A crisp sound broke the silence in the room.

Huang Cheng looked at the smashed teacup on the ground, the congratulations from the court in broad daylight still lingered in his ears.

"What's going on?" He raised his head and looked at the men standing in front of him, "How is it related to Duke Cheng? Why don't we have any information at all?"

A man stepped forward with his head bowed.

"Because they are not allowed to provide aid and have isolated Kaide Prefecture, the news there is relatively isolated," he whispered.

"So what you said is that it's all my fault?" Huang Cheng pointed at himself and said.

The man was so scared that he knelt down.

"Sir, I dare not, I dare not." He kowtowed repeatedly and said.

Others were even more silent.

Huang Cheng took a few deep breaths.

"Speak." He said in a deep voice.

The man knelt on the ground and answered yes.

"It's just as what was said, Ding Dashan and a few others worked together to do it, and they insisted that they received instructions from Duke Cheng," he said.

Huang Cheng sneered.

"Duke Cheng is busy with military affairs and knows who they are," he said.

These military leaders are at most general flags. There are general flags in the entire North as numerous as stars. How could Duke Cheng know so much and even know that there is a secret passage in Kaide Mansion?

Duke Cheng would definitely inquire about these people and events. As long as he inquires, there would be no way that there would be no disturbance, and it would be impossible that he would not know any information at all.

What went wrong?

Huang Cheng stopped.

Zhu Zan.

"Is there any news about the Prince of Chengguo?" he asked in a deep voice.

The man shook his head.

"Not yet," he said.

Huang Cheng sneered.

"Good father and good son, we are two grasshoppers on the same rope," he said, "of course we should work together."

He raised his hand and threw back his sleeves.

"Zhu Zan must be in Kaide Prefecture. Dig deep for me."

The men in the room responded in unison.

…

The wild wind howled in the dead of winter, chilling people to the bone in an instant. However, the densely packed people standing in front of the gate of Kaide City did not show any fear. Instead, their faces flushed and their expressions were excited.

"Have you cleaned up everything inside and outside the city?" Ding Dashan thought of something and turned around to ask.

Army Captain Wang, who was wearing an ill-fitting new military uniform that he had found somewhere, glared at him.

"We've cleaned up the place eight hundred times, and the ground is so clean that people can slip." He said, "Ding Dashan, can you stop being so timid? This guy hasn't even come yet, and you're already so scared. Don't wet your pants when you see the imperial guards and the guerrilla generals."

This made everyone around laugh.

Ding Dashan spat with his face flushed. As the crowd roared with laughter, some people squeezed forward and stood a little further.

Although the action was subtle, Ding Dashan noticed it immediately.

"Mr. Mao, please move back a little. You are trying to steal the limelight again." He glared at a middle-aged military officer with a burly figure and a stern expression and shouted.

Mao Juntou snorted.

"We are both killing the enemy to serve our country, how can this be called stealing the limelight?" he said.

Ding Dashan was about to refute angrily, but Wang Juntou and others stabbed him from behind.

"Coming!" they shouted in a distorted voice.

Ding Dashan tensed up immediately, not caring about the Mao army leaders trying to steal the limelight. He looked up and saw a dense crowd of flags and military parades in front of him, with a loud and majestic sound.

This was the first time they had seen such a scene in their lives. They were so nervous that they didn't dare to say a word.

The troops came very quickly, and when they got closer, they could see flags with various words written on them. Ding Dashan couldn't recognize them all, and didn't bother to look. He just watched the dazzling procession make way in front of the city gate, and a series of high-ranking officers and generals of the Amway Army walked out, including generals of integrity, defense, and guerrilla warfare.

These were people that a small military leader like him could only look up to from afar in the past, but today he came especially for them.

Not only these generals, but also a civil official and a eunuch holding the bright yellow imperial edict.

He received the imperial edict, his name was recorded in history, smoke was rising from the Ding family's ancestral tomb, and Ding Dashan was shaking with excitement.

"Mao Tietou pays respect to His Excellency."

Someone slipped past him and kowtowed to the adults nearby, speaking loudly.

This grandson! If it weren't for the fact that he was also brave enough to kill the enemy, I would have killed him.

