On the night of the great victory at Guancheng, the Ninth Prince led his troops back from Kaifeng via a detour.
Seeing Le Zhengming standing at the gate of the military camp to greet him, he immediately dismounted, patted the other's shoulder and laughed, and praised the bravery and fearlessness of the frontier soldiers.
The friendlier he acted, the more wary Le Zhengming became. He bluntly bowed and said, "Your Highness, I received your letter requesting assistance and immediately dispatched troops to rescue you, but we were ambushed by the Jie people. It seems they had already discovered my movements. I suspect there is a spy in our army, colluding with the Jie people..."
The Ninth Prince raised his hand, interrupting Le Zhengming's words, and waved his sleeves nonchalantly.
Then two soldiers brought up Xu Hui, who was tied up, and forced him to his knees on the ground.
Xu Hui, who had never expected that he would be used as a scapegoat by the Ninth Prince, looked at Le Zhengming and thought of how he had once knelt before him and vowed to be forever loyal to his country and the people, but had lost himself in the desire for power and betrayed his original intention. He couldn't help but shed tears of regret.
But he now has no way to retreat. His parents, wife and children are all in the hands of the Ninth Prince. If he doesn't die, his entire family will die.
"General Le Zheng, it was because I was greedy for power and was bewildered that I colluded with the Jie people to harm you. I deserve to die." He gritted his teeth and took all the blame, then slammed his head to the ground.
There was a dull thud, accompanied by a slight tremor, and then a pool of blood spread from around Xu Hui's head. He knelt before Le Zhengming and all the soldiers, dying in front of him. He confessed his crime and accepted his punishment.
Huai Lao Er and the others had originally hated him to death, but seeing him leave so decisively, they gritted their teeth and turned their heads away, feeling a surge of pity in their hearts. After all, this man was a brother who had lived and died with them...
Le Zhengming had anticipated Xu Hui's swift death, but he didn't stop him. When someone makes such a ruthless choice, one should be prepared to bear all the consequences.
However, when the blood covered the ground, staining it crimson, the ice on his face quickly melted. He gently pulled the little curly-haired girl standing beside him into his arms, covered her eyes with his big palms, and coaxed her softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Zhuang Li grabbed the corner of Le Zhengming's robe, nodded obediently, and took small steps to get into his arms, looking as weak as a lost animal.
7480 thought of the host smearing the blood of the dead on his face and carrying corpses onto his body, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly: Damn big devil, pretending to be sweet in front of Le Zhengming again. Ugh!
The Ninth Prince lowered his eyes to look at Xu Hui's already stiff body, shook his head and sighed, "For a little power, he betrayed his comrades and abandoned his country and people. This man truly deserves to die. Come, drag his body out. General Le Zheng, are you satisfied with my treatment?"
Le Zhengming pulled the little curly-haired boy behind him, bowed slightly, and said nothing. Betraying his comrades and abandoning his country and his people—wasn't that what the Ninth Prince himself was saying?
I would rather betray the world than have the world betray me. The Ninth Prince's character is even more vicious than Le Zhengming imagined.
"Cousin, long time no see. How have you been recently?" The Ninth Prince shifted his indifferent gaze from Le Zhengming to Zhuang Li.
Zhuang Li also bowed slightly without saying anything.
He didn't realize that his every move was imitating his lover's. When two people are together for a long time, their eyes, expressions, movements, and preferences will gradually become similar. This is what the old saying means "couple look alike."
Seeing the young man with the same expression, movements, and even clothing as Le Zhengming, the Ninth Prince's eyes darkened, and he gave up the idea of winning him over. How long had it been? Zhuang Li and Le Zhengming had already developed an extraordinary rapport, and it was likely difficult to alienate them.
Well, let’s leave it at that.
Thinking of this, the Ninth Prince summoned all the soldiers and said he wanted to discuss military and national affairs.
Zhuang Li has no official position yet and can only stand outside and wait.
The sky is twinkling with stars, embellishing the night sky with extraordinary beauty. However, the number of people who died on this continent is probably more than the stars in the sky.
Zhuang Li looked up at the starry sky, his eyes gleaming with determination. War certainly kills many, but without war, how could this land ever achieve peace? Kindness and weakness will never stop the killing; only killing can end the killing.
Everything he will do in the future may make this land even more devastated, but after the short-term pain, it will be followed by the spring when all things revive.
He wants to change the world and protect this land because his lover is the god of this land.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Li couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you thinking about that makes you so happy?" A gentle voice came from behind him. Then, a handsome young man slowly stepped forward and said with a smile, "You deceived my father and me so badly. Who could have guessed that the arrogant and unlettered Young Marquis Zhuang was actually a genius with countless wisdom and strategies?"
"You won the Battle of Guandu beautifully," the young man turned his head to look at Zhuang Li and asked in a low voice, "I just wonder if you can handle the Mongols?"
His face was full of pure curiosity, as if he was just asking casually and without any malicious intent.
Zhuang Li looked back at him without flinching, the corners of his lips curled slightly: "Will you know after the fight?"
Zhuang Xu clapped his hands lightly and said with admiration, "What courage! For all these years, Dad and I were completely unaware of your disguise. At what age did you start to be wary of us?"
Zhuang Li tapped his solar plexus and smiled mysteriously, "I said I was born knowing this, do you believe me?"
Zhuang Xu had never expected Zhuang Li to say something so shocking. How could it be possible to be born knowing everything? Did he think he was a saint?
Perhaps tired of such probing, Zhuang Li shook his head and chuckled, turning to leave, only to find Zhuang Ran standing five meters away, looking at him with a gloomy gaze. He had obviously heard what had just been said, and his face was filled with obvious astonishment.
