You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 73: Unparalleled Loyalty
Chenjiazhuang.

Although it is already spring, the wind is still biting and the weather in the northwest is still bleak.

The room was warm and cozy, with glowing red charcoal fires, a beautiful woman's rosy face, and the occasional gentle laughter of a woman amidst the warmth.

Chen Shao slumped comfortably in a large, fur-covered chair, listening to the Li Shishi sisters gossip. He squinted, the warm charcoal fire beside him making him drowsy.

"The ginger soup is hot." Li Shishi stretched out her delicate, untouched hands, picked up a spoon, and gently scooped two spoonfuls of soup into a crystal-clear white porcelain bowl. Then she presented it to Chen Shao with both hands, "My lord, drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the chill."

Chen Shao exclaimed "Ah!" as if he had just come to his senses. He looked down and realized that he was being asked to drink ginger soup.

"it is good."

Li Shishi said with a smile, "My lord is thinking about something important again."

Seeing that her cheeks were slightly red from the fire, Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "Put out the stove and open the window. It's already springtime, why are you still using the stove?"

Chun Tao had been feeling stuffy for a while, and upon hearing this, she skipped and hopped to open the window. A gust of cool air came in, instantly making her feel refreshed.

Chen Shao looked at the tree branches outside the window, which had begun to sprout light green buds. He had been back for more than a month, and Tong Guan and his men had been reporting a series of victories.

Moreover, Han Shizhong had already captured Yanzhou, and Chen Shao was waiting for his transfer order.

Yanzhou is not a good place. It has the salt lake of the Western Xia, and they will not sit idly by and let the Song Dynasty occupy it. Moreover, once it falls, the road between Dingnan and the five prefectures and Xingqing Prefecture will be cut off. If you want to go from Xingqing Prefecture to Yinxia and the other two prefectures, you will have to take a long detour, and you will also have to worry about whether the Song people in Yanzhou will come out to harass you.

Of course, the most terrifying thing was the Song Dynasty's fortified village warfare tactics.

Centered on Yanzhou, they will gradually build fortified villages and fortresses, eventually allowing the Hengshan area to be completely devoured.

Therefore, the Western Xia will definitely come to attack; it's just a matter of time.

The generals in the Northwest all have their own territories, so there's no need for them to put themselves in such a battleground and needlessly deplete their strength.

Even within the victorious army, few were willing to take on this arduous task. After all, being stationed in Yanzhou would mean facing immense pressure, far less desirable than serving under Commander Xuan, where promotion and wealth were just around the corner.

Only an ambitious man like Chen Shao would be willing to go to such a place.

The tougher the challenge, the greater the reward once you overcome it!

He lay back in the chair, resting his head on his arm, and pondered for a while.

At this moment, Madam Dong walked in. It was clear that she had been in a good mood recently because her son had returned.

After pushing the door open and entering, Madam Dong glanced at the door and said with a smile, "Master, some officials from the city have sent some things, saying that you should go and collect them."

Chen Shao stood up abruptly, thinking to himself, "Finally, they've arrived."

He straightened his clothes and told the two sisters to pack their things.

"Are we going too?" Li Shishi asked, somewhat surprised.

Chuntao cheered loudly and ran back to her room to prepare.

Chen Shao smiled and said, "I haven't had a chance to visit my aunt since I came back this time. I'll take you to see her now."

Li Shishi immediately became nervous.

Chen Shao left after speaking, leaving her hesitating for a long time. She glanced down at her somewhat brightly colored dress and immediately went to the wardrobe to pick out clothes. After searching for a while, she finally settled on a plain-colored jacket and skirt, thinking to herself: Wearing this well-fitting jacket and skirt, I'll look quite presentable.

Li Shishi sat down in front of the dressing table again, reached out and pulled out the wooden hairpin, and her long black hair slid down, making her face in the mirror look even more charming.

She quickly and carefully combed her hair to match the chosen jacket and skirt.

Feeling her heart pounding with nervousness and fear, Li Shishi secretly cheered herself up.

My status is special, and I dare not marry my husband. I have no official status or title. As long as he doesn't despise or abandon me, why should I care about others?

Despite thinking this, her hands didn't hesitate at all. She silently selected a bottle of pearl powder, rubbed a little out with her fingers, carefully applied it to her cheeks, and then gently wiped it off with a silk handkerchief, making it barely noticeable unless someone looked closely.

After skillfully and expertly working for a long time, once she was dressed up, Li Shishi carefully examined herself in the mirror. All the meticulous makeup was now seamless, and she still looked so plain at first glance.

I heard that my aunt was a concubine in a wealthy family. If she was too plain, she might be looked down upon; if she was too flamboyant, it wouldn't be good either, since she was an elder.

The fact that she could create such a perfect makeup look in such a short time shows that she has reached a state of perfection in this art.

Chen Shao rushed into the guest room.

A military commander from the Pacification Commissioner's Office turned around and said solemnly, "Brother Shao, congratulations!"

Chen Shao laughed and said, "Brother Li, why are you being so polite with me today?"

Li Tong hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother Shao, I heard that this position was requested by you and Commander Xuan?"

“That’s right. Even before we attacked Yanzhou, I asked Commander Xuan for this position.”

As Chen Shao spoke, he looked at the official document and seal, his heart filled with excitement.

He served as the Yanzhou Observation Commissioner, Prefect, and concurrently as the Yanzhou Defense Commissioner, and Deputy Commander of the Shengjie Army.

Among them, the position of Observer was a nominal post accompanying the promotion of military officers and had no real significance, but the later ones directly granted him unlimited power in Yanzhou.

“Brother Shao, since you call me elder brother, I won’t stand on ceremony with you. But you were a bit tactless this time. You can’t go to Yanzhou. If you were to garrison that place, you would become a thorn in the side of Western Xia!”

“These officials in the Western Army are naturally happy to see you at the front, so they don’t have to constantly face the invasion of the Xia bandits. Therefore, it’s not that you came here or seized this position, but that no one is competing with you at all.”

Li Tong became more and more agitated as he spoke, and finally blurted out the truth: "To put it bluntly, this is a hot potato that everyone else is trying to avoid, but you insist on letting that Han Shizhong fight it while you sit in the command post. The brothers are all worried for you."

"You have made such a great contribution this time, and Commander Xuan has already given you a place in his heart. Instead of waiting to go to Youyan with us to compete for a dukedom, you choose to torture yourself here."

He was genuinely worried about Chen Shao, and this made Chen Shao realize that his cousin Liu Guanglie was definitely a talented person.

He was asked to help him build relationships behind the scenes, and the relationships he cultivated were so close that they almost became sworn brothers.

Chen Shao's smile vanished, and he said solemnly, "Commander Xuan has great ambitions to accomplish, and the Northwest cannot be in chaos. I, Chen Shao, have received great kindness from Commander Xuan and am determined to repay it. How can I only think of my own future? Brothers, go and fight alongside Commander Xuan. I will stay here as a nail in our victorious army, driven into the Northwest!"

Li Tong felt a mix of emotions, and was somewhat moved.

He had already believed it, because he couldn't think of any other reason.

I never expected that Brother Shao would actually be such a loyal and righteous man.

(End of this chapter)