Chapter 44

Zhou Jingchen just arrived at the camp today. Logically, he should be rewarded according to his merits, but the superiors refused to meet with them for various reasons.

It wasn't uncommon in the North Camp for someone to return from a victory like this, not be treated favorably but instead be left alone. With Captain Shen in charge, this was commonplace. The men in the camp were waiting, and Zhou Jingchen had anticipated this, but he wasn't in a rush. While the soldiers were resting, he'd planned to wash in the creek in the woods. But then, for some reason, he found himself at his doorstep.

The young couple looked at each other for a moment, and Ye Jia pretended nothing had happened. He turned around, pushed the courtyard door open, and left.

Zhou Jingchen followed behind her, helping to unload the cart. The Yu family was busy in the yard when they heard the noise at the door and looked up. They were a little surprised to see Ye Jia walking so fast as if a dog was chasing her. Then they realized the person following her was their son. Oh, the dog turned out to be Yun An.

She quickly put away the random thoughts in her head, wiped her hands on her waist, walked over quickly and smiled: "Why did Yun An come back at this time?"

"I'll come back naturally after I've suppressed the bandits."

Zhou Jingchen was oblivious to his mother's inner thoughts as he carried the two pig heads in one hand with ease. He lowered his eyes as he watched Yu circling around him, his brows relaxed. "It's not convenient in the camp, so I'll come back to wash up and change into clean clothes. Do you have any clothes for me at home?"

"Hey, yes, yes, Jia Niang just made two sets for you last time!" Yu Shi had a small voice and usually spoke softly. But today, perhaps because she was too happy or deliberately speaking for Ye Jia to hear, she raised her voice.

Indeed, when Ye Jia decided to make clothes for the whole family, she also reserved two bolts of cloth for Zhou Jingchen. The tailor made two suits of clothing according to the sizes given by Mrs. Yu and sent them back. Mrs. Yu, feeling that the clothes were for her son, naturally told Ye Jia to take them back. Now, she looked Zhou Jingchen up and down with a smile, and seeing that he was unharmed, the heavy stone in her heart disappeared.

He stretched his head out and called out again: "Jia Niang? Find some clothes for Yun An to change into!"

Ye Jia's awkwardness only lasted a moment. As a mature adult, she wasn't one to be embarrassed by a single loss of face. When Zhou Jingchen opened the door and entered, Ye Jia was already rummaging through the drawers with a look of "This is just how I am."

Zhou Jingchen couldn't help but smile and stood quietly aside waiting for Ye Jia to come over.

There wasn't much furniture in the room: a bed, two dressers, and two boxes. A square table, which Ye Jia occasionally used to do her nightly accounts, and two benches, one on each side. Zhou Jingchen stood behind Ye Jia, watching her rummage through boxes. Of the two large dressers and boxes, only a few of his clothes were kept in one of the dresser's drawers; the rest were all Ye Jia's things.

Ye Jia is good at making money and cooking, but she is not very good at cleaning the house and organizing clothes.

Really, in the past, her mother or a part-time maid would do the cleaning. Cooking was a hobby, but cleaning the house was out of her reach. After all, she'd been in the ancient world for nearly half a year, and she couldn't even put her hair up in a bun. The house was visibly clean, which was the limit of her ability. On weekdays, Yu Shi couldn't easily enter her room to clean it for her, so naturally, her winter and summer clothes were all mixed together.

The only problem is that the things are all jumbled together. I searched for a long time but couldn't find my clothes.

Ye Jia was wondering, "I clearly put it in this cabinet last time, how come it's gone?"

"Is it in this closet?" She muttered unnoticed as she searched. Zhou Jingchen watched quietly from behind her, and tried to help several times. But Ye Jia frowned and searched very hard, and had no time to pay attention to him. Finally, after a long time, she found Zhou Jingchen's clothes. She turned around and handed them to him. Seeing his eyes wandering among the mess of clothes, Ye Jia frowned.

"What are you looking at?" Ye Jia became angry and embarrassed.

