usatvline Chapter 057 High 1 Merit
Chapter 057 High 1 Merit
"Come on! Sit here with your brother-in-law!"
Seeing his brother-in-law's reserved appearance, Zhou Lun smiled and waved to him.
Gao Yigong glanced at his sister Gao Guiying subconsciously. Seeing his sister smile and nod at him, he then walked over and sat down next to Zhou Lun.
Gao Guiying placed the noodles on the table and handed one bowl to her younger brother.
Seeing that he was still a bit reserved, Zhou Lun didn't say anything more and simply picked up his chopsticks and started eating from his bowl. It must be said, Gao Guiying was a master at managing the household; the noodles were truly excellent. Plus, Zhou Lun was already hungry, so he ate with gusto. After a few slurps, almost half the noodles in his bowl were gone.
Seeing that his brother-in-law had already started eating, Gao Yigong swallowed hard as he looked at the noodles in front of him. He couldn't resist any longer and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
Despite being just a young boy, Gao Yigong had a surprisingly good appetite. He ate just as fast as Zhou Lun, finishing nearly half of a large bowl of noodles in no time.
Seeing her husband and brother enjoying their meal, Gao Guiying's eyes were filled with joy.
As a woman, she ate slowly and deliberately. After a while, seeing that the two had almost finished eating, Gao Guiying picked up her bowl, first scooped some into Zhou Lun's bowl, and then scooped some into her younger brother's bowl as well.
"You're a man, you should eat more. So should my little brother, he's at the age where he's growing." Gao Guiying said to the two of them with a smile.
"Thank you, sis!" Gao Yigong grinned and said to his sister. Then, as if remembering something, he quickly added to Zhou Lun beside him, "Thank you, brother-in-law!"
"Silly boy, thank your sister, why are you thanking me?"
Zhou Lun smiled and shook his head. This kid seemed polite and honest. As his eldest sister, Gao Guiying had raised him all these years; nominally the eldest sister, she was practically his mother. Out of love for her, Zhou Lun was quite satisfied with his wife, and naturally felt a bit close to his brother-in-law. Besides, who wouldn't like such a sensible child?
Now that he had married Gao Guiying, his brother-in-law was considered part of Zhou Lun's family. Gao Guiying had already consulted him on their wedding night about bringing his younger brother to live with them, and Zhou Lun had readily agreed.
After finishing his noodles, Zhou Lun put down his chopsticks and slowly drank the noodle soup in his bowl.
He glanced at Gao Yigong beside him, thought for a moment, and said to Gao Guiying, "We're discussing matters today, and the rebel army will be heading north tomorrow. My unit will be the vanguard and will depart ahead of schedule. Yingzi, I've already made arrangements for you here; you and my younger brother will follow the central army."
These words startled both Gao Guiying and Gao Yigong.
Gao Guiying seemed surprised that they would be setting off so soon after their wedding, but she quickly recovered and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, husband, we'll go with the central army. But, husband, you'll be the vanguard, so you'll have to be careful along the way..."
"It's alright. Chief Wang is currently in Shenmu, which is only four hundred li from here. There won't be any danger on the way north. Besides, my elder brother not only gave me three hundred veteran soldiers, but also transferred three hundred new soldiers, making a total of six hundred men. Plus, Brother Tie Niu will be traveling with me, so you can rest assured."
"That's good, but even so, we should still be cautious along the way. Send out scouts frequently during the march to ensure safety," Gao Guiying said solemnly.
Zhou Lun felt a warmth in his heart and nodded in agreement.
"Brother-in-law!" Just then, Gao Yigong suddenly called out to Zhou Lun.
Seeing Zhou Lun turn to look at him, Gao Yigong said seriously, "It's no problem for my sister to go to the central army, but I want to go with my brother-in-law."
"Why is that?" Zhou Lun asked in surprise.
Gao Guiying went to Gao Yingxiang's central army unit; that was the safest place. Gao Yigong, as her brother-in-law and Gao Yingxiang's nephew, naturally went along. Why did he suddenly want to come with her?
This was no sightseeing trip. Although Zhou Lun felt there wouldn't be any safety issues on the way north, it was still a military march.
The vanguard moves very fast, and they are bound to be covered in dust and wind along the way. How can that compare to the comfort of staying in the central command?
Gao Yigong said seriously, "I'm not young anymore. Now that I've joined the righteous army, I'm one of them. Besides, I have you, brother-in-law. The family should naturally be together. It can't be that you, brother-in-law, are fighting on the front lines while I hide in the middle of the army with my sister and enjoy the good life, can it?"
"Besides, I discussed it with my sister before my brother-in-law returned. I decided to join the rebel army and serve under my brother-in-law. My sister agreed, but she hasn't had a chance to tell my brother-in-law yet. Since my brother-in-law will be the vanguard tomorrow, I naturally want to go with him!"
"This..." Zhou Lun subconsciously looked up at Gao Guiying sitting opposite him.
Gao Guiying nodded, acknowledging that this was indeed the case.
