'er, your father will be alright, he will be alright."
Qiao Qingjun comforted him, but that night, An ge'er still had nightmares. He woke up in the middle of the night, curled up in his arms, sobbing and repeatedly calling for his father.
Meng Xiangbei, far away in the military camp, was unaware that An ge'er had developed deep feelings for his father.
"An ge''er, if daddy leaves to find your father and protects him, are you okay with that?"
Last night, Qiao Qingjun comforted An ge'er for a long time before the latter finally fell asleep, but he suffered from insomnia until dawn. Now that An ge'er has woken up, he told him his thoughts.
An ge'er is precocious; he already understands many simple things, but he just can't express them fluently.
Originally, he had given up his desire to become a military doctor when he thought of An ge'er, but after seeing An ge'er's unease last night, he reconsidered for a long time.
Fearing that An ge'er might not understand, Qiao Qingjun used the simplest language and repeated it several times to make An ge'er understand his meaning.
An nge'er hugged Qiao Qingjun, wrapped his arms around his neck, and nodded repeatedly with his little head resting on his shoulder, saying in a childish voice, "Save Father."
Qiao Qingjun released his embrace and faced An ge'er.
"Then daddy will have to leave temporarily. Is An ge'er willing?"
An ge'er didn't speak, but nodded with red eyes.
Qiao Qingjun held him tightly in his arms.
Having already made up his mind, Qiao Qingjun told Imperial Physician Liu about it.
After pondering for a long time, Imperial Physician Liu did not stop him: "Since you want to go and An ge'er agrees, then go. Don't worry, I will take good care of An ge'er."
Although he is old, he can still take care of An ge'er, but he is worried about that silly boy, A'qing.
He did not deny Qiao Qingjun's talent in medicine, but it was also a fact that he was naivev and was a simple-minded person. Imperial Physician Liu was afraid that he would be deceived or harmed.
Finally, Imperial Physician Liu hired a young man to serve as Qiao Qingjun's personal physician.
This young man was about thirty years old. He was different from other young men. Most of them were slender, graceful, and beautiful, but he was strong, rugged, and had some martial arts skills. If you didn't know him, you would think he was a man. As a result, he had never been able to get married and only had his old mother to take care of him.
He was very grateful to Physician Liu for saving his elderly mother's life, and upon learning of Physician Liu's request, he immediately agreed.
Qiao Qingjun signed up, and in the following days, he spent less time at the pharmacy and spent most of his time with An ge'er.
However, no matter how reluctant thet are, they still have to part ways.
"When you get to the military camp, take good care of yourself. Don't do things alone, and don't be too naive to listen to what others say..." Imperial Physician Liu pulled over An ge'er, whom Qiao Qingjun was holding and reluctant to part with, and muttered these instructions. Qiao Qingjun was like a child of his who was about to go on a long journey, and he couldn't rest easy about him.
Finally, he handed Qiao Qingjun another bundle stuffed with bottles and jars; that was all the old man could do.
"Thank you, Master."
Imperial Physician Liu waved his hand, turned his back, and wiped away the tears that were about to fall.
"An ge'er, daddy will miss you." Qiao Qingjun's last gaze fell on the little boy being led by Physician Liu.
An ge'er's eyes were red, but he didn't cry. He patted his little chest with his little hand: "An ge'er will be good and listen to Grandpa."
Qiao Qingjun ruffled his hair: "An ge'er is the best, Daddy loves you."
Even though they are reluctant to part, they still have to say goodbye.
Qiao Qingjun and his companion entered the military camp together with a group of doctors.
An ge'er's gaze followed Qiao Qingjun's steps the whole time, and he even jogged a few steps before finally stopping.
"An ge'er, come back with Grandpa." Imperial Physician Liu squatted down and lovingly stroked the little guy's hair.
An ge'er pursed his lips, trying hard not to shed tears, but in the end he couldn't hold back and they fell. He hugged Imperial Physician Liu, clenched his little fists, and cried sadly.
-
Qiao Qingjun and his group, who had joined the army, were escorted to the battlefield.
The situation on the battlefield is not optimistic.
This time, the leader of the Jiang Kingdom's army is the current crown prince, Jiang Sheng. He has a great reputation in the Jiang Kingdom. He is neither the eldest son of the legitimate wife nor the eldest son of a concubine, yet he has surpassed more than a dozen other princes to become the crown prince. It is also rumored that he is a genius in both literature and martial arts.
