Tian Daguang did not hide the truth. “You’ll have to pass the assessment. However, if you’ve served in the army before, the requirements will be lowered somewhat.”
“You should know about the aristocratic soldiers from Ze’a Commandery, right? Aside from the very few who were in such poor physical condition that they couldn’t serve, most of them joined our Jinyang Army.”
The soldiers from Sizhou knew about this. After all, recovering from their injuries was terribly boring, and they had been housed together with the Jinyang soldiers. Some of the infirmaries even had wounded aristocratic soldiers.
They were all roughly the same age, and after spending time together, they soon became acquainted.
Li Da hesitated for a moment before finally asking, “If… I mean, hypothetically speaking, if we wanted to join the Jinyang Army too, would that be possible?”
Tian Daguang froze for a moment, looking puzzled. “You want to join us?”
Li Da’s face flushed bright red, but he still nodded. “The physician said that once my leg heals, it won’t affect me at all. I’ll still be able to serve.”
“But I don’t want to return to Sizhou. I’ve always been alone, and I lost contact with my family long ago. I don’t even know whether they’re alive or dead.”
Many of the men who enlisted were not locals.
Most of them had been scattered when the barbarian tribes attacked. Their commanders had led them toward Sizhou, and afterward, they had settled there.
From then on, they had lost all contact with their families.
That was the true story of many soldiers from the Sizhou Army.
Of course, there were also men who had originally been from Sizhou.
One of the Sizhou soldiers in this ward had suffered an abdominal injury and was a native of Sizhou. His family was still there, but he did not consider that a problem.
The Jinyang soldier had just said that the Jinyang Army would escort the people of Sizhou to Fengzhou. When the time came, he could simply have his parents and family travel to Fengzhou by boat.
Tian Daguang knitted his brows slightly. After pondering for a moment, he said, “I don’t know about this either, but I can report it to my superiors and see what they say.”
Li Da and the others hurriedly cupped their hands in thanks.
Chongzhou, Shangjing Commandery, Fan County.
Ji Yuzhu looked at Zhou Leng and the others. The first person who caught his attention was the only woman among the group of men—Yan Ke.
His expression turned lecherous. “Hah. You Han people really are something. You came here for negotiations and even brought along a female prostitute?”
The military commander Rong Hei gave a lascivious grin. “Exactly. There are so many of you, and one woman is enough?”
Zhou Leng glanced at him. “Your features are fairly well-defined, but your appearance is a complete mess. Did your father get stuck when he was making you? Did he fail to finish? Is that why he ended up with something like you?”
“Your face looks like it was torn apart and haphazardly pieced back together. And as if that weren’t enough, somewhere between going bald and having your brains leak out, you chose hair loss. A brain is a fine thing to have—but you don’t. Even if a bald man bares his forehead, he’s still a bald man with no brains.”
Rong Hei had not yet fully processed what he was hearing, but his hand instinctively moved to the top of his head.
He was young, yet his hair had been falling out in handfuls. By now, the top of his head was shining smooth.
Was this Han actually insulting him?
Zhou Leng paid no attention to his reaction and turned to Ji Yuzhu. “I hear your name is Ji Yuzhu. I understand. Your Ji clan doesn’t have enough good looks, so you had to make up for it with your names.”
“I’m a rather blunt man, so don’t take offense. Your name is no good. Very no good.”
“Yuzhu carries beautiful meanings—purity and noble character. But when it’s paired with ‘Ji,’ it makes your ignorance especially conspicuous.”
“‘Ji’ means to stop. In other words, you stop short of beauty, virtue, and decency. You’re morally corrupt, shameless, and guilty of every conceivable evil.”
“Of course, this isn’t your fault. No, it isn’t your parents’ fault either. Your barbarian tribes don’t read much. You only understand half of what you hear, yet you’re particularly fond of pretending to be learned.”
Every member of the Ji clan present stood there with their mouths slightly open. For the first time, they truly experienced the Han people’s overwhelming superiority—and devastating blows—in matters of culture.
Even Yan Ke and the other “trainees” were dumbfounded. Poison-Tongued Zhou truly lived up to his reputation. His tongue was venomous, his cultural knowledge profound, and his reactions incredibly sharp.
