How corrupt must the Great Ye Dynasty be for the people to hate it to this extent?
Ban Han was a very lazy person. She was too lazy to think too much and was too lazy to think about schemes and plots. However, this journey had been too smooth. It was as if someone had already planned ahead and was just waiting for them to arrive.
"I have arranged people in Taizhou City." In the room, Rong Xia smiled at Ban Han who was lying in the bathtub. "Madam, do you need me to help you bathe?"
"Help me massage my shoulders." Ban Han held the edge of the bathtub with both hands. Her long black hair was soaked in the bathtub. The steam lingered in the room and the temperature in the room rose.
Rong Xia could not help but lightly bite her shoulder, leaving a light pink mark.
"Are you a dog?" Ban Han covered the place where she was bitten. She reached out and pulled Rong Xia who was neatly dressed into the bathtub. Looking at his wet and disheveled appearance, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you want to bathe with me?"
Rong Xia looked at her white and tender chest and breathed deeply. "Huahua, it is said that many years ago, there was a female demon on the sacred mountain. Anyone who saw her would be infatuated and would be willing to offer their heads to her …"
The tip of his tongue brushed past Ban Han's ear. "Are you that female demon?"
"Whether I am or not, won't you know once you taste it?"
Ban Han laughed softly. It was like a fuse that lit the fire in Rong Xia's chest. The temperature of the two people in the bathtub began to burn.
"Du Jiu?" Zhao Zhong walked out of the courtyard. This house was originally the residence of an official. However, because this official had abused the people, he had been tied up and thrown into prison by the local people. He saw Du Jiu standing guard outside the main door of the courtyard and asked curiously, "I didn't see Mr. Wang Qü this time?"
"He can't walk, his hands can't write, and his eyes can't see. How can he follow the army?" Du Jiu did not mention what Wang Qü had done. If he did, it would only make his lord unhappy again.
When Zhao Zhong heard Wang Qü's words, he guessed that Wang Qü might have violated his lord's taboo and ended up like this. He looked around, patted his butt, and sat down on the stone steps. "You are all old people who have followed the Lord. I have no intention of inquiring about the Lord's private affairs. It's just that Princess Fule and our family have some old ties, so I want to know how she is doing. I don't want anything else, just to have peace of mind."
"I think you are confused," Du Jiu walked to his side and copied him as he sat down, "Junzhu is the wife of the lord, how can she not have a good life?"
"Old Du, we've been friends for many years. You don't have to say such things to me. I don't like to hear such things." Zhao Zhong smiled bitterly. "It's not like you don't know the relationship between our Zhao family and Princess Fu Le."
"It's because I know, that's why I don't want to say more to you," Du Jiu said irritably, "You may not know how much the lord values Junzhu because you haven't been in Jing these years, but how can I not know? If I were you, I wouldn't mention the relationship between your family and Junzhu in the future. What's the point of bringing up the matter of fate? "
"If you don't mention it, then don't mention it. I'm relieved that the lord and Junzhu have a good relationship," Zhao Zhong's temper was good. Hearing Du Jiu say this, he wasn't displeased at all. Instead, he smiled generously, "The two naughty children of our family, ever since they interacted with Junzhu a few times, all day long they keep calling her Junzhu. I really don't know who their father is."
Du Jiu snorted and said in a self-satisfied manner, "That's nothing. There are so many brats in the capital who have to properly bow in front of our princess. It's not strange that those two brats in your family like to listen to the princess's words."
Hearing Du Jiu call her Junzhu, Zhao Zhong couldn't help but laugh. Was Du Jiu one of the lord's people, or one of the Princess Fule's people?
But according to the other strategists, Du Jiu had been very useful in front of the lord these years. Even after Princess Fule married into the family, she was very close to him. This was probably what it meant that honest people had an honest way of living. Wang Qü was full of wisdom and didn't lack scheming and wisdom, but in the end, his position wasn't as stable as Du Jiu's.
"Husband and wife are one. Junzhu likes your children, isn't that the same as the lord likes them?" Du Jiu simply said it more clearly, "Junzhu is proficient in riding, shooting, and martial arts. If your two children can learn a move or two, it's enough."
Zhao Zhong suddenly understood. Du Jiu was telling him how good the relationship between Marquis and Junzhu was. The lord's strategists were all considering the power behind Princess Fule. They were also considering whether the Ban Family would disagree with the lord's ascension because of the Princess Royal. They didn't expect Du Jiu to hit the nail on the head. Husband and wife are one.
