Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 289 This is called buying people's hearts
During his military career, Zhao Wenguang had seen many examples of generals failing because they did not do their jobs properly. Discipline and rules are the foundation of the army.

Faced with a powerful enemy, Chu Shizhao, as the backbone of the army, actually came to join in the fun just because of such a trivial matter.

Zhao Wenguang even began to doubt whether he had misjudged the person. Was it possible that the prince's previous wisdom and bravery were all fake? Now that the powerful enemy had retreated, his true colors were revealed?

Wait... After the initial surprise, Zhao Wenguang felt something was wrong.

Although the changes in the army are hard to explain, they are real. The respect in the soldiers' eyes, the straight backs, and the inexplicable spirit...all of these seem to be telling something.

Obviously, Chu Shizhao's abnormal behavior was not just a joke.
Chu Shizhao rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, revealing his sturdy forearms.

He would say a few words to each soldier as he served them food, sometimes asking about their injuries, sometimes chatting about family matters. Those simple conversations made the recipients blush with excitement.

During this process, Zhao Wenguang also saw the soldier named Zheng Yan coming to get food twice. The boy's stomach was obviously swollen, and it was a bit difficult for him to walk.

However, his eyes were gleaming with unprecedented satisfaction, which seemed to be contagious, making everyone who saw it couldn't help but smile.

"Hiss... Ten full bowls! Even the biggest glutton in the army can't eat as much as this kid, right?" Zhao Wenguang was so shocked that he even forgot to think about Chu Shizhao's purpose.

He stared in amazement as Zheng Yan staggered towards the corner with his belly hanging.

The clumsy action caused everyone to laugh.

Amidst the laughter, Zhao Wenguang suddenly understood Chu Shizhao's intention.

This is not fooling around, but forging a weapon sharper than a sword - military morale.

When soldiers are willing to go through fire and water for one person, no matter how powerful the enemy is, they will not be afraid of it.

In the distance, Li Batian's rough laughter exploded like thunder, instantly attracting the attention of the entire military camp. In the light and shadow of the swaying torches, his burly figure stood like an iron tower.

"Hahaha! You're not bad, your appetite is comparable to this general's. You have a bright future. From today on, you are this general's apprentice."

Li Batian's big hand, like a cattail leaf fan, slapped heavily on Zheng Yan's thin shoulders, making a series of muffled sounds.

Zheng Yan only felt a huge force coming at him, his knees softened uncontrollably, and he almost fell to the ground.

His stomach, which had just been filled, was churning, and a sour feeling rose in his throat, which he swallowed back forcefully.

Just a moment ago, this thin boy was still immersed in the happiness of having a full meal for the first time in his life.

He rubbed his bloated belly carefully, feeling the warmth brought by the fullness. The smell of smoke mixed with wood ash wafting from the military camp made him feel particularly at ease.

It turns out that the feeling of being full makes people so happy and intoxicated.

But in the blink of an eye, a huge shadow enveloped him.

Zheng Yan looked up and saw Li Batian standing against the light. The torches cast flickering shadows behind him, making him look like a Vajra Arhat in the temple.

There were still a few fresh knife marks on the dusty armor, which exuded a mixed smell of rust and sweat.

"General? General..." Zheng Yan was about to speak when the second heavy blow followed.

There were sparks in front of his eyes and a buzzing in his ears. He could only hear words like "disciple" and "future" intermittently.

The old soldiers around started to make a noise when they saw this. An old soldier with a missing front tooth grinned and said, "General, you are not jealous that this guy can eat more than you, so you want to kill him to silence him, right?"

"Isn't it too late to silence him now? We are all watching." Another soldier with a full beard continued...

"General, please stop taking pictures. If you continue, you will only have a dead disciple."

Li Batian then woke up as if from a dream, and quickly withdrew his hand. His thick eyebrows twisted into a ball, and a trace of annoyance flashed in his copper-bell-like eyes.

Zheng Yan's face turned pale and his lips trembled after being slapped by him, just like a frightened rabbit.

"You little bastard, why are you so weak?" Li Batian muttered embarrassedly.

Zheng Yan's sight finally refocused. He saw that Li Batian's face, carved by wind and frost, was now twisted by a smile.

"I am Zheng Yan, a humble man, meeting the general..." Zheng Yan saluted stutteringly, his voice as thin as a mosquito's. His knees were still shaking, and he didn't know whether it was because of shock or excitement.

