"What did you say? The Changfeng garrison of the Shun'an Army from Hejian Prefecture has mobilized?"
Guard Jiang from Shenzhou was very surprised.
"Have they retreated again?"
The sentry who came to report shook his head.
"No, they have moved towards Bazhou," he said.
Bazhou!
Jiang Cheng jumped up from his chair.
"Have the people of Hejian Prefecture gone mad?" he shouted.
But soon, he learned that the people of Hejian Prefecture were not mad, and they had even achieved the military accomplishment of killing more than two hundred Jurchen people and capturing a large amount of armor.
"Did they consume the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?" Guard Jiang was astonished.
"It's not that they consumed the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard; rather, the Duchess of Chengguo has arrived," a few generals said as they rushed over during the night with more detailed information.
Hearing that it was the Duchess of Chengguo who ordered this to be done, Guard Jiang fell silent with a complex expression on his face.
Shenzhou is adjacent to Baozhou, and a part of the Yongning Army that was originally in Baozhou has now retreated here.
If the Duchess Cheng wanted the Shun'an Army to act, she would certainly also have demands for the Yongning Army.
"Is the reason just to bring back the people from the three counties?" Guard Jiang asked.
The generals nodded their heads.
"It does make sense, and it wouldn't be considered insubordination," one general said with a trace of excitement in his tone, "Lord, then should we..."
To give up on the lands they had protected for many years was indeed frustrating for these generals.
But the imperial command is hard to disobey.
"Not insubordination?" Guard Jiang said with a heavy voice, "His Majesty ordered the Duke of Chengguo to withdraw the troops, and not only did he not retreat, but he also sent troops here."
"No, no," one general quickly said, "it's said these are not the Duke of Chengguo's troops."
"With such formidable fighting strength, if they are not the Duke of Chengguo's troops, then whose are they?" Guard Jiang said, "The Duke of Chengguo is known for not having house servants, this is common knowledge."
If they are said to be his troops, that would be a crime; if they are said to be his house servants, that would be an even graver offense of deceiving the monarch, possibly even accused of harboring a private army.
In such a circumstance, following these orders and doing this would certainly mean they couldn't escape the blame.
Silence fell upon the governmental office.
And Tian Yao, who was in Changfeng City, was also silent.
"Madam, what you said is all correct," he finally spoke up and then turned to Miss Jun, "Miss Jun's Qingshan Army is also formidable, whether from the standpoint of reason or feasibility, we can do this."
Madam Yu looked at him.
"However?" she asked.
"However, Madam must clarify, who exactly is this Qingshan Army?" Tian Yao said.
"I've clarified," Miss Jun said, "they are my people; we are farmers. We are not the Duke of Chengguo's Army. We only came to help by the way."
Tian Yao looked at her.
"Then Miss, who are you exactly?" he asked, "Why do you want to help?"
"Why does there need to be a why?" Miss Jun frowned, "This kind of thing..."
She wanted to say that anyone who is a citizen of the Great Zhou should stand up in such situations, but Madam Yu laughed and interrupted her.
"Well, no secrets from Lord Tian," she said, "this Miss Jun, is my daughter-in-law-to-be, who has yet to be married into our family."
Ah?
Everyone present was stunned.
Daughter-in-law-to-be?
"Yes, the fiancée of my son Zhu Zan," Madam Yu continued, "Originally she was farming at home. Hearing that the situation here was tense and I was coming to Hejian Prefecture, the Duke of Chengguo could not leave his duties to take care of me, so she brought her fellow villagers here to accompany me on this trip."
So she really is a farmer? Even bringing villagers?
The people in the office looked at Miss Jun with a strange expression.
Miss Jun's expression was also somewhat odd. She looked at Madam Yu, as if she had something to say but restrained herself.
"There's no need to be shy; this is nothing to be ashamed of," Madam Yu said to her.
This wasn't about being shy or not, Miss Jun felt like laughing.
How did the situation turn into this?
But of course, she wouldn't refute Madam Yu.
"So you all don't need to worry, this Qingshan Army is truly not the Great Zhou's soldiers, nor are they private soldiers or house servants from our Duke of Chengguo's residence," Madam Yu said, "These are just our future in-laws' tenants. When the country is in crisis, everyone has a responsibility. So they put down their hoes and came along to help."
Now the tenants.
Is this even acceptable?
She initially said she was just a farmer, but that was just an offhand remark, and of course, these people did not believe it at all.
Miss Jun pondered for a moment, thinking it might be more credible to reveal her identity as Miss Jun.
Before she could speak up, she saw the generals inside the office showing smiles.
"So it turns out to be the Princely Heir's fiancée."
"They've already set an engagement? We didn't even know."
"This is truly great news."
"When is the wedding set for?"
"Really, it's all because of those accursed Jurchen people. We can't even celebrate for our Lord Heir."
They were all talking.
Even Tian Yao showed a smile, nodding at Miss Jun.
"So that's how it is," he said, not skimping on the admiration in his eyes, "Truly as brave as the Princely Heir."