These words might not necessarily apply to other people, but the lord was different. He didn't have any important relatives by his side. The closest person to him was probably Princess Fule.
Also, the Three Army Tiger Tally that the lord took out these days. If it wasn't given to him by Junzhu, who else could it be? If they had the Three Army Tiger Tally, why would they have to endure until now? Princess Fule gave such an important thing to the lord. How could they, as outsiders, look down on this friendship?
The army rested in Tai Zhou for seven days. After preparing enough provisions, they heard that the imperial court had sent an army to destroy the Rong Dynasty. They planned to destroy all the rebel forces in one fell swoop.
Rong Xia only had a total of 150,000 soldiers. The Rong Dynasty's army was said to have 350,000 soldiers. After removing the water from the army, there were about 200,000 soldiers left. This battle would be difficult to fight.
Ban Han wondered if his mouth was poisonous. A few days ago, he said that the rebellion was like a joke. Today, the imperial court's army was approaching. She sat in the deputy's position. After listening to the soldier's report, she asked, "Who is the person leading the army?"
"Changqing Of Gojoseon is the Grand Marshal of the Army. Shi Jin is the Grand General of the Army. Changqing Of Gojoseon is the Grand Marshal. Shi Jin is the Vice Marshal. "
"It's them?" Ban Han was surprised. "Isn't Shi Jin one of the Crown Prince's people?"
"The Shi Family's lives are in the hands of the tyrant. How could Shi Jin not obey?" The silver-armored young general had some admiration for Shi Jin, but the disgust he had for Jiang Luo was even stronger. "It is because of this that he dares to let Shi Jin lead the troops into battle."
Ban Han shook his head. He didn't know if he should sympathize with the Shi Family or sigh with regret.
After being in the limelight for so many years, in the end, after being tossed around by Jiang Luo, he was truly disgraced. Even the dignified Prime Minister's son had to do things against his will.
Rong Xia glanced at Ban Han. "Go and find out more information."
"Yes."
Three days later, Rong Xia led the army into Yongzhou. Yongzhou's terrain wasn't too dangerous, but if they wanted to conquer Yongzhou, they had to cross the Qingsha River. When Rong Xia's army arrived, the iron chain bridge on the river had been destroyed.
Rong Xia looked at the army on the other side of the river across the calm and spacious river. He didn't say a word.
Two hours later, a boat rowed over. There were three envoys on the boat. They tried to persuade Rong Xia to surrender and promised many benefits. One of the conditions was to restore the Ban Family's title.
Since he had already reached this step, how could Rong Xia surrender? He looked calmly at the three messengers and asked in return, "Do you think the people of the world suffer or not?"
The three envoys looked uncomfortable. One of them cupped his fist and said, "Marquis Cheng'an, as an official, we should be loyal to the Emperor …"
"As an official of the imperial court, we should love the country and the people. I am not talented. Although this move may be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, I also want to save the people." Rong Xia stood up and looked at the three envoys. "I admire your loyalty, but for the people of the world, I am willing to bear the infamy of being disloyal to the Emperor."
The envoys blushed when they heard this. Marquis Cheng'an was a modest gentleman. Today, he came to this point. Was it just because he wasn't loyal enough? Maybe it was because he was a gentleman that he couldn't bear to see the people suffer and couldn't stand the Emperor.
They were not as good as him. Today, they came to persuade Rong Xia. They were just following orders. They knew very well that they couldn't persuade Rong Xia.
"Marquis is righteous!" One of the old men with white hair and a beard bowed deeply to Rong Xia. "We understand Marquis's thoughts. We will go back and report to the Marshal."
Rong Xia raised his hand and made a gesture of invitation.
The three envoys walked out of the tent. Seeing the momentum of the Rong army, and thinking of the imperial court army's lack of fighting spirit, they couldn't help but shake their heads. Unless Marshal Ban was still alive, the imperial court army couldn't stop the advance of the rebel army.
But Marshal Ban's descendant had married Rong Xia. Even the Three Army Tiger Tally had been handed to him. No one could guarantee what the country would be like in the end.
The imperial court army and the Rong army confronted each other on both sides of Qingsha River for three days. Neither side had the intention to use force. On the morning of the fourth day, the imperial court army on the observation platform found that the Rong army was singing and dancing as if they were celebrating a festival.
