The box was filled to the brim with something—arrows!
Shocked, Song Yanqing and An Jiu looked at Lu Da in unison.
Then, Song Yanqing shifted her gaze, looked around, and carefully examined the cabin.
Dozens of large wooden crates were placed in the ship's cabin; without even counting them, one could guess that the quantity was astonishing.
An Jiu swallowed hard. Even as a Shadow Guard, he should have long since developed a calm and composed mindset in the face of many things.
But what he saw before him still shocked him so much that his mind went blank.
An Jiu pointed at the contents of the box, his eyes fixed on Lu Da. "Vice General Lu, did someone send all of these? The whole ship is full of them?"
This question was actually a bit redundant, but among the three people present, if they hadn't seen the actual items, they wouldn't have believed that the prince of the Great Yu Kingdom would send a whole ship full of ironware.
Lu Da nodded emphatically, "Yes!"
After the goods were loaded onto the ship, Lu Da noticed something was wrong. The ship was drafted too deep, causing it to travel much slower than the grain-carrying vessels.
If he hadn't made advance arrangements and assigned skilled sailors to the ship, the grain wouldn't have been transported to the dock along with it.
Upon hearing this, Song Yanqing withdrew her gaze and looked back at Lu Da, asking, "Did he have a message for you to deliver to me?"
To Song Yanqing's surprise, Lu Da shook his head for the first time, saying, "Young Master Lian said that this generous gift is for his old friend, and you don't need to take it to heart."
Then, Lu Da handed over a booklet containing a list of ironware.
However, the list above is not written in words; instead, it looks like a few tree branches drawn.
When Song Yanqing saw the list, his slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. These scribbles were symbols unique to them.
This reminded him of Lian Haoyu, who had once been a hostage in the Great Jin Dynasty.
At that time, Lian Haoyu's situation in the palace was not too difficult, but it was not easy either, and he started his education late.
When he could recite the Three Character Classic and was praised by the Empress Dowager, Lian Haoyu would scribble on paper like this.
Even so, he still tirelessly taught him the custom characters he created in his spare time.
Song Yanqing folded the list and whispered to An Jiu, "Go back to the military camp immediately, get a carriage, and invite the Princess of Kangle Township here."
An Jiu didn't understand why, for such an important matter, the head of Kangle Township had been invited, and why he had specifically instructed that a carriage be prepared.
Despite being a subordinate, all he could do was obey orders.
Therefore, after receiving the order, he quickly walked out of the cabin.
After An Jiu left, Lu Da knelt down on one knee and whispered, "Your Highness, this humble general knows his mistake."
The sudden appearance of unidentified ironware at the docks might be a good thing for soldiers troubled by war.
If the powerful figures in the distant capital were to find out, it would breed apprehension.
After all, any emperor in any dynasty would be wary of those who wield great power, and would hoard troops, grain, and ironware.
Without exception.
Song Yanqing said, "Deputy General Lu, please rise. Times have changed. If we continue to adhere to outdated rules, the Great Jin Dynasty will truly perish."
He had witnessed how the late emperor governed the country and how he stabilized the Great Jin Dynasty.
Compared to the previous emperors, today's emperors are like children, their actions far too childish.
But it was precisely because he had met the late emperor that he devoted himself to governing the Great Jin Dynasty and bringing prosperity to the people, allowing them to live and work in peace and contentment.
That's why they still feel reluctant to leave the Great Jin Dynasty.
The Great Jin Dynasty today is like a fruit bitten by a worm. The worm has been gnawing at the fruit all the way, drilling a deep black hole in it.
The excruciating pain felt by the fruit itself is only felt by the common people and loyal ministers.
There is only one way to save the fruit: scrape off the flesh and remove the poison, completely eradicating the worm.
The once high-spirited eldest prince also wanted to walk this path, but the outcome was obvious.
......
The main camp, the commander's tent.
Lu Qiqi was holding a storybook, sipping tea. The charcoal fire beside her was burning brightly, making her feel warm and cozy, and she didn't want to move.
When An Jiu had prepared the carriage and arrived at the main tent to invite Lu Qiqi, he witnessed the scene before him.
He rode all the way here on horseback, carrying a chill with him. The moment the tent flap was lifted, Lu Qiqi was hit by a gust of cold wind, causing her neck to shiver.
"Dark Nine?"
Upon seeing An Jiu's figure, Lu Qiqi finally understood that Song Yanqing had left the camp early in the morning because the grain had arrived at the border town.
She said, "Your young master has already gone to the dock. Did you take the wrong turn with him?"
An Jiu stood three meters away from Lu Qiqi, afraid of passing on his coldness to her, and said, "The young master has sent me to invite the village head to the dock."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi closed her storybook, her relaxed expression vanished, and she looked up at An Jiu with a serious expression, asking, "What happened?"
An Jiu understood her concerns, but he could not tell her the truth. The matter still needed to be decided by the Crown Prince; he was only responsible for handling the matter.
Therefore, he said, "The ship is safely docked at the pier, but there is one thing that the Crown Prince must tell the village chief in person."
Since things had come to this point, Lu Qiqi didn't press him further. "I'll go with you."
Women need to dress up before going out. An Jiu noticed Lu Qiqi's shoes and bowed, saying, "This humble general has prepared a carriage and is waiting for the village chief outside the tent."
After saying that, he left the tent without looking back.
Watching him leave, Lu Qiqi finished the last sip of tea, put on her cold shoes, straightened her cloak, and then lifted the curtain to walk out of the tent.
An Jiu cut through the cold wind, drove the carriage, and rushed to the dock.
The carriage stopped, and Lu Qiqi, wearing a red cloak draped in white fox fur, stepped down from the carriage.
Such a striking outfit stood out in the cold wind and quickly attracted everyone's attention.
Led by An Jiu, Lu Qiqi walked onto the deck of a ship.
Before even stepping onto the deck, Lu Qiqi noticed that this ship was different from others; the cabin was drafted too deep, and it was not at the same level as the surrounding ships.
Lu Qiqi had some vague guesses in her mind, but she didn't know the actual situation. Only by seeing Song Yanqing could she find out the answer.
When she saw the ship's hold full of weapons, the corners of her mouth turned up so wide that you could almost hang an oil bottle on it.
She walked up to Song Yanqing and said, "Your brother is quite something! He actually gave you such a generous gift."
With this ship full of arrows, if the Tartars dare to invade again, we'll just shoot their army into a pile of straw!
After Lu Qiqi finished speaking, she noticed the person next to Song Yanqing.
Seeing an acquaintance in a foreign land was naturally a joyful experience, but before she could speak, she heard Lu Da call out to her.
"Lord of the Township".
Hearing the voice, Lu Qiqi was even more certain that she hadn't mistaken him for someone else. She happily exclaimed, "Brother Lu, what are you doing here?"
Upon hearing this, Song Yanqing pursed his thin lips and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lu Da.
The two not only knew each other, but seemed to have a close relationship, as if they had known each other for a long time.
He secretly felt a pang of jealousy.
Brother Lu?
How come he'd never heard Lu Qiqi call him Brother Song before!
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