My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Between the sea and the sky, two figures stand on the beach.

The morning light bathed their not-so-luxurious clothes in a pale gold hue.

Behind me was a simple yet bustling dock, and in front of me were the faintly visible Cangwu Mountain and the boundless East China Sea.

What they stood on was merely a newly acquired city in an insignificant corner of this vast land, and what they held in their hands were only a few thousand weary soldiers.

Xiao Heng revealed all his plans without holding anything back.

From military affairs to the imperial court, the topics kept shifting from one thing to another, leaving Xu Xianzhi sometimes feeling confused.

It wasn't until the two of them discussed how to handle Deng Jing's situation that things came to an end.

Xiao Heng suddenly raised his arm, not pointing in any specific direction, but rather towards the vast and boundless deep blue, making a loose grasping motion.

"Look, Wenyuan, how vast the world is! The tides never cease. It is truly a blessing for us to stand here today and witness this scene!"

Xu Xianzhi felt a surge of emotion in his chest, and with the sound of the waves crashing endlessly, he followed Xiao Heng's direction and looked towards the mountains and the vast sea.

"To stand shoulder to shoulder with you, Lord, and witness the vast, surging waves of this world is truly an enviable privilege!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Heng smiled slightly, almost unable to control his expression.

I was just marveling to myself, "Good heavens, this is Xu Xianzhi! One of the most brilliant people in history is right in front of me, saying how fortunate I am!"

However, hearing such sincere flattery from a renowned minister throughout history greatly satisfied the vanity of the time traveler.

Xiao Heng didn't reply immediately, but instead let out a very soft sigh and a laugh as he faced the sea breeze.

The story of the East China Sea has also turned a new page.

Inside the wooden shed, the sea breeze wafted through the bamboo groves.

Deng Jing lay on the rough bamboo mat, the stinging pain in his shoulder still lingering.

But what was even more unbearable than the pain was Xiao Heng's words before he left.

"Deng Jing is dead at sea from this day forward!"

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps could be heard outside the bamboo shed.

Two bodyguards appeared at the entrance of the tent, backlit, their bodies bearing the marks of simple bandages.

"General!"

The two rushed in, knelt down beside him, their voices trembling.

Deng Jing looked at them.

These were the retainers and sons of his father, whom he had personally selected in his early years to accompany him as he grew up. They were truly his own people with whom he could entrust his life.

He endured the pain in his shoulder and slowly sat up straighter.

"Get up! It's good that you survived!"

The older of the guards, named Deng An, looked up and asked urgently.

"General, they promised to let us return north, but you..."

"I know!"

Deng Jing interrupted him, knowing that this was Xiao Heng's intention, and he was quite satisfied.

"It was my decision to send you back!"

The two exchanged a glance, and the younger Deng Ping gritted his teeth and said.

"But General..."

But he was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"When you return, Murong Yan won't make things difficult for you, but the people behind him definitely will!"

"Remember, no matter who asks, even..."

His Adam's apple bobbed; the name felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, but he still said it.

"...Even if a general or someone from Chang'an were to inquire, they would say the same thing: I, Deng Jing, am dead, dead in the sea!"

"General!"

Deng Ping was speechless, and Deng An looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with shock and pain.

"Even...even the General's side...?"

"Especially my father's side!"

"He absolutely cannot know I'm still alive, much less that I'm in the hands of the Southerners. That way, they won't have any leverage to further frame my father. If even the slightest hint of my survival leaks out, not even a suspicion, it's unacceptable! Letting him believe I died at sea is the best outcome!"

Deng An and Deng Ping were already in tears.

They understood; this was not only the path the general had chosen for himself, but also the path the old general had chosen for all those involved.

"But General, you..."

Deng An burst into tears.

"I?"

Deng Jing looked out of the shed, where the blue sky, divided by the bamboo shed, seemed somewhat distant at this moment.

"From this day forward, Deng Jing will no longer exist. Go back and stay far away from this place of trouble. Live well. This is my final order to you in the name of Deng Jing."

After speaking, Deng Jing closed his eyes and stopped looking at them, as if severing all ties with the past.

The two guards knew this was their final farewell.

They kowtowed deeply with the most solemn military salute, their foreheads touching the ground, and remained motionless for a long time.

"Your subordinate... obeys!"

They got up, staggered back towards the entrance of the shed, then resolutely turned around and never looked back.

When the footsteps completely disappeared, Deng Jingcai slowly opened his eyes and looked at the outline of the distant green mountains.

At that moment, he had an idea: he really wanted to go up the mountain and take a look.

At this moment, it is a desolate beach by the sea.

This place was originally a Xianbei military camp, but now it is a mess.

Lu Da leaned against a large, pitted rock. His face was pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead. His usually fierce and sharp eyes were now somewhat unfocused as he forced himself to scan his surroundings.

His men were now sprawled on the mudflats, their faces ashen, their eyes vacant, and occasionally a few suppressed retches could be heard.

Where is the fierce and valiant demeanor that once roamed the East China Sea? They are more like chickens that have collectively contracted a plague, struggling even to stand up.

"Damn it... those Xianbei dogs... they're utterly despicable!"

Lu Da's voice trembled as he cursed.

Yesterday, those wounded horses abandoned by the Xianbei people were considered a windfall; slaughtering them at night would provide enough meat for a while.

Who would have thought that after eating the meat, numbness in the mouth and limbs would follow, followed by severe stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

"Poisoning the wounded horse... a treacherous scheme to cover the retreat—this is aconite!"

Jiang Qianzhi's voice came from the side. He was leaning against a half-fallen wooden stake, his complexion not much better than Lu Da's, but his eyes were still clear, and he was trying to regulate his breathing.

Looking at the dozens of people lying haphazardly on the mudflats, I felt a wave of fear mixed with a sense of relief.

Fortunately, the discovery wasn't too late. The amount of horse meat consumed wasn't large, and the toxicity didn't seem fatal. Although everyone was exhausted from last night's ordeal, no one had died yet. But this state of being alive was more agonizing than death itself.

"What I fear most right now is..."

Jiang Qianzhi licked his chapped lips and looked warily at the desolate beach outside the camp.

"Even if the Xianbei people returned, even if only thirty or fifty riders came back, we would look like this now..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

These days, they can't even hold a knife steady; they're practically fish on a chopping board.

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Lu Da's eyes, the resentment of a dying beast, but more so, a sense of powerlessness.

He knew perfectly well that the situation was extremely precarious, but he felt weak all over and couldn't muster any strength. Even cursing felt exhausting.

"What about...Young Master Xu..."

"I can't breathe," Lu Da asked.

Jiang Qianzhi looked up at the sky, calculating the time.

"Soon, the scouts on the island..."

Lu Da looked up at the sky; the sun had just risen, and it was still some time before noon.

Every minute and every second felt exceptionally long and unbearable at this moment.

Lu Da and Jiang Qianzhi stopped talking, but maintained a vigilant posture as much as possible, even though the posture had been distorted by their physical weakness.

Time passed slowly, the sun rose gradually, and the shadows on the mudflats shortened.

Every rustle of wind and the slightest movement made everyone's hearts leap into their throats, only to then fall back down as if utterly exhausted.

In the suffocating wait, one of the subordinates near the sea suddenly struggled to raise his head and squinted at the horizon.

"Hey...over there...it looks like a boat..."

Lu Da and Jiang Qianzhi were instantly energized and almost simultaneously turned their heads to look in the direction the man was pointing.

Where the azure sea meets the sky, several small black dots are gradually becoming clearer, heading towards the barren beach.