A Letter to Southern Border Soldier’s Families

Xiang Bei's comment about the "butterfly" had put Cheng Mo in a tricky situation, enduring Huo Changlin's passive-aggressive attitude for days. She herself arrived at the army camp near noon on the third day of their encampment. Along with her came 1,800 planning manuscripts, 20,000 invitation letters named "Letters to Southern Border Soldiers' Families," and, to everyone's astonishment, 2,000 new school students and various volunteers from Dongbin—all literate and able to write.

Feeling aggrieved in front of Huo Changlin but not knowing how to resolve it, Cheng Mo immediately welcomed her into the command tent. His first words were, "Why did you tell him what I said in private about him being a butterfly?"

"What, did he give you a hard time?" Xiang Bei, realizing her slip of the tongue, saw Cheng Mo's half-genuine, half-pretend look of grievance and reassured him with a smile, "Alright, I'll ask him to be nice to his future nephew-in-law."

"Xiao Bei, what did you say? Really? Will you really acknowledge me in front of Uncle?"

"Really—silly boy, is this the newly minted Grand Marshal of Dongbin?" Xiang Bei never doubted Cheng Mo's sincerity. She adored how this aloof boy, who had unresolved issues from his childhood, completely let his guard down in front of her. But there were pressing matters at hand.

As they exchanged a few words, Cheng Shan, Hai Yi, and Feng Yi arrived with their men, followed by Huo Changlin and Mingcheng.

"Hello, Uncle." Xiang Bei greeted Huo Changlin politely and then turned to Cheng's guards. "Uncle Shan, have you been waiting long? We set off early this morning to arrive before the army's noon break."

"Who wouldn't be anxious here? Just a few of the drawings Miss Xiang brought back have whetted everyone's appetite." Cheng Shan replied with a cheerful smile, "But no matter how anxious, you shouldn't get up too early. You're still growing, so you mustn't wear yourself out."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind." Xiang Bei took out the manuscripts and sample letters and distributed them to those present. "Look, my planning manuscript includes a general layout for the future military settlement, enlarged drawings of several key points, and some three-dimensional effects of future residential courtyards, along with written descriptions of production, living, and employment directions. Due to the large amount of text and images, the printing process is slow. Previously, I discussed with Cheng Mo about printing three to five thousand copies, but I've made some adjustments now."

Everyone eagerly flipped through the booklets they received.

"Uncle Shan, you must have seen the people I brought, right? Two thousand of them, all literate and able to write. They'll be very useful soon." No one interrupted, all eyes were on Xiang Bei, waiting for her to continue. "Oh, by the way, Brother Hai Yi, you should arrange for them to have some hot food first."

"That's already been taken care of, rest assured."

Hai Yi and Feng Yi, looking through the booklets in their hands, were filled with excitement and anticipation. The conversation was casual and friendly.

"Okay, I've organized the troops into groups of twelve per tent, five tents per team, five teams per battalion, with each battalion consisting of three hundred people and twenty-five tents. Ten battalions form a regiment of three thousand, and the entire army of seven regiments has a total of 1,750 tents. Each tent will receive a booklet and a volunteer to distribute and explain it, so I printed a total of 1,800 copies. The 2,000 volunteers will not only explain the manuscripts and invitation letters but also help write letters for the members in each tent." Xiang Bei's clear explanation of her calculations and statistics made everyone lift their heads and pay close attention, trying to grasp the numbers she was presenting.

"The letter in your hands has four parts. First, a summary planning document with layout plans for production, living, and future employment directions. Second, an invitation from Lord Mo, inviting the direct families of the soldiers, including parents, children, and underage siblings, to relocate and promising proper arrangements for the elderly, sick, disabled, and pregnant. Third, the soldiers' letters, which report on the safe relocation and experiences in Dongbin. There's a space for a short message of no more than a hundred words that volunteers can help write. The fourth part is a reply in the form of a survey-style response, with illustrations for those who might have difficulty writing. It covers parents' health, number and age of siblings, marital status, number and age of spouses and children, and willingness to relocate south. Enclosed are ten sheets of letter paper and a set of pencils and brushes. It's now the soldiers' rest hour around noon; officers, what do you think?"

Xiang Bei looked at Huo Changlin. "Uncle, most of them are your beloved soldiers. Do you feel at ease with their future in Dongbin?"

"Now that they're under Lord Mo's command, I have no worries. The Huo family soldiers have been stationed in the north for years, they're not well-read and have limited horizons, often acting rashly. I hope Lord Mo will be considerate and tolerant of them." Saying this, Huo Changlin, unable to part with the camaraderie deeply rooted in his heart from growing up in the military, seriously cupped his fists and solemnly entrusted his soldiers to Cheng Mo.

"General Huo, you're too polite. Cheng Mo will certainly live up to your trust."

"Uncle, don't worry. Ah Mo is one of us. If he dares to treat the Huo family soldiers badly, it's like treating my family badly, and I won't stand for it. He's younger, so if he doesn't do well, you can hit him, scold him, or punish him."

Hearing Xiang Bei's words, Cheng Mo was overjoyed. Was this a public acknowledgment of him? "Yes, yes, yes, Uncle, you can always check if I'm keeping my promises."

Although Cheng Jiawei's men were used to seeing their young master act subservient in front of Xiang Bei, his attitude of willingly offering himself up for discipline from her maternal uncle's family seemed a bit too humiliating. Did he still remember that he was the most legitimate first heir to the throne? The most esteemed prince of Dongbin? Well, it seemed he truly forgot about that in front of Miss Tong.