Chapter 795: New Barracks
Previously, the Feng Army’s barracks had consisted only of simple tents gathered together and surrounded by wooden fences. But now, the Feng Army’s barracks had been transformed into a proper military compound.
Not only were there high walls and gates enclosing the barracks, but there were also several small communities near the compound where the soldiers’ families lived.
Looking at these changes, Bai Hanyun could not help praising their construction speed and management skills.
"Xiyan, your soldiers are really amazing. If they retire from the army in the future, all of them could become expert builders!"
Hearing this, Feng Xiyan chuckled at her words and replied, "You are right."
In the distance, the soldiers guarding the barracks’ entrance and walls saw the approaching warhorse.
Recognizing the familiar warhorse and the couple riding on top of it, the gate captain raised his hand and ordered, "Open the gate! The Great General is back!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Without wasting any time, the soldiers quickly opened the tall gate and stepped aside.
When Feng Xiyan rode past them, the gate captain and his subordinates knelt and clasped their fists.
"This subordinate welcomes the Great General and Fairy Bai back!"
Feng Xiyan rode his horse into the newly built barracks, but he could not find his tent’s location. After riding around for a while and looking around the new barracks, he finally stopped and dismounted.
Helping Bai Hanyun down from the tall warhorse, Feng Xiyan asked a nearby soldier, "Where is General Tan?"
Clasping his fists, the soldier replied, "Answering the Great General, this subordinate saw General Tan heading toward the warehouse area a quarter of a sichen ago."
Feng Xiyan pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Go and bring this general the barracks’ map."
"This subordinate will go right away." The soldier accepted the order and hurried off.
Before long, he returned with a map of the new barracks. Presenting it with both hands to Feng Xiyan, the soldier said, "Great General, this is the detailed map of our barracks."
Taking the map from him, Feng Xiyan opened it and studied it for a few minutes. When he was done, he handed the map back and said, "Return the map."
"Yes, Great General." With that, the soldier left to return the map to the administrative office.
After he left, Feng Xiyan called over another soldier nearby and ordered, "Take this general’s horse to the stable. Feed it some water and sugar."
"Yes, Great General."
Feng Xiyan handed the reins to the soldier, then held Bai Hanyun’s hand and said, "Let’s go find General Tan."
The one who supervised the Feng Army’s construction project and was responsible for military supplies was Tan Pengtai. Therefore, they needed to deliver the New Year’s gifts to him so he could distribute them evenly among the soldiers and workers.
"Alright."
After walking for half an hour, they finally reached the warehouse area.
Walking into Tan Pengtai’s office, Feng Xiyan and Bai Hanyun found him in the middle of a discussion with the construction team leaders and the generals in charge of military supplies, armory, and the kitchens.
Noticing that Feng Xiyan and Bai Hanyun had arrived, Tan Pengtai and the others quickly stood up, clasped their fists, and bowed.
"This subordinate greets the Great General and Fairy Bai."
Feng Xiyan led Bai Hanyun to the main seats, then said, "No need for formalities. Everyone, please have a seat."
"Thank you, Great General," Tan Pengtai and the others replied before sitting back down.
Since Tan Pengtai and his vice general had given up their seats to Feng Xiyan and Bai Hanyun, the two of them pulled stools from the side and sat down.
After everyone had taken their seats, Tan Pengtai looked at Feng Xiyan and asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice, "Great General, when did you return? If you need anything, you can just send someone to call this subordinate. There was no need for you to walk so far to come here."
Feng Xiyan smiled slightly and replied, "This general has only just returned today."
Turning to the others, he continued, "Today is the Little New Year. Yun’er and this general are grateful for everyone’s hard work over the past few months, so we have prepared some small gifts for all of you."
When Tan Pengtai and the others heard this, their eyes lit up. It was already a public secret that every gift and reward given by Fairy Bai was a treasure that could not be found anywhere else in this world.
Taking the lead, Tan Pengtai stood up, clasped his fists, and bowed gratefully to Bai Hanyun.
"Thank you, Fairy Bai, for the New Year’s gift. Thank you, Great General, for the New Year’s gift."
Seeing this, the others thought at the same time, ’Damn it! This cunning man is so fast!’
Following Tan Pengtai’s example, the others hurriedly stood up, clasped their fists, and bowed to Bai Hanyun and Feng Xiyan.
"Thank you, Fairy Bai, for the New Year’s gift. Thank you, Great General, for the New Year’s gift."
Looking at their faces filled with anticipation and joy, Bai Hanyun began to worry that the gifts she had prepared might not be good enough.
Guessing what was on her mind, Feng Xiyan gently rubbed the back of Bai Hanyun’s hand with his thumb and leaned closer to whisper, "Don’t worry. They will like the gifts you prepared for them."
Hearing this, Bai Hanyun looked up at him and nodded. "Mhm."
Standing up, Feng Xiyan said, "Since everyone is busy today, this general will have General Tan divide the gifts later."
Turning to Tan Pengtai, he asked, "General Tan, are there any empty warehouses available?"
When Tan Pengtai heard this, he suddenly remembered that Bai Hanyun’s definitions of ’small’ and ’a little bit’ were very different from everyone else’s.
Remembering the first time she sent over vegetables and rice, Tan Pengtai hurriedly nodded and replied, "Great General, we currently have ten empty warehouses available."