Zhou Jingchen choked. After a pause, he replied in a good-tempered manner, "Let me check where I put my clothes so it'll be easier to find next time."

Ye Jia's eyes turned and she knew what he was thinking. She knew the room was a mess, but she was busy and had no time to clean it up. So she immediately raised her chin and said, "What? Isn't it enough to give you a drawer this big to store your things?"

Their eyes met, and Ye Jia was confident and righteous.

After a moment, he couldn't help it, and a smile appeared in his eyes, but he didn't dare to laugh out loud.

He quietly watched as Ye Jia sorted out the pile of clothes she had taken out, shoved them back into the closet, and slammed the closet door shut. He swallowed the words "I'll pack your clothes for you" that were on the tip of his tongue. He nodded seriously, "That's enough, that's enough. It's so thoughtful of Jia Niang to give me such a big drawer for clothes. It's such a waste. Do you want me to free up half a drawer for your socks?"

Ye Jia: “…”

Ye Jia felt like he was being ridiculed, but he couldn't find any way to react, so he choked for a long time.

After a long while, she couldn't help but blurt out a line she had heard from somewhere, and without even thinking it through, she said, "Man, it's good enough to give you a drawer, but don't be ungrateful!"

Even after she finished speaking, she was shocked. Such a domineering CEO's quote actually came from her mouth? She was making a fortune!

Zhou Jingchen, the ungrateful man, couldn't help but cover his face with one hand and laughed out loud.

Seeing Ye Jia's cheeks, which had just regained their whiteness, flushed red again in an instant, her face so tense that she couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't hold it back. His chest was shaking with laughter. As if afraid that Ye Jia would get angry and say something that would make her lose face, Zhou Jingchen considerately turned his face away and smiled, but he couldn't hide the trembling of his shoulders.

Ye Jia: “…”

Never mind. It's not a big deal. Zhou Jingchen is already caught in a trap, so what's wrong with her saying something weird?

After comforting himself in his heart, Ye Jia turned around and walked out with a stiff face.

Outside, Fourth Sister Ye and Yu were cleaning pig heads. Fifth Sister Ye was frying crispy bread in a wok. Starting tomorrow, Xishi's stall would officially begin selling pancakes. The thought of business slowly cooled Ye Jia's hot cheeks. She wandered around the backyard, where Old Man Sun was tending to the vegetable patch. Ye Jia needed chili peppers for her sauce, and two children, Sun Jun, were picking them in bamboo baskets.

Ye Jia thought about the pancakes he had to sell tomorrow, figuring that just the pork head and the crackers wouldn't be enough. They were greasy, so one or two was fine, but eating too much would definitely make them too greasy. Later generations would put lettuce inside pancakes.

There was no such thing as lettuce these days, but adding some other vegetables to the dish to help alleviate the greasiness was essential. Ye Jia glanced at the cucumbers that had already grown in the backyard. There were so many of them on the market these days, they were considered a precious vegetable only the wealthy could afford. Ye Jia couldn't bear to put them in his pancakes as a side dish.

"Are there any vegetables that can be eaten raw and relieve greasiness?" She muttered to herself as she pondered.

Ye Wumei was frying crispy cakes nearby. When she heard this, she casually said, "Sister, how about some Piyazi? Many people here like to eat it raw. It's very refreshing and tasty."

Ye Jia had never heard of this way of eating it. Although there was a saying in later generations about wrapping scallions in pancakes, it wasn't wrapped with Piyazi. However, since Piyazi is popular here, Ye Jia thought about adding some to it to suit the local taste: "Fresh white cabbage or blanched bean sprouts would also work. If you want to add Piyazi, you can cut some and bring it with you. If anyone wants it, I'll add it to them."

"Then how about the price?" Ye Wumei knew that if she didn't add anything extra, she would have to pay an extra penny, but Piyazi was not particularly expensive, and white cabbage was also one penny per pound. It seemed a bit too expensive to charge one penny for adding one or two slices.

"Adding white cabbage and piyazi isn't that much money." Ye Jia made the decision directly, "You decide."

Ye Wumei nodded, and soon fried a small basket of crispy food.

