Chapter 251 One Dare to Speak and the Other Dare to Listen
Mo Jinchuan raised his eyebrows slightly, and said with a smile: "Come, come closer."
Seeing that extremely familiar smile, Qiu Zongping felt a chill on his back and shook his head decisively.
If this happened in the past, he would be caught and beaten severely.
Seeing him standing there and refusing to move, Mo Jinchuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
He asked, "I just kicked you once, and you want to freeze me to death?"
Qiu Zongping then realized something, and quickly found a set of his own clothes and handed it to him, then hurriedly added two pieces of firewood to the brazier.
Just as he was about to continue, Mo Jinchuan stopped him, "It might snow in a few days, so let the brothers below use it sparingly for the next two days."
Although this place is not far from the mountains and forests, firewood is not scarce on weekdays, but once it snows, the mountains are high and the roads are slippery and difficult to pass, so people stay in the tents and avoid going out unless necessary.
Qiu Zongping dusted off his hands and sighed, "The weather this year is really weird, surprisingly cold. I don't know what those people from Liang State ate. Not only are they not afraid of the cold at all, they also seem to be incapable of getting tired."
A battle lasted from dusk yesterday to dawn this morning. His soldiers were exhausted and their hands holding the swords were weak.
But the Liang people all had their eyes wide open, without any signs of fatigue. Instead, they became more and more excited as the fight went on, showing no sign of retreating.
If it had not been for the dawn, they would probably not have been willing to leave.
Mo Jinchuan frowned, "This is indeed strange."
Last night, he wore the armor of a low-ranking soldier, covered his face, and blended in with them, fighting with the soldiers of Liang State at close range.
In terms of strength and endurance, they are much stronger than they were two years ago.
Since he returned to Beijing to recuperate, the training of the border troops has been getting better and better over the past two years. After this battle, he has discovered many problems.
They have completely forgotten the saying that forgetting war will lead to danger.
A strong body depends on training day after day, there are no shortcuts.
Don't talk about sharpening your sword before the battle, it's all nonsense.
The reason why the border troops were able to gain the upper hand over the Liang army's cavalry was entirely because they fought with their flesh and blood, swords and knives.
The first two battles were just minor skirmishes, and they could still handle them. But when the Liang army used cavalry, their chances of winning became even smaller.
We need to resolve the issue quickly.
Catching a glimpse of the horsewhip hanging on the pillar, Mo Jinchuan said, "If nothing had happened to the Bai family, three years would have been enough for them to add another line of defense to the border town, giving the two armies a better chance of victory."
"The Bai family?" Qiu Zongping looked bewildered. "Which Bai family are you talking about, Your Highness?"
Mo Jinchuan was about to explain when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the tent.
Someone shouted, "Prepare to meet the enemy!"
Mo Jinchuan's face suddenly darkened and he cursed, "Which idiot led these soldiers?"
The last battle just ended less than two hours ago, and they don’t even need to take a breath?
Qiu Zongping also cursed, "I heard that the one in charge of the rear this time is an aide to Prince Liang. How could a mere scholar act so insidiously? It's worse than when the old thief Ke was here and had a good time."
Mentioning Ke Shan, Mo Jinchuan couldn't help but feel regretful. "If we weren't born enemies, I would definitely become good friends with General Ke. Wouldn't it be wonderful to exchange martial arts and military tactics in our spare time, and drink under the moon?"
He was talking but his hands were putting on the armor without stopping.
Qiu Zongping tried to speak several times, but was stopped by his eyes.
Before leaving the tent, he warned, "After this fight, I will retreat and rest. Watch your mouth."
Qiu Zongping quickly followed and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will definitely not let Miss Song worry."
Giving him a look that said "you better know your place", Mo Jinchuan reached out and pulled up the black cloth on his face, then consciously slowed down two steps and followed behind him.
*
"Is the princess teasing me? This thin layer of oil paper, even if there are several more layers, can't carry someone to the sky."
Listening to what Song Yanxi and the kite maker said, Cheng Duan was scratching his head anxiously.
This was the first time in his life that he had heard of such an unbelievable thing.
Just listening to it seems outrageous.
But the two people in front of him, one dared to speak and the other dared to listen, made him feel like the odd one out.
Song Yanxi didn't bother to explain further to him, and deduced with the craftsman the size, materials, and wind direction required for the manned kite.
The old master couldn't stand it any longer and explained, "General, you don't know that the paper used to make kites is naturally thin and fragile, which is far from what the princess requires.
But if we follow the princess's advice and use extremely thin and resilient animal skin to make the kite surface, as long as the size is appropriate and the frame is tied firmly, it is possible to do it."
"Really?"
Cheng Duan smiled sheepishly, bowed to the two of them and said, "I'm sorry for being so ignorant."
The old master hurriedly said it was okay and told the accompanying apprentice to go back and get what he needed.
Everything else was easy, but there was one thing the shop didn't have ready-made.
He hesitated again and again, then asked tentatively, "Princess, when I came here just now, I saw a horse tied at the entrance. The horse looked quite big..."
"No!" Two voices sounded at the same time.
Song Yanxi explained: "Master, you don't know, the Snow Dragon is a warhorse and cannot be killed."
"The princess said this horse is called Snow Dragon?" The old master's eyes widened.
Cheng Duan, who was listening nearby, also gasped and blurted out, "When did the princess ride the prince's horse over here?"
He looked belatedly aware, "No wonder I just saw that horse that didn't look like an ordinary warhorse, but was actually the prince's horse.
I've heard before that Xuelong has a fierce temper and won't give face to anyone except the prince."
The old master's hands trembled, and he said hurriedly, "I was just joking. Princess and General, please don't take it to heart."
How dare he say that he would make a kite out of the prince's precious mount!
Even if the princess dared to kill him, he would not dare to do it.
Thinking about the size of the snow dragon, Song Yanxi asked, "Can donkey skin be used?"
"Yes, of course!" The old master wiped his sweat quickly.
He said: "In order for the kite to fly smoothly, the leather should be neither too thick nor too thin. It needs to be cut into a piece of uniform thickness by a craftsman with excellent knife skills when it is just peeled off.
This way the force can be evenly distributed and holes won’t easily form after it flies.”
The old master listed them: "Zheng the butcher at the east end, and Wang Mazi from Tianxiang, these two, one a butcher and the other a coroner, are both top-notch knife-sharpening workers in our border town."
Cheng Duan suddenly asked, "Is Wang Mazi the one who lives at the very end of Tianxiang?"
"General, you don't look like a local, how come you even know this?" The old master was surprised.
After getting the definite answer, Cheng Duan stopped talking, and the eyes exposed outside the mask were full of regret.
Song Yanxi guessed something and looked at the old master and asked, "Do you know where Butcher Zheng lives?"
"He fell ill a couple of days ago. If he's not here, he's probably in Huichun Hall."
Cheng Duan said sullenly, "I'll bring him over right away!"
"General Cheng, please stay."
Song Yanxi met his puzzled gaze and explained, "Skinning is a physically demanding job. If Butcher Zheng is ill, he might not be able to do it."
"What should I do? I can chop people with a knife, but I can't do this delicate work."
Cheng Duan said this, pacing anxiously on the spot.
Looking at the hilt of his sword in his right hand, the old master suddenly thought of something and blurted out, "I know someone who has practiced flying knife skills very well. Maybe he can accomplish something."
Cheng Duan hurriedly asked, "Who? I'll call them over right away!"
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