Sharing weal and woe is the fastest way to strengthen subordinates' loyalty. Although Zhang Biezhi is still far from being as loyal to Xiao Rong, the resentment in his heart has indeed subsided a little. He sat down obediently and ate at a speed as fast as whirlwind.

Xiao Rong: “…”

Eating eight pancakes in one meal, he finally realized what it meant to be a little brat who eats his father to death.

Xiao Rong's face did not look very good, and he himself could sense it. This time it was not Qu Yunmie's credit, but he was too tired recently and had really exhausted himself. However, he had just arrived in Huaiyin and it was far from time for him to rest. Ah Shu looked at him worriedly and suggested hiring a carriage for him. It was only more than a hundred miles away, and he could still arrive today even by carriage, and at most he would arrive a little late.

When Ashu was speaking, everyone else was looking at them. They didn't say anything. In fact, they thought the same as Ashu, except that they all wanted to hear what Xiao Rong thought.

Xiao Rong thought about it seriously and decided to ride over on horseback.

It’s not that he was really in a hurry. In fact, arriving an hour or two late wouldn’t make much difference, but he felt that he needed to maintain this bad-looking state.

He had never been to Jinling. The last time he came to Huaiyin, he took a detour from Wujun. He only passed outside the city of Jinling, but he had heard very clearly about the splendor of Jinling these days. The dignitaries living here were all obsessed with looks, and what they liked most was this kind of dress that had a hint of sickness, as if the person was about to die.

If it were a few months ago, Xiao Rong would not have to pretend and could have made a brilliant appearance directly. However, since moving to Chenliu, Xiao Rong has hardly ever been sick. As expected, as long as Qu Yunmie doesn't do anything stupid, his health will recover quickly.

Even if he was fine, he would still have to pretend, but how could pretending be better than being truly worthy of people's sympathy? He would only stay in Jinling for a few days, so the first impression was really important.

Xiao Rong made the decision, and others had no choice but to obey. However, seeing Xiao Rong's shaky appearance, even Zhang Biezhi was worried that he would fall off the horse while riding.

They set out from Huaiyin City at 2:15 am and arrived outside Jinling City at 1:15 pm. Looking at the magnificent city gate, Xiao Rong's eyes narrowed slightly.

The thousand-year-old capital began from this moment. Before, some people had established their capital in Nanjing, but none of them were as rich and powerful as the monarchs of the Yong Dynasty. Emperor Guangjia reduced his country to only half, but he was still rich. After he arrived in Nanjing, the first thing he did was to strengthen the city defenses, and he invested huge sums of money in it every year. The Huai River was their natural barrier, which was already difficult to break through, and this several-meter-wide city wall was another barrier for them.

Emperor Guangjia strengthened the city defenses because he was afraid of death, but he died anyway. Later, Sun Renluan also strengthened the city defenses, and his purpose was clearer. This was his strategic layout. Once any problem occurred, they would fight a battle to defend the city. Jinling was rich and had everything. After clearing the countryside, it could last at least five years. During these five years, they were self-sufficient in the capital, but the enemy could not stand such a long delay in the battle line.

In ancient wars, especially expeditions, almost no war could last more than two months. Once two months were up, they had to retreat no matter what, as subsequent supplies could no longer keep up. This was why Qu Yunmie decided to turn back in October when he formulated the plan to attack the Xianbei. No matter how talented he was, he could not solve the problem of the lack of food and grass.

Therefore, it was reasonable for the Nanyong court to fear Qu Yunmie, not only because of his extraordinary bravery and the large number of soldiers under his command, but also because he occupied the other side of the Huai River. The battle to defend the city could restrain the Hu people, but not such a close enemy.

However, in history, when Qu Yunmie entered the Nanyong Palace, there was almost no obstacle. It took him only a month to get in. Was it because he was so powerful that he broke through the city gate directly? No, it was someone who was stupid.

The law of conservation of energy applies everywhere. If there are 10,000 smart people in history, there are 10,000 stupid people. The former provide us with exciting and adrenaline-pumping battles, while the latter provide us with top-notch jokes that shatter our worldviews and make us wonder how such people can live to this day. …

The security situation in Jinling was better than that in Huaiyin City. At least they let him in without asking any questions. Although the soldiers guarding the city were also very respectful to him and did not dare to speak loudly when asking for documents, they also told him in advance that they were just taking a look and did not doubt his identity.

