tonic, Ye Qian
Sheng Xiaoxin led his troops to Juecheng. He and Ye Jin led the troops in front. The army was ready to go. The supplies and provisions were brought up at the rear of the column and escorted by Cheng Junshi and a few others.
Tang Qi naturally couldn't possibly lead the way alone, so he volunteered to take on the important responsibility of guarding the supplies and quickly caught up with the rear of the column.
"Lord Cheng, move over and make room for me. Have you missed me since I last saw you?" Tang Qi reached out to lift the curtain, his teasing expression freezing on his face when he saw who it was.
Lu Juezhen inside the car: ...
Hu Xingche: ...
Tang Qi: ...
"Boss...you...?"
Damn, I forgot they were still here.
“I’ve thought about it. I really want to,” Cheng Junshi replied.
As Tang Qi squeezed in, he glared at the two people opposite him, trying to suppress their laughter, and whispered quickly to Cheng Junshi, "Why are you replying to this now!"
"I sent you to Juecheng with Shaoqing, not to betray us." Tang Qi flicked Hu Xingche on the forehead.
Hu Xingche was still gloating.
Tang Qi pursed his lips speechlessly, but quickly became serious and said, "His Highness said that the situation in Jue City is critical. News came from Ye An's side that the Southern Continent army is probably approaching. This trip will definitely not be easy."
Who is leading the troops in the Southern Continent?
Lu Juezhen looked at Hu Xingche excitedly: "Is there even a question? It's definitely that Gui Luo!"
"If I had known, I should have killed him back in Jinan earlier, so he wouldn't be such a major threat to the Shuo Dynasty now," Hu Xingche suddenly said angrily.
Lu Juezhen looked at him and said cautiously, "But if it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't have been able to escape Jinan unscathed."
Hu Xingche choked for a moment, then changed the subject again: "Gui Luo came on someone's behalf that time. Who exactly did he come for? Does he have accomplices from the Southern Continent in the Shuo Dynasty?"
Tang Qi's mind flashed with the man's image, but he continued, "No, one thing at a time. He's not Gui Luo's accomplice, nor is he from the Southern Continent. As for Gui Luo—"
"The matter of Jinan is over. If we meet again, it will only be a fight to the death." Tang Qi's eyes turned cold.
“There’s one more thing,” Cheng Junshi suddenly said, his expression not looking good.
Three pairs of eyes looked over, and he continued slowly, "The Southern Continent Army attacked all the way from the border to Jue City, burning, killing, and looting wherever they went. Many towns have been reduced to ashes, and the people's bones have been left behind."
He spoke with a deeply compassionate expression, and the remaining few remained silent for a long time after hearing this.
"Conquering cities and seizing territories... committing all sorts of atrocities, is this the military tactics of the Southern Continent?" Hu Xingche gritted his teeth: "Life and death are irrelevant on the battlefield, but what have the people in the city done to deserve this? Why turn these cities into dead cities!"
"Gui Luo, what a fine name! He truly is a man-eating demon!" Lu Juezhen exclaimed indignantly.
Tang Qi, unusually, fell silent.
Cheng Junshi noticed his expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Tang Qi shook her head and simply said, "It's nothing, I just find it strange."
“Gui Luo is an arrogant man. He may be capable of conquering cities and seizing territory, but I don’t think he would do such shameful things as burning, killing, looting, and even burning down cities,” Tang Qi continued.
"Boss, you can only know a person's face, not their heart! You've only met him a few times, why are you speaking up for him like this!"
“I’m not speaking up for him. Although I’ve only met him a few times, you don’t need so much time to verify a person’s true character. If he were truly a wicked person, back in Jinan, if he had set a trap, I’m afraid none of us would have survived.”
Cheng Junshi also said, "What you said is right, but he is, after all, a person from the Southern Continent. People's hearts are unpredictable. It's never wrong to think the worst."
The person opposite nodded and continued, supporting himself with his hand: "I know, but that's just my feeling. Gui Luo is, after all, from the Southern Continent. There's no need to make excuses for him, nor is there any need for sympathy. On the battlefield, there are no friends on the other side."
Their journey to Juecheng went smoothly. Several people were discussing matters in the carriage when the curtain was soon lifted.
After disembarking, most of the army had already entered the city, leaving only a few of them trailing behind.
Standing beneath the city gate, everyone felt a sense of solemnity. Although it was daytime, the silver armor on the warriors still gleamed coldly, and the city of Jue was even more oppressive than they had imagined.
Ye An was waiting for them at the city gate entrance. Sheng Xiaoxin, who had entered the city first, had already been led to the encampment by his men, but Ye Jin stayed at the gate with Ye An.
When Cheng Junshi and the others stepped forward, Ye An was talking to her.
"What's the situation in the city?"
"Martial law is in effect throughout the city. No one in the city may leave their homes, day or night."
"Why is the supervision so strict?" Ye Jin was slightly surprised.
"It was my brother's idea," Ye An said.
Hearing that it was Ye Qian's idea, Ye Jin's doubts disappeared, and then she asked, "Where is my elder brother now?"
"Commanding the battalion in the city."
He had barely finished speaking when Tang Qi and the others walked over.
"How is the situation in Nanzhou?" Cheng Junshi asked.
"A scout reports that the Southern Continent army is still advancing, and in three more days, they will likely be at the city gates," Ye An said with a grave expression.
"Is the person leading the troops truly Gui Luo?"
He looked at Cheng Junshi, who was speaking, and replied, "A blue-faced, fanged demon mask, I can't mistake it."
"His Majesty sent us to Jue City, which probably means he's determined to fight to the death."
The person opposite remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Shuo Dynasty has already lost four cities; it cannot afford to lose Jue City as well."
