Food bloggers made fortunes in ancient times

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the New Year atmosphere had not yet faded when urgent news came from the front line that the army of King Qi had broken through the Huaihe River defense line and was approaching Songzhou Hengchang Prefecture.

At the same time, Prince Fu's vanguard had regrouped and was pressing towards the Songzhou border again.

Hengchang Prefecture and Jianping Prefecture are both less than 300 miles away from Guang'an Prefecture. Once they are lost, Guang'an Prefecture will be attacked from both sides.

Upon learning that the King of Qi's army was approaching, the prefect of Hengchang Prefecture was terrified and hurriedly asked Guang'an Prefecture for help.

The imperial court is currently overwhelmed and has no troops to mobilize except for Guang'an Prefecture.

Prefect Lin convened all the government offices and garrisons of Guang'an Prefecture to discuss the matter overnight, and finally decided to send troops to reinforce Hengchang Prefecture.

"If Hengchang is lost, Guang'an will be in danger." Prefect Lin did not hesitate, "We must defend Hengchang Prefecture!"

The commander of the garrison, Qu Tong, was the person planted by Shu Changyu, so he naturally stood on the side of Prefect Lin.

He immediately clasped his fists and responded: "My guard is willing to send 3,000 elite soldiers, led by this general, to reinforce Hengchang Prefecture immediately! However, Guang'an Prefecture's own defense cannot be compromised, and some troops must be left behind to guard the city."

Prefect Lin nodded solemnly: "What the commander said is absolutely right. Guang'an Prefecture is the heartland of Songzhou, and we must not let it be lost."

"This government has posted notices to recruit able-bodied men and form a militia to help defend the city."

"Also, the commander does not need to worry about food and fodder. This government has already ordered people to prepare enough for half a month, and they will continue to transport them in the future."

When Qu Tong heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He didn't expect that Guang'an Prefecture still had such sufficient reserves of food and fodder after helping thousands of refugees.

Noticing Qu Tong's admiring gaze, Prefect Lin stroked his beard and smiled. All thanks to Mr. Song, the several thousand acres of corn and sweet potatoes planted last year had a bumper harvest. The government treasury and granary were full, enough to support the army's expenses for several months.

At the same time, Yunshan County.

"Only three thousand soldiers? The King of Qi has twenty thousand men. Three thousand against twenty thousand, will it work?" Song Yan was very skeptical.

"Three thousand versus twenty thousand is indeed a huge disparity." Shu Changyu casually placed the battle report on the table. "The city wall of Hengchang Prefecture is three meters high, and the moat is five meters wide. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The people Qu Tong brought are all experienced defenders. They can hold out for at least a month."

Hearing this, Song Yan felt relieved and then asked, "How long will it take for Prince Fu's army to arrive?"

"It will take at least five days."

Song Yan was silent.

After a long while, he spoke: "When are you leaving?"

"tonight."

"I'll go make you something to eat."

Shu Changyu held his hand and said, "No hurry."

He paused and said, "I want to take Jiaojiao with me to Jianping Prefecture."

"No!" Song Yan said firmly, "She is only nine years old!"

"Nine years old is not young anymore." Shu Changyu said calmly, "An Yi said that she is gifted and can learn more in Jianping Prefecture."

Song Yan's voice rose several degrees: "But that's the front line! It's too dangerous!"

"Yanyan, you're too nervous." Shu Changyu held Song Yan's wrist, not too hard but not allowing her to break free. "In troubled times, the sooner you gain experience, the better."

Song Yan felt a tightness in her chest.

He knew that Shu Changyu was right, but Jiaojiao was still so young after all.

"At least...at least ask her what she thinks." Song Yan finally compromised.

On the martial arts training ground, the snow was cleared to create an open space.

"Xiao Jiaojiao, be careful." An Jiu stood three feet away, holding a few willow-leaf darts between his fingers and a mischievous smile on his face.

Song Jiaojiao pursed her lips, her face tense.

She made a sword flower, held the dagger across her chest, and stared intently at An Jiu's wrist.

"Are you ready?" An Jiu asked with a smile.

Jiaojiao nodded, and the next second, three darts flew through the air!

The little girl moved as fast as a swallow. She dodged the first dart with a side flip and accurately blocked the second dart with her dagger. The third dart flew past her hair and hit the wooden stake behind her.

"Good!" An Jiu raised her red lips slightly, "You've made a lot of progress compared to last time."

Jiaojiao then smiled faintly, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but her eyes were still bright.

She was about to speak when she caught a glimpse of Song Yan and Shu Changyu standing on the sidelines and immediately trotted over.

"Brother, Brother Shu."

Shu Changyu got straight to the point: "I'm going to Jianping Prefecture, do you want to go with me?"

Song Jiaojiao's pair of black and white eyes suddenly lit up, and she said without hesitation: "I want to!"

Song Yan bent down to look her in the eye: "Jiaojiao, that's a battlefield, it's very dangerous."

