Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 33 Military Song
As a disciple of Qu Shisi, Cen Dan was not very frequent in visiting the garrison at the beginning.

The burden on Qu Shisi's shoulders was too heavy. He was like a camel carrying a heavy load and rarely had a moment to breathe.

Cen Danchu was also busy with military training and spent most of his time in the barracks. The battalion leader was only a low-ranking officer and had to ask Jiao Lian for leave before leaving the barracks.

I had hoped for a promotion this time. If I could be promoted to deputy general of the Central Army, at least I wouldn't need to ask for leave when I leave the camp. But it was a pity that it didn't happen. Damn Liu Tiegun!
After lunch, Qu Shisi asked Danchu to stay and talk. He was busy dealing with eunuch Pang, angel officer and others, and could not get away for the time being, so he sent Danchu to the Tingfeng Pavilion in the backyard to rest.

Dan Chu was suspicious: Could it be that the teacher wanted to test him on his homework?

Of course not. I have been busy fighting and killing these days, so how can I have time to read? I counted and found that I have only read two books since May, both of which were military books by Yu Dayou. They were not very long. One was "The Exploration of Military Strategy" and the other was "The Drill Methods of Guangxi Selected Front Soldiers".

If the teacher knew about this, wouldn't I be ashamed?

I just happened to have something I wanted to ask him, maybe I could get away with it. Danchu had made up his mind, asked the servant for pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and started writing in the Tingfeng Pavilion.

After finishing, Danchu was quite proud and recited it in a low voice. Tingfeng Pavilion is surrounded by scenery, with swaying green bamboo in front and gurgling springs in the back. It is simple and natural, with a lot of wild charm.

When the cool breeze blew, Danchu felt a little tipsy and the wound felt a little itchy.

"Good words!"

A female voice was heard behind him. Danchu turned around and saw that it was Master's wife Shao.

He quickly stood up, and Shao's mother bowed and said respectfully, "Madam."

Shao smiled and said, "Just call me Master's wife from now on."

She was dressed simply, without makeup or jewelry. I guess her jewelry had probably been used to reward the troops. Despite this, she still exuded the grace, quietness, dignity, and gentleness that are unique to women from wealthy families.

Behind him was a girl of about eighteen or nineteen, also without makeup, but her elegance and beauty could not be concealed. Her skin was as white as cream, her hair was as black as ink, her eyes were as clear as autumn water, and her facial features were delicate, like a fairy walking out of a painting.

The teacher was born in a wealthy family in Changshu, Suzhou. His wife, Mrs. Shao, must also be from a wealthy family in Jiangnan. Who was that young lady? Was she Mrs. Shao's daughter or her maid?

Danchu blushed and said, "I wrote it for fun."

Shao was very generous and said, "Sit down, don't be shy. Read this poem to me."

In front of the two women, Danchu was a little nervous. He cleared his throat and chanted:
"Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger, fame, wealth and honor are reduced to dust.

“Looking at China, the people are suffering, and thousands of miles of fertile land are all barren.

"Look at the world, it's full of Tartars, and the imperfections of heaven can only be repaired by common people.

"A good man should leave his parents and serve the people instead of being a slave.

"With loyalty and courage, I will protect the country and not stop until all the Tartars are killed.

"A real man should be strong and not serve the Tartars like dogs and sheep.

"The warrior drinks deeply from the cup, and does not look back on the long journey.

"The drums of war beat and thousands of people roar. We will not stop until the Tartars are destroyed. We will not stop!"

A breeze blew, bringing with it a refreshing fragrance. Is it the body fragrance of a young girl? Or the fragrance of bamboo leaves? Or both?
Dan Chu's heart was wavering and he was a little distracted.

"Good! Very well written!" The master's wife praised, picked up the paper and looked carefully at the handwriting to Cen Danchu.

