C42

"General, the breakfast has been prepared. Do you want to pass it to us?"

A request came from outside the tent. Seeing this, Tan Chao and the others cupped their hands and left.

Xiao Qian didn't ask them to stay and just nodded and called for people to come in.

"General, were you alright last night?"

Su hurriedly asked the moment she entered the tent, before she even had the time to put down the lunchbox.

"Thanks to you, this general has been staring at the stars all night. I did not sleep in the middle of the night and climbed up to his window."

Eyebrows...

Su Zhi's face stiffened. She scratched her head in embarrassment and said, "I was stupid enough to harm the general."

Xiao Qian stretched out his hand to stop her, "It might not be a bad thing. Last night, I discovered something. If I wasn't forced to do it, I might not have realized it."

"I wonder what the general found?"

Xiao Qian took care of himself as he picked up the bowl of porridge and didn't answer directly. He only said, "Anyway, last night wasn't that bad. You don't have to blame yourself too much."

Su Zhi pouted and said that it was a lie if she didn't blame herself. She hadn't slept well that night. Wasn't she just feeling guilty and unable to eat or sleep well?

"After training my troops, I will continue to lead my troops to hunt. This time …" I'm going to walk away. "

Xiao Qian smiled with an unknown meaning. Who knew? He might encounter something.

"Is the general planning to go far away?"

"I can't say far, but we have to walk for a while. This time, I won't take A Jin with me. The road might be dangerous, but it's better if he stays in the camp."

Su Zhi didn't understand why he looked so guilty. Who would want him to take A Jin to torture?

The bowl of porridge hadn't finished yet, so the two continued to chat idly.

The sound of galloping horses came from outside the city gate, accompanied by a few loud shouts, "There's news from the capital! There's news from Beijing! "

The city guards pushed open the wooden fences, opened the gates, and presented the report.

Xiao Qian also heard the ruckus from outside. He got up and walked outside, and before he could personally interrogate the little general, he had already dismounted from his horse and was kneeling on one knee. "General!" The news has come from the Imperial City! "

"Bring it here!"

The small soldier picked up the rolled up letter with both hands and respectfully handed it over.

Xiao Qian opened the scroll and roughly scanned through. His brows were slightly knit, and his cherry lips were slightly pursed. He didn't seem very happy.

When Tan Zhao received the news, he quickly returned from the training grounds.

"General, I heard that His Majesty's orders have been issued. May I know what's next?"

Xiao Qian tossed the scroll in his hand to him and said in a deep voice, "The Emperor wants me to return immediately and leave this place."

Su Zhi was surprised when she heard this. Wasn't it a good thing to be able to leave so soon?

"Why didn't the letter mention the salary for placing the soldiers?"

Xiao Qian cast a cold glance at him, and Tan Zhao immediately understood, falling silent.

Not long ago, he had specifically written a letter about this matter and guaranteed for the idle soldiers to return home. Now that no mention of the military salary or silver coins was heard by the soldiers, it was no longer allowed to explode.

"Follow me."

Tan Zhao nodded and followed Xiao Qian into the tent.

Su Zhi didn't want to listen in, so she went back to the kitchen silently.

No one knew where Liu Zhong went, but there were still piles of minced meat on the chopping block.

Su Zhi put the spare minced meat on the plate. Recalling the news she had just received, she couldn't help but calculate again.

Below royal orders, this indicated that his career in the military camp was nearing its end.

In a short while, they will leave this place. According to their agreement with A Jin, they will also leave with the army and go to Xuancheng to settle down.

News about the Imperial City quickly spread within the army. The soldiers were most concerned about the issue of the military pay, but regarding this matter, Great General Xiao didn't mention anything, and no one dared to ask.

The departure date was tomorrow, so the trip was a bit more rushed. Apart from the two vice generals and three lieutenants, as well as the soldiers who had to stay behind to guard the city, the rest had all been released and returned to the fields.

Later in the day, a few of the braver officers in the barracks finally began questioning him about the salary.

