Chapter 56: A Thousand Miles Away “Don’t do it, don’t do it!”
On the third day after Zhao Yan and Yong Shaolan returned to Yongcheng, the truth about Emperor Yuanwu's death spread throughout Yongzhou. Wen Quan and Xuan Ji then set out from Yongcheng with a 30,000-man force, under the pretext of "purging the imperial court," and captured three cities in a single day.
Yong Shaolan issued an order, ordering the soldiers not to harm the civilians after breaking into the city, but to distribute the accompanying military rations.
In this way, their road to "rebellion" became much smoother.
But things naturally can't go so smoothly.
On the tenth day of the expedition, the 100,000 troops sent by Yujing arrived at Hulang Pass outside Yongcheng. With the enemy outnumbering us, we naturally couldn't act rashly.
The Liaodong army besieged the city for more than a month. When the food and grass in the city were exhausted, they sent envoys to negotiate. Finally, the Guanyang prefect who was responsible for defending Hulang Pass surrendered.
In the winter of that year, the Liaodong Army successfully met up with the Jinling Army in Guanyang.
The Liaodong Army was stationed in a densely populated county in Guanyang Prefecture. Guanyang surrounded Yujing, which was only a few hundred miles away. With the Liaodong Army now linked up with the Jinling Army, it was only a matter of time before they captured Yujing.
The military camp was stationed in the county town, so Yong Shaolan and Zhao Yan lived in the government office in the county town.
At noon that day, a chill fell outside Guanyang, and the soldiers responsible for the siege had rested. The battle had been going very well for the past month, and now, with a sudden heavy snowfall, it was the perfect time to reward the soldiers. Since ancient times, military pay has been paramount in marching and fighting, and the source of this pay came from the widespread killing and looting after the siege. However, since they were not allowed to kill or plunder during the march, the commander had to pay for it himself.
Fortunately, Liaodong has been storing grain all year round, so there is no need to worry about food.
Xuanji braved the heavy snow to arrive at the government office. As soon as he entered the main hall, he found his prince standing in front of the map: "Prince, I have just settled the soldiers and am late."
"No problem," Yong Shaolan turned around and brushed the snow off Xuanji's shoulders. "The hundreds of sheep we brought back from Liaodong are so cold today, so we'll kill them and make some mutton soup. I'll give each of you ten taels of silver and let you rest for a few days. Once we completely capture Guanyang, we'll reward you according to your merits."
Xuanji: "I obey your command."
Xuanji then recalled the incident yesterday when the Duke of Wei sent someone to surrender. She searched her body and found the letter: "Your Highness, someone from Yujing came yesterday. They were guards from the Duke of Wei's family. Here is the letter."
Duke Weiguo was a notorious fence-sitter. Xuanji remembered that he had a hand in Zhao Cheng's usurpation of the throne. Now that he saw that Zhao Cheng's situation was hopeless, he came to join them.
"Well," Yong Shaolan accepted the letter without making any statement: "Go ahead."
After noon, the mutton soup was ready, and Wenquan brought two bowls of hot mutton soup to the county government office.
Yong Shaolan handed the letter he had read to Wen Quan: "Write a reply and send it to Yujing."
Under the current circumstances, Zhao Cheng will definitely investigate anyone around him who has the intention of betraying him. Once this letter is sent to Yujing, the person who sent it will definitely be executed.
What his prince meant was a major "cleansing" of Yujing.
Wenquan nodded, took the letter and left the county government office.
Yong Shaolan carried the food tray to Zhao Yan's room and found that the boy was still reading.
Since following Yong Shaolan to fight, Zhao Yan began to study seriously. Wen Quan was his teacher. In addition to reading some ancient books, he also had to study some military books every day.
Get up at six o'clock every day and rest at ten o'clock.
