Jiuxi

Chapter 720 Chapter 718 [Revenge]

Southwest of the mainland, Shazhou.

The seven tribes of Shazhou were mentioned less and less. After experiencing that civil strife, Luo Yaozong became the de facto leader of Shazhou.

With the arrival of the handwritten letter from the Emperor of Qi, he could better stand on his righteous ground.

Even so, Luo Yaozong has not changed much compared to before.

He did not abolish the clan elder system that had been established in Shazhou for hundreds of years. He treated people from all tribes equally, and vigorously promoted education. He invited some scholars from Chengzhou in Qi State to be teachers, and was committed to making more Shazhou teenagers literate.

At the same time, the trade between Shazhou and Da Qi became more frequent and close. Relying on the almost inexhaustible supply of stone, logs and medicinal materials, the living standards of the people in Shazhou improved visibly. Therefore, no one would question Luo Yaozong's status. On the contrary, they only had respect for him.

In Heishui Village, under the old locust tree that has experienced countless storms, a man in red clothes stands alone.

"Sister."

A tall young man came closer and called out cautiously.

The woman in red said without turning her head: "What's the matter?"

The young man is Luo Hengshan, son of Luo Yaozong, who is sixteen years old this year.

He glanced at the woman's waist and didn't see the long whip she usually carried with her, so he said with a smile, "Are you thinking about your brother-in-law again?"

The woman in red reached for her waist, then remembered that she had left the whip in the room, so she turned her head and glared at the boy, saying unkindly, "Are you itching for trouble again?"

Luo Hengshan raised his head and said, "I heard from my father that Dingzhou is in the northeast. My sister would look to the northeast every few days and would stand there for half an hour. She must be missing her brother-in-law named Lu!"

"What do you mean by a brother-in-law named Lu? How many brothers-in-law do you want?"

Luo Jiujiu said angrily: "Did you learn this nonsense from those guys in school?"

"Don't be angry, sister."

Luo Hengshan didn't dare to really anger her, and said flatteringly: "Don't worry, sister, I have never mentioned a word in front of my parents!"

"Get lost."

Luo Jiujiu was too lazy to pay attention to him.

Luo Hengshan moved closer and asked softly, "Sister, are you going to Qi?"

Luo Jiujiu said “hmm”.

Luo Hengshan said: "Sister, you must take good care of yourself in Qi State, and don't let yourself be wronged. Don't worry about home, I will serve my parents well and help you to be more filial!"

He patted his chest, his tone very serious.

Luo Jiujiu turned her head and looked at him again. Although in her memory he was still the child who had followed her around since childhood, in fact, the boy had grown taller than her.

Her eyes became gentle, and she spoke in a slow tone, "I am just sending those thousands of war horses over. I will be back home soon."

"Sister..."

Luo Hengshan suddenly hesitated, then took out a purse from his sleeve and stuffed it into Luo Jiujiu's hand.

"what is this?"

"It's the money I've quietly saved over the years."

Luo Hengshan looked around, then whispered, "Sister, since you have the opportunity to go to Qi this time, why don't you go find that Grand Commander Lu? No matter what he thinks, he has to give you a clear answer. If you like each other, you should make it clear, otherwise you should let go early. Sister, it's not a good idea for you to always be alone like this. I can't help you with anything else. I just hope that you can be happy and not have so many hardships."

Luo Jiujiu was stunned.

After a long while, she put the purse back into the boy's hand and said with a smile, "You have really grown up."

Luo Hengshan wanted to say more, but Luo Jiujiu said, "You, you have to be more diligent in practicing martial arts and not be lazy in school, so that you can help your father in the future. Remember?"

"Ok!"

"As for my affairs...you don't have to worry about them. I will take care of them."

Luo Jiujiu smiled, raised his hand and rubbed his hair, and said: "Okay, let's go practice."

Luo Hengshan noticed his father's figure in the distance, and without hesitation, he ran away.

Luo Jiujiu couldn't help laughing, and then turned around to greet Luo Yaozong.

"Father."

"We have negotiated with the people from the Chengzhou Military Governor's Office of Qi State. Tomorrow you will take the 5,000 war horses to Yunling, and they will have someone to take over."

Luo Yaozong spoke in a steady tone, and then asked, "Do you really want to go through this?"

Luo Jiujiu nodded and said, "Father is not unaware of the moral character of some people in Qi State. These 5,000 war horses may not be delivered to Lu Chen obediently. I have to keep an eye on them myself."

"You seem to be very concerned about his affairs."

Luo Yaozong nodded, and seeing his daughter's cheeks blushing, he coughed and said, "The Lu Family Company has been very good to us in Shazhou over the past two years. We should really do our part."

Luo Jiujiu quickly said: "Father is right."

Luo Yaozong smiled slightly and changed the subject: "When you meet the Duke of Shanyang, tell him about that matter." Luo Jiujiu looked a little confused: "What is it?"

Luo Yaozong asked, "Do you still remember when you went to the capital of Qi State, I asked you to sell the Chanyun Grass to that mysterious person?"

"of course I remember."

"Cloud Chancao is a very rare medicinal herb. It's not surprising that dignitaries need it, but I heard Hardy mention it after drinking a while ago that this Cloud Chancao can be used to make a very powerful poison." Luo Yaozong thought for a while and said slowly: "Although this news may not be useful to the Duke of Shanyang, since the mysterious buyer is a nobleman in Qi State, and the Duke of Shanyang's status in Qi State is getting higher and higher, it may be helpful to him."

