Xu Yun nodded understandingly.

The scenarios where maids are unsuitable to appear fall into just two categories.

Either the injured location is sensitive, and the patient has a strong sense of pride, much like many men in later generations prefer male caregivers.

Or...

The wound is extremely terrifying, easily causing visual impact on women, thus affecting their service work.

He then glanced at Old Chief Steward and said:

"I will bear your words in mind, Old Chief Steward. I won't disgrace the master.

But, Chief Steward, may I ask about the noble guest's background? What family are they from?

Could you reveal a bit, so I can mentally prepare myself?"

The Old Chief Steward paced a bit more slowly, seemingly in careful consideration.

After a while, he sighed softly and said:

"Alright, it's not really a secret, so listen well:

Today's noble guest at the mansion is the seventh generation descendant of Mr. Zhao Yi, and the only grandson of the Duke Li of Dai Prefecture, bearing the surname Wang and the single name Bing.

He is currently a Captain of the Fruits Division, with a formidable military reputation.

Today he comes to visit the master mainly to seek help for his elder brother. Did you remember all that?"

Xu Yun nodded subconsciously, but his heart was suddenly stirred by great waves.

Wang Bing!

Who would have thought?

The Western army officer coming to the Old Su Mansion is actually him?!

In Huaxia's homeland, Xu Yun first encountered this name during junior high school when reading "Water Margin."

In "Water Margin,"

Wang Bing initially followed Tong Guan in fighting against Liangshan, and after Liangshan's amnesty, he appeared in the Wulong Ridge battle.

He then fought over ten rounds with the Southern army commander Jingde during that period and beheaded Jingde from his horse.

Later, during the counting of spoils, Wang Bing clashed with Zhao Tan and Ruan Xiaoqi, and the two brought it up before Tong Guan.

Tong Guan, covering for his subordinates, secured an imperial decree that led to Ruan Xiaoqi's demotion to commoner status.

Ruan Xiaoqi was quite popular at that time, and Xu Yun once viewed Wang Bing as the antagonist.

But after more than ten years, when Xu Yun had rich experiences, he realized:

"Water Margin" wasn't historical fact; it contains a lot of fabricated plots.

For instance, historically, the real leaders of the Liangshan Marsh uprising were just thirty-six people and were destroyed by Zhang Shuye, on a scale incomparable to Fang La.

Also interestingly, Lin Chong's real-life counterpart in "Water Margin" is widely believed to be Zhang Shuye.

Both were equally skilled, held similar military ranks, and had quite similar experiences and personalities.

This means in the world of "Water Margin," there are essentially two Zhang Shuyes.

One became an outlaw, the other an official.

Characters like Lin Chong are created, and in fact, so is Wang Bing.

Except unlike fictional figures like Lin Chong, Wang Bing's experiences were altered when he indeed existed during the late Song.

And what kind of person was the real Wang Bing?

One perfect phrase describes him:

A person who sacrifices oneself for the nation, a national hero!

Before the Jingkang Disaster, Wang Bing was just a Western army officer from a military lineage family.

His great-great-grandfather was a Tang Dynasty Prime Minister who was decreed to die.

Wang Bing followed Tong Guan on Western expeditions for over ten years, experiencing both victories and defeats, his achievements not as dazzling as Old Zhong, Xiaozhong, or Liu Fa.

Frankly speaking, it was just his extraordinary martial skills, several championship wins in the army's internal competitions, and multiple single-handed slayings of enemy commanders on the battlefield—otherwise, "Water Margin" wouldn't choose him to attack Liangshan.

Before 1125, his most prominent achievement, arguably, was capturing Fang La alive.

That's right.

Fang La was captured alive by him.

It sounds impressive, but that's about it.

However, after the Jin armies moved south, Wang Bing ushered in the most glorious chapter of his life.

At that time, Jin forces attacked the Northern Song, and Wanyan Zonghan led troops to attack Taiyuan. Tong Guan abandoned the city to return to the capital, leaving only Wang Bing and Zhang Xiaochun to defend the city.

Wang Bing, leading the Provincial Military Commission troops, and Zhang Xiaochun, the then prefect of Taiyuan, led the city's military and civilians to desperately defend the city.

