Fang Zilan really didn't want to stay in Yanzhou City, not to mention that she was most afraid of long nights and dreams about war, and she couldn't afford to delay it.
"That's it now." She said firmly, Shangguan Jing looked troubled, "It's getting late now, and it will take time to gather the soldiers. Why don't Miss Fang order the troops tomorrow?"
"General Shangguan was born in the army, and he naturally knows that a soldier's talent can change quickly, and I don't have time to waste it." Fang Zilan pursed her lips tightly, "What's more, the imperial edict has been issued a long time ago, so General Shangguan must have been prepared for it. ?" There was something in her words, and Shangguan Jing didn't dare to neglect it and agreed immediately.
In just a short while, Shangguan Jing summoned all the soldiers and invited Fang Zilan and his party to the generals' platform. The three of them looked down and saw that except for the torches all around, the stage was completely dark in the middle. In the dusk, they could not see the movements of the people below at all.
Zhuge Yu felt uneasy. All the soldiers and horses they had brought were stationed outside the city. This time, Fang Zilan only brought him, Li Qiyou, and a few deputy generals. They were now surrounded by Shangguan's soldiers and horses. If something really happened, they would be in chaos and no one could escape.
"Are you satisfied, Miss Fang?" Shangguan Jing turned to look at Fang Zilan, waving to the soldiers in the audience, "These are the most elite troops of my Shangguan family."
"They are all serving the country, and I can't say that I am satisfied with it." Fang Zilan did not look at the people beside him, and lowered his eyes to scan the people below, "And General Shangguan was wrong. This is not the most elite unit of the Shangguan family, but They are the most elite troops in the capital." She said and looked at Shangguan Jing, and the aura on her body made him stunned.
"That's what Miss Fang said." Shangguan Jing took off the sword and held it in front of Fang Zilan with both hands. Just as Fang Zilan stretched out her hand, she heard the sound of piercing the air behind her. The next second, three cold arrows were fired directly behind her. before approaching.
"Be careful!" Li Qiyou suddenly warned. Before he finished speaking, Fang Zilan took the sword from Shangguan Jing's hand and knocked down the cold arrow behind him with his backhand. The whole process was done in one go, so fast that all of them were stunned. No time to react.
"Miss Fang?" Zhuge Yu was about to ask when he saw a figure flash past in front of him, and in the blink of an eye he heard a voice coming down from the watchtower not far away, "The accuracy is good, but it's a pity that the speed is a little slow." That's it. Fang Zilan, she said, picked up a person and jumped off the watchtower, landed firmly on the general platform, and casually threw the person to the ground.
After Zhuge Yu and Li Qiyou confirmed that Fang Zilan was fine, they turned to look at the person on the ground. It was a young man in black armor, who looked like he was a soldier from the Shangguan family. His expression was full of astonishment, his beautiful eyebrows were knitted together, and his red and phoenix eyes were slightly childish. He looked like he was only fifteen or sixteen years old.
"Do you know what the crime is for assassinating the coach?" Fang Zilan said calmly, but the young man spat, "Coach? Are you a woman who has the nerve to say that you are the coach?"
"I'm not saying that I am the coach, but I am the coach." She looked a little more serious, "Tell me, who ordered you to kill me?" "Everyone will kill an impostor coach."
The young man's righteous words made Fang Zilan couldn't help but find it funny, "Impostor? Even if I am a woman, I am also the coach appointed by His Majesty. How can I say I am an impostor?"
"If you hadn't killed Brother Yun, would you be the one standing here ordering troops now?" The young man looked disdainful, and she slightly curled her lips, "Sure enough, you are here for Shangguan Yun."
Li Qiyou wanted to say something, but was stopped by a look from Zhuge Yu on the side. Zhuge Yu shook his head and motioned for Li Qiyou to read on.
The two of them only saw Fang Zilan smile faintly, "You said that I am able to stand here because I killed Shangguan Yun? I'm afraid you are not the only one who is standing here and thinks this way. Am I right, General Shangguan?"
"Isn't this a fact?" Shangguan Jing looked coldly. He did not expect that Fang Zilan could not only avoid those cold arrows, but even catch the person who fired them. It seemed that he had some ability. But the people standing here now are all members of his Shangguan family. No matter how powerful she is, it is impossible for one person to stop thousands of troops.
"Isn't it possible that I can stand here because your Shangguan family can't retreat and your Majesty has no one to use?" Fang Zilan smiled, with a solemn expression, "Even if there is no Shangguan Yun, there are others in your Shangguan family. But now the Jin people are coming. , as our first line of defense in the capital, your Shangguan family is not only unable to leave, but also at this time when the enemy is facing a national crisis, you people are not thinking about how to quell the chaos, but how to avenge personal revenge. Don't you think it's ridiculous? Really? The country is not at peace, so why talk about personal vendettas?"
"After I take the head off Chakor's head this time, you can come to me if you want to take revenge. But before that, if the chaos in the north is uneven, I will not give up, even if the war Even if I only have one soldier, I will not retreat even a cent." Fang Zilan spoke loudly every word, and everyone on the stage was extremely quiet.
