"Marquis Cheng 'an, what do you want to say? Please speak your mind." Shi Jin knew that he was in no position to meddle in the private affairs of a married couple. He tidied his clothes and walked to the table to sit down. Although he was a prisoner, he still carried the noble air of a young master from an aristocratic family. He didn't flinch at all.
"I would like to ask Lord Shi to lend me a hand."
"Ridiculous. As an official of the imperial court, how can I associate myself with a traitor like you?" Shi Jin said without thinking, "Rong Xia, you don't have to waste your breath. I won't cooperate with you."
"In that case, I won't force you." Rong Xia stood up, turned around, and walked out of the door. He had no intention of persuading the other party. His reaction stunned everyone present. Du Jiu looked at Rong Xia in surprise, and then looked at Shi Jin, who was sitting silently at the table. He turned around and chased after Rong Xia.
"Lord Shi." Zhao Zhong stayed in the room. He was born with an honest face. Anyone who saw him at first glance would think that he would not lie.
Shi Jin ignored him.
Zhao Zhong didn't care. He casually picked a chair and sat down. He slowly poured tea for the two of them. "Lord Shi, did you go to the border a few years ago to work?"
Shi Jin's eyebrows moved slightly. He turned to look at Zhao Zhong, not knowing what he wanted to say.
"You don't have to be so guarded against me. I'm just saying." Zhao Zhong looked simple and honest. "When I was young, I wanted to learn martial arts. But my family didn't allow it, so it was delayed these years."
"The border is bitter and cold. It's good that Lord Zhao didn't go." Shi Jin took a sip of the cold tea. "When did you collude with Rong Xia?"
"It's not collusion. It's like-minded." Zhao Zhong sneered and turned to look out of the window. "I was the provincial governor of Xuezhou for several years. In the hearts of the local people, I barely had some status. But when Xuezhou was hit by a disaster, I, as a parent official, couldn't get much help from the imperial court for them. Three years ago, there was a flood in Xue Province and many people died. The imperial court was afraid that there would be a plague in Xue Province, so they sealed the city from the outside and only allowed people to enter and not leave. "
"I know this is a way to prevent the plague, and I've never blamed anyone. However, after the imperial court sealed Xue Province, they didn't send anyone to send food and medicine. Does the imperial court plan to starve everyone to death and make Xue Province an isolated city?" Zhao Zhong's eyes turned red when he spoke of this matter. "Do you know how many people died in Xue Province?"
"Ten thousand! A total of ten thousand people! "
Shi Jin was silent. He remembered that incident from back then, but it was only in a letter written by his father. Because of the incident in Xue Zhou, it didn't cause much of a stir in the imperial court. Later, it seemed that someone had resisted the pressure to report this incident and personally escorted the food and herbs to Xue Zhou.
"During those days, the cries in Xue Province never stopped. Mothers cried for their children, husbands cried for their wives, and children cried for their parents." Zhao Zhong's voice trembled. "There shouldn't have been so many deaths. There shouldn't have been so many deaths …"
Later, Rong Xia appeared with life-saving herbs. At that moment, he almost knelt down to Rong Xia.
He would never forget how he felt at that moment, and he couldn't forget it. Later, he found out that the incident in Xue Province was reported by Rong Xia under heavy pressure, so he offended some officials. Later, when they worked together in Xue Province, he was fascinated by Rong Xia's personal charm and was willing to join him.
Shi Jin was speechless. Of course, he knew how decadent the imperial court was. Even his father was one of these decadent members. Therefore, at that time, he avoided the Ban Han and the heavy burden of the Shi Family. He wanted to be a person with a clear distinction between black and white. He wanted to be a person who dared to love and hate. However, for the sake of his family, he didn't dare to be willful. He could only carry the family's big shell and move forward step by step.
"The Zhao Family has a large population. Aren't you afraid of implicating your family?"
"As long as one is determined, there will definitely be a way to not implicate his family." Zhao Zhong shook his head. "Methods are all thought of by people. It's just a matter of whether one wants to or not."
Shi Jin was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "You're a good lobbyist. I was almost tempted."
"It's not that I'm good, but that the Lord Shi still has a conscience and justice in his heart." Zhao Zhong smiled honestly. "I'm not very smart. I say whatever comes to my mind. Lord Shi, please don't despise me for speaking incoherently."