Now, Qian Zheng and Jiang Sheng have faced off on the battlefield. They have been fighting for several days without a clear winner.
However, Qian Zheng was still injured, with a long wound on his left leg. If the wound had been any deeper, the leg would probably have had to be amputated.
Currently, the imperial physician accompanying Qian Zheng is bandaging his wounds.
Murong Yin, dressed in white armor, stood to the side, his brows furrowed. In the camp, all the generals were silent, and the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
Although they didn't say it aloud, they had already guessed some of the situations.
Murong Yin smiled bitterly. This time, he was afraid he would not return. It was ridiculous that he still wanted to make merit on the battlefield and go back to marry Jiaojiao.
He was extremely grateful that Qian Jiaojiao hadn't agreed back then; how tragic it would be to wait for someone you could never have.
Although he is a prince and currently only a deputy general, he is still no match for Qian Zheng, who has spent half his life on the battlefield. Today, he was able to save Qian Zheng mostly by luck.
"Third Prince, please take good care of your safety on the battlefield in the future." After the bandage was finished, the imperial physician and the others left, leaving only Qian Zheng and Murong Yin.
Qian Zheng did not approve of Murong Yin coming to save him at that time. If it weren't for good luck, Murong Yin, who saved him, would likely have been killed by Jiang Sheng's knife.
Murong Yin smiled bitterly. In fact, he didn't have any other thoughts at the time. He only had one thought: if General Qian Zheng died, how heartbroken Jiao Jiao would be.
Actions always move faster than thoughts; before he could even finish his calculations, he had already ridden off to support Qian Zheng.
"By the way, Third Prince, have the two soldiers surnamed Meng and Yang that the soldiers mentioned earlier shown up?" Qian Zheng asked.
His leg was injured and he wouldn't be able to go to war until it healed for ten days to half a month. But who else could go in his place?
He couldn't help but think of the two soldiers who were rumored to be in the army. He held a sliver of hope that one of them might be a capable general.
Murong Yin shook his head: "There has been no news so far."
Qian Zheng's already pale face, due to blood loss, turned even paler.
-
Knowing that Qian Zheng was seriously injured, Jiang Guo intensified his attacks.
Murong Yin led his soldiers to meet the enemy, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate.
The Sui Dynasty army was clearly at a disadvantage, while the Crown Prince of Jiang, Jiang Sheng, sat calmly in the middle of the Jiang army, his expression playful, as if he were a cat toying with a mouse.
"Didn't those two soldiers rescued you a while ago? Why haven't they shown up now?"
"By the way, where is your war god, General Qian Zheng? Oh, I forgot, I slashed him with my sword. I wonder if his leg is ruined now?"
Jiang Sheng smiled sarcastically, his expression relaxed and carefree even on the battlefield, as if he were chatting with someone.
"I'll give you three days of truce. After three days, promise to cede ten cities. Otherwise, my Jiang Kingdom will launch a full-scale attack, and it won't be as simple as just ten cities.
Oh, by the way, our soldiers' swords don't have eyes; if they charge straight ahead, it'll probably result in rivers of blood."
The Jiang Kingdom raised a white flag, allowing the Sui Dynasty to catch its breath, but no one felt fortunate about it.
They knew that the gap between the two sides was huge. The old and injured Qian Zheng was no match for Jiang Sheng, and the demoralized Sui Dynasty army was no match for the unity and ruthlessness of the Jiang Kingdom soldiers.
Let alone three days, even if they were given thirty days, they would still be destined to lose.
This battle was lost from the very beginning. It can only be blamed on the fact that the Sui Dynasty had been too complacent for too long and had overlooked the wolfish ambitions of the Jiang Kingdom.
"As soldiers of the Great Sui Dynasty, how can we easily admit defeat, how can we so easily cede ten such large cities?"
Furthermore, the Jiang Kingdom is far too ambitious. If we agree this time, it will only fuel their ambitions, and we fear that our Great Sui Dynasty will never have a peaceful life again.
Qian Zheng sat in a chair, analyzing the situation with the generals in the camp.
His gaze fell on his injured leg again, and he said firmly, "I, Qian Zheng, would rather die on the battlefield than surrender."
War brings disaster to the people, but would surrendering bring it away? He still remembered the city where the people were massacred eighteen years ago. The ruthlessness and bloodlust of the Jiang people had long been ingrained in their bones and could not be shaken off.
Three days passed quickly.
The Sui Dynasty army, unwilling to surrender, faced a fierce attack from the Jiang Kingdom army.
