kingnovel Chapter 1291 Do you usually lick your lips?
Chapter 1291 Do you usually lick your lips?
If it weren't for the county soldiers guarding the gate mentioning it, Shen Zheng wouldn't have known that Wei Jing was their "enlightenment teacher".
They spoke with great respect for Wei Jing, and even said, "On the day of Mr. Wei and Boss Man's wedding, we will prepare a grand gift for him!"
Shen Zheng asked what the grand gift was, but they hesitated for a long time without saying anything. Shen Zheng stopped asking and smiled as she entered the training ground.
Xin Ji caught up and asked, "Lord Shen, is the Mr. Wei they're talking about the boy who was the doorman at the inn that day?"
"Kid?" Shen Zheng looked him up and down. "Wei Jing is older than you."
Xin Ji ignored these words and continued, "I felt yesterday that the way he looked at the innkeeper wasn't innocent; it turns out he had designs on him..."
"..."
Shen Zheng was surprised by Xin Ji's slowness: "They're about to get married."
Xin Ji still didn't respond, and continued to ask herself, "That innkeeper is so beautiful, what did she see in him?"
In his mind, such a charming and beautiful woman should be paired with a wealthy merchant or an official, not a pedantic scholar.
What can a young scholar offer a beautiful woman?
Two not-too-explicit love quotes?
Two obscure and difficult-to-understand sentimental poems?
Or are they strung together in a jingling string of copper coins?
"You look down on Wei Jing?" Shen Zheng pointed ahead: "All my elite soldiers here call him 'Sir,' but what about you? Do they even acknowledge you?"
Xin Ji wasn't new to knowing that Shen Zheng had a sharp tongue.
But upon hearing this today, it seems the poison is even more potent than before.
He asked, "Do you usually lick your lips?"
Don't lick it twice and poison yourself.
Shen Zheng smiled: "Thank you for your trouble, this poison recognizes its master."
Xin Ji secretly grinned, and Shen Zheng added, "Man Niang isn't stupid. She's only willing to be with Wei Jing because he treats her well."
How can you understand things between two people just by looking at them?
Xin Ji hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, alright. Then I wish them a long and happy marriage..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped, his previously casual gaze fixed on the center of the drill ground, his expression gradually becoming agitated: "These county soldiers... they're practicing attack and defense?!"
In his mind, only drills involving real offense and defense, and responding to each move, can be considered true military training.
As for those exercises that only involve walking and practicing fancy moves, they are just empty gestures!
Shen Zheng looked at the county soldiers simulating battle in the center of the training ground and had no idea what Xin Ji was so excited about.
Is it strange that soldiers are practicing offense and defense?
Xin Ji ignored her question, her gaze following the movement of several flags in the training ground.
Just as she was about to get closer to take a look, Xin Ji, as if under a spell, suddenly shook his arm and shouted, "Black Flag Army! Charge! Fight your way through! Red Flag Army! Raise your shields! Raise your shields! We must trap them inside!"
"..."
This emotionally charged shout forced Su Yan, who had his back to them, to turn around: "My lord?!"
Upon catching sight of Shen Zheng, he instinctively wanted to call for a halt to the training, but Shen Zheng waved her hand, so he immediately shut up and strode over to her.
"Your subordinate greets Your Excellency!"
His voice betrayed his excitement.
Yesterday, he heard from the people that the magistrate had returned.
I thought the adults were too busy to come to the training ground, but to my surprise, they still made time to come and see them.
"Is this a simulated combat exercise?" Shen Zheng stared at the training ground, vaguely discerning something amiss.
The structure built with solid wood and sandbags in the middle of the field is clearly a narrow pass, and this pass is quite similar to the Locust Lock Valley.
"Yes!" Su Yan immediately straightened his back and replied, "Reporting to you, sir, I have simulated the Qing Shi Mountain Pass and am leading my brothers and sisters to recreate the Qing Shi Mountain bandit suppression battle! The Black Flag Army plays the role of the Qing Shi Mountain bandits, guarding the pass! The Red Flag Army plays the role of the Yun Hui Army that suppressed the bandits at that time, breaking through their formation and suppressing them!"
"The bandit suppression battle at Qingshi Mountain?!" Xin Ji suddenly clapped his hands. "I knew this battle looked familiar!"
Back then, this campaign to suppress bandits was a sensation!
The name of General Lan Youguang, the Cloud Banner General, resounded throughout the entire Great Zhou Dynasty once again thanks to this battle.
Xin Ji couldn't help but comment: "If it weren't for those fierce bandits from Qing Shi Mountain, General Yun Hui would probably have had to endure a few more years to truly establish himself among the military generals."
Shen Zheng remembered it too.
Qingshi Pass was indeed captured by Lan Qiyi's father, General Lan Youguang.
At that time, Qingshishan Pass was easy to defend but difficult to attack. The bandits had been entrenched there for many years and gradually formed a system. They not only robbed trade routes and harassed prefectures and counties, but also repeatedly relied on the terrain advantage to repel the local garrison troops that came to suppress the bandits.
Over time, Qingshi Mountain became a place that struck fear into the hearts of passing merchants and local residents, and also became a major concern for the local government.
But Qingshi Mountain is indeed difficult to conquer.
The local garrison suffered heavy losses in the fight against the bandits and had no choice but to request the imperial court to send troops.
It was at that time that Lan Youguang, who was worried about having no battles to fight and fearing being ostracized by other military officers, volunteered to suppress the bandits.
His Majesty granted his request, and he set off with only five hundred elite soldiers.
After arriving at Qingshi Mountain, he neither led his troops to attack the mountain from the pass nor took the initiative to recruit the mountain bandits.
What did he do?
He led his troops to set up camp at the foot of the mountain.
He surrounded the pass without attacking, spending his days training his troops outside the pass.
The bandits on the mountain had heard of his reputation and knew that he was trying to wear down the mountain – to deplete the rice, flour, and oil reserves in the mountain stronghold, forcing them to come down.
Both sides knew there was going to be a battle, but neither side made the first move.
And so, the two sides spent a relatively peaceful two weeks together.
But after half a month, the bandits became restless, because if they didn't come down the mountain soon, they would really starve to death.
But there was only one way down the mountain, and Lan Youguang had set up camp there with his troops.
To fight or not to fight?
We have no choice but to fight.
Moreover, their numbers far exceed those of the Yunhui Army at the foot of the mountain, so they may not necessarily lose this battle.
Thus, the Battle of Qingshi Mountain officially began.
Don't be fooled by the fact that these ruthless bandits have been saving every penny for the past two weeks; when it comes to actually making a move, they're full of energy.
They threw boulders, spears, and bonfire pots down from the pass.
At first, Lan Youguang wanted to avoid fighting and continue to wear down the bandits, but he ultimately underestimated their ruthlessness—most of the bandits rushed down the pass to fight them to the death, while a small number of them continued to throw weapons from above.
They didn't even care about the lives of their own people.
Upon seeing this, Lan Youguang immediately abandoned the strategy of "avoiding battle and exhausting resources" and ordered the troops to form ranks—shieldmen in front, oil cannon throwers in the middle, and archers in the rear.
The battle lasted less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the bandits who charged down the mountain were exhausted—not only were they unable to break through the shield formation, but they were also frequently hit by projectiles thrown by their own men above the pass, and the Yunhui Army even threw oil canisters at them.
For them, this was perhaps the most difficult moment of their lives.
At this point, the bandits who had rushed down the mountain surrendered completely, and it only took Lan Youguang and his troops the time it takes to burn two incense sticks to take down the remaining bandits.