Love Lock

Chapter 248 Step-by-Step Calculation
Below Marshal Qinghe, Song Yanqing held an equal position with them, but now Song Yuanqing was issuing orders to them, which greatly displeased them.

Furthermore, the two of them were Marshal Qinghe's confidants. Although Marshal Qinghe embezzled military pay, they still received a share of the profits.

Now that Marshal Qinghe has suddenly committed a crime and collapsed, the two of them will not get any benefits, so they dislike Song Yuanqing even more.

After a moment, Zhou Wu pursed his lips, clasped his hands in a lazy manner, and replied, "This humble general is here."

Tang Youming didn't even bother with the traditional fist and palm salute; he simply raised his chin. "Here!"

Song Yuanqing seemed to have anticipated their reaction, and remained calm without being angry. His voice, however, carried an undeniable authority. "Please, both generals, come up to the stage for a discussion."

Zhou Wu chuckled and whispered to Tang Youming, "He seems quite polite to us. Let's go! Let's go up and see what this guy has to say."

The two slowly walked up the steps, their armor clattering softly.

Just as he stepped onto the command platform, Song Yuanqing suddenly gave the order: "Take these two down!"

Song Yuanqing's personal guards rushed out from both sides in an instant, their gleaming swords and spears surrounding the two men.

The guards following behind the two immediately drew their swords, but the boy took a step forward, and the black box weapon in his hand was already pointed at them.

"Don't move!" the boy said coldly.

"Song Yuanqing! What do you mean?" Zhou Wu roared, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

Tang Youming cursed even louder: "You bastard! How dare you trick me into leaving the group, you dare..."

"Shut up!" Song Yuanqing roared, his voice shaking the entire field. "Soldiers, take a good look! These two are Qinghe's confidants, colluding with him to embezzle 30% of the military pay!"

As he spoke, he ordered his personal guards to fetch an account book from his main tent. "From the moment they started embezzling military pay, I have recorded every single transaction. That is the evidence!"

The audience immediately erupted in excitement.

The soldiers in Shehong County were the first to stir. An old soldier with a scarred face roared, "No wonder General Tang can eat and drink so much every time he gets paid. It turns out it all goes into his pocket!"

In the ranks of Guangyuan County, a young soldier with red eyes shouted, "My brother was seriously injured last month because of a lack of medical supplies... Zhou Wu! Give me back my brother's life!"

Seeing the crowd's outrage, Zhou Wu turned pale but forced himself to shout, "This is a frame-up! Brothers..."

“Framed? Ha!” Song Yuanqing sneered. “Whether it’s a frame-up or not, once the ledgers are brought out, everyone will know. Do you soldiers know why I’ve been stuck guarding the small military camp in Ganluo County? It’s because I come from the Song family and refuse to associate with them.”

"You bastards!" the soldiers roared in fury.

"Smack!" A scabbard struck Zhou Wu's face with pinpoint accuracy.

Immediately afterwards, stones and clods of earth flew towards the command platform like raindrops.

Tang Youming was unable to dodge in time and was hit on the forehead by a rock, causing blood to gush out immediately.

Song Yuanqing raised his hand to signal, and his personal guards took the two men away.

He turned to the 100,000-strong army, his voice firm and resolute: "From this day forward, the three armies will be reorganized! Anyone who embezzles military pay or oppresses soldiers will be severely punished!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the audience.

Gu Haixing breathed a sigh of relief as she watched this scene, but saw that Song Yuanqing's brows were still furrowed.

He knew that the real test had only just begun...

Song Yuanqing ordered his deputy general Gu Haixing, personal guard commander Zheng Sui, and personal guard deputy commander Yin Hongjun to serve as generals of the three military camps respectively.

Song Yuanqing himself served as marshal, commanding the entire Xuzhou garrison.

The soldiers of the Ganluo County military camp were always loyal to Song Yuanqing. Therefore, he reorganized the three armies.

From the general to the soldiers, he had loyal fans in all three military camps, so that he could get the news immediately no matter what happened in any of the camps.

After all, the soldiers of Guangyuan County and Shehong County had been under the command of Zhou Wu and Tang Youming for too long, and it was inevitable that some problems would remain.

It is getting late today, so the entire army will rest here for the night. Tomorrow, the three newly appointed commanders will lead them back to their respective camps.

As dusk fell, the three newly appointed generals were busy reorganizing their troops, while the cooks began preparing meals.

As dusk fell, the setting sun, like blood, bathed the entire military camp in a reddish-orange glow.

The distant mountain outlines gradually blurred, and the evening wind stirred up the dust on the ground, sweeping past the military tents.

