It's not uncommon for the sheep to run over here.
The border between Qizhou and Baozhou is closely connected, and some villages are even split between the two regions. People usually don't make a distinction between each other, but now it's different.
"They've come several times? Shouldn't we find them?" Supervisor Li hesitated and said.
Zhang Zhicheng immediately glared.
"Why should we?" he said, "The Duke of Chengguo taught us to be utterly ruthless to the Jurchen people, these little brats only respect strength."
Supervisor Li looked hesitant.
"But the Duke of Chengguo isn't here now," he said, "Uncle Qinghe recently ordered that we should maintain harmony at the border and avoid stirring up conflicts."
Zhang Zhicheng didn't like this talk.
"What do you mean by stirring up trouble?" he said. "We've never been troublemakers. How is defending our homeland causing trouble?"
Supervisor Li didn't like the sound of that either.
"Who said you're making trouble? Stop being unreasonable, I'm just reminding you that the times have changed, and we need to adjust our actions accordingly," he said.
Hearing this, Zhang Zhicheng got even more upset.
"There are just more and more ridiculous rules," he said. "Before, the Duke of Chengguo only emphasized rigorous training and defense, nothing else was strict; where did all these rules come from, especially talking about rules with the Jurchen people, fists are the only rule."
Supervisor Li slapped the table.
"What kind of rules are those? And why are you shouting at me," he said sternly, "Do you not have any rules?"
Zhang Zhicheng immediately stood up straight and solemnly acknowledged.
"I know it's difficult for you all to adjust now," Supervisor Li softened his tone, "But things are different now, we've signed a truce with the Jurchen people, we can't just fight and kill on sight like before."
Zhang Zhicheng couldn't help but respond.
"Sir, a truce is a truce, but the Jurchen people are still the Jurchen people, we've dealt with them for years and know their nature," he said, "They only respect strength and we mustn't engage them with kindness."
Supervisor Li slapped the table again.
"Shut up," he glared and said, "In any case, orders from above are clear, do not violate the rules."
Zhang Zhicheng lowered his head and replied affirmatively.
While they were speaking, a soldier hurriedly ran into the office.
"Sir, Lord Strategist has sent someone," he shouted.
Supervisor Li immediately stood up from his chair.
"Please, quickly," he said respectfully, hurriedly walking out to greet them, taking a few steps before remembering Zhang Zhicheng was still standing there, "You may leave."
Zhang Zhicheng replied affirmatively, watching Supervisor Li hurry away.
"Honestly, is there a need to be so respectful? Who took these cultured bureaucrats and scribes seriously before?" he mumbled only after raising his head.
The strategist of Qizhou Road is a cultured bureaucrat, so naturally, the people he sends are also cultured bureaucrats. If it were before, Supervisor Li wouldn't even care, but now things are different.
It's all because the Duke of Chengguo is absent.
"When will the Duke return?"
Outside the fort, a group of soldiers stood or crouched, looking at Zhang Zhicheng and speaking.
"It's been quite a while."
"Yeah, generals from other places have returned, only the Duke remains."
Zhang Zhicheng spat out the straw in his mouth.
"It'll be soon, I guess," he said vaguely.
Just after he finished speaking, a soldier hurriedly ran over.
"Lord Zhang, Lord Supervisor wants you to take people and find the lost sheep of Jin Min," he said.
As soon as these words were out, the soldiers present were astonished.
"Why!" Zhang Zhicheng jumped up, glaring and shouting.
The soldier took a step back in fear.
"Lord Strategist knows, said Jin Min is pitiful, and for the sake of border peace and good relations between the two countries, ordered to help properly," he said hastily, not managing to learn those fancy words, "Basically, you have to find them, whether you do or don't, there has to be an account."
He scampered away after speaking, fearing a beating from Zhang Zhicheng.
Zhang Zhicheng was so angry he wanted to hit someone.
"I'm going to argue with them," he shouted, "How many cattle and sheep did the Jin thief rob from us in the past, damn it, now we have to find his sheep."
The soldiers quickly stopped him, knowing that despite their anger, they couldn't disobey the orders from above.
"There's no need to argue with superiors over some people from the Jurchen side, that would be elevating them,"
Everyone persuaded him.
Zhang Zhicheng knew he was insignificant, and it was impossible to change the Lord Strategist's orders by making a fuss, so he had no choice but to wave his hand angrily.
"Besides, if they want us to find them, we find them. Who says we'll definitely find them," one soldier comforted him.
But sometimes things don't go as one wishes, and those two lost sheep from Jin Min were indeed found, but they were found dead.
The reason they were identifiable was because these two sheep had their tails dyed red.
The local people didn't have this custom.
"We didn't know whose sheep they were, they were chased by a dog and broke their legs, so we picked them up and they just died," two villagers said fearfully, "We asked around the village, everyone said they weren't their sheep, didn't expect..."
Although it's peaceful, the Jurchen people are still a word that terrifies them, and now hearing these two dead sheep belonged to the Jurchen people, their faces went white with fear.
Would they be arrested and made to accompany Jin Min's sheep to their graves?
Zhang Zhicheng cursed under his breath, circling the dead sheep, his eyes turning.
"All the sheep in the world look the same," he said, suddenly drawing his waist knife.
The two villagers were so scared they were about to kneel, the knife wind slashed through, and the sheep's tails flew up.
"Isn't this better," Zhang Zhicheng sheathed his waist knife, appearing somewhat satisfied as he looked at the two tailless dead sheep on the ground, raising his hand, "Come, since the villagers are so generous, we won't refuse, let's go back and have roast lamb tonight."
The villagers and soldiers froze for a moment, then immediately understood.
The villagers gratefully kowtowed repeatedly, while the soldiers exaggeratedly cheered and laughed as they lifted the dead sheep.
As night fell, a bonfire burned outside the fort, surrounded by a dozen soldiers watching the cook busily work. The two roasting lambs on the rack sizzled with a gleaming aroma, and many had already drunk several bowls of wine with the enticing smell, Zhang Zhicheng being egged on by his subordinates to drink as they played dice games.
"It's ready," a soldier shouted from the side while slicing off a piece of mutton from the leg, "Let the lord taste it first."
Zhang Zhicheng stood up with a hearty laugh, just as he was about to take the mutton, a large group of people and horses galloped in.
"Zhang Zhicheng," Supervisor Li's voice was a bit sharp as he yelled, "What are you doing?"
So it was Supervisor Li who had arrived.
Zhang Zhicheng, half-drunk, raised his wine.
"Lord Li, come quickly, we were just going to invite you," he said, "Come, come, eat mutton."
Supervisor Li jumped off his horse, his face stiff, constantly giving Zhang Zhicheng looks.
"Who told you to drink," he shouted.
But it was too late; someone stepped out from behind him.
"Where did you get this lamb?" that person sharply asked.
The bonfire illuminated his bureaucratic robes, his face bleak and unsettling.
Half of Zhang Zhicheng's drunkenness vanished, realizing this person was likely the official sent by Lord Strategist to inquire about the Jurchen people's lost sheep incident.
"The villagers gave it to us," he said loudly, "If the lord doesn't believe it, you can go ask."
Just as he finished speaking, someone emerged from the side and plopped to their knees.
"Sir, I report, this was snatched from the Jurchen people," he shouted, holding up high.
In his hands were two sheep tails, the red dye on them even more glaring under the bonfire's light.
.....
......
(I have to go out, will be back on Wednesday, so there will be only one update these days. Please save the chapters and wait for me to resume dual updates when I return. It's probably better to read during this plot buildup, mwah)