Zhao Yan rubbed his sleepy eyelids, closed the book in his hand, stood up, took the food tray from Yong Shaolan's hand and placed it on the table. He didn't pay attention to what delicious food Yong Shaolan brought him. He just hooked his arm around Yong Shaolan's neck and kissed him: "It's been almost half a month since we last met. I want to kiss you."
Yong Shaolan often went to the front line to command, and would be gone for half a month. Yong Shaolan said that the front line was not safe and would not let Zhao Yan go, so Zhao Yan could only follow obediently at the back of the base camp.
Yong Shaolan responded to the boy's kiss, pried open his lips, and held his wet tongue. After the kiss, he rubbed Zhao Yan's head and said, "Eat, there's meat today."
When going out to fight, Yong Shaolan would eat whatever the soldiers ate, and Zhao Yan naturally did not want to be an exception. For half a month, he ate only dry biscuits and rice soup, and occasionally some pickles, but they were all given by local people.
Zhao Yan nodded and opened the food drawer. Inside were two cups of steaming mutton soup. Large pieces of rib meat took up more than half of the pottery jar. "Wow, it just happened to snow today. It's so cold, eating this will warm me up."
Zhao Yan took out the pottery jar and looked up at Yong Shaolan: "Is this made especially for me, or is everyone eating this?"
Yong Shaolan handed the spoon to Zhao Yan and said, "It's not suitable to send troops on a snowy day. Since we have nothing better to do, let them slaughter the sheep they brought with them."
“Both.”
"Okay, then do you have any money?" Zhao Yan knew that Yong Shaolan had been paying for the military pay since the troops were dispatched. He had no money before and could not help Yong Shaolan. Now that the Jinling Army and the Liaodong Army have joined forces, if Yong Shaolan is short of money, he can ask his uncle for a loan: "If it's not enough, I'll ask my uncle for a loan."
"The Jinling Army is already struggling to take care of itself," Yong Shaolan said as he took some mutton out of his bowl and placed it in Zhao Yan's. "Where do you think those tens of thousands of Jinling Army soldiers came from?"
"The Jinling Tiger Tally is in Zhao Cheng's hands. Your uncle is a recruited militiaman. He fought all the way here, but he had to worry about his reputation and couldn't massacre the city. I'm afraid he's short of money."
"The military pay is sufficient, so there's no need to worry."
Zhao Yan blushed and sipped the soup: "Okay, then it's up to you..."
"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do to help you."
Yong Shaolan: “…”
Zhao Yan had big eyes but a small stomach. He was full after eating two bites of meat and drinking half a bowl of soup. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his belly: "I'm so full...!"
Yong Shaolan's gaze fell from the boy's face to his waist and abdomen. He took a sip of the soup and said lightly, "Yes."
"Ah..." Zhao Yan was puzzled. "What?"
Yong Shaolan: "I'll come back and stay tonight."
Zhao Yan: “…”
My chest has started to hurt.
…
At midnight, the snow still showed no sign of stopping. Inside the county government office's side rooms, a fierce wind blew snowflakes against the window frames.
At the desk, Zhao Yan carefully wrote down the notes of the book he read today and handed them to Wen Quan, who was sitting across from him. "Please take a look, sir."
Wenquan has been Yong Shaolan's study partner since childhood and is very knowledgeable. When Zhao Yan proposed to study, Yong Shaolan asked Wenquan to guide him in his studies every day, and Xuanji was responsible for teaching him physical education. However, because the front line was too busy, Xuanji had no time, so Wenquan taught him everything.
"Your Highness is too polite." The example Wenquan gave was an emperor of the previous dynasty who was adopted as the emperor and had a dispute with his civil and military ministers over who he should recognize as his father.
Zhao Yan’s answer was to recognize his own father.
In fact, he didn't understand what was so good about arguing about such a thing. Both fathers were dead, so it didn't matter who he recognized. He thought that the group of ministers who were pressuring him were a bit pedantic. Rules are dead, but people are alive. Why should they stick to the rules?