Ye Jia had actually been sweating when she went out that morning, and now seeing everyone was busy, she washed the vegetables and prepared to make lunch. Just in time for Zhou Jingchen's return, she decided to make something delicious.

The chickens at home really grew up quickly. They were only a tiny bit big when we brought them home two months ago. Now, Rui Jie, Sun Jun and the other three children feed them with insects, and each one weighs two or three pounds. Ye Jia thought it had been a while since she had eaten chicken, so she decided to go catch one.

Speaking of which, the two sheep Ye Jia had previously raised had grown. In July, Ye Jia suddenly noticed that the ewe's belly had grown larger. As her belly swelled, her milk supply gradually increased. Ye Jia had originally raised sheep for food, but now, after raising them for so long, he couldn't bear to move them.

Because the yard was large enough, the chickens at home were free-range. As long as they were watched and not allowed to run into the backyard to eat the vegetables, the chickens in the front yard were allowed to run around. Ye Jia came out of the kitchen and looked at the chickens pecking at the grass leisurely in the yard. For a moment, he didn't know how to catch them.

She was useless. After all this time, she still hadn't learned how to kill chickens. Seeing her staring blankly at the chickens in the yard, Ye Wumei couldn't help but ask, "Sister, what are you looking at?"

"Your brother-in-law is back. Let's kill a chicken for lunch."

Ye Wumei blinked her eyes, not understanding why she just killed the chicken and stood by and watched.

Ye Jia sniffed and turned to look at her: "Can Xiaowu kill a chicken?"

Ye Wumei's eyes slowly widened. She hadn't realized that her third sister had been standing there watching for so long because she didn't know how to kill a chicken. She wanted to laugh, but she felt she shouldn't. Thinking about it, she realized that her third sister had always been this slack about housework. So she nodded, put down her chopsticks, walked over, and quickly grabbed a large rooster. "Is this one okay?"

Hens are used to lay eggs, and roosters are only useful for killing them and eating their meat, apart from crowing loudly.

Ye Jia nodded, watching as Ye Wumei carried the fluttering rooster to the well. She turned around and asked Ye Jia for a knife. She squatted beside the well and casually pulled a few feathers off the chicken's neck. Then, with a neat cut, the chicken's blood was used to kill it. She was also very good at scalding the feathers. She had some water left from boiling water for Zhou Jingchen's bath, so she scooped some hot water over to scald the chicken. "Sister, what kind of chicken are you going to cook? Braised?"

During her time at the Zhou family, Ye Jia's cooking was delicious, and what kind of meal she would cook every day had become something Ye Wumei looked forward to. Now, whenever Ye Jia appeared in the kitchen, she would unconsciously look forward to it, her mouth watering: "Sister, no matter how you cook chicken, it's delicious."

Ye Jia was smiling and was about to say that she would make some roast taro chicken later, when she looked up and saw Zhou Jingchen coming out of the house with steam on his face.

He truly couldn't get a tan. After three months of running around in the sweltering heat, he still looked white after a shower. His delicate features, moistened by the water, had a translucent quality. His lips were a deep crimson, his features clean and sharp. His dark hair, damp from the water, was half-tied and draped over his shoulders. The cold, stern look in his features softened as his eyes met Ye Jia's.

But even so, Ye Wumei was still a little afraid of him.

This was something that surprised Ye Jia. Most people would think Zhou Jingchen was a refined and polite person. If he was willing to lower his composure, he could talk to anyone. Logically, he should be the girl's favorite, but Ye Wumei hadn't dared to talk to her brother-in-law since they first met him. She always walked around him, not daring to look up when she saw him.

Ye Jia hadn't noticed it before, but after they got to know each other better, she once heard Ye Wumei say that she felt quite strange. When she asked her about it, she said, "I feel like my brother-in-law is a very hard-hearted person."

...Are you hard-hearted?

Looking up at the person coming out of the house, the young man's eyebrows were stained with a faint smile, and there was no trace of coldness or hardness on his face. However, Zhou Jingchen managed to survive to the end and almost slaughtered the protagonists in the book, so he must not be a soft-hearted person.

