Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 289 If Kou can go, so can I! (1)

Song Yan's order is an imperial edict... Is this something that can be said publicly? Does Zhang Han feel that there are too many relatives involved? Or does he have a grudge against Song Yan? If this were a country like Chu, where imperial power is strong, just this sentence would be enough for the emperor to imprison Song Yan and punish him. But in Ning Kingdom, such words have a different meaning.

Jiao Junze sighed softly, his expression somewhat helpless, but inwardly he felt a surge of admiration for the prince. Surprisingly, none of the black-armored soldiers beside Song Yan showed any reaction to Zhang Han's words. All of them had bloodshot eyes, like a pack of hungry wolves waiting to hunt, their heavy breathing accompanied by a hint of madness deep within their eyes.

Song Yan's words were an imperial edict.

For these black-armored warriors, it seemed to be a matter of course.

Jiao Junze understood what the prince meant by what he said earlier. Even though Song Yan had no intention of rebelling, the people around him would keep pushing him down that path.

Perhaps it's just simple and blind worship;
Perhaps, it's for a better future;

Just like more than a hundred years ago, when Emperor Taizu of Ningguo ascended the throne at Luohe, surrounded by many generals, this moment is just like that moment.

Like a circle, it will eventually return to the starting point.

Even Song Yan, upon hearing such treasonous words, did not utter a word of rebuttal, likely because he too possessed a rebellious streak.

However, Jiao Junze's view is somewhat unfair to Song Yan.

Although I've lived in this world for over a decade, I spent even longer in my original world, and I've read quite a few of those ridiculous novels about time travel to ancient times.

In most novels, aside from those about time travel to the Hongwu, Zhenguan, or Hanwu periods, the main characters are those who rebel.

It's like that saying: "If you travel through time and don't rebel, you'll be drilling your chrysanthemum."

Although Song Yan had no intention of rebelling, he didn't have much respect for imperial power either. In Song Yan's mind, Zhang Han's words were probably just something he said in a fit of rage and shouldn't be taken seriously. Did he really want to drag Zhang Han away and punish him?
Rather, Song Yan was quite satisfied with Zhang Han. Seeing the soldiers' flushed faces, he knew that Zhang Han's words had stirred up some of their fighting spirit. After all, they were soldiers; they couldn't be inferior to even the cooks, could they?
However, Zhang Han is still too inexperienced.

Zhang Han's angry rebuke made these soldiers understand where their good life came from, who paid them their wages, who gave them extra money to support their families, and who they were risking their lives for... but that was far from enough.

"Zhang Han, let's go back."

Song Yan's voice was somewhat low.

The sound wasn't loud, but driven by internal energy, it resonated in everyone's ears.

Although Zhang Han was somewhat unwilling, he always obeyed Song Yan's orders. Upon hearing this, he merely retreated somewhat resentfully and sat down again. For a moment, the area where the tens of thousands of soldiers of Pingyang Prefecture were stationed fell into a deathly silence. All eyes were fixed on Song Yan; these soldiers held him in high esteem. Although young, Song Yan was ruthless and cunning, surpassing even the most cunning old foxes in the imperial court.

Moreover, Song Yan really treated his soldiers well.

The black-armored soldiers around Song Yan received two taels of silver per month without fail, and even the garrison soldiers received one tael of silver per month. Song Yan even made up for all the wages that had been owed for several years. The standard of their three meals a day was also constantly being improved. Before this expedition, they had lavish meals of fish and meat for two consecutive days, something they had never dared to imagine before.

To be fair, having such a superior was their good fortune. Even those soldiers who had previously expressed discontent were willing to risk their lives for Song Yan. They were afraid of death; how many people in this world are truly unafraid of death? But if it really came to a life-or-death situation, they would risk their lives to protect Song Yan and repay the general's kindness. They simply couldn't understand why General Song Yan would abandon the advantage of a strong city wall and come to fight the Jurchen cavalry in the freezing cold. Even if he died, what was the point?
Perhaps, I'm still too young?
Although his wisdom and resourcefulness are unparalleled, he is ultimately just a sixteen-year-old boy.

Just then, Song Yan stood up, his face also looking somewhat solemn. His dark eyes gazed silently at the sky, the crimson sun casting a long shadow on the ground. For some reason, his serious expression even made many soldiers subconsciously forget that Song Yan was still young, and in a daze, his figure seemed to have grown much taller.

"I, Song Yan, have always had great respect for soldiers."

Song Yan's voice slowly drifted out again.

This is not a lie.

Whether in this life or the previous one, Song Yan's greatest respect was for the soldiers who protected their country.

In my past life, I also thought about joining the army, but unfortunately my physical condition didn't allow it. My nearsightedness of several hundred degrees caused me to be rejected in the first round.

"To me, Song Yan, every comrade-in-arms is extremely important. Calling them brothers might be a bit too sentimental, but it's not far off. Especially the Black Armored Warriors that I personally trained, I can't bear to see even one of them get hurt."

"But some things still need to be done by someone."

"When I was in Ningping County, I only had a few hundred guards, but I dared to lead them to resist thousands of Japanese pirates."

“I dare to lead three thousand Japanese soldiers to burn tens of thousands of Japanese slaves.”

"A difference of several times, even ten times, is something no one would be afraid of."

"Even I am the same."

A slight commotion suddenly arose in the crowd. In their minds, their general, despite his young age, had already been labeled as omnipotent and audacious. He was merely a seventh-rank county magistrate, yet he dared to chop off the heads of 133 officials in Pingyang City; he could easily wipe out the entire families of powerful clans that no one dared to provoke. It seemed that there was nothing in this world that the general would not dare to do.

But at this moment, they realized that even their general could be afraid.

