Chapter 157 From now on, we have a legitimate reason to fight!
Inside the tent, Shen Lanxi was furious!
"Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!"
"Those who bring chaos to the country are all traitors; how can we, loyal and virtuous men, collude with them!"
"I'd rather be with clay chickens and earthen dogs than associate with traitors and rebels!"
Liu Yan and Cheng Zheng exchanged glances.
The former tentatively stood up and said, "I beg my lord to take action, execute the treacherous officials, and quell the rebellion and bring peace to the country!"
Shen Lanxi glanced at Liu Yanhui, then turned to Cheng Zheng.
The latter's heart pounded, and he quickly wrote: "A righteous army, loyal to the emperor!"
Wei Dongzhu understood and immediately clasped his hands in a salute: "Please, my lord, lead my righteous army to punish the treacherous officials and restore peace and tranquility to our Great Zhou!"
Shen Lanxi pursed her lips, looking as if she could no longer refuse, and said with a do-or-die attitude, "I know that you all care about the Great Zhou and want to save the people from suffering. Since you all think so, then I will no longer refuse."
"Summon the soldiers of the three garrisons and proclaim to Heaven that we are not only irreconcilably opposed to the treacherous officials, but also to punish the rebel army on behalf of Heaven and restore peace and prosperity to our Great Zhou!"
The group knelt on the ground and shouted, "Your Lordship commands us!"
That evening, a dark figure quietly left the Baihe County Health Center.
"My lord, there really are spies!"
Shen Lanxi's voice was cold and stern: "Kill! Have every soldier whip the scout once, and display their corpses to the public!"
"Tell all soldiers that this is the consequence of serving traitors!"
"yes!"
Shen Lanxi supervised the execution.
Wei Dongzhu struck the first whip, followed immediately by the Wei family army.
Liu Yan gritted her teeth, took the whip from Wei Jiajun, and lashed out with all her might.
The spy kept begging for mercy in pain, but Shen Lanxi stopped the suggestion to gag him.
"This is what all the soldiers need to hear: this is the consequence of betraying one's own side!"
After Shen Lanxi finished speaking, she called out, "Yuan Jing, you're next!"
Shen Yuanjing: "Yes!" After shouting, he stepped forward, took the whip, and looked at the person who kept begging for mercy. Without hesitation, he lashed out with the whip!
"Yuanxu, come here!"
"yes!"
...
Two days later, Shen Lanxi received orders from Tian Maofeng: first, to vigorously recruit soldiers within his jurisdiction; and second, to lead troops to quell the bandits at Shili Slope!
Liu Yanhui scoffed, "There are no bandits at Shili Slope, only officials who refuse to associate with the King of Dongliao!"
Shen Lanxi sneered: "He wants to use me to eliminate his rivals!"
Cheng Zheng wrote: "Subdued!"
Liu Yan returned to Wei Dong and Xiao Fang agreed to everything!
After pondering for a moment, Shen Lanxi said, "Let's send someone to gather information first, and then decide on a countermeasure!"
Leave this matter to Feng Wu!
A day later, Feng Wu replied: "The officials of Shilipo are related by marriage to the centurion of the garrison. The centurion has no background on the surface, but he actually worked as a groom in Zhou Yanxing's mansion when he was a child!"
This isn't information that an ordinary person could find out, is it?
Liu Yan returned to Wei Dongzhu and the others, looking at Feng Wu with surprise.
"So he's under Zhou Yanxing's command!"
Cheng Zheng and others had a question: "Who is Zhou Yanxing?"
Liu Yan replied, "Zhou Yanxing is the emperor's uncle according to seniority. Although he is a generation older than the current emperor, he is a few years younger. During the great struggle back then, I never heard of this emperor's uncle. Later, when I was sorting through the files, I accidentally saw that he was recuperating at the imperial palace. I didn't expect the imperial palace to be in Dongchuan!"
Wei Dongzhu had lived on the border since childhood and had never even heard of this imperial uncle.
Feng Wu: "Judging from Shi Lipo's intentions, he's going to seek refuge with Zhou Yanxing!"
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow: "A warlord era, it seems they're vying for control of the Central Plains!"
The group was shocked upon hearing this!
If what she says is true, this will plunge the world into chaos!
"My lord, if what Fifth Brother says is true, then Zhou Yanxing is very likely hiding his strength. Should we obey Tian Maofeng's orders?" Liu Yan asked worriedly.
Shen Lanxi sneered: "He used me to kill the Imperial Uncle's men, so why can't I use his hands?"
"Hear my command! Assemble the troops from the three garrisons and punish the rebellious ministers and traitors!"
She didn't care who killed whom; all she knew was that from now on, she had a legitimate reason to fight!
After giving the order, Shen Lanxi immediately went to inspect the garrison!
After feeding and caring for those thin soldiers for more than half a month, their changes were obvious. They no longer walked unsteadily, and they were full of energy. With daily training, they finally got rid of their half-dead state, and their bodies had reached the standard of normal soldiers!
These people were personally trained by Wei's army. Each of them had a firm gaze and their every move was sharp. They had been completely transformed!
Although the soldiers still had frostbite on their faces and hands, signs of recovery were visible, and the frostbite was gradually improving.
These teenagers were either orphans without parents or children from impoverished families who had no other choice but to join the army.
Most of the young and middle-aged men came for the pay and food. They had to support their families, and when they heard that they could eat their fill here and that joining the army would bring them pay and food, they packed their bags and came to join the army.
As they walked, they arrived at the place where soldiers were being recruited.
The recruitment site had long queues that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Among these people, some were too old to meet the recruitment criteria, but they were not discouraged.
There was a sign next to it that read, "Chop firewood in exchange for food; work pays for meals!"
This was something Liu Yan and others came up with after an elderly person fainted from hunger at the recruitment site a couple of days ago!
There was nothing they could do; they tried to send those people away, but they wouldn't leave. When the recruits changed shifts, they took a chance and lined up again, greatly delaying the recruitment process.
Fortunately, there were many mountains and trees nearby. The soldiers in the garrison focused on training, and there was a severe shortage of logistics personnel. As long as someone had all four limbs, even if they were mentally challenged, they would be given a bowl of thin porridge if they carried a bundle of firewood over.
Shen Lanxi was satisfied with Liu Yanhui's arrangements and continued her inspection.
Having just noticed the soldiers' frostbite, I turned and went into the medical tent.
Zhang Niu is diligently teaching the women of Liu Zhao Village how to treat illnesses. They have been taking care of the students at Qinglan Academy all along, and are already considered half-medical women.
The gaze shifted to one of the women. She was one of the two women rescued by the women of Liuzhao Village. She had now fully recovered and was studying diligently!
Although Zhang Niu had a bad temper, he was very good at teaching people.
The training involved direct, on-site instruction and personal demonstrations, followed by hands-on practice for the female medical staff.
Looking at the young soldier who was so ashamed he wanted to curl up into a ball, and then at the women who were gathered in a circle, staring at his wound with predatory eyes, he saw...
Shen Lanxi smiled as she closed the medical tent and continued her rounds!
The kitchen is of utmost importance and is managed by Wang Mama's family. There are currently twenty old women and ten young maids assisting them.
These people were all recruited from Hongliutun, and more than half of them were exiled prisoners.
Just then, Madam Song returned from her shopping trip, carrying baskets of ingredients and miscellaneous items into the kitchen.
Shen Lanxi glanced at it and knew that the procurement process must have been very rigorous.
(End of this chapter)
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