"Now that I'm a prisoner, I don't have the right to despise others." Shi Jin saw that Zhao Zhong didn't intend to leave, so he asked, "How are the soldiers I brought with me?"
"The Lord knows that they're just following orders and have no choice, so he won't make things difficult for them. Don't worry." Zhao Zhong saw that Shi Jin was still concerned about the soldiers, so he had a good impression of him. "The news of you being held captive will soon reach Changqing Of Gojoseon. At this time, even if we let you go back, the Changqing Of Gojoseon and the imperial court won't trust you anymore. It's better for you to work with us. When the Lord succeeds, not only will the people in the world live a good life, but even your Shi Family will have a chance to recover. As for now … "Zhao Zhong shook his head repeatedly." Your Shi Family used to be the Crown Prince's subordinates. Fengning Emperor won't trust your Shi Family. When Fengning Emperor abdicates and his descendants take over, who in the imperial court will still remember the once prominent Shi Family? "
"Fengning Emperor won't put our Shi Family in an important position, but will Rong Xia?"
"The Lord is different from Fengning Emperor. He only cares about talent. As long as you do your job well, you won't have to worry about the Lord not trusting you." Zhao Zhong was very sure of this point. "You're insulting my Lord by comparing that tyrant Fengning Emperor with my Lord."
In Zhao Zhong's heart, he admired Rong Xia very much.
When Shi Jin saw that Zhao Zhong admired Rong Xia so much, he didn't know whether to laugh or to take the opportunity to mock him. However, when he thought about the current situation where the people had no way of making a living, he couldn't refute Zhao Zhong's words.
"If others are capable, Rong Xia will definitely trust them." Shi Jin turned his head and looked at the hibiscus tree outside the courtyard. "But he won't have no grudges against me."
"You two have old grudges?" Zhao Zhong was a little confused. Shi Jin and his Lord didn't seem to have any conflicts, right?
"Maybe." Shi Jin closed his eyes and looked like he didn't want to say more.
Seeing him like this, Zhao Zhong tactfully got up and took his leave. When he walked out of the courtyard, he saw Du Jiu standing outside. He looked around and asked, "Where's the Lord?"
"He went with General Ban to visit the injured soldiers." Du Jiu was leaning against the wall with his sword in his arms. When he saw Zhao Zhong come out, he asked, "Did you persuade Shi Jin?"
"From what I see, he doesn't seem to be very loyal to the imperial court. I just don't know why he's not willing to be loyal to the Lord. He even said that they have old grudges." Zhao Zhong frowned. "You've always been by the Lord's side. Do you know about the matter between the Lord and Shi Jin?"
Du Jiu suddenly understood. He reached out and patted Zhao Zhong's shoulder. "Brother Zhao, this matter isn't your fault. If Shi Jin isn't willing, then let's forget about it."
"Then you should at least let me know what's going on." Zhao Zhong was even more curious.
"There are some things that the fewer people who know, the better." Du Jiu shook his head. "Brother Zhao, don't be too curious."
How could he say that his Lord wouldn't be happy if he said that Shi Jin was interested in General Ban? As the Lord's personal bodyguard, he relied not only on his skills, but also on his brains.
After visiting the injured soldiers, Ban Han and Rong Xia went to watch the soldiers practice. Among the large group of soldiers, they could see some soldiers wearing the imperial court's armor. These people's armor was mostly old and worn out. The breastplate only had a thin piece. Not to mention protecting them from arrows flying from the front, even a dagger could pierce through it.
After the imperial court's soldiers were captured, there were still some people who resisted. However, after the Rong family's soldiers ate breakfast, their resistance decreased a lot.
When Ban Han and Rong Xia came over, lunch was about to be ready. Cornbread and thick porridge were carried out in buckets. The imperial court's soldiers who were captured also received the same treatment. The only difference was that the Rong family's soldiers had two side dishes, while they only had one.
However, they were still very satisfied because there was oil in the food. If they were lucky, they could even find a piece of meat in the food. This made them, who hadn't seen oil for many days, want to keep it in their pockets and only take it out to lick it every time they ate.
The cornbread was crudely made, and the thick porridge was also cooked with old rice. However, there was no smell and it was still warm when eaten.