Zhou Jingchen didn't know what she was thinking, and he smiled at her with the corners of his eyes curved.

Ye Jia: “…” This person really loves to laugh.

Ye Wumei cleaned up the big rooster, and Ye Jia went to pick a small basket of peppers.

Ye Jia hadn't been able to identify the species when he'd planted them, but after the peppers had grown, he'd noticed they looked a bit like Erjingtiao. But Erjingtiao seemed to be a later, unique variety from the Bashu region, adapted to the local climate. That made sense, but this pepper was long and slender, and also a bit spicy. Ye Jia didn't really know much about pepper varieties; he just liked it as long as it was edible.

In addition to the peppers, she also picked a few cucumbers and eggplants. She was going to make a cucumber salad and stir-fry shredded eggplant with peppers.

Speaking of which, this stir-fried eggplant and chili pepper recipe was Ye Jia's original creation. To make the eggplant and chili pepper shreds, heat the oil and sauté a few cloves of garlic. Then, add the two vegetables and stir-fry until halfway cooked, then add salt and a little soy sauce.

Fry it for a little longer so that each eggplant strand can absorb the oil and become soft. It may not look very good, but it tastes very good.

Ye Jia was busy making a taro-braised chicken and stir-fried eggplant with chili peppers. She was also preparing a cucumber salad and a white cabbage stew with vinegar. She only needed to make the shrimp. Since fish and shrimp weren't popular here, Fifth Sister Ye wasn't very good at cleaning the shrimp. She glanced at Yu Shi, who was even less skilled. They exchanged bewilderment, and Ye Jia simply knelt down to demonstrate. First, cut the shrimp's head, then remove the tendons.

After being shown twice, she was able to clean it herself. Then she cleaned a large bowl of shrimps neatly: "Wash them several times so they are clean to eat."

Ye Jia prepared stir-fried river shrimp with garlic and oil. People here can't eat shrimp because they find it fishy. The garlic helps mask the fishy smell and enhances the flavor. Since the chili peppers are ready, adding some more makes the dish spicy and fresh.

When the dishes here are cooked in the pot, the oil makes a sizzling sound and the aroma can waft from far away.

Everyone in the yard outside craned their necks to watch. Zhou Jingchen spoke to Yu for a moment outside the house before slowly making his way back to the kitchen. He wasn't a man of many words, but his presence was immense. He stood quietly at the door, his stature so large that he could block most of the door. Rui Jie'er, who was peeking in from the doorway, had no chance to poke her head in.

Rui Jieer couldn't bear the fragrance and insisted on squeezing into the back kitchen. But she couldn't squeeze past her uncle, so she pulled his trouser legs from below: "Uncle, uncle..."

Ye Jia was surrounded by fireworks, and she turned to look at the man standing at the door against the light. Rui Jieer was still picking at the food, calling out to Ye Jia as she did so: "Auntie, Auntie, what delicious food are you making?"

“Make garlic shrimp.”

"What are garlic shrimp? They smell so good..." The little girl used to be very timid, but these days, being pampered by her family, she's gradually become more lively. She wasn't afraid of her uncle, who was often away from home. She grabbed his trouser leg with her little hands and tugged at it. But the person blocking her way wouldn't let her. She pulled for a long time but couldn't move it, and her pigtails were almost sticking up in her anxiety.

It must be said that Ye Jia was particularly speechless at his indifference: "...Can't you give up a little space? Can't you see that the little girl is going to die of anxiety?"

Zhou Jingchen lowered his head to look at the little girl who was only as tall as his thighs, and silently stood aside.

Rui Jie'er, taking a moment to catch her breath, scurried in, twirling around Ye Jia's butt like a puppy begging for food. Ye Jia casually handed her a piece of shrimp, and Rui Jie'er cheered. Because it was so hot, right out of the wok, she held the shrimp with her two small orchid fingers and took it to the side to suck on it.