Wanyan Zonghan attacked Taiyuan for over two hundred and fifty days without success, "all of which was Wang Bing's adaptability, preventing any assault."

In this way.

Wang Bing led Taiyuan's military and civilians in staunch defense from early spring to summer and from summer to late autumn again.

The Jin soldiers attacked the city nine times, and all nine times were repelled by Wang Bing.

But unfortunately.

At that time, Emperor Qinzhong of Song was cowardly, directly ceding Taiyuan to the Jin, thus abandoning it altogether.

A real pig teammate.

For nearly nine whole months, Taiyuan had no reinforcements and no supplies, food supplies in the city were exhausted, and the defenders, hungry, could barely hold their weapons.

All cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules in the city were consumed, and Wang Bing cooked bowstrings and parts of armor to fill hunger.

All green leaves on trees in the city and husks in granaries were consumed until even tree bark and weeds became food.

On the 13th of September, First Year of Jingkang, after nine months of isolated defense, Taiyuan city fell to the Jin army.

Wang Bing led the remaining dozens of personal guards in street fights against the Jin soldiers, with their battle robes nearly drenched in blood.

Some had lost an arm, others a leg.

Yet they leaned on their weapons, and not a single one was willing to surrender.

Wang Bing, after being injured many times, broke through the siege, carrying the portrait of Emperor Taizong Zhao Guangyi worshipped in Taiyuan's temple, and with his son Wang Xun, jumped into the Fen River and died.

How heroic!

At that time, Wang Bing's grandson, Wang Hang, was still young. Fortunately, the loyal old servant from the Prince's mansion took him from Shandong Qingzhou Tongchuan and begged southward, preserving a trace of the hero's bloodline.

Later, Wang Hang resided in Changping Town, Yanguan County, Lin'an. In modern times, the renowned Sinology master Wang Guowei was Wang Hang's twenty-ninth generation descendant.

This national hero, who died by drowning, exhausted his last ray of life in turning the tide yet illuminated that rather dark and humiliating history between the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties.

The most glorious chapter of his life was written with his fervent blood when the great edifice was about to collapse.

If Xu Yun's feelings for Old Su were respect and for Xiaoli curiosity,

then for Wang Bing, it was undoubtedly strong admiration!

Every patriot who sacrifices for the country deserves such admiration!

Thinking of this.

He could not help but become more eager to meet this national hero.

As Mr. Xie mentioned, he's seeking medical treatment for his brother this time.

But historical records about his brother are nearly nonexistent; could it be due to this serious injury that unfortunately.....?

Then Mr. Xie led Xu Yun through several courtyards to the East Wing specially reserved for guest rest.

Compared to the simple and cluttered South Wing, the decoration of the East Wing was significantly higher-end and the overall layout kept very simple:

A large courtyard shaped like the character "kou," with three sides being rooms, and the fourth being the entrance.

At this moment,

Several personal guards stand tall at the courtyard entrance, with a lingering battlefield aura.

After verifying their identities, they allowed Mr. Xie and Xu Yun to enter the courtyard.

The two arrived outside a north-facing guest room, where Mr. Xie knocked gently on the door:

"Master, the medicine has been bought back."

In a moment, Old Su's voice came from inside:

"Come in."

Receiving permission, Mr. Xie pushed the door open, and Xu Yun followed suit.

At this moment,

The approximately over thirty-square-meter room was filled with a mixed odor of herbs, blood, and pus.

In one corner of the room stood a finely crafted wooden bed, upon which lay a person whose face was unclear, with a chest barely moving up and down.

At the bedside sat Old Su and a middle-aged man dressed in casual clothes.

This person had sharp and handsome sword-like brows, piercing and narrow black eyes, a distinct square face with angular outlines, a burly yet not brutish build, resembling an eagle in the dark night.

Cold and aloof yet overwhelmingly imposing, standing alone, he exuded a domineering aura over the world.

No doubt.

This is...

Wang Bing!

.....

Note:

At the end of the year, seeking monthly votes; this month also has an update of 200,000 words, and later Lady Mo Li will catch up!!!!

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