Zhuang Li nodded and smiled at the other party, then took a detour.
Zhuang Ran stood there stiffly for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse voice, "The Princess is right. Zhuang Li is truly extraordinary. He didn't rush over to fight me with red eyes, nor did he accuse me with tears, nor did he pretend to ignore me. In terms of character, he's slightly better than you."
Zhuang Ran looked at his beloved son with a gloomy expression and asked, "If you were Zhuang Li, could you smile so gently and naturally when you saw me?"
Zhuang Xu's face paled as he mentally contemplated the situation. He couldn't do it. Not only that, he would have collapsed long ago.
Ever since he was little, he'd felt that he was smarter and more capable than Zhuang Li, and that he was his father's favorite, so he'd always harbored a hidden sense of superiority. But now, when he suddenly realized that Zhuang Li wasn't truly stupid, but was merely pretending to be, and had been fooling him for years, that sense of superiority turned into the deepest irony.
Zhuang Xu covered his chest, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Zhuang Ran gently patted his son's shoulder, silently comforting him.
Just at this moment, Le Zhengming walked out of the Ninth Prince's tent holding a big knife, followed by a large group of people. All of them had red eyes and smoke coming out of their heads. It was obvious that they were very angry.
Through the swaying curtains, Zhuang Ran noticed that the Ninth Prince's desk had been split in two, with pens, ink, paper, and inkstone scattered across the floor. It seemed that Le Zheng, in his rage, had resorted to knife-wielding.
"The matter in Jin has been settled." Zhuang Ran said in an inaudible voice, "Don't worry, Xu'er. Zhuang Li will die soon."
"I want to fight him with real weapons." Zhuang Xu raised his head, his eyes were red, and his inner demon was aroused by unwillingness.
"Don't say such angry words. If you can kill the enemy without bloodshed, why do it yourself? You are porcelain and he is rubble. How can he compare with you?" Zhuang Ran comforted his son very patiently, but he didn't know how funny these words would be if they were spoken out.
The eldest princess was a royal daughter, and her child had half royal blood, but in Zhuang Ran's eyes, he was not even as good as the illegitimate son of a foot-washing maid.
---
When Le Zhengming returned to the tent, Zhuang Li was quickly flipping through piles of books, trying to understand everything about this land as quickly as possible.
"Is it settled?" he asked without looking up.
"It's settled." Le Zhengming placed the broadsword on the table and said in a deep voice, "As you said, the angrier and more unwilling I became, the more the Ninth Prince insisted on sending me to rescue the State of Jin. To this end, he even requested the Emperor's Imperial Sword and allowed me to take all my personal soldiers with me. We will set out in three days."
"Then let's play with the gun for a while, and then we can get ready." Zhuang Li put the book aside and smiled interestedly.
"Playing with guns?" Le Zhengming was stunned.
"Yeah, don't you want to play?" Zhuang Li stood up and slowly untied his belt.
Le Zhengming hesitated for a moment before he said helplessly, "Let's play for a while." He walked to the weapon rack, pulled out a long spear, and wielded it with great vigor.
Zhuang Li, who had already taken off his outer robe and was about to take off his underwear, said: "..."
7480, who knew how much the host loved playing with guns: “…Hahaha.” The broken arm didn’t seem to hurt so much anymore!
Zhuang Li stood there for a long moment before slowly sitting back down, his chin in his hand as he smiled at his lover who was deliberately showing off his fighting prowess. If he was asked to play with a gun, he would actually play with it. Although a little unromantic, it was also a little too adorable.
Le Zhengming was so excited by the little curly-haired boy's gaze that he played absentmindedly for a while before impatiently asking, "Can we settle down now?"
Zhuang Li slapped the table and laughed out loud, teasing: "Silly boy, what I mean by playing with guns is the same as what you mean by placing them. Do you only have one gun on you?" As he spoke, his eyes slid down to someone.
Le Zhengming followed his gaze downward, his ears instantly burning red. He gritted his teeth, then curled his lips, unsure whether to be angry or amused. Finally, he casually tossed his rifle aside, strode over to the table, slinging Curly onto his shoulder, and hurried into the inner room. "I'll play with you."
His hoarse voice was swallowed by Zhuang Li's passionate kiss.
---
Le Zhengming's 150,000 personal soldiers successfully crossed the border and arrived in Yecheng, Jin State.
The Jin monarch, like the new emperor, was ruthless and murderous, with no other virtues. All the loyal and good people around him were killed, and those who remained were those with ulterior motives and despicable deeds.
All the brave and capable generals of Jin were killed by him under various pretexts, and the people who helped him defend the country were all foreigners.
The different ethnic groups would also devour each other, the victors would continue to capture cities and territories, while the defeated would seek refuge in the nearest country. The Han people and the other ethnic groups were clearly divided, but they also integrated with each other. This is the most chaotic era, but also an era of continuity and progress.
In order to resist the 150,000 Mongolian cavalry, the monarch of Jin State assembled an army of 450,000 people. It seemed that the army was powerful, but the problem was that these 450,000 people were composed of remnants of various ethnic groups, large and small. They were not loyal to Jin State at all and were very wild and difficult to tame.
Such a ragtag army would probably be quickly defeated and killed by the Mongols on the battlefield.
Therefore, the Jin monarch placed all his hopes of victory on the 150,000 personal soldiers brought by Le Zhengming. If Le Zhengming could defeat the Mongols, he would have a great advantage.
After reviewing the topographical map and relevant battle reports, Zhuang Li stated firmly, "We are only responsible for commanding your army and will not contribute a single soldier. You can fight, but none of our comrades must die."
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