Xu Yan Ze didn’t wish to get involved with the emperor’s matters. Furthermore, he was injured and should be holding his wife to sleep in their warm nest. Why the hell did he have to go around picking up this mess?
But Xiang Han coaxed him, “That’s the emperor. If he appoints you as an official, we no longer need to fear that surnamed-Xue guy.”
Xu Yan Ze didn’t look kindly upon this matter at all. It wasn’t because the emperor was useless; in reality, he still had some tricks which enabled him to suppress the influential families in the capital and push for reforms but it was more complicated when it came to the military.
Since the emergence of an independent regime, regional commanders wielding great military strength like Xue Qing Lin were not just a few. Like a domino effect, no matter who was the first to strike, it would cause a chain reaction. Rather than hoping to hang on to the emperor’s thigh to get rid of the regional commander, it was more trustworthy to do it on their own.
However, Xiang Han continued, “The emperor has already given the order. How can we not go? Moreover, if you really become an official, our family can even be exempted from taxes.”
Therefore, in order to make his wife happy, Xu Yan Ze had to begin this journey while enduring his injury, in hopes that the emperor would grant him an official position.
By the time Xue Qing Lin knew of this, the entourage of people had already left Jin Zhou and was headed to Chang Xian. Although the two states were close, Chang Xian was not under Jin Wu’s jurisdiction and thus, didn’t have Xue Qing Lin’s men.
No matter how bitter Xue Qing Lin was, he dared not do anything openly. Like the emperor, he was afraid of the consequences of angering the other buffer regions; afraid that after provoking the imperial army, they would take the opportunity to plunder. Besides, he had already lost the optimal timing. There was no point in acting anymore, and instead, it might even rouse suspicions.
Xue Qing Lin swiftly changed his plans, leading his troops into Jin Zhou. He clasped Zhang Yong’s hands tightly and said with deep remorse, “This time, it’s all thanks to Brother Zhang for rushing back in time. Otherwise, Jin Wu would have been in danger.”
Zhang Yong’s lips twitched, cursing angrily in his mind: An hour’s journey took you an entire day. Did you fucking crawl here?
Xue Qing Lin didn’t have time to beat around the bush. He feigned surprise at learning that the emperor had been in Jin Zhou and then begged to meet the emperor in alarm.
The emperor had just arrived at Chang Xian. Upon knowing that Xue Qing Lin had come, he was furious and ordered the city gates to be tightly shut, refusing to meet him.
This time, Xue Qing Lin really wasn’t planning to carry out any sinister acts. Since the Turks who’d invaded Jin Wu had already been exterminated, the emperor’s death at this time would surely cause all suspicions to fall onto his head. When the capital falls into chaos, how could the neighbouring states not grow restless? He was afraid that when that time comes, each and every one of them would use the excuse of wanting to avenge the emperor to divide his land up.
Xue Qing Lin wasn’t stupid, so his arrival this time had a purpose which was to minimize the major disruption caused by the Turks’ invasion and ultimately erase it from everyone’s minds. This was to prevent the emperor from settling accounts with him later on and creating problems for him.
Once he heard that the emperor refused to see him, Xue Qing Lin fell to his knees outside the city gates and began to weep bitterly. “This servant has committed a grave crime. This servant wasn’t strict in running his army, which resulted in the Turks’ invasion into Jin Wu and even disturbed His Imperial Majesty. This servant deserves to die.”
The emperor was waiting to return to the capital before ruthlessly denouncing him, and using the opportunity to plant his own men into Jin Wu and Shuo Feng. However, he never expected Xue Qing Lin to surround Chang Xian and plead for punishment. In such a situation, what could he say? If he did, would he be able to leave this place alive?
The emperor glanced at Xu Yan Ze who had yet to recover and then at the exhausted troops who’d rushed over to Jin Zhou. In the end, he could only endure his anger and go along with Xue Qing Lin’s desire to pardon him.
