Chapter 154
The Xing family army attacked the Northern Di army camp at night, causing the Northern Di army to blow up the camp and suffer countless casualties. However, the Xing family army took the opportunity to capture a group of prisoners. The soldiers in the Yichun camp learned about this early in the morning.
This matter caused heated discussions among the lower ranks of the Yichun camp, mainly because the feeling of winning the battle was so great. Although they did not win the battle, since the two armies were allies, the victory of the Xing family army was no different from the victory of their Yichun camp, right?
Yu Feng was a sergeant in the Yichun Camp. He was an outgoing man who easily bonded with strangers. Shortly after the Xing Family Army and the Yichun Camp formed a joint defense alliance, he had become acquainted with several of their soldiers, particularly Qi Lao San. Yu Feng even declared that they had hit it off, though Qi Lao San refused to acknowledge it. But it didn't matter; Yu Feng knew he was just as shy.
Hearing about the night attack last night made his blood boil. He really wanted to run to the camp of the Xing family army immediately, but he couldn't. Today it was his turn to guard the city wall, and he had to get off duty before he could go there.
But as soon as he was on duty, he rushed to the Xing family army camp. Because he came here often, the guards recognized his face and let him in easily.
Yu Feng circled around Qi Lao San, "Brother Qi, how come your Xing Family Army is so awesome? Yesterday's siege was brilliant, but I didn't expect you to launch a night raid last night! Now the Di Luo Army must be afraid of you."
"You are wrong. Di Luojun should hate us to death." At this time, Qi Laosan took out a knife from the tent and planned to go to the cafeteria to help.
After their soldiers returned from the night raid last night, they were sent to rest. He had just woken up and couldn't fall asleep again. Someone from the kitchen had just come to say that the logistics department had delivered five pigs today and asked them to help. He had just gone back to get some tools and went over.
Curious, Yu Feng followed Qi Lao San to the kitchen. When he saw five large, fat pigs grunting in iron cages placed on the edge of the dam outside the kitchen, he couldn't help but shout, "Why do you have two more pigs?"
He knew that the Xing family army's main kitchen slaughtered three pigs and three sheep every day, and these pigs and sheep were delivered daily by the logistics department. Generally, after they were delivered, the main kitchen would arrange for people to kill them directly. In other words, they were responsible for slaughtering all the sheep that were delivered. It used to be three a day, but now it's five, five a day! They only have 20,000 or 30,000 people, can they eat them all? Yu Feng thought sourly.
"Well, yesterday, General He led his men to return several thousand prisoners to the Yichun military settlement. The adults were so happy that they waved their hands and rewarded us with two more pigs to eat every day."
"Your superior is so nice to you!" He admitted that he was jealous and couldn't get out of it.
Qi Laosan and the soldiers present smiled kindly. Indeed, their superiors were really good to them.
Qi Lao San thought about it and decided to reveal some information to him, "Actually, you don't have to envy us. Our general and Lord Yao Gongcao have always wanted to recruit your commander-in-chief. As long as your commander-in-chief nods, you can enjoy the same treatment as us."
Yu Feng widened his eyes, "Really?" Oh my God, he didn't expect that he would hear such good news.
"Really." This matter was not a secret. Some generals in both armies knew that Gongcao Yao had made two invitations before, but both were unsuccessful and were silently rejected by Marshal Zhu. This morning, their military advisor, Junior General Gu Bin, took the opportunity to make another invitation, but Marshal Zhu turned around and left. However, those words were heard by many soldiers coming in and out.
Yu Feng drooled at the five fat pigs, "But when will our commander-in-chief give his approval?"
Qi Lao San shrugged, "Who knows."
Ah, Yu Feng sighed, wishing their commander-in-chief would nod immediately. That way, he could also enjoy a juicy pig-killing meal! Yes, in the Xing Family Army’s canteen, today’s dinner was actually going to be a pig-killing meal!
As Qi Lao San had predicted, the news of their general's invitation to Marshal Zhu to join the group spread quickly among the soldiers in the Yichun camp. Like Yu Feng, many soldiers secretly hoped that their general would give their approval as soon as possible.
After all, the soldiers of the family army had good food, which was obvious to everyone. An army that could eat well and win battles was very attractive to other soldiers.
Many soldiers in the Yichun camp were secretly looking forward to it. A brave soldier approached Shi Mei and asked, "Master Shi, I heard that General Xing invited our Marshal to join the group, is that right?"
During the war, Shi Mei often ate from the same pot with the soldiers, which made it convenient for them.
Hearing this, Shi Mei paused while holding the dish, "Where did you hear this news?"
"Oh, Master Shi, this is not important. What's important is whether this news is true?"
Looking at the soldiers' expectant eyes, Shi Mei asked, "Why, do you really want to join General Xing's army?"
The soldier chuckled foolishly and looked around, "Master Shi, the food of the Xing family army is very good, and they are not inferior to the fierce Di Luo army..."
Shi Mei looked around and found that many soldiers were waiting for his answer. He answered carefully, "General Xing did make an invitation to our Marshal, but our Marshal is still considering it."
That said, there's no definitive answer yet.
"Is that so..." The soldiers could not hide their disappointment after hearing this answer.
Shi Mei didn't care about the soldiers' emotions, but he needed to talk to the Marshal about the issue of joining the group. He couldn't keep dragging it on in this vague way.
Shi Mei went to see Marshal Zhu and reported the problem to him in detail.
Hearing Shi Mei's mention of the soldiers' expectations, Marshal Zhu slapped his thigh in regret, "We've fallen into a trap. We shouldn't have let them provide their own food and fodder in the first place."
