"My Lord," Mo Qiaosheng's eyes were red and his voice was hoarse, "General Helan..."
He gritted his teeth, turned his head away and couldn't continue.
Yu Dunsu glanced at him, clasped his hands together, and continued in a deep voice: "General Helan was attacked by the enemy and unfortunately... died in battle."
Cheng Qianye was holding a pen full of ink in his hand, and as he said this, it rolled onto the drawing on the table with a "click".
She blinked, her eyes fell on the pen, and she stared blankly at the pen rolling on the paper, staining the carefully depicted prosperous scene with a black streak.
"You, what did you say?" Cheng Qianye seemed a little overwhelmed.
Yu Dunsu lowered his head, his voice choking with sobs: "I just received an urgent report from Zhengzhou. When General Helan was out of the city for inspection, he was unexpectedly ambushed by the Quanrong army. Although the general fought back with all his strength, he was outnumbered and eventually... died in the line of duty."
He could hardly continue speaking. He and Helan Zhen had worked together for a long time and were almost the closest comrades in the army.
Yet he could not help but say,
"The team led by the general was completely wiped out, and only a few people fought to save the general's body. Zhengzhou is now under siege by the Quanrong army, and there is no commander inside. Please make a decision as soon as possible and rescue in time."
Cheng Qianye stood up.
It was bright outside, but she felt a darkness in front of her eyes and a buzzing in her ears.
Helan Zhen,
Helan Zhen.
She simply didn't dare to think about how the cheerful and cheerful person, who had been drinking with her not long ago, suddenly disappeared.
General Helan was born into an aristocratic family. His young face always carried a bit of the arrogance typical of a child from an aristocratic family, but deep down he was an honest and simple man.
At the beginning, under Cheng Qianye's little trick, he easily gained his loyalty, and since then he has been standing behind Cheng Qianye loyally.
He once led the navy to drive back the pursuing troops of the Wei State and rescued Cheng Qianye who was trapped in the enemy camp. He also led 8,000 soldiers to attack the camp of the Quanrong at night and burned the enemy's food and grass.
During the most difficult time in the government, he brought along his entire family and became staunch supporters of Cheng Qianye's new policies.
How could such a person disappear silently in a small battle
"My lord, my lord."
Cheng Qianye heard someone calling her.
She swayed her body, supported herself on the table, and steadied herself.
Then, she heard her own calm voice, saying word by word: "Quickly summon Zhang Fu, Zhou Zixi, and all military officers above the rank of Gongcheng to the Wu Palace for a discussion."
In Chaowu Palace,
The warm sunlight of the autumn afternoon poured into the hall through the open door.
Court officials gathered in a hurry one after another, and the empty room was buzzing with low voices of discussion.
However, no matter how warm the sunshine was, it could not melt the frost that permeated the Chaowu Palace.
The court officials did not dare to speak loudly and carefully looked at the expression of their lord who was sitting on the throne.
The usually kind lord sat there with a frosty face, his lips tightly pressed into a line. Under that gloomy face was suppressed a violent storm.
"My lord," Zhang Fu was the first to break the silence, "the most urgent task is to determine the candidates for the expedition. Now the commander of Zhengzhou has been killed, the enemy army is besieging the city, the situation is critical, we should urgently send troops up the waterway to rush to Zhengzhou. I..."
Cheng Qianye interrupted him: "Zhang Fu, you stay in Bianjing."
"I will personally lead the army to rush to Zhengzhou for assistance."
As soon as these words were spoken, they caused a huge uproar. The generals looked at each other and talked a lot. Many of them stood out and expressed their opposition.
Cheng Qianye raised his hand to stop them from talking.
She looked at them one by one.
"Zhou Zixi," she said, "Would you like to go with me?"
Zhou Zixi clasped his fists in greeting: "I shall follow my lord."
"Mo Qiaosheng."
Mo Qiaosheng knelt on one knee and saluted.
"Yu Dunsu."
"Cheng Feng."
Cheng Qianye called out the names one by one.
"The above personnel, prepare the three armies and follow me to fight against the Quanrong. Avenge the blood feud of the Great Jin and defend the city of the Great Jin."
All the generals responded loudly.
There were footsteps outside the door.