They also experienced, in the most direct way possible, the razor-edged nature of diplomacy. The negotiations had not even begun, yet danger lurked everywhere.
One careless move, and they would be forced onto the back foot!
And once they were pushed down, it would mean that their country and their influence had been pushed down as well!
A weak nation had no diplomacy—but a person must still possess a backbone!
Besides, the Jinyang Army was not weak. No matter how they looked at it, they could not afford to show weakness. If anyone was going to suppress the other side, it had to be the Han suppressing the barbarians!
This was a battle without bloodshed, but it was no easier than a battlefield where blood flowed like a river.
Although, no—that was not entirely true. At this rate, blood might very well be shed!
Several of them straightened their backs unconsciously.
That was the backbone of the Han people.
Yan Ke’s eyes shone brightly. This was a true expert. But she was no pushover herself, especially since this entire exchange had begun under the pretext of using her as a decoy.
She stood ramrod straight. “My name is Yan Ke. I am one of the envoys of the Jinyang Army.”
“In ancient times, people spoke of yin and yang. Do you know why yin comes first?”
“Because the ancestors of our ancestors of our ancestors lived in matriarchal clans. You, however, have forgotten your own origins. That is unrighteous.”
“It was a woman who gave birth to you and raised you, yet whenever you see a woman, you call her a prostitute. I wonder whether your mother regrets not drinking an anti-conception potion before giving birth to you. That is unfilial.”
“Our two sides have come together to negotiate, and the outcome concerns the interests of both parties. Yet you treat this matter like a game and fail to seek benefits for your own tribe. That is disloyal.”
“Someone as disloyal, unfilial, and unrighteous as you would be killed and left without even a grave in Han society. Yet in the Ji clan, you are allowed to enter the halls of power. Truly laughable.”
Everyone was dumbfounded once again.
Even Zhou Leng cast her an approving glance. This counterattack was quite good—though it was still a little inferior to his own.
“You—you’re courting death!” Rong Hei roared as he slammed to his feet and drew the saber at his waist.
Zhou Leng remained unruffled. “Your Ji clan is isolated from the outside world. You probably still don’t know that my lord has already seized more than half of Fengzhou’s territory.”
Rong Hei’s movement stopped. “What did you say?”
The Ji clansmen present were equally stunned.
It was not their fault that they were unaware. The Ji clan had always shut itself off from the outside world, while Chun’nan Commandery, which bordered Chongzhou, was still in Qu Zhao’s hands. It was only natural that they had not sensed the upheaval spreading across Fengzhou.
Zhou Leng gave a cold snort. “My lord possesses extraordinary talent and vision. Taking Fengzhou is only a matter of time. If you dare act against us, my lord will flatten Chongzhou the very next moment.”
Rong Hei gave two mocking laughs. “Go ahead and try!”
Zhou Leng shook his head. “We’re respectable people. We came here this time to conduct respectable negotiations. I’m not afraid to try. I’m only afraid that you won’t live long enough to see it.”
Ji Yuzhu frowned slightly. Looking at Zhou Leng’s composed expression—and at the equally calm young men and women beside him—he found himself hesitating.
If what these people said was true, and the Jinyang Army had already seized more than half of the Han territory in Fengzhou, then they truly needed to think carefully.
After all, Shangjing Commandery was the closest part of Chongzhou to Fengzhou. If war really broke out, they would be the first to bear the brunt of it.
“What do you want to negotiate?” The commandery governor, Xi Yang, spoke for the first time.
Zhou Leng no longer wasted words. “My lord hopes that the Ji Army will not interfere in the conflict between the Jinyang Army and Qu Zhao.”
Xi Yang frowned slightly. “We had no intention of interfering. If that is all you came for, then this is unnecessary.”
Zhou Leng laughed and shook his head. “What if Qu Zhao comes to you and says that unless you cooperate with him, he will lead his remaining troops and attack Chongzhou?”
Ji Yuzhu’s heart jolted. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Leng gave him a glance. “The Jinyang Army is invincible. Taking Fengzhou is inevitable. When the time comes, Qu Zhao will either retreat to Chongzhou or retreat to Jianzhou. Under those circumstances, it is inevitable that he will come to negotiate with you.”
Ji Yuzhu was so angry that he laughed. “Are you really that certain Qu Zhao has no chance of fighting you?”
