Chapter 1194: This Time It Was Great (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
When the capital of Zhen Kingdom fell, an extremely strange scene unfolded.
The soldiers, who had been menacing just moments before, now moved about the eatery like fierce demons. The owner, thinking his life was in danger, knelt and begged for mercy: "Sir, spare my life! I have elderly parents and young children to support..."
The group of blood-soaked soldiers stormed into his shop and dragged him from his hiding place. The shock was so great that the owner even prepared his last words, lamenting that he could not raise his children, care for his parents in their old age, and be buried with them, and feeling even more sorry for his wife who was hiding in the backyard.
Driven by his will to survive, he cried and begged for mercy.
"I don't care how many elderly people you have or how many young children you have, get up and cook! If you run a restaurant and don't open for business, who do you think will starve to death?" The soldier speaking impatiently found a seat. "Hurry, hurry, bring up all the good food and drinks you have in your restaurant, quick—"
The others were also starving.
Only the restaurant owner remained oblivious, his expression frozen, his eyes glazed over, before he finally came to his senses. He had no idea what these soldiers were up to, only that he wasn't going to die for the time being. He tried to get up, only to find his legs as weak as dough.
"Aren't you going yet?"
The restaurant owner dared not disobey, and fell twice as he got up three times.
Wu Zu winked at his colleague and whispered, "Go keep an eye on it. After all, it's something that goes into our mouths, so we can't be careless."
"Okay, I'll go take a look."
All the restaurant staff had run away, leaving the owner to handle the kitchen chores himself. Fortunately, he had been a chef before starting the business, so while his skills were a little rusty, they were still passable. Before long, several steamers of noodles were brought out: "Gentlemen, please wait—"
It won't take a single minute.
As soon as the food was served, the soldiers pounced on it like hungry tigers, scrambling for it with both hands and feet. Two of them even had their eyes on the same tray, their hands flying in all directions. In the end, a third person, with superior skills, secretly reached out and snatched the food while the two were locked in their battle.
Before the boss could even see clearly, the table was already empty.
"Not enough, not enough, go prepare more."
"The taste is not as good as that of the logistics department, but it's still barely edible."
His companion, seething with anger, snapped, "What do you mean 'barely edible'? You think you're being wronged by eating this? Didn't you just steal my portion? Don't think I can't see what you're doing just because I'm bothered by someone! Boss, we don't need his portion."
"No, no, no—it's just a joke, just a joke."
boss:"……"
Looking at the several fierce-looking guys, all craning their necks and staring at him, the boss had a feeling of seeing several yellow dogs in the kitchen waiting for their meal. Every time he fed the yellow dogs, their tails wagged in circles, which was actually quite cute.
Realizing what he was thinking, the boss was nearly scared to death. If the devil found out what he was thinking, his whole family would be executed!
Go to the kitchen and prepare the food properly.
Unfortunately, the food couldn't be served as quickly as the hungry wolves.
The boss was sweating profusely in the kitchen, almost breathless from exhaustion. His wife, hiding in the shadows, couldn't bear to see him like this and couldn't help but come out. She could tell these soldiers were hot-tempered and had huge appetites; she feared her husband would be killed in a fit of rage if he served the food too slowly.
Wu Zu, who was squatting in the kitchen keeping an eye on food safety, glanced at her and said, "You and your husband seem to have a good relationship."
There are many couples in the world who abandon each other when disaster strikes.
The proprietress chuckled twice.
With the landlady's help in preparing the ingredients, the process was indeed much faster. The soldiers keeping watch also helped start the fire and keep an eye on the stove.
They ate for an hour before stopping.
The group was finally satisfied, and the restaurant's food supplies were almost gone.
The couple hoped the men would eat their fill and spare their lives, anxiously awaiting the outcome—the men simply pooled their money, tossed it on the table, and the dozen or so copper coins swayed on the table for a long time before finally stopping. One of the soldiers, patting his stomach with satisfaction, threatened the couple, "Settle the bill, remember to refund any overpayment and collect any underpayment."
