Probably because the ban was lifted, Ye Zhou acted as a money-giving boy along the way. He donated money himself, but he did not let Chen Hou go.
As the king of a country, he should bear the primary responsibility for the way his people live.
Even the armor worn by Lord Chen was stripped off by Ye Zhou. Fortunately, the armor was still valuable. After all, he was the king. The armor he wore was made by a famous craftsman and could be exchanged for a high price of more than 1.3 million in the system.
Marquis Chen had never observed the common people at such a close distance before - this was the first time he had left Linzi since he was born.
The people who could live in Linzi were not real commoners. They had some wealth, hereditary servants, their own slaves and property, and could afford to send their children to school.
As for the lives of common people, Marquis Chen had only heard about them from officials and his confidants.
He knew that the common people were poor. They could not eat the food they grew, let alone buy more. They were so poor that they had to sell their children. Many slaves in Lu were from Chen. But those dry words would never be as impactful as the reality he saw with his own eyes.
Chen Hou saw an old couple pulling their child and handing the child over to the slave traders, and they only got a bag of millet and a bag of beans.
The children did not cry or make a fuss, but just kept turning their heads to look at their parents before being taken away by the merchants.
Separation and death happened every day in the territory of Chen State.
On their way to distribute their wealth, they encountered more than a dozen assassination attempts, big and small. Five or six cities and checkpoints blocked their way and would not let them go. The officials and soldiers guarding the city either questioned the identity of Chen Hou or had already been bribed by Zuo Tu.
The closer they got to Linzi, the colder Chen Hou's heart became.
The Marquis of Chen also asked the common people what they thought of the current ruler of Chen.
Most of the common people answered that the king was a good man.
They all sincerely believed that Marquis Chen was a good man. He had not increased taxes for so many years, did not bully men and women, and did not enjoy luxury. His frugality was well-known in the country. The common people all knew that the marquis's wife still did not have any decent jewelry.
But Marquis Chen also heard the hidden meaning of their words. The king was a good man, but not a good monarch.
"I remember I said it before." When they were about to reach the gate of Linzi City, Ye Zhou said to Chen Hou in the carriage, "When the country is rich and the people are strong, big problems are also small problems. When the country is poor and the people are weak, small problems are also big problems."
"Even if you are a tyrant or a weak ruler, as long as your country is strong and your people have enough food and clothing, you are still a good ruler."
Marquis Chen smiled bitterly and said, "When we return to the palace..."
They had already learned from Aru that the person who dominated everything in Linzi was Zuotu Zhao Mu.
"Zhao Mu was originally a descendant of a nobleman of the State of Zhao. His family was murdered by the King of Zhao, so he came to me for refuge." When the Marquis of Chen mentioned Zhao Mu, he was no longer a good guy, and there was a hint of viciousness in his eyes. "I felt sorry for him because he was carrying the elderly and the young, and I couldn't bear to see him running around in various countries and always being driven away. I never thought that his appetite would be spoiled..."
The Marquis of Chen sighed again: "I originally thought that he had no one to rely on in the State of Chen, and could only rely on me. I must cultivate some confidants of my own."
Among the royal family, he only trusted Chen Yan. He would rather trust people with different surnames than those with the same surname.
But he never expected that the man who could only stand firm on his feet with his help would lie about his life and death when he was in trouble, trying to kidnap the prince and become the one who truly controlled the State of Chen.
Ye Zhou smiled and said, "Isn't this normal?"
"It is better to have it yourself than for others to have it."
Rather than letting your life and property be in the hands of others, it is of course better to have power yourself.
But Ye Zhou also had a question: "Won't the royal family stop him?"
The royal family are all relatives of Marquis Chen. Logically, even if they want to fight for power from Marquis Chen, when outsiders appear, they should temporarily stop fighting among themselves and drive out the outsiders first. But why have they not taken any action so far?
If the royal family had taken action, they would not have been stopped in various cities for so long.
Marquis Chen smiled and said, "Perhaps my existence is too much of an eyesore for them. If I were the crown prince, they would get more. Zhao Mu should have discussed with them about dividing the State of Chen with the royal family."
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage stopped at the city gate.