Ban Han saw the imperial court's soldiers squatting on the ground and eating with relish. There was an indescribable feeling in his heart. Although she had become one with these soldiers, she couldn't swallow the food. She could barely drink a few mouthfuls of the porridge, especially the cornbread that was stuck in her throat. She tried it once and almost spat it out.
"Lord! General! "The soldiers who were eating noticed them and stood up to salute.
"Eat properly," Ban Han said with a straight face. "No one is allowed to stand up and salute. If you dare to stand up again, I will pull you onto the platform and kick your butts!"
The soldiers roared with laughter. However, after hearing this, they became more relaxed. They secretly ate the porridge in their bowls while secretly looking at Ban Han and Rong Xia.
Rong Xia already knew how Ban Han interacted with the soldiers. In terms of the way he interacted with the ordinary soldiers, Rong Xia admitted that he was not as charming as Ban Han. Hearing Ban Han say such vulgar words, Rong Xia didn't feel uncomfortable. When he first heard it, he was shocked, but now he was used to it.
Furthermore, the soldiers were more suited to this way of communication. He didn't criticize Huahua's actions.
In the military camp, Huahua didn't care how he interacted with his advisors, and he also didn't interfere with Huahua's actions. This was the respect they had for each other.
The Rong army was relaxed, but the imperial army was somewhat restrained. When they saw Ban Han and Rong Xia walk over, they held their bowls and didn't know whether to stand up or continue eating.
When they woke up early this morning, they were tied together like grasshoppers. They were surrounded by the rebel army outside. They didn't even have the chance to resist and were brought over.
There were more than ten thousand people. Even though many of them weren't tied up, they were still brought over obediently. They were so obedient that it made the Rong army's soldiers' hearts ache.
"Everyone is the same. Those who should eat eat properly," Rong Xia saw the imperial army's cowering and numb appearance and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. "Lord and I just came to see how everyone is eating."
"General," The head of the army cooks smiled mischievously and came over. "Although our food isn't as good as our homemade food, it's definitely filling. Don't worry."
"It's good that it's filling." Ban Han turned his head in satisfaction and looked at Rong Xia. "Does Lord still want to see?"
"Forget it. If we were here, they wouldn't need to eat properly," Rong Xia raised his hands and said, "Soldiers, you've worked hard. I have nothing to repay you with but thanks." Finishing, he bowed deeply to all the soldiers.
"Lord!" These honest men's eyes reddened. "We swear to fight for the people, we swear to fight for Lord!"
Their shouts shook the sky. This was the persistence of a group of hot-blooded men.
The imperial army looked dazedly at these people. They didn't know if they were frightened by the shouts, or if they were confused by their own actions.
The military camp was very large and was divided into several large barracks. After Rong Xia and Ban Han walked through them, Ban Han felt that his chest was sticking to his back. She rode on the back of a horse. "You had people confuse the Changqing Of Gojoseon. Are you preparing to attack from behind?"
"Huahua knows me well," Rong Xia nodded and said, "The Changqing Of Gojoseon is an extremely conceited and suspicious person."
"Is he also someone who thinks that he knows you well?" Ban Han added, "I still remember the eighth brother whose neck was broken in the mansion of the Changqing Of Gojoseon. Who do you think taught eighth brother to say those words?"
"It's not important who taught him," Rong Xia saw through it clearly. "What's important is that the Changqing Of Gojoseon intentionally let you see this."
The more people saw, the more innocent he seemed, especially Ban Han and Ban Heng, the brother and sister who were loyal to Emperor Yunqing.
Ban Han suddenly remembered that there were some rumors about the Changqing Of Gojoseon. Changqing Of Gojoseon might have done this to make Emperor Yunqing believe that many people were targeting him and that he was an innocent victim.
When you felt that a person was suspicious, you would feel that he was suspicious in every way. Ban Han remembered that during the autumn hunt two years ago, she and Jiang Luo had an argument at the hunting ground. In the end, the Changqing Of Gojoseon reprimanded Jiang Luo. Jiang Luo did not refute at that time. At that time, she thought that Jiang Luo was somewhat restrained in front of the elders. Now, she felt that it was not out of respect for the elders, but because the Changqing Of Gojoseon was his supporter.
The Changqing Of Gojoseon chose to support Jiang Luo not because he valued Jiang Luo, but because Jiang Luo was not smart and easy to fool. The Changqing Of Gojoseon was ambitious.
