At noon on March 21, the wind was beautiful and the sun was shining pleasantly on the earth. It was neither cold nor hot. A big flag with the word "Guan" followed by the sun and moon flag of the mountains and rivers was raised in the wind.
Guan Cheng bid farewell to Cao Ling'er for the moment, got out of the carriage, and glanced at Wu Chengju, who had his head drooped.
snort!
Wu Chengju trembled with fright, and was secretly annoyed. Even though his own strength was almost twice that of the enemy, and there was also a group of homeless dogs, he still had the advantage of a surprise attack and allowed Yan Tao, the thief, to escape with his two personal guards.
"Follow me!" Guan Cheng's voice sounded coldly, and Wu Chengju hurriedly ran a few steps to follow him.
Guan Cheng's face on the chariot was very calm, and there was no sign of emotion or anger, but it was precisely because of this that Wu Chengju was so anxious. He was usually calm when a storm was approaching.
"I remember saying that if you can't bring back Yan Tao's head, I'll bring yours back."
When Wu Chengju heard this, he hurriedly said: "My lord, it is a capital crime! I am willing to cut my own throat to apologize to you!"
Guan Cheng waved his hand to interrupt Wu Chengju's words, frowned slightly and said impatiently: "I don't really want you to kill yourself when I say this."
Wu Chengju breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Highness, please make it clear."
"Oh, forget it!" Guan Cheng sighed and said: "If Yan Tao does not die, there is a great possibility that he will disregard the order of the leader of the Jin Kingdom and gather troops and horses to pursue him again. By then, our army will be completely defeated and it will be difficult to resist, so I hope that you must bring him with you. Give him his head back.”
"I know that I have ruined His Highness' plan, and I am extremely ashamed."
"Okay, don't say anything guilty. Gu's journey of thousands of miles has not yet begun. When it comes to official employment, Gu originally hoped that you would have enough merit and always be at the highest position. But what?"
Guan Cheng turned his head and stared at Wu Chengju and sighed: "But you let me down."
"So disappointed!"
The space above the chariot was so small that Wu Chengju could only bend down and clasp his fists. The eyes of a seven-foot tall man felt sour and wet, and he clenched his teeth.
"But after all, you have been with Gu for so long. You came to the East Palace when Gu was five years old. You are Gu's most trusted person."
Wu Chengju's defense was broken by just one sentence, and tears quietly slipped from the corners of his eyes without even realizing it.
Guan Cheng helped him up, raised his hand to wipe the moisture from the corners of his eyes and said, "If I put aside the title of monarch and minister, it would be no exaggeration to call you uncle. Although you have been with me for so many years, you are still a monarch and minister in name, but in fact you are better than a relative."
"But Gu is the leader of a country at this time. If he goes back on what he says, then who will believe Gu in the future."
Wu Chengju said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, the guilty minister should be punished for this matter. Your Highness allowing the guilty minister to live and forgive his sin is already a huge favor. The guilty minister does not dare to ask for anything else. I only ask to protect His Highness, even if it is a small pawn."
Guan Cheng patted Wu Chengju's hand and said, "How can I do that?"
"But from today onwards, you should resign from the position of Sima, and temporarily assume the power of Sima as a school captain."
When Wu Chengju heard this, he was even more moved and cried: "Your Highness treats me like this, and I must die in return!"
"Okay, don't talk about whether you will die or not. I want you to live well and accompany me to create a new world for this shattered Datong."
Wu Chengju said in a deep voice: "Everything your Highness points to with your sword is the king's soil. Chengju will sacrifice his life to get it for Your Highness."
After hearing this, Guan Cheng laughed, and the gloom seemed to be swept away, and then said: "Okay, let's go. We will build roads and bridges across mountains and rivers. We still have a long way to go."
"promise!"
Large carts loaded with grain and supplies were passing by on the straight road. More than a thousand Jin soldiers were spread out on both sides and pulled out more than ten miles away. Guan Cheng stood on the carriage and glanced back and forth. Many new recruits had joined the army. The young man is very awkward even holding weapons, let alone other things.
The worry in Guan Cheng's heart has never been as intense as it is now. If someone ambushes him at this time, it doesn't even require too many people. Just one company can cause catastrophic consequences for him.
