mtl008 Chapter 263 Qi's Last Chance
Chapter 263 Qi's Last Chance
Du Zhe's eyes widened when he heard Zong Yanli's words, and then he slammed the table angrily and said, "How can the princess be inferior to the girls in your south?"
Then Zong Yanli was kicked out.
Zong Yanli, who was standing outside the tent, was a little confused. She couldn't tell whether she had convinced Du Zhe or not.
"General, Manager Zhao is back, please come over." Before Zong Yanli could figure out Du Zhe's reaction, he turned around and saw Gao Feilin hurried over and bowed to him.
"Okay." Zong Yanli responded and left with Gao Feilin.
In front of the camp, Zhao Mingcai was directing the incoming truckloads of goods, as well as the chickens, ducks and live sheep imprisoned in the prison.
When Zhao Mingcai saw Zong Yanli coming, he hurried forward to greet him, and then took out the purchase list. These living things were not easy to get and cost a lot of money. Later, he also brought a few pigs, some frozen fish, etc.
Not to mention alcohol and beverages, which are also a big part of the bill, and almost all the fruits and vegetables have been bought.
Zhao Mingcai's face was full of joy, probably because his face was a little cracked by the north wind. At this moment, he said to Zong Yanli: "The quantity required by the general is basically enough. With the bacon and sausages in the army, it is enough for the soldiers to have a good New Year this year!"
"Manager Zhao has worked hard this time." Zong Yanli's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked him to go down and store all the things. At the same time, he asked Gao Feilin to inform the three armies of the New Year's affairs, pass on these lists, and train well to prepare for the distribution of meat during the New Year!
"Yes." Gao Feilin responded quickly and went downstairs happily to prepare.
In the twelfth month, the soldiers under Zong Yanli were very excited about this. They trained harder and harder and scrambled to go out on patrol, wishing they could get some military merits to exchange for meat.
Compared to the cheers of Daqian soldiers, the Qi Palace was shrouded in dark clouds at this moment. Min Wenshan died in the battle, Taoyang City fell, and Qiu Wu's whereabouts were unknown. It was now difficult to find an outstanding general to lead the army in such a huge Qi State.
The Emperor of Qi did not expect that this time when he sent Qiu Wu to supervise the army, he would be of no use at all. He even got a buy one get one free deal and Zong Yanli took him away!
"Mother, my uncle died so tragically!" Qi Jiazhen was in a state of panic in the palace. He had fought so hard to get the throne, but now he couldn't even sit on it and the enemy was about to arrive. How could he not be afraid and panic?
"How could my uncle be defeated?" Qi Jiazhen found it hard to imagine that Min Wenshan, who was omnipotent in his eyes and even made him extremely afraid, was defeated and killed overnight. Such a scene really caught him off guard.
He thought he had finally ascended the throne, had all the power in his hands, and had nothing to fear anymore.
However, he did not expect that the border would be lost, the enemy would invade, and his generals would die. The State of Qi that he fought so hard to seize was now in danger!
Queen Dowager Min looked at the frightened and anxious new monarch in front of her. The son she had raised and supported did not have any decision-making ability in such a critical moment. He could only cry and complain about his fear in front of her in such a meaningless way, with a panic-stricken look on his face.
The grief of her brother's defeat in battle and the incompetent performance of the new emperor made Queen Dowager Min suddenly feel a little dazed.
Is it really right for her to promote her own bloodline so hard, to expand the family, to establish a crown prince and push him onto the throne step by step?
She was in a trance for a moment, then she suppressed the trace of emotion in her heart. Now that things had come to this, she no longer had any complaints. No matter how incompetent the new king was, he was still her son. How could she not hate her brother's death!
"Your Majesty, now is not the time to grieve." Queen Mother Min calmed down and looked at Qi Jiazhen earnestly and said, "In the face of national crisis, the most urgent task is to think of a way to save the country..."
"My uncle is dead, and Taoyang City has been occupied by the enemy. How can we save the country?" Qi Jiazhen felt panicked when he said this. Once Taoyang City was broken, Baishui Pass would be right behind it. Now Qiu Wu is nowhere to be found. Without the commander-in-chief, it is only a matter of time before Baishui Pass is broken.
"Yes, but Your Majesty, have you forgotten that this place is not only Qi, but also the North!"
Queen Mother Min looked at Qi Jiazhen in a deep voice and said, "The Daqian invasion of the northern land this time is clearly not just for Qi. Even the northern and Lu countries have been invaded by it."