He was puzzled, so he reported the news to his superiors.
Soon, the news was passed to the Changqing Of Gojoseon and Shi Jin.
"It's just a trick to confuse people," the Changqing Of Gojoseon sneered. "Rong Xia likes to look calm, but we don't know how anxious he is inside. Their food is limited. If they want to fight a war of attrition with us, they will cry. "
Shi Jin looked at the geomancy map on the table. His eyes fell on Qingsong County next to Yongzhou, but he didn't say anything. There was also a bridge over Qingsha River in Qingsong County, but the iron chain bridge was much smaller than the one in Yongzhou. The terrain on both sides of the river was narrow, and the road was winding and difficult to walk. Without a local familiar with the road conditions, it was easy to fall into the turbulent river. With Rong Xia's cautious personality, he wouldn't choose such a road.
He didn't have much friendship with the Changqing Of Gojoseon. After entering the military camp, the Changqing Of Gojoseon didn't want to be divided by him, so he was on guard against him. Even if he told him his guess, the Changqing Of Gojoseon wouldn't believe him. As expected, when he proposed to lead the troops to Qingsong County, the Changqing Of Gojoseon flatly refused.
"If you take some of the troops with you, and the Rong army suddenly attacks, what should we do?" The Changqing Of Gojoseon said with certainty, "I've been in contact with Rong Xia for many years. I know what kind of person he is. He must be waiting for us to take the initiative to divide the troops so that he can sneak attack us at night."
Shi Jin sneered in his heart. A rebellious Marquis who had the Tiger Tally of the Three Armies but didn't let anyone know about it. Even if he had been in contact with you for many years, how could you be sure that he wasn't feigning civility?
Since Prince Ning ascended the throne, the Changqing Of Gojoseon was promoted from a Commandery Prince to a Prince. No one expected that he was in cahoots with Prince Ning. Now the Changqing Of Gojoseon was in the limelight in the capital, and no one dared to offend him. The Changqing Of Gojoseon was a man who thought he was smart. He was conceited and arrogant, and the thing he hated the most was others questioning his decisions.
Shi Jin had a calm and steady personality. He had to think carefully before doing anything, and he didn't like to act willfully. The two of them were almost polar opposites.
If the generals didn't get along, it would be detrimental to the morale of the troops. Most of the time, Shi Jin didn't want to argue with the Changqing Of Gojoseon. He even had a strange thought in his heart that even if the world was overthrown, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
Sometimes, he clearly felt that the decisions made by the Changqing Of Gojoseon were wrong, but he chose to go with the flow.
After two days of fighting on the other side of the river, the Rong army suddenly attacked at night on the third night, intending to lay planks on the bridge and attack the other side of the river. However, they were discovered by the Imperial Army, who was well-prepared, and had to retreat in a hurry.
The Evergreen King stood on the watchtower and watched as the Rong Family Army was beaten up so badly by the imperial court's army that they threw away their armor and fled pathetically. An elated expression appeared on his face. He knew that Rong Xia was used to putting on an act like this. Rong Xia couldn't sit still anymore.
"Grand Marshal, should we fight our way to the other side of the river?"
"No need," the Changqing Of Gojoseon smirked, "Rong Xia is waiting for us to cross the river. I won't let him have his way."
In the next few nights, the Rong army sent people to try to cross the river, but they failed every time. Gradually, the Imperial Army found that the Rong army was no longer in the mood to sing and dance. Even the smoke from the kitchen chimneys gradually decreased.
The Imperial Army was almost certain that the rebel army didn't have enough food.
Just as they were waiting for the rebel army to surrender, an urgent report suddenly came from Qingsong County. The rebel army had crossed the river from Qingsong County and intended to break through the gates of Qingsong County. They wanted to ask for reinforcements.
"What?" The Changqing Of Gojoseon looked at the soldier in disbelief, "Why would Rong Xia lead troops to attack Qingsong County?"
He was tricked by Rong Xia!
From the beginning, Rong Xia didn't plan to attack Yongzhou. He deliberately let the soldiers attack for several nights in a row to make him believe that his focus was on Yongzhou.
"Grand Marshal, what should we do now?"
The Changqing Of Gojoseon looked at Shi Jin. After a while, he said with a pale face, "Shi Jin, you lead troops to Qingsong County to kill the rebel army. Rong Xia is very cunning. I'm worried that only a small portion of the rebel army is attacking Qingsong County. The main target of the rebel army is still here. "
"Yes." Shi Jin clasped his fist and walked out of the tent.