The little girl's uncle glanced at her, not knowing whether he was jealous or deliberately teasing Ye Jia. He pinched his eyebrows and explained, "Sorry, I'm so hungry."

Ye Jia, who was putting shrimp on the plate: "..."

I turned my head to look at him, and our eyes met. A man who had walked in at some point walked in, his voice soft: "Jia Niang, do you need me to light the fire?"

...Why was he lighting a fire? She had already fried the last plate of shrimp. The rice would be ready to eat soon, so why would he need to light a fire now?

Seeing him staring at the plate, Ye Jia looked at him, then looked down at the plate. The hand still holding the chopsticks also picked up a piece of shrimp and handed it to him.

"For me?" Zhou Jingchen was flattered, his eyes widening slightly. He lowered his head, reached for his chopsticks, took a bite of the shrimp, and then let go with a hiss.

Ye Jia looked over, and he smiled at her ingratiatingly: "It's hot."

Ye Jia: "..." She was so pretentious that she didn't even want to talk.

Zhou Jingchen ultimately didn't leave dinner at home, only eating a shrimp before leaving. In fact, he had already broken the rules by taking the time to return home to wash up before returning to the camp, but staying home to eat was unacceptable. Before leaving, he only left a message for Ye Jia, telling her that if anyone came to their house in the next two days, no matter what they asked, she should just say she didn't know.

Ye Jiaben wanted to ask him what happened, but the man had already left the yard.

After thinking about it, Ye Jiasheng put some shrimp and chicken into a small bowl, covered it, and rushed to the camp.

Perhaps something had happened inside, as the guards at the gate were less than polite this time. Upon hearing Ye Jia was looking for Zhou Jingchen, they ignored him. If Sun Yushan hadn't just returned from outside with a group of people, he would have been chased away.

Sun Yushan waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him immediately returned to the camp. He walked over to Ye Jia and asked what happened.

Sun Yushan had recently returned from Libei Town. In just two months, he had risen from a small army to the position of flag chief by killing dozens of isolated bandits. And judging by the respectful demeanor of his men, he seemed quite prestigious. However, with the entire village of Zhangjiaqiao being massacred, Sun's family members had disappeared without a trace, and their bodies nowhere to be found. His expression was not particularly good.

"I made some food at home and wanted to send it to my husband to try." Ye Jia said, raising the bowl in her hand.

Sun Yushan had received Ye Jia's kindness before, so even if he was upset, he wouldn't show any displeasure towards Ye Jia. He glanced down and said, "Give it to me. I heard that Brother Zhou is also returning to the camp today. I'll help you send it over later."

Ye Jia gave it to him. Seeing his expression was off before he left, she guessed it was about the massacre at Zhangjiaqiao. She wanted to ask something, but seeing his hurried departure, she stopped talking. She didn't know if Old Man Sun had come to the camp to look for his son. If she brought it up now, it would sound like she was just talking about the Zhou family's favor to the Sun family.

After thinking it over again, he swallowed his words.

At this time in the camp, Captain Shen finally had time to meet with Deng Hu and deal with the bandit suppression matter.

Not to mention that the 300 men who went out to suppress the bandits suffered fewer than a handful of casualties, but they did manage to capture the ears of 170 horse bandits. This was a significant feat. Military merit in the Northern Camp was calculated based on ear removal. One left ear counted as a head, and twenty heads counted as one merit. Before the Northern Camp began awarding merit, Shen Hai dispatched his men to capture Zhou Jingchen, Liu Yuan, and others.

Several people rushed out from the side and held Deng Hu down, shouting: "Do you know your crime?"

Zhou Jingchen hadn't even seen Shen Hai before he was taken into custody. Deng Hu, who had just enjoyed a drink the previous day and was dreaming of a promotion, was completely taken aback by his superiors' sudden actions. "Sir, I don't know what crime I've committed."