Li Batian waved his hand, bringing up a gust of wind: "Don't do these empty things, remember, from now on you are my, Li Batian's, disciple!" His voice was so loud that the nearby torches trembled.

Happiness came too suddenly, and Zheng Yan was stunned.

Countless pictures flashed through his mind. Li Batian charged into the battlefield like a tiger, and wherever his sword pointed, the enemy fell like waves of wheat.

The Northern Di cavalry was tall and burly, wearing full armor, like a devil crawling out of hell. No one could withstand a single blow from him.

Zheng Yan bit his nails unconsciously, fantasizing that he could be as majestic as Li Batian. Wouldn't he be able to eat whatever he wanted then?

Seeing that he didn't respond for a long time, Li Batian's copper bell-like eyes widened and his thick eyebrows almost stood up: "Why? You look down on this general and don't want to be his apprentice?"

Zheng Yan finally woke up from his dream and almost bit his tongue in panic: "No... No."

"I just wonder, if I become the general's apprentice...will I be able to have enough food to eat?"

After a brief silence, the military camp erupted into deafening laughter.

An old soldier who was sharpening his sword laughed so hard that he slapped his thigh: "Did you hear that? This kid is afraid that the general can't afford to support him!"

"I don't think it's possible!" The bearded soldier deliberately shouted loudly, "With the appetite of this kid, even if his family has a mountain of gold, I'm afraid they can't afford to feed him, right?"

Zheng Yan then realized what a stupid question he had asked. He knelt down on the cold bluestone and said, "Master, I kowtow to you."

I rested my forehead on the bluestone, but I didn't feel any coldness.

Li Batian laughed loudly, his laughter shaking the canvas of the nearby tents: "Act promptly, this is like a disciple of mine, Li Batian!"

He picked up Zheng Yan, and although his movements seemed rough, he was careful to avoid any injuries on the boy.

Zhao Wenguang, who was not far away, shook his head helplessly, and said inwardly, "Those who know this is to recruit disciples, but those who don't will probably think that this guy is trying to steal disciples."

"Master, why did you accept me as your apprentice? Is it really just because I can eat?" Zheng Yan carefully raised the doubts in his mind.

"Nonsense, why else do you think it's because?" Li Batian's answer was completely beyond Zheng Yan's expectations and made him feel extremely absurd.

When did being a glutton become a good thing?

Seeing his look, Li Batian smiled and comforted him: "Don't think that I am kidding you. People who can eat well at least have good strength. On the battlefield, strength is everything. You will know it later."

"Disciple understands." Zheng Yan nodded, not quite understanding.

As the night deepened, the bonfire in the military camp turned into embers.

Chu Shizhao distributed the last spoonful of broth and handed the spoon to the fat cook. The rest was his job.

"Have you been waiting for a long time?" Chu Shizhao turned to Zhao Wenguang and brushed off the charcoal dust on his sleeves. Under the moonlight, the dark pattern representing the royal family on his black brocade robe was faintly visible.

"Do you understand?"

Zhao Wenguang tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, a habitual movement when he was thinking: "Your Highness is trying to win people's hearts."

He lowered his voice and glanced around cautiously, as if he was afraid that others would hear him.

Chu Shizhao suddenly laughed out loud, and the sound could be heard far away in the darkness: "You're right!"

He waved his sleeves carelessly, and the cuffs drew a silver arc in the moonlight. He didn't seem to worry about others hearing their conversation at all: "Your Highness is openly buying people's hearts."

Zhao Wenguang stole a glance at Huo Qinghuang. The female general was standing with a gun in hand, following them slowly and calmly. The moonlight cast a silver edge on her cold face. She had no reaction to Chu Shizhao's blunt words.

"But..." Zhao Wenguang rubbed his fingers hesitantly: "Your Highness, is this too deliberate?"

He recalled that when he was a vanguard officer, what he hated most were those hypocritical superiors.

Chu Shizhao suddenly stopped. The night wind blew the jade crown that bound his hair, and the hanging silk ribbons gently tapped his shoulders.

"In the army," Chu Shizhao's voice suddenly became deep and powerful, "Generals are judged by their actions, not their hearts."

He raised his hand to catch a falling leaf and crushed it gently between his fingertips: "If you give the soldiers a hot meal, they will remember your kindness. If you block an arrow for them once, they will go through fire and water for you."

In the distance came the command for the night watch soldiers to change shifts, mixed with a few dog barks.

