Dai Zhanxiao yelled sternly, “Although Wang Shijing left the Vanguard Army, his heart is still with us, thinking about his comrades who are still defending Tiger Crossing Pass. Today, he has donated gold for everyone to buy meat and clothes. Tomorrow, I don’t want to hear anyone going to Wang Shijing to borrow money or ask for money. If I find out, there will be military punishment!”

“We obey, Young General. Dai Zhanxiao’s severity instantly turned into a smile and he waved his hand, saying, “Eat the meat!” Some of the onlookers couldn’t hold back. “Young Warlord, please give us some soup to drink!”

“Young Warlord! Just a sip to satisfy our craving!” One person took the lead and everyone couldn’t help themselves. The tantalizing aroma of lamb in the air made it impossible for them to swallow plain rice and wild vegetables soup!

Dai Zhanxiao put his hands on his hips and quipped, “What’s this? Is one sip of soup not enough?” The soldiers in the crowd shouted, “Two sips will do!”

“Haha!” Dai Zhanxiao teased them further. “Today, it’s impossible. Today’s lamb is reserved for our Vanguard Army. If you want lamb soup, you’ll have to wait until next time.”

“Young General! When is the next time?”

“Wait until we buy more sheep!”

Other soldiers, who initially thought they had no hope, were instantly excited. If this were not a military camp and the generals, including the Grand General, were not sitting on the inspection platform, they would have stormed the training ground to grab the lamb and soup. But the Young General promised them lamb soup next time!

The generals on the platform, except for Dai Mingrong, all laughed heartily. Song Shiying was no longer unhappy either. If his soldiers could get a sip of soup too, that was fine!

However, although Dai Zhanxiao had stated that this meal was only for the Vanguard Army, in reality, the soldiers who received meat carried their bowls and ran to the onlooking ‘audience.’ Everyone laughed as they scrambled for the food and for a while, laughter and playful ‘complaints’ filled the entire Army camp. 

All the generals and soldiers, including the 80,000-strong main force and the Vanguard Army, had one plate of roasted lamb and one bowl of meaty lamb soup before refusing more. With only a few dozen sheep, even one bowl per person wouldn’t be enough. Jiang Kangchen noticed that all the generals, including Grand General Dai Mingrong, declined the roasted meat and meaty soup offered by their subordinates. He pushed away his own portion as well, feeling particularly moved and appreciative of Shao Yunan’s benevolent act.

Dai Mingrong, looking at the soldiers mixed together, regardless of whether they were from the Vanguard Army or the main force, spoke. “Our soldiers of the Great State of Yan may endure hardships, but they are also blessed. Today, thanks to Wang Shijing’s donation of 3,500 taels of gold, our comrades will enjoy meat. Tomorrow, every soldier among us will remember even more the Army where he once served.”

“The Grand Emperor’s Royal Highness is planning a ‘Relief Fund.’ What is the ‘Relief Fund’? It is a fund that will provide financial assistance in the future to our soldiers who become disabled or pass away in battle. They will not become impoverished because of their disabilities or leave their families destitute because of their deaths. Our soldiers can be even more fearless on the battlefield without any worries!”

“Generals! Is this matter true?!” All the generals present stood up. Dai Mingrong looked at Jiang Kangchen and Jiang Kangchen stood up, bowing to everyone with solemnity. He said, “This matter is indeed true! The grain and supplies I brought with me this time were purchased from the funds allocated by the Empress from the ‘Relief Fund.’ All the funds in the Relief Fund come from private donations, a portion from the Emperor and the Empress’ private treasury, and another portion from business profits.” 

“This time, the Empress has allocated almost all the funds from the Relief Fund to purchase provisions and supplies for the Winged Tiger Army. The Empress said that the court will have money in the future, and the soldiers will receive their provisions and salaries. In the future, the Relief Fund will not only assist soldiers disabled or killed in battle but also aid the families of these soldiers, and support elderly individuals without children, and orphans without parents. As long as they are in need within the Great State of Yan, they fall within the scope of the Relief Fund.”

“Of course, the premise for assistance is that the fund has enough money and this may take a long time. But I believe that one day, the Great State of Yan will become a prosperous nation where the elderly are cared for, the young are educated, the poor have support, the distressed have assistance, and the widowed, orphaned, and disabled are all cared for!”

“Excellent!”

The generals on the platform.

“Excellent!”

The soldiers below Dai Mingrong, moved, bowed toward the direction of the capital city and exclaimed, “Long live our Emperor! A thousand years, ten thousand years, countless millennia! Long live the Empress! A thousand years, ten thousand years, countless millennia!”

All the generals and soldiers knelt down. Jiang Kangchen and Dai Zhanxiao knelt down as well, facing the direction of the capital city, and kowtowed, saying, “Long live our Emperor! A thousand years, ten thousand years, countless millennia! Long live the Empress! A thousand years, ten thousand years, countless millennia!”

Jiang Kangchen, prostrated on the ground, was deeply moved by this scene. His recent words about the significance of the Relief Fund mentioned by Shao Yunan felt unbelievable to him at the time and he was full of doubt. But now, kneeling on the cold ground at the Tiger Crossing Pass, his heart was burning with an unprecedented fervor. 

He suddenly felt how pitiful he had been in the past. All he did was lament the unfairness of fate, the bullying of his mother-in-law, and his son Moxi’s illness. Looking at these soldiers who found it difficult to even drink a sip of meat soup, what did he have to complain about? He left everything for Wu Jian to handle on his own, only avoiding it himself. He was unwilling to fight… unwilling to find solutions to his own situation. When Wu Jian said he couldn’t protect him and their son, he, as a man, hadn’t protected Moxi or Wu Jian either.