The car tilted forward slightly, but soon stabilized.
Chen Yan asked the soldiers to wait where they were, and walked up to the soldiers guarding the city with the token in hand. He thought that once they arrived in Linzi, the soldiers guarding the city would no longer dare to stop them, so he eagerly raised the token in front of the soldiers and said, "The king has returned to the country, you all should let him go quickly."
The soldier guarding the city looked at the token, then looked at Chen Yan, and whispered, "General, without Zuo Tu's order, I dare not let you in."
Chen Yan glared at him angrily: "What are you doing?! Are you rebelling?! The king has returned to the country. Not to mention that all the officials should welcome him, but you should not refuse him entry like this! Do you know what crime this is?!"
The soldier lowered his head. He knew Chen Yan and also knew that Chen Yan was a general of the State of Chen. The only person he could protect was the king.
But the soldiers did not move, nor did they dare to ask their comrades to open the door.
"General." The soldier whispered, "Linzi is now controlled by Zuo Tu. Madam is imprisoned in the palace. The old doctor followed the king after hearing that he had passed away. The elders who did not obey Zuo Tu were either killed or driven back to their fiefdoms. Linzi is now ruled by Zuo Tu. If I let you in now, I will harm them."
Soldier: "Inside the door are the elite soldiers summoned by Zuo Tu. If we open the door, you might..."
He didn't stop them from entering the city, but he didn't want to see them die.
But Chen Yan did not calm down his anger, instead his face flushed: "What a Zuo Tu!"
"I'm going to meet him! Let's see whether their necks are tougher or the sword in my hand is sharper!" Chen Yan shouted, "Open the door!"
The soldiers saw his expression and knew they couldn't change his decision, so they clasped their fists and said, "Take care, General."
After saying that, he shouted to the soldiers behind him: "Open the city gate!"
The soldiers shouted like a call: "Open the city gate--"
A dozen soldiers gathered together and pushed the door.
At the same moment they opened the city gate, hundreds of archers suddenly appeared on the city wall.
Arrows rained down.
Ye Zhou sat in the carriage, motionless as a mountain. Although his carriage looked very ancient, it was actually made of very good materials. It was not only arrow-proof, but also bullet-proof. Therefore, he said to Chen Hou, "Don't worry, they will handle it."
Zou Ming stood beside the carriage. He looked at Chen Shu not far away. Chen Shu had already prepared his gun.
Sarah licked her lips. She stood next to Zou Ming and whispered, "Want to compete?"
Zou Ming raised his eyebrows: "Comparing what?"
Sarah: “Who gets in first?”
Zou Ming sneered: "Childish."
But Sarah didn't care about his words. She jumped out almost immediately. Compared with Zou Ming, who was a human, she could quickly climb up the city wall without the help of any tools.
She didn't have to be soft-hearted this time.
Sarah jumped onto the wall without saying a word. Killing was what she did best.
It was not a war, nor a competition to win, but just pure killing. Her face was splattered with blood, and her clothes were soaked with blood. She was blood-thirsty and would lick the blood on her hands from time to time.
As the sound of gunfire became more frequent, Sarah stopped and looked behind her.
Zou Ming also climbed up the city wall at some point, with a shotgun in his hand.
Shotguns are more powerful in close combat, and enemies hit at close range have no chance of surviving.
Compared to the monster-like Sarah, the expressionless Zou Ming looked more like a killing god. Sarah would get excited by the stimulation of blood, but Zou Ming did not show any expression throughout the whole process.
The hundreds of archers on the city walls were completely wiped out before they could even put up any effective resistance.
Zou Ming put away his gun.
The reinforcements inside the gate had already rushed towards Chen Hou and his men.
Chen Yan and his soldiers were about to meet the enemy when a man suddenly stood in front of him.
Wu Yan smiled and said to Chen Yan in a friendly manner: "General Chen, let us do it?"
Chen Yan was a little confused: "You guys?"
It's not that he looks down on them.
The truth is that Wu Yan's group, including men, women, and even old people, did not look like people who could fight.
Although they had subdued assassins several times before, that was always with the help of immortals and divine power.
Or...will the immortal still help them this time?
