The baby's sudden crying immediately summoned Gao Chuwu.
He hurried over and scooped his son into his arms, gently patting him.
"Gao Zhengjing, why are you crying? Are you hungry?"
Only after speaking did he notice something strange.
In the chubby little hands of the baby, the Dao Xuan Tianzun puppet was actually moving, its arm waving slightly as if greeting him.
Gao Chuwu's eyes lit up.
"Oh! Dao Xuan Tianzun! Long time no see!"
The Dao Xuan Tianzun puppet replied calmly,
"The Hedong Circuit has been quite peaceful lately, so I have not visited often. I did not expect your son to grow this big already. What did you just call him?"
Gao Chuwu grinned.
"Gao Zhengjing."
The Dao Xuan Tianzun sucked in a breath.
"You named your child… that?"
Gao Chuwu continued smiling, completely unbothered.
"My wife chose the name. I originally wanted to name him Gao Chuliu, but my wife refused. She said the child needed a 'serious' name. My wife is smarter than me, so if she says so, it must be right. That is why we named him Gao Zhengjing."
The Dao Xuan Tianzun fell silent.
"…."
A "serious" name.
So that was what she meant.
The Dao Xuan Tianzun covered his face.
As expected. He truly lived up to his reputation as one of the three greatest "idiot" generals of Gao Family Village. So many years had passed, yet he remained unmatched in his particular excellence.
On second thought, the name Zhengjing was not completely unacceptable. Even in modern times, plenty of people were named Li Zhengjing or Zhang Zhengjing. There was no real problem.
Gao Chuwu asked eagerly,
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, do you have any orders this time?"
Li Daoxuan pulled his thoughts back to business.
"Where is Xing Honglang? There are many things I need to discuss with her, things that are hard to explain to you."
Gao Chuwu immediately shouted,
"Honglang! Honglang! Come quickly! Dao Xuan Tianzun is calling you!"
"Oh? Coming!" Xing Honglang's voice came from inside. She hurried out.
She looked a little plumper than before. That was normal. Women who had just given birth often ate more to ensure the child's health and sufficient milk.
Xing Honglang had always been tall and powerfully built. With the added weight, she now truly looked like a walking mountain.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, what are your orders?"
Li Daoxuan said,
"The news of the Manchu invasion has already been broadcast throughout the Hedong Circuit. You have seen it, right?"
"Yes," Xing Honglang replied solemnly. "The Manchu are despicable."
Li Daoxuan nodded.
"You are now a court appointed official and cannot leave the Hedong Circuit lightly, so you will not be going north. Count your troops. Leave the minimum needed to defend Hedong, and hand the rest over to Gao Chuwu. He will lead them north to resist the Manchu under the guise of a spontaneously organized civilian militia."
Xing Honglang answered firmly,
"I obey!"
"A civilian militia suddenly heading north will definitely attract attention," Li Daoxuan continued. "To avoid trouble, write a letter to the Governor of Shanxi, Dai Jun'en, and inform him."
Hearing the name Dai Jun'en, Xing Honglang immediately remembered the old man who pretended to be mad and constantly talked about writing poetry. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Understood. I will write to him immediately."
"Good," Li Daoxuan said. "Then I will head to Puzhou."
He was just about to use Co sensing.
Crack.
A clear snapping sound rang out.
Gao Zhengjing's two chubby little hands pulled with all their might, and the neck of the Dao Xuan Tianzun puppet snapped.
"Ahhh!" Xing Honglang screamed.
"Ahhh!" Gao Chuwu screamed.
The couple reached for the child at the same time, ready to spank him.
But the Dao Xuan Tianzun's head, now separated from its body, simply smiled calmly.
"It is nothing. Do not hit the child. He is only a baby and does not understand anything. Why hit him? He is only a few months old and already managed to break a puppet. Incredible. This boy will grow up to be a fierce general."
Only then did the couple breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for your mercy, Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Whoosh.
Li Daoxuan vanished using Co sensing, heading to Puzhou to continue gathering people.
Only then did Xing Honglang speak again.
"I will write the letter to Dai Jun'en and count the troops.
Chuwu, hurry and find a craftsman to make a new neck for Dao Xuan Tianzun. And from now on, absolutely do not let the child touch Dao Xuan Tianzun's avatar again."
Gao Chuwu nodded vigorously.
"Never again. That boy is too reckless."
The couple each went about their tasks.
By the time the craftsman Gao Chuwu found repaired the Dao Xuan Tianzun puppet's neck, Xing Honglang's letter was also finished.
In the letter, she informed Dai Jun'en that the people of the Hedong Circuit were extremely angered by the news that the Manchu planned to attack Xuanfu and Datong Prefectures.
The common people had therefore spontaneously organized a civilian volunteer force to head north and resist the Manchu.
Such a reason might sound ordinary in later generations, but in the historical context of the late Ming Dynasty, it was utterly inconceivable. Yet no matter how absurd the explanation, it had to exist. This was a matter of attitude.
Five hundred garrison troops were left behind in the Hedong Circuit, led by Xing Honglang.
The remaining two thousand five hundred soldiers were all handed over to Gao Chuwu.
After leaving the Hedong Circuit, Gao Chuwu followed the official road north to Pingyang Prefecture.
As soon as he arrived, he found the place bustling with activity.
Lao Nanfeng had just arrived with his troops. Bai Mao and Wang Er had already been waiting for a long time.
The generals were delighted to see one another.
"Back when Gao Family Village was small, we met all the time," one of them said. "Now that our territory has expanded, meeting like this has become difficult."
"Speaking of which, is everyone here?"
"Not yet. Dao Xuan Tianzun said Instructor He Jiu would also come."
"What? Even Instructor He Jiu, the deputy of General He Kegang?"
"Was he not just a common soldier?"
"When did he become a deputy?"
"I heard the movie deliberately portrayed him as a common soldier to conceal his true identity. In reality, he is General He Kegang's deputy."
"So that is how it is."
The generals could not help but look at him with reverence.
At that moment, a scout ran over, shouting excitedly,
"Instructor He Jiu has arrived, leading the main Gao Family Village militia!"
Everyone cheered.
"They are here!"
"Ever since watching A Common Soldier on the Daling River Frontier Army, I have wanted to meet Instructor He Jiu!"
In the distance, a very low key army appeared, not flying a single banner.
Cheng Xu was always cautious. He deliberately disguised his forces to look exactly like an ordinary civilian volunteer corps, avoiding the court's attention.
As soon as he reached them, Cheng Xu spoke bluntly, without any pleasantries.
"The Governor of Shanxi, Dai Jun'en, did not suspect us, right?"
"Do not worry," Bai Mao said. "He would never guess that you are He Kegang's deputy."
Cheng Xu froze.
"What?"
Lao Nanfeng added with a grin,
"Being able to fight the Manchu again, Instructor He Jiu must be delighted. The chance to avenge General He Kegang has finally arrived."
Cheng Xu stood there stunned.
"What. What. What?"
The generals spoke in unison,
"Instructor He Jiu, there is no need to pretend. We all understand. And we will absolutely not speak a word of this."