Three newly appointed generals shouted orders in the center of the camp to organize the troops. The soldiers dragged their tired bodies into formation, and the sounds of clashing armor and conversations rose and fell.

The cooks had already set up large iron pots throughout the camp, with wisps of smoke blending into the twilight.

The firewood crackled, and the porridge in the pot bubbled and simmered, releasing a fragrant aroma.

Song Yuanqing dismissed Zhao Zun's ten soldiers and watched as they were taken to their camp for resettlement.

He turned around, grabbed the mysterious boy, and led him to a secluded campfire to sit down.

The flickering firelight illuminated the young man's youthful yet resolute face. Song Yuanqing smiled and asked, "Young brother, what's your name?"

"Reporting to the General! My name is Hei Ya Zi." The boy bowed politely.

Song Yuanqing rubbed his hands, which had grown cold from the evening breeze, and his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the black box that the boy was tightly clutching in his arms.

"Black Boy, your weapon looks quite novel. May I, Song, take a look?"

"Of course." Upon hearing this, the boy's lips curled into a proud smile.

He skillfully unloaded the bullets and carefully handed the M16 to Song Yuanqing.

"This is an M16 automatic rifle that the princess personally provided for us," Hei Yazi said, her voice filled with undisguised pride. "When firing at long range over a wide area, its power is simply... uh... the general saw it too."

He made an exaggerated explosion gesture, his eyes gleaming in the firelight.

Before Song Yuanqing could examine it closely, Hei Yazi took off the long box from his back and gently opened it as if displaying a precious treasure.

“General. Look at this,” he said in a low voice, mysteriously. “This is the M24 sniper rifle that just hit their wrists and noses.”

Hei Yazi's slender fingers gently stroked the cold gun barrel. "This gun has an effective range of eight hundred to one thousand meters, and it's almost always accurate."

He looked up at Song Yuanqing, a sly glint in his eyes: "General Song, do you know how far a thousand meters is?"

Seeing Song Yuanqing shake his head blankly, the boy proudly held up two fingers: "It's a full two li!"

"Hiss!" Song Yuanqing gasped, the M16 in his hand suddenly feeling heavy. The campfire crackled and sparks flew, illuminating his shocked face.

He recalled an old saying in the martial arts world: "No matter how high your martial arts skills are, you're still afraid of a kitchen knife."

Faced with this divine weapon called M16, he was once again struck down. He felt that his martial arts skills, which he had painstakingly practiced for more than twenty years, seemed so ridiculous.

Don't even ask how many moves he can withstand from an M16; he'd probably be dead the moment he even had the thought of making a move.

"Young man," Song Yuanqing said with a wry smile as he handed the M16 back to the black-haired boy, "Such a powerful weapon, you're just showing it off to others so easily. Aren't you afraid that I, Song, will become greedy and take it for myself?"

Upon hearing this, the boy burst into laughter, his clear, bell-like laughter ringing out especially loudly in the twilight.

He waved his hand casually: "My lord has long said that General Song is one of our own, so there's no need to hide anything from you."

own people?
These words gave Song Yuanqing a jolt.

The firelight danced in his eyes as he gazed at the boy's sincere face and couldn't help but think: Did Zhao Zun already know that he would side with him? He calculated every step of the way; Zhao Zun truly deserves to be the garrison marshal of Beiguan.

"Judging from your appearance, you're only seventeen or eighteen," Song Yuanqing changed the subject, his eyes filled with admiration. "I never expected you to possess such abilities. The Cangzhou King's forces are indeed full of hidden talents; no wonder he dared to..."

The smile on the boy's face gradually faded, and the firelight cast flickering shadows in his eyes.

He picked up a twig and unconsciously poked at the fire. "I'm an orphan..."

His voice suddenly lowered, "My home is in Yong'an City, Beiguan..."

As the boy recounted his story, the campfire seemed to dim slightly.

“When I was six years old, the Turkic cavalry marched south. My father and mother both died under the Turkic scimitars. My mother stuffed me into the stove to escape the disaster.”

He sniffed. “After the Turks left, it got dark before I came out… I was homeless and begged along with the refugees. A kind hunter in Fufeng County took me in. I followed my adoptive father into the mountains to hunt every day and thus developed excellent archery skills.”

These past events seemed particularly heavy in his calm narration.

“This spring,” the boy’s tone suddenly became cheerful, and his eyes regained their light, “the prince was recruiting soldiers in Fufeng County, and I happened to be passing by, so I was the first to sign up.”

He straightened his back, and the smugness from before returned to his eyes.

"Because of my excellent archery skills, Commander Xiao specifically chose me to be a sniper. The Prince treats us very well too; a newly built cement factory, a brand-new military camp, and he even feeds us three meals a day..."

