Chu Chengji returned to Qingzhou City with Qin Zheng first, but Lin Yao and his sister were still not ready to leave.
Even the thousand soldiers under Lin Yao’s command did not return.
Instead, they were cutting wood and building houses on Langya Mountain on the opposite side of the back mountain.
Lin Zhao saw Lin Yao commanding the soldiers to expand their territory on Langya Mountain and couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Why are you preparing Langya Mountain when Qin Zheng and the others have all gone to Qingzhou City?”
Lin Yao looked at the drawings and casually replied, “This is a military secret. If I tell you, I’ll lose my head.”
Lin Zhao rolled her eyes, “Just you wait, one day I’ll be your equal!”
Growing up, Lin Yao was used to her competitive nature, so he didn’t take her words seriously and just laughed, “Go, go, go. Qingzhou City isn’t wild enough for you. You have to stay behind and cause trouble for me...”
Midway through, he reminded her, “In the future, don’t be disrespectful in front of the Prince’s consort. Be prudent in your actions.”
Lin Zhao gave him a disdainful look, “Do you think I don’t know how to behave? I’m not stupid. Besides, Sister Zheng is not one of those noble ladies who live by rules and regulations.”
“You...” Lin Yao always felt a headache when talking to her about these things.
Lin Zhao didn’t want to listen to Lin Yao lecturing her anymore and changed the subject, “I want to form a women’s army and fight alongside the Prince in the future.”
Lin Yao directly knocked on her forehead, “Stop thinking about these unrealistic things. The Prince rules the army strictly, and any women in the army, even if they are the generals’ concubines, will be executed. Do you still want to sneak a women’s army in? Isn’t that disturbing military discipline?”
Lin Zhao rubbed the spot where Lin Yao had knocked her, gritted her teeth and said, “The Prince’s main army is in Qingzhou City. Then I’ll form a women’s army in Liangyan Mountain. As long as there are people willing to join, I’ll take them up the mountain. It doesn’t violate your military rules, and it can protect the stronghold.”
Lin Yao vetoed it without hesitation, “No.”
Lin Zhao was annoyed, “Why not?”
Lin Yao saw that Lin Zhao was really getting angry, rubbed his brow, and had to relent, “I plan to build a village at the foot of Langya Mountain and move most of the old, weak, women, and children from the stronghold down there.”
Most of the old, weak, women, and children in Qiyun Stronghold were allowed to enter the stronghold with their male family members to avoid the war after Lin Yao took over the stronghold.
Lin Zhao was stunned, “Why?”
“Forget it, this matter won’t be hidden for long.” Lin Yao leaned back on his chair and said, “Liangyan Mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Prince’s consort has also built a ropeway between Langya Mountain and Liangyan Mountain for transporting goods. The Prince wants to build a grain depot at Liangyan Mountain.”
In warfare, it has always been the case that “the army moves on its stomach,” highlighting the importance of food and supplies.
Although Lin Zhao was skilled in martial arts, she did not understand military strategy.
She asked in confusion, “Why not build the grain depot in Qingzhou City? If the army and the supplies are together, we won’t face the situation of being trapped without food like before.”
Lin Yao knocked on the table and said, “When two armies are at war, the grain depot and the city under attack are usually in separate locations.
Although the Crown Prince only controls Qingzhou City now, the next step is to contend for the whole world.
How can the food and supplies for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops be moved with the army all the time?
How much manpower and resources would that require? Besides, victory and defeat are common in warfare.
If the army is defeated and the city falls, the food and supplies won’t be able to be transported in time and will have to be burned.
What will the army eat and drink then? It’s better to choose a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, build a grain depot, and transport the supplies when needed. This is the safest way.”
The terrain of Liangyan Mountain is extremely high, with cliffs on all sides.
Even if the unexpected happens and Qingzhou is lost, the grain depot on Liangyan Mountain will not fall into the enemy’s hands for a while.
With food, there is an army.
As long as the grain depot is still there, capturing the city will not be difficult.
Lin Zhao quickly regained her fighting spirit and said, “Then I’ll find a piece of land at the foot of the mountain to train my women’s army!”
Lin Yao admired his sister’s perseverance.
He rubbed his face and said, “Do you know how much money it takes to maintain an army?”