Chen Hai didn't lose his temper. His deputy, General Chen Yamen, harshly criticized him for his dereliction of duty and his perfunctory approach. He then loudly listed the ways in which Zhou Jingchen, Liu Yuan, and others had overstepped their bounds and usurped military credit. Every word he spoke was stern, as if they hadn't just won a victory but had instead committed grave offenses. "These young brats don't know their place. Soldiers in the barracks are supposed to obey! They dared to act like this and violate military discipline. If we don't punish them severely, everyone will follow their lead, and our barracks will be in chaos!"

After saying this, he immediately knelt on one knee and begged Captain Shen to make an example of him to warn others.

Deng Hu was completely stunned by their retorts. He was pinned down by several men, unable to turn over for a long time, his face flushed red with anger. "Bullshit! Chen Xiaosan, you shameless bastard! You've climbed to this position by flattering others without any real ability, and you don't even have a single military achievement. Your subordinates didn't accuse you of violating military discipline, yet you still have the nerve to accuse others?"

Chen Xiaosan was the real name of General Chen Ya, but after rising to a high position, he changed his name to Chen Zhen. Now, in the North Camp, only the veterans from the same batch knew his real name, and everyone else respectfully addressed him as "Sir."

General Chen Yamen's face flushed red, and he glared at Deng Hu fiercely, feeling very angry. But no matter how bad the show was, they had to go on. If Chen Hai couldn't vent his anger by cutting off such a rich source of income on the western trade route, those of them who served him closely would suffer. He immediately turned around and said, "Sir, Deng Hu not only failed to abide by military regulations, but also arbitrarily appointed a man who had been in the army for less than two months. This willful behavior was a disregard for your careful training. This time, he relied on others to suppress the bandits. I think he should be punished for dereliction of duty!"

Deng Hu was nearly driven mad by this ignorant remark. He struggled with his eyes bloodshot and cursed. He was a rough man from the northwest, and he could say anything nasty.

General Chen Yamen was furious when he heard this and said angrily, "I think that Commander Deng Huqu has neglected his duties and shirked his responsibilities. He deserves severe punishment, but considering that this is his first offense and he has indeed made contributions to suppressing the bandits..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Hai and weighed the pros and cons: "We should punish him with a small punishment and give him a big warning, so that he can serve as a warning to others."

Shen Hai sat at the head of the table, his face sullen and silent, when he heard Deng Hu's thunderous, loud, and repetitive curses. Shen Hai, seemingly after careful consideration, waved his hand and had Deng Hu dragged out and given fifty military sticks.

He glanced at the people around him with his swollen eyes, and immediately two people rushed out to cover Deng Hu's mouth and dragged him out of the main tent.

Soon, there was a muffled groaning sound outside, and the main tent was dead silent.

No one expected that they worked so hard to suppress the bandits, but not only did they not get any credit, they also had to suffer.

As for Zhou Jingchen, he wasn't present, so his conviction remained undetermined. Chen Xiaosan carefully observed Shen Hai's expression, glancing at his colleagues who had just echoed him. They either kept their eyes downcast and remained silent, or avoided his gaze. Chen Xiaosan knew that being the first to speak out would be the most hated thing, but he had to be the target. After all, he was the only one in the group without any military achievements.

I guessed Shen Hai's thoughts, and I guessed that even if he killed that Zhou kid, it wouldn't be enough to relieve his hatred. You know, Shen Hai had been stationed in this impoverished northwest frontier for almost ten years, with an annual salary of only a hundred taels. Most of his income came from ill-gotten gains.

Of course, these close confidants only knew one side of the story as to how Chen Hai colluded with the Ma bandits.

In fact, in his early years, Chen Hai cooperated with Yun Luo to rob traveling caravans.

The garrison turned a blind eye to the bandits' activities, and any loot they stole was split 30/70 with them. Three went to the bandits, and seven was his. Yunluo's caravans were not allowed to raid villages. This went on peacefully for ten years, until Yunluo died of illness. When he arrived in Sugan, the rules changed. It became 20/80: 20/20 went to Sugan, and 80/20 went to him. Another rule was added, allowing Sugan to lead the bandits in raids on nearby villages. As long as they didn't come under the watchful eyes of the Northern Camp, they were allowed to do what they wanted. The money from the looting went to Sugan, but he was limited to three raids per year.