Jiang Kangchen wiped away his tears vigorously, then looked in the direction of the capital city. He felt extremely grateful that he met Shao Yunan. At this moment, in the harsh conditions of the Tiger Crossing Pass, he found redemption.

On this day, Jiang Kangchen’s inner world underwent a profound transformation, which would directly alter the course of his future destiny. It was also on this day that Emperor Yongming, Murong Kun, and Empress Dai Zhiyou, who had previously held great prestige in the military, saw their influence rise to unprecedented heights among the troops.

On this day, the soldiers of the Winged Tiger Army were as jubilant as if it were New Year’s Day, perhaps even happier. In the evening, Shi Zhuang, Shi Qiang, and the deputy commanders from other battalions went out to gather sheep. If there were pigs, that would be even better! Everyone enjoyed meat if there was any and soup if there wasn’t. With 3,500 taels of gold in the bitter cold of Tiger Crossing Pass, they could buy numerous sheep and plenty of meat. 

The next day, Dai Mingrong ordered Dai Mao to lead a 500-man escort team to deliver the other half of the grain and supplies to the Pass. As they were about to leave, Dai Mao hesitated and asked, “Grand General, can we keep some wine?” After saying this, he covered his head and ran, because Grand General Dai gave him a fierce glare.

“Father, this goat’s milk wine is really delicious,” Dai Zhanxiao licked his lips, earning another angry glare from his father. With no one else around, Dai Zhanxiao leaned closer and whispered, “Father, Big Brother Kangchen said this wine is brewed by little brother. If we recognize him as our brother, can’t we have as much of it as we want?” Dai Mingrong asked, “Aren’t you afraid of making a mistake?”

Dai Zhanxiao shook his head vigorously. “No, no mistake. Someone as talented as him must be my little brother. Even if he’s not our blood relative, father, you can still adopt him as your son, right?”

Dai Mingrong waved his hand, pushing his son away with a palm. “You want to recognize someone as your brother just for the sake of wine? Are you still a general? Don’t be foolish!” Dai Zhanxiao rubbed his head and came closer again, speaking seriously. “Father, when will you send a letter to Little Brother?”

Dai Mingrong replied, “This matter needs careful consideration. I’ve thought about it, and it’s best to have Jiang Neiguan deliver the letter to him. ‘He’ may be in Xiushui Village now, but it’s clear that he has the Emperor’s favor. He is also Cen Yuebai’s adoptive son and Jiang Kangning’s rightous brother. Jiang Neiguan even mentioned that Lord An even recognized him as the nephew. Once the Empress knows about this, I believe he will arrange everything properly for our Dai family. If we go to recognize him in person, it might stir up controversy.”

Dai Zhanxiao frowned, “If he really is our brother, why should we worry about controversy? Are we less important than a county magistrate, a Confucian scholar, or even a eunuch?” He only said this in his heart. How could he utter such words aloud? After all, Lord An was the close aide to the Empress, his little uncle.

“Nonsense!” Dai Mingrong glared at his son. “Do you think Jiang Kangning is just a county magistrate? Do you think Cen Yuebai is just a college dean? Not to mention ‘him.’ With his abilities, do you really think he cares so much about his parentage? If he did, he would have asked Jiang Kangning and Cen Yuebai to help him find his relatives long ago. Who stands behind Jiang Kangning and Cen Yuebai? It’s Senior Tutor Weng! If he’s willing, he could even have the Emperor and the Empress help him find his relatives! But he hasn’t. That alone shows he has no such intention. You only know how to fight. You don’t understand anything else. In this regard, you can’t compare to him!”

Dai Zhanxiao pursed his lips. “I’m comparing myself to my own brother, not someone else. Regardless of whether he’s our brother or not, for his generous donation to our Vanguard Army, I’ll consider him my brother.”

Dai Mingrong gave his biological son another stern look. “You are not to utter a word about this matter! Not even to your uncle or cousin. Leave this matter for the Empress and your grandfather to decide, do you understand?”

“I understand,” replied Dai Zhanxiao, but he was clearly displeased. “I want to recognize my brother simply because he is my brother, not because he’s a favorite of the Emperor!” Dai Mingrong scolded, “You gorged yourself on meat yesterday, now, get back to your training!”

Dai Zhanxiao straightened up, adjusted his attire, and left in large strides. Dai Mingrong rubbed his forehead and sighed. His heart was conflicted. He hoped that ‘he’ was his long-lost son, yet he also didn’t want such a capable ‘person’ to be his son.

As the tent flap was lifted, Dai Mingrong looked up, immediately adopting an imposing expression. “Why have you returned?” It was Dai Zhanxiao, back for a second time. He walked into the tent and approached his father, speaking softly. “I forgot to tell you something, Father.”

“Speak!”

“Big Brother Kangchen said that ‘he’ has attempted suicide before.”

“What?!” Dai Mingrong was shocked, slamming his palm onto the desk. “Shao’s family pressured him to marry and the Wang family pressured him to break the engagement, so he attempted suicide.” Dai Mingrong’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Regardless of whether he is my brother or not, based on the gold he donated to our Vanguard Army, I’ll consider him my brother.” With these words, Dai Zhanxiao left. Dai Mingrong clenched his fist slowly. After a while, the guards outside the tent heard a loud ‘thud’ from the Grand General’s tent.

Edited by: Jaisland

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