If there were forums in this era, an anonymous post asking for help would probably appear at this moment, and Shen Tang had already thought of the content.
#Help! A 10th-rank Zuo Shuchang has sworn allegiance to me, but I have no idea how to proceed with the ceremony. Urgent! #
You only regret not having read enough books when you need them!
Shen Tang also hated himself for not paying more attention to this aspect.
In the end I didn’t know how to deal with it.
Did she directly take the Wudan Tiger Talisman handed over by Gong Shuwu? Or did she put her hand on it and said in a very childish way, "I accept your loyalty"? Or did she reach out her hands to help Gong Shuwu up? After all, he was still a wounded soldier...
Shen Tang was torn between his conscience and his desires.
In fact, there was no hesitation for long.
"Okay, okay! I, Shen Tang, will never let you down!"
Shen Tang solemnly took the Wudan Tiger Talisman presented by Gong Shuwu, bent down and helped him up. Gong Shuwu also followed the force and sat back on the couch. He raised his hand and sucked it in his palm, and the Wudan Tiger Talisman turned into pure martial energy again, peeling off bit by bit and merging into his meridians.
As the martial energy was stripped away, a square seal the size of a baby's fist was left in Shen Tang's hand, with a green dragon coiled on it.
The last time I saw this green dragon, it was only the length of a thumb. I don't know if it was Shen Tang's illusion, but now it is slightly larger, and even the luck surrounding it is a little stronger than before. Looking closely, I can vaguely hear the roar of dragons and tigers.
Shen Tang asked: "You gave it to me?"
"Yes, it is not appropriate for the seal to remain with Wu. I hope—" Gong Shuwu paused, his eyes swept over the seal, "I hope the lord will not forget his original intention and can truly benefit the people."
He looked at Xi Yin with complicated eyes.
There was relief, expectation, reluctance, worry... He didn't know whether his decision at this moment was right or wrong.
The old ruler of Xin State appointed him as a "minister to take care of the orphan", and asked him to take the national seal and escape, hoping that he could help the descendants of Xin State to restore the country... But this hope was too slim. Gong Shuwu could only ensure that the national seal would not fall into Zheng Qiao's hands.
Now the national seal is entrusted to Shen Tang. If Young Master Shen can protect the people in one area or overthrow the Zheng Qiao court, Gong Shuwu will ask himself if he is worthy of the salary he received from the Xin Kingdom over the years. But looking at the young Shen Tang—
He developed a similar mentality to Qi Shan and the others.
Is it really right to let such a simple and straightforward boy shoulder responsibilities beyond his age
But when he thought of Qi Shan and Chu Yao, two black-hearted scholars who were not easy to get along with, Gong Shuwu's words of warning circled on the tip of his tongue for several times, and finally he swallowed them back. Shen Tang closed his palms and said, "Banbu's words today, Tang will keep them in mind."
After handing over the imperial seal, Gong Shuwu felt relieved of the biggest burden in his heart. His injuries were not healed yet, and he had been in a coma for many days. During this conversation, waves of drowsiness overwhelmed him like waves hitting the shore.
Noticing the fatigue in Gong Shuwu's brow, Shen Tang told him to rest assured and recuperate. He also helped tuck in the corners of the quilt, then got up and left the tent.
Before stepping out of the tent, she smiled and clenched her palms.
The national seal, which was the size of a baby's fist, began to ripple. The jade texture turned into a flowing gel. At first glance, it looked like a light blue dragon, the length of a thumb, and it quietly penetrated into the skin of the palm, as if it was completely absorbed by the skin and flowed into the Danfu along the meridians.
The moment it enters, it is like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.
Pearls and jade are flying and splashing, rolling endlessly.
The commotion inside the Dan Mansion could be described as a landslide, a tsunami, but Shen Tang remained calm, and even distracted himself to carefully instruct the soldiers standing on both sides of the tent door to take good care of Gong Shuwu and to inform her immediately if there were any problems.
The soldier said, “Yes!”
Shen Tang had not walked far when she saw two literary strategists standing facing the wind. She changed the direction of her toes and walked towards them.
There were still six or seven steps away from the two of them.
Qi Shan and Chu Yao bowed together.
They said in unison: "My Lord."
Shen Tang: “…”
Although I know that there are two people who are secretly pushing Gong Shuwu, knowing is one thing, and seeing them admit it with my own eyes is another. I don't know whether I should feel sorry for Gong Shuwu or for myself...
Let's just feel the pain together.
Shen Tang coughed twice, cleared his throat, and said to the two of them, "There are no outsiders here, so you can call me by my name as usual."
Accustomed to hearing "Shen Xiaolangjun" and "Wulang", Shen Tang was very, very, very uncomfortable with the sudden change of address. It was as powerful as Pan Jinlian calling Wu Dalang to drink medicine, and he felt hairy all over...
