seventy three
The army moved forward slowly. You Shu and several shadow guards accompanied Xiao Weixin all the way to protect him from any enemy ambushes. The further north they went, the more desolate the places became.
Xiao Weixin has lived for so many years, and this is the first time he has walked out of the capital. Looking at the devastated and scattered dilapidated villages around him, he silently tightened the reins, pursed his lips and continued to move forward.
Having been in the prosperous area of the capital for too long, if Xiao Weixin had not seen it with his own eyes, he really could not imagine that there was such a barren and dilapidated place in the world. It was full of corrupt and desolate wilderness, so gloomy that it seemed as if it was not under the same sky as the capital.
"What's wrong?" You Shu rode forward quietly. Seeing that Xiao Weixin had been frowning, he thought that he was tired and in a bad mood, so he comforted him, "It will take three days to reach Mianzhou. Just bear with it. It will be quick."
Xiao Weixin came back to his senses, his eyes fell on You Shu's face, and he nodded silently, without saying why he was upset. You Shu didn't know what he was thinking, but didn't ask him either. He knew that maybe Xiao Weixin wanted her to accompany him quietly for a while.
The army continued to move forward, stopped before sunset and began to set up camp. The weather was still relatively hot, especially in the wild at night when there were many mosquitoes. You Shu led the soldiers to sprinkle powder around the tents and used torches to drive away the small animals hiding in the corners. They planned to camp here tonight.
You Shu poured the last packet of medicine powder outside Xiao Weixin's tent. He turned around and took a few steps when suddenly a black shadow flashed before his eyes. He subconsciously followed it quickly.
When he caught up with him, he found that it was a soldier in the team. He didn't look like a high-ranking soldier. You Shu stepped forward and grabbed him, asking coldly, "What are you doing?"
The soldier was startled. When he saw him, he turned around and shook his head in fear, "Please spare my life, sir! I, I just came out to find something to eat."
After saying that, he raised the wild radish in his hand. There was still some fresh soil on it, and it looked like it had just been dug out: "Dinner, I didn't have enough."
You Shu looked him up and down, still somewhat puzzled, but he couldn't tell why. He carefully checked the not-so-juicy wild radish, but couldn't see anything wrong with it. After thinking for a long time, he returned it to the soldier and warned him, "Don't run around. This is the wild, and there are many wild animals. It would be bad if you get lost."
"Yes." The soldier nodded obediently, carrying his wild radish, he returned to the camp dejectedly.
You Shu stood there with his arms folded, watching him walk away. He turned his head to look at the dark jungle behind him, thought for a while and finally walked in. He still felt something was wrong.
The forest was completely dark, visibility was very low, and the dense leaves above completely blocked the moonlight. Even with a torch in hand, You Shu couldn't see what was in the forest. He walked lightly, held his breath, and listened carefully to the movements around him. But except for one or two small animals that occasionally popped out, there was nothing unusual about this place.
Maybe he was really too nervous.
You Shu turned back halfway through his walk. There was nothing wrong in the forest. It seemed that the soldier really just came out to find something to eat. He was overthinking it.
As soon as he stepped out of the woods, You Shu looked up and saw Xiao Weixin waiting not far away: "What's wrong?"
"It's okay." You Shu walked up to him and replied softly, "I went to the woods to check the situation, but I didn't find anything."
Xiao Weixin nodded and whispered, "That's good."
"I can't sleep, please walk with me."
Of course You Shu was willing to accompany him. After listening to his words, she held a torch and walked slowly down the mountain with him. They seldom had the opportunity to take such a walk in the wild at night. They had been traveling in the open air these days and had no romantic thoughts. It was not easy for them to be alone in private, and You Shu was happy.
Xiao Weixin seemed to be in a bad mood. He witnessed the desolation and ruin outside the city along the way, and thought of Xiao Weishen's actions. Naturally, he couldn't be happy.
"When I was young, I heard the tutor talk about Emperor Gaozu." He suddenly said softly, "When Emperor Gaozu was still alive, under his governance, the country prospered and people from all over the world came to pay tribute to him. None of the small countries around dared to set foot on the border. At that time, our Daliang was truly a prosperous and peaceful country."
"But the country's fortune has been bad since my father's death." Xiao Weixin's voice was a little lonely, "Xiao Shu, I have never seen what this country looked like when it was strong."
“It’s been like this for as long as I can remember.”
You Shu walked in front of him and carefully paved the way for him. After listening to his words, he turned back and said softly, "It's okay. You will make it strong again."
"Even for me, I'm afraid it would be difficult to do it." Xiao Weixin's tone was low, revealing a little bit of lack of confidence: "I have been walking along the way for so many days, and I have seen too many things that I have never seen before. I just realized that it is not an easy task to govern a country well."
"Besides, how can I compare with Gaozu?"
You Shu didn't know why Xiao Weixin suddenly became lost. He had obviously not been such a sentimental and timid person before. Perhaps the dilapidated scenes he saw along the way stimulated him and caused him to temporarily lose confidence.