It's as if all the glory has suddenly faded away, and she's no longer as omnipotent or unapproachable as before, which makes her seem much closer to me.

If even the General is afraid, then it doesn't seem so shameful for me to be afraid.

"But even if I was afraid, what could I do? As the saying goes, some things have to be done by someone... At that time, what was behind me? Ningping County, and tens of thousands of people."

“I cannot back down. If I do, Ningping County will be stained with blood.”

“My wife, my mother, my relatives will all perish at the hands of the Japanese pirates.”

"There's no such thing as a perfect plan; it's just about risking your life to protect your family."

Song Yan chuckled, but the smile was somewhat bitter. Once upon a time, Song Yan said that he did not seek to become a general or prime minister in this life, but only wanted to own thousands of acres of fertile land, listen to music in brothels every day, and live a carefree life. Although it was a statement to deceive Emperor Ninghe, it may not have been his true desire.

Ultimately, it has come to this point step by step.

"Everyone, how many of you still have parents at home?" This was Song Yan's question. His voice was not sharp, nor did it carry much pressure; it was more like a casual chat.

Many soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, and then slowly raised one arm.

At a glance, it appears that more than half of the people have parents who are still alive.

How many of you have siblings?

Another group of people raised their arms. "How many of them are already married, with wives and children?"

Including the previous ones, that's about all.

"You are all from Pingyang Prefecture, so your relatives must live there, right? Then tell me, what did you see from Pingyang City to Xinhou County?"

Many of the soldiers instinctively clenched their fists.

What did they see?
They saw a mountain of corpses, piled up with tens of thousands of bodies, not far outside the city.

They saw burned-out houses and corpses scattered everywhere.

Look at the child hanging from the tree, swaying in the wind.

Even these soldiers had relatives who died at the hands of these beasts.

Faintly, you could hear the sound of teeth clenching, and the barely suppressed roar in someone's throat.

"Tell me again, what's behind you?" Song Yan's voice grew increasingly subdued and heavy, each word like a giant iron hammer slamming into the chests of every soldier: "It's Pingyang Prefecture, it's your parents, wives, children, brothers, and sisters."

“We fight not for that little bit of military pay. If we are hit by an arrow here, our parents will not have their hearts pierced by the Jurchen barbarians; if we are stabbed here, our wives will not have their clothes stripped off by the Jurchen barbarians; if we lose our lives here, our children can live peacefully in this world.”

Many people widened their eyes, as if thinking of their parents, wives and children at home. They subconsciously clenched their fists, and their faces became ferocious.

"Pingyang City is tall and solid."

"It won't be that easy to break through."

"You've all experienced the days when the Jurchens besieged the city. Those tens of thousands of corpses outside the city are the consequence of being besieged. Do you want to experience it again?"

Many people's eyes turned red with envy. As soldiers of the garrison, although they would not starve to death when the city was besieged, some of their relatives would eventually die from hunger and illness.

"Not to mention that there has never been an impregnable city wall in the world, even if we relied on Pingyang City to block the Jurchen's attacks time and time again, would that be a victory? Outside Pingyang City, other places are still littered with corpses and devastation."

"Why did I bring you to this vast snowfield? I want to drag the battlefield to the Jurchen territory. Even if we are defeated, our Ning Kingdom's land will not suffer heavy damage, and our wives, children, and parents will not be harmed."

Song Yan's voice suddenly became impassioned:
"I want to tell the Jurchens clearly..."

"From this point on, the roles of offense and defense have reversed!"

"If the enemy can go, so can I!!!"

The stirring voices echoed through the sky.

hum.

An uncontrollable restlessness was palpable in the crowd.

Kou can go, so can I!

Even though Jiao Junze clearly understood that Song Yan was just trying to boost morale, he still felt goosebumps all over his body the moment he heard those words.

At this moment, Song Yan dropped the most important bombshell:
"In this battle, whoever beheads a person will be rewarded with one tael of silver, with no upper limit!"

Rumble!
The soldiers' emotions had already been pushed to a breaking point by Song Yan's words, and the promise of real money completely ignited them. In an instant, almost all the soldiers stood up, their swords and spears drawn, pointing towards the sky above.
"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The roar was like thunder descending upon the world, or like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing.

Seeing those restless faces and excited, frantic gazes, Song Yan's face twitched incessantly. Sure enough, no amount of rhetoric could compare to real money.

The soldiers of Dingzhou Prefecture looked at their prefect with resentment, wondering if they would get a share of the reward money.

They suddenly realized that although Dingzhou was south of Pingyang and therefore safer, joining General Song Yan's forces seemed like a good idea... It was a bit dangerous, but this guy was really willing to pay.

If we could chop off dozens of heads, we'd probably have a big house and a wife with big, fertile hips.

For some reason, even though the sun was shining brightly overhead, Jiao Junze felt a chill inexplicably... He scratched his head, thinking that it was probably too cold in Liaodong.

Just then, the cooks had already prepared the food.

The soldiers, disregarding the scalding heat, opened their mouths and stuffed the dry fried noodles into their mouths, making even the tough noodles seem exceptionally flavorful. Seeing this, Song Yan slowly exhaled. It was a pity; if he could have delivered such a speech near the No. 1 Commandery, the effect would have been best. However, being too close meant that if the barbarians in the No. 1 Commandery heard the commotion and prepared in advance, it wouldn't have been ideal.

wolf.

They almost always finished their food in the shortest amount of time.

With a loud shout from Song Yan, "Let's go!"

The mighty army then marched swiftly towards the northeast.

They seemed to possess inexhaustible power, and even the thick snow could not stop them from making their fortune.

……

The sun sets.

The moon then gradually rose.

Under the bright moonlight, the No. 1 room was very quiet.

(End of this chapter)