"I didn't expect the Changqing Of Gojoseon to be such a person." Although Ban Han did not have a good personal relationship with the Changqing Of Gojoseon, she had a good impression of the Changqing Of Gojoseon. "It seems that my judgment is not good."
"Who said that your judgment is not good? You even found me. How good is your judgment?" Rong Xia said seriously. "I don't agree with that."
"Even at this time, you still don't forget to praise yourself. You are really shameless." Ban Han rolled her eyes at him. She slapped the horse's butt and made it run faster. Rong Xia hurried to catch up. They finally caught up in front of the temporary residence.
It was already past noon. The guards brought the food for the two. Ban Han picked up the bowl and started eating. She was not picky.
"Huahua, you have suffered."
After a quarter of an hour, Rong Xia looked at Ban Han's empty bowl and felt even more upset.
"You know that I have suffered. Treat me better in the future." Ban Han picked up the herbal tea and rinsed her mouth. She wiped the corners of her mouth and said, "When are we going to break camp?"
Now that Qingsong County was firmly under their control, except for the news that they wanted the Changqing Of Gojoseon to know, no other news could be leaked. Perhaps at this time, the Changqing Of Gojoseon was still fighting a war of attrition by the river in Yongzhou and did not know that Rong Xia had brought most of the soldiers to Qingsong County.
"Tomorrow's weather is good, it's good to go out." Rong Xia turned to look at Ban Han. "But I have something more important to tell you."
"Speak." Bentley placed the helmet to the side and took off the heavy armor on her body. She took off the crown that bound her hair, and her fine black hair fell down. She was like a lazy cat, lying on the couch as if she had no bones.
Rong Xia could not help but look at her. But after thinking about what she wanted to say, she became serious again. "I hope that you will not put yourself in danger in the future. I will be very worried."
"Hmm?" Ban Han widened her eyes. "Are you talking about what happened yesterday?"
Rong Xia walked to her side and sat down next to her. She said earnestly, "No plan is foolproof. If something goes wrong, I don't dare to think about the consequences."
"What are you thinking? Many of the generals in the Imperial Army were former subordinates of the Ban Family. Even if I am caught by them, they will not make things difficult for me." Ban Han did not care. "The Imperial Army is like a sieve. What danger can there be?"
"Huahua!" Rong Xia's face darkened. "But there is always a 'what if' in this world. I don't dare to take this' what if '."
Ban Han sensed that his tone was not right. The lazy expression on her face gradually disappeared. "But do you think that there is someone else more suitable than me?"
"Even if you are the most suitable, I don't want you to go." Rong Xia held her shoulder to make her understand how firm her attitude was. "I have many subordinates, but only you. Do you understand?"
The room was extremely quiet. After a while, she pulled away Rong Xia's hand from her shoulder. "Don't let anyone else hear this. Otherwise, they will not work with you."
"Huahua." Rong Xia was a little angry. "Don't joke with me."
"I know what you mean." Ban Han's smile disappeared. "But only I know how to contact these former subordinates. They only trust me. If it were someone else, the plan might not succeed. Those who achieve great things do not care about trifles. I know that you are an ambitious person. Why do you have to choose the most difficult path? Since I am the most suitable person, I will not let the other soldiers make unnecessary sacrifices. As generals, we cannot do things that will disappoint the soldiers. "
"Our Ban Family's ancestors were mostly generals in the army. They were not generals who would let their subordinates make unnecessary sacrifices for their own lives." Ban Han lowered her eyelids. She looked very quiet, but the words she said were not like a girl in a boudoir. "I am a young lady who is afraid of hardships and tiredness. But I have been dealing with soldiers since I was young. I am afraid of the hardships in the army camp, but I also admire them. But since I am in the army camp, they call me a general. I have to be responsible for them. "
"The Ban Family does not fear death on the battlefield. Although I, Ban Han, am a woman, I do not want to disgrace my ancestors." Ban Han raised her head and looked at Rong Xia. Her originally serious face suddenly showed a smile. "But you can rest assured that I will never joke about my life. I will also not make you sad."
Rong Xia nodded silently.
"Okay." Ban Han reached out and touched his cheek. "Don't be unhappy. Smile for me."
Rong Xia let her pinch his face and suddenly said, "Huahua, if you were a man, I would also admire you."
