Agreed so swiftly?
A Guerrilla General with no significant achievements still caused a stir over their transfer.
Lord Wu was somewhat incredulous.
"When do we set off?" Zhao Hanqing continued asking.
Alright, since you've spoken, he will be straightforward too. Lord Wu stroked his mustache.
"It's a matter of importance, we depart tomorrow." he said.
Zhao Hanqing looked at the night sky, the eastern horizon was already faintly white. She immediately raised her hand.
"Prepare to break camp..." she said loudly.
Lord Wu was startled, truly decisive and brisk...
"Wait a moment, wait a moment." He had to intervene, "Miss Zhao, I haven't finished speaking."
Zhao Hanqing looked at him.
"Why are you so slow?" she said, "What else is there?"
Being disdained by a young girl? Lord Wu's face turned dark.
"It's like this, Uncle Qinghe thinks you manage the troops very well." He coughed lightly, "Especially your cannon wagons, but marching and formation aren't tasks a single army can accomplish, more soldiers who can do the same are stronger, so we hope that after you arrive there, you can assist in training the troops, it's best if some people can also learn how you use the cannon wagons..."
Li Guorui suddenly understood.
Soo that's it, as he thought, there's no such thing as a pure good Samaritan.
Turns out Uncle Qinghe has this kind of intention.
What is Qingshan Army's mightiest feature? Strict military discipline, formidable formations, and unique weapons.
If Uncle Qinghe lets Qingshan Army give these to his subordinates, once he grasps these, he could turn all his troops into such a strong army, whether Qingshan Army has one more or one less soldier would be irrelevant.
Do not agree! Otherwise, they won't have the privilege to be feared by Uncle Qinghe and others. As long as a single day passes without agreeing, Uncle Qinghe would be a bit more polite towards them.
He didn't care being seen by Lord Wu, he signaled to Xia Yong and Yang Jing.
Xia Yong and Yang Jing looked at him, somewhat puzzled.
Of course, Lord Wu also saw Li Guorui's actions, he laughed coldly inside, just as he was about to continue persuading by reason and emotion, Zhao Hanqing already nodded.
"Alright." she said, "This is rightful, since we are comrades-in-arms, we should look after each other."
Lord Wu was once again speechless.
So, it's settled?
"Is there anything else?" Zhao Hanqing asked, "If not, we're preparing to break camp."
Lord Wu replied with "Oh", shaking his head.
"Nothing more." he said somewhat blankly, watching Zhao Hanqing turn around to leave, he again blurted out, "Miss Zhao really agreed?"
Zhao Hanqing looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, as if he had asked a very strange question.
"Why wouldn't I agree? We are the great Zhou's soldiers, obeying superior orders, isn't that what we should do?" she asked, and then loudly commanded to break camp once more, the camp buzzed into activity.
Indeed, that is the right thing to do.
Lord Wu blinked, feeling that he asked a very silly question, leaving with hesitant steps.
Lord Wu understood, but Li Guorui hadn't.
"I say, do you really understand? They have no good intentions here." he worriedly chased Zhao Hanqing and the two others, "They don't appreciate us, because we belong to Duke of Chengguo, their goal is to extract, weaken us and then destroy us..."
Zhao Hanqing stopped in her tracks.
"But we aren't part of Duke of Chengguo." she said.
This was the second time Li Guorui heard this, he paused.
"Aren't you?" he retorted.
"Certainly not, we are the great Zhou's soldiers, appointed by the emperor." Zhao Hanqing said, "My sister said we are truly soldiers now, defending our country, what does it have to do with Duke of Chengguo? We listened to him before because he was our superior, now Uncle Qinghe is the superior, naturally we should listen to him now, there's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Indeed, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. Li Guorui stood there blankly.
Yes, they indeed are not Duke of Chengguo's people, if one must say whose people they are, it is that of Miss Jun.
Listen to what Zhao Hanqing said, it's "My sister said"...
Her sister's words are what they actually revere and follow.
"But, even if you don't see it that way, they might." Li Guorui smiled wryly, "They will treat us as Duke of Chengguo's people and oppress us."
"But they haven't." Zhao Hanqing said, still finding his words strange, "They need us very much, right? Otherwise why invite us to help with the training?"
"That's because they want to replace you and discard you like worn-out shoes." Li Guorui said anxiously.
"Then just ensure they can't replace us, won't that solve everything?" Zhao Hanqing said.
Ah?
Li Guorui was stunned again.
Is that so, is it possible?
