Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 90 Will You Teach Me Swordsmanship?

The letter stated that Zhang Guan had previously used the pretext of luring the enemy deep into his territory to repeatedly station his troops in various counties of Jiaozhou to await the enemy.

He plundered the wealth of various counties along the way. Any wealthy households that refused to pay their taxes or neglected him were accused of "treason" or "hoarding and speculation." The punishment ranged from confiscation of property to execution of the entire family.

They don't care about rules at all.

A wealthy grain merchant in Jiaozhou Prefecture was beheaded by Zhang Guan's personal guards for simply asking for a few more days because of a shortage of grain. His entire fortune was used to pay the army, and even young children were not spared.

It's him!

A figure appeared in Ye Ci's mind, sitting on horseback, scanning the numerous scouts with a cold gaze: "You are all veterans, some of you have managed to escape from the barbarian soldiers time and time again. Therefore, I order you to find the main force of the enemy army and light a fire within half a mile of their camp as a signal. This task is not difficult, so if you fail to complete the task within three days, you will all be considered deserters, and I will report this and have your entire families executed."

That day, a quartermaster whispered, "We scouts and vanguards always manage to find the enemy's main force."

"So, they deserved to die."

The main hall fell into a deathly silence.

Shen Wanzhou's expression was solemn: "The court is in turmoil, and the princes are vying for the throne. Even if a general like him, who holds military power, is impeached, there will be people to whitewash him. In addition, the war in the south is indeed very urgent, and the court is probably deliberately turning a blind eye."

Ye Ci put down the letter and asked, "What does Master Shen need me to do?"

Shen Wanzhou was silent for a moment: "The Shen family can come up with 60,000 taels of silver, but I'm afraid this person won't be able to be fed enough. I wonder if Master Ye has any connections? Perhaps he could ask the general to make some concessions with the Shen family and not let them be too greedy."

The morning light streamed through the window and fell on the ground, reflecting the different expressions on the two people's faces.

Ye Ci slowly shook his head: "Back then, I was just a common soldier, and the general might not have thought much of me."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wanzhou put his hands in his sleeves and sighed, "Then we can only do our best to feed them. We just hope that the war will ease up a bit. If the Southern Barbarians retreat, these people will have fewer excuses in the court."

After saying that, he added, "By the way, Commandant Qin is setting off today. Let's go see him off."

"it is good."

Ye Ci nodded.

The weather was slightly chilly, and a north wind was blowing.

On the long road outside the city, banners fluttered like fire, and the cold light of armor gleamed with a solemn chill under the hazy sky. Soldiers marched in formation, the sound of their armor plates clashing like drums, striking the hearts of men.

Dressed in a smart and practical outfit, Ye Ci went to the ancient road outside the city to see them off, accompanied by the people from the five major families who were there to reward their troops.

Before leaving, Qin Lie didn't forget to ask for more benefits, which was actually in accordance with custom.

"On your journey to the frontier, you will endure wind and rain, and I earnestly hope that you will take good care of yourself, Commandant."

The county magistrate was an elderly man over sixty, but he was quite vigorous. He held up a wine bowl to bid farewell to Qin Lie.

Qin Lie nodded slightly, took the wine bowl, drank it, and said, "General Zheng Nan ordered me to go first. A small force under his command will soon come to take over the city's defenses, so Magistrate Fang can rest assured."

Magistrate Fang bowed and said, "I wish Commandant Qin a speedy promotion and that he may become a general."

"Hahahaha—thank you for your kind words!"

Commandant Qin threw the empty wine bowl on the ground, turned around, mounted his horse, and the steed reared up and let out a long neigh.

"drive!"

The soldiers followed closely behind.

Ye Ci did not go forward to say goodbye to Qin Lie, but simply watched his figure gradually disappear into the distance.

The outcome of this journey is uncertain. Qin Lie is a forthright man, but he is prone to underestimating his enemies. Fortunately, Commandant Chen Chuan is more composed.

Just now, he exchanged a few words with Chen Chuan, the Assistant Commandant.