Seeing Lin Zhao’s puzzled look, Lin Yao continued mercilessly, “Military uniforms, food, weapons, military pay... all of these cost money. Oh, and a large stockpile of medicinal herbs is also needed.
The battlefield is dangerous, and many soldiers die from injuries that could have been treated with medicine.”
Lin Zhao instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
Lin Yao might have secretly saved some money, but she really had none.
After Lin Zhao left, Lin Yao went to see Doctor Zhao again, mainly to ask him to lead the people from the stronghold to collect more medicinal herbs on the mountain these days, just in case.
Old Liao was also at Doctor Zhao’s place.
After the unpleasantness between them, their relationship had improved, and they could sit together and have a few drinks.
Lin Yao had once drawn his sword against Old Liao when he suggested getting rid of Chu Chengji.
Now their relationship was still somewhat delicate. Lin Yao simply exchanged a few words with Old Liao, asked Doctor Zhao about his condition, and then left.
Lin Yao had been raised by Doctor Zhao and could naturally sense that something was off between the two.
The only thing Doctor Zhao could think of was that Old Liao had said something to Lin Yao that night.
He sighed, “I told you before, the Chief has his own reasons for doing things. Didn’t you speak out of turn in front of the Chief again?”
Old Liao took a sip of wine and said after a while, “I almost harmed the Chief...”
When he didn’t know Chu Chengji’s identity, he was afraid that he would harm Lin Yao in the future, so he had thought about getting rid of him for Lin Yao’s sake.
But on the day he asked Doctor Zhao for rat poison, the soldiers at the foot of the mountain withdrew, and Lin Yao and the others decided to attack Qingzhou City.
Even if Old Liao was confused, he wouldn’t be confused enough to poison his own strategist before the army went to war.
Who knew that when they left, it would be more than half a month before they returned, just like today.
Learning that Chu Chengji was the former Crown Prince of Chu, Old Liao’s heart pounded.
He only hoped that Chu Chengji would never know that he had instigated Lin Yao to get rid of him.
Old Liao was not afraid of death, but he was afraid that if Chu Chengji suspected Lin Yao because of him, it would be harmful to Lin Yao in the future.
In that case, even if he went to the underworld, he would not have the face to see the old chief.
Doctor Zhao immediately remembered Old Liao, who had never cared about the rats at home.
He had asked for rat poison from him half a month ago. His lips trembled as he said, “You...”
Old Liao took another sip of wine, leaned on his cane, and walked out, leaving behind a sentence, “I drank too much that night. The nonsense I said to you, keep it to yourself. Don’t harm the chief.”
Doctor Zhao naturally wouldn’t tell anyone else.
After Old Liao left, he carefully took out the purple-haired pen that Chu Chengji had given him before. “This is a family heirloom. I must cherish it!”
Qin Zheng used to enter and exit Qingzhou City at night, and even in the carriage, she dared not lift the curtain to look outside.
This time, she took a good look at the appearance of Qingzhou City.
The carriage had reached the city gate. Qin Zheng looked at the large pits smashed into the earth-built city wall, many of which looked like holes pierced by long spears, making it look like a sieve.
Qin Zheng’s gaze faltered.
Was this Qingzhou City Wall?
As if knowing what she was thinking, Chu Chengji held the reins and slowed down a bit, walking alongside the carriage.
“The soldiers have been attacking for several days. They have used catapults, bed crossbows, and siege towers. The outer wall of Qingzhou City has been damaged, but it is being repaired these days.”
Ordinary arrows might not cause much damage to the city wall, but bed crossbows were designed specifically for siege warfare.
The arrows could deeply embed into the city wall, and could even become another kind of ladder for the attacking enemy to climb up the city wall.
Qin Zheng had previously thought, based on Lin Yao’s account, that this battle would be won easily with just a few tactics.
But now, seeing the aftermath of the battle on the city wall, she realized that it was not easy to withstand the continuous strong attacks of 8,000 soldiers.
If the city had not been held in the early stages, then Chu Chengji’s subsequent tactics would have been useless.
She subconsciously tightened her grip on the carriage curtain, surveying the height and thickness of the city wall, and said, “The city wall should be made higher and thicker.”
Unlike ordinary walls that are square and straight, the city wall looks more like a trapezoid in cross-section, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top.
