"Haha, congratulations Flag Captain Zhou, congratulations Flag Captain Zhou."
"The brothers from Luming Village, Fu Gui is doing the best!"
"Isn't that obvious? You, my whole life, will be nothing more than a common soldier, while Brother Fu Gui is destined for a great future."
"We should indeed praise Fu Gui for his good name. Wealth and honor, wealth and honor! It's as easy as taking something from a bag. High officials and noble titles are just around the corner!"
"Treat us! Treat us! Today he must bleed us dry and treat us to a good drink!"
Yan army commander Murong Bole personally issued the order, promoting Zhou Fugui to be a flag captain. The Yan army acted decisively and immediately announced Zhou Fugui as the commander of a flag.
Zhou Fugui, having turned misfortune into good fortune, was promoted from squad leader to flag captain.
When Zhou Fugui was in Youzhou, he was just like them, a common soldier in the Yan army. But in such a short time, he went from a common soldier to a squad leader, then a flag captain, without even passing through the ranks of deputy officers. He had risen faster and higher than a "rocket"!
A group of fellow villagers from Luming Village in Youzhou came to congratulate him. Among them were those who were genuinely happy for Zhou Fugui, such as Xu Mancang, Li Qing, Suo Dacheng, Dian Meng, Pan Guiji, Wei Shazi, and Yi Jisheng. There were also those who were jealous, like Li Hu.
To them, a flag captain was already a great official.
Those who were happy were naturally overjoyed, while those who were jealous cursed in their hearts, asking why Zhou Fugui was rising like a rocket. Was it just because of his looks?
At the same time, for a Han Chinese soldier to become a Yan army flag captain was a rare occurrence.
"Congratulations, congratulations? Congratulations, my foot! Go, go, get lost, go wherever it's cool..."
A group of fellow villagers came to congratulate him, but Zhou Fugui did not appreciate it. He doused them with cold water, leaving them all stunned.
Zhou Fugui scolded his fellow villagers. Now that they were under his command, he retreated into the military tent, followed by Xiao Qing.
Zhou Fugui did not care at all about this so-called flag captain. He did not care in the slightest, and even felt extreme disgust towards it.
If the Yan army were a righteous army, Zhou Fugui would naturally be happy. But the Yan army plundered everywhere, burning, killing, and looting, which made Zhou Fugui feel disgusted.
After becoming a flag captain, would Zhou Fugui also lead people to burn, kill, and loot? Zhou Fugui could not bring himself to do such a thing, and he was extremely disgusted by it.
Zhou Fugui had wanted to refuse, but in the Yan army, the consequences of disobeying orders were extremely severe. At the same time, now that Zhou Fugui had become a flag captain and held a little bit of power, perhaps he could lead his fellow villagers to survive and return to their homeland. Therefore, Zhou Fugui reluctantly accepted.
What made Zhou Fugui most furious was that the original flag captain, Albugu, had been promoted to camp leader, which meant he was the master of the Guogan Camp. This made Zhou Fugui extremely indignant.
During battles, he ran faster than anyone, was afraid of death, and bullied the common people. Yet, he acted like a fierce god and demon. Such a person actually became a camp leader? And was still Zhou Fugui's direct superior? Was it solely because he was of Xianbei descent?
Zhou Fugui absolutely could not accept this matter.
"So damn tired!" As soon as Zhou Fugui entered the military tent, he buried his head in the simple bedroll made of furs and groaned on the ground.
"Pfft!" Seeing Zhou Fugui like this, Xiao Qing couldn't help but chuckle.
After becoming a flag captain, Zhou Fugui had his own military tent, and no longer had to squeeze with the common soldiers. This was perhaps the only thing that made Zhou Fugui happy.
Xiao Qing, in Zhou Fugui's military tent, no longer had to be secretive and pretend to be a man with a gruff voice.
"Brother Fu Gui, you're tired. I'll boil you some tea to relieve your fatigue," Xiao Qing said softly after covering Zhou Fugui with a felt blanket.
The so-called tea that Xiao Qing mentioned was actually just a few new leaves. In wartime, everything was extremely scarce. How could Xiao Qing find actual tea leaves? She could only substitute them with freshly picked leaves.
At the same time, among the Xianbei people, tea might have been more precious than gold or silver.
However, Xiao Qing's tea-making skills were truly remarkable. The "tea" she brewed was indeed fragrant.
"Alas, what's the point of boiling tea?" Zhou Fugui sighed as he watched Xiao Qing busy herself, "I'm already tired of living, why would I drink tea?"
"Pfft..." Xiao Qing chuckled again as she boiled the tea, and said softly, "When people become officials, they are happy enough. Why are you tired of living?"
"This darn official position, I'd rather not have it!" Zhou Fugui shook his head and said, "Xiao Qing, what do you think? Alas, brother is now in a dilemma, neither able to go forward nor backward, neither able to advance nor retreat. It's an impossible situation, Xiao Qing. What should I do?"
"Brother Fu Gui, Xiao Qing doesn't know..." Xiao Qing said softly, "But wherever Brother Fu Gui goes, Xiao Qing will go."
"Alas, what you say is... inappropriate. Are you going to follow me to the battlefield? I'm talking about a major war, not everyday skirmishes." Zhou Fugui shook his head and said, "Brother is incompetent. I cannot help you find your family or settle you properly. However, Xiao Qing, brother will accomplish this sooner or later."
