A mere string of copper coins should not be enough to carry such a huge wish.
And the person who makes a wish is not praying to God for blessings.
Chang Suining claimed that she was neither human nor ghost, and she also expressed contempt for God. She once said that she regarded herself as God, and her will was God's will.
So at this moment, under the vast starry sky, in front of the blazing fire, she was just making a wish to herself.
This wish is like a vow that she will do everything for it, never waver, and never violate it.
At the time of Jiaozi, Yuanxiang got a string of firecrackers from somewhere and lit them, which scared several generals who were completely unprepared and made them jump up, causing a burst of laughter and chasing.
Chang Suining looked over and smiled as well.
Amid the noise, Chang Suining stood up and faced north.
In two days, we will reach Anbei Protectorate, where Yinshan Mountain is located.
After a moment, Chang Suining turned his head to the right and looked towards Fan Yang.
Bai Hong, Tang Xing and his men should have successfully pacified Fan Yang. If they act quickly, the victory news should be on the way back to Luoyang.
Just as Chang Suining expected, Bai Hongtang Xing and his entourage had led their troops to officially take over Fan Yang and Youzhou City, where the Fan Yang Jiedushi Mansion was located, eight days ago.
Before the army arrived, the 3,000 former Fanyang troops stationed here fled upon hearing the news.
Since they were escaping, they naturally had to go in the opposite direction. However, if they continued to go north, they would be close to the Beidi defense line, and there were many wastelands along the way, which was not suitable for escaping in winter. So everyone chose to flee to the east, saying, "We must never surrender to a foreign race."
However, they did not expect that just after crossing the border of Jizhou, they encountered the Pinglu Army which was suppressing a rebellion there.
This Pinglu Army had a total of 5,000 people, and they were here to quell the riot of bandits and mobs. The leader of the army was Kang Cong, the marching Sima of the Pinglu Army.
Later, the Chang family army was about to arrive. The leader of the Fanyang army gritted his teeth and made a decisive decision: to surrender to Kang Cong.
They escaped from Fan Yang not because they had great ambitions, but simply because they did not want to become Chang Suining's captives passively - what future could they have as captives? It would be better to voluntarily submit to other forces, at least they would not be humiliated and oppressed.
Although the current Jiedushi of Pinglu Army was appointed by the emperor after Kang Dingshan's rebellion, he would not accept the Fanyang Army who were guilty of crimes, but he knew Kang Cong! Kang Cong was born in a wealthy family who had committed treason. His father was Kang Dingshan, and this kid killed his father with his own hands. How could such a ruthless person be a law-abiding person? It was said that Kang Cong was unexpectedly good at his job as the military commander, and he must have accumulated some power in the Pinglu Army. If they added their 3,000 Fanyang Army, it would not be impossible to try to ask the Pinglu Army to change their surname back to Kang.
No one could refuse such a temptation! But Kang Cong refused.
What shocked the Fanyang army leader was that after Kang Cong rejected him, he did not hand them over to the Pinglu Jiedushi for disposal, but instead took the 3,000 men back to Fanyang intact...
After doing all this, Kang Cong was waiting in Fan Yang.
When Kang Zhi arrived with the army, Kang Cong handed over all the 3,000 Fanyang troops and explained why he did so: "It was Uncle Shi's idea!"
Kang Cong always complained about being forced to become Chang Suining's lackey, but fortunately he was cooperative in action. From time to time, he would compile news and intelligence from the east of Hebei Road into letters and hand them to Chang Suining through his sister Kang Zhi.
Of course, much of this was due to Shi Man’s instructions and reminders.
It was also because of Shi Man's dedicated support and help behind the scenes that Kang Cong was able to gradually gain a foothold in the Pinglu Army.
Kang Zhi was very satisfied with her brother's performance. After having people count the 3,000 Fanyang captives, she found out that there were 800 cavalry among them. Kang Zhi's increasingly bright eyes seemed to reflect the large sacks - hey, they were all her envoy's! Kang Zhi, in a good mood, even comforted the 3,000 Fanyang captives: "Why are you running around? Our envoys have always punished people according to their crimes. You just stayed in Fanyang and didn't commit any serious mistakes. How can the envoy embarrass you!"
To Kang Zhi, this tone of voice was a sincere comfort.
On this trip north, her family's envoy said that they wanted to recruit more soldiers with experience in fighting in the north, and those who had no major offenses would be given preferential treatment and retained.
Kang Zhi roughly calculated that when they left Jiangdu with the envoy, they had a total army of 100,000, and another 50,000 troops from Huainan. Starting from the great defeat of Duan Shiang, and then all the way to Fan Yang, including the surrendered soldiers and prisoners, plus the rebel troops recruited along the way, and the large and small forces that voluntarily surrendered... Now the military strength has rapidly increased from the original 150,000 to more than 300,000.
Most of this was due to the annexation of Duan Shiang's army in one fell swoop.
