CHAPTER 169: CHAPTER 169: ARRANGEMENTS

Bao Er lost his mother early, and years ago, his father injured his leg, then succumbed to a severe fever. Bao Er lives alone, having enough to eat and worry about; he stays directly at the military camp.

Now that Bao Er and Fangniang are married, they’ve received the Commandery Princess’s approval, and Commander Qin has been quite generous, directly setting aside an empty tent as their new home.

Bao Er serves as a cook, and Fangniang now works in the kitchen. The two of them live together at night and serve in the kitchen during the day. It’s very convenient for them.

The Personal Guard Camp has eighteen hundred men; out of these, about sixty percent are older and married, while there are still a few hundred bachelors without wives.

Bao Er and Fangniang’s wedding was simple yet lively; the entire military camp caught some of the joy, indulging in a hearty feast. As Bao Er joyfully led his wife into their new home, some bachelors couldn’t help but have a fleeting thought.

Previously, there were no women in the military camp; now, there are a dozen in the kitchen, a dozen around Miss Sun, plus five fierce female bandits, making up dozens of beautiful women. Perhaps one of them might be ...

As for having come from a bandit den, those who mind will mind, while those who don’t care, simply don’t.

In any case, Bao Er marrying Fangniang set a good precedent.

The only one upset was Tao Da.

Tao Da, who was always known for his appetite, ate nothing that day, silently standing in front of his tent, watching the festivities from afar.

The personal soldiers sharing Tao Da’s tent didn’t dare approach, keeping a distance for fear that Tao Da might suddenly lash out.

The next day coincided with the military camp’s rest day.

The Personal Guard Camp takes a rest day once a month, lasting two days.

Tao Da returned home.

Old Lady Tao was in no good mood, angrily pointing at her son’s forehead, scolding: "I agreed to it already, so what’s with the sour face! I’m telling you, bring that unlucky wench home, and keep her there. Don’t have her showing up in the military camp every day, teaching a bunch of men to read and write. Is that something a proper woman should be doing?"

"I must be cursed rotten. Ended up with such a stubborn son, as well as this kind of daughter-in-law; in the future, how can I hold my head up..."

Old Lady Tao, who had honed her scolding skills over years, launched into a tirade, spitting with such fervor that droplets flew onto Tao Da’s face.

Tao Da watched his mother in her domineering state; Kong Qingwan’s graceful, smiling face flashed through his mind, and suddenly he understood.

Why should he marry Miss Kong?

Marry her and have her serve his mother?

Miss Kong, with her beauty and intellect, well-read and educated; had she not ended up in a bandit den, such a girl ought to marry a scholar as his wife or into a wealthy family as a lady. How did he deserve someone like her?

Miss Kong, clear-headed, naturally rejected his marriage proposal.

He ought to let go of this obsession.

"Mother," Tao Da thought he was speaking loudly, but he actually forced out a sentence with great effort: "I won’t marry Miss Kong."

Old Lady Tao was taken aback, her scolding abruptly ceased: "Didn’t I agree? Why aren’t you marrying her now?"

Tao Da pursed his lips tightly, after a moment managing to squeeze out: "Miss Kong doesn’t want to get married."

Old Lady Tao scoffed: "Pretending. Coming out of a bandit den, even if she wanted to marry, someone must be willing. She finally found a fool like you and didn’t latch on, but instead put on airs..."

Tao Da’s head buzzed, and unexpectedly, he shouted: "Shut up!"

Old Lady Tao, startled by her son’s sudden fury, instinctively fell silent.

"Miss Kong has done nothing wrong." Tao Da’s large, round eyes fixed fiercely on his mother: "She doesn’t want to marry, not that no one wants to marry her. You can’t say such things about her."

"If you dare speak ill of her again, I won’t come back."

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

Old Lady Tao, face flushed with anger, rushed forward and grabbed Tao Da’s sleeve, ready to continue arguing, but was momentarily shaken by his grim expression.

Never had Old Lady Tao seen her son behave like this; he was, after all, her flesh and blood, she couldn’t bear goading him further, so her voice softened: "Fine, fine, I won’t say anything anymore. You only come home for two days a month, come on, let’s go back."

Tao Da remained unmoved: "Swear you’ll never insult Miss Kong again."

Old Lady Tao, grinding her teeth, took a solemn oath.

Tao Da added: "Besides, I won’t be marrying. You don’t need to go around arranging matches for me."

Old Lady Tao: "..."

...

On the rest day, most of the trusted aides were away from the Personal Guard Camp, leaving it much quieter.

Jiang Shaohua summoned Qin Zhanmeng, Dashan, Liu Hengchang, and Song Yuan for a meeting; all the influential military generals of the Personal Guard Camp were present.

"Today I’ve called you here to discuss the new military camp." Jiang Shaohua went straight to the point without beating around the bush: "The new military camp is built. Today is decided, once the rest day is over, we’ll begin relocating the camp."

Qin Zhanmeng and Dashan exchanged glances and sat up straight: "Awaiting the Commandery Princess’s orders."

They expressed concern about moving but were merely playing with words. Just as the Commandery Princess gave the command, they would act accordingly, without protest.

Liu Hengchang was slightly slower but similarly indicated: "The Third Camp is willing to relocate to the new military camp."

With two Personal Guard Camps set to move, only one could remain. Liu Hengchang understood that the one left behind wouldn’t be the Third Camp.

Unexpectedly, the Commandery Princess’s next words were: "I’ve decided to leave the Third Camp. The First and Second Camps move to the new military camp."

Liu Hengchang was taken aback, instinctively saying: "Commandery Princess! Isn’t this inappropriate?"

Qin Zhanmeng and Dashan were equally surprised. However, since Liu Hengchang spoke up, they felt it inappropriate to further object.

Jiang Shaohua responded softly: "Nothing is inappropriate. To me, all three Personal Guard Camps are the same; there’s no distinction of who came first."

"In terms of combat effectiveness, the Third Camp is somewhat stronger than the First and Second. This camp stays with the Third Camp."

Having said this much, Liu Hengchang had no choice but to accept and thank the Commandery Princess for her generosity.

Jiang Shaohua turned to Qin Zhan: "Commander Qin, any grievances about my arrangement?"

Qin Zhan replied immediately, without hesitation: "At your command, Commandery Princess, there is no grievance."

Jiang Shaohua nodded in satisfaction and looked at Dashan.

Before the Commandery Princess could ask, Dashan already candidly stated: "The new military camp is clean and spacious; nothing wrong with it. We’ll move there the day after tomorrow."

"It’s good that everyone agrees." Jiang Shaohua smiled: "Once moved to the new military camp, after a period of rest, we can start recruiting new soldiers."

"Each of you in the three camps will recruit separately and train separately. If any military funds are needed, just let me know."

"In half a year, I’ll come back. Then, I’ll watch the three camps’ drills. Next year, according to the drill rankings, we’ll allocate horses and armor."