Zhao Wenguang felt as if something exploded directly in his chest.

"So that's how it is..." Zhao Wenguang muttered to himself.

No wonder he used to particularly hate those hypocritical generals.

Because apart from empty promises, they will not give any benefits to others.

I said, as long as you fight to the death and kill the enemy this time, I will never forget your contribution.

As a result, after the war, they found that all the military achievements were attributed to themselves or to those who had the best relationship with them.

Those of us who are actually on the front line, fighting with our lives at risk, can at most get a sip of soup.

Even so, they still act like, "I'm taking care of you, you should be grateful."

Withholding military pay or rations is a very common thing.

But Chu Shizhao is different, he really does what he says.

After the enemy retreated, they said they would give the soldiers meat, and they spared no effort to ensure that everyone had enough meat to eat.

"I am willing to die for your Highness!" Zhao Wenguang suddenly knelt on one knee, his armor clanging against the ground. His voice was particularly clear in the silent night: "No matter what your Highness wants to do in the future, I will be the sharp blade in your hands!"

He had sworn allegiance to Chu Shizhao before, but at that time he was more loyal to the Great Zhou.

But this time, I told Chu Shizhao clearly that even if you rebel one day in the future, I will definitely support you firmly.

Chu Shizhao looked down at the young general and patted Zhao Wenguang on the shoulder.

"You learn quickly." Chu Shizhao chuckled, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"But..." Chu Shizhao glanced at Huo Qinghuang vaguely: "If I break my promise..."

Suddenly, the uneasy neighing of war horses was heard in the distance.

In a trance, a cold light flashed from the spear in Huo Qinghuang's hand.

A leaf blown by the evening breeze slowly fell in front of Zhao Wenguang.

On the dead leaves, three tiny holes are arranged in a triangular shape.

The holes were so tiny that even the most skilled woman in needlework could only do so much with a silver needle.

This is not dangerous because it is not directed at Zhao Wenguang.

However, this is a warning.

If he was indecisive, Your Highness would not take into account their current friendship and show mercy to him.

As to whether Zhao Wenguang was overthinking, Chu Shizhao did not explain.

Before dawn, Xueyuan Pass was shrouded in a solemn atmosphere.

The eastern sky had just begun to turn pale when the sound of the Northern Di's attack horns tore through the morning mist.

The deep and powerful sound of the horn seemed to carry the chill of the grasslands outside the Great Wall, intertwined with the deafening sound of war drums, and brought with it boundless murderous aura.

Zhao Wenguang stood behind the battlement, his fingers unconsciously stroking the cold wall tiles.

After just one night, the morale, which had been somewhat low due to the presence of spies and large numbers of casualties, was completely restored and was even better than before.

It took less than half an hour for everyone to prepare for defense, which was twice as fast as the previous training.

"These bastards..." Zhao Wenguang murmured in a low voice, and the white breath he exhaled dissipated in the morning light.

In the Beidi camp, Tuoba Lie pointed at Xueyuan Pass with his jewel-studded whip. The morning light danced on his golden breastplate, reflecting his smug smile.

"My men! If you take over Xueyuan Pass, I will reward you with 100 taels of gold and 10 beauties!"

The complacent Beidi commander did not notice that the flags on the top of Xueyuan Pass were more orderly today than usual.

Amidst the heavy drumbeats.

The first wave of Northern Di cavalry, under the cover of siege equipment such as catapults, carried ladders and marched towards the city wall.

When they were still far away from the city wall, a dark cloud suddenly rose among the Northern Di cavalry.

After the previous two days of fighting, everyone knew that it was the prison of the Northern Di cavalry.

Without even the need for command from their generals, the experienced Xueyuan Pass soldiers and Ice Wolf Riders had already begun looking for cover to hide.

Apart from the catapults hidden behind the city wall, which also threw stones in counterattack, Xueyuan Pass did not even fire a single arrow.

At a distance of more than a hundred steps, even if their arrows hit the Northern Di cavalry, they could not penetrate the enemy's armor.

So, it’s better to save some energy and wait for the big battle later.

Whizzing!

The continuous rain of arrows turned the wall of Xueyuan Pass into a giant hedgehog in the blink of an eye.

The soldiers defending the city suddenly felt their eyes light up and immediately understood what had happened.

"The enemy is coming, get ready!"

The archers who had been hiding all the time drew their bowstrings and threw arrows towards the city wall.

(End of this chapter)