195 – Final Battle

“This…” Qin Wencai looked at him in disappointment. He thought a bit and changed the topic, “Fine. You should know that your mother also misses you so much. When we go back, your father will take you—”

Lei Tie suddenly stood up and coldly said, “Imperial Doctor Qin, my wife said to give him time.”

Qin Wencai also got really angry and said in a heavy tone, “Grand General! This matter is between us, father and son. You don’t have the qualifica—”

“Imperial Doctor Qin!” Qin Mian interrupted his unreasonable words. He defensively embraced Lei Tie’s waist, “Lei Tie is my spouse. Whatever happens to me, he is qualified to make the decision.”

Qin Wencai looked at him with a wounded expression. He stretched out his right hand, wanting to touch Qin Mian, “Mian’er, your father just…”

Lei Tie pressed on Qin Mian’s shoulders to let him sit down. He coldly looked at Qin Wencai.

“Imperial Doctor Qin, have you thoroughly investigated why your son was stranded outside back then? Four years ago, this general [I] and my wife met a young man in the Capital who looked similar to my wife. By the man’s look, he obviously recognized my wife, and yet he did not acknowledge my wife. If one is to say that there is no reason for this, this general [I] won’t believe it. Presumably, your Qin Family isn’t peaceful? You think this general is going to let my wife get involved in your Qin Family’s trouble?”

“What…” Qin Wencai’s expression abruptly changed and changed again as he calmed down, “A young man who looked similar to Mian’er? Besides Mian’er, this old man also has two sons named Qin Jian and Qin Xue. Jian’er is older than Mian‘er and Xue’er is the youngest. May I know if the young man you saw is older or younger than Mian’er?”

Back then, the young man was obviously a few years older than Qin Mian – he was most likely Qin Jian. Qin Mian didn’t want Qin Wencai to blame him for trying to provoke Qin Wencai’s relationship with his two other sons, so he said, “Didn’t pay attention.”

Lei Tie indifferently said, “These are the problems that Imperial Doctor Qin should find out.”

Qin Wencai was unable to respond and secretly regretted it– he should not say that Lei Tie was not qualified to manage Qin Mian’s affairs. He was uncomfortable with the fact that the son he pampered since childhood was together with a man, but he should not show this kind of discontented expression. Qin Mian had no previous memory and many years’ worth of feelings with Lei Tie – they even raised sons together. It was only natural for Qin Mian to stand on Lei Tie’s side.

He stood up and bowed with hands held in front as he apologized to Lei Tie in a frank and straightforward manner, “Grand General, this old man I have just recovered my son. In a moment of excitement, my speech has become inappropriate. Still, this old man I ask Grand General not to be offended considering my ten years’ loss of a son.”

“This general hasn’t seen my wife for a long time; there’s a lot to say.”

Qin Wencai tactfully asked to be excused.

Qin Mian rested on Lei Tie’s shoulder and kissed that cold wooden face.

Lei Tie put his arms around him, picked him up, and pressed him on the floor……

The night sky spread its curtain; the silent stars twinkled. Thousands of bonfires were lit in the camp; the flames swayed within the gale. In the morning, a large wok hung above the bonfire – the smell of steamed bread floated over the whole camp. In a heavy pot, meaty bones, meat cubes, cabbage, radish, and potatoes churned inside – the seductive aroma was mouth-watering.

In Lei Tie’s military tent, Qin Mian was sound asleep with a pillow in his arms.

“Wife, wife…”

Qin Mian immediately woke up and sat up so suddenly that the quilt slipped off his shoulder, “Going to battle?”

Lei Tie pulled up the cotton-padded quilt to wrap him in and softly kissed him on the lips, “Not yet. I need you to add some spiritual spring water into all the pots. When the soldiers have enough food and drink, I’ll immediately launch an all-out attack on Tuluo.”

Qin Mian nodded and put clothes on his body. At the side, Lei Tie picked up the underwear and socks and helped him put them on. Noticing that his wife’s feet sensitively shrunk away, he could not help but bow his head and kissed the big toe.

Qin Mian stared wide-eyed at him and quickly retracted his feet, “I’ll wear it myself!”

After getting dressed, he took out half a bucket of spiritual spring water from the space, mixed it with half a bucket of water, and then poured a large packet of seasonings into it. He stirred the mixture evenly using his vital spirit before carrying the wooden bucket out of the tent and had someone get the camp chargehand to call the meal chief.

“Chief Chen, you must have heard of Double Xiang House. This is our homemade eighteen-flavored seasoning. You help me add a spoonful to each soup pot so that all the soldiers can eat to their hearts’ content and have more energy to attack the enemy.”

Since a major poisoning case occurred in the camp, the people in the meal department had become very cautious. As the person in charge of the meal department, Chief Chen was even more cautious. He politely smiled and glanced at Lei Tie in an inquiring manner. Upon seeing Lei Tie nodded, he took the bucket with gratefulness and cheerfully said, “Thank you, Qin-daren. This lowly one will do it at once!”

“So many campfires?” Qin Mian hinted at Lei Tie.

Lei Tie said, “Don’t worry, I used an illusion to cover it.”

Qin Mian nodded and followed Chief Chen.

The soldiers soon learned that the seasoning Chief Chen brought came from the country-wide famous Double Xiang House – they were both delighted and excited. In order not to attract the enemy’s attention, everyone was rationally restrained and did not dare to make a cheer.