As he said this, his stomach suddenly growled, and he couldn't help but smile sheepishly.

Song Yuanqing interrupted him in surprise: "Do you really eat three meals a day?"

Hei Yazi nodded vigorously, which made Song Yuanqing even more incredulous. Having served in the army for many years, he knew that even elite troops, unless there was a war, usually only ate two meals a day, morning and evening.

"The princess said we are still growing and the training is very demanding, so we must eat our fill. There will be meat every other day!"

His eyes were full of pride. "Not only us, but all the laborers working in Fufeng County are provided with three full meals a day."

"This..." Song Yuanqing was so shocked he couldn't speak, his mind racing as he calculated the food and supplies needed for so many people. "Where will the food come from for so many people? And what about meat...?"

Hei Yazi leaned closer mysteriously and lowered his voice: "That's why the princess built pig farms and chicken farms in Fufeng County, so that the people of Cangzhou could have meat to eat. The princess said that this is called self-sufficiency."

He suddenly stopped, glanced around, and then made a "shh" gesture. "These are secrets that only the people of Cangzhou know."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Song Yuanqing's eyes.

He carefully examined the handsome young man before him and asked, "The princess you mentioned, is she the Miss Han?"

The boy tossed the twig he had been playing with into the fire, his eyes gleaming with pride.
"Indeed! My princess is an extraordinary woman. Did you know? Not only did she create cement, such a miraculous substance, but she also built pig farms and chicken and duck farms in various counties of Cangzhou. Most impressively, not long ago she even extracted salt from rocks!"

"Salt made from rocks?!" Song Yuanqing shook his head in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

“This is absolutely true!” Hei Ya Zi patted his chest and guaranteed, “In another month or two, all the people of Cangzhou will be able to eat cheap salt. The Princess said that everyone in Cangzhou should have salt to eat.”

Song Yuanqing suddenly recalled the scene from half a year ago when he led his troops to support Beiguan and passed through Fufeng County.

He did see Zhao Zun rolling up his sleeves and moving stones to build a wall in the field, and he even teased him about how a prince was doing farm work.

Zhao Zun then said with a smile, "My queen is a countrywoman who likes to play with chickens, ducks and other livestock."

Thinking of this, Song Yuanqing couldn't help but laugh: "That Zhao Zun, he was just fooling me."

He shook his head and muttered to himself, "If Miss Han were a country bumpkin, then all the noble ladies in the world would probably die of shame."

As dusk deepened, campfires flickered in the military camp.

The cooks had already prepared dinner, and the soldiers, who had been organized, sat around the fire in twos and threes to eat.

A guard brought over a pot of aged wine, and Song Yuanqing personally poured it for Hei Yazi: "Brother Yazi, thanks to your help this time, I'd like to toast you."

The boy picked up the wine bowl and took a sip, but his brows furrowed, and he looked disgusted.

"Hey! This wine of yours... isn't strong enough."

Song Yuanqing raised an eyebrow: "Oh? This is already one of the best aged wines in the army."

Hei Yazi put down his wine bowl, a nostalgic look in his eyes: "Compared to the Drunken Immortal Wine brewed by my princess, this wine is far inferior."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but smack his lips, "That Drunken Immortal Brew is really potent. It's smooth on the palate, but has a strong aftertaste. Drinking a bowl of it warms you up from head to toe."

"Drunken Immortal Brew?" Song Yuanqing's interest was piqued. He had tasted this wine several times, and it truly deserved to be called the finest among wines. "You mean, Drunken Immortal Brew was also made by your princess?"

"Of course!" Hei Ya Zi's eyes lit up, and he gestured excitedly. "I heard from Commander Xiao that this wine was originally intended to be brewed for disinfecting wounded soldiers. Later, as production increased, it was sold to the public. It's said that this wine is now extremely rare and valuable in the capital!"

Song Yuanqing listened intently, his eyes gleaming with complex emotions in the firelight.

Even though he knew perfectly well that Han Lei was Zhao Zun's lawfully wedded princess, and even though he had already let go of the past, for some reason, he still couldn't help but want to find out about Han Lei today.

"Hey!"

He sighed inwardly, wondering what was wrong with him.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the charming and sweet image in his mind, as well as all the inappropriate thoughts.

Then, he raised his wine bowl and offered a toast in the direction of Cangzhou.

A night breeze began to rise, causing the campfire to flicker. In the distance, the sounds of soldiers eating could be heard, a mix of clattering pots and pans and laughter.

Looking at the boy before him, who appeared exceptionally vibrant in the firelight, Song Yuanqing felt a surge of questions in his mind, yet all of them seemed less important in the warmth of the campfire...