After arriving at his destination, Xue Qing Lin began to shed crocodile tears and said he wanted to personally escort him which gave the emperor a huge fright. Afraid that he would take his 200,000 troops back into the capital, the emperor could only harden his expression and refuse.
Xue Qing Lin hadn’t meant it either. If he really went, he was afraid the emperor would put him under house arrest. Now that the emperor had left him a way out, he hurriedly took it and dispersed the troops surrounding the city.
By now, the emperor dared not dally in Chang Xian. Now that the danger had been temporarily averted, he swiftly gave out a command to leave. But once he turned back, he found that Xu Yan Ze was gone.
“Where’s Yan Xiao Ze?” He asked the third prince.
Xu Yan Ze wasn’t far. Presently, he was standing at the foot of the city wall, holding his weeping father-in-law helplessly.
After Jin Xue Li left, he heard that Jin Zhou had been surrounded and quickly turned the mercenary caravans around to rush back. But just as he arrived at Chang Xian, they had been stuck outside the city gates due to the emperor’s party. When he thought that there was no chance of them returning to Jin Zhou, he never expected for things to take a new turn. He actually saw Xu Yan Ze.
The emperor was unhappy. The situation earlier was like a ticking bomb that could go off anytime, yet Xu Yan Ze still had the mood to wander around; he clearly didn’t hold great importance for the emperor in his heart. If he really supported and promoted him, the emperor was afraid he’d become the next ‘Xue Qing Lin’.
After being summoned back, Xu Yan Ze saw the emperor’s unhappy gaze. His words instantly carried more politeness. “A merchant approached earlier. The soldiers were afraid something might happen and thus, I went to investigate.”
The emperor hadn’t seen Jin Xue Li, but hearing this quelled his anger somewhat. However, the third prince suddenly spoke up, “Just a normal merchant? Then, why did he hold on to Yan Daren while crying?”
Without sparing him a glance, Xu Yan Ze replied, “That merchant is a Jin Zhou citizen. He was overcome with joy knowing that Jin Zhou is safe.”
“Is that so?” The third prince laughed a little forcefully. He could tell that the emperor had the intention of promoting Xu Yan Ze, which made him dissatisfied. He was just a mere farmer who was once head over heels for himself. He never expected that after a period of absence, he would suddenly turn into a new person. Not only did he receive his Imperial Father’s appreciation, but there was also a possibility of him entering the court.
The third prince couldn’t accept these changes. Thus, the next few days were spent seemingly unintentionally speaking ill of Xu Yan Ze. Although his words may seem rather upright at first glance, they were all slanderous in nature.
But since the attack on Jin Zhou, the emperor began to appreciate Xu Yan Ze even more. He felt that not only was Xu Yan Ze’s skills outstanding, but he was also calm in the face of danger and had the potential to do great things. Even his previous worries had been overturned. He felt that Xue Qing Lin had a tight hold over Jin Wu and Shuo Feng, so it wasn’t a bad idea to plant a few of his own people.
He also remembered that the Jin and Xue families were at odds. Xu Yan Ze had also been taken advantage of by Xue Qing Lin’s brother-in-law and thus, held no goodwill towards him. If Xu Yan Ze truly had the ability, he could simply become the one to sit on the mountain while watching the tigers fight; he would be able to watch them fight in safety, then reap the rewards when both parties were exhausted. When that time comes, he could simply regain Jin Wu and Shuo Feng.
After the emperor decided, he immediately appointed Xu Yan Ze as a general upon their return.
In order to ensure Xu Yan Ze had enough power to rival Xue Qing Lin, the emperor even endured his heartache to hand over 10,000 imperial guards which were guarding Gyeonggi1, including Zhang Yong and his 10,000 troops, to him to command. Once Zhang Yong received this news, he immediately wanted to cry.
On the other hand, he also had to eliminate any possibility of Xue Qing Lin roping in Xu Yan Ze. Therefore, the emperor borrowed the third prince’s influence to leak the news that Xue Qing Lin had deliberately aided the Turks in invading Yan Hui Guan.