Su Zhi had some free time to spare as she accompanied A Jin and Little Dou Zi to throw the sandbags. Seeing that the soldiers were unsatisfied with the situation, she also broke out into a cold sweat for Xiao Qian.

Now that the plan to delay the war was useless, the rest of the money would not be allocated and the soldiers would not be paid. It was possible that at any time there would be a riot.

It was a good thing that Xiao Qian was a very prestigious person. Even if they didn't receive the money, there were still quite a few soldiers who expressed their understanding and didn't disturb their superiors.

After a while, the military horn sounded. Several lieutenants had gathered the leaders of the various camps in the training field, saying that the general had something to pass on.

Su Zhi was a little worried about Xiao Qian's situation. It was true that they didn't have money, but it wasn't an easy thing to comfort the soldiers with something.

When all the soldiers who had brought their messages had arrived, Xiao Qian finally arrived. Su Zhi let A Jin bring her small bean bag and follow her to the training grounds.

At this point of time, the sunlight was already dim. A man shrouded in dark clouds was standing on the high platform with an abnormally calm face that was as calm as water.

"Everyone, you are all brothers that went through fire and water with this Xiao! Today, I won't speak of those empty words. Let's go straight to the point. The Emperor has given the order to return to the capital without delay! The emperor's orders cannot be disobeyed, and so can this general. However, before the military pay has reached the border, I have already sent someone to report this matter. With my life, I guarantee that I will give everyone an explanation! "

When these words were spoken, the soldiers below had already begun whispering to each other. If one did not have the money to take it back, then that would mean that their days of bloodshed had been wasted. No one had any complaints in their hearts.

"General!" We naturally believe in you, but as you have seen, our brothers have homes to leave behind, and fields to waste, but isn't it just to protect our home and protect our country? Yet, the military pay that you have promised has not been paid in advance. Why is that? "

Su Zhi listened on the side, her heart tight. It was not his problem if Xiao Qian was foolish enough to not pay the military salary or not. What if that person in the capital didn't give her a guarantee?

Xiao Qian felt ashamed. Not only had the number of casualties exceeded his expectations, but it was also because Zhao Dagang had acted so recklessly in the army camp.

If the money was not gathered and restrained, the remaining silver would be enough to split among the soldiers.

"Everyone, I, Xiao, have a certain amount of responsibility for this. Therefore, I will take out a hundred thousand silver taels and use it to pay my soldiers." If there was anyone who arrested a child, they would obtain it first! For those who have an old parents, they get it first! "

As soon as he finished speaking, not only the warriors below, but also Tan Zhao was stunned.

100,000 taels of silver was not a small sum of money. This amount of money was nothing to the large General's Estate, but it was equivalent to several years' worth of money.

"General, you don't have to do this, this general …"

"There's no need to speak any further, Tan Zhao. You can take care of this matter."

With Xiao Qian's promise, the few people who were going to make trouble stopped talking and stayed silent.

At the end of the day, military pay was paid by the imperial government. Even if His Majesty didn't give it to him, what could ordinary citizens do? Currently, Xiao Qian was doing his best to fill the gap.

The soldiers who had been waiting in line to receive the silver also felt a lot less discontented.

Su Zhi, however, could not figure it out. Xiao Qian was indeed an honorable and honorable man, but he was stupid. Why did he need to make up the money himself?

Since she had already made her decision, she couldn't ask any further and could only sigh. It wasn't good to be the leader of the three armies.

That night, the banquet was very lively. For the first time, the strict and disciplined Xiao Qian allowed the soldiers to drink wine.

A portion of the soldiers who had received the silver coins and could go home felt happy as they drank and chatted merrily.

As for the rest, they didn't say anything because they admired Xiao Qian.

Everyone gathered for a few hours and didn't dare to drink too much because of last night's signal detonation.

Seeing the smile on his face, Xiao Qian heaved a sigh of relief.

"General, why are you acting like this today?" A hundred thousand silver is not a small number. "

Su Zhi asked, puzzled, as she held a wine jug and poured wine for the man sitting on the seat of honor.