If this place dares to overcharge customers, watch out for their fists.
The owners: "..."
It took him a while to realize what was happening. He hurriedly pushed the money back, his face almost in tears. "No, no, this meal is just my way of treating you, sir. I'm already very grateful that you don't mind my poor hospitality. How could I possibly accept your money?"
While a free meal is tempting, nobody wants to face punishment for it: "Just accept it, why all the fuss? What kind of business doesn't charge customers? Or are you a shady establishment, and you're not charging for something else? Hmm?"
The owners' eyes widened: "..."
It's shocking that there are such wicked people in the world who turn the tables on others!
Are they a shady business, or are these people just unpleasant customers?
I had no choice but to accept the money.
There will be some trouble during the settlement process.
The copper coins collected by these soldiers were of all kinds, including not only Kang State copper coins, but also copper coins minted by Geng State, copper coins minted by Xin State, copper coins from Wu State which had been destroyed more than a hundred years ago, and some copper coins from countries that had never been heard of and were probably already extinct.
Each copper coin has a different weight and size.
Even broken silver pieces have different purities.
As you can imagine, settling the bill this time was a complicated process.
The owners spent most of the day settling accounts, calculating the exact change down to the copper coin. Throughout the entire process, the soldiers watched quietly.
Some were simply spacing out, while others were doing the calculations.
The copper coins that the soldier took out were a mess, and the money box that the shopkeeper and his wife used to collect money was even more complicated, with more than a dozen different kinds of copper coins that could be seen at a glance. The soldier sighed and said, "The world is so big, there are hundreds of kinds of copper coins. It must be not easy for you to do business."
The boss chuckled twice.
The issue of receiving payment is indeed a pain point.
However, you get used to it after a while.
Wu Zu then had other ideas: "It's so troublesome to settle accounts every time. How many tables of guests can you serve in a day? If you used our Kang Kingdom's copper coins to settle accounts, business might be better."
This will save you a lot of time and effort during the checkout process.
The boss continued to chuckle awkwardly, not daring to speak easily. The other soldiers complained that he was too talkative: "These are things that our lord and the others are worried about. Even someone as brainless as you can think of them. Do you think they wouldn't know? It's no use just bringing it up. We need to have a solution."
The soldier choked.
Minting coins is no small matter.
One move affects the whole situation; all aspects must be considered.
Since its founding, the new coins minted by the Kang Kingdom have only circulated on a small scale. It's not that the Kang Kingdom's royal court didn't want to, but rather that exchanging the old coins for new ones all at once was impractical and would do more harm than good. Another important reason was that the Kang Kingdom itself didn't have enough raw materials to mint new coins. Therefore, it could only mint new coins while simultaneously exchanging and recycling the old ones, then using the recycled old coins to recast new ones.
The entire process could take over a hundred years, or even longer.
The premise is that Kangguo can continue for so many years.
The group left after eating and drinking their fill.
The owners saw them off as they left.
Even after the figures had disappeared into the distance, the faint sound of a conversation could be heard in the air: "The food here is pretty good; we can come again next time."
"Next time?"
"Now that the capital has been captured, shouldn't we rest for a couple of days?"
"I heard they've issued a strict order, there's no time to rest..."
"Ah, then we'll come back to eat when we pass by on our way back from the campaign..."
Wu Zu and his group walked further and further away, disappearing completely from the street corner.
The couple remained completely bewildered.
I can't believe they're both safe and sound.
"My God! These bastards didn't rob, smash, or kill anyone, they just came in to have a meal? And they even paid the bill after they finished eating? Boss, is this really not a dream?" The landlady pinched the boss's sturdy waist, and didn't hear him shout for a while.
Phew, it really was just a dream.
Immediately afterwards, I heard the boss gasp.
The capital was unusually bustling today, with every restaurant packed to capacity. Regardless of their reputation, all were so busy it was almost unbelievable. One waiter, wiping sweat from his brow, stole a moment to catch his breath: "It's unbelievable! Didn't they say the enemy had invaded? They're invading and not taking anything, just wanting a bite to eat from us?"
