The army camp at night was very quiet, and the soldiers on patrol wouldn't say more than a sentence, so the racket of the three generals in the middle tent playing the "finger guessing game" was particularly distinct. All three of them had fought with Jing Shao against the Xiongnu. They were used to the wild and unrestrained life in the desert. Even now, in the outskirts of the capital, they didn't know how to exercise restraint. Jing Shao would have to discipline them a bit. He shook his head and walked slowly into the distance.
The attack on the southwest fiefdom was now happening three years earlier than the one in his previous life, and the advantages he possessed were very obvious. General Zheng Dong, who was always butting heads with him, had been sent to the eldest prince as reinforcement. Imperial Father also hadn't sent anyone else to take control, so Jing Shao could do a lot of things. It was just that right now, there was a plethora of things to deal with, and he didn't know where to start.
"Neigh~" Xiao Hei, who was currently chewing fodder in the stable, saw his master, and raised his head to say hello.
Jing Shao snapped out of his thoughts. Unexpectedly, he had unconsciously walked to the stables. He stood in front of Xiao Hei's manger and rubbed that big black head, which soon blended in with the dark surroundings.
Xiao Hei shook his head discontentedly, moved to the side, and continued eating grass.
It was bad enough that his Wang Fei had thrown him out of the tent – how could even his own horse disdain him? Jing Shao grabbed Xiao Hei's ear and said, "You're not allowed to eat anymore. Benwang doesn't have a place to sleep, yet you're still in the mood to have an extra meal!"
Xiao Hei looked up, chewing the grass and leaves in his mouth, and stared at his master with big black eyes. Because Xiao Hei was the Wang Ye's favorite horse, the caretaker would prepare fresh grass for him alone every day, which was far better than the hay which all the other horses ate.
Used to Jing Shao pulling on his ears from time to time, Xiao Hei continued to chew loudly.
Jing Shao and Xiao Hei looked at each other for a long time, but Jing Shao couldn't win a staring contest against a pair of horse eyes, and could only give up. Sitting on the wooden fence and gripping a wooden pillar, Jing Shao picked up a piece of grass and stuck it in his mouth. The grass stem was slightly bitter, with only the white part being slightly sweet; he didn't know why Xiao Hei ate the grass so happily.
"Xiao Hei, I'll find a wife for you after this battle is over." Jing Shao looked up at the bright moon in the sky. The moon in the countryside seemed particularly cold and clear. He had never enjoyed the moon so leisurely in his past life – every day, he was thinking about the strategic placement of soldiers, army training, martial arts training and seizing the throne. He had lived to only 30 years of age, but had still been so tired. It truly wasn't worth it. He fed Xiao Hei the grass in his hand. "Do you want a stallion or a mare?"
"Neigh～" Xiao Hei looked at the lone strand of grass in his master's hand, snorted hot air on it, turned around, and went to sleep in the shed.
Jing Shao, who was thoroughly ignored by his mount, had to leave the stable and sneak back to the imperial tent. The person on the bed lay on his side, with one hand hanging out from under the brocade quilt. His sleeping posture was excellent; it seemed that he had changed position after Jing Shao left.
Jing Shao stealthily took off his outer clothing, lifted the corner of the quilt, and burrowed under it.
Mu Hanzhang moved. As he had gotten used to Jing Shao's presence, he didn't wake up.
Jing Shao's lips curled up. Carefully putting Mu Hanzhang's exposed arm under the quilt, Jing Shao slowly reached over with his own arm to tentatively embrace the other person.
