Chapter 44 Jiang Shouye (Please collect! Please vote! Please invest!)

"Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta!"

On a hillside fifty miles east of Liujing City, a palace army of about three thousand men was marching rapidly towards Liujing with hurried steps, their orderly footsteps raising a cloud of dust.

At first glance, this palace army looked no different from other palace armies. They all wore green uniforms and carried large flags with tiger heads. The soldiers' equipment seemed to be very simple, with few of them wearing armor. Even their shields were mostly made of wood, with very limited defensive capabilities.

But if you observe carefully, you will find that this palace army is very different from other palace armies. First of all, the marching speed of this palace army is something that most palace armies cannot achieve. Even if they can do it, the soldiers in the army will suffer and complain.

However, in this army, everyone was silently enduring the fatigue and exhaustion brought about by the high-intensity march, without a trace of noise. This was enough to give us a glimpse of the whole picture and make us realize that this palace army had good military discipline and combat qualities that were different from other palace armies.

Walking in the middle of the team, a general with a beautiful beard observed the surrounding terrain and immediately ordered his subordinates: "This place is less than a hundred miles away from Liujing. The Zhou army is likely to appear here. Send out all the scouts and let the main force rest here."

As the bearded man gave the order, the messenger immediately conveyed his order to all parts of the team. Soon, one by one, the elite cavalrymen broke away from the main force and went to explore the surroundings, while the other soldiers stopped and sat where they were, drinking some water and eating some dry food to recover their strength.

Although the soldiers had rested, the man with beautiful beard did not stop. He compared the surrounding terrain and studied the map in his hand.

The man with the beautiful beard was named Jiang Shouye. His family had always been the garrison commander of Takeyama Port in the imperial capital, commanding 3,000 soldiers preparing to fight against the Japanese invaders.

Being loyal to the royal family, he was extremely anxious ever since he heard that Zhou soldiers had captured Liujing. He immediately led his soldiers to come to the king's aid. Although he left very early, due to the rugged road, he and his soldiers who were preparing for war with Japan were only close to the palace now.

As time went by, the scouts who were sent out to explore the situation soon began to return to the team.

"Reporting to the general, no trace of Zhou troops was found within five miles to the south!"

"Reporting to the general, no traces of Zhou troops were found in Xijiang Town in the north!"

"Reporting to the general, there are military activities in Xiangshuihezi in the northwest, but they are not Zhou's army, but our army from Qinghe County."

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Listening to the report from the scouts, Jiang Shouye stroked his beard and nodded secretly. The situation might be similar to what he thought. The number of Zhou troops that captured Liujing was not large, and now they could only hide in the city and were unable to interfere with the surrounding areas.

Just when Jiang Shouye was secretly thinking about how to take advantage of the enemy's insufficient troops to recapture Liujing, the last scout he sent out turned back. However, this scout did not come alone, he brought back a strong man.

"General, I explored the southwest and found no trace of the enemy, but I did capture this man. He told me that he had something confidential to report to the general, so I brought him here."

As the scout spoke, he brought a young man who was tied up, had a strong build and did not speak a word, in front of Jiang Shouye.

Before Jiang Shouye could ask, the captured young man's originally calm eyes immediately lit up when he saw Jiang Shouye.

The man immediately knelt on the ground and said to Jiang Shouye: "I have something confidential to tell you, General. Please spare me a moment to talk!"

"Bold!" "Outrageous"

Before Jiang Shouye could open his mouth to respond to the young man's request, the generals around him began to scold him. However, these scoldings did not affect the young man. He knelt on the ground, stiffening his neck and looking at Jiang Shouye.

"Do you recognize me?" Jiang Shouye looked at the young man and asked with some surprise:

"I am from Zhushan Port. I served under the general five years ago!" The young man hesitated for a moment and whispered:

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shouye carefully looked at the young man up and down with great interest, then nodded slightly and said, "No wonder..."

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Shouye flicked his wrist and drew his sword, easily cutting off the hemp rope tied to the man. Then he interrupted his attendants' dissuasion and instructed the people beside him:

"Don't follow me!"

After Jiang Shouye finished speaking, he walked straight ahead, and the young man who had untied the ropes followed closely behind him. Although Jiang Shouye's followers were very worried about the safety of their general, they could only stand there and wait because of Jiang Shouye's words.

The two walked forward about a hundred meters, one in front and one behind, and entered a small woods. The woods were covered with lush vegetation, and no one could hear what the two said inside.

After a while, Jiang Shouye came back with a serious look on his face. He was in a low mood. He sighed for a long time and ordered the people around him: "Dig a good pit and bury the brothers in the woods..."

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Although he had not opened his eyes yet, Ye Mingsheng gradually regained consciousness from his sleep and felt that his head was resting on a soft and fragrant object. Although it was very enjoyable and made him immersed in it, his strong curiosity still made Ye Mingsheng open his eyes.

"you're awake?"

Looking at Ye Mingsheng who had just woken up and looked confused, Pei Zhixiu blushed and said unhappily:

Hearing Pei Zhixiu's voice, Ye Mou, who had already realized what his head was resting on, quickly stood up and subconsciously apologized, "Sorry, sorry..."

Pei Zhixiu did not make any response to Ye Mingsheng's apology. She just lowered her head and gently rubbed her thigh which was numb from being pressed.

Just when Ye Mingsheng didn't know what to do and the atmosphere was a little awkward, an uninvited guest broke into the military tent.

"Miss Pei, I have prepared the medicine you asked for..." Ye Tie walked into the tent holding a bowl of steaming medicine.

"Drink the medicine!"

Seeing Ye Tie coming, Pei Zhixiu's face was flushed with shame, as if blood could drip out. After whispering a word to Ye Mingsheng, he walked out of the tent as if escaping.

(End of this chapter)