Xiao Rong: “…”

He looked at Ah Shu who understood and took out Xiao Rong's documents and tokens from his bag. These were all freshly issued. After he left Xin'an, he found a county magistrate to replace the document with the words Xiao Rong on it. He also spent a little more money to change the name to his own. As for the current copy, it was stamped with the seal of the King of Zhenbei, and it was much more valuable than the one with the county magistrate's seal.

As for the talisman, it was also hastily made. There was no such position as Chenliu Yin before, and they didn't know what the talisman of Yin looked like. Finally, Xiao Rong made the final decision. No matter what other places looked like, they would create their own one. No matter who became Chenliu Yin in the future, this kind of talisman would be used.

As for whether they will be laughed at, haven't you heard that the winner is the king and the loser is the enemy? When they become the orthodox, even if they print a scarab on the talisman, others can only pinch their noses and say it looks good. ...

After receiving the unfamiliar token, the city guard was wondering what position this was when he heard Xiao Rong sitting on his horse and speaking to him in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Excuse me, Chenliu Yin Xiao Rong has brought a handwritten letter from the King of Zhenbei to meet your Majesty and the Grand Marshal."

The soldiers guarding the city didn’t understand who Chenliu Yin was at first. Could it be that this young man was called Chenliu Yin?

When he remembered the incident of King Zhenbei moving the capital that had caused a stir in the city a few days ago, the talisman in his hand fell to the ground with a "click".

Xiao Rong: “…”

The words on this token are all engraved with gold, it’s not cheap!

Under Xiao Rong's condemning gaze, the city guard picked up the token tremblingly, then apologized nervously while retreating to find his superior.

Next, Shangguan went to find Shangguan, and the news was passed along the way, and finally, it reached the Nanyong Palace.

Sun Renluan was holding a meeting with all the officials. When they heard that Xiao Rong was coming, they were silent for a moment, and then the whole palace was boiling like water.

It has been more than half a month since the King of Zhenbei moved the capital. The officials in Jinling were absolutely unable to accept it in the beginning, but now they have become almost numb. After all, no matter how angry they are, they are just furious and helpless, and no matter how heatedly they discuss, they finally find that they are just discussing in vain.

Because they did not dare to start a war first, especially at this critical juncture. Qu Yunmie's army had not moved for a long time. Qu Yunmie had trained them for so much time just to attack others, and they did not want to become scapegoats for the Xianbei people.

No matter in war or negotiation, what is actually being played is psychological warfare. The military books are no exception. They all talk about how to disrupt the opponent's mind. As for how to replenish supplies and shorten the battle line, there is no need to teach this. Almost all generals have a scale in their hearts.

Sun Renluan performed better in this regard. He knew very well that this was not the time for the North and South to go to war, so he was not panicked at all. When they learned that Xiao Rong was coming with a handwritten letter from the King of Zhenbei, these officials who had just been quiet for a while began to get nervous and afraid again. Although Sun Renluan was a little surprised, he guessed that Xiao Rong should not bring them bad news.

Spies from the north of the Huai River reported that Qu Yunmie was now vigorously building Chenliu, and his actions were incredible. He was very close to a scholar named Xiao Rong, and the two sometimes went out for tea together.

Like other people who knew Qu Yunmie, Sun Renluan also believed that Qu Yunmie's change definitely did not come from himself, but from external influences. Originally, Sun Renluan maintained the highest vigilance towards Xiao Rong, because no matter how you look at it, he was the only one who could influence Qu Yunmie to the point where he is today.

But he actually came to Jinling.

Or did he come alone? He had dozens of guards around him, plus a completely unknown young general. He was a real young general. According to the reports from his subordinates, he didn't even look like he was twenty years old.

This made Sun Renluan very surprised. When the King of Zhenbei had just moved the capital, and after Yu Shaocheng led his troops to defect, the relationship between the North and the South was actually very tense. At this time, Qu Yunmie actually sent this Chenliu Yin to Jinling alone, and did not send him enough troops to protect him. Wasn't he afraid that this Chenliu Yin would encounter an accident?