Chapter 158 All Sent Out
With Shen Yuexi's nod, Xiao Zhuo quickly gave out the remaining silver as rewards.
As expected, he is the Crown Prince, who spends money without blinking an eye.
Shen Yuexi was busy taking notes on the table. She was very busy. She lent out fifty taels in October… She lent out one hundred taels in October… She lent out eighty taels in October…
The more she wrote, the happier she became, and she didn't even realize that her fair cheeks were stained with ink.
When General Qiu Liming arrived, the box was empty.
Xiao Zhuo said to Qiu Liming, "General Qiu, during my absence, you guarded Langya Pass and fought hard, keeping the enemy out of the city. Not only did you defend Xiaogang Village, you also protected my wife. This is a great achievement."
Qiu Liming knelt on one knee and said, "I will serve my lord, even if it means death."
Shen Yuexi secretly glanced at the empty box.
General Qiu Liming had made great contributions in defending the city. To put it bluntly, his reward couldn't be lower than anyone else's. But now that the money was gone, I wondered what Xiao Zhuo would do.
Xiao Zhuo stood up and walked to the window to pick up the chainmail. "This was originally for my personal protection, but now I'm giving it to you. It's impenetrable to arrows and is truly a treasure."
Qiu Liming was flattered. He raised his hands high and respectfully took the chainmail, touching his forehead to the ground.
"My lord, your kindness is so great that even if I die, I cannot repay you."
Shen Yuexi saw with her own eyes how Xiao Zhuo rewarded his subordinates, and only then did she understand how commanders in ancient times won people's hearts.
Giving one's own treasures directly to a subordinate is probably the highest level of reward. No wonder Qiu Liming was so excited. However, Xiao Zhuo gave Qiu Liming the treasured armor, so he was left without any protective armor. It seemed that he would have to ask Da Xiong to make another one.
After Qiu Liming left, Qiang Lin was also called over.
After receiving treatment from Doctor Hua, the arrow wounds on his arm and back shoulder were healed. Hearing Xiao Zhuo's call, he was a little confused, not knowing why he was called.
After entering the room, Qiang Lin bowed to Shen Yuexi and said, "Qiang Lin pays his respects to the Crown Princess."
In his heart, he was deeply grateful to Shen Yuexi. When Doctor Hua told him that the Crown Princess had called him in specifically to treat his injuries, Qiang Lin knew he had saved the right person.
Shen Yuexi thought to herself, this Qiang Lin is so straightforward, Xiao Zhuo is here, but he actually bows to her first.
She glanced at Xiao Zhuo, who didn't seem to care. She heaved a sigh of relief and said to Qiang Lin, "General Qiang, please stand up."
Qiang Lin then stood up and bowed to Xiao Zhuo again: "Qiang Lin greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Qiang Lin, you swore allegiance to my wife and sacrificed your life to protect her from an arrow." Xiao Zhuo took the long sword off the wall. "This sword is my sword, and I give it to you as a reward."
Qiang Lin was shocked and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, there is no need to reward me with anything. I have already sworn an oath and will protect the Crown Princess with my life."
Seeing that Qiang Lin refused to accept it, Shen Yuexi was afraid that Xiao Zhuo would be embarrassed. She quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "General Qiang, just accept it. This is a gift from your husband."
Anyway, this sword is not made of any high-end materials. It was made urgently using Feng Zhang's steel fork.
Qiang Lin said, "Since the Crown Princess has spoken, Qiang Lin will accept it."
Xiao Zhuo smiled and nodded. He handed the sword to Qiang Lin and then asked, "Now that you have joined our army, what will happen to your families in Xirong?"
Qiang Lin said, "Your Highness, don't worry. It was Captain Xiu Mu who threatened to kill our family. Now that he's dead, King Duo Ma has no control over our territory. Our families will be safe from any danger."
At this point, he hesitated for a moment and asked, "It's just... we have already sworn to follow the Crown Princess and cannot return to Xirong. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is merciful, we hope to bring our family here."
He didn't hold out much hope. Rumor had it that the Crown Prince of Dayan was known for his cold-blooded cruelty during his campaigns against the Northern Di. Now that he's on the Western Rong side, he's unlikely to change, is he?
Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhuo nodded and said, "Okay."