Three generals in armor, with hemp ropes tied around their heads, strode into the hall.
They all knelt down in front of Cheng Qianye and begged for mercy.
The first one was over fifty years old, with half a hundred hairs on his head. He was Helan Zhen’s uncle, Helan Yanzhi, the doctor-in-chief of Jin State.
Helan Yanzhi said in a trembling voice: "My lord, please allow me to lead the young men of my clan to go to war. I swear to sacrifice the blood of the bandits to the spirits of the great men of my Helan family in heaven."
Cheng Qianye stood up.
Her eyes finally turned red.
The military situation was urgent, and they had to quickly assemble a vanguard force and go out to battle as soon as possible. The court officials dispersed from the Chaowu Palace and hurried away, each performing their duties.
Cheng Qianye walked out of the palace alone and stood on the corridor outside the palace.
The terrain here is very high, and you can see the green mountains across the city.
"My Lord." Someone called her softly from behind.
Cheng Qianye turned his head and saw a familiar figure.
"Qiaosheng." She lowered her eyelashes, "You are so sad, why don't you cry?"
Cheng Qianye knew that He Lanzhen was one of Mo Qiaosheng's few friends.
The azure gem looked at her silently.
That's because you've already cried, my lord. So, I can't cry anymore.
Cheng Qianye squatted down, she covered her mouth, tears seeped out from her eyelashes and dripped onto the bluestone slabs on the ground.
In front of her ministers and the generals of the three armies, no matter how upset she felt, she could not cry.
Only in front of this man can she show her vulnerability without restraint.
Mo Qiaosheng squatted in front of her, stretched out his hands and gently held her shoulders.
"General Helan has promoted me, treated me like a friend, and is a brother. I, Mo Qiaosheng, will not shed tears for him, but I will shed blood for him." Mo Qiaosheng's low voice sounded.
He said word by word: "Those who caused General Helan's death and made you shed tears, I will make them pay ten thousand times over."
Zhang Fu remembered something and turned back.
As soon as I stepped onto the steps, I saw from afar the other end of the corridor where the lord was squatting on the ground with his face covered.
A black figure was squatting in front of her, patting her back gently, as if to comfort her.
Zhang Fu hesitated for a moment, then retracted his steps and stepped back.
In the secret room of the princess's mansion
Zhang Fu put aside his usual calm expression and pinched his brows in annoyance.
"Sir, are you sad for General Helan?" Ajia sat upright in front of him.
Zhang Fu didn't say anything.
"My lord is going to Zhengzhou in person? Why didn't you stop him?"
Zhang Fu said, "My lord, she is not acting on impulse. Zhengzhou has suddenly lost its commander, and the army will be shaken and the people will be in panic. The city may be breached in an instant. My lord, if you go there in person, you can boost morale the fastest and stabilize the situation quickly. Besides, she brought Yu Dunsu, Mo Qiaosheng, Zhou Zixi and others with her, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Sir, you said it was okay, but why do you look so worried?"
"I..." Zhang Fu choked. He found that he was indeed not as stable as before.
Ajia's face was dull and expressionless, and his words were cold, but they always hit home directly in Zhang Fu's heart: "It's because you didn't go with me personally that you are worried about the lord."
Zhang Fu didn't say anything, which was considered as his agreement.
Ajia actually agreed with the decision to let Zhang Fu stay in Bianjing: "The situation in Bianjing is very complicated now, and the surrounding countries are watching us and are ready to make a move. My lord, it is right to leave you here."
Zhang Fu frowned, "This time, General Helan died unexpectedly. I always feel that there is something strange. Why did the Quanrong army appear near Zhengzhou and ambush Helan Zhen so accurately, but we didn't receive any news at all?"
Arsenal suddenly interjected: "When will I die of illness?"
She also felt that something was wrong and wanted to leave here and go to the front line to get information in person.
Zhang Fu's words came to his throat but he didn't say them out loud.
He suddenly remembered the figure squatting in the corridor and crying quietly.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally waved his hand and said, "Just... just stay sick for now. Helan Zhen's death was a big blow to the lord. Let's keep this identity for her."
Ajia stopped talking.
The adults' hearts have become softer. In the past, adults always had a smile on their faces, but in fact their hearts were cold and they didn't care about anyone.
