"Send someone to check the number of soldiers who were injured or died in battle. Bury those who should be buried, and give those who should be comforted by their families. Remember to send someone you trust to do this." Ban Han remembered that there were cases of embezzlement in the military camp, so he added, "If anyone dares to do this, don't report it to the lord. I'll personally chop off his head!"
"Yes!" Du Jiu's heart skipped a beat, his face filled with excitement, "General, please rest assured. This subordinate will definitely handle this matter. Move the net! "
Ban Han watched him leave with great momentum and couldn't help but sigh. The female guard behind her looked at her worriedly, "Junzhu, are you alright?"
Junzhu had been pampered since childhood. Although she had learned how to command troops from the old General, that was many years ago. At that time, Junzhu was still very young. How could she have truly experienced the cruelty of the battlefield? Now, she was with these soldiers all day long. She couldn't eat or dress well, and she couldn't use silk, satin, gold, and silver jewelry. When had their Junzhu ever suffered like this?
"I'm fine." Ban Han leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes to let the female guard massage her shoulders, "Jiang Luo's conduct is cruel. If he isn't overthrown, not only will the people not be able to eat or sleep in peace, even my Ban Family won't be able to live."
"But …" The female guard hesitated for a moment, "When the birds are gone, the bow is put away. This subordinate is worried about Son-in-law …"
If Son-in-law really ascends the throne one day, although Junzhu and Son-in-law are married, people's hearts are fickle. What if Son-in-law is afraid that Junzhu has the blood of the Jiang Clan in her body? What should she do then?
"Even if Rong Xia and I don't have any feelings for each other, at least he's a good Emperor. In addition, my Ban Family has treated him well. He definitely won't make things difficult for the Ban Family." Ban Han smiled, "As for other things, it's too early to worry. In life, one must always think positively. Otherwise, if one lives unhappily every day, then it's not worth it. "
"Junzhu, you have a good attitude and are open-minded." The female guard was amused by Ban Han's words. "You are right. This subordinate is too timid."
"There's a saying among the people, isn't it because you can't bear to cut off her body? How can you drag a beauty down from her horse?" Ban Han raised his head seductively. "Don't you agree?"
"Isn't there a saying among the people that if one is willing to be cut into pieces, one can make the Emperor …" The female guard's expression changed and she smiled bitterly. "Princess, you're teasing me again. I don't dare to say that."
"What's there to be afraid of? Aren't we doing the same thing now?" Ban Han said confidently. "It's okay. Let's talk behind closed doors. No one will know."
The female guards all nodded in agreement, as if they would believe whatever Ban Han said.
Qingsong County was a poor county under the jurisdiction of Yong Zhou. The terrain of this county was steep and the soil wasn't fertile enough. Therefore, there weren't many agricultural products. When the weather was good, the harvest was good and the people could barely fill their stomachs. If there was a disaster, they would have to tighten their belts. If they weren't careful, they could starve to death.
Ban Han's arrival didn't make the local people feel hopeless. Instead, it made them see hope.
These soldiers didn't burn, kill, or loot. They also didn't use this opportunity to make things difficult for them. It could be seen that these rebel soldiers really wanted to save the people and had no choice but to rise up. Some people asked about the identity of the young jade-faced general. After learning that he was the second most powerful general in the army, some matriarchs even started to ask if this general had a family.
After learning that he was married, many of the families that were considered prominent families in the county were disappointed. However, they still donated some food to the Rong Family Army in order to maintain a good relationship. At this time, gold and silver were not as popular as food. These prominent families wanted to take advantage of the situation. Secondly, they were worried that these rebel soldiers were just putting on an act. They didn't want to offend them, so they gave them some benefits.
After Ban Kui received the provisions, he registered them all and said to the noble families, "I have engraved the righteous deeds of my fellow villagers in my heart. After I defeat the traitorous officials, I will be even more grateful to you all."
"General, you are too kind. We don't dare."
These prominent families didn't dare to take these words seriously. After they left Ban Han's temporary residence, they only thought that they had spent money to buy peace of mind.