No sooner had I finished complaining than another shout came from inside the hall.
The waiter instinctively stood up and said, "Sir, your meal is here!"
These people not only know how to eat, but they also know how to pay the bill. They refuse to lose a single penny or be taken advantage of, and they won't even accept the shopkeeper rounding down the price. They're truly a strange bunch!
What's even stranger is that some of the local thugs, unaware of what happened during the day, thought it was just another day and came in groups of three or five to extort protection money. The shopkeeper stammered and kept giving the thugs meaningful glances, telling them to get lost.
The local thugs naturally refused.
"Your shop is so busy today there's almost no room to move, and you still dare to say you're not making any money? I bet you don't want to keep the shop open!"
They rolled up their sleeves, bared their fists, and were ready to fight.
And then, that was it.
Someone grabbed him by the collar, lifted his feet off the ground, and threw him out before he could even struggle: "What kind of thing dares to cause trouble?"
The thug, having been slapped on the backside, became enraged.
"Brothers, smash this place up!"
This group of local thugs, who brazenly extorted protection money and ignored even the government, all had one leg broken and were thrown out. The more arrogant they were when they boasted about smashing the shop, the more pathetic they became when their legs were broken and they screamed in agony. The shopkeeper and his assistant were dumbfounded, turning incredulously to look at the menacing figures inside, still chatting and laughing. They rubbed their eyes hard, making sure what they were seeing wasn't an illusion.
"This, this—"
The local thugs who wouldn't budge even when the officials were taught a lesson by the evil god.
"Well done! Brilliant!"
Who among the local business owners hasn't been bullied by this group? Relying on the fact that they have the brother-in-law of a high-ranking official as their backer, they extort and blackmail ordinary people in every way. The victims have filed lawsuits against them several times, but to no avail. Who would have thought that their enemies would be the ones to bring them retribution!
No, this is not the enemy!
This is such a lovable benefactor!
The shopkeeper was delighted and gave each table a small dish of side dishes.
While the upper echelons of the capital were suffering, the common people lived in peace and tranquility. Seeing no one coming to rape or plunder, and hearing no horrific scenes or screams outside, the commoners emerged from their hiding places with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism. The night passed, and life went on as usual.
In stark contrast to the brightly lit market, the royal palace was deserted. Only a few lights remained on inside, and soldiers occasionally carried out corpses. The palace was empty; the palace servants had either absconded with the money or met a brutal end. Over a hundred corpses were recovered.
Some of them did not die on the spot, but died from excessive blood loss. Judging from the wounds, they should have died at the hands of the same person.
Qian Yong looked at the mountain of corpses and sighed.
"You really have the guts to do that."
Survivors identified some of the women among them as imperial concubines.
Qian Yong sneered, "You old bastard, you can even lay a hand on your own woman. You're worse than a beast!"
The Queen of Zhen raised her head and looked at him with disdain: "What do you know? I'm just helping them suffer less! If they fall into your hands, you'll reward them to your subordinates and subject them to the humiliation of being ridden by thousands and trampled by tens of thousands. It's better for them to die, end it all, and preserve their chastity."
The wives and daughters of the defeated often met this fate.
If you're lucky, you might survive.
However, after experiencing such a thing, what's the point of surviving? To bring shame upon our ancestors? The King of Zhen could not tolerate this humiliation, and he did not think there was anything wrong with his behavior.
Qian Yong: "...You've gone too far with your slander!"
He did indeed give away captured women as gifts, and there was nothing wrong with admitting it. Even if the emperor asked him about it, Qian Yong would give the same answer: "Which warlord hasn't done this?"
However, such sadomasochism is unnecessary.
Qian Yong wasn't so despicable as to vent his male grudges on women. It wasn't that he had particularly high moral standards; it was simply that as a military man navigating the world, no one could guarantee their invincibility. Leaving a way out for other men's wives and daughters was also a way of protecting his own.
