Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
After Ouyang Changjing found Ruan Ruanâs words, he returned to West Wind Nation with his men. After all, he was the Crown Prince of West Wind Nation and could not stay in another country for too long. Otherwise, he would be thought to have ulterior motives.
Even so, he still left many people not far from Jiangsai. That was an empty area bordering the West Wind Kingdom, and there were many factions.
In order to be prepared to help Ah Yu at any time, they had specially reorganized the forces there. Now that they had taken good care of them, it was suitable to dispatch people.
Shi Zhou was also a famous figure in the West Wind Kingdom. Naturally, he would not be unprepared.
His actions were completely different from Ouyang Changjingâs. He was a real lunatic.
Shi Zhou was originally an upright general. Ever since Ruan Ruan disappeared, he had investigated some of the conflicts in the West Wind Kingdom and realized that it was those shameless people that implicated Ruan Ruan.
It was unknown if it was because Ruan Ruan had accidentally bumped into something or if they had figured out something, but they always started hunting Ruan Ruan down wantonly. After learning about this, Shi Zhou went crazy.
He gathered a large number of people and brazenly nurtured sacrificial soldiers. He started a massacre in the West Wind Kingdom, and even many ministers were killed.
Those who could become ministers had all been nurtured by their families for several generations. Even if the head of the family was upright and honest, who would know?
Which family didnât have a few lumps of feces in their pockets?
The ministers were terrified by Shi Zhouâs killing. They jointly submitted a petition to investigate his family, but the Shi family directly dismissed their servants and donated the money to the national treasury.
The entire family lived in the suburbs, and their houses were rented. After the old general retired and returned to the fields, he really started to farm, raise chickens and ducks. How could they be investigated?
Moreover, everyone knew that Shi Zhou was nurturing sacrificial soldiers. They also knew that his sacrificial soldiers killed people, but no one could produce any evidence.
A qualified sacrificial soldier did not have a sense of existence when they were alive. After they died, they would not implicate anyone, especially those nurtured by Shi Zhou.
Moreover, he was doing this for Ruan Ruan.
The Emperor, Crown Prince, and the others of West Wind Nation would rather he cause more trouble.
Hence, when King Xiaoyao finally gathered his men, he saw Shi Zhou leading a group of people dressed in black outside the Protectorate Generalâs Residence.
He, who had seen the world, was still shocked when he saw the hundreds of people standing in front of him. All of them were just short of imprinting the word âdeath soldierâ on their faces.
Was he taking the opportunity to rob them?
Shi Zhou cupped his fists and said, âLittle Princess All Yu went there alone. We were really worried, so we mobilized some people. These soldiers need little food and rest, work a lot, can endure hardships, and listen to orders. Theyâre very useful.â
King Xiaoyao raised his eyebrows. âIf 1 use these people, do you believe that someone will impeach me tomorrow for attempting to rebel?â
Everyone had trained sacrificial soldiers before, but there were at most 30 sacrificial soldiers under King Xiaoyao. Moreover, each one was more expensive than the last. It was even more expensive to nurture one than to nurture 10 secret guards.
This was because they had to ensure their loyalty and strength.
And now, there were actually hundreds of them in front of him!
How terrifying!
And this was only âsomeâ?
Shi Zhou smiled honestly. âYou must be joking. These are ordinary people who came to beg for food. You can bring them to use on the way. Theyâre very fast. Itâs not a problem for one person to carry 200 catties of supplies on foot. Theyâre much faster than carriages.â
When Wang Wulang heard this, he couldnât help but mutter, âEven the livestock of the landlords are not used like this, right?â
Bringing 200 catties of supplies on foot and moving faster than a carriage?
It was a complete squeeze.
King Xiaoyao was still unmoved.
Shi Zhou said, âThe resources here in Jiangsai are scarce to begin with. Itâs really too difficult to gather resources here. However, we know that there are a few bandit nests along the way. Although theyâre not considered extremely rich, they have a lot of supplies. My people know where they are. Usually, if thereâs a need, theyâll go and âborrowâ a little. If my people lead the way and theyâre caught, it wonât affect your reputation as King Xiaoyao. How about that?â
King Xiaoyao: âBrother, youâre treating me like an outsider. Itâs everyoneâs responsibility to eliminate the bandits. If we can recruit those bandits and bring them along the way to help with disaster relief, it would be best.â
Shi Zhou: âThat makes sense.â
However, King Xiaoyao continued, âIn addition, Iâm still troubled about something. Ah Yu is a kind-hearted child. She predicted that there would be a disaster a thousand miles away and went to help without saying a word. Although we believe her, itâs normal for astrologers to be inaccurate occasionally when it comes to predictions. However, weâve mobilized so many people. Iâm afraid that if weâre exposed, Ah Yu is still young. Iâm afraid she wonât be able to withstand such aââ
âSure, sure. If there are any losses, Iâll bear them alone. If thereâs any surplus supplies, Iâll hand them all over to the Great Chang. I guarantee that the people of West Wind Nation wonât come and get their hands on them,â Shi Zhou vowed.
Only then did King Xiaoyao reluctantly give in and let Chi Gou and the other two leave with the group of people. Before they left, they left Wang Wulang and the soldiers behind.
Wang Wulang wanted to go, but he was stopped by King Xiaoyao, who wanted him to train on the battlefield more.
âOnly when youâre capable can you really protect All Yu from the wind and rain and be her Big Brother. Do you understand?â
Wang Wulang nodded and stopped making a fuss about going, but he still wrote a letter to his family.
Perhaps it actually didnât matter if he went or not, but he would feel at ease if he went.
Since he couldnât go, he would make preparations to clean up the aftermath..