Chapter Sixty-Nine: A King's Word Is Not a Jest

"You've passed the first test." Chunzhi suppressed her turbulent emotions and said calmly, "The first test was your 'benevolence.' If an army commander is not benevolent and only knows how to suppress with force and official authority, over time the soldiers and civilians will inevitably become dissatisfied, and this is the root of the army's defeat. However, benevolence alone is not enough to lead an army; you also need courage. The second test is your 'courage.'"

Su Zhenzhen originally thought it would be another challenge like the Huo family army's, or perhaps it would be Hensheng taking on everyone alone.

But to my surprise, Chunzhi's courage was genuine, even bordering on reckless.

Chunzhi ordered his men to take up their weapons and form ranks, leaving only a narrow passage barely wide enough for a hand to pass through.

"The commander-in-chief of an army naturally has to lead his troops into battle. On the battlefield, swords and spears are inevitable. You need to be brave and fearless. Now, I need you to walk through this."

Are you kidding me? These soldiers are carrying real swords and guns, not props; the blades are practically reflective. If Hensheng were to walk through here, not only would he be unable to squeeze in, but if someone's hand slipped and they dropped their weapon, they might be seriously injured.

“Chunzhi, isn’t this assessment a bit too much?” Su Zhenzhen tried to put it nicely. “You know Hensheng, right? He was kidnapped by those ignorant villagers and taken back for a blood sacrifice, then he escaped with his life when the barbarians broke through the pass, and he even subdued the Huo family army. You should know the rules of the Huo family army, right? The commander of the army has to challenge every soldier. That’s enough to show his bravery, isn’t it?”

Chunzhi scoffed, "How can a general who has never seen blood on the battlefield lead his soldiers into battle? Throughout history, kings have sat in the rear and never personally experienced the battlefield. Since he wants the troops under my command, he must be a different kind of ruler."

Su Zhenzhen wanted to say something more, but Hensheng shook his head at her.

"Sister-in-law, I will definitely do my best in this assessment."

After saying that, Hensheng walked directly towards the passage formed by the leading soldiers.

The passage was about twenty meters long, and the weapons held by each person were of different heights. Most importantly, it was too narrow.

But Hensheng gave everyone an unexpected surprise.

As soon as he reached the entrance, he snatched the weapon from the soldier's hand with his bare hands.

Then, they used weapons to clear the way, removing obstacles in front of them, and proceeded smoothly.

Su Zhenzhen thought Chunzhi was going to say that Hensheng had broken the rules, but to her surprise, the man looked pleased and waved his hand, instructing the other soldiers to extend the passage behind him one by one.

Hensheng, unhurried and unhurried, brandished the iron weapon in his hand, knocking away several weapons in front of him. Then, using the weapon at his calf, he leaped up to a high place, using the weapon as a foothold, and then stepped on the weapon to move forward at high speed.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!" The sound of shoes stepping on iron objects was like music.

In just a few breaths, Hensheng arrived at the end of the passage. He spun his weapon backward, knocking the weapons out of the soldiers' hands one by one, and finally stood right where he had started.

Chunzhi clapped her hands. "Courage without strategy is the behavior of a reckless man. Even if one can overcome ten opponents with brute force, one cannot be completely invincible in a battle between two armies. Courage combined with strategy is the best approach, which can make the enemy flee in disarray. You have passed the second test, 'courage'."

Hensheng walked over calmly, bowed to Chunzhi, and said, "Please give me another question, sister-in-law."

"No."

Su Zhenzhen was surprised that Chunzhi had become so easy to talk to. Looking up, she saw that Chunzhi had a smile on her face and seemed much more relaxed.

"You have a kind heart, and you are both brave and resourceful. I believe you will be able to find a good way out for these people."

Chunzhi handed the Northwest Army's military tally to Hensheng, saying, "This is what I obtained by killing those mediocre people. Now, these 50,000 soldiers and civilians are at your command, and the military tally is just a formality. But I still want to give it to you. This belongs to the Jiang family dynasty, and no matter what, it should be returned to its rightful owner."

Hensheng took the military tally, didn't even glance at it, and crushed it. "Old dynasty, old artifacts, have no reason to exist anymore. From this day forward, there will be no more Northwest Army in the world."

Chunzhi voluntarily relinquished power, and Hensheng smoothly took over the 50,000 soldiers and civilians.

Because of Chunzhi's previous ruthless methods, no one dared to say anything. Besides, Hensheng had a friendly face and seemed better than Chunzhi.

The first thing Hensheng did after taking over was to get those who wanted to farm back home to farm.

An army marches on its stomach, and food is the foundation of a nation's livelihood and economy.

Surprisingly, only a small percentage of people were willing to go back to farming.

Hensheng inquired about the reason and found out that there were not many crops left in the field, and they did not have money to buy seeds. When the barbarians broke through the pass, they had plundered the entire area. All the remaining grain was confiscated by Chunzhi to be used as military rations. At least they would have something to eat if they left it in the military camp. Besides, weren't the barbarians driven away?

“If you are willing to farm, I can provide you with grain before the harvest, and I can also provide the seeds.” Hensheng paused and continued, “However, in return, one-third of your harvest will have to be handed over as a head tax.”

Although a third is a bit too much, the Northwest Army had borrowed grain from them before and never returned it, leaving only a tiny bit of food for each family.

Although they didn't know the exact identity of the handsome man in front of them, they were certain that he was currently their "master".

He was actually willing to provide grain before the harvest. It's already late autumn, and there's a long gap between spring planting and autumn harvest, during which a considerable amount of grain has been consumed. Even if it's a loan, repaying a third of the grain would still be a profit for them.

Someone mustered up the courage to ask, "Is this true? Are you really going to give us so much food for free?"

Hensheng nodded. "A ruler's word is law."

Only an emperor could say such a thing, right? But no one felt that He Sheng was overstepping his bounds. Those who knew his status thought it was only natural, and those who didn't know his status didn't care. For ordinary people like them at the bottom of society, whoever could feed them was a good emperor.

The people knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Feeling a little embarrassed, Hensheng quietly approached Su Zhenzhen's side and asked softly, "Zhenzhen, you can produce so much food, right?"

Su Zhenzhen was speechless. When did this guy learn to make empty promises? It was only because of her, his cheat code, that he didn't crash and burn.

I searched through the system store, and the white rice was a bit expensive. However, the noodles were quite cheap. For these poor people, as long as they can fill their stomachs, it doesn't matter what they eat. Besides, these noodles are also made from wheat, and after being processed by machines, they can be stored for a longer time.

Su Zhenzhen pulled Hensheng into the tent before starting to buy noodles with her points. After all, she didn't want to be burned at the stake like a monster if she did it in front of others.

Isn't there one tied up on the command platform? Speaking of that Celestial Master, Su Zhenzhen remembered that she still had a question she wanted to ask him.