For years, the garrison had been suppressing bandits year-round, but each time, nothing was accomplished. Horse bandits continued to wreak havoc, as had been the case in several nearby towns for years. Shen Hai's motives in making this arrangement were self-evident.

"Push that Zhou Jingchen over here!"

The more Chen Hai thought about it, the more disgusted he felt. This Zhou brat had not only destroyed Su Gan's lair, but had also culled all the scattered bandits nearby. Even if he trained another group of thieves and robbers to do the same thing, it wouldn't work. But despite his hatred, Chen Hai had other plans in mind. Before ordering any punishment, he naturally had to meet this young man first.

If for no other reason, then simply because, "Who doesn't appreciate a capable general?" Especially one who's just starting out and hasn't yet achieved fame?

Although the military camp is not as complicated as the officialdom, once it comes to fame, wealth and power, the struggle for power is just as bloody everywhere.

How many people in high positions have all their military achievements to themselves? How many have risen to the top solely through their own hard-earned abilities? It's doubtful that the achievements of those from the lower classes, who risked their lives, will ever fall upon me. There are many who claim credit for others' achievements in the northwest, where local tyrants can hold sway. Furthermore, Shen Hai is one of those people who rose to the top without relying on military merit and possesses little genuine ability. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been trapped in this small town of Dongxiang Town for so many years.

In fact, he had been in the position of lieutenant for sixteen years, and had accumulated experience and military achievements. Now he had both experience and military achievements, and all he needed was an opportunity to climb up.

If Zhou Jingchen is really a genius in deploying troops, it would be more profitable to win him over than to kill him.

After all, as long as he could keep his subordinates under him and work for him, he would be able to turn things around in the future. If this guy was knowledgeable and sensible, he wouldn't mind sparing him. It wouldn't be too late to investigate him and cut off his financial resources once he climbed to a higher position.

When Zhou Jingchen and Liu Yuan were taken to the main tent, almost everyone in the tent had been cleared out. Apart from Shen Hai's close associates, only Shen Hai was left in the tent.

Before Chen Xiaosan opened his mouth, Shen Hai had already looked Zhou Jingchen up and down.

It had to be said that this person's appearance and demeanor alone were already a winner. Some people, even standing still, looked regal before they even opened their mouths. Zhou Jingchen's demeanor was calm and composed, so noble and elegant that Shen Hai immediately had a plan in mind.

Chen Xiaosan jumped out and made a barrage of venomous accusations, and the others echoed him and started making threats.

Chen Hai waited until they had intimidated the man, then, as if offering a favor, he asked him if he was willing to work under him. "I'm not a strict and rigid person. We cherish young talents like you. If you can work sincerely for me in the future and atone for your crimes, I will be able to give you a lighter punishment this time. I'll even spare your life. What do you think?"

Zhou Jingchen's eyes twitched slightly. Although he had expected this, he still found Shen Hai's clumsy use of both kindness and intimidation rather ridiculous. After seeing elaborate schemes, such crude intimidation tactics were truly despicable.

Before answering him, Zhou Jingchen mentioned another matter: "I heard that the North Camp and the West Camp will be merged into one camp soon."

As soon as he said this, the main tent fell silent.

Zhou Jingchen raised the corner of his mouth, speaking slowly but with a hand gripping one's heart: "When the two camps are merged into one, one person will definitely be chosen as the leader. But here, there are two captains. Both captains have guarded the border for over a decade, and both have worked hard and made great contributions. If one of them must be the leader, then the North Camp's successful suppression of the bandits and the elimination of the long-standing troubles on the border should not be considered a great achievement? We should be rewarded for our merits in eliminating the hidden dangers for many years for the Lord and suppressing the West Camp. What crime have we committed?"

Shen Hai's swollen eyes twitched twice, and he finally restrained the hypocritical smile on the corners of his mouth and looked up at him.

"Sir, if you punish the bandit-suppressing hero so harshly, I'm afraid the West Camp will have something to say..."

Shen Hai's pupils shrank sharply, and the corners of his mouth pursed.