The two did not refuse.
Qi Shan asked: "Did you explain the half-step?"
Shen Tang nodded and said, "Yes."
After hearing Shen Tang admit it himself, Qi Shan and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief - as the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes". Even if the two of them were well prepared and took every aspect into consideration, they still could not guarantee that Gong Shuwu would truly hand over the national seal and completely return to his loyalty.
Although, for Shen Tang who already has the national seal, the national seal is at most icing on the cake, but once it falls into the hands of others, it will be like raising a tiger to cause trouble, and the trouble will be endless! If you can get the national seal, try to hold it in your own hands!
A faint smile from the heart appeared on Chu Yao's face.
He said, "That's great, very good!"
I don’t know if today is a good day. Not long after Gong Shuwu woke up, the soldiers who were taking care of Captain Yang also brought good news—Captain Yang, who had been seriously injured and unconscious since the end of the Battle of Xiaocheng, finally woke up!
Shen Tang: “…”
Her feet seemed to be rooted in place and did not move.
It's not that I don't want to visit, it's just—
Shen Tang pointed at his own face and whispered to Qi Shan and Chu Yao: "Yuan Liang, Wu Hui, if I go there, will he beat me?"
Qi Shan said expressionlessly: "He is already useless."
Chu Yao said: "It can't hurt Wu Lang."
Shen Tang: “…”
Having said that, she was still a little timid.
That's not right either—
Rather than being cowardly, it would be better to say that he is "intolerant".
Because she couldn't bear to see Captain Yang's appearance at this moment.
What is the other party’s mentality
Is it dejection? Is it despair
Was he seeking death out of rage? Or was he going insane
When she responded to Gu Chi before, she did it without thinking and had a clear conscience, but when she really had to face it, her mentality was different.
Shen Tang hesitated: "Why don't you—"
Before she could finish her words, Qi Shan took a step back.
Chu Yao smiled as gentle as a saint, but the words he said extinguished Shen Tang's last hope - Captain Yang's matter, the one who tied the bell must untie it! Whether it was fighting to save people or robbing tax silver, Shen Tang was the leader and the main person in charge!
Shen Tang: “…”
She moved forward step by step.
If you hide your head, you will be killed; if you stick your head out, you will also be killed!
It would be better if the storm came even harder!
Shen Tang took a deep breath, raised her hand and opened the tent where Captain Yang was recuperating. She took a quick look and was stunned for a moment.
In his imagination, Captain Yang woke up and found himself a cripple, so he went crazy and threw things around, but the scene did not happen. The tent was still neat and clean, but the air was filled with the rich smell of boiled herbs.
Just as he was about to retract his steps, he heard Captain Yang's hoarse and weak voice coming from inside the tent: "Since you are here, why don't you come in?"
Shen Tang: “…”
She walked in reluctantly.
The layout of Captain Yang's tent was the same as Gong Shuwu's, except for the person sitting on the sickbed. Looking at Captain Yang, who had lost a lot of weight in just half a month and looked haggard and sick, and was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere, Shen Tang was speechless for a moment.
His expression was too calm.
Captain Yang asked, "Did you kill Shuiyin?"
Shen Tang: “…”
He still remembers it.
During the period of coma caused by serious injuries, his dreams were chaotic and messy, but only the scene of intercepting the tax silver that night was clear. The bearded man turned into the short and feminine Shen Tang, and he repeatedly praised the chivalrous heart of this righteous man.
In short, he was so angry!
Shen Tang simply admitted: "Yes, I did it."
Captain Yang clenched his hands into fists on the quilt.
Shen Tang said shamelessly: "But I also saved you, and I fought for Xiaocheng with my life, so my merits and demerits cannot be offset..."
Captain Yang was almost laughed out of anger by Shen Tang.
He said, "How can there be such a thing as offsetting merits and demerits?"
Shen Tang was like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water, with an expression that said "I have it here", which made Captain Yang's forehead veins throbbing and his blood pressure soaring.
Seeing that Captain Yang's expression was on the verge of a seizure, Shen Tang thought he was losing control and having a tantrum, but he just closed his eyes as if he didn't see it, and his expression jumped back and forth between ferocious and calm.
Shen Tang was puzzled.
Captain Yang suppressed his burning anger and said in a heavy voice, "Forget it, it's just that I am not as skilled as you!"
The matter was thus uncovered.
Shen Tang: “???”
Actually—
Just let it go like that
Shen Tang's thoughts were written on his face, which made Captain Yang even more angry. He gritted his teeth at the hateful young man and said, "Now that things have come to this, will you return the stolen money?"
She replied: "Absolutely not."
Whatever falls into her hands is naturally hers.
