Suppressed crying sounds were heard. Jiang Ling looked at them in thought, turned his head to look at Gu Chen beside him, and said softly: "General Gu has reached a truce with the Xiongnu. This is a great thing worth celebrating."

"Those horses can't be moved, but we can kill some sheep and feed the people to ease the panic and fear they're experiencing during this period."

"...Major General, we really need to distribute the sheep to the people."

Gu Chen looked at him in surprise. He thought that the other party would take all the spoils back. As long as these sheep had alfalfa, they would be able to reproduce a lot in the future.

Jiang Ling hummed, "There's not enough food in the city, so naturally we have to focus on feeding the horses. Why would we keep 15,000 sheep? They'll always need food when they open their mouths."

"The weather is getting colder, and there's no green on the mountains. Where can we get enough food and grass for the sheep? Instead of killing them when they starve to death and become thin, it's better to kill them now and feed them to the people."

"Let's kill a few thousand first and eat them. If that's not enough, five thousand sheep should be enough. We can keep the remaining ten thousand to raise slowly."

Gu Chen smiled upon hearing this and said gratefully, "Yes, I thank the Major General for his consideration for the people. I will post a notice when I return to the city so that all the people in the city can go and eat mutton."

Jiang Ling nodded and said nothing more.

He stared blankly ahead, his mind still on many things: he wondered what was happening at home, where San'er was, whether he was safe, and whether anyone was bullying him.

“…”

Less than half an hour after the notice was posted, the city was in an uproar, and people rushed to inform others.

"Aunt Wang, have you heard? Starting tomorrow for three consecutive days, officials will be roasting mutton in the open spaces in the eastern and western suburbs. We can go there and get a bowl each."

"We get it twice a day, at noon and at night, which means we can eat six meals. That's meat, and we may not even be able to eat a bite during the New Year."

"The Major General is so kind, willing to share his spoils with us. He's truly a very kind man."

Jiang Ling returned to the backyard, and a dark figure landed and knelt on the ground: "Master, according to the spies, the Third Young Master left some messages along the way, and it seems that he went out to sea."

"What, going out to sea?"

"Yes, it's still in the ghost den. It is said that there are hidden families there after passing through, but no one who went there came back alive."

Jiang Ling's face turned pale, and she was extremely panicked. "How could it be? San'er is really too bold. Keep someone watching him, and tell me immediately if there is any news."

The secret guard paused and continued, "Master, there is another letter from home. The old lady asked when you will return to celebrate the New Year so that the family can be reunited."

"...Tell the old lady that there are still some things to be dealt with in Pingcheng. I will go back after I have dealt with them and will be home before the New Year."

"yes."

"Also, don't tell your family about San'er's situation, or they'll worry. I'll tell them when I get back."

Jiang Ling sighed and decided to find an excuse later. Just thinking about it gave her a headache. Her grandmother was not in good health, so she definitely couldn't tell her about San'er going out to sea.

Celebration banquet at home

Everyone sat at the table, watching the troupe perform on the stage with a relaxed expression and a smile on their face, occasionally lowering their heads and saying a few words.

Jiang Ling was lost in thought, a little absent-minded.

A woman in red came over, bent down to pour wine. A fragrant breeze blew in, and a delicate voice rang out: "Major General, this is Pingcheng's very famous milk wine, please try it."

With a smile on his face and indifferent eyes: "...Yeah."

The others looked at the beauty's lost look, and some felt distressed and joked: "Hey, General, the war is over now, it's rare for a beauty to come up to you, why are you so hurtful, haha."

"It's not impossible to have a night of passion. When a man is out there, every man has a confidant or something. The young general is just too restrained."

Jiang Ling twitched his nose, somewhat disgusted by the strong rouge scent. He took a sip of wine and said softly, "The Jiang family has strict rules. You should be pure before marrying a wife."

"If you marry a wife, it should be one person only. There is no such thing as taking a concubine or sleeping with someone else. Unless your wife is infertile, you can take a concubine to bear children..."

The man's mouth twitched after hearing this. He felt that the Jiang family was worthy of being the Jiang family. They were cruel in fighting and were equally cruel to their own people in the inner court.

If you really do this, it will be even more painful than being an ascetic.

Jiang Ling noticed their sympathetic eyes, but he looked calm as if he didn't see it. He thought this rule was good. Why did he need so many women?

Why bother with fighting in the harem and losing your offspring? It’s already troublesome enough. It will be enough to find a good wife in the future.

The red-dressed woman's eyes lit up immediately when she heard this. She had never expected that the young general didn't have a wife or even a concubine. This was a perfect opportunity for her.

If she could get pregnant in one go, there would be no need to worry that the young general would not marry her.

Thinking of this, his eyes flickered and he slowly retreated.

Jiang Ling listened to their teasing and ate slowly. The other girls from official families looked at her with admiration from time to time, and she lowered her head shyly.

*

In the open space of the western and eastern suburbs, many people are queuing up to eat mutton. Eating a bowl of steaming mutton and drinking soup is the most comfortable thing in the cold winter.

The beggar stood in the corner hesitantly. The soup official saw him and called out, "Come here! Anyone from Pingcheng can come and eat."

The beggars looked at each other with shock in their eyes.

Pointing at himself, he whispered, "I-we are beggars, is that okay?"

"Of course you can. If there's any left, please call for them. If there's not enough, we'll make more. Everyone can have a bowl."

When they heard this, their eyes lit up and they bowed repeatedly to express their gratitude, saying, "I'm here to visit my younger brothers and sisters. Thank you very much, sir. You are such a kind person."

Soon, a dozen or so kids came, some three or five years old, some ten years old. They were dressed in rags in the cold weather, with their toes sticking out.

The body kept shaking.

The officer took a look and without saying anything, he scooped out some mutton and made soup for them. He pointed to the other side and said, "Over there is mutton bone soup. You can drink as much as you want. Over here, you will only be given one bowl of mutton."

"You look young, how did you get to Pingcheng?"

"...In reply to your question, sir, I was abducted. Later, when the Huns attacked, the family that abducted me ran away, not wanting to take me with them as a burden."

"I have nowhere to go, so I can only stay in Pingcheng. I met my other brothers and sisters in the ruined temple. Some of them were abandoned by their parents, and some came here to escape disaster."

The officer felt a little sympathetic when he heard this and sighed, "Well, if you have nowhere to go after eating, you can stay in the kitchen to keep warm at night."

Yunshan's eyes turned red when he heard this, and he choked up and said, "Thank you, sir. You are such a good person."

"It's okay, go over there and eat it while it's hot. If anyone dares to grab it, just shout and I'll skin them alive."