The flagpole of the Zhang family's flag was originally ten feet high, but now it has been broken and is only half a foot high. The surface of the rolled-up flag is covered with shoe prints, some of which were obviously just stepped on.
"You bastard..." Zhang Jing'an gritted his teeth in anger.
Fang Yun handed the Pearl River Army flag to Zhang Jing'an and said, "When the literary war is over, you carry it back to the Marquis' Mansion!"
"Yes!" Zhang Jing'an immediately jumped off the chair, saluted Fang Run, excitedly hugged the Pearl River Army flag that was taller than him, patted it hard, brushed off the dust, and then unfolded the flag.
The tassels were light yellow, and the large, blood-red, old flag had three powerful characters "Pearl River Army" embroidered in black official script.
Fang Yun looked at the big flag and thought of the history of the Pearl River Army recorded in the book. Even though he was not the real Zhang Longxiang, his mood began to fluctuate slightly.
The Zhujiang Army of the Chu State once confronted the Qin State, fought fiercely with the Zhao State, and clashed with the Qi State.
He once penetrated into the heart of the demon tribe and crushed thousands of barbarian tents.
Every generation of the Pearl River Army is famous.
However, with Zhang Wankong's disappearance and Zhang Longxiang's imprisonment for ten years, the Pearl River Army had suffered heavy losses in its elite troops after repeated battles. Now, there are less than 50,000 real veterans, and the other 150,000 are new recruits who have been in the army for less than three years.
Although the power of Chu State was second only to Qin State and Zhao State, because it was located in the southernmost part of the world, many parts of its territory bordered on barbarians and large tracts of its land were occupied by barbarians, and its strength was far less than before.
Zhang Jing'an stared at the flag of the Pearl River Army in a trance, and suddenly whispered, "I've seen the portrait of you holding the flag high. You didn't have white hair at that time."
Fang Yun was silent. Zhang Longxiang suffered in prison for ten years. Even though he was a Hanlin and had delayed aging, his temples were already gray and there were a few white hairs on his head. He looked much older than other Hanlin scholars of the same age.
"Will you go to the Pearl River Army tent?" Zhang Jing'an asked.
"I'll go when the imperial documents come down."
"Then you should go with the flag. I heard that the Pearl River Army might be sent to Liangjie Mountain. You must do the same as grandpa and plant the Pearl River Army flag on the top of Liangjie Mountain!"
Fang Yun nodded without explaining how difficult it was to plant the military flag on the top of Liangjie Mountain City.
Because so far, no legion has been qualified to plant its flag on the city wall.
During the Battle of Liangjie Mountain, not even one army's flag remained standing on the wall of Liangjie Mountain from beginning to end.
"In the future, I will also raise this banner!" Zhang Jing'an's eyes were bright.
"You have to become a Hanlin first." Fang Yun poured a basin of cold water on him.
Zhang Jing'an's eyes darkened and he whispered, "I don't like reading."
"If you don't study, don't talk about raising the banner!" Fang Yun responded like a strict father.
Zhang Jing'an lowered his head, tears falling down his cheeks. After a long while, he sobbed softly, "If you had come back a few years earlier, Mom wouldn't have died, Grandpa Hua wouldn't have died, and I could have studied well in school..."
Fang Yun's heart trembled and he sighed deeply. There was no need for Zhang Jing'an to say more, as it was clearly written in the booklet given by Old Man Shushan.
The sons of princes and nobles usually start to study at the age of three or four and go to school at the age of five. However, Zhang Jing'an was insulted by many classmates on his first day in school. They called him a traitor and ostracized him. He went home crying every day and finally had to drop out of school before he could finish a year of study.
At that time, the Zhang family had become completely impoverished. Not to mention hiring a teacher, they didn't even have enough holy scriptures. The little children only thought about how to make a living, so they had no chance to sit down and study.
My heart is scattered. It is hard to take it back.
Fang Yun remained silent.
The main hall was quiet.
Time passed slowly, and towards evening, a voice that seemed to contain endless anger came from the gate of the yard.
"Zhang Longxiang, you are a rebellious bastard. How dare you act wildly in the Marquis of Qishan's mansion?"
Zhang Jing'an's hands trembled, and he shrank into his chair, hugging the Pearl River Army flag tightly, with an indelible look of fear in his eyes.
Fang Yun sat firmly on the seat, his eyes slowly moving down from the clouds in the sky to the face of the person who was speaking.
It was a thin figure, and the white Hanlin Momei robe was a little too big for him. His face was sallow, and although his expression was gloomy, there was no trace of anger on him. Instead, he was extremely calm, but his eyes flashed with contempt from time to time when he looked at Fang Yun.
Fang Yun was still sitting there, his eyes reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, his face expressionless, he said slowly: "Gou Zhi, you should kneel down and beg for mercy now, kowtow and confess your sins, and spread a message to the world to repent. When the human race needs people, I will give you a chance. If not, don't say I didn't warn you!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you! Zhang Longxiang, your verbal skills are getting better and better, and it just so happens that my verbal skills are also good! Today, I will knock you down again, step on your head and grind it into the mud, so that you will know the price of provoking my Gou family! Zhang Nizhong, do you dare to challenge Gou to a life-and-death literary duel!"
Gou Zhi walked forward slowly, his eyes like stars, his hands behind his back. Every step he took seemed to cross thousands of miles, carrying mountains and hills, with a majestic momentum.
When Gou family's friends saw Gou Zhi, they all showed joy on their faces. As the leader of the Eight Young Talents of Chu State and a top Hanlin who was about to be promoted to Grand Secretary, Gou Zhi could definitely kill Zhang Longxiang on the spot.
"Dad! It was Zhang Longxiang who slapped me. You must slap him back! No, I will slap him back myself, stomp his face into the mud and make him feel ashamed for the rest of his life!" Gou Han shouted.
Gou Zhi raised his head and said, "After killing the rebellious Zhang Longxiang, I will also destroy the Zhang family's little bastard. I was too soft-hearted back then, otherwise there would be no place for this little bastard to stand in the world!"
Zhang Jing'an recalled all of Gou Zhi's past deeds and his body trembled slightly.
Fang Yun said slowly: "Jing'an, remember your pain, remember your fear, remember your incompetence!"
After saying that, Fang Yun stood up and walked towards Gou Zhi.
Zhang Jing'an looked at Fang Yun's back, and the fear in his heart suddenly dissipated. He only felt that the figure in front of him was already supporting the sky, and even if the heaven and earth collapsed, it would not be able to make it bend.
Fang Yun stepped forward with a cold expression, and said, "Gou Zhi, since you refused to accept my toast, don't blame me. You and I swear in the Holy Temple that we will fight to the death. If I win, I will take away everything I have gained from the Gou family!"
"Do you think you can take it away? If I win, I won't take anything but your life! If you dare, swear an oath. If you don't, let go of the two big flags and the Gou family treasures, get out of Jingzhou City, and never set foot here again!"
Fang Yun said in a clear voice: "Please bear witness to Confucius and the Holy Temple. I, the Hanlin Zhang Longxiang, because the Gou family bullied my wife, children and servants, and treated them worse than pigs and dogs, and dared not to be a scholar, today, I invite you to fight a life-and-death literary battle to kill this beast!"
Gou Zhi immediately said with a thunderous tongue: "You are courting death! Gou I swear now! Please bear witness to Confucius and the holy temple. Hanlin Gou Zhi, because he is suspected of being a traitor Zhang Longxiang, he broke into the house to steal treasures and beat my son. I specially invite you to fight a life-and-death literary battle to set an example!"
.(To be continued.)