Twenty or thirty pairs of eyes reluctantly looked away.
Everyone had different thoughts about Gong Xichou.
Veteran officials like Qi Shan were familiar with Gongxi Chou, but there were also officials who joined later or entered service after the establishment of Kang State. They had only heard of Gongxi Chou but never met him, and they were curious about him.
Mystery makes people more attractive.
The mysteries surrounding Gong Xichou are too numerous to count on one hand.
This man was both handsome and imposing, and there were many unsubstantiated rumors circulating among the people that the emperor fell in love with him at first sight, and that the position of royal consort had been vacant for many years, reserved for him. In the words of the bestselling fiction writer [Wuxing Quede], he was a "white moonlight."
"White Moonlight" has gone abroad.
From then on, the lord sealed away all love and affection, but out of love for Gongxi Chou, he developed a particular fondness for men and women whose temperament and appearance closely resembled Gongxi Chou, treating them as substitutes for Gongxi Chou. To describe this in a vulgar, ironic way, it's like "Wanwan resembles Qing, XX resembles Chou."
Besides her appearance, her strength is also top-notch.
Legend has it that in the Battle of Xiaocheng before the establishment of the Kang Kingdom, the lord and the emperor exchanged blows with each other's hidden arrows, greatly shocking both armies. This absurd story is beyond the imagination of any fictional writer, yet it actually happened, with tens of thousands of eyewitnesses!
This further proves that Gongxi Chou is indeed the Lord's "white moonlight," and the popular gambling dens are overwhelmingly calling for Gongxi Chou to be the King's consort. If Gongxi Chou hadn't spent so much time abroad, he would absolutely have surpassed Qi Shan, Chu Yao, and Qin Li, leaving them far behind!
In addition, his background is also very mysterious.
Many court officials even joined in the fun and placed bets, gambling for fun.
Regarding the outcome of the bet, upon hearing that the "returning white moonlight" was also present, these people, while outwardly remaining indifferent, secretly peeked at Gong Xichou, eager to catch a glimpse of the "white moonlight's" charm—Gong Xichou was dressed in his typical "Gong Xichou style" today, a tight-fitting outfit clearly outlining his figure, further highlighting his handsome appearance, with red lips and white teeth. His aura was not as intimidating as rumored; on the contrary, it was very restrained and unpretentious, reaching a state of returning to simplicity.
Perhaps their initial expectations were too high, because when they met the real person, they weren't as amazed as they had imagined. In addition, Gongxi Chou threatened to bury his master alive, so the atmosphere between the two was completely devoid of any ambiguous or sticky feelings. It was all very clear and serious.
Oh, it's because their eyes were too determined.
So resolute it gives people the illusion—
These two could relieve themselves in one dry toilet with a row of pits.
For the first time, the Imperial Diarist lamented his own excellent memory. The absurd metaphors from the text on "The Five Elements of Immorality" kept flashing through his mind, severely impacting his work. He bowed his head, silently reciting the Heart Sutra several times to clear his mind of these distracting thoughts, and then joined the other officials in bowing.
Gong Xichou was not unaware of the looks in these people's eyes.
However, he has always been independent and does things his own way.
Whether he was under Tang Guo's command or later as a "mercenary substitute fighter," he paid no heed to the strange looks from the outside world.
Gong Xichou had been forced to hold the nominal title of Grand General of Kang State for many years, but today was the first time he had participated in a relatively formal meeting. He was unsure of his place, so he simply found a quiet corner to stay in—he only cared about fighting and disliked anything that required thinking.
Someone beside Gong Xichou reminded him.
"The General should sit..."
Gong Xiqiu said, "It's quieter here."
Since Gongxi Chou didn't consider sitting in the second seat offensive or humiliating, the others didn't say anything; they weren't even acquaintances of Gongxi Chou. Furthermore, because of their lord's indulgence and favoritism towards Gongxi Chou, they wisely went along with Shen Tang's wishes and stopped arguing about Gongxi Chou's disrespectful words outside the door. Temporarily putting aside their gossip, they turned their attention to the important matter: "General Gongshu led troops this morning to annihilate a Northern Desert army, capturing over a thousand and beheading three hundred. Important intelligence was obtained from this army."