The sun was gradually setting in the west. Due to the large number of carts and the capture of many Jin soldiers, the Jin army's chariots and horses unexpectedly became half mules and horses, and the marching speed was much faster than before.
When they set up camp in the evening, Wang Ye came to report that he had traveled more than thirty miles in just one afternoon.
This speed and distance surprised Guan Cheng. He traveled more than thirty miles in less than half a day, which is equivalent to marching more than sixty miles in one day. You must know that even the most elite soldiers march at a speed of forty miles in one day. Between 10 and 50 miles.
Wang Ye was very optimistic about the speed of the future, and suggested that horses and carts could be collected along the way, and they could also buy them from the common people, and recruit some young people appropriately. After all, they carried enough food, and they were not afraid even if there was not enough food. , what Guan Cheng has is gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin, these are all hard currency.
Guan Cheng nodded to express his approval and appreciation. These sounds very feasible.
At night, everyone continued discussing until late at night before dispersing.
When Guan Cheng dragged his tired body back to the tent, Cao Linger fell asleep sitting there.
Guan Cheng was stunned for a moment, but then he took off his cloak and gently covered Cao Linger's body.
But this move instantly woke up Cao Ling'er.
"His Royal Highness is back."
"Um."
Cao Ling'er quickly picked up the tea cup next to her and said, "Your Highness, the tea is still hot."
Guan Chengcheng took it over, and sure enough, the tea was just right, neither hot nor cold. He couldn't help but feel warm in his heart and joked: "Why are you in a lonely tent today? Are you in a hurry?"
Cao Ling'er already understood a lot of things, her face turned red and she lowered her head.
Guan Cheng laughed, feeling it was particularly interesting. The pink beauty looked aside shyly and said, "Ling'er is still here so late. Could it be that he is looking for an orphan?"
Cao Ling'er lowered his head and said in a warm voice: "Your Highness works hard every day and goes to the battlefield personally, but Ling'er is just a prostitute and cannot share the worries of His Highness. Ling'er also hopes to be His Highness's help."
Guan Chengyi smiled and said: "What do you think I am doing? Ling'er, you are very happy to have such a heart. In the future, you will be Gu's princess, commanding the inner court, one person is less than ten thousand people, Gu is the master outside, and you will handle the affairs of the country." For big things, you will be behind me."
Hearing Guan Cheng's straightforward promise, Cao Ling'er felt a warm current in her heart. She, a peasant girl, would have the chance to marry into a prince's family and be a princess in her lifetime. Even if her ancestral graves were filled with corpses every day, she might not necessarily have such luck.
Cao Ling'er's face became even more rosy, and Guan Cheng couldn't help but be in a trance when he saw Guan Cheng.
"Your Highness, Ling'er is blessed with His Highness's pity in this life. However, although Ling'er is a daughter and cannot assist His Highness in state affairs and cannot accompany His Highness on the battlefield, Ling'er has cousins and uncles who can be His Highness's lackeys."
Guan Cheng was stunned after hearing this.
I saw Cao Ling'er continue to say: "Ling'er's third uncle is impatient, and he likes small profits and can't do anything. However, Ling'er has a cousin and is willing to follow His Highness."
Guan Cheng couldn't help but ask: "Is your cousin looking for you?"
Cao Ling'er nodded and said, "Yes, my cousin wants to follow His Highness's guards to protect His Highness from arrows."
"Have you thought clearly? There is no eye in the sword on the battlefield. If you get injured or die, it is possible at any time."
Guan Cheng actually doesn't really want to use the Cao family. Although there is a shortage of manpower at the moment, Guan Cheng doesn't want to train any relatives.
But Cao Ling'er seemed to see what Guan Cheng was thinking and said crisply: "Ling'er is willing to ask Your Highness to grant your permission, and Ling'er also made it clear to him that if he is lucky enough to join the army, he must obey military laws and act according to orders. If If you violate military discipline and order, even if you are punished, you will be responsible for it."
This was the first time Guan Cheng saw such a determined gaze in Cao Ling'er's eyes, which turned into water and surrounded his heart.
"Your Highness, those whom the Cao family relies on should have meritorious deeds through life and death. I beg Your Highness to fulfill them!"
