Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 139 There are many ways to like someone

There is nothing new under the sun, especially among the Han Chinese. What you consider new can always be found in historical records.

Even this branch of the Han people, living on a distant planet, can draw upon the historical records of their ancestral homeland to find general patterns in the development of things.

When the emperor is pressured too much by his ministers, he is capable of doing anything.

"The Grand Marshal is trying to cover up this news, but he probably can't. Once someone from another military prefecture leads troops to defend the capital, the Grand Marshal will have no choice but to withdraw troops from Iron Enclosure Pass to provide reinforcements..."

Before Zhang Min could finish speaking, Yun Ce immediately said, "Of the three hundred military prefectures in the empire, two hundred are tributary prefectures. Only a few military prefectures are loyal to the emperor. The Grand Marshal actually has to transfer troops from the Iron Enclosure Pass, which is responsible for resisting powerful enemies. In that case, how incompetent must this Grand Marshal be? He can't even find a few prefectures that are loyal to him?"

Zhang Min was once again rendered speechless by Yun Ce's words, and after a long while, she said, "Over the years, the Grand Marshal has offended many military and state governments across the land in order to rush to the aid of Tiewei Pass."

Yun Ce looked at Zhang Min and said, "If that's the case, why won't the Grand Marshal die?"

Zhang Min looked at Yun Ce in surprise and asked, "Why does the Grand Marshal have to die?"

Yun Ce snorted coldly and said, "Because he alone stirred up chaos in the world, if he doesn't die, who will?"

"Wouldn't that benefit the emperor?"

"Who said it would benefit the emperor? He should commit suicide to atone for his sins, and his men can take over and continue fighting the emperor. However, I think the reason why the Grand Marshal is unwilling to die is that he has a way to defeat the emperor and the loyalist troops that the emperor has recruited."

Zhang Min said anxiously, "There's no other way. The children in the Grand Marshal's family who are over twelve years old are starting to wear armor."

Yun Ce stared intently at Zhang Min for a long time, then said to E Ji, "Keep an eye on this stupid woman from now on. Don't let her get involved in important family matters, or the whole family will die without even knowing how."

Eji nodded emphatically, and Zhang Min quickly said, "Where am I stupid?"

Yun Ce angrily said, "The news that the emperor wants to establish a new emperor should have been released by your Grand Marshal, right? Also, how can a twelve-year-old child wear armor?"

"Also, do you think the Yun clan is a force to be reckoned with in Chang'an, and are you planning to ask me to take over ten thousand slaves to Chang'an to assist the Grand Marshal?"

"impossible--"

"Don't you think the news you're talking about is as ridiculous as child's play? Such a big country, such a big Chang'an, can be thrown into chaos just like that, or turn out to be in chaos just like that?"

If the Han Dynasty were as easily overthrown as you think, it would have been overthrown ten thousand times over.

"You incompetent Wu Tong, what kind of person do you take me for, Yun Ce?"

Zhang Min chased after him and asked, "Are you saying Wu Tong is lying to me? And how do you know that Wu Tong was the one who told me this information?"

Yun Ce sighed and said, "You were originally quite smart, but you trusted Wu Tong and the others, your former brothers-in-arms, too much, which is why you lost your own judgment."

When Wu Tong and his men sent you to Chuyun Prefecture as a spy, I believed they genuinely cared for you. Now that they've transferred you back to Chang'an, I feel their intentions have changed.

"Let's go, let's leave Chang'an immediately and head straight north of the Great Wall to get down to business."

Zhang Min said incredulously, "Wu Tong lied to me?"

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Go ahead and ask Wu Tong for the land reclamation documents. These must be in writing; his verbal promise last time doesn't count."

Watching Zhang Min leap onto a Thunder Smoke Beast and ride away, Yun Ce said to Feng An and Liang Kun, "Prepare dry rations, prepare for a long march, and prepare to leave Chang'an."

Feng An nodded and said, "Two days should be enough."

Zhang Min rode swiftly, and in an hour and a half, he arrived at the foot of Panxing Tower once again.

Looking up at the towering Panxing Tower, I felt completely unfamiliar with the place for the first time.

She threw off the reins and walked into the Climbing Star Tower. At this moment, Yun Ce's words were exploding in her mind, each word booming and making her dizzy.

After riding the gondola to the highest point, the place was bustling with spies. People were constantly reporting locations and data, and spies would occasionally hand sheets of paper to Wu Tong, who was sitting in the middle.

Wu Tong remained calm and composed, writing a few words on a piece of paper in an orderly and unhurried manner. Or, after listening to the spy's report, he would casually give a few instructions, and someone would immediately bring him documents or turn around and go downstairs to carry out Wu Tong's orders.

Wu Tong is like a large-bellied spider sitting in the center of a spider web; no one on the web can escape his gaze.

Seeing Zhang Min come in, he wrote with one hand and beckoned to her with the other. In the past, Zhang Min would have happily run over and sweetly called out, "Brother Wu."

This time, she slowly moved to the opposite side of Wu Tong and knelt on a soft futon.

Wu Tong handed the document he had reviewed to a man in blue, and whispered a few instructions in his ear. After the man in blue left, he sat down, took a sip of water, and then handed a document to Zhang Min.

