Preface
The story of Mulan joining the army for her father is very popular among the people, many people are moved by Mulan's filial piety, and many people think that Mulan, as a woman, can do things that many men can't do, which is very admirable.
In any case, the image of Mulan women who do not let the eyebrows have left a deep impression on people's hearts, and for thousands of years, many women who are deeply bound by their families and times have regarded Mulan as a role model.
In the Qing Dynasty, there was such a woman, she disguised herself as a man and entered the military camp, she wanted to achieve a career like Mulan and then return to her hometown, but she didn't expect her ending to be bleak.
1. Rebel against the choice of fate
Chen was born in a poor family in the Qing Dynasty, and in the eyes of the ancients, inheritance was more important than anything else, and as a daughter, she was naturally worthless. What's more, she doesn't have a good appearance yet, which means that her marriage will be more difficult than other women, so Chen's life at home is not good.
On weekdays, she not only has to do heavy farm work, but also has to endure the malicious eyes of others, just because of her masculine face and more strength than men.
In the eyes of others, her only advantage is that she works neatly, not only is she efficient but also not afraid of tiredness, and she can be said to be a good hand at farm work. But no matter how good a player is, if she can't get married as soon as possible, there is only one way - to become the object of gossip among the villagers, but unfortunately the men in the village have flinched because of her overly masculine appearance.
After her parents forced her marriage again and again, Chen finally made up her mind to escape, and she wanted to fight for her fate. Since it was inconvenient for a woman to go out, she pretended to be a man, because her face resembled that of a man, and no one doubted it.
Later, just in time for General Zuo Zongtang to go to Xinjiang to quell the rebellion, Chen looked at his indistinguishable face, and remembered the story of Mulan, and a somewhat adventurous idea haunted his heart.
Second, after joining the army, he is like a fish in water
She decided to join the army like Mulan! She thought very clearly, she would definitely regret not doing anything, and if so, it would be better to give it a go. If she joins the army, the shortcomings that she has been criticized in the village in the past will become advantages.
After all, she was born tall and masculine-looking, not to mention that she was born with great strength, so she is a good seedling to be a soldier. She thought about it for a while and decided to try it first, but the worst outcome would be to be expelled back to the village and accept her fate.
Fortunately, General Zuo Zongtang went out on a tight schedule this time, so the recruitment process was more relaxed than before, and Chen entered the barracks very smoothly. After some simple training, she quickly adapted to military life, and the people here were straightforward, which suited her appetite.
Because of his natural strength, Chen was also well-known among the newly recruited soldiers, and later made many meritorious contributions in the process of following the general to recover Xinjiang, so he was more and more valued.
She found the value of her life in the army, she was very grateful for the decision she made at the beginning, and cherished the life here, so she trained very hard every time, and she did her best in every battle.
Gradually, Chen became famous in the barracks, from an ordinary soldier to a small general, and her life was prosperous, and she never looked like she was again. However, the appearance of a person completely disrupted her life.
3. Changes
On this day, when he heard that there was a white-faced scholar in the army, Chen felt strange and ran to see it. Sure enough, in a group of dark-skinned strong men stood a thin man.
His temperament is very unique, completely different from the people around him, and even Chen, who has long lost hope in love, can't help but panic. After some inquiry, Chen learned that the man was a down-and-out scholar who joined the army because his family was poor.
In the process of getting along with men, Chan found that the man was different from the rest of the army, he was polite, cultured, and spoke very gently. Chen had never seen such a man, so they gradually developed feelings for him in the process of getting along.
As this emotion deepened, so did her troubles. She wanted to show her heart to the man, but it meant that she had to reveal the secret of her daughter's body, but she was very unwilling to give up this emotion.
Later, she decided to give it a try, if this relationship was not accepted, then she would concentrate on her career from now on, and if she was accepted, then she would return to the family.
It's a pity that her feelings are not accepted, and what makes her even more sad is that after hearing his secret and the love in his heart, there is a flash of disgust in the man's eyes. In order to alleviate the grief in his heart, Chen borrowed alcohol to kill his sorrows, who would have thought that he accidentally had a relationship with the man because of this, and the man had to be responsible for Chen.
Soon after, Chen became pregnant, and the army couldn't stay, so Chen had to find General Zuo Zongtang to tell the truth, but fortunately, the general remembered that she was a woman who had a meritorious role in killing the enemy, and it was not easy, so he did not treat her and let her go home.
Not only that, General Zuo Zongtang also authorized the man to take over Chen's position, so that Chen could return home with peace of mind, and both the man and Chen were very happy.
After returning home, the two hurriedly held a wedding, and the man rushed back to the barracks, while Chen stayed at home to raise the baby with peace of mind. But Chen, who was immersed in sweetness, did not know what a cruel fate would befall him...
Fourth, the tragic ending
At first, Chen was able to receive one or two letters from her husband and a pair of silver taels, and after the birth of the child, her husband came back to visit him a few times, but since then, the husband has sent less and less silver taels, and then he can't even receive family letters.
Realizing that something was wrong, Chen began to try his best to inquire about her husband's whereabouts, only to learn that her husband had already had a new love, and she and her children had long been forgotten.
The grief-stricken Chen wanted to go to the barracks to find her husband to make it clear, but she couldn't enter the barracks at all, and the group of brothers who knew her back then also died and went home, and no one believed what she said about her experience in the army.
And the person who kindly helped him pass the word to her husband only brought an indifferent "I don't know", and the husband actually denied their relationship personally, which made Chen feel discouraged.
Helpless, she had no choice but to return to her hometown and live a hard life alone with her children. As for her glorious history in the army, which was never mentioned again, Chen, the woman who was expected to become the next Mulan, gradually disappeared into the torrent of history, and never even a name was left.
epilogue
Ancient women were bound too much, and there were even fewer heroic women who could go down in history like Mulan. Although Chen did not get a good ending, her courage to fight against fate and her performance in the army without losing to men are still worthy of our admiration.