This new lord was able to change him. The lord is really an interesting person.
"How about this, Ajia." Zhang Fu finally made a decision, "You are a woman, it will be more convenient. You follow the lord to Zhengzhou and guard her closely. Let Achun wear a veil and lie in bed to pretend to be sick instead of the princess."
Ajia nodded and left.
Zhang Fu walked out of the princess's mansion and got on the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Xiu handed him a cup of warm tea, seeming to be hesitant to speak.
Zhang Fu drank the water slowly, "You don't have to worry. I've thought about it. Since she wants to keep her identity as a princess, let's keep it for now."
Xiao Xiu was happy: "My lord will be happy if he knows. Sir, you are such a gentle person."
Am I a gentle person? Zhang Fu looked out the car window at the bustling crowd on the street. It seemed that I had really changed.
Cheng Qianye led the advance troops, boarded the warship, and traveled day and night along the newly opened canal until they arrived in Zhengzhou.
Outside the city of Zhengzhou, the army of the Quanrong surrounded the city tightly.
Yao Tianxiang, wearing armor and standing on the top of the city wall as the lord's wife, managed to stabilize the almost collapsed morale of the army in Zhengzhou City.
"Princess, it's too dangerous here. You'd better stay away and let me stay here for you." Sima Tu advised, standing behind her.
"No, I'll stand here." Yao Tianxiang looked into the distance and said firmly, "I don't know anything about war, but as long as I stand here, everyone will know that although the general is gone, we have not given up this city. As long as we hold on for a day or two, Qianyu's reinforcements will arrive soon."
Yellow sand gradually rolled up from the northern horizon.
A mighty army emerged from the smoke and dust,
The flags were flying, the horses were neighing, and the army was getting closer.
The soldiers on the city wall used their hands to make out the words on the flags.
"The General Flag with the Chinese Character Jin in it! It's the General Flag with the Chinese Character Jin in it!"
"Reinforcements! They are our reinforcements, they have arrived!"
"That is the lord's flag. The lord is leading the army personally!"
Cheers suddenly rang out from the city wall.
"Qianyu! Qianyu is here so soon!" Yao Tianxiang held Sima Tu's hand tightly, very excited.
The Jin army came with hatred and power, and the Quanrong army that was besieging the city avoided their attack and retreated to the camp twenty miles away.
Zhengzhou opened the north gate to welcome the lord's troops into the city.
The army entered the city.
Cheng Qianye led everyone to the mourning hall.
I saw spiritual flags dancing in the wind all over the sky, and a line of white lights greeting them sadly.
In the middle of the mourning hall, there was a huge word "祭" (sacrifice), and underneath it was a black lacquered coffin.
The person in the coffin will never be seen again.
Cheng Qianye gritted his teeth, looked at the coffin quietly resting there with red eyes, and performed the ceremony of worship.
One of Helan Zhen's adjutants, whose surname was Li and whose name was Zhong, knelt in front of the coffin and returned the greeting.
He had several scars on his face and an injured arm, which was hung around his neck with a bandage. He was one of the few survivors of the Quanrong ambush.
"How did General Helan... die?" Cheng Qianye stood in front of him and spoke in a calm tone.
Li Zhong wiped his tears and repeated what he had said many times.
"That day we received a tip-off that a small group of Quanrong people had been found."
"Who received the tip-off?" Cheng Qianye interrupted him.
"I... am one of my subordinates."
"What's the name of that subordinate?" Cheng Qianye ordered Ajia beside him, "Go and find him. Bring all the people who survived the battle."
Li Zhong knelt there with his head down, his heart pounding.
The lord couldn't possibly know that. He rolled his eyes. No one in Zhengzhou city had noticed it. How could the lord have seen through it as soon as he arrived
"Go on." Cheng Qianye asked indifferently, and slowly sat down on a chair brought by Cheng Feng.
The author has something to say: The comment section belongs to you, I have already put the lid on the pot.
Classmate Helan is offline, and I am in a very depressed mood. I decided to take a day off tomorrow to have a wrap-up dinner with Cobalt Green Little Gem. I hope you will approve it.
Use less force with the 555 blade, as my pot lid is quite thin.