After he finished speaking, someone presented the battle report with both hands.
As soon as I got close, I could smell a strong stench of blood.
Shen Tang took the battle report.
Even before opening it, my fingertips felt slightly sticky.
The sticky feeling comes from blood that hasn't completely dried!
This was a battle report written in human blood, and judging from the handwriting, it must have been written by Gong Shuwu himself. Her judgment was correct; the report was indeed written by Gong Shuwu himself. Initially, he had intended to use ink, but in his pursuit of the Northern Desert troops, he lost the cloth bag containing the ink sticks, leaving him no choice but to use whatever was available.
Gong Shuwu, with a writing brush held horizontally in his mouth, looked worried and glanced at the heavily wounded and captured Northern Desert general who was still spitting out foul language.
This Northern Desert general was swearing in the language of a certain tribe, using extremely vulgar language that no one else could understand or even realize was insulting. This is a characteristic of their language; even strong emotions are expressed in a soft, gentle tone. However, Gong Shuwu, whose ancestors had interacted with the Northern Desert for generations, not only understood but could also speak it. He calmly retorted: "You're not planning to surrender?"
Lu Ji, who was escorting the prisoners, looked up.
Upon hearing the slightly awkward but familiar pronunciation, the general's face turned ashen, revealing a hint of cowardice beneath his fierce exterior. He forced a smile and declared, "Our hatred is irreconcilable; we are sworn enemies. Our people only have warriors who die for their country, not cowards who betray us!"
Lu Ji asked, "What kind of gibberish did he say?"
Gong Shuwu succinctly stated: "He said he would rather die than surrender, and that we shouldn't waste our efforts. Such a loyal and virtuous general deserves our respect and dignity."
Lu Jidao: [That's a pity.]
The topic of Gong Shuwu jumps around very much.
[I'm missing inksticks. Does Zhizong have any?]
Lu Ji: [This humble general has no such things with him.]
Gong Shuwu sighed as he looked at the blank paper in his hand. The next moment, the soldiers who had just finished their fierce battle and were resting heard a crisp sound of bones cracking. Looking in the direction of the sound, Lu Ji patted the bloodstains on her hands. The neck of the Northern Desert general beside her was twisted in a strange way. His face, which should have been facing forward, was turned backward. The dislocated and broken bones in his neck were clearly visible, and blood was flowing freely.
With a soft thud, the corpse collapsed.
Gong Shuwu took the writing brush out of his mouth.
He bent down and dipped the pen into the blood on the other person's body.
The tip of the calligraphy brush was soaked with warm blood.
Gong Shuwu's brushstrokes were steady, powerful, and flowing. The battle report was brief, but every word was imbued with chilling killing intent. He finished quickly, tossed the brush aside, and handed it to the messenger: "To the lord."
Lu Ji's gaze did not leave "Ink Strip".
Gong Shuwu asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Ji worriedly said, "Isn't it a bad idea to just kill the captured enemy general like this? What if the lord questions us about it later?"
Gong Shuwu was somewhat speechless.
Lu Ji showed no hesitation or mercy when he struck, especially on the battlefield. Enemies who encountered him or others could at least be left with a complete corpse, but those who met Lu Ji were nothing but a pile of minced meat. Every time they came down from the battlefield, it was as if they had jumped into a pool of blood and rolled around in it.
Would she worry about such a small thing?
Gong Shuwu: [He's just a lackey.]
For a martial artist, weakness is a sin.
This man was too weak to even see his lord if he were willing to surrender, let alone surrender. Moreover, he refused to surrender and instead subjected her to all sorts of insults and slander. Given Lu Ji's temperament, the fact that she didn't immediately turn him into a "black stick" was a consequence of the language barrier.
Hearing this, Lu Ji felt much relieved.
This battle report, written with fresh human blood, ended up in Shen Tang's hands. Shen Tang read it quickly and frowned, saying, "Luckily the weather is cool now. If it were hotter, wouldn't it attract flies? Go back and tell Banbu that hygiene is important even when marching and fighting."
There were no other reprimands.
Someone whispered, "My lord, General Gongshu's actions are far too brutal and contrary to the conduct expected of a righteous army..."