Qian Zheng was worried about the Third Prince Murong Yin going to fight alone, so he went out to fight as well, despite his still-healing leg injury.
Amidst the flames of war and the flow of blood, the Sui Dynasty's army was repeatedly suppressed by the Jiang Kingdom's army, and was on the verge of collapse.
Just then, Meng Xiangbei and Yang Huaizhong, who had been traveling day and night, finally arrived at the battlefield camp.
"You've finally arrived." They were greeted by the deputy captain whom Qian Zheng had specially left behind, just to wait for their arrival.
Meng Xiangbei was not surprised by the deputy captain's pleasant surprise.
Qian Zheng was a person who cherished talent, and now that he was in this situation, he was even more unwilling to give up any hope.
"What is the current situation on the battlefield? How is General Qian Zheng?" Yang Huaizhong asked impatiently.
The lieutenant's expression suddenly turned serious. He sighed heavily and quickly told them about the situation on the battlefield.
Meng Xiangbei frowned. If he remembered correctly, today was the day Qian Zheng died on the battlefield.
"Prepare the horses, I'm going to meet the enemy," Meng Xiangbei said.
Yang Huaizhong immediately chimed in, "I'll go too."
-
"General Qian, you lead the army to retreat. I will handle things here." Murong Ying was covered in blood from the battle he had fought his way through, and the once handsome young man now had a more ruthless air about him.
"This general has spent his life on the battlefield and has never backed down. Third Prince, you may return."
Qian Zheng straddled his horse, his legs throbbing with intense pain. He gritted his teeth and endured it, blocking Jiang Sheng's oncoming blade.
Jiang Sheng attacked his legs and horse again and again.
Without a horse, with his leg severely injured, he would only be killed.
"You two don't need to refuse, just leave your lives behind." Jiang Sheng sneered, suddenly becoming ruthless.
The next second, something seemed to disperse from his sleeve, and for a moment, Qian Zheng's vision blurred. When his vision cleared, the large knife, gleaming with a cold light, was already slashing towards his neck.
The cold glint of the broadsword and Jiang Sheng's gleeful, ferocious smile fell upon Qian Zheng's eyes.
"General Qian..." Murong Yin's pupils suddenly dilated as he exclaimed.
For a moment, he could no longer hear or see the surrounding noise and fighting; only death enveloped him.
Qian Zheng knew that his life would ultimately remain on the battlefield, but as a member of the Qian family, he had no regrets and felt no shame, only...
Scenes of Xiao Qiang and Qian Jiaojiao flashed before my eyes.
Ah Qiang, Jiao Jiao, I couldn't go back, you two must take good care of yourselves.
-
Just as the broadsword was half a finger's distance from Qian Zheng's neck, a spear suddenly appeared and forcefully blocked the broadsword.
A young man dressed in white armor and holding a spear faced Jiang Sheng head-on.
"General Qian, please leave this to me."
Qian Zheng snapped out of his daze and caught a quick glance at the young man's face. Although he had only met him once and more than half a year had passed, he had not forgotten him. Wasn't that Meng Xiangbei?
The young man rode a warhorse, his posture upright and imposing. The spear in his hand seemed to be infused with a soul, and every movement he made carried a sharp and terrifying aura.
Meanwhile, Yang Huaizhong also arrived at Murong Yin's side.
"Who are you?" Jiang Sheng roared with bloodshot eyes. He thought he could cut off Qian Zheng's head and launch an attack in one fell swoop, but he didn't expect an unexpected obstacle to appear halfway.
This man was very skilled in martial arts, and he had to focus all his attention on dealing with him, but he still found it difficult.
Over there, Yang Huaizhong had already beheaded Jiang Sheng's deputy general.
Meng Xiangbei did not respond to Jiang Sheng. His attacks were fierce and deadly, and several times Jiang Sheng was almost stabbed in a vital spot.
Meng Xiangbei thrust forward again, this time piercing Jiang Sheng's chest.
Jiang Sheng's pupils suddenly dilated, and blood flowed down his face.
Upon seeing that his crown prince had been stabbed, the generals accompanying Jiang Sheng immediately rushed forward to rescue him.
There were many of them, and Meng Xiangbei, mindful of Qian Zheng's injuries, did not give chase.
His face was cold, and his thin lips parted slightly: "Jiang Sheng, remember my name, Meng Xiangbei. One day I will take your life."