It is said that a person's handwriting is like his character. Cen Danchu obviously did not practice calligraphy often, and his handwriting was a little scattered and a little floating. How should I put it? The handwriting was tilted, giving people a feeling of flying and upward. It was a pity that he was just a child of a martial artist, and an orphan.

Danchu didn't dare to show off his skills in front of his master's wife, and said honestly: "I dare not hide it from my master's wife. This song was not written by me. It was adapted from..." The young woman interrupted him and said, "The Red Scarf Army's song."

Shao knew this very well, so she turned around and glared at her, saying, "Stop talking! The clothes are done drying, go back and put them away."

The young woman blushed, agreed quietly and left.

Danchu didn't dare to look at it any more. His heart regained its calmness and he said, "I want to use it as the military song of the standard camp. Please correct me, Master's wife."

Shao regained his smile and said, "Well changed. I dare not change even one more word. Let your teacher take a look at it later."

Putting down the paper, Shao said, "I heard from my husband that you fought very bravely and got wounded in many places this time. There is a top-quality golden medicine in the mansion, you can use it."

Danchu's heart was filled with warmth and his eyes were red. He had traveled back in time to become a child soldier, and an orphan at that. It was a miserable start. He had made many achievements recently, and he looked very impressive in front of the soldiers. But when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, he couldn't help feeling a little sad when he thought about his own loneliness.

The Marshal and the Minister were both upright gentlemen. Although they did not try to win him over, they always cared about him.

Still, he felt something was missing. The next time he saw that young woman, he felt even stronger. He was young, his hormones were surging, and he longed for a woman, a home, and someone to love him!

"Thank you for your concern, Master's wife."

The servant brought tea. Danchu felt a little reserved. Although he was thirsty, he still resisted the urge to drink it.

Shao understood and said, "Now that you are in the mansion, don't be restrained. You are injured, so you should drink less. Next time you encounter such a banquet, don't be bound by the customs. There is no good tea in the mansion, so you can just drink some tea."

Cen Danchu responded, took a sip of tea, and immediately felt his thirst was relieved a lot.

Not knowing what to say, the atmosphere was a little awkward. Shao hesitated for a moment and asked, "Zhuoru, your teacher and I were both baptized into Christianity. What do you think?"

What are you looking at? Catholicism or the matter of conversion?

Danchu was a little confused, and carefully considered his words, and said:

"Our dynasty is full of arts and culture, and is open and tolerant, so Catholicism has spread. People are open-minded, active in thinking, and respect virtue and kindness, so there are Catholics. I think that Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism each have their own beliefs, and they can be combined, and Catholicism is no exception."

Shaw was very satisfied with his answer and said with a smile:
"Well said. Look at your teacher. Although he was baptized into Christianity, he is still a Confucian scholar at heart. He has learned a lot in his life, including Neo-Confucianism, Psychology, and Western learning. You might as well come to the mansion more often in the future and let him guide you in your studies."

Danchu was about to explain, but after thinking about it, he decided not to, and said, "Yes. I will ask the cabinet for more advice in the future."

Shao was amused by his military tone. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked, "Zhuoru, have you ever been engaged?"

Danchu suddenly realized, blushed, and said, "I am an orphan and have never been engaged."

There was silence for a while, and the atmosphere was very awkward.

Fortunately, Qu Shisi came back.

Danchu and Shao both felt relieved and stood up to greet them.

Qu Shisi was rarely happy, his face was flushed, and he obviously drank a lot of wine, and he talked a lot:
"I just talked with Xinxingbo and Lu Antai, and we got along very well. If all the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were like Lu Antai, and all the military officials were like Xinxingbo, why would we worry about not being able to drive out the Tartars and revive the Ming Dynasty?"

Shao smiled, handed him the military song that Danchu had revised, and said, "Look, the military song written by Zhuoru is sonorous and powerful, and it inspires the soldiers. You should teach him well, and make him better than Lu Antai in literature and better than Xinxingbo in martial arts."

Qu Shisi took the military song and praised it constantly: "Great work! Great work!"

(End of this chapter)