"Where is the Right General? At such a dangerous time, he's not here guarding the place, but instead he's leaving you all here?" Tang Qi sneered.
"Having lost all four cities, he naturally wouldn't dare continue to defend this last one. If Jue City falls, it's only a matter of time before the iron hooves of the Southern Continent trample the land of the Shuo Dynasty. How could he dare to bear such eternal infamy?" Ye An said calmly.
"Since Your Majesty knows that Juecheng cannot be lost, why did you only send Li Guang to guard it?"
"Wasn't the First Prince recalled from the northern frontier?"
“That’s just a drop in the ocean. Trying to fight against Nanzhou with the strength of a single army? Maybe it was possible ten years ago, but now,” Tang Qi’s eyes turned cold, “it’s probably wishful thinking. Nanzhou is no longer the Nanzhou of the past, and Shuo Dynasty is no longer the Shuo Dynasty of the past.”
From the moment he started speaking, Ye An's eyes never left Tang Qi's face.
"You are... Lin Zhengye?"
Tang Qi was slightly surprised. How could he recognize that?
He immediately changed his expression, and said mysteriously, "I'm not called Lin Zhengye anymore. In the Northern Frontier, my name is Ta Qing."
Ye An raised an eyebrow and looked at him, saying, "So you went to the Northern Frontier for the past three years. No wonder I haven't heard from you since."
Tang Qi shrugged: "Jingzhou is not where I'm going, so naturally I have to go to a more distant place—how many people will Nanzhou send this time? With the current manpower, can we really resist them?"
"If Li Guang is guarding Juecheng, then what about Lang Ce? Where is Lang Ce's army now?"
Ye An remained silent.
"The Wolf Strategy is stationed in Jingzhou to protect the imperial city."
Tang Qi: "..."
Almost immediately, Tang Qi's voice suddenly rose in volume: "Doesn't any of you think this is inappropriate? This is a vital city of the nation. The Right General of the Rong Army abandoned the city for a mere title. Of the two great armies protecting the country, only one is left to guard it. What an absurd choice! As a general, haven't you considered the people in the city and the soldiers in the army? If we are defeated, Jue City will become scorched earth, and all the people and soldiers will become bones."
"Do you understand death? Ye An, you are not a child anymore. Young Marshal Li Guangjun, your name sounds prestigious, but if you can't ensure the well-being of the people and the survival of your subordinates, what kind of general are you, what kind of young marshal are you?"
Ye An was subjected to a barrage of insults. Although they were close in age, strangely, Ye An was not angry at his scolding. In fact, a sense of fear suddenly arose in his heart, a kind of oppression that he had once felt from Ye Qian, a pressure unique to his older brother.
He, the dignified young marshal Li Guangjun, was rendered speechless by a mere youth.
That's really strange.
"But what can we do if His Majesty has made such an arrangement? My father is still fighting abroad. The Wolf Army has been taken over by the Fourth Prince, and he wants to station the entire army to guard the capital city of Jingzhou. What can we do? We can't just march back to Jingzhou and seize the Wolf Army's troop deployment rights!" Ye An's voice also grew louder.
"If you don't resist, the entire Li Guang Army will die here!" Tang Qi said sternly, "Ye An, there's no going back in life."
“You can’t bear the consequences, and neither can your brother.” His expression gradually turned cold, then returned to its former composure: “Take me to find Ye Qian.”
*
When Tang Qi saw Ye Qian again after three years, she stood frozen in place for a long time.
In fact, not only Tang Qi, but even Hu Xingche, who was standing to the side, was stunned.
Ye Qian's spirits were not as strong as before; in fact, they were quite poor. Although he was not physically robust before, his complexion was ruddy and his expression was always gentle and powerful. Now, however, his face was completely bloodless. Although it was already autumn and he was wearing a long gown, his lips were pale and even his eyes were filled with dejection.
He tried very hard to smile, but to the person opposite him, his appearance only conveyed the meaning of "the bell tolls and the night is over".
Hu Xingche reacted faster than Tang Qi, quickly suppressing his shock and forcing a smile as he greeted Ye Qian.
Tang Qi remained rooted to the spot. Ye Qian's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on him, but those eyes, which were always filled with gentle warmth, could no longer offer any words of comfort.
Tang Qi suddenly lifted the curtain and stepped out, completely disregarding her own rudeness.
He simply couldn't accept it.
Cheng Junshi followed a step behind, and the person next to him stopped and said slowly, "You know he's like this, right?"
“I watched him become like this,” Cheng Junshi said, lowering his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me?" Tang Qi's voice suddenly choked up.
Wouldn't it be better if you saw it with your own eyes?
"No! Absolutely not good!" Tang Qi suddenly looked at Cheng Junshi: "Why has he become like this? He should be healthy and live to be a hundred!"
Cheng Junshi grabbed him and forced Tang Qi to calm down: "Don't do this, it will make him feel bad."
“He is in more pain than you, Zhong Le, he is in more pain than you.”
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Tang Qi, completely waking him up.
Yes, who could be more tormented than Ye Qian himself?
"Zhong Le".
Ye Qian's voice came from behind. His voice was still soft. Cheng Junshi glanced at him, loosened his grip on Tang Qi, and left the space for Ye Qian and him.
Ye Qian took another step closer to him.
"Zhong Le".
Tang Qi finally turned around, and when he saw that face again, he couldn't help but feel sad. It wasn't like this three years ago. Three years ago, they both had a bright future.
"What's there to be sad about?" Ye Qian turned around and said, "I'm still alive and well, aren't I?"
"What exactly happened?" Tang Qi asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's nothing serious, just a minor illness."
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