The soldiers in the tent all remembered that Shi Jin took the initiative to lead troops to defend Qingsong County. However, the Changqing Of Gojoseon didn't agree, which led to the current situation. However, seeing the Changqing Of Gojoseon's angry appearance, no one dared to add fuel to the fire.
This time, the Changqing Of Gojoseon guessed correctly. The Rong army that attacked Qingsong County was indeed only a small portion of the rebel army. The leader of the rebel army was Ban Han. She was wearing Silver Armor and didn't say a word as she listened to the curses of the soldiers on the city gate.
"Does Rong Xia have no men under his command? He actually wants a sissy like you to lead the troops?" The general standing on the city wall laughed out loud as if he had just said something ridiculous. "If you surrender obediently and crawl under my pants, I will spare your life."
Sometimes, when the two soldiers were cursing at each other, they would say all kinds of nasty things. Du Jiu and Zhao Zhong, who were standing behind Ban Han, were worried that she wouldn't be able to take the provocation. However, who knew that Ban Han would actually shout at the top of her lungs.
"You look like my grandfather. Why don't you go find a beach and look at your butt? How could you give birth to someone like me?" Ban Han threw the silver spear in her hand to Du Jiu and scolded with her hands on her hips. "You grew up so hard. Do you even have a wife? Are the children you gave birth to yours? Don't think that all the men in the world are your sons or grandsons. Thinking too much is a disease. You should think about which unlucky bastard is willing to be your father or grandpa first. Then you can put on airs in front of me! Bah! "
The Rong army was stunned by Ban Han's scolding. This, this is the Princess Fule, right? She is their lord's wife, right?
This scolding skill, why is it that she is like a veteran in the army?
"Damn, you little bastard. When I kill you, I'll use your two taels of egg wine to drink!"
"You're envious that I have two taels. Do you have two taels of money on you?" Ban Han scolded back, "Even if you drink all the egg wine in the world, you're just an ugly bastard. You can't do two taels!"
Gulp.
Zhao Zhong couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He turned to look at Du Jiu and found that Du Jiu wasn't any better than him. Zhao Zhong immediately felt better. It seems that he wasn't the only one who was frightened.
Ban Han argued with ten people by himself. Finally, the general on the city gate was so angry that he rushed out with his soldiers. This man was eight feet tall and held a spiked hammer in his hand. He looked like he wouldn't give up until he smashed Ban Han to death.
"Hmph!"
Ban Han took out the bow on his horse and shot an arrow. The man who was still shouting was shot through the chest by the arrow and fell to the ground with a thud.
When the soldiers he brought out saw that their leader was dead, they were stunned. They turned around and wanted to return to the city. Who knew that the sky would be filled with arrows and they would be shot full of holes.
Ban Han coldly turned around and looked at the soldiers behind him. "Remember, this is the result of showing off your courage. If you can fight, then don't talk nonsense and don't look down on your opponent. Just now, when he was cursing at the city gate, he should have found an archer who was good at archery to shoot down our royal flag. But he looked down on me, a pretty boy, and found an opportunity to humiliate me. Remember this lesson and don't make the same mistake. "
"Yes!"
All the generals responded in unison. They looked at Ban Han with eyes full of admiration.
Ban Han was very satisfied with their obedient attitude. He raised his hand and said, "Attack the city!"
Defending the city should have been easier than attacking it, but because the leader of the Qingsong County soldiers had been killed by an arrow from the rebel army, the morale of the soldiers was in chaos. Seeing that the rebel army was about to break through the city gates, many soldiers lost the courage to defend the city.
"General," Du Jiu wiped the blood that had splattered on his face. "The resistance of the soldiers defending the city gate seems to have decreased."
"If the city is breached, then the morale of the soldiers will be broken." Ban Han pointed at a soldier with his spear and said to Du Jiu, "Tell our brothers to work harder and take down Qingsong County as soon as possible. If I'm not wrong, in less than two days, the reinforcements sent by the imperial court will arrive."
"I understand!" Du Jiu patted his horse's butt and began to encourage the morale of his soldiers.