The bucket of seasoning was properly distributed to each soup pot. When the pot was stirred with a large ladle, the aroma of the broth smelled more fragrant and richer as it wafted over the camp. Many people swallowed their saliva.

Outside the camp, the soldiers in charge of vigilance had drool steadily flowed out, but they did not dare to act rashly because they were on duty.

Deputy General Liu walked over with a small squadron of ten and a smile on his face.

“Everyone doesn’t have to worry. The grand general has specially ordered this general to deliver a message to you saying that he left you a few big pots of food with more meat in it!”

Smiles of expectation appeared on the guarding soldiers’ faces.

“Thank you, Deputy General Liu!”

Deputy General Liu inspected the outside of the camp and brought the words of the grand general to every soldier on guard.

When the meaty bone stew in the pot was nicely cooked, everyone began to eat.

While on the battlefield, Lei Tie had always eaten with the soldiers and this time was no exception – he sat around the soup pot with a dozen other soldiers.

One scooped up a large serving of food and soup into the bowl, took a bite of a thick steamed bun and a bite of meat, and then drank a mouthful of soup – one’s stomach was full at once. Or, one torn the steamed bun into pieces and soaked in the soup – it was also very tasty.

Qin Mian sat on the ground next to Lei Tie, holding a big bowl. This was the first time he had a meal with hundreds of thousands of people. He couldn’t help but look around, feeling very novel.

Lei Tie scooped up the food with the ladle for him and rubbed his head. The intimate action, gentle expression, and doting gaze made the nearby soldiers secretly exhaled. They must have misinterpreted it. How could that kind of expression appear on the face of their grim-faced grand general?

Qin Mian turned his head and focused on eating. The meaty bones were simmered long enough that the overcooked meat could completely detach from the bones by gently scraping it with chopsticks. When one put the meat in one’s mouth and chewed while savoring it, it was extremely delicious.

Everyone ate very fast; Qin Mian couldn’t help but speed up.

Lei Tie finished eating first and hurriedly left after leaving Qin Mian with a sentence, “I’m going ahead.”

After the rest of the soldiers quickly finished their meal, they put the bowls and chopsticks on the ground, swiftly sprang up, and gathered on the simple drill ground next to the military camp without a word.

In a short while, only Qin Mian, Qin Wencai, the mess cooks, and over two hundred military doctors with their medical assistants were left in the vicinity.

The military doctors also did not eat slowly. After filling their stomachs, they picked up their medicine boxes and hurried to the drill ground. Qin Mian and Qin Wencai quickly followed.

In contra, the mess cooks didn’t have anything to be anxious about. After eating, each took two big baskets, picked up the tableware and chopsticks on the ground, and cleaned up the camp in an orderly manner.

After the tens of thousands of soldiers were assembled, they sneaked into the enemy’s camp in the dim light of the night, preparing for a night attack.

The military doctors followed behind neither close nor far.

About an hour later, from the front direction came a strong smell of blood. About three quarters later, sky-shaking war drums and high-pitched marching voices rose steeply from the ground. The torches were also lit. The soldiers of Great Xia flooded into the camp of Tuluo like a turbulent tide.

“Forward—”

“Attack—”

“……”

At this time, the military doctors quickly chased up and rushed to the fallen soldiers. By the light of the torches, they judged whether the soldiers were dead, then inspected the wounds on the wounded soldiers, skillfully stopped the bleeding, applied medicine, and bandaged them.

The fallen soldiers were either seriously injured or killed in action, otherwise, they would not easily topple over.

Qin Mian used his vital spirit to shield against the strong fishy smell. He treated the wounded soldiers with an extremely fast movement. He sprinkled medicinal powder and bandaged; sprinkled medicinal powder and bandaged…

…

Doctor Yu squatted beside a wounded soldier. He wiped the sweat from his face and looked left and right, “Eh––Qin-daren and Imperial Doctor Qin, you know, every time we went to the battlefield previously, we could only helplessly watch the soldiers fall one after another and feel very unbearable. Today, there are fewer wounded soldiers than before!”

Only Qin Mian who was present understood that it was the spiritual spring water that had made the soldiers stronger, their five senses sharper than ever, and naturally they were much quicker to dodge the enemy attacks.

“Speaking of which, both Qin-daren and Imperial Doctor Qin are surnamed Qin.” Another military doctor curiously asked, “Are you relatives?”

Qin Wencai opened his mouth but said nothing.

Qin Mian dully smiled, “It’s just a coincidence…” He stayed away from other military doctors without a trace and sealed the meridians of the wounded soldiers with his vital spirit when no one paid attention. This method was much faster to stop the bleeding.

“Dong—Dong—Dongdong—” The pounding of the war drum was intermittently high and low, intermittently swift and slow, but continued to sound. The shouts at battle in front were like waves coming after another.

Over time, the military doctors gradually became tired and no longer had the energy to talk – their hands repeated the actions of treating wounds over and over again as if they had their own consciousness.

Qin Mian fished out a bottle of pill from his inner pocket and took out a pill. He gave it to the medical assistant under him, “Dissolve this pill with three pots of boiling water and give all the military doctors and medical assistants a cup.”

“Aye!”

Doctor Yu curiously asked, “Qin-daren, what is that?”

Qin Mian explained, “It’s a pill that I made myself. It can rejuvenate one’s spirit to freshen up. Because the effect is too strong, it needs to be added with more water.”