Qian Yong disliked pushing things to extremes.
Such slander is intolerable.
Qian Yong really wanted to kick the other person on the head: "Tsk, you know so much about this, you must have done this kind of thing a lot before, right?"
Queen of Zhen: "You're slandering me with empty words!"
Qian Yong thought this was the lowest his classmate had ever been, but he never imagined there would be something even more shocking. His trusted subordinate suddenly came in and leaned in, saying, "General, we've just found a survivor, but his identity is somewhat... What do you think we should do with him?"
"who?"
The official looked at the Queen of Zhenguo and said, "She is the former Queen."
Princess, the only daughter of the King of Zhenguo.
Qian Yong sneered, secretly thinking that his old classmate was heartless towards women but still had some humanity towards his blood relatives. Why didn't he deal with them together? The next second, his subordinate slapped him in the face: "Her condition is not good. We have already sent the military doctor to stop the bleeding."
The Queen of Zhen Kingdom straightened up: "She's not dead?"
How come he didn't die after I struck him with my sword?
Qian Yong: "..."
That old beast not only kills women, but he doesn't even spare daughters?
This behavior was incomprehensible to Qian Yong.
Calling you a beast is an insult to beasts!
The King of Zhenguo had a livid face.
His sword strike was indeed merciless, severing not only his daughter's hands but also cleaving a gash in her chest. Fortunately, a rib provided some protection, preventing the wound from going too deep. The King of Zhen, believing her dead, didn't stay to confirm her survival.
She briefly fainted, then awoke in excruciating pain.
Driven by a powerful will to survive, she crawled away with her hands, which had lost half an arm, leaving a trail of blood. The soldiers followed the trail of blood and found the princess, who was on the verge of death. They thought she was dead, but upon closer inspection, they discovered that she was still breathing and immediately began to perform first aid.
He was barely saved.
Unfortunately, only half of my forearm remains.
Judging from the wounds, she must have instinctively crossed her arms to try and block the sword, only to have both hands sliced off in one blow. Luckily, she managed to block it, otherwise she would have been dead long ago. Qian Yong sighed upon hearing this, and a brilliant idea instantly formed in his mind.
He affectionately stroked his classmate's dog head.
"Do you think your daughter hates you, or hates you more?"
The Kang Kingdom destroyed another country in three days over a mere disagreement; such an act would easily attract criticism and negatively impact public opinion. However, the fact that this princess survived offers many opportunities for maneuver. Using the princess to appease the former officials and people of the Zhen Kingdom is the best course of action.
|ω`)
Qian Yong: "I am definitely the most intelligent military general."
PS: I've been away from JX3 for many years, but now I'm back with Wujie. I soloed a dungeon today, but no loot dropped. As always, it was terrible. I was just surprised to find that the sword qi I fought so hard with back then has actually remarried. People are pointing and whispering.
P.S.: Sigh, it's so much better to be a two-dimensional character; real life is full of worries. Like what I mentioned yesterday, Xianggu thought the old house was too hot, so she bought an air conditioner (but the delivery service is terrible; they delivered to the wrong area even with such a clear address. It was supposed to arrive the day after I ordered it, but it's been four days now). And then, a relative actually told other people, "She's so rich, will she even lift a limb when her two old folks die? Buying an air conditioner, does that mean she'll buy them a house too?"
That's hilarious! I paid for the old house to be built, what nonsense are you spouting?
I was just watching this family's mess unfold, feeling only sympathy for the relatives' parents' situation, but I didn't want to get involved. It was only because those octogenarians were truly innocent that I felt compassion. Besides, I didn't necessarily buy the air conditioner for the living; couldn't I at least cool it down for the portraits of my grandparents and great-grandparents in their old house? Why are you being sarcastic towards me!
Slam the ground!
Oh, head tilt.
I've discovered that this family is truly ungrateful; they never remember kindness and hold grudges. Like father, like son. They were like this before, and they are like this now.
(End of this chapter)
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