It seems possible. He turned his head and looked, torches flared on all sides, the government soldiers were getting into formation, horses neighed, and tents were gathered up. It appeared chaotic, but unlike other camps breaking camp, it had a unique beauty.
This Qingshan Army was called the Qingshan Army, but originally there were only a few dozen of Qingshan soldiers in the entire army, which could virtually be ignored in such a large force. Yet, in such a short time, no one ignores them anymore; rather, they have become the leaders.
They possess true capabilities, are diligent and modest without any reservations, sharing everything openly, treating the government soldiers as their own, winning their trust sincerely.
This Qingshan Army indeed does not belong to Duke of Chengguo. Even bearing his name tag, they are scrutinized with suspicion, yet this army remains selfless and authoritative. It seems that Uncle Qinghe, after observing them for a long time, would be unwilling to discard them, instead choosing to integrate them into his own troops.
Indeed, I truly overthought it. Li Guorui, standing under the biting cold of the approaching dawn, felt enlightened.
"If that's what they think, then that's the best."
After hearing Lord Wu's report, Uncle Qinghe was somewhat surprised by the Qingshan Army's reaction, but also relieved.
"It's not particularly odd; the Qingshan Army became an army due to the blessings of Duke of Chengguo, yet they truly might not remember his favor."
He paced slowly in the room, speaking with disdain.
"Speaking of which, it was the Duke of Chengguo they saved; if there's favor to be remembered, it's the Duke who should remember theirs."
He gave a cold, disdainful laugh.
"I always said these bandits aren't worth paying attention to. They flock where there's fat meat, not recognizing any master."
Lord Wu felt enlightened too.
"Then this is easy; isn't it just about meat? Lord Bo can easily scatter a bit to tease and drive them." He laughed.
Uncle Qinghe stroked his beard and smiled lightly.
"Hyena pupils cannot be considered a tiger and wolf division," he remarked.
"Once the Qingshan Army is dealt with, everything else will run smoothly," Lord Wu complimented with a smile, "Before winter ends, the northern lands will be in order under Lord Bo's hands."
Uncle Qinghe showed a contented smile, but quickly hid it.
"The most crucial thing is to capture the Duke of Chengguo," he said, "to give His Majesty an explanation and truly stabilize the northern lands."
Lord Wu stood in solemn respect.
"Yes," he said loudly.
.........
...........
A gust of cold wind whipped up snow particles from the ground, prompting several eunuchs briskly walking to tighten their collars.
"Snow is really annoying," a little eunuch couldn't help but complain.
"Smack your mouth," the older eunuch in front said, "That's utter nonsense; a timely snow foretells a good year."
The little eunuch quickly slapped himself twice.
"You're right, grandpa," he said with a smile.
"Don't you see how happy His Majesty has been these past few days?" the older eunuch said.
While speaking, they had reached under the corridor, stomped to shake off the snowflakes, and heard the emperor's laughter coming from inside the hall.
"These are all good news," the emperor said, putting down the memorial, "The people can have a good year, and my worries will be gone."
While speaking of worries, he glanced at Huang Cheng standing below.
"Your Majesty, Zhu Shan escaped into Jia Mountain, even abandoning his horse, fleeing miserably like a dog," Huang Cheng quickly reported.
The emperor snorted.
"Yet he still escaped," he said, "so that is good news for me..."
His words were not finished.
Ning Yunzhao bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty is wise," he said.
The emperor was slightly choked, and Huang Cheng also glanced askance at him.
The emperor's previous words were obviously unfinished, meant to end with a question mark. Was this kid saying 'Your Majesty is wise' just out of habit and unable to stop himself?
"The longer he flees, the more disappointed the people become in him," Ning Yunzhao continued, not thinking he had made a mistake, "Fleeing like a thief, he does not need Your Majesty to convict him, nor does Your Majesty need to exonerate him."
He sighed softly, looking at the emperor.
"With Your Majesty's compassion and forgiveness, if Zhu Shan were caught and started crying about the past, I'm afraid Your Majesty would not pursue his great crimes."
The emperor was somewhat displeased.
"Look at what you said; do you think I'm someone who treats national law as a joke?" he said.
Ning Yunzhao was not terrified to admit fault.
"Your Majesty does not treat national law as a joke; Your Majesty is simply too magnanimous, only remembering others' good deeds," he said.
Bah, bootlicker, shameless, Huang Cheng cursed inwardly with a side glance, you've lost the scholars' dignity.