Qiang Lin was overjoyed and kowtowed, saying, "I thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on behalf of everyone."
The villagers of Xiaogang Village still harbored prejudice against the Western Rong Army. They didn't live in Xiaogang Village, but were stationed near Langya Pass. Under the unified command of General Qiu Liming, they helped build the city wall. While this might be fine for a short period of time, it was inevitable that they would miss their loved ones over time. Xiao Zhuo's permission for their family reunion was a great favor to him.
Shen Yuexi was also very happy. Whether they were from Xirong or Dayan, the separation of family members was a painful thing. Now that Xiao Zhuo had put aside past grudges and helped others achieve their goals, she admired him even more.
"Your soldiers are still under your command, but they should all be under the command of General Qiu." Xiao Zhuo sat back at the table.
Qiang Lin shook his head and said, "Qiang Lin has decided to protect the Crown Princess with his own life. I beg Your Highness to show mercy and allow Qiang Lin to follow you."
"Like you did before?" Shen Yuexi asked.
She recalled how she was shot by Xiu Muye outside the city, and how fortunately Qiang Lin rushed out. At that time, she thought she was dead.
"That's right," Qiang Lin said. "I'm from the Western Rong region, and I'm well aware that the Yan army and the villagers here reject us. We don't want to join the Yan army and fight against our own people. We serve only the Crown Princess."
After hearing this, Shen Yuexi also felt that what Qiang Lin said made sense. If they were to join the Yan army and turn against their own people, it would be no different from Xiu Muye.
Xiao Zhuo smiled slightly and said, "Okay, select a few soldiers with strong martial arts skills, wear Yan army uniforms, and accompany you to secretly protect the Crown Princess."
Qiang Lin was overjoyed and kowtowed, saying, "Qiang Lin will protect the Crown Princess with his life."
Shen Yuexi was surprised and happy. So, she also had a bodyguard?
The ceremony is starting to get grand.
After Qiang Lin left, Shen Yuexi picked up the paper filled with writing and blew away the ink. She unfolded it before Xiao Zhuo and said with a smile, "Husband, please sign and seal."
Xiao Zhuo took the paper, frowned slightly, and pointed at the paper with his finger: "Yuexi, what's written here? And this..."
Shen Yuexi stood behind Xiao Zhuo, leaning on his shoulder and whispering shyly, "Oh, the handwriting is not that good, just give it a general idea."
Whether the handwriting is good or not is not discussed for now. Xiao Zhuo had delivered all the things, and she had some things to do next.
As they were talking, Yang Cong came to the door and said, "My Lord, Mistress. Prince Mei is here. Should we keep him outside?"
Xiao Zhuo raised his eyebrows, put down the paper in his hand and said, "Please let him in."
"Didn't you instruct him not to see the mistress before?"
"That was when I wasn't around."
Mep was still dressed in black and had a mask on his face. After entering the house, both sides exchanged greetings and the host and guest took their seats.
Shen Yuexi knew that Mei Pu was a guest. He was not Xiao Zhuo's subordinate, so he couldn't treat Mei Pu the same way he had treated his former generals. He stood up and said, "You guys talk, I'll make you some tea."
Mei Pu waited for Shen Yuexi to leave the room and asked Xiao Zhuo, "Xiao Zhuo, why did you want to make a truce with King Doma?"
Xiao Zhuo asked, "If we don't stop fighting, how can we stop the enemy?"
"Are you only considering your own place? Do you know that we still have two cities in the hands of King Doma?" Mep clenched his left fist and slammed it on the table with a somewhat stiff tone.
Xiao Zhuo stared at his left hand and asked gently, "Is your hand feeling better?"
Mep's eyes fell on his left hand and he sighed.
Xiao Zhuo had made an oath with King Doma, and he was furious. This meant Xiao Zhuo couldn't help him attack the city. However, thanks to Shen Yuexi's prescription, his condition had improved so rapidly.
Now his left hand has regained some sensation and can make a fist.
After hesitating for a moment, Meipu stood up and said, "Thank you for saving these cavalrymen. My father sent a messenger to tell me that I am leading the army back to Yongwei. Won't you and Madam Shen come with me?"
Xiao Zhuo asked, "What's the matter?"
Mei Pu snorted and said, "The Dingbei Army led by Xiao Beiheng is almost here."
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