Love Lock

Chapter 262 You want to kick me out?
As we set off again, snow began to fall. The wind and snow howled, and the world was shrouded in a vast expanse of white.

Zhao Zun tightened the black cloak wrapped around the two of them, and Han Lei's back was pressed against his chest, and they could feel each other's heartbeats.

A long line of three-wheeled vehicles stretched along the snow-covered official road, the roar of their engines particularly jarring in the quiet road.

"Hang in there a little longer, we'll reach Tuomugou just ahead," Zhao Zun whispered in Han Lei's ear, his warm breath brushing against her frozen red earlobe.

Han Lei nodded, her gaze piercing through the swirling snowflakes, already able to see the towering silhouette of the bluish-gray bastion in the distance.

That was a steel fortress they had built themselves. The five-zhang-high city wall was entirely made of cement, and the four protruding prismatic fortresses formed a crossfire network. Every ten steps on the city wall, there was an arrow tower, with dark gun muzzles hidden behind the crenellations.

"The prince and the others have returned!"

The sentry on the watchtower was the first to spot the convoy with his binoculars, and his excited shouts immediately pierced through the wind and snow.

Soon, a red signal flag was raised above the bastion gate, and the heavy iron gate slowly opened with the sound of gears turning.

The defending soldiers poked their heads out from the various battlements, cheering loudly.

Carbon Head was the first to rush out. This dark-skinned, burly man hadn't even had time to put on his armor, only wearing a sheepskin coat.

"It really is the Prince and Princess!" He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "We've been waiting for you to come back!"

Xiao Zhengfei followed closely behind. This personal guard commander was much more composed than Tan Tou, but his eyes also gleamed with excitement.

The garrison troops of the fortress came out of the fortress to greet them, and the convoy of three-wheeled vehicles slowly came to a stop.

Xiao Zhengfei gave a standard military salute: "Your Highness, everything is fine at Tuomugou Fortress. Those bastards from the imperial court have been driven away by us!"

Zhao Zun dismounted and carefully helped Han Lei to the ground. Both of them were covered in snow, as if they were wearing a layer of silver armor.

"Let's go inside and talk!" Zhao Zun patted Xiao Zhengfei on the shoulder. "Judging by how excited you two are, was the battle really that exciting?"

"More than spectacular!" Charcoal Head rubbed his hands together, his eyebrows dancing with excitement. "It's absolutely gratifying! The imperial army didn't even touch the base of our city walls before they fled, leaving behind thousands of corpses!"

The group passed through three lines of defenses and entered the inner bunker. Han Lei noticed the newly added bullet holes and several charred explosion marks on the outer wall, indicating that the newly built bastion had been put into use for the first time in the face of war.

Inside the bastion, however, it was warm as spring. Every few dozen meters there was a honeycomb briquette stove, and the soldiers sat around it to warm themselves and make tea. When Han Lei's gaze swept over them, they all stood up and saluted.

Inside the council chamber, steaming hot ginger tea was already prepared.

Zhao Zun took the teacup and gestured for everyone to sit down: "Tell me in detail, how many troops did the imperial army send? And what about the generals leading them?"

Xiao Zhengfei cleared his throat: "About fifty or sixty thousand men, led by an unfamiliar general, who is flying the banner of 'General Su, the Suppression of the Rebellion'."

"Su?" Han Lei chuckled. "General Su has already been shot in the head by the Prince. The one leading the troops is the deputy general."

"Who cares who they are!" Charcoal Head interjected impatiently. "Your Highness, you didn't see it. Those guys were pushing ladders, battering rams, and carrying siege hammers, looking like a bunch of ants moving house. But as soon as our M16s fired, they fell down in droves like wheat being harvested!"

Xiao Zhengfei glared at Tan Tou and continued his professional report: "As instructed by the prince, we fired warning shots first, but they ignored our advice and insisted on attacking. Once they were within 300 paces, the first volley wiped out their vanguard battalion."

Han Lei could imagine the scene—an ancient army's neat square formation crumbled under the volley of M16s, the soldiers not even understanding what was happening before being blown away by the blast wave.

She took a sip of ginger tea and found the taste a bit pungent.

"And then?" Zhao Zun asked.

"Then they lost their composure." Carbon Head couldn't help but interject excitedly, standing up and gesturing wildly.

"The general in charge was hiding in the ranks, constantly ordering a charge. As a result, twenty M16s hidden in our bastions and bunkers opened fire simultaneously; the bullets rained down like rain..."

It was the first time he had ever seen so many M16s firing at the same time, and the spectacular yet terrifying scene still terrifies him to this day.

"Rat-a-tat-tat! Those armored guys are as thin as paper! The shield bearers in the front row were riddled with bullets, shields and all!"

