“Everyone, stop for a moment and take a break. Come over and have some iced tea!”
A loud shout rang out.
The weather had been getting hotter lately, so every day at noon, the authorities sent people to bring iced tea to those working on the road construction.
Zhao Erniu did not stop working. He knew there were many people around right now, so he would work a little longer and go over after the crowd had thinned. He had done the same these past few days. There was no need to hurry.
After quite some time, when everyone had filled their cups, he finally went with his wife to the tea barrel.
A Jinyang Army soldier looked at Zhao Erniu, who always came over last, and said with a smile, “It’s good that you don’t slack off, but you don’t have to push yourself so hard. Taking a break now and then is perfectly fine.”
Zhao Erniu gave a simple, honest smile. “It’s all right. We’re eating our fill these days, and this is just a little work. I’m not tired. Besides, there’s iced tea to drink.”
Only someone who had truly experienced death several times over, someone who had fallen into despair with no hope left, could understand how precious life was now. He cherished it deeply.
That was why he always put all his strength into his work. He was afraid that his labor would not be worth the wages he received.
The soldier smiled. “The weather’s hot now. The Lord is worried that everyone will suffer from heatstroke or get too much internal heat, so he had us prepare iced tea for everyone at every work site. They even added salt to it. Something about…”
“I know. It helps prevent dehydration,” Zhao Erniu finished.
He had also attended the literacy classes and studied with extraordinary seriousness.
His eldest son was already attending school at the academy. The boy learned faster than he did and could even tutor him in the evenings.
His elderly mother stayed at home to look after his second daughter and handle the housework.
The soldier chuckled. “How did you manage to study so well?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than laughter came from nearby.
“That’s what you get for not studying properly, you little rascal.”
The soldier turned around and saw Yan Tong striding over with a smile on his face.
“Squad Leader!” the soldier hurriedly called out.
He scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. “I did study properly. I’m just not very good at it.”
Zhao Erniu and his wife filled their cups with iced tea, bowed to Yan Tong and the others, and then moved aside to drink slowly.
Yan Tong glanced at the empty barrels on the cart. “All right, you’ve finished handing it out. Head back. You still have training this afternoon.”
They had only been temporarily assigned to deliver the tea.
There was no helping it. Feng’an County was short-handed everywhere.
As the weather grew hotter, the authorities were worried that the common people would suffer heatstroke. Although salt was not particularly expensive anymore, some people were genuinely reluctant to put it in their water, let alone spend money on iced tea.
The soldiers’ training was even more grueling. The higher-ups had ordered the mess hall to prepare iced tea for the troops as well, in case they sweated too much during training and became dehydrated.
So they simply had the military mess hall make it all together. After all, making ten barrels was no different from making twenty—
Except, of course, it was very different!
In any case, the mess hall accepted the assignment.
Naturally, they were only responsible for the civilians constructing the military camp and working on the roads nearby. Other areas had other people in charge.
The soldier chuckled as he pushed the cart back toward the military camp. “Squad Leader, why do you think the Jinyang Army—ah, no, our army—treats both its soldiers and the common people so well?”
Yan Tong smiled. “The Lord is benevolent.”
Of the dozen or so soldiers under his command, this was the only one who had previously served in a noble family’s private army. The rest were newly recruited soldiers.
His current rank was lower than it had been before, but he felt completely satisfied. There were indeed many things he needed to learn now. Even the way the soldiers trained was entirely different from before.
The soldier glanced left and right before lowering his voice. “Are you planning to buy a house when the time comes?”
The Jinyang Army had taken over Ze’a Commandery some time ago. By now, everyone knew about the various preferential policies.
Yan Tong nodded. “Of course I am.”
He was not originally from Feng’an. He had followed the noble families as they fought and retreated, all the way to Feng’an. Even his previous residence had only been a temporary arrangement.
Under the current policies, military personnel were eligible for loans at extremely low interest rates. His wages were more than enough to cover the payments, and he had some savings of his own as well.
His younger sister, Yun, had started school, while his mother was doing surprisingly well. She had somehow become a staff member at the neighborhood office and received a salary every month too.
Life felt stable and secure now.
After receiving the envoy’s letter, Qu Zhao, the Grand Chanyu, nearly vomited blood from anger.
“Arrogant!”
Meng Su sighed. “The Jinyang Army is no longer afraid of a fight.”
The Grand Chanyu let out a quiet breath. “What does everyone think?”
Meng Su shook his head. “If we can’t reach an agreement, then there’s no point in continuing negotiations. We never had high hopes for these talks in the first place.”
Tie Yu frowned. “Even so, I’m afraid it will be very difficult for us to stop the Jinyang Army.”
The Grand Chanyu looked at him. “Have we received any word from Chongzhou? How are the negotiations going?”
Tie Yu sighed. “Ji Yuzhu hasn’t given us a definite answer. However, the Jinyang Army also sent people to Shangjing Commandery. I don’t know what they discussed.”
The Grand Chanyu clenched his fists. “What does Ji Yuzhu mean by this? Does she intend to play both sides?”
Meng Su fell into thought. After a moment, he said, “I’m afraid the Jinyang Army and the Ji Army have reached some kind of agreement. There’s little hope for us with the Ji Army now.”
“Isn’t the Ji Army afraid that we’ll retreat straight into Chongzhou when the time comes?” Tie Yu said viciously.
Meng Su spread his hands. “We can give the Ji Army our assurance, but the Jinyang Army can give them the same. If the Jinyang Army promises to stop us from retreating into Chongzhou, what do you think the Ji Army will choose?”
He felt a wave of helplessness.
“We chose the wrong time to send people to Shangjing Commandery. Once the Ji Army learned how strong the Jinyang Army was, they naturally wouldn’t want to confront them.”
“But the Ji Army still doesn’t know the Jinyang Army’s true strength. They don’t realize that the Jinyang Army is the real threat.”
Knowing only part of an enemy’s strength was what made things most troublesome.
Concern flashed across Tie Yu’s face. “What are we going to do? Should we still negotiate with the Jiao Army?”
The Grand Chanyu rubbed his temples. Only after a moment did he speak.
“Negotiate. If we can’t reach an agreement, then when we fight the Jinyang Army, have the Jiao Army send people to watch. Let them see the Jinyang Army’s true strength. Once they do, they’ll know how to choose.”
On the desolate official road, several carriages rolled along at a slow, swaying pace. Jinyang Army soldiers surrounded them, remaining alert.
Meng Chong’s ears twitched. His brows drew together almost imperceptibly as he cast a discreet glance toward a certain direction—a hillside.
The deputy general beside him, Wei Fei, immediately sensed his wariness, and his expression grew solemn.
Wei Fei had formerly served in the Northwest Army and was relatively familiar with the terrain around Chongzhou. That was why he had been assigned to assist Meng Chong with the escort mission.
Meng Chong made an inconspicuous hand signal, and the formation quietly shifted.
