Love Lock

Chapter 117 Burn More Paper Money for You
"Centurion?" Zhao Zun enunciated each word clearly, his usually cool and handsome face instantly darkening. "What's going on?"

Ma Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he lowered his head, changing the subject with an unusually firm tone.

“Your Highness, you said to put all this aside for now. Now, Ma Cheng only wants to volunteer to fight and follow Your Highness to repel the enemy.”

Old He, who was still standing to the side, sighed softly, looking quite helpless.

"Your Highness, Ma Cheng is right. The most important thing now is to repel the enemy. I'll accompany you to the central command tent to see General Li Gang!"

Upon hearing Li Gang's name, Zhao Zun immediately understood.

It turned out that after he left the military camp, Cao Xiong eliminated his political opponents and replaced the brave and resourceful Ma Cheng with his confidant Li Gang.

But Ma Cheng earned his position as the garrison commander of Yong'an City through his own hard work and fighting his way up.

Ma Cheng was once his most capable subordinate. Even if Ma Cheng made a mistake and was dismissed, with his abilities, he would have been more than qualified to be a deputy general or captain.

But now, he's just a centurion.

Thinking of Ma Cheng's ordeal, Zhao Zun closed his eyes in anguish; it was even more painful than if he himself had suffered injustice.

This is a military camp, a place to defend our country. But those idiots like Cao Xiong have turned this place into a battleground for power struggles.

After a long while, Zhao Zun slowly opened his eyes.

He gazed intently into the distance, the shadows of the Turkic army seemingly appearing before his eyes.

Now is not the time to dwell on these issues; rather, we need to unite all forces that can be united to jointly resist foreign enemies.

So he took a deep breath and said to Old He, "Okay, let's go see General Li Gang now."

Old He responded and then turned to accompany them toward the central command tent.

Inside the central command tent, Li Gang paced anxiously, his face filled with worry and unease.

The approaching Turkic army put him under unprecedented pressure, and he worried that he would not be able to protect the city and its people.

When Old He led Zhao Zun into the main tent, Li Gang's gaze fell on Zhao Zun, and he immediately felt much more at ease.

Zhao Zun actually came.

Zhao Zun is both wise and brave; with him around, there might be a glimmer of hope in this battle.

Just as Li Gang was about to greet him, Ma Cheng clasped his hands in a salute first.

"General Li, I request to join the Prince's vanguard and fight alongside him."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Gang's eyes; this was exactly what he had been hoping for.

He knew very well how capable Ma Cheng was, and it would be even better if Ma Cheng could join Zhao Zun's vanguard battalion.

Li Gang nodded to Zhao Zun first, as if to say hello.

Then he said to Ma Cheng, "Good! With you joining the vanguard battalion, our chances of winning are even greater."

After entering the main tent, Zhao Zun did not question Ma Cheng about being demoted to centurion. Instead, he sharply scanned the area around the tent before finally settling on the sand table in the center.

"General Li, the enemy is right in front of us. We have no time to waste. What do you need the vanguard battalion for? Just give the order."

Zhao Zun stared at the sand table, his tone icy.

"Oh, right, right, right. Ben..."

At this point, Li Gang paused. He had wanted to refer to himself as "this general," but he dared not presume to show off his limited knowledge in front of Zhao Zun, the former Grand Marshal.

He glanced at Zhao Zun, and seeing that Zhao Zun didn't seem to have noticed this small detail, he quickly changed his words and continued speaking.

"According to the scouts, the place where the Turks camped last night is still sixty li away from us, and they will soon reach Niuweipo. I want to take this opportunity to have the vanguard battalion ambush at Niuweipo and launch a surprise attack on the enemy's supplies."

"This plan works."

Zhao Zun glanced at Li Gang and nodded slightly. This plan was pretty much what he had guessed before he came.

However, ambushes and raids are usually the task of elite troops and archer battalions, so Li Gang actually sent the vanguard battalion, which is clearly a way of intimidating him by taking advantage of Emperor Jing's imperial edict.

Since Li Gang is now the supreme commander of Yong'an City, Zhao Zun did not specify this, but simply decided to carry out the mission.

Seeing that Zhao Zun agreed with his idea, Li Gang felt much more at ease. He had been worried that Zhao Zun might act arrogantly because of his seniority, or that he might disagree with his idea of ​​being the vanguard.

Li Gang glanced at Zhao Zun's expression before cautiously saying, "Then... when does Your Highness plan to depart? I am willing to fully cooperate."

"Now."