Ding Dashan cursed in his heart, but hurried to greet him.

Everything then went according to the pre-arranged plan. The emperor's edict was read out to the crowd, and Ding Dashan and eight other people were rewarded, promoted, and given titles. Their parents and children were also rewarded.

Looking at the military leaders standing in front of people with silly smiles and losing their composure, the generals of the Amway Army were very jealous.

These people acted on their own and didn't know anything about the matter. As a result, they don't get any credit at all.

If it were any other time, they would have tried to seize the credit, but unfortunately this matter was of extraordinary significance. Kaide Prefecture was of vital importance to the emperor, so they did not dare to resort to trickery at this time, let alone recruit these military leaders whose names they could not even remember.

Next, the imperial emissaries visited the soldiers who had killed the enemy and gave them rewards. The dead soldiers were also given generous compensation. After entering the city, they comforted the common people who had escaped death and paid tribute to the prefect and other officials and civilians who had died defending the city. There was a lot of noise and laughter until noon when they went into the government office to rest.

Ding Dashan and seven others put on new official robes and excitedly served in front of Qinchai and other officials. What they talked about was still how much they hated the Jin soldiers, how they planned to kill the enemy, and how they did all this.

"This is the order from Duke Cheng. Is there any correspondence?" a general suddenly asked.

Ding Dashan shook his head.

"There was no correspondence. Duke Cheng sent a messenger." Mao Tietou answered hurriedly.

"The messenger went back after delivering the message." Ding Dashan said hurriedly, unwilling to be left behind.

The general did not pay attention to the dispute between the two and nodded thoughtfully.

That is to say, there is no physical evidence, only verbal testimony.

As long as you have the right tone when speaking, you can say whatever you want.

Qin Cha and others were tired after a long journey, so they chatted for a while before changing clothes and going to rest. However, Ding Dashan and others had no time to rest, as they were asked all sorts of questions by their colleagues who were only half-familiar with them, and were congratulated with jealousy or admiration.

Ding Dashan and others began to talk about the recovery of Kaide Prefecture, but an inconspicuous man suddenly interrupted them.

"Have you ever seen the Prince of Chengguo here?" he asked sinisterly, "Could that messenger be the Prince of Chengguo?"

These sudden words made the noisy hall suddenly quiet down.

The man's eyes scanned the expressions of Ding Dashan and the others. They looked dazed, without the slightest pretense.

"No," they said in a confused voice. "Not at all."

"We have received a wanted order for the son of Duke Cheng, and we have posted it." Military Captain Wang said, "It is impossible that we would not recognize him, and it is even more impossible that we would conceal his crime. Your Excellency, please investigate."

The man asked because he had checked it. He smiled faintly.

"The gold thief has been driven away. You gentlemen should also keep this matter in mind," he said, "so as not to disrupt military affairs and national laws and shake people's hearts."

Ding Dashan and others hurriedly stood up and responded.

…

As night fell, Qinchai and others left the city. Kaide Prefecture did not hold any grand rewards or banquets. The city was still guarded and the sentries performed their duties.

Ding Dashan and others walked into a barracks and looked at Lao Jiu and others in the room.

"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Ding Dashan asked.

"What? You still want us to help you defend the city?" asked Lao Jiu.

This guy is good in every way except that he always speaks in a vexing way... However, at this moment, Ding Dashan and others would not be dissatisfied with his attitude.

"We just felt that we were in too much of a hurry." Ding Dashan said, rubbing his hands, his face flushed, "What's more, you got nothing..."

"What we deserve will naturally go somewhere." Lao Jiu interrupted him.

This man spoke so directly and directly that Ding Dashan had no choice but to stop being polite.

"Oh, right." He suddenly thought of something and looked at Lao Jiu, "Do you know the prince of Chengguo?"

"Of course I know him." Lao Jiu answered immediately, "Prince Chengguo is so young, but he has the talent to govern the country and maintain peace. He is a talented and handsome man with a kind heart, a righteous spirit, and a wise and brave young man. Who wouldn't know him?"

Ding Dashan and others were stunned.

Isn't it a bit too much?