Chapter 1156: Chapter 12: Preparation for Battle (Part 2)_2

In the barracks, the veteran Lu Xirong was mending a tent. He looked up, his face stern, and scolded Monkey, “Keep it down! The camp must be quiet, no nonsense allowed, or the military police will string you up and whip you!”

Monkey, hearing this, gently slapped his own mouth. He stood beside Lu Xirong, bending over with his hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath. Trying to appear mysterious, he asked, “Have you heard the news?”

Lu Xirong focused intently on patching up the tear in the tent, ignoring Monkey completely.

“Hey! I’ll tell you anyway!” Monkey couldn’t hold back, his eyebrows dancing with excitement as he exclaimed, “The commendation order has been issued! Lord Tamas has officially been promoted to camp leader!”

“Oh.” Lu Xirong didn’t even lift his head.

“How can you not get it?” Monkey dragged over a stool, sat close to Lu Xirong, and whispered slyly, “Isn’t this a great thing?”

“What’s good about it?”

Monkey slapped his thigh, beaming with joy, “Think about it! Now that Lord Tamas has been promoted to camp leader, doesn’t that leave the position of First Company Commander open?”

“Oh.”

“Since Lord Tamas moved up a rank, doesn’t that mean Sergeant Bunir should also get a promotion?” Monkey analyzed confidently, “If Sergeant Bunir moves up too, wouldn’t that make you…”

Old Lu Xirong bit off the thread, tied a knot, then held the seam to the light to inspect it before stuffing the tent cover into Monkey’s arms, “Haven’t used it in a while, take it outside to air it out, get rid of the musty smell.”

Without a word, Monkey took the cover and dashed out. After quickly hanging it out to dry, he rushed back.

When he returned to the barracks, Lu Xirong had already taken out all the “shared tentmates'” knapsacks.

Monkey squatted beside Lu Xirong, complaining, “Stop being so busy! I’m trying to tell you something important!”

Lu Xirong opened his own knapsack, dumped everything out to check, his weathered face showing no emotional fluctuation, “This is the important thing.”

“Stuff like this, there’s always time to do it later.” Monkey shuffled closer to Lu Xirong, unable to conceal his excitement, “I’m telling you–you’re going to be a sergeant again! A real sergeant! Hey? Why don’t you look happy?”

Lu Xirong ignored Monkey, instead grabbing Monkey’s knapsack, opening it, and was stunned. He asked, “What is this?”

“What do you mean what?” Monkey tried to play dumb.

Lu Xirong reached into Monkey’s knapsack and yanked out a fishing net carelessly crumpled. The knapsack immediately deflated.

Monkey swallowed hard, grinning foolishly, “A fishing net, huh? Don’t you recognize it?”

With that, he took the fishing net, trying to unfold it. Unfortunately, since it was haphazardly packed, the knots were tangled and couldn’t be straightened out.

Even though old Lu Xirong had seen all sorts of people, he was so irritated by Monkey that he trembled, “You don’t bring things you actually need! What do you need a useless fishing net for?!”

“You’ve got to believe me! This thing is useful!” Monkey clutched the net, slightly aggrieved yet proud, “I’ve finally realized, the fishing net is the most useful thing on the battlefield! No matter how strong or skilled you are, when I throw the net at the right moment–hey! You’re completely captured. If only I’d had a net during the Battle of Bloody Mud, Green Plumed Feathers would definitely have been my trophy!”

“Do you know what war is like! Do you know what is useful! You know everything! You’re the most knowledgeable!” Old Lu Xirong, exasperated beyond measure, raised his hand and slapped Monkey on the head twice, scolding him for being so incorrigible, “I think you haven’t dug enough latrines yet!”

“The Civil Guard Officer punished me by making me dig latrines because I beat up a prisoner.” Monkey deftly dodged the old soldier’s slaps, running towards the door while defending himself, “But didn’t the Civil Guard Officer also reward me with that man’s sword? That’s thanks to the fishing net! If I didn’t have the net, how could the credit for capturing that guy go to me?”

“Still arguing!” Lu Xirong grabbed a fire poker and chased after him.

The two ran, one escaping and the other chasing. Being older, Lu Xirong felt exhausted after just a few steps.

He stopped, panting and holding his back, and shouted at Monkey, “Alright! Stop running! Come back here! I have something truly important to tell you!”

Monkey clutched the fishing net, his eyes full of caution. He moved toward the old soldier, inch by inch like a creeping snail, ready to run again at any moment.

“Come here!”

“First put the stick down.”

“Get over here!” Lu Xirong angrily slammed the stick on the ground.

Realizing the old soldier was genuinely upset, Monkey reluctantly returned to Lu Xirong’s side.

The seasoned Lu Xirong seized the opportunity, grabbing the new soldier’s clothing and swinging the fire poker to give Monkey a beating, leaving him wailing for mercy.

After venting his anger, old Lu Xirong, panting heavily, threw down the fire poker and sat down outside the barracks, “In the army, what’s most taboo is arguing back! Stand straight when you take a beating! Understand?”

Monkey rubbed his butt and thighs, tears almost falling, “How was I arguing back?”

“That’s arguing back!” Lu Xirong frowned and waved to Monkey, “Come over and sit.”

“I’d rather stand. My butt hurts.”

Old Lu Xirong sighed deeply, patting his sore knees, looked at Monkey, and said, “You kid… You’ve always had pretty good luck actually.”