"No." You Shu blamed himself for his poor words. His prince was so depressed, but he couldn't say anything nice to comfort him. "You are no worse than Emperor Gaozu."
He really wanted to tell him that he was already a great emperor in the book.
When he ascended the throne, he was handed over a country that was already on the verge of collapse. Anyone who has studied a little history knows that no dynasty can remain prosperous and powerful forever. It will inevitably go through a process of decline. What is divided for a long time will eventually unite, and what is united for a long time will eventually divide. This has been an eternal law for thousands of years.
According to common sense, Daliang's luck has run out. As a great country that has existed for more than two hundred years, it has gradually begun to decline like an old man in his twilight years. There will always be a new prosperous era to replace it in the future. This is irreversible.
But Xiao Weixin still chose to turn the tide. He successfully changed a dynasty that should have withered and withdrawn, pulled it back from the brink of death, and pushed it into another prosperous era, continuing the destiny of the country.
He was in power for a total of thirty years, and he finally achieved his goal after spending half his life's hard work. With his own strength, he once again displayed the glory created by the ancestor he most respected before the world.
No matter from which aspect, Xiao Weixin is a very qualified king. You Shu can understand the beautiful visions in his heart, and also understand his helplessness and sadness when he sees the prosperous country that his ancestors fought for being destroyed by his father and brother.
He understood all his sorrows.
“You can definitely do it.”
You Shu told him firmly that even though he really couldn't say nice things, he could give him a positive answer.
Xiao Weixin looked up at him. You Shu's eyes were bright in the night, and he looked at him with such confidence, as if he could really do it. He couldn't help but ask softly, "Are you trying to comfort me?"
"It's not a consolation." You Shu shook his head, "You just can do it."
Xiao Weixin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly chuckled: "Xiao Shu is partial to me."
"But I'm willing to listen."
Xiao Weixin's eyes were full of stars. He was born extremely beautiful, and under the moonlight, he looked even more like a fairy. He walked forward and gently hugged You Shu, "I'm afraid that in this world, Xiao Shu is the only one who understands me."
You Shu's face turned red, and he didn't know where to put his right hand holding the torch. Even though they had been together for several months, he still couldn't adapt to particularly affectionate moments sometimes and was always easily shy.
However, his prince seemed to be in a much better mood.
The two of them walked outside for most of the hour and returned to the tent in the middle of the night. You Shu helped him make the bed and fetched some water for a quick shower.
"You go to sleep first, I'll keep watch over you." You Shu pressed Xiao Weixin down on the couch.
Xiao Weixin was reluctant at first, but he knew what You Shu meant, so he closed his eyes and said obediently, "Call me in the second half of the night."
You Shu agreed verbally, but after the others fell asleep, he did not really plan to call him. He was used to staying up all night, so even if he didn't sleep for three days, it would be no big deal. After turning off the lights, he lifted the curtain and walked out.
Ying Qi was standing guard outside. He turned around and nodded silently when he saw him coming out, crossing his arms and still looking up at the sky. You Shu and he were on each side, standing guard outside the tent together until dawn the next day.
Xiao Weixin was very unhappy that You Shu didn't come to get up in the second half of the night. He was angry early in the morning. He ignored You Shu when he came to talk to him several times and was so cold as if he didn't know him.
Oh, this temper.
You Shu had no choice but to let Hua Chun deliver breakfast on his behalf. He was doing this for his own good, so why was he so angry
Xiao Weijing happened to come over to eat but ran into the gun. Xiao Weixin scolded her harshly. She left the tent in a daze and pulled You Shu to gossip: "What's wrong with you two? Why is Seventh Brother like this?"
"Cough." You Shu coughed dryly, too embarrassed to look up: "Maybe the prince didn't get enough rest last night."
Xiao Weijing looked unconvinced.
Xiao Weixin's two brothers, one is extremely stupid and the other is extremely smart. They both have the genes of the old emperor, so why are there such huge differences between them
You Shu couldn't help but complain in his heart.
However, Xiao Weixin was only angry for a short while. By the time they set out on the journey, he had basically forgotten about the matter. The army finally entered Mianzhou on the third day.
Huzhou is the rebels' base camp. They have now controlled five states and counties including Qizhou, and have become very large. Xiao Weixin stationed the 50,000 soldiers he brought with him in Mianzhou, which is the closest to Huzhou in terms of geographical location, separated only by the Yellow River.
As soon as the army entered the main city of Mianzhou, the prefect had already been waiting, but Xiao Weixin had no intention of listening to him. As soon as he settled down, he immediately began to deploy his forces and started planning how to capture several states and counties occupied by the rebels.
You Shu couldn't be of much help, as he was not an expert in matters like fighting wars, but he could help gather military intelligence.
"I leave it to you." Xiao Weixin said in a deep voice, "You are the only one I can trust."
"Be careful in everything you do. If something goes wrong, your safety comes first."
"I am here waiting for you."
You Shu nodded and assured him: "Don't worry, leave it to me."
He has always been the most reliable, always has been and always will be.
Xiao Weixin nodded, but for some reason he always had a feeling of uneasiness since entering Mianzhou.
I hope it's just an illusion.