"I got it."

Luo Jiujiu was reluctant to leave, so she forced a smile and said, "Father, you must take care of yourself after I leave, and don't work too hard."

Luo Yaozong said with relief: "You have helped me do a lot of things in the past year. Now Shazhou is getting better and better, and you have contributed to it. Don't worry about your family, just do your own things."

Luo Jiujiu responded softly.

The next morning.

Luo Jiujiu led more than a thousand Shazhou warriors and drove five thousand fine war horses eastward.

When she arrived at Yunling, she couldn't help but look back and saw green mountains and clear waters, lush and verdant.

So beautiful.

……

To the north of Jingzhou is Kaocheng.

The traces of the great battle outside the city that day are still clearly visible.

Since four years ago, Jing's army has been experiencing increasingly unsuccessful outcomes on the battlefield.

At first, the generals of the Jing army could be said to be dragged down by the incompetent Yan army, so that they suffered successive defeats in Guangling, Qingxia, Baotai Mountain, Lei Ze and other places. However, the Battle of Yongqiu was a real decisive battle between the main forces of Jingqi, and in the end, the Jing army still ended in failure. Even the great Jing army god Qing Yugong could not reverse the situation.

Jing Jun was not broken-back by these defeats. On the contrary, everyone from top to bottom was filled with intense anger.

It was not until the great battle outside Kaocheng that the Jing army that participated in the battle finally vented some of their anger.

According to statistics after the war, they caused the main force of the Qi army to pay the price of nearly 30,000 deaths, while the casualties of the Jing army itself were only half of that of the enemy.

This was undoubtedly a resounding victory.

The fierce Jing army was still not satisfied. They longed for a greater victory and wanted to wash away the shame on themselves with the blood of the Qi army.

Just as Xiao Wangzhi worried, as long as the Jing army gained the upper hand, they would kill all enemies and tear them apart with their sharp claws.

These days, many generals came to ask Wu Yanshu for battle, but they all returned in disappointment in the end.

Inside the temporary commander's residence, Wu Yanshu stared at the sand table calmly, as if this great victory was nothing to him.

General Guiyou said respectfully, "Sir, there is urgent news from the north that our army of 100,000 has arrived 200 miles north of Heluo. According to the distance, they can reach Kaocheng within half a month at the latest. By then, our army can march straight in and sweep Jingzhou of Southern Qi."

Wu Yanshu asked calmly, "What's the situation in the south?"

Guiyou replied, "It's funny. Liu Shouguang thought he had an advantage. On the one hand, he supported the defeated soldiers from Kaocheng, and on the other hand, he sent troops to occupy the two cities of Yuanwu and Lushan, which were not well defended. As a result, he was obviously scared again and gave up these two cities in a panic. Not only that, he even didn't dare to take over Chou'an and Guining, which he had occupied before, and now he only gathered troops to defend Xinping and Taikang."

He spoke with great joy, saliva flying, and a smug look on his face.

Wu Yanshu frowned slightly and said, "Do you think this is ridiculous?"

The smile on Guiyou's face froze instantly.

Wu Yanshu walked half a circle around the sand table and said in a deep voice: "Liu Shouguang's decision is very smart."

"clever?"

"The result of the Battle of Kaocheng is enough to change the strength comparison between the two armies, not just the difference in numbers. If Liu Shouguang greedily wants to keep the previous victory, he will inevitably be crushed to pieces by our army. Now that he has given up most of the cities and only defended Xinping and Taikang, he can control the route of our army to Yongqiu in the south."

Wu Yanshu looked solemn, and then said: "It's just a very ordinary victory, and you are so proud of it. How dare I let you continue to fight?"

Guiyou was startled and said with shame: "I lost my composure, sir. Please forgive me."

"Tell the generals below to keep their tails between their legs, otherwise I will report to the emperor."

Wu Yanshu's tone left no room for doubt. Guiyou was sweating profusely and agreed repeatedly.

After a moment, Wu Yanshu said slowly: "The Qi army firmly defended Xinping and Taikang, and decisively gave up other places. This is not like Liu Shouguang's style. It should be Lu Chen's work. It seems that we are finally going to face this tough opponent. But it's okay. If we can't overcome this obstacle, how can we fulfill your majesty's long-cherished wish to unify the world?"

Guiyou asked cautiously, "Sir, what will our army do next against the Southern Qi Dingzhou Army?"

"We can't be impatient when dealing with an enemy like Lu Chen. We should leave him alone first and let him sigh in despair on the eastern front. Your Majesty also plans to do so. You should know how to keep the eagle fed. Now our army must constantly wear down Lu Chen's patience and force him to take the initiative and make mistakes."

Wu Yanshu paused for a moment and said confidently: "As for the main force of our army, of course we will go south to Jingzhou to avenge our previous defeat."

Guyu could not help but be filled with excitement, and said loudly: "I am willing to be the vanguard!"

Wu Yanshu finally revealed a faint smile, turned his head to look at the giant map hanging on the wall, his sight fell on the area in the southwest corner, and slowly uttered two words.

"Very good."

(End of this chapter)