After Zhang Min opened it and read it, just as Yun Ce had predicted, it was indeed a genuine land reclamation document.

"Don't be sad. Now that you've come to Chang'an, you should act like a Chang'an resident." Wu Tong's smile remained warm.

What is the self-awareness of the people of Chang'an?

Wu Tong laughed and said, "Using and being used, what, did Yun Ce scold you?"

Zhang Min's nose suddenly stung, and tears were about to fall. Wu Tong took out her handkerchief and handed it to her, saying, "Don't cry anymore after you're done crying." Zhang Min looked up and said, "You wanted to test Yun Ce, so why did you put me in the middle?"

Wu Tong frowned and said, "I want to see how much Yun Ce can tolerate you, whether he will doubt you, and whether he will treat you as one of his own."

At the same time, this will teach you a lesson: don't easily point out your former colleagues.

Alright, that's over. Yun Ce didn't fall for it, which proves that besides being prone to greed for wealth and forgetting his hometown, he still has some redeeming qualities. Take the document back with you, and he won't be angry with you anymore.

Seeing Wu Tong busy again, Zhang Min stood up, clutching the documents, and asked in a trembling voice, "Will the Grand Marshal win?"

Amidst her busy schedule, Wu Tong looked up at her and said, "This is not something you should know."

Zhang Min nodded with a gloomy expression, then, carrying the documents, sat in the hanging cage and returned to the ground once again.

Will the Grand Marshal win?

Zhang Min rode back to the Yun family manor, handed the documents to Yun Ce, and then asked questions again.

Yun Ce nodded and said, "It's not just a matter of the Grand Marshal winning, but a matter of winning big. If I'm not mistaken, after this incident, the Han Dynasty will probably be able to stay quiet for a very long time."

"How to say?"

Yun Ce looked into Zhang Min's eyes and said, "Because this time, it is a premeditated and planned self-purification act by the Han Dynasty, an opportunity to deliberately puncture the festering sore and heal itself."

I don't know if the emperor will be in trouble, nor do I know if the Grand Marshal will be in trouble. I only know that those who believed the rumors and came to Chang'an to defend the emperor will surely die a terrible death.

“Doing this will not benefit the emperor.”

Seeing that Zhang Min had finally emerged from her confusion, Yun Ce smiled and pushed a bowl of soup in front of her, saying, "It's naturally not good for an ambitious emperor, but it is certainly good for an unambitious one."

Emperor Liu Mu happened to be someone without much ambition; otherwise, he wouldn't have been used as an experiment to observe the changes in his offspring after his union with the Guifang woman.

Honestly, Liu Mu was terrified of death. He didn't even dare to have a real fight with Yu Heng. Who would be willing to kill such a wise emperor?

Zhang Min took a sip of the soup and found it was sweet. She moved her stool closer to Yun Ce and whispered, "The Emperor and Consort Yu have no romantic relationship?"

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "No."

"What?"

"Because Yuheng dared to do such outrageous things, yet the emperor always forgave her."

Why would the emperor forgive her?

"Because they are friends and allies, but not husband and wife."

"Please explain in more detail..."

Yun Ce was naturally very willing to explain things clearly to Zhang Min, but with E Ji coming in, Yun Ce was unable to continue explaining.

The reasoning wasn't clear enough, and Zhang Min, embarrassed, covered her face with her sleeve and left. Eji stared at Zhang Min's wrinkled skirt for a long time before saying to Yun Ce, "Tell me about it in detail too."

Yun Ce put his arm around E Ji's slender waist and said, "Tell me, what do you want to know? I will tell you everything I know."

Eji said, "Zhang Min is very sad, isn't she?"

Yun Ce nodded and said, "She was used as a tool and couldn't get angry, so she had to come to me for an answer. I gave her an answer... Actually, what the answer is doesn't matter, whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter either. This stubborn woman just wanted an answer and wanted to ruin herself in the process."

"So, you just ruined her?"

"No, it's just that I remembered you telling me that night that she has something that glows, and I couldn't help myself..."

"That's fine." Eji generously placed Yun Ce's hand on her hip.

Yun Ce prepared for two whole days, including the marching route, rations, and tents and supplies for the long journey. He left Lao Chou behind to guard the small property in Lantian County. On a rainless morning, the large group of people left Yun Family Village and slowly headed north.

No one came to see them off in the vast Lantian County.

No one in the vast city of Chang'an came to see them off.

Wu Tong arrived, but he wasn't actually there to see Yun Ce off; he was there to see Zhang Min off.

He tossed Zhang Min a large bag of things, said nothing, and then turned around, mounted his Thunder Smoke Beast, and rode back to Chang'an.

Eji stared intently at the enormous bundle, gritting her teeth as she said, "You've cuckolded my husband?"

Zhang Min looked at the large bundle in front of her and said, "When I wasn't injured, he looked down on my looks and treated me like a man. After I was injured, he started to treat me like a woman, caring about my feelings and taking care of me in every way. But after I recovered, he stopped treating me like a human being."

Tell me, who could someone like that possibly cheat on?

(End of this chapter)