Wen Quan carefully examined Zhao Yan's defense. It wasn't because Zhao Yan's writing was profound and difficult to understand, but because his handwriting was too ugly. Dayan used small seal script, but Zhao Yan didn't know much of it, so most of it was simplified characters.
Wenquan patiently explained, "Your Highness's views are quite insightful. Rituals distinguish between the noble and the humble, order the close and distant, regulate all things, and govern all affairs. Without names, they cannot be understood, and without instruments, they cannot be practiced. Names are used to designate things, and instruments are used to distinguish them. Only then can the upper and lower classes have a harmonious relationship. This is the fundamental principle of ritual."
Zhao Yan pursed his lips and said, "Well, please explain it in simple terms, sir."
Wenquan: "Okay... What I mean is that without rules, there will be no order. If etiquette is easily broken, rituals and music will collapse, and future generations will probably follow suit."
Zhao Yan understood this time, but he didn't quite agree: "This kind of thing is not a very important matter. Good rules can naturally be followed, and bad things also need to be broken, for example..."
One only regrets not having read enough when one needs it. Zhao Yan did remember some of the history of his own world, but he didn't remember anything about the fictional history in the book. "Anyway, I don't think it matters if I acknowledge my father. If they force me to, then I'll do it."
Wenquan: "...What if it's my mother?"
Zhao Yan: “…”
People can't even empathize with themselves from the previous second.
Zhao Yan lowered his head in dismay: "But the master didn't ask about my mother just now, he just said he wanted to recognize my father. But if it's my mother, I must give her a title."
Wen Quan smiled and said, "If this matter falls on your Highness, what should you do?"
Zhao Yan couldn't figure it out, and just at this moment, Yong Shaolan, who had left in the afternoon, rushed back and knocked on the door.
Wen Quan tidied up his desk and said, "Your Highness, please think about this on your own. I won't disturb your rest."
"Hmm..." Zhao Yan stood up and opened the door. Wen Quan walked to the door, bowed to Yong Shaolan, and then plunged into the vast snow.
"Come in, it's cold outside, isn't it?"
"Well," Yong Shaolan took off his cloak and put his arm around Zhao Yan's waist. "What are you studying? Why are you studying so hard?"
Yong Shaolan exuded a chill, and Zhao Yan felt a chill the moment he touched him. He instinctively pushed back, but the man's arms were around his waist, and he couldn't break free. "What else can I learn? The art of governing a country, a required course for being an emperor?"
Zhao Yan: "Why are you back so late?"
"It's so cold, shall I make you a bowl of ginger soup?"
"No, you keep me warm." Yong Shaolan carried Zhao Yan's buttocks and walked towards the bed. As he walked, he gave him passionate kisses, which made Zhao Yan overwhelmed: "The candles... haven't been blown out yet!"
"No, I want to see you." Yong Shaolan said, untying the boy's belt and removing his winter clothes piece by piece, leaving only the soft, white skin underneath. The boy's skin was extremely pale, and the kiss marks had lingered for days. Now, the marks left half a month ago were only a tiny bit left, barely noticeable unless you looked closely.
They haven't been intimate for half a month.
Zhao Yan turned his head away, not looking into Yong Shaolan's eyes, his face flushed with embarrassment: "We are all men, what's so good about it...!"
Yong Shaolan raised his eyelids and bit it: "Very flirty."
"It's been a big deal."
Zhao Yan: "...Shut up!!!"
When the two of them were pressed tightly together, Zhao Yan's face was already hot enough to fry an egg, while Yong Shaolan's body was cold, and he himself was burning with fever: "It's really like ice and fire."
Yong Shaolan's hands wandered around his waist, and two fingers skillfully rolled over the place he had just bitten. Zhao Yan's back stiffened and shivered: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, it's swollen from your sucking just now, it hurts!"
Yong Shaolan slid his throat and licked the back of Zhao Yan's neck gently: "Well, how far can I go tonight?"
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