When it was said that Duke Cheng had arrived, the conversation stopped.

"And then?"

A girl shouted anxiously.

At noon in early winter, under the big tree at the entrance of Zhangqingshan Village, straw and dry grass were piled on the big bluestone. This is a year-round custom for the elderly to sit on it and bask in the sun.

This is also the favorite gathering place for the villagers in winter. At this time, there are many people standing or squatting under the big tree, but the one sitting on the big bluestone is not an old man from the village, but the shopkeeper of Deshengchang in Qingyuan Prefecture.

What he was telling everyone was the siege of Xiongzhou that took place a few days ago. He spoke this in one breath, then took a sip from the small teapot to moisten his throat.

Liu'er couldn't wait to urge him on.

"Then of course it was Duke Cheng who repelled the two thousand gold thieves, lifted the siege of Xiongzhou, and saved the people." Miss Jun, who was sitting on a wooden stool nearby, said with a smile.

The shopkeeper smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Duke Cheng is definitely invincible." He said with a bit of pride, "We all know it in the North."

He said this and looked around, hoping to get the approval of his fellow villagers.

Lei Zhonglian and his guards are all from other places, so they may not have a very deep feeling for Duke Cheng. Only the people living in the north know him best and are most grateful.

But the scene was quiet. The villagers standing or squatting around him looked calm, as if they didn't hear what he said.

Are the mountain people here too isolated?

The shopkeeper was stunned.

But now it is wartime, and life is different from before. The victory or defeat of Duke Cheng will determine everyone's life and death.

He sighed.

"Fortunately, Duke Cheng arrived in time, otherwise Xiongzhou City would be finished. You know, more than half of the people in Xiongzhou are hiding in the city. When the gold thieves pass through, they will burn, kill, and loot everything, and they will massacre the whole village and the whole city at will." He continued, "The lives of the people are one thing, but more importantly, the location of Xiongzhou is too critical."

As he spoke, he drew a few lines on the ground with a branch.

"Here are Baozhou, Mozhou, Bazhou, and Xiongzhou..."

“This is the wrong location.”

A villager suddenly spoke up, interrupting the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper was stunned. What's wrong?

A smile appeared on Miss Jun's lips. She coughed lightly, then pulled out a straw from the bluestone and tapped it on the location of Baozhou in the shopkeeper's painting.

"That's wrong. Baozhou is here." She said, and drew another circle on the ground.

Ah? Oh, is it here? He has been to Baozhou, but there is a difference between knowing the route and drawing the exact location of a place. Otherwise, why are maps so rare?

No matter how rare it is, the Fang family must have it, so it’s not surprising that Miss Jun has seen it.

But that villager...

The shopkeeper was a little stunned.

"Xiongzhou is in a very important location, but it wasn't easy for Duke Cheng to rush over and save Xiongzhou this time, right?" Miss Jun suddenly asked.

This made the shopkeeper suddenly realize what was going on and he threw the thought aside.

"Yes, yes." He said hurriedly, and then sighed, "Duke Cheng had a very tough time getting here. There were ambushes in front and pursuits behind. Many people advised us not to go to rescue him. We were most afraid that Xiongzhou would have fallen after we went there. Not to mention the useless work, the exhausted Duke Cheng would be beaten by the gold thieves who occupied the city."

Liu'er nodded repeatedly after hearing this. Lei Zhonglian and other guards were also nervous and excited. Although they were escorting convoys, it was different from fighting on the battlefield.

Men, especially those who practice martial arts, always have a bloodthirsty and warlike nature.

"How did he kill him?" Miss Jun asked curiously.

The legends of Duke Cheng's conquests all happened ten years ago. As a child, she didn't care much about those distant stories, especially after meeting Duke Cheng.

The Duke of Cheng, who was sitting in the study wearing a royal blue cotton robe, had a face that was not fair and delicate, but a gentle and humble air due to his faint smile. He was taller than the common civil servants in the court, but he was not a heroic man like the fierce Zhang Fei described in the books.

He looks like a scholar.

