Chapter 119 If you have no regrets after six months, I will propose marriage with a goose in hand.
General He suddenly turned his head to look at Xiao Shu, a cold glint flashing in his sharp eyes that had long been accustomed to the battlefield.
"His Highness Prince Cheng is truly surrounded by hidden talents."
Xiao Shu seemed oblivious, lazily crossing his arms. "I was just lucky. The first thing I saw was her jade pendant, which had the Black Tiger Army's insignia on it."
"I never imagined she was Meng Qinglian's daughter."
"Miss Meng is really unlucky. Not only can she not be with the one she loves, but her daughter is so poor that she has to sell herself into slavery."
"Back then, Yao Zhengliang was forced to leave the Black Tiger Army, and his wife and children all met the same fate. General He, tell me, if these long-buried old stories were to come to light again, what would Yao Zhengliang do?"
As he spoke, he let out another soft sigh.
"General Yao's good intentions are appreciated and we ask General He to understand."
General He's pupils trembled slightly. How could Xiao Shu know about these old matters? They were all handled personally by the Grand General...
Xiao Shu continued with a smile, "The Meng family has no successor, and Meng Huai is old. Compared to the vast Northwest Army, which is a small band of bandits who have been recruited, I believe General He will make the right choice."
General He clenched his teeth. From the very beginning, both he and the Prince of Han had walked into the chess game set up by Xiao Shu.
He was just following orders back then, but he never expected that Yao Zhengliang would elope with Meng Qinglian.
When she returned, she was not only six months pregnant, but also had a one-year-old child with her. General Meng used the child as leverage to separate the two.
He no longer knows how Meng Qinglian escaped again.
One became an outlaw, the other lost his life in the countryside.
The two children grew up with many ups and downs.
Yao Zhengliang will definitely settle this score with him.
What King Cheng wanted was a bandit army of less than 20,000 men, which was of little consequence to him.
Moreover, there is General Meng's 200,000-strong army waiting to be captured.
It's really not worth it to cause a problem now.
Xiao Shu's eyes swept over General He, who was deep in thought, and the smile in his eyes deepened.
The debts from back then are now a tangled mess.
No one would accept being blamed for it.
Moreover, General Meng is old, and General He's Southwest Army is at its peak. How could he allow the past to ruin his current momentum?
Xiao Shu glanced at the horizon. "The weather has been fine these past two days, perfect for traveling."
"The journey back to camp is long, General, you should set off as soon as possible."
General He twirled his right fist behind his back in his palm, then looked relaxed.
"Your Highness is right. The siege of Ding County has been resolved. I shall now disband my camp and return to my original location."
Xiao Shu said, "Tonight, I will host a farewell banquet for the General at Rongji Restaurant in the city. I would like to invite the General to attend."
General He's lips twitched slightly. "Of course."
...
The group had a great time, and He Ran didn't want to go back.
Yao Shisan and Shuang'er, along with Fu'er, were already asleep in the carriage, exhausted.
He Ran spurred his horse closer to Jiang Xingyao, "Bookworm, let's go back soon."
Jiang Xingyao tightened his grip on the reins, then responded softly, "Mm."
"Huh?" He Ran glared at him. "I'm about to leave, and you're just saying 'huh'??"
She reached out and grabbed his reins, and the two horses rode side by side.
When are you going to propose?
Jiang Xingyao's ears turned red instantly. "Miss He, you're a young lady!"
"What's wrong with a young lady! You even kissed her..."
"He Ran!"
Jiang Xingyao could no longer tolerate it and grabbed her wrist.
This time, there were no wrist guards; the wide sleeves of her women's clothing revealed her smooth wrists.
Her hands and wrists are now two different colors from the sun she has been exposed to for years while practicing martial arts.
The warm touch on his wrist silenced He Ran instantly.
"Miss He," Jiang Xingyao said in a low voice after releasing her hand.
"I, Jiang, come from a humble background. I survived in my youth only because my younger sister sold herself into servitude. Both my parents are dead, and I am now just a minor county magistrate."
"A promise made in one's lifetime is too heavy. You are the daughter of a great general and could have chosen a better family. I am not that good, and I don't want you to regret choosing a poor county magistrate in the future."
"If you have no regrets after six months, I will present you with all the formalities of marriage and ask for your hand in marriage."
He Ran turned her head to look into his eyes, and after a while, smiled.
“Bookworm, my parents have arranged many marriages for me.”
"Those people either told me to restrain my temper and be a good wife and mother in the future, or they asked me how much dowry I had."
"Even worse, they said I was vulgar and demanded that I bring several beautiful maids with me as dowry to keep me warm in bed."
At this point, she gritted her teeth as if she wanted to tear the other person's flesh apart.
"Whether social status is important or not, I don't know, but in terms of character, you are the best!"
Jiang Xingyao chuckled, "There are countless people of noble character in this world."
"Marriage is not a game; one should be extremely careful about choosing a partner for life. Miss He must not let a momentary impulse ruin her life."
He Ran, "Do you think I'm not good enough?"
Jiang Xingyao said, "It is precisely because you are so good that I must urge you to calm down."
He Ran smiled and his eyes narrowed. "Alright! Six months! I won't regret it. Then come and propose marriage!"
The two guards who had been walking behind them stared wide-eyed.
"Has the Third Miss secretly pledged her life to someone else?"
"It was Lord Jiang who gave the Third Miss time to regret it."
"What if Lord Jiang regrets it? Where will the Third Miss go to cry then?"
"I don't think so. Lord Jiang is much better than those ugly and deformed people that the general previously examined."
"Hmm, I don't think so. Let's make a bet."
"Let's gamble!"
That evening, at Rongji Restaurant.
Jiang Xingyao and Zhou Congxian were unaware that Xiao Shu and General He had reached a consensus.
