After three rounds of drinking, Zhu Minchun and the official were a little tipsy, but Xiao Ruxun only cared about eating the meat. He used the urgency of the war as an excuse to not drink and stay sober. When the sky darkened, a messenger came to the commander's tent.
"Governor, the sentries have reported that there is smoke rising from the hot spring town. They also saw Northern Barbarians killing horses. I don't know why, but I have come to report."
Xiao Ruxun nodded and waved for the messenger to leave.
"Governor Xiao, this …"
The official looked at Xiao Ruxun nervously. He was looking forward to Xiao Ruxun starting the war as soon as possible and finishing off the Northern Barbarians. Then, he would capture Talick alive so that he could bring him back to the court and present him to the Emperor. Although most of the profits belonged to Xiao Ruxun, he would still be able to get some of the credit, wouldn't he?
"Don't worry. Talick is preparing to break out of the encirclement. That's why he ordered the soldiers to kill the weak horses and only keep the strongest ones. The rest are to be eaten to increase their strength. From the looks of it, he will probably be ready to break out of the encirclement tomorrow."
Xiao Ruxun tore off another piece of horse meat and chewed it hard.
"What does Governor plan to do? We can't just watch them eat and drink to their heart's content before fighting the Ming Dynasty Army, can we? These Northern Barbarians are still very strong. They are fighting like cornered beasts. The Daming Army will suffer heavy losses. "
The official quickly asked Xiao Ruxun for a countermeasure.
Xiao Ruxun swallowed a mouthful of meat and drank a mouthful of wine. He panted and said, "No hurry."
Then, he began to eat the meat again. He actually finished more than half of the large plate of horse meat. Young people really had a good appetite. He could eat so much meat. It could be seen how good his body was, but … …
You can't just leave like this, right?
No hurry?
I'm waiting for you to capture that bastard Tulik and bring him back to His Majesty. Then, I'll present him to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to show off and share some of the credit. Otherwise, why should I stay in this snowy place and suffer?
Zhu Minchun had the same thought. Looking at Xiao Ruxun's calm and collected demeanor, he felt that after becoming the Governor, this fellow's stature had also increased. When he spoke, he would leave the suspense in the middle of his sentence, acting like an otherworldly expert who was passing on his teachings and dispelling doubts. Zhu Minchun and the others were like ants on a hot pan.
"Governor Xiao, should we make some arrangements?"
Zhu Minchun asked tentatively.
"Your Highness, there is no need to worry."
Six words popped out. His treatment was slightly better than that of a low-ranking official. However, Xiao Ruxun continued to chew on the meat and didn't seem to explain anything to the two.
Although the two were anxious, there was nothing they could do. They could only secretly criticize Xiao Ruxun for grasping the essence of being a high-ranking official so quickly. If he became a civil official, he would either be Yan Fenyi or Zhang Jiangling.
The two were worried and felt that the meat didn't taste good. However, when they saw Xiao Ruxun eating so happily, he didn't stop even when the large plate of horse meat was almost finished. They only felt that it was strange.
When the low-ranking official saw that the horse meat in front of Xiao Ruxun was almost finished, he divided half of the horse meat in his plate and handed it to Xiao Ruxun.
"Don't angels eat it?"
Xiao Ruxun said five words.
"I have a lot on my mind and don't have much appetite. Governor, you eat first!"
The low-ranking official's words had a double meaning.
"Thank you."
Xiao Ruxun simply said two words and then reached out to take the plate of meat. She dipped a piece in the sauce and began to eat heartily again, easily breaking the double meaning of this sentence. The low-ranking official was stunned for a while, then helplessly returned to his seat and drank.
Zhu Minchun didn't understand what Xiao Ruxun was up to. In his depression, he could only drink and occasionally eat a little meat. In the end, he couldn't taste anything, only feeling that it tasted like wax.
Finally, when the plate of meat was almost finished by Xiao Ruxun, another messenger rushed into the tent.
"Report! Governor! They are here! "
"Them? Could it be that the Northern Barbarians have broken through?! "
Before the messenger left, the minor official stood up in fright and shouted with a horrified expression, giving Zhu Minchun a fright.
"No, it's not the Northern Barbarians. It's the cannons."
The messenger looked at the low-ranking official with a dumbfounded expression, then explained with good intentions. The low-ranking official blinked, unable to react.
However, Xiao Ruxun nodded and said to the messenger, "Order the cannons to choose a suitable location to set up the cannons. Aim the muzzles at the smoke in the town. Load the small cannons with explosive shells, and the Red Barbarian cannons with solid shells. Wait for my orders."
The messenger nodded, "Yes, Sir!"
Then, he ran out of the tent.
Zhu Minchun finally reacted. He looked at Xiao Ruxun, who was still eating, and asked in surprise, "Governor Xiao, are you waiting for the cannons?"
Xiao Ruxun threw the last piece of meat into his mouth, then wiped his mouth and hands with a cloth.
"That's right. We have lost quite a number of elite soldiers in the previous battles. We still have to go north to counterattack Datong, and we may encounter more Northern Barbarians. If we can reduce the number of casualties, we should. They will still be useful in the future. There is no need to bear unnecessary casualties.
Previously, when the cannons could not keep up with the main army, I had the army surround Hot Springs Town to prevent the Northern Barbarians from escaping. He was also waiting for the cannons. The Northern Barbarians had not been hit by the cannons since the start of the war, so they were not prepared for the cannons. The sky was dark, and they were still cooking meat. They were practically live targets.
After I bombarded him with the cannons for an hour, most of the Northern Barbarians in Hot Springs Town would be dead. Finally, the cavalry would charge and these Northern Barbarians would be finished. Although there is no guarantee that Lalik will be alive, how can his life be compared to the lives of the Daming soldiers? What does Your Highness think? "
How could Zhu Minchun say otherwise? Even if he said so, what could he do? How could a captive prince with no real power say anything to a powerful governor who controlled hundreds of thousands of soldiers? He was giving him face by asking him. If he objected, he would be unappreciative.
"That's right."
Zhu Minchun nodded.
The officer's expression turned ugly. Although Xiao Ruxun is right, but … but if you do this, what … what's the point of me staying here?
Xiao Ruxun saw the troubled expression on the minor official's face and smiled. "There's no need for Celestial Envoy to worry too much. It's not certain whether that dog thief will die or not. Even if he dies, this Governor will find his corpse, chop off his head, and bring it back to the capital. In any case, he committed such a heinous crime and must die."
The lowly official thought about it and agreed. If they were to sacrifice the lives of thousands of Great Ming soldiers because of this, it would be hard to explain. Furthermore, Xiao Ruxun's army had already taken more than seven thousand heads in this campaign, and there was still the Great Unity after that. It was certain that the number of heads would exceed ten thousand, and the imperial court might not even be able to fork out that much money!
It would be better if they could save as much as they could. Death was still a burden to the imperial court. To the imperial court, being shot to death by cannons was much better than being beheaded.
Fine, how could the rise and fall of an individual's honor be more important than the imperial court's empty treasury?
The officer accepted it.
"That's right, the governor is right."
Once the internal ideology was unified, the external enemies would suffer. After eating his fill, Xiao Ruxun stood up in satisfaction. He walked a few steps, patted his stomach, took a deep breath, and laughed.
"I'm full. It's time for war. This war has been dragged on for too long. I can't let it drag on any longer. Your Highness and Celestial Ambassador, please wait a moment. I'll be right back."
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