Chapter 323

"Young Master Ruo Qiu, I've brought Zhuzhu to see you."

"Zhuzhu? The child born from the Moonlight Flower Tree, the future Grand Priest of Han Country?"

Upon hearing Han Ye's words, Ruo Qiu immediately put down the fruit in his hand, rolled off the soft couch, and walked towards Lin Zaozao.

He narrowed his alluring fox-like eyes, squatted in front of Lin Zaozao, and carefully examined her features.

"Little Priestess Mingzhu?"

"Little fox, my name is Lin Zaozao," Lin Zaozao swatted away Ruo Qiu's hand on her head and said displeased.

"Zaozao..."

"What?"

"My name is Ruo Qiu."

"I heard you."

"Do you want anything? I'll give it to you for free."

"No free lunch, I don't need it," Lin Zaozao briskly refused.

"Is that so?"

Facing Lin Zaozao's rejection, Ruo Qiu was not angry. He stood up and, ignoring Lin Zaozao's opposition, pulled her hand and walked towards the back of the tent.

"Zaozao, I'll give you something nice, you'll definitely like it."

"What is it?"

Perplexed by Ruo Qiu's mysterious gaze, Lin Zaozao asked.

"Here, this. Do you like it?"

Ruo Qiu held up a cage and placed it in front of Lin Zaozao. Inside the cage were two fluffy puppies, one black and one white.

They were indeed exceptionally adorable.

Unfortunately, Lin Zaozao didn't need them.

"Zaozao, do you like them?"

"No."

"Why?"

Ruo Qiu placed the cage in front of Lin Zaozao, puzzled.

"Han Country is so poor now that we can barely feed the people, let alone two puppy dogs.

After all, human lives are much more important than dogs."

Lin Zaozao looked at the cage in Ruo Qiu's hands and said indifferently.

"Zaozao, these aren't just puppies, they are the cubs of the Wolf King. These two young wolf cubs ambushed our caravan and were captured by us.

Zaozao, if you don't like them, I'll slaughter them."

"Do as you wish."

Lin Zaozao said flatly.

Glancing at the cage in Ruo Qiu's hands, just as Lin Zaozao turned to leave the tent, two childish voices reached her ears.

"Save us, we don't want to die."

"Brother, save us, we're going to be killed. Woo woo woo..."

Hearing these two childish cries for help, Lin Zaozao quickly turned her head and looked around the tent.

As a result, apart from her group and Ruo Qiu in front of her, she didn't see anyone else.

Listening to the "woo woo woo" crying sound in her ears, Lin Zaozao focused her gaze on the cage in Ruo Qiu's hands.

Ruo Qiu asked, puzzled.

"Ruo Qiu, do you think I'm blind? Outside the tent, the people of Han Country are exchanging their children for goods with you. Isn't that buying and selling children?"

"Nonsense, I'm not buying and selling children."

Ruo Qiu turned back and looked at the calm Han Ye, pointing at him with a domineering expression.

"Han Ye, did you tell this newly-fledged Little Priestess yourself whether I was trafficking children?"

"Zhuzhu, Ruo Qiu wasn't trafficking children, he was helping us recruit soldiers."

"Recruiting? Recruiting those brats who haven't even grown their first hairs?"

Lin Zaozao asked in confusion.

"Exactly, Zaozao. You saw it too, those were all boys, and they were nearly starving.

If we left them at home, death would be their eventual fate.

Instead of letting them die, it's better to raise them in the army. At the very least, they'll have food to eat in the army and won't starve.

Although we have to put in more effort initially, once we raise those boys, they will become Han Country's most loyal guardians."

"But Han Ye brother, since Han Country is so poor now, what will you use to feed them?"

"Heh!"

Ruo Qiu let out a light laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Little Priestess Zaozao, don't be fooled by this guy. The imperial palace of Han Country may be impoverished, but the Han Country army is not poor."

"What do you mean? Han Country still has an army?"

"Of course. If Han Country didn't have an army guarding it, it would have been divided between Canglan and Fengshuo long ago. Relying solely on that nightmare that feeds on resentment is not enough to withstand the iron cavalry of Canglan and Fengshuo."

Ruo Qiu laughed lightly.

Lin Zaozao turned back and looked at Han Ye in confusion, asking, "Han Ye brother, since Han Country is so poor, what will you use to feed the army?"

"Zhuzhu, I've spent nine-tenths of Han Country's resources on the army. As long as the army that protects the country survives, Han Country will exist forever.

If the soldiers guarding the city all starve to death, then Han Country truly won't exist anymore.

I've allied with the traveling merchant Ruo Qiu, letting him bring those children into the army. He's spending money to help me feed the army, and in return, I've promised that once Han Country recovers from the ten-year drought, he can be the imperial merchant of Han Country for ten years."

"So Han Ye brother, you've reduced yourself to that state for the sake of the army, unable to even have a proper meal?"

"Zaozao, compared to the army, our situation isn't that bad. At the very least, I haven't let Han Xibei go hungry.

But the soldiers can't afford that. They have to protect our homes and country at all times.

We may endure hunger, but they cannot.

If the soldiers protecting our country are too weak from starvation, how can they defend our homes?"

Listening to Han Ye's earnest words, Lin Zaozao asked again, "But Han Ye brother, isn't Uncle Zhang a general? He even traded his great sword for a milk cow, so what will he use to protect our homes?"

"Little Priestess, Uncle Zhang only traded the sword bestowed upon him by the monarch. He still has the sword he uses to slay enemies on the battlefield!"

Dashan leaned in and whispered to Lin Zaozao's ear.

"Dashan, doesn't Uncle Zhang need to guard the borders?"

"He does! But Uncle Zhang heard that Mingyue Priest and the monarch were going to make an offering to the Holy Tree, so he handed over military affairs to the Murong Clan and returned to ensure that Prince Han Ye could ascend to the throne smoothly.

Who could have expected that on the day Mingyue Priest and the monarch were going to make their offering, you, Little Priestess, came into being nurtured by the Holy Tree.

Once you appeared, it started raining in Han Country, so Mingyue Priest and the old monarch no longer needed to make an offering to the Holy Tree."

Listening to Dashan's explanation, Lin Zaozao felt her mouth twitching involuntarily. How foolish she had been!

To think that Han Country had been reduced to near-extinction due to the drought.

It turned out that the old monarch and Han Ye brother had been saving up their money and spending it all on the army.