Is that belief? Miss Jun was quite surprised.
Could it be because of what Madam Yu had said? Is that why they believed?
Miss Jun thought for a moment, then shyly retreated behind Madam Yu.
"As the saying goes, fathers and sons join the army together, but I didn't expect a daughter-in-law could join too," said Tian Yao, looking at Madam Yu with great emotion, "It's true that 'like attracts like' in a family."
"My daughter-in-law's family is also known for its martial spirit," Madam Yu agreed with a nod, "So, about this matter..."
Tian Yao did not wait for Madam Yu to finish before he bowed.
"Madam," he said solemnly, "even the peasants in the countryside are going to fight against the Jin thieves and protect our Great Zhou people. If we sit here comfortably in the city, we would be too ashamed to live."
Having said that, he turned to look at everyone in the hall.
"As Madam has said, in the ceasefire negotiations with the Jurchen people, it is the land of three prefectures that is to be ceded, not the lives of hundreds of thousands of Great Zhou people. We are all blood-related compatriots. With our brethren trapped, can we turn a blind eye to their plight?"
"We cannot!" the generals in the hall shouted in unison.
"Can we watch our compatriots be enslaved by the Jin thieves as oxen and horses?" Tian Yao raised his voice and challenged.
"We cannot!" The generals also raised their voices and shouted.
Tian Yao turned to look at Madam Yu.
"Madam," he said, extending his hand in invitation.
Madam Yu looked at everyone in the hall.
"Go, bring back our brothers and sisters, our elders and fellow countrymen," she said. "Let the Jin thieves know that although we may have ceded land, we are not afraid of them. As long as Bazhou is not yet confirmed in the treaty, it remains the land of Great Zhou, and on our own land, we fear no one. Whoever dares to obstruct or harm the Great Zhou People..."
She raised her hand, sweeping it decisively.
"Shall be killed without mercy!"
To kill, they had been waiting for this day, as the long-suppressed rage burned fiercely.
The generals in the hall simultaneously raised their hands.
"Kill!" They roared together.
.................
The urgent sound of drums and gongs echoed through Changfeng City, and teams of officers went out towards the outskirts of the city, while beacon fires calling for the gathering of the Hejian Army were lit on the city walls.
Watching the soldiers run past in the streets, Zhao Hanqing standing outside the office scratched her nose through the veil.
"These guys finally look the part," she muttered to herself, "How did they suddenly become so formidable?"
"... then there are no doubts..."
"... indeed, they're not private troops, but rather, they're from the daughter-in-law's family..."
"... this really is tradition... passing down from father to son..."
"... initially, Duke of Chengguo married a bandit's daughter, now his son has to marry one too..."
"... don't say it so unpleasantly, they're just peasants..."
"... who believes that... they're clearly bandits... although they have a big family, own lands, and houses, they pretend to only be good citizens..."
Although Zhao Hanqing could not understand, when she heard the word 'bandit', her eyes lit up.
"What bandit?" she asked.
A few clerks coming out were startled by the sudden appearance of the veiled girl.
It wasn't her covered face that shocked them, but the girl herself.
They knew this girl was formidable, an archer who could shoot a target from a hundred steps away, unfazed by taking a life.
"Nothing, nothing at all," the clerks hastily waved their hands and shouted, "We were talking about someone else."
And with that, they hurriedly ran off.
"Where are the bandits?" Zhao Hanqing asked with a frown, "Speak up and go cut them down, what's there to be afraid of with bandits?"
..............
After everyone left the office, only Madam Yu and Miss Jun remained.
Miss Jun looked at Madam Yu with a somewhat bizarre expression.
Madam Yu knew what struck her as odd, anyone suddenly dubbed as someone else's daughter-in-law would feel bewildered.
Especially since this one was an unmarried young lady.
"I am truly sorry," Madam Yu said with an apologetic tone, "There was nothing I could do just now. These people care too much about your identities and origins, and in haste, it seemed the only solution was to say that to resolve the matter."
She shook her head as she continued.
"Of course, we could have said you were a rebel army from among the common people, but there's no such thing as a coincidence without reason in this world, and claiming a personal connection is more convincing than an arbitrary one."
Miss Jun looked at her without saying anything, her expression growing even more bizarre.
"Miss Jun, if there is anything you wish to say, please do so. I was wrong in this matter," Madam Yu said.
Miss Jun looked at her and pursed her lips.
"I want to say," she said, "this is really too coincidental."
***************************************************
Thank you to Zixing Qi Yue, Southern Ice for gifting Fairy Flowers.
Thanks to Xiao Yi Qin Qin, teppeifan, MAX Shitou, Bamboo's Papaya, Bamboo's Papaya, Bamboo's Papaya, lilian820, Lin Shy, Zan Hua Shao Nian, ? Last Shot ?, One Inch of Agarwood, MAX Shitou, San San Bai Yue, Jian La Ni, Jing San Shao for gifting He's Bi.
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