Chen Yan immediately said: "Then let's attack from both sides!"
Wu Yan shook his head slightly: "General Chen, you should lead them to retreat first."
This is a rare training opportunity and the employees in the supermarket don’t want to miss it. They have been training with Chen Shu for who knows how long. Every day they not only have to practice shooting, but also run with weights and do various exercises. However, they have never had a chance to actually fight. Now is the time for them to verify the results.
Especially since they are the ones who escort the king back to his country, they are considered an army of justice. They do not attack others without any reason and have no psychological burden.
Chen Yan wanted to say something, but he saw that the women in the supermarket had already loaded their bullets.
Everyone in the supermarket, except for the elderly people over 50 years old and the children, walked towards the soldiers.
"Linzi has few troops," said the Marquis of Chen. "Kings do not hoard troops, and I have no troops either."
Ye Zhou raised his eyebrows: "You don't have any soldiers? Then who are these soldiers following you?"
Lord Chen: "It's the noble families and royal families who raise the troops for me."
Ye Zhou: “…”
So these soldiers are the private soldiers of the aristocratic families and royal clans?
The fact that these noble families and clansmen didn't rebel against you already shows their loyalty to the emperor and their patriotism.
Ye Zhou said speechlessly: "It seems that you want to be the second Zhou emperor."
The Zhou emperor also had no soldiers. To be precise, all the soldiers of the vassal states belonged to him, but was this useful?
Obedient soldiers are your soldiers, and soldiers who don't obey you are your enemies.
Chen Hou opened the window and looked outside. Cao Er happened to pass by the carriage. She was holding an AK47 and smiled at Chen Hou in a good mood: "Hello, Chen Hou!"
Chen Hou was speechless for a moment, and after a pause he replied: "Okay, okay, you too."
Cao'er: "Then I'll go over first."
Chen Hou said "hmm" somewhat awkwardly.
Cao'er stood next to Wu Yan. Her marksmanship was not very good, but fortunately she was diligent and willing to practice, and she even received several compliments from Chen Shu.
In order to practice shooting, she had calluses on the knuckles of her thumb - although she had always had them on her hands, the calluses on the knuckles were thicker.
Seeing the soldiers in the city coming towards them with long spears in hand, Cao'er raised his gun and fired a shot straight ahead.
Her expression was numb and her eyes were lifeless, but she did not hesitate at all.
Chen Shu's words kept echoing in her mind. Once on the battlefield, you cannot hesitate for a moment, and you cannot treat the enemy as the same as yourself. Otherwise, you will not be able to shoot or take action, and only death and humiliation worse than death will await you.
"You have to see them as monsters, monsters in human skin."
·
Jiang Liu was very scared, his legs were shaking, but he still followed the example of his comrades and raised the long spear in his hand. He did not dare to look ahead, but only rushed forward with his head down.
He had never thought of joining the army. Before joining the army, he was just an ordinary citizen with servants serving him at home. He was sent to a teacher's house when he was young. He could read and carve. With the recommendation of his teacher, he should be able to become a minor official in the royal capital in the future.
Jiang Liu knew that he had no special abilities, and he didn't want to have any. In fact, mediocre people tend to live longer.
But before he could wait for the king to return, or for his teacher to recommend him, he received the soldiers' arrival.
They were ordered by the Marquis' wife to recruit soldiers in Linzi City.
The male servant of the Jiang family was recruited, Jiang Liu's brothers were recruited, and Jiang Liu himself could not escape.
He wanted to escape, but when he saw with his own eyes a civilian who tried to escape being beaten to death by soldiers, he no longer dared to think about it.
In the military camp, he could only eat the worst bean porridge and sleep on the ground with nothing on it. Every day when he opened his eyes, he thought about how to fill his stomach and how to avoid being beaten.
The days at home seem to be things from the previous life.
At this moment, he, a man who had never been to the battlefield and had never even killed a chicken, was holding a long spear and trying to stop the king from entering the city.
Jiang Liu doesn’t dare!
He didn't dare to stop the king, let alone kill him, nor did he dare to run away.
So he could only rush forward with his eyes closed.
But soon, he had to look up.