Queen Mother Min sat up straighter and said with a stern look in her eyes: "If Qi is destroyed this time, the Northern Kingdom and Lu will become the second Qi!"
"In the face of such a crisis, I don't believe that the Northern Kingdom and the Lu Kingdom can sit still." Queen Mother Min's words finally brought back some of Qi Jiazhen's rationality.
"Your Majesty should immediately seek aid from all nations and unite the forces to fight the enemy, in order to defend the North and the survival of our country!"
"Send envoys to the Northern Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lu to convince them to join forces."
"This...will be Qi's last chance."
Qi Jiazhen's eyes were trembling. From his mother's words, he seemed to really see the urgency and fear of his country being in danger. He stood up with difficulty. He had never felt such a huge pressure as a monarch.
Qi Jiazhen was confused and ignorant, but he nodded obediently at Queen Mother Min's words, turned around and selected envoys to go to the Northern Kingdom and Lu Kingdom.
Queen Mother Min looked at her son's tired expression, sighed silently, and looked around the magnificent palace. The place she regarded as her home seemed to be crumbling.
Under the frost and ice, the Qiu Ding River finally turned into what Zong Yanli had wanted. It was no longer possible to see the flow of the river water below the ice. Now, even if you ride a horse on the river, it is difficult to see the slightest crack.
The snow fell all day long and made people shiver with cold. Zong Yanli even stopped the training of his soldiers and hid in the military tent to avoid the wind and snow.
The rotation time for the soldiers on duty on the city walls has also become shorter.
Don’t stay outside for too long and turn into an ice lolly…
"Good tea, really good tea." Zhan Haoyue regarded Lu Peibai as his close friend and praised his tea-making skills. Who would have thought that after so many years in the army, he would now have become more elegant?
"Tsk." On the other side, Zong Yanli was playing chess with Pei Liang. He looked at the chessboard in front of him with a look of no interest.
There is no other reason, it's just that Pei Liang's chess skills are far inferior to Gongsun Pu's.
It was as easy for Zong Yanli to beat him as drinking water, so he became less and less interested as the game went on.
But Pei Liang refused to accept the defeat and kept dragging Zong Yanli to play one game after another, so much so that Zhuang Chengbi next to him couldn't stand it anymore. The two of them joined forces and finally ended up in a draw with Zong Yanli.
On the day when the wind and snow stopped, the sun rising in the sky was very bright, and Lu Peibai also received a letter sent by carrier pigeon on that day.
When she found Zong Yanli with the letter, Zong Yanli was on the military camp arena, "killing all around", knocking down one person after another who rushed forward with his fists and feet. Looking at Yan Yingshan, Zhu Jin and others lying on the snow, Lu Peibai couldn't help laughing.
Once again, she sighed at how rare Zong Yanli's bravery was. She had seen Xue Liqing's abilities and had never thought that there was someone in the world who could match him.
"Mr. Mingxi is looking for me?" Zong Yanli was sweating all over. After stretching his muscles, he finally felt relaxed. He wiped his hands with snow and walked towards Lu Peibai.
"Yes, General, please take a look at this." Lu Peibai handed the letter in his hand to Zong Yanli.
Zong Yanli took it and frowned after just one look. His eyes darkened and he looked at Lu Peibai and asked, "Is the news true?"
Lu Peibai nodded: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with that."
Zong Yanli took another look at it, silently held it in his hand, turned around and looked at the soldiers fighting and laughing on the stage, and after a long time he said: "Let's put this matter aside for now, and let the brothers spend the New Year in peace."
Lu Peibai looked at Zong Yanli in a daze, his mood was extremely complicated for a moment. He always felt that every time he saw Zong Yanli and heard her decision, his nose would feel sore, as if the softest part of his heart was gently touched.
"Thank you, sir." Zong Yanli nodded to Lu Peibai, his brows gentle and his black eyes as tough and calm as ever.
Lu Peibai leaned forward and nodded slightly. Zong Yanli turned around and returned to the ring, continuing to play with them as if nothing had happened.
She did not leave, but stood in the stage and watched from afar. She felt that the sunshine today was exceptionally warm, making her feel warm all over, and a smile appeared on her face unconsciously.
The New Year is coming.
The army was filled with joy. Brothers from all camps and tents assigned people to slaughter pigs and sheep. They were more excited about sharpening their knives than killing the enemies. Those warriors killed the enemies on the battlefield without any error.
But who could have imagined that such a group of rough guys couldn't control a pig.