Shen Tang only cares about one thing—
Why didn't Captain Yang ask about his Danfu Wudan
For a warrior who once climbed to the eleventh rank of Right Shuzhang, losing the power he was proud of was more painful than the collapse of the sky and the earth. Captain Yang's reaction was wrong! Shen Tang stood there without leaving, just looking at Captain Yang worriedly.
Captain Yang was puzzled at first.
His heart ached when he saw this hateful young man, but when he met Shen Tang's gaze, he understood, his eyes slightly red, and he held back his tears and laughed at himself: "My husband's family is gone, my parents are gone, my wife and children are gone... I am alone, does it matter whether I have strength or not?"
Shen Tang remained silent.
The air in the tent was also filled with silent sorrow.
She didn't know what to say.
He said dryly: "Please accept my condolences..."
Regardless of the conflicts and contradictions that had occurred before, or how Captain Yang behaved, at this moment, he was just a poor man who had lost his blood relatives and was alone. It seemed that this was also his inescapable fate in this world and this era.
Shen Tang walked out of the tent in a daze.
His expression was the same as usual, but he was overwhelmed with depression and low mood, which really made Gu Chi, who had a tricky "literary way", suffer. The bitterness and powerlessness even affected his taste buds, and no matter what he ate, it was all bitter.
Gu Chi: “…”
It’s better to endure Shen Tang’s chatterbox!
Fortunately—
This emo state did not last long, and was soon dispelled by business. Looking at the leaders of the major forces who gathered again, Shen Tang secretly complained that office workers were indeed not qualified to be sad about the passing of time. This meeting also meant that the first battle was coming.
The new leader Wu Xian still ranks first.
The difference from last time is that Shen Tang moved out of the corner and finally didn't have to stare at the back of the man in front of him all the time.
The alliance army came to attack the Zhui Wang rebels, not to travel at their own expense. The food and grass consumed in one day is not a small amount. The rebels in Xiaocheng have not made any moves, but they can't afford to delay. After waiting for a few days, they decided to take the initiative to attack!
This is exactly what everyone wants.
When the new leader Wu Xianyi proposed it, no one objected.
As for the deployment arrangements, they had been discussed several times before and had already been decided, and everyone had no objection. However, there were a few malicious eyes sweeping over Shen Tang -
Shen Tang was drunk and almost ruined the blood oath ceremony, and even boasted. Although no one mentioned this, everyone was secretly waiting to see the joke.
The new leader Wu Xian issued orders one after another.
Finally, it was Shen Tang's turn.
He confirmed with Shen Tang again and again.
"Master Shen really wants to fight the first battle?"
Shen Tang's smile was gentle but firm.
"Yes, but I wonder what Alliance Leader Wu thinks?"
Although she didn't remember what she did after she was drunk, someone would tell her every detail of such big gossip.
"I hope your military luck will flourish and you will have a successful start. Our two families—" Wu Xian did not give a direct answer, but pointed at Shen Tang, then at himself, and smiled, "We are like comrades-in-arms and brothers."
"Tang will do his best to live up to Brother Wu's trust."
For a moment, everyone under the tent had different expressions.
He secretly thought that Shen Tang was a man who always took advantage of the situation to strike.
So this changes from "Alliance Leader Wu" to "Brother Wu"
Some people are disgusted, some people laugh at it, and some people don’t care.
Shen Tang took in all their expressions and just smiled it off.
The real show has just begun.
The army will set up camp and move out before dawn tomorrow.
We need to be on high alert this night for fear that the rebels will launch a night attack.
As it turned out, their worries were unnecessary.
The Xiaocheng rebels were only calm on the surface, but in reality, there were deep currents. The old general's subordinates knew this best, and the secret letters with increasingly harsh wording made the air suffocate.
No one dares to run into the gun at this time.
The old general has been hiding his strength and biding his time in recent years. He used to be a decisive killer. Anyone who offended him would be killed at any time. Even at a time when everyone is in danger, there is only one person who has a different style.
Needless to say, this person is Gong Xichou.
I have been staying at home to recuperate and refusing to see visitors for a while.
Even the confidant sent by the old general to visit was turned away twice. The soldiers under him were talking about it and their morale was unsettled.
As for Gong Xichou himself
In private, he gets up early and goes to bed early, and enjoys his leisure time very much.
Exercise in the morning, retreat in the afternoon, play marbles in the evening...
How can he still be so majestic and powerful on the battlefield and fight against many enemies alone
The subordinates tried to advise him, but were ignored.
It was evening of that day.
Gong Xichou wakes up from his meditation.
He was told that the confidant sent by his adoptive father had been waiting for a long time.
The foster father's confidant said: "The Lord has invited the Major General to a banquet."
Gong Xichou frowned: "Why would you ask me to come to such a boring place?"
Could he sing or dance in the past