Yancheng is not a small city, with more than 5,000 households and a population of nearly 30,000.
Yancheng is mainly engaged in salt production and marine products all year round. It was originally relatively wealthy, but now it has become a military center. All kinds of materials are transferred and circulated here. It is a typical "the more wars, the richer you get."
"The steamed buns are freshly baked and steaming hot. They only cost ten cents each!"
The market has just opened in the morning, and every street in the city is full of shouting vendors. A bun costs ten cents, and a bowl of noodles costs twenty cents, four or five times more expensive than usual.
All to make money as a soldier.
Soldiers are not rich, but they are willing to spend money because no one knows whether they will come back alive from the next battle.
In Yancheng, no soldier would be stingy with himself.
After the army entered the city, the Yangzhou army separated from the escort team and caravan.
Song Che promised to treat the entire army to a meal, but it was really difficult to feed more than 3,000 people, so he gave Bao Dayou enough money and asked them to arrange it themselves.
We were already exhausted from marching in the snow last night.
Song Che didn't want to sleep in a bunkhouse in the military camp, so he found an inn in the city and waited until he was comfortable and full.
"Shopkeeper, I have to go upstairs to sleep now. No matter who comes to see me later, please don't disturb me. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry, sir, even if the Japanese pirates come, they won't disturb your dreams."
"You still have to panic when the Japanese pirates come, haha."
Song Che threw down a piece of silver and went upstairs. The sky was huge and the earth was big, and he was most sleepy. Without a good mental state, his mind would not be able to work.
Song Che didn't even bother to wash up. He took off his shoes, socks and jacket and got into bed. He stared blankly at the top of the bed with his pillow on his face. His mind was filled with the thrill of last night and the woman who saved him.
Were those words last night too harsh?
Is it worth caring about a woman who can't help herself and has a rough fate?
It must be very tiring to care about such a woman.
Maybe she is like a firework, incomparable when it blooms, but fleeting, leaving people nostalgic but unable to keep it.
As he thought about it, his sleepiness gradually became stronger. Song Che swept away all the distracting thoughts in his mind and fell into a deep sleep.
I don’t know how long I slept.
"Da da da..." There was a knock on the door.
Song Che couldn't bear to open his eyes and asked in a daze: "Who?"
"Sir, it's me. It's already noon, and I'm here to ask if you need lunch?" the shopkeeper's voice said.
Is it already noon?
"Don't eat!"
Song Che pulled the quilt, covered his head and continued to sleep.
I don’t know how long I slept.
'Da da da...' knock on the door.
"who?"
"Sir, it's me again. The charcoal fire in your room has been burned out. I'll change a cage for you." It's still the shopkeeper.
"No need, it's warm in my room." Song Che replied, and then asked: "What time is it now?"
"It's not the right time..."
"That's still early."
Keep sleeping.
I still don’t know how long I slept.
"Da da da..." There was a knock on the door.
"Sir, are you awake? I brought you hot water." There was a cry in the shopkeeper's voice.
Song Che stretched out and felt that he was almost asleep, so he smiled and asked, "When is it now?"
The shopkeeper replied: "It's already time."
Song Che just got up and just put on his clothes when he heard a thunderous sound outside:
"It's worthless! I didn't wake him up after calling him three times, so what's the use of you!"
"General... General! You are really embarrassing this little person! These eyes are not grown on the little person, and you can't open them even if you want to."
"Scream! Keep screaming! If you don't scream again, I will burn your inn to see if he can come out!"
It seems that someone is tired of waiting.
"Sir, please wake up, please help me..."
"Uh-"
Song Che opened the door and glanced in front of the door. The shopkeeper was holding a basin of water tremblingly. He was so scared that he was sweating on his forehead. Behind him stood a burly middle-aged general wearing gold armor and a beard.
The middle-aged general grabbed the shopkeeper by the back of his collar and lifted him off the ground like a chicken.
"Is that you!" The bearded general's eyes were as wide as bells.
Song Che clasped his fists and said politely: "Bai is staying here for the night. I wonder where he offended the general?"
The bearded general put down the shopkeeper and gave him a gentle push. The shopkeeper took seven or eight steps back with his basin.
He approached Song Che, looked down from an advantage of being half a head taller, and said word by word:
"I am Kang Han, the commander of the Chuzhou Horse Army. I heard from Mr. Gao that Mr. Bai is a famous person from the south of the Yangtze River and has the ability to navigate the world. Therefore, I have come here to invite you to join the camp as a military advisor!"
The commander of the army and horses is not the supreme commander of the army. Master Gao really gives him face.
"Your Majesty has already said that Mr. Bai is just a commoner, so how can he be called one of the people in the world——"
"Stop saying those docile words. Although I don't really believe it, since Mr. Gao has come to see you, you have to agree even if you don't agree!"
Kang Han's spittle flew from his mouth, and he stared again: "Mr. Bai, do you want to invite him yourself, or should I resist you?"
It is better for a general to be a little more reckless, but it is better for a general to be more reckless and listen to orders.
Although not too polite, at least he is more straightforward than those intrigues and villains.
"Don't bother General, I have my own donkey..."
Song Che then rode a donkey, escorted by a group of soldiers, and entered the military camp leisurely.
The military camp is located east of Yancheng and is very densely packed. There are soldiers and horses coming and going, and the soldiers look tired. There is a sense of depression throughout the camp.
In front of the Chinese army's tent.
Gao Chen and a dozen civil servants and military generals were waiting together, most of them with the word "impatient" written on their faces.
"Song...Mr. Bai!"
Before Song Che approached the tent, Gao Chen ran up to greet him and helped Song Che off the donkey himself.
"Sir Gao, at this moment Bai Mou has not seen an inch of work. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to be so polite to me."
"Mr. Bai is too modest. Commander Bao has told me about the Japanese pirates' attack on the baggage last night. Normally, eighty Japanese pirates would be killed, and our army would send out four to five hundred men. However, sir, he only had to wave his sleeves to kill them." In the snow, sir, you are truly a strange person."
Gao Chen "couldn't put it down" for Song Che, so he pulled him towards the military camp: "Come on, come on, follow me into the big tent!"
The officials behind him discussed:
"Why does Mr. Bai need a human being? Do you know?"
"I heard he was a famous figure in Suzhou and Hangzhou, but I have never heard of his deeds, and no famous works have been circulated."
"Is Xu an expert from this world?"
"I don't even dare to show my true face, for fear that I won't be able to talk about being an expert in the world."
There are more derogatory sounds than positive ones.
Song Che pretended not to hear anything.
But Gao Chen couldn't bear it. He turned around and glared at the civil and military officials: "You all have both ability and political integrity, why can't you think of a way to defeat the enemy?"
All the officials bowed their heads and stopped talking.
Song Che also knew in his heart that he was now a guest. If he didn't accept a letter of submission, it would be difficult to convince others, especially these civil servants who like to gossip.