She said to Zhou Lun, "My lord, my younger brother is not young anymore. Since we are already husband and wife, and he has this intention, please grant his request and let him follow you."
"Young man!" Zhou Lun said sternly to Gao Yigong, "Being a soldier is no child's play. Joining the army means fighting, and fighting means death! Aren't you afraid?"
"Why should I be afraid?" Gao Yigong retorted. "Brother-in-law, aren't you the leader of the rebel army? And Uncle is an even bigger leader! Now that my sister has married my brother-in-law, we're all family. There's an old saying: 'Like father, like son; like brothers, like brothers.' My elder sister is like a mother, and my brother-in-law is not only my elder brother but also like a father. How can I, as his younger brother, stand by and watch him charge into battle while I hide in the back? Although I, Gao Yigong, am young, I can still wield a sword and go into battle. I will absolutely not let you down, brother-in-law!"
"My dear husband, my mind is made up. Let me go with you. Besides, once we join the righteous army, we are part of it. If others can be soldiers, why can't I? And with you leading the way, I feel at ease," Gao Guiying advised from the side.
Seeing the resolute expressions on their faces, Zhou Lun hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded slowly.
"That works too!"
As soon as he finished speaking, seeing Gao Yigong's delighted expression, Zhou Lun said sternly, "Joining the army is not child's play. Once you're in the army, you must obey orders! Besides, you are my brother-in-law, but there's no such thing as 'brother-in-law' or 'brother-in-law' in the army. The rules in the army are different from those at home. If you violate military orders, even if I'm your brother-in-law, I can't protect you!"
"Don't worry, brother-in-law, I understand!"
Zhou Lun nodded and said, "In that case, you will first serve as a squad leader in the army, leading a squad of men..."
"Honey, this is inappropriate!"
Before Zhou Lun could finish speaking, Gao Guiying interrupted, "I'm new to the army and know nothing. I haven't made any contributions yet. How can I be a squad leader? Let me be an ordinary volunteer soldier. I'll learn the rules in the army first and make some contributions before you decide on a placement."
"This..." Zhou Lun hadn't expected Gao Guiying to make such a suggestion. He subconsciously glanced at Gao Yigong and, seeing no displeasure on his face, silently nodded in agreement.
"That's fine then." Zhou Lun readily agreed, "Let me be your personal guard for now, and we'll make further arrangements later. Are you satisfied with this arrangement, young man?"
"Yes, yes! Thank you, brother-in-law!" Gao Yigong grinned widely. In his heart, whether he became a sergeant or not didn't matter at all; being a legitimate member of the militia was enough.
Moreover, Zhou Lun had arranged for him to become his personal guard, and with his brother-in-law teaching him step by step, how could Gao Yigong not be satisfied?
After arranging Gao Yigong's affairs, Gao Guiying spoke again. Since her husband and younger brother were both in the army, she, as a woman, could not remain uninvolved. The previous arrangement of sending her to the central army was somewhat inappropriate.
Furthermore, she told Zhou Lun that with the vanguard at the forefront, the army's logistics also needed someone to manage. Having managed a household for many years, she was quite knowledgeable about miscellaneous matters. Besides, women are meticulous, and they are generally more suitable and reliable than men when it comes to handling logistical matters. In that case, she planned to go with Zhou Lun, which would make it much easier for her to assist with logistics and take care of him.
"That won't do!" Zhou Lun refused without even thinking.
"Why not? Is it because I'm a woman?" Gao Guiying retorted.
Zhou Lun advised, "Marching is not like going on a trip. Although there is no great risk in heading north this time, it is still an army, and it is full of men. It will be inconvenient for you, a woman, to go on a military campaign."
"What's inconvenient about that?" Gao Guiying said. "That's exactly right, and I have to go with them. It's better to get familiar with the military now than to be completely clueless when the fighting starts. After the rebel army marches north, they will inevitably fight against the government troops. My husband, you can't always put me in a safe place, can you? Once the fighting starts, where is there any real safety?"
"As a daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, your wife will certainly not be a burden to you. Rather than encountering such a situation later, it's better for me to accompany you to the army now. That way, if war breaks out in the future, you won't have to worry about me, wouldn't that be better?"
"This..." Zhou Lun was speechless for a moment after Gao Guiying's words.
Her words were not without merit. The rebel army was not the government army; they had no reliable rear base, and future battles could occur at any time.
Just as Gao Guiying said, once war breaks out, where is there any absolutely safe place? Rather than worrying about her later, it's better to let her join the army now and familiarize herself with marching and setting up camp. In this way, when war actually breaks out, Gao Guiying, who is familiar with the army, can adapt to the situation. It's much better than me having to fight and take care of my family at the same time.
"It's settled then!" Seeing Zhou Lun hesitate, Gao Guiying smiled and finalized the matter.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Lun was helpless. After thinking for a moment, he reluctantly nodded. Since she wanted to try, let her try first. If Gao Guiying really couldn't stand the hardships of the army, it wouldn't be too late to make other arrangements later.