Shi Mei frowned slightly, "Marshal, now is not the time to regret this. What exactly do you think? Do you have the idea of merging the Yichun Camp into New Yichun?"
"What do you think? Should our Yichun Camp be incorporated into New Yichun?"
"Then, Marshal, let me tell you what I'm thinking. But before that, let me ask you a question: Do you want to establish yourself as king?" Shi Mei asked. He recalled the previous meeting with the New Yichun City Lord's Mansion and others in the Five Star District. Yao Chunnuan was right. No matter what, they had to choose a path, and the sooner they made the choice, the better.
Marshal Zhu was silent for a moment before shaking his head. With a hundred thousand men at his disposal, it was impossible to say he hadn't considered becoming king. But the presence of Xing Changfeng, his formidable rival, constantly reminded him that even if he joined the rebellion, he wouldn't make it to the end. Ultimately, he would only be helping others.
He knew full well that building an empire wasn't something that could be done overnight; it would take years, even decades. He was old, having spent half his life in the military, and he wondered if Heaven would grant him that much time. Furthermore, his eldest son and his sons were mediocre in talent and couldn't handle the heavy responsibility of conquering the world.
These are very realistic problems that cannot be avoided, so they dissuaded him from the idea of establishing himself as king.
Shi Mei went on to say, "Since you, Marshal, don't want to establish yourself as king, you will definitely have to choose a force to follow in the end. It's impossible for you to choose the court." Yes, the last time she met the prince, she didn't bow down, so she couldn't choose the court anymore.
"As for the several factions that have emerged so far, there are the King of Ruyin, the King of Annan, and General Xing. I won't mention the other smaller factions. Of these three, I'm more optimistic about General Xing. Firstly, the force of Xing Changfeng and Yao Chunnuan has great potential. They are one civil and one military, Xing Changfeng excels in warfare, and Yao Chunnuan is an expert in local governance. Today, the lives of the people in New Yichun are completely unaffected by the current situation, and this can only be attributed to these two people."
Speaking of this, Marshal Zhu had to admit that Shi Mei was right. These two people were indeed better than many people in fighting and governing the local area.
Having potential means you are qualified to conquer the world. Of course, it is too early to say this now, but since you have to choose a force to follow, why not choose the one with the greatest potential?
"Also, Xing Changfeng, Yao Chunnuan, and the others acted very uprightly. Even after the uprising had already begun, they still came to support us and jointly resist the foreign invaders. This shows that they care about the people and understand the greater good. If you follow a lord like this, you don't have to worry about them abandoning you when you are no longer useful."
Marshal Zhu shouted, "They are coming for the prisoners!" These days, he finally understood everything!
"So what if that's the case? They could have hidden behind us and waited until we were both defeated or crippled before appearing. This way they could have captured more prisoners, but they didn't, did they?" Sometimes, you really shouldn't just stare at what others have gotten, but look at what you have gotten.
In fact, Shi Mei also knew that Marshal Zhu was just yelling out of habit.
After Shi Mei finished speaking, Marshal Zhu reluctantly agreed with what he said.
"Marshal, we all know that maintaining an army is very expensive. But if we join the Xing family army, it will be Xing Changfeng who will bear the cost of food and military supplies." Shi Mei hinted wildly.
Marshal Zhu stroked his chin, very tempted. This way, he wouldn't have to use his granary or his two treasure houses. And after joining, Xing Changfeng and Yao Chunnuan's group wouldn't be able to attack his treasure house anymore, right?
Marshal Zhu managed to suppress his impulsive thoughts and urged Shi Mei, "Don't just talk about the advantages, talk about the disadvantages!" If he only talked about the advantages, he would lose control.
Shi Mei, "The downside is that you become an enemy of the imperial court."
Marshal Zhu: This is indeed the biggest disadvantage, but now it is obvious that the court no longer regards him as one of their own.
"Marshal, if you have really thought it through, it would be best to merge the Yichun camp into the new Yichun before the rebellion suppression army led by Gan Huacheng arrives in Yichun and finalize the matter." Shi Mei suggested sincerely.
"Why?" He hadn't made up his mind yet. Was there any need to rush?
"Because Xing Changfeng's power is expanding step by step, once Xing Changfeng and his men occupy Suihua and Songhua Prefecture, the development of the restricted Yichun camp will eventually be annexed by them. By then, we will really be in trouble. At present, no forces have followed General Xing. If you agree, we will be the first to follow." The risk is high and the reward is high. "Since we have decided to join, why don't we show more sincerity and submit before the rebellion suppression army led by Gan Huacheng arrives in Yichun?"
"Let me think about it." After saying this, Marshal Zhu waved his hand and let Shi Mei go out first. He was afraid that Shi Mei would say a few more words, and he could not help but agree.
Shi Mei knew this was a sure thing. If Marshal Zhu hadn't wanted to join New Yichun, he would have turned back when Yao Chunnuan and Gu Bin invited him. He just couldn't let go of his pride. After all, once he joined, he would definitely follow Xing Changfeng. But there was nothing he could do about it.
There is only one step left. Shi Mei thought about it and decided to give it a push.
Shi Mei pushed hard for the Yichun Camp to be incorporated into New Yichun because he truly believed in Xing Changfeng, Yao Chunnuan, and the others. He believed that every man wanted to achieve great things, and since Marshal Zhu had no chance, he would choose a force with the greatest potential to assist and follow. However, he believed his words came from the heart and were his most sincere advice.
What Shi Mei didn't mention was that he still had a regret: why Yao Chunnuan and Xing Changfeng weren't one and the same. If they were, then the world would truly have a wise ruler.
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