The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 61: Resist Your Mother's Gold

Xin Qiji brought more than a hundred old brothers of the volunteer army and arrived at Aoshan first.

There is a forest on the mountain, which is perfect for hiding people.

One hundred soldiers hid in the woods, each finding a tree, grass, or bush to huddle behind. Some even wove a grass ring and wore it on their heads. This should have been quite amusing, but the soldier who wove the grass ring had a sullen face, not a trace of joy.

After all, what you are about to witness is not something to be happy about.

Some soldiers who were close to each other hid in the same grass pit and chatted in low voices: "Brother Zheng Qi and Brother Zhang Jiu, are they really that kind of people? I still don't believe it."

"I don't quite believe it either, so I want to see it with my own eyes."

"We finally have a place to rest and food to eat, why are we starting a fight now?"

"Alas! The Jin bandits have retreated," a somewhat clever soldier from the county town muttered, "When the Jin bandits were here, everyone was keeping an eye on them. Now that they've retreated, it's easy for them to fight among themselves."

"Alas, I hope Brother Zheng Qi and Brother Zhang Jiu are not that kind of people."

"Anyway, let's take a look...it doesn't seem like the Tianguan is lying to us. Judging from his face, he seems to be a good official."

The soldiers couldn't help but look at Xin Qiji.

This Xin Qiji figurine is not wearing armor, but dressed as a clerk. Judging from his appearance, he is a very learned man. His movements are steady and majestic, and his eyes are firm and powerful, which makes people involuntarily admire him.

The soldiers really couldn't imagine why such a cool celestial official would lie to them.

"I'm coming……"

The scout came running over, crouching down, saying in a low voice, "Hide quickly, hide well, and stop whispering."

Everyone quickly hid themselves and kept their mouths shut.

Looking down from the hillside, I saw a team slowly walking towards the river at the foot of the hill. They were more than a hundred island refugee soldiers. Gong Erniang, Qian Zhuoqun, Zheng Hao, and Zhang Jiaozi were walking at the front of the team.

Since no one else had a horse, Gong Erniang and Qian Zhuoqun felt embarrassed to ride, so they dismounted and walked with the others. Their horses were led by their scouts, who followed at a distance behind.

The four of them chatted as they walked, and seemed to be in perfect harmony.

The soldiers lying in ambush on the slope couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: It looks like everything is fine.

Brother Zheng Qi and Brother Zhang Jiu really don’t seem like that kind of people!
However, their joy lasted less than half an incense stick of time, as the team at the foot of the slope reached the confluence of the two rivers, a triangular sandbar with rivers on both sides and Aoshan Mountain behind it.

Madam Gong Er hadn't yet become alert. She took a few steps forward and reached the river: "Oh, there are two rivers blocking the way ahead. Fortunately, this river is not big. Let's find a shallower place to wade across..."

As soon as she finished saying this, she felt that the atmosphere behind her was a little wrong.

Zheng Hao and Zhang Jiaozi suddenly distanced themselves from her and Qian Zhuoqun, both taking a few steps back and retreating to the center of the island soldiers. Zheng Hao wore a strange smile, "Second Madam, Uncle Seventh has something to say to you."

Madam Gong Er frowned slightly: "What's wrong?"

Qian Zhuoqun also felt something was wrong and took two steps closer to Madam Gong Er.

The few scouts they brought with them also moved closer to the two of them.

Zheng Hao: "Back then, Big Brother Gong raised the Jimo Righteous Army. With a single call, he gathered tens of thousands of soldiers. Everyone in the martial arts world respected him as a hero. Old Nine and I also obeyed him and followed his orders. But Big Brother is gone now, and the Jimo Righteous Army was dispersed by the Jin bandits. Now only a few of us are left."

Madam Gong Er raised her eyebrows slightly: "So what?"

Zheng Hao: "Now the rebel army urgently needs a prestigious and reputable person to step forward and replace Brother Gong and regroup his troops. Second Madam, you are only sixteen years old this year, right? And you are still a woman. What prestige do you have? Can you command the people? If the rebel army falls into your hands, no more heroes will come to join us in the future. Are we going to rely on these few hundred people left to fight against the Jin army?"

Madam Gong Er's heart sank. Even the most naive person knew what was going to happen.

Qian Zhuoqun's face darkened. He stood in front of Madam Gong Er and pointed at Zheng Hao, saying, "Seventh Brother, are you planning a rebellion? You said Madam Gong Er has no prestige, but do you think you have any? Who the hell knows you, Zheng Hao? Who the hell is willing to follow you to fight against the Jin?"

Zheng Hao laughed heartily. "Before, few people knew me, Zheng Hao. But after I take care of you, I'll capture Jimo County and Laizhou City. Soon, I'll be a household name. By then, who in Jiaodong won't know me? Heroes from all over will flock to me, and the imperial court won't be able to control me. They'll have no choice but to send people to recruit me. Then, at least I can get the position of an inspector."

Qian Zhuoqun was furious: "You have never thought about resisting the Jin! All you think about is how to become an official."

Zheng Hao sneered, "Resist the Jin? Resist your mother's Jin! How muddled are you? The imperial court's hundreds of thousands of troops couldn't defeat the Jin. How can we, a bunch of idiots, resist the Jin? Just by paving our pillows high while we dream?"

Zhang Jiaozi also said, "Qian Zhuoqun, you're a wealthy businessman, but you don't want to be a good businessman. You have to spend all your wealth to fight against the Jin Dynasty. You are simply sick. If I had as much money as you, I would have fled to the south with my family wealth long ago. Don't you know how rotten the army you used all your wealth to help your brother organize was? Ten thousand people, a full ten thousand people! Forget about fighting the Jin Dynasty, they couldn't even take down the fortress of Mr. Wang. It's ridiculous."

Telling the truth hurts the most!

Zhang Jiaozi's criticism hit Qian Zhuoqun's soft spot.

The latter only felt an arrow piercing his heart, and his body couldn't help but hunch slightly.

The painful memories swung like a huge hammer, hitting his heart again and again, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Madam Gong Er sensed Qian Zhuoqun's pain and quickly and quietly tugged at the back of his shirt, whispering, "Second Uncle, that incident is over. We now have the Heavenly Generals to help us train our troops, and we are no longer a mob."

These words made Qian Zhuoqun feel relieved. Yes, the new rebel army is no longer a mob, and there is hope for the anti-Jin war. I, Qian Zhuoqun, will not waste my efforts this time.

He perked up and held his head high. "Zheng Qi, Zhang Jiu, stop talking nonsense. Since you've made up your mind to seize the Second Lady's position, what's the point of saying all this nonsense? You've already given up on your dignity, yet you're still trying to put on a veneer of glory? The Jimo Volunteer Army was established to resist the Jin army, not to be recruited as an official. The Second Lady and I will never hand over the Volunteer Army to you, so come and take it yourself if you have the guts."

Madam Gong Er drew her eyebrow-tipped knife, and Qian Zhuoqun also picked up his waist knife. The several scouts they brought with them all drew their weapons, ready to fight to the death...

(End of this chapter)