Sun Yi hesitated for a moment and asked, "I wonder if there is anything we can do to help the Lord? Although we cannot go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, we can help light fires, cook meals, and transport weapons."
"That's right, we can be the Lord's logistics! I used to help transport the wounded," Zhang Daniu chimed in.
"Exactly, we might not have much else, but we have plenty of strength..."
Looking at the impassioned commoners, a smile appeared on Dong Si's face.
He pressed his hands down to signal for silence, waiting until everyone quieted down before saying, "The Lord has spoken. Your task is to build houses, and they must be built as quickly as possible."
"Everyone knows how cold the winters in Gefeng can be. How many people freeze to death in Gefeng every year? These are not ordinary houses; these are life-saving houses. Everyone, do not let down the Lord's love for the people."
The commoners' eyes turned red. They had indeed never seen a Lord like this, one who didn't build a county magistrate's office or a private residence first, but instead prioritized building houses for the common people.
They had also never seen an army like the Jinyang Army, which loved and protected the people, never harassed them, and maintained military discipline so strict it was almost harsh.
Kang Sheng was deeply moved and shouted, "That's right! Let's not let down the Lord's love for the people. Everyone, get moving and speed it up!"
Under Dong Si's comforting words, the commoners enthusiastically threw themselves into the construction work. Each of them was as pumped up with adrenaline as could be, working with incredible drive and speed.
At the grocery store.
Yun Ci was practicing on the abacus, but his hands, accustomed to leading troops in battle, were simply not nimble enough. He flicked the abacus beads so hard they sounded like clashing swords and armored warhorses, yet he still couldn't get the calculations right.
The medical clinic next door was closed; all the healers had gone near the south gate, ready to treat the wounded at a moment's notice.
Two young servants looked somewhat panicked, standing at the door and craning their necks toward the city gate.
Yun Ci looked up at them. "What does it look like, standing at the door like that? What if a customer comes in? How improper."
The servants grumbled inwardly. There is a war going on, who would come out to buy things?
However, they didn't dare to talk back and obediently returned to the shop. "Shopkeeper, fighting is about to break out outside. Aren't you worried?"
Ever since Yun Ci became the shopkeeper of the grocery store, he insisted that everyone call him Shopkeeper.
Yun Ci lowered his head and continued to struggle with the abacus. "Worried about what? What I should be worried about is how many of the Quzhao people will make it back alive."
When he first arrived in Gefeng, he had been somewhat worried, considering Jiang Jin had so few troops back then.
Now, her forces numbered over a thousand, and she had made other preparations. For a small city like Gefeng, as long as the attackers weren't ridiculously strong, there wouldn't be a major problem.
Therefore, he had nothing to worry about, and worrying was useless anyway.
Through their interactions over this period, he had also realized that Princess Jinyang was by no means simple. She probably had a foolproof plan all along.
At the south gate city tower.
It was Xie Nanxiao's turn to shout, his voice ringing loud and clear: "Since when did Gefeng belong to your Quzhao? Do you have no shame? Gefeng has been the territory of our Yan State since ancient times; it is the place where we Han people have lived and multiplied for generations!"
"You barbarian brutes invaded our Han rivers and mountains, burning, killing, and looting. You are utterly devoid of humanity, guilty of the most heinous crimes, and deserve ten thousand deaths! If I were you, I would just slit my own throat to avoid polluting this beautiful land!"
The Quzhao general angrily pointed at the city tower. "Ignorant Han, speaking such arrogant words!"
Xie Nanxiao sneered. "Arrogant? I'll show your grandpa arrogant!"
"Ignorant Han? Our Han culture has a long and profound history. Does your Quzhao even have a hundred written characters? Haha, can you even count to a hundred?"
"Are your fingers and toes not enough? Do you have to call your tribesmen over and count their stinky toes one by one?"
Jiang Jin couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. This kid Xie Nanxiao not only knew how to spout classic profanities, but his insults were also delivered in perfect sets, stabbing right into people's sore spots.
With a glib tongue like that, being a military general was a waste of his talents. She wondered if he had any interest in being a diplomat; he could use that mouth to spray all their enemies to death.
No matter which barbarian tribe invaded the Han lands, they would basically all learn Han culture, including language, writing, etiquette, and so on.
Besides making it easier to govern the Han people, the main reason was that they lacked cultural depth themselves; some tribes didn't even have their own written language.
Therefore, they highly admired and yearned for Han culture, learning while invading, despising the Han as weak scholars while simultaneously imitating their elegant and refined ways.
The Quzhao general practically wanted to spit out a mouthful of blood. However, he had to admit that he really couldn't win a shouting match.
The Han people were very good at arguing. Even though this guy was clearly a military general, he didn't lose out to civil officials in the slightest, perhaps even surpassing them.
He took a deep breath to calm his emotions, pointed at Xie Nanxiao, and yelled, "Do you dare to come down and fight me? Let's see the real truth under our hands."
Xie Nanxiao looked back at Jiang Jin. Seeing her nod, he laughed heartily at the Quzhao general below the city wall. "Why wouldn't I dare? I am coming to take your life right now!"
Generals dueling had appeared very early on and was still prevalent in this era, mainly to boost morale and strengthen the army's will to fight.
As a completely unknown new army, the Jinyang Army could perfectly use this opportunity to establish their prestige.
Before long, the city gates opened, and the drawbridge was lowered.
Xie Nanxiao, holding a long spear, rode out on horseback.
A vibrant youth on a proud steed, slaying enemies for national hatred and family feuds, this was the true portrayal of him at this moment.
Without a word, the Quzhao general didn't even bother with the customary exchange of names. He spurred his horse forward, swinging his long blade at Xie Nanxiao.
Xie Nanxiao bent down to dodge, thrusting his long spear straight for the Quzhao general's neck.
The Quzhao general reacted quickly, turning sideways to evade.
However, Xie Nanxiao's speed was too fast. The Quzhao general couldn't completely dodge it; the left side of his neck was directly pierced, and blood gushed out.
The Quzhao general let out a loud shout, ignoring the pain in his neck, and chopped down at the long spear with his blade.
Xie Nanxiao pressed down, dodging the blade, and simultaneously flicked his long spear upward, striking the Quzhao general's waist and abdomen with a thud.
Before the Quzhao general could react, the long spear thrust forward again.
Pfft.
The long spear pierced into the Quzhao general's abdomen.
Xie Nanxiao exerted force with his hands, and the Quzhao general was picked up and thrown off his horse.
The general flew backward for several meters before crashing heavily onto the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and then stopped moving, his fate unknown.
There was a moment of silence at the scene. The Quzhao army never expected the duel to end so quickly.
Then, the Quzhao soldiers flew into a rage, and immediately another burly general charged out. "Do you dare to fight me?"
Just as Xie Nanxiao was about to continue the challenge, he heard the sound of drums signaling a retreat from the city tower.
Without a word, he turned around and ran back toward the city.
Despite his usually unreliable appearance, as a veteran of the battlefield, he understood the meaning of military orders perfectly well.
The burly general was furious and chased after him on horseback. "You cowardly rat, are you too afraid of my mighty presence to fight me?"
Xie Nanxiao had already run back into the city. The city gates slowly closed, and the drawbridge was pulled up.
The burly general didn't dare to pursue any further and stopped, cursing loudly, "Han men are all spineless! You don't even dare to meet a challenge..."
Zhou Sui looked at Jiang Jin. "Lord, are we not dueling anymore?"
Jiang Jin shook her head. "Just letting them know our strength is enough. There is no need to waste time here."
Truth mixed with falsehood would make it impossible for the Quzhao people to figure out the Jinyang Army's tactics and true strength.