In Qin Zheng’s original world, city defenses began to commonly use bricks and stones after the Ming Dynasty.
Before that, walls were made of earth.
Although the earthwork was solid, the city wall had been exposed to wind and rain for a long time, causing considerable wear and tear.
Qin Zheng thought that on the basis of the earth-built wall, it could be reinforced with bricks and stones.
This would not only prevent erosion by rainwater but also make it more difficult for enemy rolling stones and battering rams to damage the wall.
Chu Chengji heard her start talking about fortifying the city defenses.
He slightly leaned over to help her lift the carriage curtain, allowing the sunlight to shine into his eyes, making his dark eyes look even deeper and heavier.
“Rest for a few days before thinking about these things.”
After a pause, he added, “You’ve lost weight while on the mountain.”
When the curtain was lowered, Qin Zheng inexplicably blushed.
When she had boarded the carriage earlier, she had been in a hurry and hadn’t prepared a footstool.
Chu Chengji had directly lifted her onto the carriage with one hand around her waist.
Just that brief hug, and he could tell she had lost weight?
Qin Zheng subconsciously touched her face.
Did it really seem like she had lost weight?
Chu Chengji currently resided in the Qingzhou Prefectural Government Office.
The front yard was where he handled government affairs, while the back yard was his residence.
After Song Heqing finished delivering rice to the villages near Qingzhou City, he was ordered to go and fetch the Lu family.
Unable to make it to the city gate to greet Chu Chengji and Qin Zheng, he waited at the gate of the government office instead.
Seeing Chu Chengji returning with dozens of soldiers escorting a carriage, Song Heqing hurried forward to pay his respects. “Your Highness.”
Chu Chengji dismounted and handed his warhorse to a soldier who had come to lead it.
He asked, “Have the Lu family arrived?”
Song Heqing nodded. “I have temporarily arranged for them to stay in a separate courtyard. If Your Highness wishes to see them, I will go and inform them.”
Chu Chengji gestured for him not to bother. “I will see them later.”
Song Heqing complied.
Qin Zheng lifted the carriage curtain to get off the carriage, and Chu Chengji, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, turned around and reached out to help her down.
Seeing Qin Zheng, Song Heqing’s gaze swept over her plain clothes and the single wooden hairpin in her hair.
He knew that the days of their escape were probably many times more difficult than this.
His heart was filled with sorrow, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, “I...I have met the Crown Princess.”
On the way here, Qin Zheng had heard Chu Chengji mention meeting Song Heqing in Qingzhou.
Whether intentional or not, he had specifically mentioned that Song Heqing was a close friend of the Duke of Qin.
At this moment, upon seeing Song Heqing, Qin Zheng knew how to handle the situation. “Lord Song, please rise quickly. It’s our fortune to meet you here in Qingzhou,” she said.
Song Heqing was overwhelmed with tears, meeting the daughter of an old friend and thinking of his friend who had already passed away, he choked up.
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Qin Zheng said a few comforting words, and Song Heqing also understood that he should not show too much emotion in front of Chu Chengji.
He then withdrew.
As soon as she entered the inner courtyard, servants led Qin Zheng to bathe and change clothes.
Conditions were limited on the mountain, and although Qin Zheng often bathed, things like soap were not available, and water was scarce.
After all, once the water in the water tank was used up, she had to go to the stream to fetch water. Now she could finally enjoy a comfortable bath.
When she came out of the bath, the meal was already set in the outer room.
Chu Chengji had also bathed and changed back into a Confucian robe, letting half of his tied-up long hair down.
He seemed to have softened a bit.
Hearing Qin Zheng’s footsteps, he put down the bamboo slips in his hand and said, “Let’s eat.”
He had gone to Liangyan Mountain early in the morning, and now it was already noon.
When he looked up, his gaze had clearly passed over Qin Zheng, but was forcibly dragged back.
She was wearing a dress with scattered branches and flowers in sea pink color.
The red dress complemented her more than the white one.
Her originally cold eyebrows and eyes now showed a hint of charm that was both tantalizing and intimidating.
Her half-dried long hair was spread behind her, and her skin, which was hidden by her dark hair, was as translucently white as snow.
For a moment, Chu Chengji’s line of sight seemed to contain only these three colors: black, red, and white.