Zhang Shixun did not order the camp to be broken up until noon, and the entire army slowly marched towards Yongqiu.
By noon, the team had traveled less than twenty miles.
Zhang Shixun was riding on his horse, looking somewhat lonely, with no trace of joy after the great victory.
Han Shizhong was secretly surprised and came over to ask, "General, you seem to be worried."
"I'm thinking of something."
"What's up?"
"This year is already the sixth year of Xuanhe."
This statement makes no sense.
However, Han Shizhong reacted quickly.
"You mean to say that the Jin soldiers are about to invade the south?"
"Probably next year." Zhang Shixun turned his head, pointed to the sky, and said with a double meaning: "The sky is about to change."
After hearing this, Han Shizhong felt heavy-hearted.
"The military commander is saying that the Song Dynasty is doomed?"
"Hush!" Zhang Shixun looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to their conversation. Then he said, "We must start preparing from now on. Uncle, let me ask you, what is the most lacking thing for the Song army?"
"Warhorse."
"Yes, the Song Dynasty is short of horses, but that's not the most important thing. There's another thing missing."
"What?"
"Spirit!"
"Spirit?"
"Yes, the Song Dynasty has been at peace for too long, and everyone from top to bottom has only known pleasure. To prevent rebellion by military generals, they have emphasized civil officials over military officials since the founding of the country. As a result, the soldiers don't know their generals, and the generals don't know their soldiers. This is essentially self-castration. When they encounter a strong enemy, they lack the spirit to fight and win. How can they be invincible?"
Han Shizhong smiled bitterly and said, "I know what you said, but these are all matters of the court. What can the people below do?"
Zhang Shixun nodded. "We are indeed powerless to reverse the situation, but that doesn't mean we should do nothing. We still need to prepare for a rainy day and do as much as we can."
Han Shizhong patted his chest and said, "Tell me, what do you want me to do? Just say the word and I'll rebel."
Zhang Shixun laughed. "Uncle, you're too serious. I have no intention of rebelling, nor do I need to. The sky of the Song Dynasty will collapse by next year at the latest. Before the edifice collapses, we must make some preparations. Even if we can't turn the tide, we can at least prevent the people from suffering."
"Yes! I'll listen to you."
"You must train the cavalry well. This is the top priority."
"Don't worry, I can do it... Oh, and this time we seized nearly three hundred war horses from Toushouhua. This guy is really good. He actually amassed so many war horses. With two horses to his name, he can be gone in a flash, whether he's looting or escaping. No wonder Liang Fangping couldn't defeat him."
Zhang Shixun smiled and said, "We have 300 captured war horses. Pick them out. Keep the good ones and hand over half of the bad ones to He Ji. The logistics and supplies are also very important."
"I was just about to tell you that I've already selected over 200 horses... Commander, is it time to expand my cavalry?"
"Let's just ride two horses each for now. Don't rush to expand the team right now. Those people in the imperial court are watching us closely."
"good!"
The First Army marched slowly. In the afternoon, Zhang Shixun ordered to change the route and advance towards Chenliu.
This military order left the generals confused.
Aren't you going to Yongqiu? What are you going to Chenliu for?
It's like going around half a circle.
However, despite being puzzled, no one dared to ask more questions.
In the evening, the First Army arrived at Chenliu Town and set up camp outside the town.
When the whole army was preparing to cook, Zhang Shixun called Han Shizhong, changed into casual clothes, left the barracks and headed towards Chenliu Town.
Han Shizhong couldn't help but ask, "Shixun, what are we doing in Chenliu Town?"
Zhang Shixun winked at him and said, "You'll know in a moment."
After arriving in the town, Zhang Shixun strolled to a restaurant in the town center.
Hei Wuchang stood at the door of the restaurant with his hands behind his back. When he saw Zhang Shixun coming, he took the two of them to a private room on the second floor.
Zhang Shixun seemed a little nervous. He straightened his clothes first, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.
A familiar female voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"Saisai, it's me, Zhang Shixun."
The door of the private room opened with a "whoosh", revealing Ding Dusai's beautiful face.
Zhang Shixun reached out and picked her up, laughing and saying, "Saisai, I missed you so much."
Ding Dusai's pretty face flushed red all of a sudden, and she pushed him hard, "Put me down quickly, my sister-in-law is watching me."
Only then did Zhang Shixun notice that Liang Hongyu was also sitting in the private room.
"Oh! My sister-in-law is here too?"
Liang Hongyu smiled and said, "You only have Saisai in your eyes, how can you see anyone else?"
Zhang Shixun laughed awkwardly and opened the door. "What a coincidence! My uncle is here too."
Han Shizhong walked in boldly, sat down next to Liang Hongyu, and reached out to grab the wine pot. "You can't drink alcohol in the military camp. I'm almost dying of suffocation these days. Drink two bowls first and then talk to my wife."
Liang Hongyu slapped him on the back of his hand and said, "Be careful, this is the strong liquor from Gao Laozhuang. Not to mention two bowls, even one bowl can make you fall down."
"Is it really the liquor from Gao Lao Zhuang?" Han Shizhong was overjoyed.
"Well! Ever since Gao Lao Zhuang wine appeared in the wonderland during the Lantern Festival, it's become hard to find a bottle. The price is getting higher and higher, and it's not easy to buy. This bottle of wine was specially sent by Wang Dong to Saisai."
"Wang Dong is such a strange man. He actually gave wine to a woman." Han Shizhong poured himself half a bowl of wine, sniffed it deeply, and then took a big sip.
Liang Hongyu rolled her eyes at him. "What do you know? Shixun is not at home. Wang Dong knows that his brother-in-law likes to drink, so he brought some wine over for Shixun."
Han Shizhong grumbled, "My brother-in-law is a drunkard. It's such a waste to let him drink such good wine... What a pity!"
Zhang Shixun held Ding Dusai's hand, sat across the table and whispered to her. Their words were filled with endless longing for each other.
The two had only been separated for a month, but it felt like they hadn't seen each other for years and they had endless things to talk about.
"Sir, I heard that your First Army captured Toushouhua alive and killed tens of thousands of rebels. Is that true?"
Zhang Shixun was startled.
Tens of thousands of people?
This is too outrageous.
"Saisai, those are all rumors. We didn't kill that many people, less than a thousand."
"Sir, God is merciful and kind. Although the people we killed were rebels, killing people is always wrong. We should kill as little as possible, and if we can avoid killing at all, we should not kill at all."
Zhang Shixun nodded. "You're right. After all, they are all living beings. If I can show mercy, I will definitely show it."
He recounted the tragic situation in Ranzhuang, and concluded, "Everyone in this village has been harmed by them. They are simply beasts. Killing them is the only way to appease public anger."
Liang Hongyu slammed the table and said, "Well done! He deserves to be killed!"
The four of them chatted for a while, and Liang Hongyu suddenly said, "Recently, there have been a lot of unscrupulous people in the Lotus Pavilion, causing trouble. Especially when Saisai was singing, they booed loudly, making the Lotus Pavilion a mess."
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