Yuan Yunzhong couldn’t help but chuckle softly upon hearing those words.
One hundred twenty thousand stones of grain, if rationed, could feed fifty thousand people for nearly half a month.
It would be enough for him to quell the uprising at Shijingshan.
He said softly, "Yun Duo, thank you."
Song Jiyun had put it simply, but he knew that none of these tasks were easy to accomplish.
He sincerely said, "You’ve worked hard!"
He secretly resolved never to let Song Jiyun face these difficulties alone again.
Song Jiyun indeed had a hard time. Not to mention anything else, just the silver needed to buy the grain, if she hadn’t opened Yinyu Hall in Capital City, and if Yinyu Hall hadn’t been doing so well, using Yinyu Hall as collateral, the silver houses couldn’t have gathered so much cash for her so quickly.
"You’re welcome!" she said with a smile, poking Yuan Yunzhong’s shoulder, "Your priority should be to settle these refugees quickly."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded.
A sharp, narrow beam of light flashed through the dense forest.
Song Jiyun was startled for a moment, and then as if remembering something, she hurriedly said, "Yuan Yunzhong, there’s an ambush!"
Yuan Yunzhong trusted Song Jiyun more than himself.
Although he had seen nothing, it didn’t stop him from immediately letting go of Song Jiyun and quickly covering her with his black cloak, half-hugging her to crouch under a tree, and he said in a deep voice, "Weapons do not discriminate, stay here and don’t move; I will come for you once I am done."
While he was speaking, the guide in front had already clashed with the ambushers, and a clang of metal rang out.
"Damn it!" Commander Wang cursed, "Who set this ambush for me! After I drag him out, if I don’t kill his entire family, I’ll take his surname."
Having thrown his sword earlier, Yuan Yunzhong was looking around for a handy weapon to defend against the ambushers, but Song Jiyun grabbed him, "The guide chose the path, and not all the people I brought may be loyal; be careful."
After speaking, she handed him a dagger and said hurriedly, "Take this for self-defense!"
Yuan Yunzhong refused to take it: "Keep it for your own defense!"
He gave her a deep look and then turned and left.
Song Jiyun had no other choice but to hide under the tree like a stone, prying open a slit in the cloak, her eyes unblinkingly fixed on Yuan Yunzhong.
He somehow found a knife and joined the battle with Commander Wang and the others.
Yuan Yunzhong’s martial arts were extremely impressive; those who encountered him were like meeting a sharp butcher’s knife, typically subdued by him within a few exchanges.
However, it was still a melee, and seeing Yuan Yunzhong’s skilled hands, the ambushers quickly adjusted their strategy; several tall, brawny men surrounded him and, jumping rapidly as falcons, managed to fight him to a standstill. One of them clashed his blade against Yuan Yunzhong’s, actually breaking Yuan Yunzhong’s sword.
Song Jiyun knew that Yuan Yunzhong suffered due to the inferior quality of his weapon.
She clenched her teeth secretly, looked around; there weren’t many ambushing them, and the struggle had caused countless birds to fly up in the dense forest, yet no one had come to reinforce them.
Perhaps reinforcements were on their way, just not there yet.
She decided she must act decisively and quickly.
After a moment of thought, she made up her mind and quietly began moving towards where Yuan Yunzhong was fighting.
Fortunately, everyone was engaged in battle, and no one noticed her.
She found a spot, took position, and raised her hand—Xiang Ye and Xiang Cao had been sent to help Shao Qing transport grain, Zheng Quan couldn’t stop her; worried, Wang Hua had found a way to attach two sleeve arrows to her arms, which she had hastily practiced before coming.
However, she had learned shooting before.
She had some basic skills.
The sleeve arrows silently flew through the darkness, hitting a man near Yuan Yunzhong.
The man’s body stiffened and Yuan Yunzhong took the opportunity to bring him down.
People around Yuan Yunzhong shouted, "Someone’s shooting arrows in the dark," drawing several gazes towards Song Jiyun.
It seemed she couldn’t hide anymore.
She simply shot three arrows in quick succession.
Two of the arrows hit their targets.
But she also exposed her position.
Someone came at her with a slashing attack.
Yuan Yunzhong intercepted midway.
Song Jiyun, not holding back anymore, fired five arrows in rapid succession.
Three arrows hit their mark.
Yuan Yunzhong also arrived just in time, pulling her into his embrace with a wry smile, "You, what am I going to do with you?"
Song Jiyun’s legs felt a bit weak, but the more critical the situation, the less she showed her fear.
"If you guys get into trouble, there’s no way I could come out unscathed!" she said.
In reality, she couldn’t even tolerate Yuan Yunzhong being at a disadvantage with weapons, let alone him getting hurt.
Better to stick together.
Advance and retreat as one.
She looked at the masked assailants closing in, standing back-to-back with Yuan Yunzhong, and said, "I still have twelve sleeve arrows left."
Yuan Yunzhong chuckled and responded, "Good! Let’s do this together!"
His voice was remarkably hearty.
Hearing this, Song Jiyun suddenly felt calmer, raised her hand sharply, firing an arrow, and added, "We might not necessarily be the losers!"
Several foes lurking around them did not expect her to shoot as soon as she said she would and were caught off guard. They cried out, "Aiya," covering their eyes.
Blood flowed from between the fingers of one man. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
"Damn it, truly a sting on a hornet’s tail, turns out it’s a tigress!" a masked person cursed under their breath, unable to hold back.
Song Jiyun, without a word, raised her hand again, preparing to shoot another arrow at her target.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t as lucky this time. A man facing her swung his blade directly at her.
Yuan Yunzhong swiftly turned around with Song Jiyun and caught the man’s blade.
The harsh clang of the blade sparkled with sparks.
A broadsword struck the man’s body, and he screamed in agony, falling to the ground.
Zheng Quan and He Dazhi arrived.
"Owner!" he exclaimed anxiously, "Are you all right?"
Song Jiyun took a deep breath and replied, "We’re fine, how about you?"
Zheng Quan was previously in charge of leading the Canal Transport personnel to counter the ambush on Yuan Yunzhong.
"We’re okay," he said. He wasn’t sure about the Canal Transport personnel, but only two of Song Jiyun’s guards were seriously injured; the others had minor injuries. "Some Miyun Guard arrived; it seemed like someone got the news and came to rescue the young master, so we hurried over."
The Canal Transport individuals were, after all, engaged in private work and had dispersed collectively.
"Lord Chen came over with a few people too," Zheng Quan said.
Lord Chen was the leader on the Canal Transport side, and Song Jiyun had promised that if anyone investigated their unauthorized deployment, Yuan Yunzhong would cover for them.
He must have come to have her fulfill her promise.
Song Jiyun nodded, "Understood!"
With the arrival of Zheng Quan and others, the situation overwhelmingly tilted in favor of Song Jiyun and Yuan Yunzhong.
Yuan Yunzhong did not join in the rest of the fights.
He knelt down to uncover the mask of one of the dead assailants.
Under the moonlight, the man’s face was pale.
"It’s Lord Bai’s men!" Commander Wang suddenly appeared and exclaimed in surprise.
Yuan Yunzhong’s gaze darkened, and he stood up, "Let’s go! Let’s meet Lord Bai!"
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