The little girl pursed her lips, but her eyes were extremely firm: "I'm not afraid."

"It might hurt, it might..."

"Brother." Song Jiaojiao suddenly interrupted him, her voice was soft but powerful, "I want to go."

Song Yan was stunned.

He looked at the little girl in front of him with a determined look. Although she was still a child, her eyes already had a maturity and determination beyond her age.

Song Yan took a deep breath, slowly straightened up, turned to look at Shu Changyu: "You guarantee her safety."

Shu Changyu's lips curled slightly: "An Yi will take her personally later."

Song Jiaojiao raised her little face and said in a very serious manner: "Brother, I will study hard and protect you in the future."

Song Yan's eyes were filled with tears. He had no idea that Jiaojiao had such thoughts.

"You must come back safely." Song Yan's voice was a little hoarse, "Otherwise, big brother will be very sad."

Jiaojiao suddenly threw herself into Song Yan's arms and hugged him tightly.

"I will protect myself." Jiaojiao let go of her hand, took two steps back, and promised like a little adult, "I will also help Brother Shu win the battle."

Shu Changyu smiled and said, "Go pack your luggage. Only take the necessities. We will set off at 10:00 p.m."

Watching Jiaojiao trotting away, Song Yan sighed, "Why is this child so stubborn..."

"Like you." Shu Changyu said lightly.

Song Yan glared at him: "Nonsense! How can I be so stubborn!"

Shu Changyu didn't comment, but suddenly reached out and brushed the corner of Song Yan's eyes with his thumb.

Only then did Song Yan realize that her eyes had become wet without her noticing.

"Don't worry." Shu Changyu's voice was unusually gentle, "I will bring her back safe and sound."

"You too." Song Yan grabbed his wrist, "Both of you must come back safely."

***

However, when Song Wanzhou heard that Jiaojiao was going to Jianping Prefecture, he felt like the sky was falling.

"Jiaojiao!" Wanzhou hugged Song Jiaojiao tightly, tears falling down, "You are still so young, how can you go to such a dangerous place? Sister won't allow you to go!"

Song Jiaojiao was held so tightly by her that she couldn't breathe. She patted Song Wanzhou's back gently with her little hand: "Sister, I will be careful."

"Swords and knives are blind on the battlefield. How can you avoid them just by being careful?" Song Wanzhou let go of her and looked at Shu Changyu with red eyes. "Fourth brother Shu, Jiaojiao is only nine years old..."

How can you go to such a dangerous place like a battlefield?

Shu Changyu said calmly: "This is her own choice."

Song Wanzhou was anxious and angry, and turned to Song Yan: "Brother! Why don't you take care of her!"

Song Yan was innocent, but he took care of it.

But he can't control it!

"Second brother!" Seeing that Song Yan was useless, Song Wanzhou hurriedly turned to Song Zhengdu, hoping that he could help persuade him.

Song Zhengdu looked at Song Jiaojiao gently: "Jiaojiao, have you really thought it through?"

Song Jiaojiao nodded, her eyes firm: "Second brother, I want to go."

Song Zhengdu pondered for a moment and said to Song Wanzhou: "Wanzhou, Jiaojiao may be young, but she is mature. Since she has made up her mind, we should support her."

"But——" Song Wanzhou stamped his feet anxiously.

"Let her go." Song Zhengdu sighed and said, "In troubled times, it's a good thing to gain experience early."

When Song Wanzhou saw that even his most steady second brother said this, tears immediately welled up in his eyes.

Song Jiaojiao grabbed the handkerchief and wiped her tears: "Don't cry, sister. I will be back soon."

Song Wanzhou looked at Jiaojiao with tears in his eyes.

This is her sister who she raised with great difficulty!

How could she not worry?

But looking at Jiaojiao's serious eyes, Song Wanzhou was finally defeated.

Song Wanzhou sobbed and grabbed her hand: "Promise me that you will come back safely!"

"Yes." Song Jiaojiao nodded heavily.

It was almost the hour of Xu, and Song Jiaojiao was standing in the yard carrying a small bag.

She changed into a neat short outfit and tied her hair up high, looking like a handsome young boy.

Song Wanzhou's eyes were red as he stuffed a peace amulet into her arms: "This is what my sister asked for at the temple. You must always carry it with you."

Song Jiaojiao kept the amulet close to her body.

An Jiu brought two horses and carried Song Jiaojiao onto one of them.

An Jiu will also accompany them this time and will be responsible for protecting Song Jiaojiao closely.

Shu Changyu grabbed Song Yan's hand, touched her lips, and whispered, "Don't worry."

Song Yan resisted the urge to leave, tilted her head and kissed his cheek: "Go early and come back early."

The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, and Song Jiaojiao's small figure quickly disappeared into the night.

Song Wanzhou finally couldn't help it and threw himself into Song Yan's arms and burst into tears.