The more Kang Zhi calculated, the brighter her eyes became - fighting in wars would make you rich quickly, and she still likes fighting very much now!
She will fight many battles, occupy many territories, and seize many people in the future, and give them all to her family's Jiedushi! Kang Zhi was ambitious, and privately told her brother that while they had captured Fanyang in Youzhou, and her brother and Shi Man were cooperating in the Pinglu army, they might take the opportunity to replace the Jiedushi of Pinglu in one fell swoop.
Kang Cong was shocked. Wasn't the Fanyang Rebellion already completely quelled? Why did Chang Suining's hand continue to move eastward? Kang Zhi squinted at his brother and said, "Fanyang is just the end point of the quelling of the Fanyang Army Rebellion, not the end point of my family's envoy!"
She wanted to discuss with General Tang Xing and try to take the Pinglu Army into her possession. Then the entire Hebei Province would belong to her family!
Kang Zhi was full of energy. In just ten days, he gathered nearly 10,000 scattered forces in the Youzhou area.
There were also many people who were displaced by the war who came to surrender voluntarily. Kang Zhi picked the young and strong ones to stay, and registered the old and weak ones and settled them nearby. Kang Zhi was not good at settling the refugees, that was the job of the Cui family.
Kang Zhi showed no mercy when it came to robbing people, and even accepted all the refugees who came to seek refuge with him.
Kang Zhi always remembered what her family's envoy said: in this land, the only word "people" is the most enduring and precious resource.
Now that we have people, we can give them a life-saving meal today, and next year they will be able to give back more money and food with their own hands, and then we can feed more people. Although in terms of benefits, this is not as fast and effective as directly recruiting soldiers to achieve great things, and there is even the possibility of losing all the money at any time due to changes and turmoil, the envoy said that only in this cycle can the world become better and better, and the order will become more and more stable.
Kang Zhi also had doubts at first, but when she saw the refugees kowtowing to her as if they had seen a savior, and saw with her own eyes a frozen child’s eyes regain life after drinking a bowl of rice soup, she slowly understood the meaning of “living people”.
Whenever she couldn't help but feel distressed about the speed of food consumption, Kang Zhi would pinch herself and silently say in her mind: I think her family's envoy now owns the big granary of Henan Road, has a lot of scholars to use, and has Huainan Road as support. The maritime trade has also begun to show results, and there is no shortage of ways to make money... In short, the ability of the envoy to feed people is first-class! Don't be afraid! Recently, Kang Ani, who was immersed in the satisfaction of robbing, picking up and feeding people, suddenly became furious on New Year's Eve.
On New Year's Eve, Yuezhi also rushed to Fanyang to reunite with her daughter whom she had not seen for a long time.
Shi Man also came with his family. Kang Zhi originally thought that Shi Man came to see the situation in Fanyang and discuss business with General Tang Xing and others. This was indeed the case, but it was not only that -
That night, the Kang and Shi families sat together and had the New Year's Eve dinner.
As the dinner was about to end, Yue Shi spoke hesitantly, with a nervous smile on her face, and said to her daughter: "Ani... there is something I want to ask for your consent."
Yueshi said, looking at Shiman, still hesitantly said: "You also know that this year, thanks to your uncle Shi's help, your brother and I have been able to have no worries... These days, we have discussed it and thought that if we can become closer relatives... it would be the best thing."
The further Yueshi spoke, the softer her voice became, and when she mentioned the words "closer relationship", she was a little afraid to look her daughter in the eye.
Kang Zhi, holding the spoon, was stunned.
After a moment, she looked at her mother's expression, then glanced at Shi Man, with a somewhat strange look on her face.
Kang Zhi was a little confused by this sudden realization, but then she thought about it and realized that her mother had been Kang Dingshan's concubine for so many years and had no choice. Shi Man had been widowed for many years and had not remarried. His family was clean and tidy, and his character and ability were also excellent...
Kang Zhi gritted her teeth - forget it, although it was a bit embarrassing, she was not a pedantic person! "Okay..." In order to hide her discomfort, Kang Zhi lowered her head and put a spoonful of soup into her mouth, pretending to be indifferent and said: "I don't have any objection, you can decide for yourself."
However, just as she finished speaking, Shi Wen on the opposite side suddenly stood up, and said with joy and a hint of pride: "Mu Sheng, you heard it, your sister agreed!"
Kang Zhi looked up and frowned - Mu Sheng? Why did you call him so intimately?
She turned and glared at her brother beside her - hadn't she repeatedly warned him not to talk to Shi Wen? Why did he call Shang Musheng? Seeing her brother hesitating and blushing, Kang Zhi suddenly realized that something was wrong.
etc……
She looked at Yueshi and asked cautiously, "The relationship between relatives that mother just mentioned...isn't it between mother and Uncle Shi?"
Yue Shi was so frightened that her face turned pale: "Ani, you...what are you talking about!"