After sending these people away, a soldier came to report that the Imperial Court's army had appeared two miles away.
"They're finally here," Ban Han stood up, "Archers, get ready."
"Yes!"
Ban Han picked up the helmet on the table and hurried to the city gate.
The Imperial Court's army moved very quickly. Ban Han stood on top of the city gate and looked at the word "Shi" written on the flag. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. The one leading the army was Shi Jin.
"I am Shi Jin. I have been ordered by His Majesty to summon you all to surrender. As long as you surrender, the Imperial Court will not pursue your mistakes." Shi Jin rode on horseback and raised his head to look at the soldiers on top of the city gate with their bows raised. The soldiers behind him raised their shields and blocked in front of him.
"What a loyal and righteous General Shi," Ban Han said loudly on top of the city wall, "Now that the country is about to fall, the people have no way to make a living. I can't bear to see the people living in the abyss of suffering. Even if I have to bear the infamy of history, I will not back down. General Shi is loyal to the Emperor and wholeheartedly works for the Imperial Court. You deserve to be praised by the historians for your loyalty. "
These words seemed to be praising Shi Jin, but every word was harsh. Shi Jin's face turned pale. When he saw who the speaker was, his face became as pale as ash.
"Greetings, Princess Fule." He cupped his hands and bowed respectfully. "You are a Commandery Princess appointed by the Imperial Court. Why are you wallowing in the mire with the rebel army?"
"Fengning Emperor is heartless. He put His Majesty and the Crown Prince under house arrest. As a Commandery Princess appointed by His Majesty, how can I bear to see His Majesty and the Crown Prince be treated like this?" Ban Han said righteously. "If Fengning Emperor is not guilty at all, why doesn't he let us see His Majesty and the Crown Prince?!"
Shi Jin knew that Ban Han was telling the truth. However, the lives of hundreds of people in the main branch of the Shi Family were in the hands of Jiang Luo. He had no choice but to submit.
The soldiers on both sides did not speak. This silent confrontation became a psychological battle between the commanders. Shi Jin felt guilty. He did not even dare to look directly at Ban Han's face.
"Commandery Princess, if there are any misunderstandings, you can talk about it when you return to the capital. Now that there are so many people involved, how can you bear to do this?" Shi Jin lowered his head and said, "I'm in my position. I'm sorry to offend you."
Ban Han sneered. She nocked her bow and shot an arrow at the Imperial Court's flag. She said loudly, "If you had taken a step forward, you would have such a flag!"
"General, good archery." Du Jiu took the bow from Ban Han's hand. "I admire you."
"My archery is not good." Ban Han shook her head. "It can't be compared to an archer who has been on the battlefield."
Du Jiu thought, "If this is not good, what is?"
"Archers, get ready!"
"Fire!"
Under the city gate tower, the Imperial Court's soldiers were forced to stop by the first wave of arrows. They retreated a few hundred meters. Seeing that the arrow rain had finally stopped, they rushed forward again.
"Brothers, they don't have enough arrows. Let's go!"
However, before they could get close to the city gate, pots of boiling water and hot oil were splashed down. The attacking soldiers cried out in pain and did not dare to get close.
"General!" Shi Jin's deputy retreated to Shi Jin's side. "The enemy is too cunning. They just attacked the city not long ago. Where did they find hot water and boiling oil?"
Shi Jin looked at the stalemate in front of him and thought of a possibility. The people in the city were helping the rebel army, so they had so much boiling oil and water. He raised his hand and said, "Stop attacking. Don't make unnecessary sacrifices."
Ban Han was prepared. They would not be able to gain any advantage if they attacked forcefully.
"Yes!"
"General, they retreated."
A soldier pointed at the city gate in surprise.
"It's just a delaying tactic." Ban Han narrowed her eyes. "The Imperial Court's soldiers will not come back for four hours. You all rest here. Leave a few people to guard the city gate. Remember, keep your weapons with you! "
"Yes!"