It doesn't matter if you use the blood of the dead.
However, killing someone to obtain "ink" is indeed a bit outrageous.
Shen Tang waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to say more about this matter.
Gong Shuwu served under her for nearly ten years.
Although he spent most of his time training and cultivating his troops, he also went into battle several times. He disliked mistreating prisoners of war and tried his best to respect his opponents. He would never use a second blow if he could kill the enemy with one strike. He killed the enemy purely because the two sides had different positions.
But towards Bei Mo, he revealed a rare violent side, and Shen Tang was one of the few people who knew Gong Shu Wu's true identity and knew that Gong Shu Wu's hatred for Bei Mo ran deep in his bones.
Moreover, the military officer had offended them first.
His death was of his own making.
The man could only swallow the rest of his words.
The clerk was scrolling through notes in the corner.
At this moment, Shen Tang didn't care what the court historian was writing. Anyway, she had enough "dark history," so she didn't care about the debts. Let future generations debate her merits and demerits. After discussing with everyone, she allocated a portion of her elite troops to support Gong Shuwu and work together to encircle and intercept the continuous stream of troops from the various tribes of the Northern Desert.
Follow the feint attack, a deceptive move.
The main force of the army headed straight for the Northern Desert camp.
The meeting lasted for more than an hour.
Near the end, someone suddenly spoke up: "According to the past practices of the northwestern kingdoms, before deploying the main force, they need to offer sacrifices to the heavens and gods, to appease the spirits of the fallen heroes and seek their protection..."
Shen Tang subconsciously looked at Chu Yao.
She didn't understand these customs, but Chu Yao should be familiar with them.
"Is that so?"
Chu Yao nodded: "Yes."
The main purpose was to boost the morale of the army, similar to the flag-raising ceremony before a campaign. For hundreds of years, although the northwestern states had always been in control, building mounds of jing at camel cities nine times in a row, it did not mean that the northwestern states had not paid a price.
The last damage was particularly severe.
If Chu Yao hadn't unexpectedly joined, the losses would have doubled.
Over the centuries, countless heroic souls who could never return home have been buried here, especially at Yaori Pass. The number of heroic souls sleeping here is many times greater than at Chaoli Pass. Over time, the northwestern kingdoms developed the custom of offering sacrifices to heaven and gods to comfort the spirits of the fallen heroes.
After all, war will also affect other people.
It's always good to build relationships beforehand.
Shen Tang nodded: "Okay, send someone to prepare."
The person who made the suggestion then asked, "What about the offerings?"
Shen Tang asked, "Sacrificial offerings?"
Chu Yao said, "That's enough, no need to prepare anything special."
Seeing that his subordinates had spontaneously arranged everything, Shen Tang felt at ease being a hands-off manager until nightfall. Camel City was prone to winds this season, especially after dark, when the winds grew stronger. The winds whipped the banners through the city, making them flutter loudly, and the bonfires danced wildly.
A makeshift command platform.
Dozens of bonfires surrounded it.
Shen Tang was intimately familiar with all the procedures, and inspiring and boosting morale was her forte. The soldiers, about to set off, shouted in unison, their soaring morale reaching the heavens, shaking the dark clouds on the horizon and revealing the bright white moon. Moonlight poured down on the young faces filled with fighting spirit, while also illuminating the faces of the defeated and lifeless—nearly a hundred people, bound hand and foot, were pushed out.
They were all men.
They come in all shapes and sizes, and have a variety of hair colors.
The only thing they had in common was their luxurious and exquisite attire—although the fabrics were filthy and their original colors were no longer visible, it was easy to tell that they had once been very expensive. Shen Tang was slightly surprised by their appearance, but she didn't want to ask them in public.
She vaguely guessed what was going on.
These are all nobles from the Northern Desert imprisoned in the Camel City dungeon. They were the original owners of the mansions in the center of Camel City. Each of their mansions had a large number of concubines and slaves. Over the years, they had run rampant in Camel City, extorting merchants who came here to do business.
To put it bluntly, it's "protection money".
Besides "protection fees," he also embezzled a lot of other things.