Seeing the Jiang Kingdom soldiers retreat and the Jiang Kingdom prince seriously injured, the Sui Dynasty soldiers were greatly encouraged and immediately pursued them, killing a wave of Jiang Kingdom soldiers before returning to their camp.
Meanwhile, Meng Xiangbei and his three companions returned to their military camp.
However, as soon as he arrived, Qian Zheng collapsed from exhaustion and fell straight off his horse.
"General..." everyone exclaimed.
After several rounds of medical examinations, the military doctors learned that Qian Zheng's injured leg had been severely injured again and had to be amputated, otherwise it would be life-threatening. He also had a cut on his back, from which he was bleeding profusely.
The military doctor's face grew increasingly grim, and finally he said sorrowfully, "General Qian, I'm afraid..."
Several military doctors shook their heads in succession.
Qian Zheng's injuries were too severe, and they were powerless to help him.
"No, you must save General Qian! In the palace, weren't you all known as miracle workers, divine physicians reborn? Why can't you save his life now?" Murong Yin roared at the military doctor, his eyes reddening, whether from anger or grief. He refused to accept this news.
"Third Prince, we are powerless to help." Several military doctors knelt on the ground, trembling.
The atmosphere in the camp immediately became heavy, and every soldier's face was filled with grief.
Meng Xiangbei's gaze fell on the unconscious, bloodless Qian Zheng, and his brows furrowed.
If he could, he wouldn't want Qian Zheng to die.
However, Qian Zheng's injuries were too severe. Unless a highly skilled surgeon performed the procedure, it would be very difficult to save him.
If, if Aqing were here, perhaps there would still be a sliver of hope, but that's impossible.
“A new batch of doctors has arrived; perhaps they have a solution.” Yang Huaizhong, who had just entered from outside, suddenly came in.
"Let them in quickly," the Third Prince immediately ordered.
They will never give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope.
Before long, a group of doctors came in.
It was said that these doctors were recruited from various places. There are too few military doctors on the battlefield, and the presence of volunteer doctors can save more soldiers.
Meng Xiangbei glanced casually at the group of doctors and suddenly spotted a familiar, slender figure trailing behind them.
No, that can't be.
Meng Xiangbei looked again, and when he finally confirmed it, his hand holding the silver spear suddenly clenched tightly.
Perhaps sensing Meng Xiangbei's burning gaze, the other person also looked over, and their eyes met instantly.
“Husband…” Qiao Qingjun murmured blankly, his eyes burning.
He wasn't mistaken; it was his husband. He had finally seen his husband. Thank goodness, his husband was alright, he was perfectly fine.
"Dr. Qiao, let's hurry up and catch up." The servant beside him saw him standing there in a daze and quickly reminded him.
Qiao Qingjun snapped out of his daze and immediately followed, but he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.
He really wanted to hug his husband.
Meng Xiangbei couldn't investigate why Qiao Qingjun had suddenly appeared here. He could only wait for an opportunity to find out more about him and get to the bottom of it.
"If any of you can save General Qian, I, the prince, will reward you handsomely."
Doctors took turns examining Qian Zheng's pulse, and the people around him held onto hope. But as one doctor after another shook their heads and left, their initial flame of hope was extinguished once again.
Several generals who had a deep bond with Qian Zheng were already in tears.
Several military doctors sighed. They hadn't held out any hope from the start. Even imperial physicians from the palace couldn't save the critically injured Qian Zheng, let alone these unknown and incompetent folk doctors. It was just a death throes, a waste of time.
When it was Qiao Qingjun's turn, he sneered.
How could such a young boy have such skills? At their age, many of them were still apprentices in pharmacies.
Qiao Qingjun stepped forward and carefully examined Qian Zheng's pulse.
"Doctor, how is it?" a general asked routinely, though he held no hope whatsoever; this was the last doctor available.
Qiao Qingjun didn't speak immediately, but checked it carefully again.
“It can be cured.” Just when everyone’s hearts sank to the bottom, Qiao Qingjun spoke.
"Really?" Murong Yin's gloomy eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed Qiao Qingjun's shoulder, and asked again with surprise, "Are you telling the truth?"
Murong Yin got excited and unconsciously tightened his grip, causing Qiao Qingjun to wince in pain.
"Third Prince, you're hurting him." Meng Xiangbei immediately stepped forward and brushed Murong Yin's hand away, his expression not good, and shielded Qiao Qingjun behind him.
Author's Note: [This story is slowly coming to an end; I'll write a few more chapters. PS: My next story is about the ghost husband and his impoverished college student wife and children, as described in the synopsis.]