He heard loud noises, one after another, as if they would never stop.
Jiang Liu looked up blankly.
He looked at the scene before him and thought he was daydreaming and everything was an illusion.
The soldiers who were in front of him just now were now all lying on the ground, their bodies were covered in blood, and his nose was filled with a strong smell of blood.
Jiang Liu turned his head again and saw the soldiers behind him rushing into the city like crazy.
He was the only one left standing in front of these people.
Jiang Liu's legs trembled, and a warm stream slid down his trouser legs.
He wet his pants.
Jiang Liuyi sat down on the ground with his buttocks. Under his buttocks was someone's body, which was slightly warm. The person was still alive the moment before, but now he had become a corpse.
"There's another one over there." Cao'er said to Wu Yan.
Wu Yan looked at the man and said, "Forget about it. He is not rushing towards us anymore."
Cao'er frowned: "With so many corpses blocking the way, how can the carriage get through?"
Wu Yan also had a headache: "The immortal should have a way."
What can the immortal do?
Ye Zhou could only leave the carriage here and ride into the city with Chen Hou.
Before entering the city, he glanced at the only living soldier sitting among the pile of corpses. He pursed his lips, stopped looking and turned his head to look forward.
Chen Yan and the soldiers behind him were stunned. Only then did they begin to feel thankful, especially Chen Yan.
——Fortunately, he did not listen to the advice of the soldiers at that time and did not lead the troops to directly attack the "supermarket". Otherwise, under such an attack, they would not be able to hold out longer than those dead soldiers.
Especially since these soldiers were able to escape into the city, where could they escape to at that time?
"General..." The soldier who had made the suggestion swallowed his saliva and said in fear, "Fortunately you didn't listen to me."
Chen Yan also nodded stiffly: "Yes, fortunately I didn't listen to you."
If they had listened to him, they wouldn't be able to talk here now.
No wonder, no wonder these people dared to fight against the larger force with the smaller one, no wonder even women dared to go to the battlefield.
They are armed with sharp weapons that are beyond the reach of ordinary people, so they can go anywhere and kill anyone.
Fortunately, these weapons are magical tools from gods. If they also existed in the human world...how many people would die.
Ye Zhou was riding on the horse. He didn't know when Zou Ming had returned to his side. Ye Zhou didn't care too much. Zou Ming and he were like twin brothers now. They were inseparable. He would only care if Zou Ming left him.
"Where is your horse?" Ye Zhou stopped his horse and asked Zou Ming with his head down.
Zou Ming looked up at him: "Outside the city gate."
At this time, Ye Zhou couldn't expand the supermarket and buy him a horse, and he couldn't rob here - there were no stirrups, so even if Zou Ming could ride, Ye Zhou wouldn't dare let him ride.
"Come on, we can ride on one horse." Ye Zhou was a little worried, "You're not too heavy, are you? If you're too heavy, the horse will be in trouble."
After all, they are two adult men. Even if they don't look heavy, they still weigh a lot.
However, Zou Ming obviously did not listen to Ye Zhou's next sentence. He got on the horse almost as soon as Ye Zhou finished his previous sentence.
Zou Ming sat behind Ye Zhou, stretched out his arms and grabbed the reins. This action allowed him to hold Ye Zhou directly in his arms.
Although Ye Zhou knew that this would definitely happen when two people rode on the same horse, he still felt a little uncomfortable, especially when Zou Ming was riding the horse, his hair would always scratch his neck, which made Ye Zhou involuntarily turn his head to avoid it.
But no matter how he dodged, as long as he was in Zou Ming's arms, as long as they maintained this posture, he would be completely enveloped by Zou Ming's aura.
There was no smell of sweat on Zou Ming's body, but a faint scent of laundry detergent. He was very dry and smelled very comfortable.
Ye Zhou took a deep breath, slowly got rid of the discomfort, and ran towards the palace with Zou Ming.
Chen Yan was leading the way on horseback, galloping all the way, but there was not a single common person walking on the road to the royal city of Linzi.
The huge royal city looks like a dead city.
Only the occasional human figures seen through doors and windows and the hands closing windows indicated that there were still living people in this city.