On the battlefield, there was no distinction between men and women, only between you and me. The Rong Family Army already knew that Ban Han had some skills, but they didn't think that she would be able to adapt so well to military tactics. She was also very good at commanding soldiers and killing enemies cleanly and efficiently. It was obvious that she had been trained.
These soldiers who had followed Ban Yu to attack Green Pine County were finally convinced of Ban Yu's abilities, and their hearts were filled with admiration and worship.
"Peng!"
Qingsong County's city gate was finally breached and Ban Han led her soldiers to kill her way in. She originally thought that she would be welcomed by the fierce resistance of the soldiers and civilians, but who would have thought that the moment she rushed in, she would see a ten year old child crying and shouting: "I surrender."
This boy was wearing armor that didn't fit his body. He was thin and small, and the hand holding his sword was trembling. Ban Han only glanced at him and he was so scared that he knelt down in front of Ban Han.
The other soldiers weren't much better off than this boy. Their numb faces carried a bit of fear, and they didn't have the slightest intention of resisting. However, these people stood at the very front, and those behind them were the old, weak, women, and children in ragged clothes.
"Du Jiu, take people to count the number of people. Be careful of sneak attacks." Ban Han swept her eyes over the trembling women and children and added, "If anyone dares to rape a woman in the army, I will personally cut off his head and hang it on the city wall."
"This subordinate obeys."
After Qingsong County's city gate was breached, arranging for the people of Qingsong County was easier than Ban Han imagined. In other words, after these people realized that Ban Han didn't intend to kill them and even helped them clean up the streets, they were very obedient to Ban Han's arrangements. If she told them to go east, they would definitely not go west.
"General, General." Just as Ban Han walked down the tower and was about to look at the list of names, a little boy ran in front of her and asked: "Are you really a rebel?"
Ban Han reached out and patted his head: "We are not a rebel, we are here to save everyone."
The little boy didn't understand what 'save' meant. He stared blankly at Ban Han and after a while said: "You didn't steal our food, you are a good person."
"Little brat, this isn't a good person, this is a human." Ban Han smiled faintly, "Soldiers who steal from the people are animals."
"My, my lord." A little girl around ten years old hurriedly ran over and hit the little boy a few times. Then she looked at Ban Han in horror: "Little brother is not sensible and offended my lord. I beg my lord to let us go."
"Your little brother is very interesting." Ban Han saw that the little girl was so scared that she was stuttering, so she said in a teasing tone: "Don't be afraid, I don't bully children."
She dug around in her purse and found a few snacks that she used as snacks. She put it in the little girl's hand: "Here, take this to calm your nerves."
The little girl held the snacks and didn't dare to move.
"You are quite cautious." Ban Han took another piece from her hand and threw it into her mouth: "Don't worry, there is no poison in it."
The little girl secretly glanced at Ban Han. Just one glance made her blush. She lowered her head and held the snacks. She hurriedly pulled her little brother away. After walking far away, she dared to secretly look back. Who knew that she couldn't find Ban Han's figure.
"Sister, that soldier is really good." The little boy stuffed a piece of snack into his mouth: "His snacks are also delicious."
"Eat, eat, eat, you only know how to eat." The little girl couldn't help but scold: "What if he is a bad person? Do you still want to live?"
"But he is not a good person." The little boy turned his head and muttered. Suddenly, he saw a few men sneaking past the alley that he often passed by. He couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Qingsong County was only so big. Who were the neighbors that they usually passed by? What kind of clothing style the people in the county wore? Everyone knew in their heart. The words and actions of those men didn't seem like they were from Qingsong County.
"General," Du Jiu walked to Ban Han's office, "Just now, a child came to report that there were several suspicious adult men in the city."
"Spies?" This was the first thing that came to Ban Han's mind. She calculated the time. It was about time for the imperial army to react. "Tell the brothers to be on high alert. The imperial army should be here soon."
"This subordinate understands." Du Jiu hesitated and couldn't help but ask: "General, the people you scolded before the battle …"
"What? You're not used to it?"
"No, no, no, this subordinate listened to it and felt relieved."
"It's good that you felt relieved." Ban Han threw the pen to the side. She was the most impatient with these things: "My family supports a lot of disabled veterans. Their ability to scold people is superb. If you are interested, when you return to the capital, you can go visit them and have them teach you a thing or two. "
Du Jiu was surprised. So the Ban Family secretly supported so many disabled and useless veterans in the eyes of the imperial court?
For a moment, the Ban Family became incomparably tall in his heart.
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