"If I were a man, even if you admire me, I would not give up my sleeves for you." Ban Han smiled. "There are so many beauties in the world. I must slowly appreciate them. How would I have the time to be with a stinky man like you?"
"That's why I think you're better than Jiao 'e." Rong Xia suddenly hugged Ban Yu on her knees and turned her over. She patted her butt lightly and said helplessly, "If you do this again, I'll spank your butt so that you can't get out of bed."
"As a man, what kind of ability is it to hit me until I can't get out of bed?" Ban Han was not angry after being patted twice. Instead, she snorted and said, "If you have the ability …"
No man could endure such words. Rong Xia carried her over his shoulder and walked to the bed.
This contest between a man and a woman was very satisfying. Although Rong Xia did not make Ban Han unable to get out of bed, at least he was happy. The next time he went to the study to discuss with his strategists, he would smile more than usual.
This matter was over. Only Rong Xia and Ban Han's lips on each other's chests showed their bottom line.
The next morning, the army set out. Rong Xia left some people to guard Qingsong County, and the army rushed directly to Yongzhou City.
Yongzhou and Taizhou were separated by a river. As long as Yongzhou was not broken, the Jiang Dynasty still had hope. If Yongzhou City was broken, then it would be destroyed. The Imperial Court would lose their initiative, and it would be very difficult to turn the situation around.
The Imperial Court also knew this. That was why they sent the Changqing Of Gojoseon and Shi Jin, who could barely be of use, over. Unfortunately, there were too many parasites in the Imperial Court. Some of them cut corners on the soldiers' weapons and armor, and some of them embezzled on the provisions to make up the numbers.
They let the horse run, but they did not let the horse eat grass. The Imperial Court was corrupt like this. How could they expect the soldiers to kill the enemy for them?
If the army rushed from Qingsong County to Yongzhou, it would take about two days and one night to get there.
Just as the Changqing Of Gojoseon was about to send troops to cross the river to attack the Rong Army, the outside of Yongzhou City was surrounded by the Rong Army. Seeing the Rong Army coming aggressively, the soldiers on the watchtower were so scared that their legs turned to jelly. They kept gesturing to the guards below to tell them that the Rong Army was coming.
"The rebel army is coming!"
"The rebel army is coming!"
In these voices, there was more fear and escape than passion and anger.
The Prince of Evergreen was still waiting for Rong Xia to lead the troops to attack from the bridge. However, when he turned around, he heard a soldier report that the Rong army was attacking from the north. The north gate of Yongzhou was facing the direction of Qingsong County.
"How many people are there?" The Changqing Of Gojoseon thought it was the army led by Ban Han. He was somewhat dissatisfied with Shi Jin. He could not even stop a woman. What a useless piece of trash.
"Marshal, I think there are more than fifty thousand."
"What?" The Changqing Of Gojoseon suddenly looked back at the soldier who reported the news. "How can there be fifty thousand?"
"I saw the word 'Rong' written on the flag of the leader," the soldier said with some awe. "I suspect that Rong Xia is personally leading the troops."
"I'll go and see right away!"
The Changqing Of Gojoseon climbed on the back of the horse and could not wait to rush over.
At this time, both sides were still very restrained and cursed at each other. One side was comforting his family, the other side was comforting the other side's family. After they went back and forth, they did not even let go of the coffins of their ancestors.
Cursing at each other seemed vulgar, but in fact, it was very beneficial. If they cursed at each other, the other side's generals would not be able to keep calm and may make mistakes when commanding the battlefield. Sometimes, a mistake could determine victory or defeat.
"Your grandmother's leg, why did I give birth to a pig that is neither a pig nor a dog?" An old general of the Rong Army slapped his thigh and scolded, "I only regret that I didn't piss you on the wall back then. That would be better than cursing at your father today."
"Bah, who do you think you are? How dare you take advantage of your grandfather." The general on the city gate did not back down and scolded back.
"General Wang, why do you keep this unfilial thing alive?" Ban Han suddenly said, "He is such an inhumane and unrighteous piece of trash. Why don't you kill him?!"
After he finished speaking, Ban Han raised his hand and gestured for a few archers who were already prepared to shoot at the person who cursed the most.
"It's better to kill such a disobedient junior to prevent him from harming the world."
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