Zhao Zun gave a cold reply, not looking at him, but turning to look at Ma Cheng, his tone serious.

“Ma Cheng, there’s no time to lose. Tell the brothers in the vanguard battalion to prepare. In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, we will head to Niuweipo to set up an ambush.”

"Yes!"

Ma Cheng accepted the order, his eyes lit up, and his whole body surged with fighting spirit.

Fighting alongside Zhao Zun, no matter what mission he was on, he would be full of confidence.

Because Zhao Zun will always appreciate his talent and see his heroic contributions.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zhao Zun patted him on the shoulder, and they walked together outside the tent.

Make sure Li Gang couldn't hear, Zhao Zun lowered his voice and said, "Focus on carrying out the mission first. After this battle is over, I will definitely get justice for you."

Upon hearing this, Ma Cheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He looked at Zhao Zun gratefully and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Your Highness. Ma Cheng is willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness without hesitation."

"Go!"

"Ok!"

Ma Cheng responded and then turned to leave.

Zhao Zun returned to the main command tent and carefully confirmed some intelligence from the scouts with Li Gang again.

After a stick of incense had burned, Zhao Zun and his guards, disregarding their exhaustion from traveling all night, led two thousand vanguard soldiers, mounted their warhorses, and rode out of the city gate, galloping towards Niuweipo.

On the city wall, Li Gang, the garrison commander of Yong'an City, watched as Zhao Zun led the vanguard battalion away like an arrow, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little.

His personal guard lieutenant asked in a low voice, "General, their trip should buy us a few days, right?"

"I don't know." Li Gang's eyes were complicated. "Zhao Zun's reputation is so great that the three northern kingdoms are terrified. I hope he really has some ability and can succeed in a surprise attack."

“Even if they can hold out for a few more days, the imperial troops will have difficulty arriving. And it will be difficult for Commander Cao to provide support, so we…” The deputy general’s face was grave.

Before the deputy general could finish speaking, Li Gang's eyebrows twitched, he straightened his back, and his face showed a look of resignation to his fate.

"Regardless of the outcome of the vanguard battalion, we cannot just wait idly. Order the soldiers to move all the defensive supplies up. Then they can take turns resting. Before the imperial troops arrive, we must defend Yong'an City no matter what."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the deputy general's expression immediately turned serious, and he became alert.

After the deputy general descended the city wall, Li Gang watched the vanguard battalion's figures grow smaller and smaller in the distance, muttering to himself, "This time, I reckon you won't escape death either. Once you're dead, the great achievement of repelling the Turks will be mine. If you can help me defend Yong'an City with 50,000 men, that's a considerable contribution. I won't be stingy; I'll definitely burn plenty of paper money for you."

………This is a lazy dividing line………

The roar of motorcycle engines shattered the silence of the night. The night wind was like a knife, stinging one's face.

Han Lei rode her modern sidecar motorcycle, with Pingchuan, clad in armor, in the sidecar.

Bright headlights illuminated the winding official road, and the motorcycles sped along like wild horses, kicking up clouds of dust.

Han Lei's face was ashen, her eyes fixed on the front, with only one thought in her mind: to catch up with Zhao Zun and the others as soon as possible.

Pingchuan said that they were about three hours apart from Zhao Zun when they left, and every minute and second was crucial.

The official road was not smooth, and Pingchuan, who was sitting next to me, was still bounced around from time to time despite wearing a seatbelt.

His armor and sword clashed against the vehicle, producing a series of clanging and banging metallic sounds that were particularly jarring in the quiet night.

However, Hirakawa, being an ancient person, did not feel uncomfortable at all; on the contrary, he was excited.

"Miss Han, your vehicle is truly amazing! It's lighter than an ambulance, and you can ride it faster than on horseback!"

Pingchuan's voice reached Han Lei's ears through the howling wind.

Han Lei kept her eyes straight ahead and shouted in her soft, sweet voice, "The road conditions are bad. If the road conditions were good, it would be even faster. Hold on tight!"

Pingchuan had known Han Lei for a long time, so he was used to her suddenly producing some daily necessities.

But perhaps it was Pingchuan's first time riding a motorcycle, or perhaps it was because Pingchuan was about to be by the prince's side. Usually not a talkative person, he chattered incessantly the whole way.

Han Lei didn't really want to talk to him, because every time she spoke, the night wind would rush into her mouth. But Pingchuan just wouldn't stop.

"And another thing, Miss Han. That mysterious weapon you used to save us last time was amazing! It could kill enemies from so far away, just thinking about it is so exciting. Ah! I wish I could have a weapon like that!"