When Wei Zhao went to find Xu Yan Ze, his heart was completely stifled. A mere general wasn’t deserving of having a prince finding him in person. But it was the emperor’s orders and the other party was a frontier general. Who knows what might happen in the future?
Wei Zhao strongly believed the emperor didn’t have any foresight; he was simply nurturing a tiger to invite calamity in the future, especially since this tiger was a toy he had casually played with in the past2 If the day comes where he becomes a person like Xue Qing Lin, he was afraid that his brothers would simply die from laughing at him.
From the beginning to the end, the third prince maintained a smile, but once he left, his face instantly turned green. Once he returned to his manor, he suddenly recalled Yan Xiao Jiang, the one who bore a certain degree of resemblance to Yan Xiao Ze. Before he left Jin Zhou, Yan Xiao Jiang had wanted to follow him but because the emperor was there, he didn’t dare to agree at that time.
However, after receiving this ‘humiliation’ from Xu Yan Ze, no one knew what kind of scheme he was plotting. He suddenly sent several men to escort Yan Xiao Jiang over.
The emperor didn’t grow unhappy once he learnt of this, and instead, felt that it was a good idea. He was unaware of the disharmonious brotherly relations the two shared and believed that Xu Yan Ze’s cheap cousin could be held as a hostage in the city.
With Yan Xiao Jiang’s arrival, the emperor’s initial plan of keeping Xu Yan Ze for some time was swiftly dispelled and he happily allowed him to leave.
By now, Jin Zhou had mostly recovered. After parting ways with Xu Yan Ze on that day, Jin Xue Li rushed back home. When the old madam learnt of the Turks’ invasion, she also hurried back with her daughters-in-law, and they all held Xiang Han as they cried and reproached him.
After deep contemplation, the old madam felt that this matter wasn’t simple. She sent Jin Xue Li away before asking him, “Xiao Bao, tell me the truth. Did you already know the Turks would invade?”
“Uh…” Xiang Han hesitated. “It can’t be considered as knowing, just a haphazard guess…”
Hearing this made the old madam sigh. With this, she already knew what Xiang Han was planning to do. She looked at him tenderly before suddenly saying, “There can be no construction without destruction. If you want to do it, go ahead and don’t be afraid. Even if you aren’t successful, you still have your grandmother.”
Xiang Han was stunned. Then he lowered his head for a long time. By the time he looked up, his expression had returned to normal and he laughed lightly, “Grandmother, many villagers suffered this time and the regional commander has also said that he would reduce the taxes. I’m thinking of returning half the grains we have collected. For families who have suffered a fatality, we’ll return everything as well as offer additional compensation.”
Xiang Han’s plan was well thought out. After the tax cut, the number of grains their family had to hand over was significantly reduced. In addition, with Xu Yan Ze’s position as a general, they were exempted from another portion of the tax, and they no longer needed to secretly provide rations for the regional commander’s private army of 500,000 soldiers.
However, they never expected Xue Qing Lin to be so greedy. Despite lowering the villager’s taxes, he still subjected the Jin family to the same amount with pompous reasoning: Your family owns so much land in Jin Wu and constantly lets the villagers slave away. How could you not afford this? Moreover, only the neighbouring villages in Jin Zhou suffered, don’t your family still have more land in the city?
Xiang Han had returned most of the grains they had collected to the farmers. The remainder was simply not enough for taxes, let alone raising Xue Qing Lin’s private army of 500,000 soldiers. Moreover, the mercenaries under Xu Yan Ze also needed to eat, so even if they had enough, they couldn’t hand it over.
Because of this, Chen Ting Hong took 5,000 soldiers and surrounded the Jin manor, not allowing a single drop of water to pass through.
Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin were anxiously running around in circles while pointing at Xiang Han. “You! If we continue to act so recklessly, our family is doomed. This Chen Ting Hong is the regional commander’s brother-in-law. He’s even personally appeared. Are you seeking death?”