Ban Han leaned against the mottled bricks on the city wall and looked in the direction of the Imperial Court's soldiers with a calm expression.
She did not know why Shi Jin was willing to lead soldiers to eliminate the rebel army, but he was a very calm person. He was not as easily angered as the defending general of Qingsong County. Therefore, she had to be very careful.
If she were Shi Jin, how would she choose to attack the city?
"General Shi, what should we do now?"
Shi Jin looked at the wounded soldiers on stretchers and shook his head. "Apply medicine to the wounded soldiers first."
"General, we don't have enough medicine. We don't have enough medicine."
"General, there are problems with some of the weapons. I'm afraid they can't be used on the battlefield."
"General, the food that the Imperial Court gave us is moldy. I'm worried that the soldiers won't be able to take it if they eat it."
Shi Jin became more and more silent. The Imperial Court's parasites sent them to the battlefield to kill the enemy, but they gave them these things to eat. How hateful! Although Shi Jin was a calm person, he could not help but become serious. Why would he still support the Imperial Court and the Imperial Court?
"General?!"
The leading soldier saw the general's expression and asked cautiously, "Are you okay?"
Shi Jin shook his head. "Go and see what's edible. Let them fill their stomachs first. As for the rest … I'll think of something later."
The leading soldier left the tent. Shi Jin helplessly sat on a chair, rubbed his forehead, and sighed.
In the middle of the night, the soldier guarding the provisions took a nap. When he opened his eyes, he hurriedly looked around. When he saw that no one was looking at him, he shook his head to wake himself up.
At this moment, he saw a soldier walking out from behind a tent, mumbling something about having diarrhea. He thought of the bowl of moldy porridge he had eaten at night and looked at the soldier sympathetically. Judging from his young and delicate appearance, he probably had never been on the battlefield before. These veterans had eaten everything. Not to mention moldy porridge, they had even eaten grass roots, tree bark, mountain rats, and wild rabbits.
After a while, the soldier came back holding his pants. When he walked past him, he whispered, "Big Brother, don't you feel uncomfortable in your stomach?"
"This is nothing. Young people like you have never seen the world." The guard bragged to the young man for a while. Suddenly, he felt the urge to pee. He said to the soldier, "Help me take a look. I'll be back soon."
"Big Brother, I've never seen this before. Hurry up." The young man looked around and saw that there were only a few soldiers guarding here. He seemed a little scared.
"We're already on the battlefield. Why are you still talking like a sissy?" The guard saw that the young man was still afraid of the dark and could not help but shake his head. "Just stand here. I'll be back soon."
When he turned around and left, he felt a little proud. These new soldiers did not know how difficult it was to be on the battlefield.
Ban Han threw all the phosphorus powder he had hidden into the warehouse behind him. After she stood a few steps away, he threw the lit paper ball into the warehouse.
"Bang!" The phosphorus powder ignited as soon as it came into contact with a spark. A guard next to her noticed her actions. Before he could say anything, she covered his mouth and knocked him unconscious. Then, she threw him a little further away from the granary.
"Fire, the granary is on fire." After shouting this, Ban Han quickly hid behind the tent next to her. After the other soldiers in the tent ran out, she squeezed into the group of people in a hurry.
"Put out the fire quickly. Keep an eye on the surroundings of the military camp. Don't let any suspicious people escape!"
Shi Jin was not surprised at all when he heard that the granary was on fire. He walked out of the tent and saw that the fire in the granary was quickly put out. He looked around and asked, "Did you catch any suspicious people?"
At this time, a soldier came to report that he had just talked to a fair-skinned young man.
A fair-skinned young man?
Shi Jin was secretly bewildered. Could it be that Ban Kui had personally taken action?
After the fire was put out, he found that some small flames were still emitting a faint blue light. "Is that … phosphorus powder?"
Phosphorus powder was something that vaudeville artists could use. However, these skills were generally not taught to outsiders. Only if one's family had this kind of craftsmen would they know the inside story. It seemed that this was Ban Han's work. Everyone in the capital knew that the Ban Family had many vaudeville artists.