Shi Man almost choked and coughed twice tactically.
"You didn't understand, little girl." Old Madam Shi smiled and said, "Your mother is talking about Wenwen and Musheng!"
Kang Zhi slammed the table and stood up: "This is ridiculous! I don't agree!"
This is much more ridiculous than her mother marrying Shi Man! This is simply against common sense, treasonous and against the will of heaven and earth!
Shi Wen's two brothers were so frightened by Kang Zhi's sudden slamming of the table that they huddled together, not daring to breathe heavily.
Kang Zhi was so angry that her face turned blue. She raised her finger and pointed at Shi Wen: "Kang Cong, what do you like about her?"
Shi Wen's lips trembled, and she was about to speak, but Kang Zhi turned her finger and pointed it at Kang Cong, and asked her, "Shi Wen, what do you like about him?"
These two people must be blind. What on earth is so good about the other party? "Kang Zhi, you..." Shi Wen wanted to refute, but her brain couldn't keep up with Kang Zhi's train of thought. For a moment, she didn't know where to start.
The old lady of the Shi family said, "Ani, you think Mu Sheng shouldn't look down on Wenwen, and you also think Wenwen shouldn't look down on Mu Sheng. In short, one is not easy to find a wife, and the other is not easy to marry. Marriage is a big problem. What's more, the eyes of both of them are not very good. So it's strange that they are a good match!"
Madam Shi slapped her palms against the backs of her hands, clapping them a few times: "What do you call this? It's a match made in heaven!"
"Grandma!" Shi Wen was dissatisfied and looked at Kang Zhi angrily: "...I have allowed you to call me sister-in-law, what else are you dissatisfied with!"
Kang Zhi was so angry that her head was about to fly off: "Who wants to call you sister-in-law!"
"You..." Shi Wen gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, I bullied you in the past, but you always bullied me back! You never suffered any loss! You even whipped me and pulled my hair! I haven't even settled the score with you, and I'm still willing to be your sister-in-law. I'm so generous, not for you to pick on me!"
When Shi Wen finished speaking, her eyes suddenly turned red with grievance, and she turned around and ran out.
Yueshi looked anxious and said, "Ani, listen to what my mother has to say..."
"I don't want to listen!" Kang Zhi was very annoyed. She kicked the chair away and walked away.
There was only one corridor outside the hall. Shi Wen and Kang Zhi were standing one in front and one behind. Shi Wen cried, "Whoever wants to endure this kind of humiliation can marry! I won't marry!"
"Just marry me! Why not?" Kang Zhi sneered, "I don't plan to marry this brother anyway!"
"I, Shi Wen, don't want anything you don't want!"
Kang Zhi: "Then just throw it away!"
Shi Wen: "Throw it as far as you can, it's your Kang family's business anyway!"
The two of them left quarreling. Kang Cong, who chased out, heard this conversation and his expression changed. He felt extremely sad inside - is he a despicable person?
Seeing that a fork in the road finally appeared ahead, Kang Zhi and Shi Wen were finally able to go their separate ways. However, Shi Wen took two steps and then ran to catch up with Kang Zhi, reaching out and grabbing Kang Zhi's robe: "...You can not marry me, but you owe me an explanation!"
Kang Zhi pushed her away and said, "You lunatic, what kind of explanation are you asking me for?"
"I only found out later that you were the one who told him not to talk to me!" Shi Wen's face was full of tears, she felt wronged and angry. "My father tried his best to help him, so I saw him all the time. Every day, he always avoided me, never said a word to me, and he wouldn't respond when I called him... Seeing this, how could I not feel strange!"
"I, Shi Wen, have never been treated like this in my life!"
"The more he does this, the more I can't help but pay attention to him!"
"I fell in love with him, all because of you!"
"..." Kang Zhi's cheeks trembled in disbelief. So, she had bad intentions but did good things, and became this damn matchmaker? ! Shi Wen cried more and more aggrieved, and reached out to grab Kang Zhi's arm: "Kang Ani, if you don't give me an explanation, this matter will not end!"
Kang Zhi tried to shake her off, but she grabbed him again, and the two of them started pushing and fighting, screaming.
It was not until Kang Cong caught up with them that he pulled Shi Wen away.
"It's so annoying, keep this lunatic under control!"
Kang Zhi turned away with a gloomy face, but Shi Wen insisted on asking her for an explanation. Kang Zhi was so annoyed that she ran around outside from the first to the third grade to avoid giving Shi Wen a chance to pester her.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Chang Suining and his 50,000-strong army finally arrived at Anbei Protectorate.
Protector Qin, along with a group of military officers, personally welcomed him outside the Protectorate Mansion.
At the same time, in the north, Cui Jing, who had withdrawn from the front line where the fighting had eased, had also approached the Anbei Protectorate after learning that the Bingzhou cavalry was approaching. (End of this chapter)
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