Zong Yanli listened to the howling sounds outside the tent. When he went out, he saw a group of people, some holding ropes, some holding knives, chasing a fat pig in the tent with the howling sounds of ghosts and wolves. He suddenly felt a headache.
"I can't hold it down—"
"Never mind, just ride on it!"
"..."
Zong Yanli's pupils trembled. She really couldn't bear to see the warriors under her command riding pigs!
He turned around in anger, suddenly drew out the long knife in his hand, rushed out in one step, and chopped off the pig's head with one knife under the astonished gaze of everyone.
Pei Liang, Lu Peibai and others who were watching the whole thing: "..."
"What a waste of resources." Zhan Haoyue grabbed the book with a toothache, lowered his head and wrote quickly on it, probably writing about the heroic feat of Zong Yanli holding the Langque long sword and angrily chopping off a pig's head.
Zong Yanli's hand holding the long knife was shaking slightly, and he was silent as he looked at the fat pig lying dead on the ground.
Finally, she turned around cruelly and returned to the military tent amid the soldiers' calls of "General, you are mighty!" She silently thought in her heart that a pig's head is still a head, so it shouldn't be considered an injustice to her Langque, right?
Meng Qi arrived late. When he heard from Pei Liang about his general beheading a pig, he laughed so hard that he was so bold as to want Zong Yanli to do it again. In the end, he was kicked out of the military tent by Zong Yanli and fell on the snow pile outside.
Pei Liang smiled contentedly when he saw this scene, thinking that he had been kicked before...
"Mr. Mingxi, do you find it interesting?" Zhan Haoyue and Lu Peibai often spend time together because of the habit of making friends over tea. At this moment, the two of them were sitting outside the military tent, brewing tea and basking in the sun. Zhan Haoyue glanced sideways and saw the smile in Lu Peibai's eyes, so he asked.
"Interesting." Lu Peibai's eyes were bright and he had a smile on his face. He said in a brisk tone, "I never thought that the military is not always the same. It turns out that it can be like this..."
"It seems, it seems like home." Lu Peibai was rarely sure how to describe the moment.
"Hahaha, the brothers that the general mentioned are never empty words." Zhan Haoyue laughed softly, and after a long time, he said: "I want to write all of this down."
Lu Peibai raised his eyes and looked at Zhan Haoyue, as if he suddenly understood him a little.
Although he always takes the trouble to ask people around him about the general, perhaps this is also a feeling that Zhan Haoyue wants to remember. Zong Yanli is really charming in every aspect.
Lu Peibai couldn't even feel any love between a man and a woman for Zong Yanli. She felt that her love was a bit insulting.
It is admiration, respect, looking up to, and following...
Anything is fine, except love between men and women.
"It's a pity that my piano is lost." Lu Peibai seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes were a little dim. She felt that it was very suitable to play a song at this moment.
"Mr. Mingxi is also knowledgeable about music?" Zhan Haoyue raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I have dabbled in it a little." Lu Peibai smiled, but she hadn't played the piano for a long time. Min Wenshan once praised her piano skills, but later that thing became a tool to please men. It would be better to say that she destroyed the piano herself rather than losing it.
She had not felt the urge to play music for many years, but today she felt regretful that she could not play a song to express her feelings.
Zhan Haoyue didn't know much about music, so he couldn't help but think of Gongsun Pu. He said with regret, "Gongsun is like you who knows everything. He rarely plays. I've only heard him play twice."
Lu Peibai smiled, and the two chatted casually.
As evening approached, grill platforms were set up in each camp and tent. There were tens of thousands of soldiers in the army, so they couldn't all be in one place?
Naturally, the meat and other items would be distributed after slaughtering pigs and sheep. Each camp and tent would have their own stove. Zong Yanli would celebrate the New Year with his subordinates such as Meng Qi and Long Feiguang. Zong Yanli hid in the tent for a while and then came out to help light the fire and cook.
They all started out as cooks, so making a fire and cooking is not a difficult task.
Monkie asked Shi Gan Dang to set up the grill and prepare to roast a whole lamb. Wen Nian silently prepared the sauce on the side and handed it to Zong Yanli to taste from time to time.
After Zong Yanli nodded, he was satisfied and sensible enough to take charge of the task of roasting the whole lamb.
The rest of the people were moving wine, moving tables, and adding firewood. It would be cold at night as long as the bonfire was big enough!
This was probably the happiest New Year's Day for everyone in the army. As the aroma of roasted whole lamb wafted in the air, everyone sat together as night fell. They finally ate a bite of meat and drank a sip of wine. With their brothers by their side, they no longer had any worries and all of them had the same smile on their faces.