Xiao Zhengfei continued, "They tried to retaliate with arrows, but our range was three times theirs. By the time they reached the fortress, they had already lost over a thousand men. That's when the grenades left behind by the princess came in handy..."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Carbon Head slapped his thigh excitedly. "I threw two myself, and those guys thought they were some kind of hidden weapons, so they actually tried to block them with their knives! As a result, with a 'boom,' they were sent flying into the air along with their knives!"

He mimicked the action of an explosion, which made several young soldiers laugh.

Zhao Zun, however, did not smile. He frowned and asked, "What are our casualties?"

“There were no casualties.” Xiao Zhengfei shook his head proudly and said, “According to the tactics set by the prince, all the soldiers operating the weapons were hiding behind the firing ports. They couldn’t even see our men. Moreover, that one charge was enough to scare them into abandoning their armor and weapons.”

Han Lei noticed that Zhao Zun's brows were slightly furrowed, and knew that he was not feeling well.

Those imperial soldiers were, after all, subjects of the Great Jing Dynasty, each serving their own master. She gently held her husband's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm.

"What happened next?" she asked softly.

"Then they collapsed," Xiao Zhengfei said calmly. "Seeing the situation was dire, the general hastily sounded the retreat. As the prince ordered, we didn't pursue them and let them collect the wounded. We even cleaned up the corpses on the battlefield!"

"Hmph! You still have to talk!" Carbon Head curled his lip. "If you ask me, we should have chased after them and wiped them out, so they wouldn't bother us anymore."

"Carbonhead!" Zhao Zun shouted sternly, "Remember, our enemies are the incompetent emperor and treacherous officials in the court, not these soldiers who are just following orders."

Carbon Head shrank back, not daring to say another word.

The council chamber fell silent for a moment. Han Lei got up and walked to the window, looking out. The snow was falling even harder, and the world was a vast expanse of white.

She thought of the soldiers who had fallen in the snow. They may have had elderly mothers, wives and children at home, but their lives were left behind in this cold winter.

“Zhao Zun,” she turned and said, “I suggest strengthening the defenses of Tuomugou Fortress. The court suffered a loss this time, and next time they may mobilize more troops, or... change their tactics.”

Zhao Zun nodded: "That's exactly what I was thinking too. Also, send scouts to keep an eye on the movements of the imperial army. I need to know where they've retreated to."

"Yes!" The charcoal-carrying man accepted the order and left.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhao Zun walked up behind Han Lei and hugged her.

Han Lei leaned against him and whispered, "I'm wondering if these modern weapons I brought are too... cruel?"

Zhao Zun remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

“In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary. If it weren’t for these weapons, our soldiers would be lying in pools of blood today, and the people in the fortress would also suffer.” Xiao Zhengfei raised an eyebrow when he saw the prince and princess embracing each other. He wanted to leave, but he was afraid that the prince might give some orders, so he could only awkwardly lean against the wall and close his eyes to rest.

Outside the window, the wind and snow intensified.

Inside the bastion, the honeycomb briquette stoves were burning brightly, and the faint sounds of soldiers' laughter could be heard.

Meanwhile, in the wilderness a few miles away, thousands of graves are being gradually buried in the heavy snow, as if they had never existed.

The flames in the honeycomb briquette stove danced merrily, turning the iron furnace glowing red-hot.

The aluminum kettle was bubbling and steaming from the stove lid, and the water vapor spraying from the spout condensed into a mist on the glass window.

Tan Tou, who had just gone out to give instructions to the scouts, came back and casually picked up the aluminum kettle to fill it with tea for Zhao Zun and Han Lei.

Zhao Zun coughed lightly and released Han Lei, then took off his snowflake-covered fox fur cloak and hung it behind the door. He rubbed his hands together and walked to the stove.

"You handled this bastion defense battle exceptionally well."

Zhao Zun accepted the hot tea offered by Tan Tou. Amidst the rising aroma of the tea, his deep gaze swept over Xiao Zhengfei and Tan Tou.

"Although I was not present in person, judging from this battle report, your command was decisive and you utterly defeated those people from the court. You deserve commendation."

Xiao Zhengfei was poking at the fire with tongs when he heard this, and his hand paused, a blush of embarrassment spreading across his dark face.

"Your Highness is too kind. If it weren't for the newly constructed bastions, those new weapons, and the meticulous plan you have devised, the brothers wouldn't have been able to defend it so easily."

His humble demeanor looked rather endearing in the firelight.

Tan Tou poured himself some tea from the scalding hot kettle, and upon hearing this, he scratched the back of his head with a simple and honest expression.

"Exactly, exactly. Just throw those grenades down from the city wall. We don't even need to fire them; just scaring them will make them run for their lives."