“Hurry up and go outside with your second uncle and I. Talk things out with General Chen and immediately collect back all those grains…”
With a sword by his waist, Jin Da gallantly and valiantly walked towards them, followed by two bodyguards behind him. When he heard those words, he immediately grew unhappy. “Dad, how can you not have a backbone? Relax, with the mercenary guild and I, the surnamed Chen’s wretched bums wouldn’t dare to take a single step into our manor.”
“Haiya, why are you blindly adding to the mess?” Uncle Jin grabbed his shoulder, wanting to shove him.
However, after several motions, Jin Da was still unmoved, causing Uncle Jin to be stunned. Meanwhile, Jin Da was gloating, “Dad, I already told you before. I, Jin Bao Xuan, have already shed my mortal body and exchanged my bones to become a new person. Even if you want to hit me again in the future… ouch.”
Before he could finish his words, Uncle Jin had given him a kick. He fumed, “I refuse to believe this.”
Jin Da also couldn’t be bothered with him. He simply brushed off the dirt on his body and turned towards Xiang Han. “Third brother, you needn’t worry. Second brother and I will deal with this matter. Even if we have to burn those rations, we won’t give it to those traitors.”
Xiang Han was gleeful. He didn’t know how Xu Yan Ze had tormented his two cheap cousins to the point of becoming obedient and even helping out.
Xu Yan Ze had just arrived back in Jin Zhou city, followed by 50,000 troops and horses. Besides the imperial guards and Zhang Yong’s troops, there were 30,000 of them who were refugees and mountain bandits they had picked up along the way.
Vivi: I’ll be honest, all the numbers of troops don’t make a single sense to me. Sometimes it’s 50,000 and the next thing you know it’s 800,000. I can’t keep track. Thanks to my editors and proofreader, we managed to keep the numbers somewhat consistent- not me getting confused over big numbers *whistling.jpg*
Stel: I usually like a third party in novels to make exciting, but Wei Zhao just makes me want to bash his head with the piss and shit ammunition from the previous chap.
1don’t ask me why South Korea is in here but the novel really wrote it
2e/n: He really can’t move on huh? Talk about persistent exes full of themselves..
Xu Yan Ze didn’t wish to get involved with the emperor’s matters. Furthermore, he was injured and should be holding his wife to sleep in their warm nest. Why the hell did he have to go around picking up this mess?
But Xiang Han coaxed him, “That’s the emperor. If he appoints you as an official, we no longer need to fear that surnamed-Xue guy.”
Xu Yan Ze didn’t look kindly upon this matter at all. It wasn’t because the emperor was useless; in reality, he still had some tricks which enabled him to suppress the influential families in the capital and push for reforms but it was more complicated when it came to the military.
Since the emergence of an independent regime, regional commanders wielding great military strength like Xue Qing Lin were not just a few. Like a domino effect, no matter who was the first to strike, it would cause a chain reaction. Rather than hoping to hang on to the emperor’s thigh to get rid of the regional commander, it was more trustworthy to do it on their own.
However, Xiang Han continued, “The emperor has already given the order. How can we not go? Moreover, if you really become an official, our family can even be exempted from taxes.”
Therefore, in order to make his wife happy, Xu Yan Ze had to begin this journey while enduring his injury, in hopes that the emperor would grant him an official position.
By the time Xue Qing Lin knew of this, the entourage of people had already left Jin Zhou and was headed to Chang Xian. Although the two states were close, Chang Xian was not under Jin Wu’s jurisdiction and thus, didn’t have Xue Qing Lin’s men.
No matter how bitter Xue Qing Lin was, he dared not do anything openly. Like the emperor, he was afraid of the consequences of angering the other buffer regions; afraid that after provoking the imperial army, they would take the opportunity to plunder. Besides, he had already lost the optimal timing. There was no point in acting anymore, and instead, it might even rouse suspicions.
Xue Qing Lin swiftly changed his plans, leading his troops into Jin Zhou. He clasped Zhang Yong’s hands tightly and said with deep remorse, “This time, it’s all thanks to Brother Zhang for rushing back in time. Otherwise, Jin Wu would have been in danger.”