"Hehe, who says you're incompetent?" Xiao Qing chuckled and said, "In Xiao Qing's heart, Brother Fu Gui is the most capable person. Look at them, you are the most capable among them!"
"Are you talking about this damned flag captain?" Zhou Fugui continued to shake his head, "Today it's just the two of us. I'll tell you the truth. If it weren't for my family burdens, I would have run away long ago, to the ends of the earth, to live in seclusion and do things I like, so as to avoid living in fear here."
"Mm, Brother Fu Gui is thinking of a life like 'plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, leisurely gazing at the Southern Mountains'?" Xiao Qing said as she gently fanned the stove with a palm-leaf fan, "Xiao Qing wishes for that too. I don't want to live a life of constant fear. But Brother Fu Gui... can you escape? When Xiao Qing was in the palace, I also wanted to escape, but it was impossible. This is fate, the fate of servants like me."
"I... this... damn it..." Zhou Fugui, his heart hit by Xiao Qing's words, cursed and then sighed, "Alas, you are right. We are the knife's edge, and I am the fish. What can I do? What can I do? But Xiao Qing, your second sentence is wrong. What is fate? We are still young, are we going to accept our fate for the rest of our lives? No, absolutely not! My fate is mine to control, not heaven's! If heaven wants to destroy me, I will destroy heaven! If heaven insists on me being the fish, Zhou will fight to the death! Xiao Qing, you too."
"Brother Fu Gui..." Xiao Qing was shocked by Zhou Fugui's grand pronouncements. Her beautiful eyes stared blankly at Zhou Fugui. After a moment, she softly said, "I... am a... woman, and a lowly person... I dare not..."
"What the hell is a lowly person? Is wealth and honor determined by fate?" Zhou Fugui interrupted Xiao Qing and said, "Dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and rats' offspring can dig holes? Nonsense. Xiao Qing, from now on, you don't have to call yourself 'servant' anymore. You and I are both human, dignified humans. We are equals."
Xiao Qing stared blankly at Zhou Fugui again, utterly unable to comprehend his words. In her mind, how could a woman dare to be equal to a man?
At the same time, Zhou Fugui's mood swings, from dejected to excited, and his abrupt behavior, also made Xiao Qing find it somewhat amusing. But thinking that Zhou Fugui's condition was the result of his extreme internal struggle and conflict, Xiao Qing could no longer laugh.
"Brother Fu Gui, please have some tea!"
Xiao Qing brought the tea bowl and knelt beside Zhou Fugui, saying softly.
Zhou Fugui nodded. After speaking so much, his throat was dry. So he picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. He felt incredibly refreshed, and his agitated mood also improved significantly.
"Brother Fu Gui, I know what you're thinking," Xiao Qing had called herself "servant" since she was sensible and learned all sorts of etiquette. Zhou Fugui asked her to change, but how could she? So she still called herself "servant" and said, "You want to lead everyone to survive, yet you don't want to be complicit in evil. You must be feeling very distressed. Brother Fu Gui, you've truly suffered."
Hearing this, Zhou Fugui let out a long sigh. He truly wanted to exclaim, "Only Xiao Qing understands me!"
"Han traitor, hehe, Han traitor!" Zhou Fugui then mocked himself with a bitter smile.
"No, Brother Fu Gui, you are definitely not a Han traitor. Even if they say so, Xiao Qing knows you are not," Xiao Qing said, looking at Zhou Fugui. "Brother Fu Gui, didn't you say that we are the knife's edge and you are the fish? The fate of fish is only to be slaughtered and become a dish on someone's table. Therefore, this situation is absolutely not your intention. Since it's not your intention, how can you be a Han traitor? You are merely forced into it."
"Mm, you are right," Zhou Fugui nodded.
"Brother Fu Gui..." Xiao Qing continued, "Actually, you don't need to be so troubled. You are merely trying to survive. Why care about what others think of you? For the sake of survival, doing anything is justifiable. When Xiao Qing was in the palace, those people used extremely despicable methods to survive. But they were also forced. Therefore, Brother Fu Gui, you just need to lead everyone to survive. Don't think too much about anything else."
"Survive, survive..." Zhou Fugui muttered to himself.
Xiao Qing's words dispelled much of the gloom that had been accumulated in Zhou Fugui's chest.
Zhou Fugui let out a long breath, feeling refreshed.
Xiao Qing is right. To survive, no matter what despicable or low-class means I use, it's justifiable. Even if it's not justifiable, why should I care? Zhou Fugui thought to himself.
Xiao Qing's beauty is quite remarkable. As the saying goes, when the inner turmoil is gone, lust arises. Zhou Fugui looked at the graceful Xiao Qing and thought to himself, the battlefield is imminent, and it's uncertain whether I'll live or die. But whether in his past life or this one, Zhou Fugui has never even held a woman's hand. To die and meet the King of Hell like this, wouldn't that be a great loss?
If today he... Xiao Qing was a gentle and submissive woman, and she was grateful to Zhou Fugui. Therefore, no matter what request Zhou Fugui made, Xiao Qing would surely satisfy him.
"Slap!" Zhou Fugui suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself.
"Ah? Brother Fu Gui, what are you doing?"
"There was a mosquito..."
Xiao Qing stared blankly at Zhou Fugui, whose face was red from the slap, and was greatly confused.
Xiao Qing was not blind or deaf. Where were there any mosquitoes inside the military tent?