But what did she want? This small fire could not burn the granary at all. This was a pile of food, not a pile of flammable paper.
He was puzzled. After the soldiers tiredly returned to their tents to rest, he went back to the main tent. As soon as he sat on the couch, a cold sword appeared on his neck.
"Princess, you shouldn't have come." He closed his eyes. "If I make a sound now, you won't be able to walk out of this tent alive."
"There's no such thing as' shouldn't '." Ban Han turned to face him and said with a smile, "I believe that many people are in a deep sleep right now. Even if you beat the gongs and drums, they won't be able to wake up."
What she had just thrown in the granary was not only inflammable phosphorus powder, but also a hypnotic powder. Anyone who smelled the smoke would unconsciously feel sleepy.
Shi Jin's expression changed slightly. "This is your main purpose?"
Ban Han smiled but did not say anything.
Shi Jin opened his eyes and looked at Ban Han, who was dressed as a soldier. Under the dim candlelight, her face looked a little dim, but her eyes were as bright as stars. He looked away. "Princess, you're good. I'm not as good as you."
"Didn't General Shi also send spies to sneak into the city?" Ban Han smiled. "We're in the same boat."
Shi Jin raised his chin. "If you want to make a move, do it quickly." He hesitated for a moment. "After you make a move, leave through the west gate. The defense there is weak, so it's more advantageous for you."
"I want to kill you, but you're helping me think of a way out?" Ban Han could not help but laugh. "You're really interesting."
She glanced at Shi Jin's face. "You're so handsome. I really don't want to make a move on you." After saying this, she suddenly pulled back her sword and smashed it hard on the back of Shi Jin's head. Shi Jin fell to the ground with a thud.
"Princess!" A soldier walked in. He was the leader of the army. "Let's go." After saying this, he and another soldier who looked inconspicuous put Shi Jin into a black cloth bag and carried him out of the tent.
The tent of the imperial army was quiet. Only the sound of intermittent snoring could be heard.
Ban Bi looked around and said, "Surround this area and take all the weapons that can be taken away."
She was not a gentleman, nor was she a famous general. If she could win easily with some tricks, she would definitely not refuse. This leader was the grandson of a former general of the Ban Family. On the surface, he had nothing to do with the Ban Family, but in fact, he was one of the Ban Family's "contacts" in the army.
As the leader of the army, no one was more suitable than him to put drugs in the food. In addition, the food was already moldy. Even if there was something wrong with the food, people would only think that there was something wrong with the food, not the food.
The leader's drugs and the ones she threw in the granary were enough for these people to sleep well.
She just hoped that they wouldn't be too shocked when they woke up tomorrow and found that they were naked and their weapons had been confiscated.
After leaving the military camp, Ban Han led her personal guards back to Qingsong County. However, before they entered the city gate, she immediately felt that something was wrong. She hurriedly raised her hand to stop everyone. "Put out your torches. There's something wrong with the city gate."
The personal guards put out their torches one after another, jumped off their horses and dodged to the side to prevent the archers on the city gate from shooting arrows at the place where they were previously.
However, there was no rain of arrows on the city gate. Instead, someone lit a torch and stood on top of the city gate.
"The person below … is it Junzhu?"
Ban Han felt that the voice was familiar. It seemed to be Zhao Zhong?
She glanced at the personal guards beside her and signaled them not to move. She trotted to another position and said, "It's me."
"Huahua," Rong Xia suddenly appeared on top of the city gate. He appeared next to the torch and said to the dark city gate, "I'm coming down to pick you up."
Ban Han stared blankly at Rong Xia on top of the city gate. Soon, the city gate opened. Rong Xia rode a white horse and wore a golden armor. The red torch illuminated his cheeks, looking very festive.
Ban Han stood up from the ground and looked at Rong Xia who was holding a torch and looking around. She couldn't help but say, "I'm here!"