General He will no longer interfere with the more than 17,000 people who have been recovered.
Returning to the local army is the best option.
However, since King Cheng is in Yuzhou, no one can speak up without His Majesty's imperial decree.
Therefore, while General He is here, returning to the Southwest Army is the best solution.
If the Southwest Army didn't want it, they would have to write to the capital to determine its affiliation and then issue documents, which was both troublesome and lengthy.
The food, drink, and toilet needs of nearly 20,000 people will also increase the financial burden on Ding County.
General He slowly stood up, holding his wine glass. "Including the time of departure, I have been away from the camp for more than half a month."
"Now that the siege of Dingxian has been resolved, the Southwest Army cannot be without a general. Tomorrow, I will set off."
Break camp and set off?
Zhou Congxian glanced at Xiao Shu, then at General He.
"With over 17,000 people recruited, breaking camp so quickly seems a bit hasty."
General He smiled and said, "Lord Zhou, the Southwest Camp can't accommodate all these people for the time being, so I won't get involved in this matter."
Zhou Congxian pursed his lips. "If the Southwest Camp won't take them in, are we just going to send them back to the mountain stronghold?"
General He said, "In addition to the Southwest Camp, there is also General Meng's Northwest Camp, General Cheng's Southern Border Army, and General Deng's Western Huai Camp."
"Lord Zhou should submit a memorial to His Majesty, and the Ministry of War should make a decision on the matter. Finally, Lord Jiang of Ding County should issue the official documents and dispatch the troops."
"Instead of forcing it upon myself now."
Xiao Shu lazily spoke, "As the commander of the Imperial Guards, why doesn't Lord Zhou accept it?"
Zhou Congxian looked at Xiao Shu and said, "What does Your Highness mean by this? The Imperial Guards are responsible for guarding the capital. How can these people be allowed to enter!"
"These people?"
A deep voice came from the doorway of the side room.
"Although Yao's brother is a bit vulgar, he is still worthy of the title that adults have in mind."
Everyone turned to look.
Yao Zhengliang stood at the door, looked around, and then his gaze fell on Jiang Xingyao.
He then looked away, walked in, and sat down opposite General He.
"General He, it's been a long time."
General He refilled his cup with wine. "Old Yao and I are old acquaintances. We were both once Commander Meng's deputy generals."
"When it comes to leading troops into battle, besides Commander Meng, I, He Wenting, admire Yao Ming the most in my life!"
Xiao Shu's eyes flickered slightly. "So Brother Yao is actually a deputy general under General Meng. My apologies!"
Yao Zhengliang nodded slightly, "I wouldn't dare. I've become an outlaw, and my former glory is no longer worth mentioning."
"This time, Yao led his brothers to join the army. These people all had some unknown reasons for being bandits."
“If the adults give them a chance, Yao will definitely give a satisfactory answer.”
Xiao Shu said, "No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. There should always be a chance to correct them and start anew."
His gaze fell on Zhou Congxian. "Let me introduce you, Brother Yao. This is the Commander-in-Chief, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Ying, Lord Zhou."
Yao Zhengliang clasped his hands together and said, "Lord Zhou, my brothers and I are just rough men, so naturally we are not qualified to guard the imperial city."
“Yao doesn’t want to go anywhere else either; the brothers are used to staying in Yuzhou.”
He stood up and said, “If Your Highness does not mind, I am willing to lead my brothers back to the territory of Yuzhou.”
Xiao Shu stood up. "Brother Yao is loyal and righteous, how could I possibly look down on him? It's just that the vassal soldiers are not the same as the regular soldiers. Without His Majesty's decree..."
Yao Zhengliang raised his hand to stop him, "I only have one request. If it cannot be made, I and my brothers would rather become bandits."
There was nothing Zhou Congxian didn't understand.
They sang in unison, and the whole performance was staged just for him!
Nearly 20,000 soldiers changed their minds overnight.
Xiao Shu is truly incredibly powerful!
Your Majesty has probably made a mistake in this move, letting the tiger return to the mountain. How will you deal with the consequences in the future?
He stood up and looked at Xiao Shu one last time, "Your Highness has a brilliant plan. I admire it."
He flicked his sleeve and left the restaurant.
From the very beginning, the initiative was in Xiao Shu's hands.
Feign an attack, feign a city raid, feign a surprise attack.
All of this was intended to pave the way for these mountain bandits to openly and legitimately become the troops of Prince Cheng of Yuzhou!
Regardless of whether the bandits were suppressed by the Southwest Army or the Han King's vassal troops, the outcome would ultimately be the same as what happened in the restaurant just now.
They recognized no one but Xiao Shu.
Wei Xun came forward and said, "Your Highness, the Southwest Camp is already preparing to break camp."
Zhou Congxian's expression was not good. "General He doesn't want these people. We'll break camp and set off tomorrow. That guy surnamed Yao has already made it clear that he'll only stay in Yuzhou."
"A message sent to the capital by urgent dispatch!"
"yes!"
The next day.
When the Southwest Army left the city, the people of Ding County lined the streets to see them off.
Although He Ran didn't know why they were breaking camp and setting off so quickly, she felt great.
She had helped many people before with her older brothers and often received thanks, but she had never seen anyone shed tears like this in Dingxian.
Indeed, bookish people tend to be exceptionally kind and virtuous!
She was right about him!
It's only six months, she can wait that long!
She wanted to show that bookworm that once she set her sights on a man, He Ran would never change her mind!
Jiang Xingyao stood on the gate tower.
He spotted the girl sitting on horseback, her smile radiant and flamboyant.
He raised his hand to touch the corner of his lips, and couldn't help but smile.
He probably won't meet another girl like that in his lifetime.
In half a year, her parents should have found her a young master from a more prestigious family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