Zhang Yong’s lips twitched, cursing angrily in his mind: An hour’s journey took you an entire day. Did you fucking crawl here?
Xue Qing Lin didn’t have time to beat around the bush. He feigned surprise at learning that the emperor had been in Jin Zhou and then begged to meet the emperor in alarm.
The emperor had just arrived at Chang Xian. Upon knowing that Xue Qing Lin had come, he was furious and ordered the city gates to be tightly shut, refusing to meet him.
This time, Xue Qing Lin really wasn’t planning to carry out any sinister acts. Since the Turks who’d invaded Jin Wu had already been exterminated, the emperor’s death at this time would surely cause all suspicions to fall onto his head. When the capital falls into chaos, how could the neighbouring states not grow restless? He was afraid that when that time comes, each and every one of them would use the excuse of wanting to avenge the emperor to divide his land up.
Xue Qing Lin wasn’t stupid, so his arrival this time had a purpose which was to minimize the major disruption caused by the Turks’ invasion and ultimately erase it from everyone’s minds. This was to prevent the emperor from settling accounts with him later on and creating problems for him.
Once he heard that the emperor refused to see him, Xue Qing Lin fell to his knees outside the city gates and began to weep bitterly. “This servant has committed a grave crime. This servant wasn’t strict in running his army, which resulted in the Turks’ invasion into Jin Wu and even disturbed His Imperial Majesty. This servant deserves to die.”
The emperor was waiting to return to the capital before ruthlessly denouncing him, and using the opportunity to plant his own men into Jin Wu and Shuo Feng. However, he never expected Xue Qing Lin to surround Chang Xian and plead for punishment. In such a situation, what could he say? If he did, would he be able to leave this place alive?
The emperor glanced at Xu Yan Ze who had yet to recover and then at the exhausted troops who’d rushed over to Jin Zhou. In the end, he could only endure his anger and go along with Xue Qing Lin’s desire to pardon him.
After arriving at his destination, Xue Qing Lin began to shed crocodile tears and said he wanted to personally escort him which gave the emperor a huge fright. Afraid that he would take his 200,000 troops back into the capital, the emperor could only harden his expression and refuse.
Xue Qing Lin hadn’t meant it either. If he really went, he was afraid the emperor would put him under house arrest. Now that the emperor had left him a way out, he hurriedly took it and dispersed the troops surrounding the city.
By now, the emperor dared not dally in Chang Xian. Now that the danger had been temporarily averted, he swiftly gave out a command to leave. But once he turned back, he found that Xu Yan Ze was gone.
“Where’s Yan Xiao Ze?” He asked the third prince.
Xu Yan Ze wasn’t far. Presently, he was standing at the foot of the city wall, holding his weeping father-in-law helplessly.
After Jin Xue Li left, he heard that Jin Zhou had been surrounded and quickly turned the mercenary caravans around to rush back. But just as he arrived at Chang Xian, they had been stuck outside the city gates due to the emperor’s party. When he thought that there was no chance of them returning to Jin Zhou, he never expected for things to take a new turn. He actually saw Xu Yan Ze.
The emperor was unhappy. The situation earlier was like a ticking bomb that could go off anytime, yet Xu Yan Ze still had the mood to wander around; he clearly didn’t hold great importance for the emperor in his heart. If he really supported and promoted him, the emperor was afraid he’d become the next ‘Xue Qing Lin’.
After being summoned back, Xu Yan Ze saw the emperor’s unhappy gaze. His words instantly carried more politeness. “A merchant approached earlier. The soldiers were afraid something might happen and thus, I went to investigate.”
The emperor hadn’t seen Jin Xue Li, but hearing this quelled his anger somewhat. However, the third prince suddenly spoke up, “Just a normal merchant? Then, why did he hold on to Yan Daren while crying?”
Without sparing him a glance, Xu Yan Ze replied, “That merchant is a Jin Zhou citizen. He was overcome with joy knowing that Jin Zhou is safe.”