Rong Xia jumped off the horse and walked quickly to Ban Han with a torch. He reached out and touched her cold hand, "Come, let's go in."
"Are you stupid? Don't you want to die by rushing out?" Ban Han let him hold her hand, "What if someone kidnapped me and deliberately lured you out? Will you still be alive?"
"If they kidnapped you, they would be kidnapping my life. If I die with you, it would be good to be a pair of lovebirds."
"Nonsense," Ban Han couldn't help but knock on his helmet, "Come on, shake your head. Let me hear if there's any sound of water. Is there water?"
After they entered the city, Rong Xia found two soldiers carrying a huge black cloth bag. He couldn't help but stop and take a few more glances, "What's inside?"
It seems to be a human?
"Oh, I just kidnapped their general."
Rong Xia was stunned. General … Shi Jin?
"What's the use of kidnapping him? Just throw him away," Rong Xia said ruthlessly, "As long as he fails, he will be useless to the Imperial Court."
"Useless to the Imperial Court, but useful to you," Ban Han said sincerely, "This person has some ability. It's good that you can use him."
"No need!" Rong Xia refused directly.
Ban Han was speechless.
What's wrong with him?
Fortunately, the husband and wife didn't quarrel about Shi Jin. Ban Han and Rong Xia returned to the temporary residence. She took off her armor, yawned and lay on the bed, "Why are you here?"
Wasn't the original plan for him to stay and attack Yongzhou while she came to Qingsong County?
"The plan has changed," Rong Xia saw that there were faint bruises under her eyes. He felt sorry for her and touched her eyes, "You haven't had a good rest these days?"
"Isn't that so? My head hurts from looking at those books and books." Bentley kicked off her boots and they fell to the ground with a clatter. She didn't even bother to take off her socks. In a daze, she said, "I'm relieved that you're here." Then, she fell into a deep sleep.
Rong Xia saw that she was so tired. He took off her socks and wiped her feet with hot water. He found two glaring blood blisters on her white and delicate soles. He found a silver needle that had been sterilized with wine and gently pricked the blisters. After applying some medicine, he tucked her into the quilt.
At dawn, Rong Xia heard movement outside the door. He put on his outer robe and walked out with his shoes, "What's the matter?"
Zhao Zhong saw that his outer robe was untidy and he was holding his shoes. He was stunned for a moment and then said, "My lord, Shi Jin woke up."
"I'll go see him right away."
When Shi Jin woke up, he found himself lying in a room covered with a clean quilt. He immediately realized that he had been taken away by the rebel army.
He sat up on the bed weakly. Before he could get up, he saw a soldier push open the door and come in. The soldier took a look at him and then left in a hurry.
Not long after, he heard footsteps outside the door. Rong Xia pushed open the door and walked in.
When he saw that it was Rong Xia, Shi Jin sneered, "Marquis Cheng 'an is really capable. You actually came to Qingsong County without anyone knowing. However, your greatest ability is not to hide from the Changqing Of Gojoseon, but to make a woman risk her life for you in the enemy camp. "
When Zhao Zhong heard this, he wanted to ask Rong Xia for an explanation. However, he was interrupted by Rong Xia.
"I also admire myself for this," Rong Xia said with a smile. "Lord Shi, if you don't like it, I can only ask you to forgive me. My wife is so good to me. I can't do anything about it."
"Are you still a man?" Shi Jin was disgusted by Rong Xia's complacent attitude. "Rong Xia, if you are a man, you should protect her well. Don't let her take risks like this."
"Lord Shi, what right do you have to meddle in the private affairs between us?" Rong Xia raised his eyebrows. "In public, you and I have different statuses. In private, our families don't have much of a relationship. Lord Shi, don't you think you're meddling?"
Shi Jin's expression turned ugly. Rong Xia's words made him speechless.
"Lord Shi, please be careful with your words and actions in the future. Don't meddle in other people's business." Rong Xia lowered his eyelids. "It's more appropriate for us to talk about business."
His Huahua was disobedient and risked her life. When she woke up, he would teach her a good lesson!
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