Speaking of the Western Army, Zhang Shixun said, "The Western Army is indeed capable of fighting, but over the years, first they fought against the Xixia people, then against the Jin soldiers, and then they were transferred to fight Fang La. With all the fighting, they have long since become exhausted."
"Anyway, I don't believe the Jin soldiers can capture the capital." Han Shizhong said stubbornly.
"Okay, believe it or not, but..." Zhang Shixun directly took out his trump card: "This is revealed by the Book of Heaven, not by me."
This powerful move worked immediately. Han Shizhong suddenly fell silent and started drinking wine one sip after another.
"Uncle, it was because of the revelation from the Heavenly Book that I did everything I could to secure a position as a commander-in-chief in the Tianwu Army. My idea was simple: to do my best to train a capable fighting team."
"Shixun, your idea is good, but it may not go as you wish. The imperial guards of the capital are like spoiled children of wealthy families. They can't lift anything with their hands or carry anything with their shoulders. They are already useless from the inside out. It is too difficult to train them into real soldiers."
Han Shizhong picked up a piece of lotus root with his chopsticks, took a bite and said, "The food is already cold."
Zhang Shixun stood up and said, "I'll go to the kitchen to heat it up."
"Don't go. Let Hongyu and the others do this... Hongyu! Hongyu!" Han Shizhong shouted loudly outside.
"I'm here!" Liang Hongyu walked into the main hall, wiping her hands with her apron and asking, "Why did my husband call me?"
Han Shizhong pointed at the dishes on the table and said, "The dishes are cold. Please heat them up."
"Hush...! Sir, please keep your voice down. Don't disturb my sister and brother-in-law's nap. I guess they stayed up all night because they stayed up all night."
"Yeah! Got it, go ahead."
Ding Dusai also came in, smiled gently at Zhang Shixun, and went to the kitchen with Liang Hongyu, carrying the dishes.
After they left, Han Shizhong continued the previous topic, saying, "You are just a small commander now, in charge of a thousand men at most. Even if you train them all, it won't help. Besides, you have just started, and the government is already suspicious of you. How can you continue in the future?"
"I'm not afraid of being outnumbered. A single spark can start a prairie fire. As for the emperor, whether he's suspicious or wary, at most he'll cause me some trouble, but he won't dare do anything to me. To be honest, I even demonstrated my ability to summon heavenly thunder in front of him..."
"The government has also seen it?"
"Yeah! He was so scared at that time that his face turned as pale as paper and his whole body was trembling." Thinking of the scene that day, Zhang Shixun couldn't help laughing out loud.
"The emperor also knows the signs that the capital will fall."
Zhang Shixun nodded: "I told him too."
"Does the government believe it?"
"I don't know. We can't guess what the emperor is thinking."
"Shixun, I'm most worried about the emperor. He gave you a donkey as a reward, which has already exceeded the emperor's bottom line. It shows how much he fears you. You should be careful."
"Haha! I don't care how apprehensive he is. I'll just keep training my soldiers and see what he does next. Forget about rewarding me with a donkey. Even if you reward me with a dog or a rabbit, I'll be happy with it... Uncle, I've made up my mind. I'll slaughter the donkey tomorrow and treat you to donkey meat and donkey soup."
Han Shizhong was shocked: "You dare to kill the donkey given to you by the government?"
"Uncle, the government gifted me a donkey, but they didn't force me to ride it, right?" Zhang Shixun laughed. "Donkey meat and donkey soup nourish yin and yang, and are a great tonic. When the time comes, I'll gather my relatives and friends together to enjoy it... Haha! I really admire myself for coming up with such a great idea."
Han Shizhong slapped his thigh and said, "Okay! I'll eat and drink to my heart's content then."
"Sir, what's so good about it?" Liang Hongyu came in with a tray of dishes and asked curiously while putting them on the table.
Ding Dusai also asked, "Yes, uncle, you are eating and drinking. Could it be that you are not enjoying your meal and drink today?"
Han Shizhong said, "I've had a great time eating and drinking today, haha! Shixun said he'd kill that donkey and treat me to donkey meat and donkey soup."
Liang Hongyu was unhappy, "That won't do. I still want to ride."
Zhang Shixun said, "Jinzi, you are a heroine. Riding a donkey goes against your image. Riding a horse can show your elegant and heroic demeanor."
"Shixun, that donkey was a gift from the government. If you kill it, the government will definitely be unhappy."
Ding Dusai said, "Sister-in-law, it's true that the emperor gave it as a reward, but he didn't say that you can't kill it and eat the meat. Maybe... maybe the emperor saw that Mr. Zhang had worked hard, so he gave him a donkey as a reward so that he could kill it to nourish his body."
Han Shizhong said, "Saisai is right! As long as the emperor doesn't say it explicitly, it's up to Shixun whether he rides or eats."
Several people argued for a long time in silence about a donkey, and Liang Hongyu finally prevailed. She claimed that she didn't like riding in a sedan chair and it was inconvenient for her to ride a horse, and only a donkey was a good means of transportation.
Traveling is inconvenient these days, and any livestock that can be used for transportation is very precious.
Zhang Shixun's intention to kill the donkey was just a tirade, but seeing that Liang Hongyu insisted, he let her do it.
Of course Han Shizhong had to follow his wife's wishes. It was not a matter of principle, so there was no need to argue with her.
Ding Dusai was only concerned about the palace maids and didn't care about the donkey.
Zhang Shixun had no choice but to agree, "Since my sister-in-law wants to keep it, then I won't kill it. But my sister-in-law will be responsible for the donkey's food, drink, defecation and urination."
"My husband and I will be living and eating at your place, and your servant San... San... what's his name?"
"Three dogs."
"Yes! Sangou... let him take care of the donkey for me temporarily." Liang Hongyu was not at all shy.
Zhang Shixun agreed readily, as he couldn't afford to offend this lady.
Han Shizhong reminded: "Hongyu, it's not possible to live in Shixun's place. I'm afraid we have to rent a house."
Liang Hongyu was startled for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, then let's rent a house near Tianwu Army."
"Don't worry about the money, I'll pay for it for you." Zhang Shixun didn't want the couple to worry about food and daily necessities.
Liang Hongyu shook her head and said, "That won't work. Your uncle gets a monthly salary from the army. I can do anything else and the money will never run out."
Zhang Shixun smiled and did not insist. Talking too much about money would sound vulgar.
Han Shizhong and his wife were both fun-loving people. After leaving Ding's house, they said goodbye to Zhang Shixun, saying that they did not have enough fun last night and wanted to go to Wazi to play today.
Liang Hongyu rode on the donkey, led by Han Shizhong, and the couple gradually went away.
Zhang Shixun looked at their backs and thought to himself: In this life, I will never let you live such a miserable life.
"Sir, are you going home?" Ding Dusai stared at Zhang Shixun and asked.
Zhang Shixun shook his head and said, "I'm going to Gao Laozhuang to see Wang Dong. After all, we're brothers, so I have to go see him."
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