They were stopped again, this time by a group of armored soldiers.
Compared to the soldiers who just blocked the gate, these armored soldiers looked like elite soldiers. They were taller and stronger than the soldiers, and they were wearing leather armor.
The soldiers before didn't have leather armor to wear.
The leader wore a bronze helmet and held a long sword in his hand. He shouted to Chen Yan, "General Gongzi Yan, long time no see!"
Chen Yan stopped his horse and the horse paced in place. He was no longer angry. If he was angry again, he would explode. At this time, he just said expressionlessly: "It's you."
The leader laughed and said, "It's me! You never expected it! I'm back in the capital again!"
Chen Yan: "You and I are brothers from the same clan as the Lord. If you want revenge, just come after me. Why do you have to be a running dog for that Zhao dog?! Aren't you afraid that your ancestors will be disappointed if you do this?! How are you going to face your ancestors and your ancestors in the future?!"
The leader sneered: "Ancestors? Ancestors? How can the dead care about the affairs of the living?!"
"Chen Yan, stop talking. I will fight you alone. If you lose, you will be killed. If I lose, I will let you go!"
Chen Hou shouted from behind: "Brother Yan, you can't do that!!"
Before he finished shouting, Chen Yan agreed immediately: "Okay! Don't regret it!"
Leader: "Never regret it!"
Ye Zhou leaned back, resting his head on Zou Ming's shoulder. He whispered, "Only in this era can we see such a scene."
When the two armies faced each other, the soldiers did not move, but the generals started the duel first.
Ye Zhou: "What's the benefit of this?"
Zou Ming: "If the general wins, it boosts the morale of his side. If the other side loses, the morale of the other side will be greatly reduced."
Sometimes, when a general loses, he may not even continue fighting, and the losing side can only leave in disgrace.
Ye Zhou shook his head slightly: "Lord Chen told me before that they fight like gentlemen here. There are no sneak attacks or guerrilla warfare. They just issue a declaration of war and follow the procedures. It is impossible to take the enemy by surprise."
On the contrary, anyone who launches a sneak attack will be despised by the world.
Ye Zhou: "Isn't it said that the army should practice cunning tactics? What are they doing? The army should practice benevolence? Then why fight a war?"
Why don’t we all sit down and play a few rounds of mahjong?
Although Ye Zhou didn't understand, he was greatly shocked and felt that the word "benevolence" was engraved into the bones of the natives.
·
"Madam, there is a noise outside." The "temple servant" knelt beside the marquis' wife and picked up a wooden hairpin for her. When the palace maid outside looked over, he immediately inserted the hairpin into the marquis' wife's bun.
From the palace maid's perspective, all she could see was the affectionate relationship between the "temple servant" and the marquis's wife.
She looked away.
The marquis's maidservants have been taken away, and now she is trapped here alone. The maidservants outside will monitor her for Zhao Mu. The only ones she can use and who can act as her eyes and ears are the male favorites given to her by Zhao Mu.
But she didn't dare to believe them completely, so she nodded and asked softly, "What's the noise?"
The "temple servant" lowered his eyes and said softly: "Your Majesty and General Gongzi Yan have returned and are in the city. Zuo Tu has sent people to stop them and kill them..."
The marquis's wife suddenly widened her eyes, covered her mouth, and grabbed the "temple servant's" wrist tightly with her other hand.
"Empress": "Madam, there are only two palace maids outside. Everyone in the palace is in danger. I will take you out!"
The Marquis looked at him and asked, "How are you sending me off? And why are you sending me off?"
"Empress": "I have asked someone to prepare a carriage. As long as we deal with those two palace maids, we can send Madam away from the palace."
"I am going back to the palace. I am the lady's servant. Zuo Tu must punish me. Only when I die, Zuo Tu will not be able to find out where the lady escaped from, and the lady will not be caught."
The "temple servant" suddenly said: "Before I became a slave, I was a descendant of the Yang family."
Madam Hou murmured, "The Yang family..."
The "temple servant" said sternly, "I dare not call myself Yang anymore. Madam, please do not insult me because of my humble status."
“Although I am no longer a scholar, I am willing to emulate the scholars and die for those who understand me.”
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