"Everyone in the audience, if you are not willing to fight with me, you can go home now. Our Zilan will not force anyone, but I want to tell you that you are not fighting for our Zilan in this battle, let alone the Shangguan family. Fight, but fight for every inch of the land under your feet, fight for everyone you want to protect, and fight for yourself. In life, if you don’t seek to be famous like the sages of the ages, you deserve it and you can’t be ashamed of it. Heaven and earth themselves.”
Fang Zilan's voice was not loud, but it had a shocking power. The surrounding firelight reflected her eyes, and there seemed to be thousands of stars in the dark pupils, shining with indescribable persistence.
She lowered her head and looked at the people in the audience. It was already dark and she couldn't see the reactions of the people in the audience. She didn't know whether her words could impress these people in the audience, but this was her only bargaining chip. She doesn't need a disloyal army, she needs people who can fight with her until the last moment.
Therefore, even though she no longer had any confidence, she still asked her last words, "Who wants to go with me in this battle?" It was still a moment of silence. Is it really going to stop here? She couldn't help clenching her fists, completely unaware of the smile in Zhuge Yu's eyes and Li Qiyou's approving gaze.
"I do." A voice broke the silence. Fang Zilan suddenly raised his eyes and met the eyes of the black-armored boy. There was indescribable determination in the boy's eyes. As he said "I do", the audience suddenly seemed to explode. Generally, "I'll do it!"
The waves of sound got louder and louder. Fang Zilan could hardly believe her ears. She actually did it.
After an unknown amount of time, Fang Zilan waved to the people below to be quiet, then turned to look at the young man on the ground, "Although you are willing to go on an expedition with me, it does not mean that you do not need to pay a price for what you do."
"Miss Fang!" Shangguan Jing stepped forward and stood in front of the young man, "Please show mercy." "My army has always had strict discipline. If I don't punish him for assassinating the coach today, how can I convince the crowd?" Fang Zilan finished speaking. He drew out the sword in his hand.
There was silence everywhere, but Shangguan Jing had no intention of getting out of the way. Fang Zilan's expression became colder and colder, "Get out of the way."
"Uncle Jing, if you do something wrong, you will naturally be punished." The young man stood up, walked in front of Shangguan Jing, and looked at Fang Zilan in front of him steadily, "I accept the punishment."
"Okay." Fang Zilan smiled slightly and waved the sword in his hand. Everyone was too late to react to this sudden change. It was not until Fang Zilan put away his sword that everyone took a closer look and found that the young man was still standing on the general stand. .
Shangguan Jing looked at Fang Zilan in front of him with disbelief. He saw that she was holding a sword in her right hand and a lock of hair in her left hand. The hair on the side of the young man's shoulder was obviously shorter.
"My body, hair, and skin are the fault of my parents. Today I cut off my hair and take the place of my head, which is considered a punishment." Fang Zilan said and threw the hair out of her hand, "Now you are not guilty."
The young man looked at Fang Zilan blankly, and then he knelt down with a plop, "Thank you, General Fang. From today on, Shangguan Min will accompany the general and look after him."
"In that case, I will appoint you as the deputy general and go out with the army tomorrow." Fang Zilan reached out and helped the kneeling person in front of him up.
On the other side, Shangguan Jing didn't say anything. He just silently walked down the general platform. The deputy general behind him followed closely, "General, do we still want to..."
Before the deputy general finished speaking, Shangguan Jing raised his hand to stop him. "Well, what she said is right. Now is not the time for personal revenge." The deputy general looked at the figure in front of him blankly. He didn't know if it was his imagination or something. , the head of the family in front of him seemed to have aged a lot.
After Fang Zilan finished ordering the generals, she got off the general stage, and then went back to the private room prepared for her at Shangguan's house. Zhuge Yu and Li Qiyou also went back with her. But both of them followed her into her room, which made her a little amused, "Prince and Mr. Zhuge, you two grown men, why are you following a woman like me?"
"Congratulations to General Fang for getting your wish." It was Zhuge Yu who spoke. He still had a smile on his face, but there was no smile in his eyes. Fang Zilan just smiled, "It's rare that Mr. Zhuge is willing to call me General Fang, but he doesn't mean it sincerely, so don't force it."
"I don't know whether Young Master Zhuge is sincere, but I feel that what Miss Fang just said is reasonable and admirable." Li Qiyou said it generously, and Fang Zilan's smile became even brighter, "Your Majesty said so. , but I am disrespectful."
"Although it makes sense, it would be too risky for you to risk your life and fortune on those words." Zhuge Yu shook his head slightly, somewhat disapproving, "Do you know that Shangguan Min is just an introduction, and the real Shangguan family Is the killer move still to come?”
"Betting is not a good thing, but since I have no retreat, I can only put my money and my life on this bet. Fortunately, I won the bet." Fang Zilan had a bit of pride on his face, and Zhuge Yu couldn't help but frown. Frowning slightly, "Aren't you afraid of losing the bet?"
"If I lose, wouldn't I still have Young Master Zhuge and Prince Zhuge and you two?" Fang Zilan shrugged indifferently, "Although you two dislike me, this is after all a matter of national security. I will let the Shangguan family do whatever they want with their hands covering the sky."