“Is that so?” The third prince laughed a little forcefully. He could tell that the emperor had the intention of promoting Xu Yan Ze, which made him dissatisfied. He was just a mere farmer who was once head over heels for himself. He never expected that after a period of absence, he would suddenly turn into a new person. Not only did he receive his Imperial Father’s appreciation, but there was also a possibility of him entering the court.
The third prince couldn’t accept these changes. Thus, the next few days were spent seemingly unintentionally speaking ill of Xu Yan Ze. Although his words may seem rather upright at first glance, they were all slanderous in nature.
But since the attack on Jin Zhou, the emperor began to appreciate Xu Yan Ze even more. He felt that not only was Xu Yan Ze’s skills outstanding, but he was also calm in the face of danger and had the potential to do great things. Even his previous worries had been overturned. He felt that Xue Qing Lin had a tight hold over Jin Wu and Shuo Feng, so it wasn’t a bad idea to plant a few of his own people.
He also remembered that the Jin and Xue families were at odds. Xu Yan Ze had also been taken advantage of by Xue Qing Lin’s brother-in-law and thus, held no goodwill towards him. If Xu Yan Ze truly had the ability, he could simply become the one to sit on the mountain while watching the tigers fight; he would be able to watch them fight in safety, then reap the rewards when both parties were exhausted. When that time comes, he could simply regain Jin Wu and Shuo Feng.
After the emperor decided, he immediately appointed Xu Yan Ze as a general upon their return.
In order to ensure Xu Yan Ze had enough power to rival Xue Qing Lin, the emperor even endured his heartache to hand over 10,000 imperial guards which were guarding Gyeonggi1, including Zhang Yong and his 10,000 troops, to him to command. Once Zhang Yong received this news, he immediately wanted to cry.
On the other hand, he also had to eliminate any possibility of Xue Qing Lin roping in Xu Yan Ze. Therefore, the emperor borrowed the third prince’s influence to leak the news that Xue Qing Lin had deliberately aided the Turks in invading Yan Hui Guan.
When Wei Zhao went to find Xu Yan Ze, his heart was completely stifled. A mere general wasn’t deserving of having a prince finding him in person. But it was the emperor’s orders and the other party was a frontier general. Who knows what might happen in the future?
Wei Zhao strongly believed the emperor didn’t have any foresight; he was simply nurturing a tiger to invite calamity in the future, especially since this tiger was a toy he had casually played with in the past2 If the day comes where he becomes a person like Xue Qing Lin, he was afraid that his brothers would simply die from laughing at him.
From the beginning to the end, the third prince maintained a smile, but once he left, his face instantly turned green. Once he returned to his manor, he suddenly recalled Yan Xiao Jiang, the one who bore a certain degree of resemblance to Yan Xiao Ze. Before he left Jin Zhou, Yan Xiao Jiang had wanted to follow him but because the emperor was there, he didn’t dare to agree at that time.
However, after receiving this ‘humiliation’ from Xu Yan Ze, no one knew what kind of scheme he was plotting. He suddenly sent several men to escort Yan Xiao Jiang over.
The emperor didn’t grow unhappy once he learnt of this, and instead, felt that it was a good idea. He was unaware of the disharmonious brotherly relations the two shared and believed that Xu Yan Ze’s cheap cousin could be held as a hostage in the city.
With Yan Xiao Jiang’s arrival, the emperor’s initial plan of keeping Xu Yan Ze for some time was swiftly dispelled and he happily allowed him to leave.
By now, Jin Zhou had mostly recovered. After parting ways with Xu Yan Ze on that day, Jin Xue Li rushed back home. When the old madam learnt of the Turks’ invasion, she also hurried back with her daughters-in-law, and they all held Xiang Han as they cried and reproached him.
After deep contemplation, the old madam felt that this matter wasn’t simple. She sent Jin Xue Li away before asking him, “Xiao Bao, tell me the truth. Did you already know the Turks would invade?”