He suddenly realized his language was inappropriate, stole a glance at Han Lei, and saw that the princess was just smiling slightly, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

Han Lei held the celadon teacup to warm her hands, the steam condensing into tiny water droplets on her eyelashes: "Don't be modest."

As the group was talking, the wooden door was suddenly pushed open with a bang. The King of Jingzhou, wrapped in a mink cloak, burst in, bringing with him a chill, his hair still covered in unmelted snowflakes.

He was worried about the locust plague that had struck Jingzhou, so he stayed at the fortress waiting for news.

He was chatting and roasting by the fire with his soldiers when he heard that Zhao Zun and his men had returned from disaster relief. Despite the heavy snow outside, he rushed over.

"How is it?" The King of Jingzhou, not bothering to shake the snow off his shoulders, plopped down on the rattan chair next to Zhao Zun, making the chair creak.

He leaned forward eagerly: "How is the situation in Jingzhou? Is the locust plague still severe?"

The smile that had just appeared on Zhao Zun's face gradually froze again, and he spun the teacup halfway in his palm.

"The situation... is not optimistic." His voice was low. "After the locusts swept through, all the crops and stored grain were gone. The hundreds of thousands of chickens and ducks we brought did have an effect, but..."

"But what?" The King of Jingzhou gripped the armrest tightly, his anxiety evident in his eyes.

Han Lei picked up the conversation and explained gently, "Chickens and ducks need time to hunt. The most pressing issue right now is that the imperial army is looting along the way, and the people of Jingzhou are suffering..."

She paused, the teacup swaying gently between her fingers. "Many families have had their last bit of food stolen."

"You scoundrel!" The King of Jingzhou slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups on it clatter.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, looking particularly ferocious in the firelight: "If I had known this would happen, I should have had the bastion soldiers blast them all to smithereens the day before yesterday."

Zhao Zun pressed down on his trembling arm: "Calm down. We've left emergency food for each village, plus those chickens and ducks, if we're careful, we should be able to make it until next spring."

As he spoke, Zhao Zun suddenly looked at the King of Jingzhou thoughtfully, "By the way, you can now return to Jingzhou with dignity."

"What?" The King of Jingzhou nearly jumped up from his chair, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The image of the assassins in black infiltrating the Jingzhou Prince's Mansion flashed through his mind. If it weren't for Pingchuan and Scarface rescuing him from their hiding place in the mansion, he couldn't even imagine what would have become of his family...

"You...you want to send me away?" The King of Jingzhou's eyes darkened.

"What are you thinking?" Zhao Zun chuckled and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I mean, after this battle, the imperial court is too busy to take care of itself."

"Come on! Sit down first." Zhao Zun pressed his shoulder down to sit down, and then gestured with his eyes for Tan Tou to make him a cup of tea.

Zhao Zun pushed the teacup in front of the King of Jingzhou, the firelight beside him reflecting the gleam in his eyes.

"Before the imperial army of 100,000 even reached Cangzhou, the commander-in-chief was shot in the head, more than half of the soldiers returned to their hometowns to provide disaster relief, and several thousand more soldiers were lost at the fortress. Once the new emperor receives the reports from those defeated soldiers, he will probably not be able to sleep peacefully, fearing that the troops in Cangzhou will march on the capital. How can he have the spare power to care about a leisurely prince like you?"

"That's right! He's too busy worrying about you to care about me, hahaha..." The King of Jingzhou paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He took a big gulp of tea with satisfaction, but the tea was too hot, so he spat it out with a "pfft!" and gasped for breath.

"Good! Good! Once the snow stops, I will take this family back to rebuild the royal palace!"

As he was speaking, he suddenly remembered something, turned his head and winked at Tan Tou and Xiao Zhengfei.

“When you come to Jingzhou, invite Pingchuan and the others. I will treat you to the Drunken Immortal Wine.” He then looked at Han Lei, “We also need to get the agency for the side dishes that go with the wine back up again.”

Han Lei smiled sweetly, her soft voice echoing in the room. "Of course! This is a way to make money."

Charcoal Head grinned sheepishly and agreed, "Your Highness, please don't be stingy then!"

"Hahaha... I have the distribution rights for Drunken Immortal Wine and its accompanying snacks, so I'll definitely let you drink your fill." The King of Jingzhou was in high spirits.

Since arriving in Cangzhou, he relinquished his princely status and integrated into the lives of this group of rough men. Although he had to do the same work as them, he felt an unprecedented sense of ease and joy here, no longer experiencing the precarious and cautious life he once had.

Seeing the technology and development here, and immersing himself in his busy work every day, even his personality has become much more cheerful.

At that moment, the walkie-talkie on Xiao Zhengfei's waist rang.

"Commander Xiao, Commander Xiao. This is Communication Station Seven. A message from Grand Marshal Beiguanping. Please respond!"

Please comment, favorite, and vote!