As Pingchuan spoke, a longing expression appeared on his face.

Because she was worried about Zhao Zun and the others, Han Lei already found him too noisy. Hearing him say this, she glared at him and then couldn't help but roll her eyes.

She slammed on the brakes, bringing the motorcycle to a stop on the side of the road. The screeching sound of the brakes echoed in the quiet night.

"Let's take a break and come down to get something to eat."

As Han Lei spoke, she jumped out of the car and dusted herself off.

She and Aunt Li had endured a bumpy journey to Fufeng County, and before they could even have a hot meal, they rushed off to find Zhao Zun. Now, their stomachs were already protesting.

Pingchuan jumped down as well, shaking his legs which had become numb from sitting.

"It's time to eat something; we haven't had dinner at home yet."

Han Lei bought chicken soup and meat buns from the system, and the two of them made do with that for a quick bite.

After finishing her meal, Han Lei wanted to go and resolve the issue, but Pingchuan was worried, fearing she might be drugged and kidnapped again. Han Lei, however, waved her hand dismissively and took a mask from her spatial storage and put it on.

She still felt uneasy about the ancient practice of making landscape paintings, and wasn't quite used to it. But when nature calls, she had to take care of it.

Han Lei took out two stun guns from her spatial storage, one for each of them, and Pingchuan was finally relieved. The two then went to find a place to relieve themselves.

Along the way, Han Lei kept thinking that she should give Pingchuan some advanced equipment. She would be able to handle riding the motorcycle herself, but if they encountered any emergencies, Pingchuan would also be able to cope.

After resolving the problem and returning, Pingchuan was about to get into the car when Han Lei called him back.

"Wait. I have a few things to give you."

Han Lei purchased the same combat uniform and plated bulletproof vest as Pingchuan from the system and handed them to him.

"Go put this on, it'll be safer. Remember to wear this underneath," Han Lei said, pointing to the plate-type bulletproof vest.

Bulletproof vests also come in different types and levels, including soft bulletproof vests and hard bulletproof vests.

Hard body armor, also known as plated body armor, contains various bulletproof plates and is perfectly capable of protecting against melee weapons such as swords, daggers, and crossbows.

Pingchuan took the bulletproof vest and looked at Han Lei with a puzzled expression.

"What is this? It looks like armor, yet it's so thin."

"This is your armor. Go and put it on quickly."

Han Lei didn't have time to explain much to him, and impatiently waved him off to change quickly.

"it is good!"

Pingchuan didn't hesitate and quickly went behind the big tree to change.

Wearing his new gear, he walked happily to the motorcycle, stroking it with delight. Han Lei then handed him her pistol, which had been fitted with a silencer.

"This is for you too."

"What is this?" Hirakawa asked curiously.

"A pistol." Han Lei smiled mysteriously. "Didn't you say you wanted one of these weapons? Here you go."

"What did you say? This...this is that powerful weapon? Miss Han, this is...this is for me too?"

Seeing the small pistol in Han Lei's hand, Pingchuan, who was already used to such sights, suddenly brightened up and showed a shocked expression on his face.

"Ok!"

Han Lei nodded, and Pingchuan, overjoyed, immediately accepted it with a look of delight.

This was a weapon he had never seen with his own eyes but had always dreamed of! It was that mysterious and powerful weapon! Even the prince didn't have one!

Pingchuan swallowed hard, holding the pistol as if it were a rare treasure, too excited to speak.

Han Lei smiled and quickly taught him how to turn the pistol's safety on and off, how to aim, and how to use it.

After teaching him several times, Pingchuan was sure he had learned it, so Han Lei used the motorcycle's headlights to let him aim at a small tree in the distance and fire a shot.

With a "click," Hirakawa, firing for the first time, couldn't control the recoil of his pistol and felt as if his arm had been shoved hard.

"Wow! So that's how it works. You can kill the enemy with just a light tap, it's so satisfying!"

Pingchuan looked at the gun in his hand, overjoyed. He quickly ran over to check, staring at the tree trunk that had been shot through, his eyes nearly popping out of his head in shock.

"My God! This is incredibly powerful!" Pingchuan exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Alright, turn off the safety lock now, let's go! We can enjoy ourselves on the way."

As Han Lei spoke, she hopped onto the motorcycle. Pingchuan responded and quickly switched off the safety on his pistol, then sat in the truck bed.

As soon as he fastened the safety belt, he picked up the pistol and started playing with it with great interest.

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(End of this chapter)