38 I am not a good person

"I know."

This little tavern may be run-down, but the liquor is surprisingly strong.

Shen Suqin was already feeling a bit tipsy after only drinking three jars.

She looked at Xiao Pingchuan with bright eyes and asked, "You saved me again today."

"I didn't do anything."

"Your support is more important than anything else."

"Um."

Shen Suqin gulped down another half jar of wine, hiccuping as he mumbled, "I'm not a good person. I've killed many people, many."

Xiao Pingchuan raised an eyebrow: "When?"

Shen Suqin's eyes flickered. "A long, long, long time ago."

Are you scared?

"What?"

"Were you scared when you killed someone for the first time?"

Shen Suqin racked her brains to recall, and it seemed that the first time she killed someone was when the other person tried to steal her cookies. She pushed the person down, and as the person fell to the ground, a steel bar pierced through their chest.

"I'm afraid, I'm scared. What about you? Were you scared when you killed someone for the first time, General?"

Xiao Pingchuan also gulped down half a jar of wine and replied, "I'm scared too."

Shen Suqin put down the wine jar and leaned closer to him, "Then we're the same."

She was too close; the smell of alcohol hit Xiao Pingchuan's face.

Xiao Pingchuan neither dodged nor avoided her gaze, but looked directly at her and asked, "The same?"

Fueled by the alcohol, Shen Suqin reached out a finger, gently touched his lips, and then pressed it firmly twice, saying, "Same."

Xiao Pingchuan lowered his eyes, looked into her eyes, and remained silent.

Shen Suqin was captivated by his deep gaze, staring intently at him, getting closer and closer, until finally she remembered nothing at all.

Xiao Pingchuan looked down at her, remaining motionless.

The night breeze was cool, so cool that Shen Suqin's fingertips turned a bloodless, transparent color. Her rounded fingertips rested gently on the table, small and adorable.

Xiao Pingchuan carefully extended his finger and gently pressed it. Just once, and he felt inexplicably happy.

——

Shule River.

Meanwhile, under the full moon high above the Shule River, Chai Shun, who had been traveling day and night, finally broke open the camp gate.

"Men, drag Kui Lang and the others out of bed!" He snatched a water pouch from the soldier on guard's waist, gulped down several mouthfuls, and then poured it over his head. "I want to see him, immediately."

Soon, four or five people stood in the council tent. The lean Chai Shun stood at the head, and below him were all burly men.

"What's going on here? Even if Jinzhou is finished today, there's no need for you to risk your life and run all the way from the capital to here," Kui Lang said.

Chai Shun wanted to spit at him, but his throat was still parched, and he really didn't want to waste his breath: "No one is allowed to stand inside the fifth tent. Fifth brother, go out and guard."

"Yes, General."

Only then did Kui Lang discern something from his gloomy expression, and asked seriously, "What do you mean? Have you really lost your military power?"

“More than that,” Chai Shun’s voice was hoarse, “Lei Sheng wants his soldiers to take our place guarding the Shule River.”

"He's guarding the Shule River, what are we going to do?"

"Return to the city to rest and recuperate."

Kui Lang's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "What does Lei Sheng want to do? Does he think that with his bunch of useless men, he can really stop Sha Tuo when he comes?"

Everyone thought that Shatuo would just stand there and let people chop him down.

"Nonsense! If the Shule River is breached, we'll be the ones cleaning up the mess," Chai Shun said.

"What's the use? He's driven us far away. If something really happens, there won't be enough time. I don't know what the higher-ups are thinking."

"Sigh." Chai Shun sighed, "The general also said that we must find a way to keep the outer guards there no matter what. As long as we keep them there, we can buy some time for the rear to prepare."

"It's hard to say. If I were Lei Sheng, I would definitely drive them all away without leaving a single one alive."

After he finished speaking, the people in the tent looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

Outside the tent, the north wind howled, and the wind blades swept across the Shule River and the yellow sand covering the ground, freezing the thinly dressed soldiers on guard into stiff stakes.

"Never mind, Lei Sheng will arrive in the next couple of days, we'll deal with it then," Chai Shun said. "By the way, His Majesty promised to let Liangzhou supply our military provisions. When Lei Sheng arrives, we'll help him empty his coffers."

"good."

"good."

Two days later, Lei Sheng arrived.

Winter has arrived over the Shule River. The biting wind sweeps fiercely across the barren desert, taking away the last vestiges of life.

Xu Youcai squinted as he watched Liangzhou Governor Lei Sheng ride in a sedan chair carried by four men, swaying and staggering toward the military camp. Behind him were Liangzhou soldiers shivering from the cold, their ranks loose, using their long spears as walking sticks, stumbling and looking quite disheveled.

“Hey, I mean, Liangzhou isn’t exactly a wealthy place, so how come it can produce so many spoiled young soldiers?” Kui Lang said.

Chai Shun turned around, shielding his face from the wind. "There's no war going on over there. They just eat and sleep all day. How can their soldiers not become useless?"

The two were standing in formation at the entrance of the military camp to welcome the Liangzhou army. After the handover was completed, they would set off back to Ningyuan, the capital of Liangzhou.

Kui Lang tilted his chin up and glanced at them. "How many people did you say you were bringing?"

"Eighty thousand."

"Tsk tsk, Lei Sheng has really gone all out."

Chai Shun glanced at him and said, "You should take better care of yourself." He then stepped forward to greet him, "Sir, you must be tired from your journey. I am Chai Shun, the deputy general of the Black Flag Army, and I have been ordered to welcome you."

