When Zhang Yun announced his decision, the army was in an uproar.
Someone courageously asked Zhang Yun, "Third Young Master, are you... are you not continuing the attack on Capital City?"
The implied meaning was: Are you not carrying on the general’s great cause and vying for the throne of Daliang?
Zhang Yun nodded, "The current Jibei Army only possesses three hundred thousand troops, while the Imperial Court has close to five hundred thousand troops. Do you think there is any chance of winning if we continue the onslaught on Capital City?"
The man fell silent.
"We can’t win," Zhang Yun stated, "that’s why we might as well go back."
Someone cautiously asked, "But after returning to Longxi County, what does Third Young Master plan to do?"
Since he has uprooted both the spies from Dawei and the Nangong family of Nanchu who were embedded in the army, naturally, he won’t defect to the enemy.
"We will discuss it after returning to Longxi County," Zhang Yun had no plans to reveal it ahead of time.
Everyone fell silent.
Third Young Master was different from the general. The ambitions of the general were clear to those who had followed him for over a decade, but Third Young Master’s intentions were unpredictable.
So, the army took the original path back to Longxi County.
On this day, the old Duke received the support of a hundred thousand troops. At first, he thought it was the Jibei Army, but when he saw the banner of Daliang, he was puzzled. When an intelligence officer reported that the Third and Fourth Young Masters had brought a hundred thousand soldiers as reinforcements, he was thrilled.
The Old Duke was overjoyed, "Is it really them?"
He concluded, "It seems the crisis in Nanping has been resolved."
He ordered his men, "Quickly, let them come see me."
As he hurriedly left the military camp, not far ahead, Zhou Wei also received the news and joined him, his face visibly cheerful, "Grandfather, it’s our two young brothers coming to help."
The Old Duke nodded, "Hmm, it’s them."
The grandfather and grandson quickly went to greet them. They hadn’t gone far when they saw Zhou Gu and Zhou Che, leading their hundred thousand soldiers. Upon seeing the Old Duke and Zhou Wei, they dismounted their horses to pay respects.
"Grandfather, Big brother." Despite the haste and dust from the journey, both were in good spirits.
The Old Duke looked at the hundred thousand troops, then at his two grandsons, and patted them both on the shoulder in turn, "Well done, you arrived quite early. Did you take a shortcut from Nanping?"
Zhou Gu nodded, "Yes."
The Old Duke asked, "How was the crisis in Nanping resolved?"
Zhou Gu pushed Zhou Che forward, "Let our third brother explain, he can tell you every detail."
He sniffed his sleeve in disgust, "I want to bathe."
"You damn nuisance, always too concerned about cleanliness," the Old Duke waved him away, "Go on then!"
Zhou Gu swiftly left.
Zhou Che also wanted to take a bath. Anyone drenched in dust would find it unbearable, but seeing his grandfather and elder brother both staring at him, he reluctantly followed them to the military tent and explained the details of how the crisis in Nanping was resolved.
Although he hadn’t experienced it firsthand, he had stayed in Nanping City for a day and heard from many people how they had routed the Jibei Army and alleviated the crisis in Nanping City. Listening to their stories of admiration and fervor made him feel as if he had experienced it all himself.
The Old Duke listened attentively and nodded repeatedly, while Zhou Wei looked on in surprise with wide eyes.
After Zhou Che finished speaking, he expressed his admiration, "Fourth brother and Lady Su Qi are amazing. They used a unique method that united all of Nanping City, making it possible for the few to triumph over the many."
"It’s not just triumphing with fewer against many, it’s pioneering," Zhou Wei commented, finding it unbelievable, "That’s how the battle was won."
The Old Duke stroked his beard, "I always said that that young rascal, once he has gained experience, has great potential."
"Indeed, Grandfather, your judgment is always accurate," Zhou Wei was also pleased, "So, suppressing the rebellion of Zhang Ping won’t be much of a hassle."
After all, they now had an additional hundred thousand troops, and there were still a hundred and fifty thousand troops under Su Rong. In terms of the number of soldiers, they had more than enough compared to Zhang Ping.
"Indeed, Zhang Ping probably never expected that he would lose his first battle in Nanping," the Old Duke also sighed, "I’m sure Zhang Ping intended to boost his power by conquering the eighteen fortresses and Nanping City. But now, his efforts fell apart before he could succeed, and instead, he has laid the foundation for his own defeat. I wonder how he feels when he learns about the major defeat in Nanping."
Zhou Che commented, "Zhang Ping must be furious."
The Old Duke burst into laughter, "Serves him right."
After Zhou Gu bathed, he changed into clean clothes, feeling refreshed. When he found the Old Duke’s tent, he heard Zhou Che praising his double-handed sword. Of course, it wasn’t Zhou Gu praising himself since he hadn’t witnessed the battle personally. He was merely sharing the praises he had heard.
The Old Duke felt even more regretful as he listened to Zhou Che’s praises, "That scoundrel, his swordsmanship has improved a lot since the past, but it’s a pity that he’s so muddled he can’t let go of that girl."
Zhou Gu almost turned and left, he snorted lightly, "Grandfather, you have three grandsons, would you miss one? But Su Rong can’t afford to lose me; without me, she might never understand what it’s like to love someone in her life."
The Old Duke glared at him, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
How could he not miss a grandson? This is his best grandson!
Furthermore, claiming Su Rong would be unable to understand love without him, he really was good at flattering himself.
Zhou Gu entered the tent and saw several people huddled around the brazier, including Su Xingze. He sat down next to him, put his arm around him good-naturedly, and affectionately smiled "Brother-in-law, let’s get reacquainted. I am Zhou Gu, your sister’s fiancé."
Su Xingze: "..."
He didn’t know how to react to Zhou Gu’s presence at that moment and could only watch as he raised his eyebrows.
Zhou Gu reached into his pocket, took out the marriage document, and handed it to him, "Here, take a look at this marriage document handwritten by Xiaoqi, you can recognize her handwriting, right?"
Su Xingze took the document and looked at it. Indeed, it was Su Rong’s handwriting, and this document was unmistakably a marriage contract.
He couldn’t help but laugh, "How did you manage to trick her into giving you this marriage document? That’s quite a skill."
Zhou Gu mumbled, "It was not a trick."
He proudly said, "She voluntarily wrote it to express her apology for her previous adamant refusal to marry me."
Su Xingze looked at him skeptically and said, "Really?"
Would his sister, who was as hard-hearted as they come, even posses something like a sense of apology?
"Let me see." The Old Duke reached out to grab it.
Zhou Gu immediately said, "Grandfather, be careful, don’t tear it."
The Old Duke bristled his beard and snorted coldly, not paying him any mind. He snatched the marriage document from Zhou Gu’s hand, squinted with his presbyopia, and after a long while grumbled, "This marriage document is pretty well written."
Zhou Gu beamed, "Of course."
Zhou Wei and Zhou Che both gathered around the Old Duke. Zhou Che hadn’t seen Zhou Gu’s marriage document before. After reading it, they both glanced at a triumphant Zhou Gu, thinking that their younger brother would really become the husband of the Nanchu Princess.
The Old Duke was heartbroken as he thought about how his grandson had been completely won over. He returned the marriage document to Zhou Gu, "Enjoy your joy. Don’t get too excited too early. It’s just a marriage document. You should save your joy until the day you actually marry her in the grand ceremony."
Zhou Gu snatched his marriage document back, carefully examined it, saw that it wasn’t damaged, carefully put it away, and frowned at his grandfather in annoyance.
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