Chapter 244 Qinglong Lake: I wish to present this item to the General!

Sun Zhong had been anxiously pacing outside Shen Lanxi's residence for three days. Since returning from the last peace talks, Shen Lanxi had forced Abe Hiroshi to retreat with a long sword, not only preventing Abe Hiroshi from gaining any advantage, but also causing them to lose two thousand dan of grain.

This was undoubtedly a boost to the Northern Expeditionary Army.

Heaven knows that after their Northern Expeditionary Army arrived in the Northwest, they suffered repeated setbacks and defeats, and their prestige in the Northwest was completely lost.

Now that this news has spread, it has been an encouragement not only to their Northern Expeditionary Army, but also to the people of the Northwest.

This is how peace talks should be conducted!

Sun Zhong felt a pang of regret for his previous disrespect towards Shen Lanxi, but he was also too proud to admit it, which put him in an awkward position where he didn't even dare to knock on the door.

"General Sun, is there something you need?" Qian Feng came out after reporting official business, but he didn't expect Sun Zhong to still be there.

When he went in, Sun Zhong was already there. He had been inside for almost an hour, and Sun Zhong was still there.

He already guessed the reason in his heart and found it amusing. He didn't show it on his face, after all, they were colleagues, and he had to give them face.

When Sun Zhong saw Qian Feng approaching, he touched his nose and shamelessly went to greet him.

"It's Vice General Qian! What a coincidence!"

Qian Feng suppressed a laugh and said, "I happen to have something to discuss with you. The imperial edict has been issued and is on its way by express courier. The general received the message in advance and asked me to inform you to begin preparations!"

Previously, Sun Zhong had been eagerly awaiting an imperial edict so he could go to Dongchuan and avenge his previous humiliation. Now, when Qian Feng told him about it, a moment of hesitation flashed through his mind.

"I see. I guessed it was almost time. The time the general bought for us is invaluable!" Sun Zhongzhen said sincerely.

Qian Feng: "It's going to get cold in the Northwest soon, and the three Turkic tribes will definitely be even more anxious, so the time shouldn't be delayed for too long!"

Sun Zhong regained his composure and said seriously, "The three clans might resort to desperate measures and harass the people of my Great Zhou!"

Qian Feng: "The general has already foreseen this. Before the first wave of the pacification army arrives, I urge General Sun to take good care of the Northwest!"

Sun Zhong: "Of course, of course!"

He had another matter to discuss. Seeing that Qian Feng wasn't in a hurry to leave, he immediately probed, "Vice General Qian, now the entire Northwest knows that the General used a Moon-Companion Blade to force Abe Hiroshi to retreat. Do you think the General would lend me this blade if I asked him to?"

"I have no other intention than to boost the morale of the Northern Expeditionary Army," Sun Zhongcheng said sincerely.

Qian Feng pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. If it's gold or silver, the general certainly won't be stingy. Back in Dongchuan, we secretly gave the general a nickname: Shen Dafang (Generous Shen)." He couldn't help but chuckle as he said this.

This nickname was suggested by Liu Yanhui, the brother-in-law of Jin Yi, who was on the first batch of exchange list.

Sun Zhong found it hard to believe; how could a subordinate casually give his superior a nickname?

Qian Feng: "General Sun's purpose is perfectly legitimate, and I believe the general will lend it to him." If you don't feel awkward about it!

After all, the Northern Expeditionary Army has been here for almost three years, yet they are still not as powerful as the general with his broadsword.

Sun Zhong was skeptical. Qian Feng had other matters to attend to. After watching Qian Feng leave, Sun Zhong looked around again and gritted his teeth, deciding to visit him.

Shen Lanxi was thinking something similar to Qian Feng.

"Alright, we can lend it to you. The general is doing this for the stability of the Northwest." Sun Zhong was quite flexible and adaptable, but it's a pity he followed Zhou Ruyuan!

Sun Zhong immediately thanked him and politely declined the request to have someone deliver it to his door. A little while later, he personally brought people to carry it.

That would be truly shameful if someone offered themselves to you!

Shen Lanxi also received a seemingly encouraging but actually ambiguous imperial edict regarding provisions.

As night fell, the silver quietly entered the general's mansion.

"The two thousand dan of grain will be stored in Dashu Village and guarded by our people."

"Also, place cloth, cotton, and charcoal around Big Tree Village, one type for each village!"

Shen Lanxi listened attentively. The grain and other supplies that her third brother had brought this time, plus those she had sent before, were enough to feed the newly launched Northern Expeditionary Army until after the New Year.

Feng Wu: "That guy named Ginkgo should make some moves in the next few days."

Shen Lanxi nodded: "I'm at ease with Fifth Brother keeping an eye on them!"

The two came silently and left silently.

...

When Shen Lanxi went out to inspect the city again, she found that the people in the city had smiles on their faces. Before, they looked like they were soaking in bitter water. Even when they went out to do small business and customers came, they did not smile.

"General Shen!" The soldiers guarding the city shouted as soon as they saw Shen Lanxi arrive.

Shen Lanxi nodded and continued her inspection.

She was accompanied by Wei Dongzhu and Qian Feng. In recent days, Wei Dongzhu had been showing them around to familiarize them with the local terrain.

"General, Qinglong Lake is not far from here. Every year during the dry season, the nearby cities send people to that lake to fetch water!"

Shen Lanxi's purpose for this trip was to see Qinglong Lake.

Wei Dongzhu continued, "Qinglong Lake is very large, and many nearby tribes use its water. As far as I know, the Oirat Turks and the Tatars both use the water from this lake!"

Shen Lanxi had already looked at the map yesterday. The lake is very large, almost equivalent to one-third of the sea area of ​​Tianjin.

In the blink of an eye, the group arrived at Qinglong Lake.

"Although there is water here, no one dares to live here. The Turks often hunt around Qinglong Lake."

They had just passed through five or six villages, all of which were deserted.

As Wei Dongzhu looked at the familiar Qinglong Lake, a series of memories flashed before his eyes.

He returned, but the person from his memories was gone.

Shen Lanxi glanced at Wei Dongzhu and silently led Qian Feng to continue the investigation.

When he returned, the place where Wei Dongzhu was located was filled with the aroma of fish and meat.

"There are lots of fish in Qinglong Lake, I just caught a few!"

Shen Lanxi looked at the complete cooking utensils and the food laid out on the table, and sat down.

"This lake is huge, and the surrounding villages are deserted. What a pity!" She took a bite of the golden-brown grilled fish, which tasted delicious!

Wei Dongzhu reminisced, "In the past, both sides of the lake were home to business people, and there were also fishing boats that fished in the lake!"

Qian Feng remained silent and continued eating.

Although the matter of Wei's army is too heavy, food is precious and cannot be wasted.

Shen Lanxi: "Once our people arrive, let's have a winter fishing trip first!"

Fish is also meat, and in winter it is a rare and nutritious food.

Wei Dongzhu: "Okay!"

After he finished speaking, he placed the grilled fish in his hand in front of Shen Lanxi.

The fish was cleaned very well, with the head, scales, and bony tail removed, leaving only the middle section. It was thoughtfully sprinkled with precious spices and sesame seeds, showing how much care was put into it!

Qian Feng glanced at the grilled fish in front of him, which was cooked through and still had its head, tail, belly, and even scales intact.

The person who was just talking about not wasting food suddenly showed a hint of disdain in their eyes, picked up the grilled fish, and walked a little further away to process it!

Wei Dongzhu glanced at Qian Feng's back, silently reached into his pocket, took out the tiger tally that Shen Lanxi had returned to him, and handed it to Shen Lanxi.

"I would like to give this to the general."