Jing Zhe did not agree with what the soldiers guarding the city said, but he did not refute it either. When he left, they would know how correct he was!
At this point, I was still curious and wanted to verify whether the old man's words were true or false.
So he asked, "Is General Jinghong truly unharmed?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers who had just been somewhat amiable towards him out of consideration for his simple nature instantly glared at him.
The other soldiers nearby also surrounded him, glaring at him angrily, much more so than the old man had reacted earlier.
Hanhan quickly stepped in front of Jing Zhe: Hehe, so it's finally my turn to protect the young chieftain? Come on, let's get started!
Seeing Hanhan's eager expression, as if he couldn't wait for someone to make a move, Jing Zhe was speechless and really wanted to kick him.
He reached out and pulled him aside, then laughed and said, "Don't get excited. I only heard it from someone else in another place. I didn't believe it at the time, so I came all the way to Liangzhou to see for myself! How could our incomparably brave General Jinghong be injured?"
Hearing this, the soldiers guarding the city finally relaxed a lot.
"We hope we don't run into those people who spread rumors and cause trouble, or we'll make them pay!"
Someone said through gritted teeth.
"Our General Jinghong is incredibly brave, how could he be injured?"
"It's also possible that the Holy Maiden of Yueyao Kingdom was injured, and some people saw it and mistakenly thought that General Jinghong was injured?"
At this moment, one of the officers and soldiers analyzed the situation.
"Hmm, that seems possible!"
The other officers and soldiers echoed his sentiments.
Perhaps seeing Jing Zhe's bewildered expression, one of the soldiers explained, "Because the Yueyao Kingdom suddenly visited, they fought with the Western Barbarians outside the city for a long time. The Holy Maiden of Yueyao Kingdom also suffered some minor injuries in the fight with the Western Barbarians, but it's nothing serious. Moreover, the Holy Maiden of Yueyao Kingdom's attire is somewhat similar to General Jinghong's, so perhaps some uninformed outsider saw her and went outside the city saying that General Jinghong was injured, which is quite possible!"
"Oh, I see!"
Jing Zhe was overjoyed: "That's wonderful, that's wonderful!"
Hearing that his fifth sister was alright, Jing Zhe felt relieved. It seemed that this trip to Liangzhou was much easier than he had imagined. After leaving some more hand grenades, he would take Liu Jinghong back to Jingzhou for the New Year!
...
After bidding farewell to the soldiers guarding the city, Jing Zhe and Hanhan walked in from outside the city gate. The scene inside Liangzhou City was beyond Jing Zhe's expectations.
Jing Zhe had previously imagined that Liangzhou City, located on the far western border of Anguo, would be a desolate and dilapidated place, with a harsh climate, yellow sand covering the area outside the city, and bordering Xijiangguo.
But once he entered the city, he discovered that although the city's scenery was not comparable to that of Jingzhou, it was not far from Yongzhou and Jinxi, which he had visited before. The streets were lined with vendors, and there was a constant stream of pedestrians, creating a prosperous scene.
However, just like what we saw outside the city, most of the pedestrians inside the city were elderly people, children, and women, with very few young men.
Occasionally, a few people would be seen, saying things like "It's starting" or "Hurry up and go over there," before running away, leaving Jing Zhe somewhat confused.
After walking for a while, Jing Zhe discovered that the liveliness of Liangzhou City was not limited to the main street just inside the city entrance, but was also present in most of the other side streets, with numerous shops, especially blacksmith shops.
"Silly boy, why do I feel like Liangzhou is more prosperous than Yongzhou?"
"Of course, after all, General Jinghong is here!"
"..."
The moment Hanhan opened his mouth with a compliment, Jing Zhe was taken aback. After a moment of stunned silence, he said, "My fifth sister isn't here. Who are you trying to flatter?"
"Uh...Young Chieftain, I'm telling the truth!"
So Hanhan explained that, due to its terrain and climate, Liangzhou City's land was mostly sandy soil, unsuitable for growing crops like rice, resulting in very low yields. Therefore, the people of Liangzhou were not wealthy, and the grains they grew were just enough to feed themselves. The people of Liangzhou had not had an easy life before.
Furthermore, due to the frequent incursions by the barbarians of the Western Frontier, the Liangzhou garrison commanders would eventually have to provide grain to the Western Frontier to quell the war. Therefore, the imperial court would allocate a considerable amount of grain every year. This grain was plentiful, but it was all used to send to the Western Frontier.
Until Liu Jinghong appeared, the Western Barbarians could no longer conquer Liangzhou as easily as before. They would not give them grain so easily, but would exchange it for Western Barbarian goods such as cattle, sheep, furs, and cotton.
The imperial court always provided a considerable amount of grain, which Liu Jinghong distributed to the people. In the summer, when the weather was fine, people from the western frontier would often come to the city to exchange grain with the people of Liangzhou.
After this back and forth, the lives of the people of Liangzhou improved more and more. Merchants from other cities even came here to buy supplies from the Western Frontier, which led to the proliferation of shops in Liangzhou.
Moreover, although Liangzhou does not produce grain, it is rich in iron ore and has many blacksmith shops. Many weapons in other cities of Anguo are produced in Liangzhou. As a result, it is understandable that Liangzhou's economy is better than Yongzhou's.
...
After hearing Hanhan's explanation, Jing Zhe finally understood.
Liangzhou is somewhat similar to a commercial hub between Anguo and Xijiang. Liangzhou is responsible for exchanging grain with goods from Xijiang and then selling them to other cities in Anguo, so the people there live a good life.
The barbarians of the Western Frontier naturally disliked this exchange method. Compared to before, when they could simply rob, this truly demonstrated Liu Jinghong's prowess.
As long as the Jinghong Iron Cavalry remains in Liangzhou, the Western Frontier barbarians will no longer be able to invade the city; at most, they will just put on a show outside the city!
"Sigh, I thought this trip to Liangzhou would be a timely help for Fifth Sister, but it turns out it's just adding insult to injury!"
Jing Zhe chuckled self-deprecatingly, then asked passersby for directions to Liu Jinghong's residence, and led Hanhan there.
After walking for less than fifteen minutes, a large mansion appeared before them. It was called a mansion only because it was larger than the ordinary houses around it.
A plaque hung above the mansion, bearing the three large characters "General's Mansion." Two iron-clad cavalrymen stood guard outside the gate, perhaps because they were relatively relaxed, and were talking amongst themselves.
"What do you think the general was thinking? Why did he agree to it?"
"So what if she agreed? She just wants to get married!"
"Do you think the general might be using this as a way to select elite cavalry?"
"That's possible! Everyone who participates in the competition must have some skills. Those who are eliminated can be further evaluated!"
"Brothers of the Iron Cavalry, I'm looking for General Jinghong!"
At this moment, Jing Zhe walked over and asked.
He was quite curious about what the two were talking about, "getting married," but his immediate priority was to go to the mansion to find Liu Jinghong.
"Our general has gone to a martial arts contest to find a wife!"
The cavalryman didn't turn around, but casually remarked.
"..."
————
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