"Of course, Duke Cheng is also a scholar." Her father answered her doubts, "To be a good general, you must have read a lot of books."

I never thought that I would be able to hear Duke Cheng fight in person. Of course, no one expected this to happen.

But everyone does like the story of Duke Cheng fighting in battles. The kind of story about someone being able to fight his way out of despair is both inspiring and comforting.

The shopkeeper took a few sips of tea again, cleared his throat and was about to speak.

"The foal is about to be born."

A child suddenly shouted from a distance.

The horses Liu'er wanted had been delivered smoothly some time ago, and there were also a few mares. The shopkeeper was thinking that farmers always had to raise something, so raising cows and pigs, or horses was also acceptable.

The villagers were delighted at the arrival of the horses and treated them as treasures.

When they heard that the pony was about to disembark, the people gathered under the big tree stood up in a loud noise.

"So soon?"

"Isn't it tomorrow?"

"Is it okay? Is it dangerous?"

"What are you afraid of? It's not like I haven't taken care of horses before. I have Lao Liu here."

Everyone ran towards the stable, chatting and laughing. In a blink of an eye, only Miss Jun and her group were left under the big tree.

The shopkeeper looked stunned.

"But, I want to tell the story of the Duke of Cheng fighting against the gold thieves who besieged the city..." he murmured.

Is it not as attractive as giving birth to a pony?

A few elderly men who were walking slowly heard his mumbling and turned their heads to look.

"War is nothing more than the same things." An old man said, "There's nothing strange about it."

War is nothing more than those things?

What things?

Not surprising? They said it as if they had seen many wars.

The shopkeeper stared at the group of people as they walked away.

These people may have actually seen wars, Miss Jun thought. They called themselves soldiers, possessed weapons, and arranged formations, not to mention the armor, weapons, and formations in the master's hand.

What are their origins? What is their past? And why are they living in seclusion here? It certainly cannot be because of Zhao Hanqing's illness.

"Oh, don't worry about them." Liu Er urged, "Go on, how did Duke Cheng defeat those gold thieves who besieged the city? Is he really that powerful?"

As long as Miss Jun likes to listen, it doesn't matter whether these people listen or not. The shopkeeper regained his spirit and told in a rhythmic manner how Duke Cheng led the soldiers to deploy the troops and how they fought against the gold thieves in the wild. Although they had a long journey and fought all the way, they were still as swift as a tiger descending from the mountains and repelled the gold thieves step by step. In the end, Emperor Cang fled.

Liu'er, Lei Zhonglian and others listened attentively. Miss Jun also seemed to see the scene of the battle. Duke Cheng sat in the circle. Although he did not kill the enemy himself, the soldiers were like his right and left hands. They attacked and retracted according to his arrangements, and shattered the enemy's armor and courage with one sword after another.

The setting sun was as red as blood. Miss Jun raised her head and looked at the sun which had already appeared on the top of the mountain at some point in time.

“It sounds easy and beautiful, but it’s not easy,” she said to herself.

The shopkeeper nodded and sighed.

"The war is getting more intense." He whispered and glanced at the mountain village.

In the distance, cows were wagging their tails and slowly following the shepherd boy back home. Smoke was rising from the kitchen and there was a cheer from the village because a foal was born.

Compared to the outside world, this place is like a paradise.

As time went on, the war became more intense. In many prosperous and bustling northern provinces, businesses had ceased, stores were closed, villages and fields were abandoned, people fled to their relatives and friends, and the wealthy fled south with their families.

But only a few people can head south. Many people find it difficult to leave their homeland, and they have no money to leave. Everyone is waiting for Duke Cheng to drive away the gold thieves, so that the north can return to stability and prosperity as before.

"I believe Cheng Guogong can do it."

Standing in the forest, Miss Jun said, releasing the bow and arrow in her hand.

With a buzzing sound, the simple homemade feather arrow landed steadily on the straw target.

Zhao Hanqing said "oh". Duke Cheng didn't feel anything about what she said. Just like all the villagers here, he didn't care about the war outside. He pulled out the arrow and threw it back.

"Do it again," she said seriously.