“Uh…” Xiang Han hesitated. “It can’t be considered as knowing, just a haphazard guess…”
Hearing this made the old madam sigh. With this, she already knew what Xiang Han was planning to do. She looked at him tenderly before suddenly saying, “There can be no construction without destruction. If you want to do it, go ahead and don’t be afraid. Even if you aren’t successful, you still have your grandmother.”
Xiang Han was stunned. Then he lowered his head for a long time. By the time he looked up, his expression had returned to normal and he laughed lightly, “Grandmother, many villagers suffered this time and the regional commander has also said that he would reduce the taxes. I’m thinking of returning half the grains we have collected. For families who have suffered a fatality, we’ll return everything as well as offer additional compensation.”
Xiang Han’s plan was well thought out. After the tax cut, the number of grains their family had to hand over was significantly reduced. In addition, with Xu Yan Ze’s position as a general, they were exempted from another portion of the tax, and they no longer needed to secretly provide rations for the regional commander’s private army of 500,000 soldiers.
However, they never expected Xue Qing Lin to be so greedy. Despite lowering the villager’s taxes, he still subjected the Jin family to the same amount with pompous reasoning: Your family owns so much land in Jin Wu and constantly lets the villagers slave away. How could you not afford this? Moreover, only the neighbouring villages in Jin Zhou suffered, don’t your family still have more land in the city?
Xiang Han had returned most of the grains they had collected to the farmers. The remainder was simply not enough for taxes, let alone raising Xue Qing Lin’s private army of 500,000 soldiers. Moreover, the mercenaries under Xu Yan Ze also needed to eat, so even if they had enough, they couldn’t hand it over.
Because of this, Chen Ting Hong took 5,000 soldiers and surrounded the Jin manor, not allowing a single drop of water to pass through.
Uncle Jin and Second Uncle Jin were anxiously running around in circles while pointing at Xiang Han. “You! If we continue to act so recklessly, our family is doomed. This Chen Ting Hong is the regional commander’s brother-in-law. He’s even personally appeared. Are you seeking death?”
“Hurry up and go outside with your second uncle and I. Talk things out with General Chen and immediately collect back all those grains…”
With a sword by his waist, Jin Da gallantly and valiantly walked towards them, followed by two bodyguards behind him. When he heard those words, he immediately grew unhappy. “Dad, how can you not have a backbone? Relax, with the mercenary guild and I, the surnamed Chen’s wretched bums wouldn’t dare to take a single step into our manor.”
“Haiya, why are you blindly adding to the mess?” Uncle Jin grabbed his shoulder, wanting to shove him.
However, after several motions, Jin Da was still unmoved, causing Uncle Jin to be stunned. Meanwhile, Jin Da was gloating, “Dad, I already told you before. I, Jin Bao Xuan, have already shed my mortal body and exchanged my bones to become a new person. Even if you want to hit me again in the future… ouch.”
Before he could finish his words, Uncle Jin had given him a kick. He fumed, “I refuse to believe this.”
Jin Da also couldn’t be bothered with him. He simply brushed off the dirt on his body and turned towards Xiang Han. “Third brother, you needn’t worry. Second brother and I will deal with this matter. Even if we have to burn those rations, we won’t give it to those traitors.”
Xiang Han was gleeful. He didn’t know how Xu Yan Ze had tormented his two cheap cousins to the point of becoming obedient and even helping out.
Xu Yan Ze had just arrived back in Jin Zhou city, followed by 50,000 troops and horses. Besides the imperial guards and Zhang Yong’s troops, there were 30,000 of them who were refugees and mountain bandits they had picked up along the way.
Vivi: I’ll be honest, all the numbers of troops don’t make a single sense to me. Sometimes it’s 50,000 and the next thing you know it’s 800,000. I can’t keep track. Thanks to my editors and proofreader, we managed to keep the numbers somewhat consistent- not me getting confused over big numbers *whistling.jpg*
Stel: I usually like a third party in novels to make exciting, but Wei Zhao just makes me want to bash his head with the piss and shit ammunition from the previous chap.
1don’t ask me why South Korea is in here but the novel really wrote it
2e/n: He really can’t move on huh? Talk about persistent exes full of themselves..