Camel City was taken over by Shen Tang's troops, and all the people involved had their homes confiscated and were thrown into the dungeon. When the common people of Camel City found out, they all clapped and cheered, including many merchants from the Northern Desert.
This shows just how badly these people are known among the public.
These merchants understood the fate of these people better than Shen Tang did.
They were the sacrificial offerings for the flag before the expedition.
At the same time, it is also the most basic level of Jingguan.
Although this battle pits the Kang Kingdom against the Northern Desert army, the common people favor Kang, given the Northern Desert's string of defeats over the years. Some are even secretly speculating about a potential tenth "jingguan" (a mound of skulls). If it were to be completed, wouldn't the Northern Desert's morale be utterly crushed?
"Kneel down, all of you!"
The soldier escorting these people kicked one of them in the back of the knee.
Thump, thump, thump—
The soldiers, who had been excited and flushed, all fell silent.
The only sounds in the air were the night wind rustling the flags and the campfire, and the sound of knees hitting the ground was particularly clear at that moment.
Some people just groaned, while many more were terrified, kowtowing and begging for mercy, trying to exchange their family fortune accumulated over generations and the beauties they had painstakingly collected for their lives. Some even hoped to have their sons or daughters beheaded in their place, just so they could live.
The soldiers didn't stuff anything into their mouths.
Let them expose their ugly side.
Seeing that bribery and pleading were ineffective, and that they were willing to exchange intelligence on the Northern Desert for a sliver of hope, Shen Tang's expression finally softened. She asked, "Oh? What do you know?"
"I...I know, I know everything!" The man's hands were tied behind his back, making it impossible for him to crawl. In desperation, he could only crawl on his knees. He looked anxious, as if he was afraid that someone would take his chance.
"I... I know more."
“My grandfather is…”
"What is your grandfather? My great-grandfather is..."
As expected of those who can occupy lucrative positions in Camel City, each of them has some kind of background. Shen Tang's gaze fell on the first person.
She said, "You go first."
The man was humble and filled with trepidation.
His voice was hoarse, and his speech was labored and unclear. His pronunciation of Kangguo's refined language was also poor, making it difficult for outsiders to understand. Shen Tang had someone lean closer to listen more closely. He swallowed hard, spat a mouthful of foul-smelling, bloody phlegm at the person who had pressed against him, and laughed wildly: "Hahaha!"
The person reacted quickly, but saliva got on their clothes.
"you--"
The man, with a hoarse voice and as if using the strength gained from burning his life, shouted his last words: "Heaven's mandate is in the north, our people will surely prevail!"
ヽ(ー_ー)ノ
Did Mushroom mention that she lost weight because a physical exam revealed severe fatty liver and high cholesterol, with dangerously high levels? Before deciding to lose weight, Mushroom experienced heart palpitations and blurred vision that night, vaguely thinking she wouldn't make it through.
To be honest, I weighed around 110 pounds before college. After starting my career in college, my lifestyle became chaotic. Coupled with relative financial freedom (the writing fees were actually quite low, but for someone who used to only have 50 yuan a week for allowance, it was a lot, and still money I could completely control), I gradually became addicted to carbonated drinks, desserts, and all sorts of fried takeout food—high in oil, salt, and calories—and my weight skyrocketed. After graduation, I stayed home and was too lazy to move.
I've been in this industry since my freshman year of college, for ten years now, and my weight has remained around 150 pounds. This year, after giving birth, my weight reached a peak of 85.65 pounds, and before I started dieting, it dropped back to 82.9 pounds.
I made the drastic weight loss to survive, not because of some people spreading rumors about serving in the U.S. military. Have you ever seen someone serve in the U.S. military and then give up for ten years?
Moreover, I also hired a personal trainer to lose weight, and honestly changed my diet and exercised. I attended every session without fail, rain or shine. I will be three months old in four days. During this time, I did not engage in any extreme weight loss or slimming methods to please anyone.
PS: My current blood pressure is 68.5. I plan to have a full physical exam when I turn 60 to see if my severe fatty liver has improved. (Damn it, if the blood pressure is normal, I'll just maintain my weight and never want to lose weight again. I'm not making a living off my looks.)
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