It is true that General Zhang Guan, who was sent to conquer the south, was demoted. He retained his title of general, but his official rank was reduced from the fourth rank to the seventh rank. He was appointed as a local military commander and took over the defense of Songjiang County.

He really came.

Ye Ci pondered the general's resume, noting that he had achieved early success.

He joined the army as a commander of the "Wolf" division, later becoming a general and deputy general, and then a deputy commander-in-chief.

Promotions in the military are usually very fast; it's normal for someone to rise rapidly from the ninth rank to the fifth rank.

Zhang Guan rose from the eighth rank to the fifth rank in just over a year, which was indeed quite fast. He then quickly became the commander of the Leopard Division and was awarded the title of general.

Even a seasoned expert like Qin Lie, who had reached the Core Formation Realm, had never received the title of general.

Although some captains were promoted to generals, Qin Lie did not seem to be popular.

This is not the time to think about these things. Ye Ci felt that Songjiang County was not stable, and even the Shen family might not be safe.

In other words, when you lack the strength, avoiding direct confrontation is also a strategy.

Or, how about going to the Southern Barbarian Lands with Murong Yanyu?

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

It's a very simple logic. He could run off to the southern barbarians, but the Shen family has been deeply rooted in this place for many years. Moreover, they own a lot of land and shops, so they would never choose to leave.

I have been treated with sincerity by Shen Wanzhou. If I were to leave as soon as a slightly troublesome captain takes office, it would seem too cold-hearted.

Back at the Shen residence.

Shen Wanzhou went to prepare the silver, while Ye Ci returned to Tingzhu Pavilion and was met by Ling Cang who was walking towards him.

"Uncle Ling."

Ye Ci naturally greeted this expert from the southern barbarians, who was also Murong Yanyu's teacher or relative, with courtesy.

Ling Cang bowed and said, "Young Master Ye."

The two addressed each other using the same form of address as Murong Yanyu.

As they passed each other, Ye Ci suddenly stopped and asked, "Uncle Ling, could you kill someone for me?"

"Sure, who?"

"General Zhang Guan, who led the southern expedition."

Ling Cang steadied himself, slightly surprised, and asked, "Why did you kill him?"

Ye Ci calmly replied, "We have a grudge."

Ling Cang considered for a moment: "No, there are some rules that are inconvenient to mention, but I cannot take action against any officials of the Great Qian Dynasty on this trip. Moreover, that person is a general. If I kill him, someone will go to the barbarian country to kill my clan's general in the future."

Upon hearing this answer, Ye Ci did not delve further. He nodded and said, "Uncle Ling's swordsmanship that day was incredibly fierce; I couldn't even see it clearly. Could you teach me?"

"If I teach you, are you brave enough to learn?"

Upon hearing that Ye Ci wanted to learn swordsmanship from him, Ling Cang laughed instead: "All the most powerful martial arts in the world have their lineages. Right now, you're only at the level of internal strength and no one is paying attention to you, but there are always people in the world who know their worth. If you learn my swordsmanship, it might just cost you your life."

Ye Ci calmly asked, "Will you teach me?"

Ling Cang's smile faded, and he said seriously, "If you come with me to the Southern Barbarian Lands, I will teach you. If you stay here, I will not teach you."

"One last question," Ye Ci said.

"explain."

"If you take Mumu back, will the Southern Barbarians withdraw their troops?"

Ye Ci had a guess in mind, so he asked the question directly.

He doesn't want to fight anymore.

"able."

Ling Cang answered readily and explained, "I shouldn't have come to Daqian, but Yan Yu's brother is in a difficult situation, so I came. If she goes back, she will definitely withdraw her troops. Because those who died in this battle were all our own family elders, and we all had blood ties with them. They should have withdrawn long ago."

As the two were talking, Murong Yanyu came in carrying a wooden basin. It was a basin that a servant had washed for Ye Ci, and she had just retrieved from the laundry room.

She deliberately ignored Ling Cang and went to hang the clothes out to dry by herself.