The sedan chair opposite stopped upon seeing this, but the curtain remained closed for a long time.

Chai Shun's eyes darted around, and he bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Welcome, Lord Lei."

At that moment, a low cough came from inside the sedan chair, and then the curtain was lifted, revealing a pair of squinty, rat-like eyes.

“Deputy General Chai,” Lei Sheng said, rubbing his round belly as he stepped out of the sedan chair. He was immediately hit by a gust of cold air, which made him cough and roll his eyes.

One of the palanquin bearers bent down to help him, but was kicked aside. The kick was forceful, causing the bearer to vomit blood and collapse to the ground.

"You!" Kui Lang saw this and wanted to go over to help the person, but was subtly stopped by Chai Shun.

"The wind is chilly in the north, my lord, please come with me to the military camp to avoid the wind." Chai Shun's tone remained respectful.

Lei Sheng remained motionless and unresponsive. He slowly stopped coughing, looked up at the dilapidated military camp not far away, and said sarcastically, "This wretched place doesn't even deserve to be called a military camp. My dog's bed is better than this."

The Black Flag Army's camp was actually not considered dilapidated; as a military outpost, it was even more secure than a city.

It built a fortified camp with walls five feet high and eight feet wide; the parapets were four feet high and two feet wide. A watchtower was built every hundred paces, and a sentry post was set up every fifty paces. Observation poles were placed in the city, seventy feet high; a moat was dug around the outer wall, and traps such as horse pits were set up outside the moat.

However, many of the tents in the camp were damaged, and the knives, shields, guns, and halberds were also broken, and the cooking utensils, containers, and water bags were even more worn out.

But the soldiers in the camp, whether on guard duty or patrolling, stood ramrod straight, their spirits high. Even those who were emaciated and pale had a terrifying glint in their eyes. They were truly forged in blood, a stark contrast to the sluggish state army.

Lei Sheng, that dog, can't say anything nice. If Chai Shun hadn't stopped him, he would have been beaten up by Xu Youcai, who was furious.

"Why bother arguing with a dead man?" Chai Shun said through gritted teeth in a low voice, trying to persuade them.

"What a son of a bitch! What is he anyway?" Deputy General Zhao Chengchun spat and gritted his teeth, "A live-in son-in-law, the Wei family's watchdog."

“You seem to know quite a lot. Just bear with it. One day he’ll be begging us for help,” Chai Shun said. Then he turned his head and raised his mouth, saying loudly to Lei Sheng, “Jinzhou is not as prosperous as Liangzhou. I’m sorry to trouble you, sir. Please, sir.”

Lei Sheng persisted, "What do you mean by 'please'? I'm afraid of getting my shoes dirty if I step inside. What are you standing there for? Come over and carry my sedan chair."

He casually pointed at Zhao Chengchun.

Kui Lang suddenly raised his eyes, the cold light in them making one feel uneasy.

Lei Sheng felt uncomfortable under his gaze, looked away, and randomly pointed to another person, saying, "You come here."

The person opposite him placed their hand on the broadsword at their waist, ready to draw it immediately.

Chai Shun quickly pressed his hand down and said to Lei Sheng, "My lord, you don't know this," he pointed to each of his brothers beside him with his chin, "They've become so bad at killing that they can't stand the sight of blood for a day. They have to capture a few Shatuo barbarians every now and then so they can tear them apart with their hands. Carrying the sedan chair is fine, but I'm afraid that if they get too ferocious, they won't be able to distinguish friend from foe and might tear you apart like an animal."

Lei Sheng wasn't stupid; he could tell that this was a threat and wanted to retort.

But seeing that the men were staring at him like hungry, ravenous dogs, he immediately lost his nerve and said, "Never mind then, I'll condescend to leave on my own."

After saying that, he swaggered into the military camp with his protruding belly.

"Chengchun, take the soldiers from the prefecture down to settle them," Chai Shun instructed.

"Um."

Zhao Chengchun drew the sword from his waist, crossed his arms over his chest, held the sword in front of him, and walked toward the several commanders of the state army.

Liangzhou has a warmer climate and more abundant water and grass than Jinzhou. The state army does not need to worry about war. They just stay in the barracks on weekdays. Their training is sporadic. They have never killed anyone, let alone fought.

They had traveled a long way, crossing mountains and rivers, and were exhausted beyond recognition. However, upon seeing the legendary leader of the Black Flag Army's Four Ghost Guards, they still managed to straighten their backs and respectfully greeted him, "General."

Zhao Chengchun nodded. "Bring your men and come with me."

The commander of the state army hurriedly waved his hand to signal his men to follow.

Meanwhile, Lei Sheng and his deputy were led by Chai Shun to a tent that had been prepared in advance. Inside, there was nothing but a rickety table and a few bowls of water.

"Is this the general's tent?" Lei Sheng asked.

"This is a new tent, specially prepared for adults," Chai Shun replied patiently.

"Take me to Xiao Pingchuan's tent. I want to sleep in the general's tent."

Xu Youcai lowered his eyes, concealing the disdain in them.

“You’re joking, sir. The general’s tent is the oldest tent in our camp. It would be inconvenient for you to sleep there,” Chai Shun replied.

Lei Sheng ignored him and said forcefully, "Lead the way! I'm going to sleep in Xiao Pingchuan's general's tent tonight."

Chai Shun was so angry that he put his hand on the hilt of his knife at his waist and thought: It's a miracle that this fatso has lived to be this old.

Kui Lang winked at him: Can I kill him?