I have been a county magistrate for ten years. My subordinates insist on giving me a yellow robe.

"Why are you looking so sad, kid?" Jiang Pingyang said dissatisfiedly.

"You uncles are here, but you don't even smile. Really!"

Jiang Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was here, but was he really going to have to watch Mo Wentian and several others die on the battlefield?

No! Mo Wentian and Zhou Mingyuan are fine, but when did you, Jiang Pingyang, become the boss?

Looking at Jiang Yuan's gaze, Jiang Pingyang stroked his beard and said seriously, "Brother Mo and I hit it off right away. We've become sworn brothers!"

"Ahem, that's enough, let's go in and talk first." Zhou Mingyuan spoke quickly.

After Jiang Yuan invited Mo Wentian and the others into the big tent, his eyes immediately fell on the guys who had been hiding timidly in the back.

"Chen Xudong, Chen Xuming, Mu Cangtian, the three of you come here." Jiang Yuan said with a dark face.

When the three of them walked up to Jiang Yuan, they immediately greeted him with a wry smile.

Jiang Yuan looked at the three of them and said with a sullen face, "Who asked you three to come here?"

Although Mo Wentian and Jiang Pingyang and other old men are old now, they were all powerful warriors in their youth and their strength is still as strong as before. As long as they don't meet Ning Fei, their chances of survival on the battlefield are quite high.

But these three little guys, the Chen brothers have completely different martial arts skills, and Mu Cangtian is only at the third level now. If he is not careful on the battlefield, he might lose his life.

Even if a martial arts master could kill dozens of people at the cost of his life, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in Ning Fei's hands were completely useless for the entire battlefield.

If one's strength does not reach a certain level, his fate on the battlefield will be even worse than that of ordinary people.

"Sir, don't underestimate me." Chen Xudong raised his head and looked at Jiang Yuan with pride.

"The three of us are armed to the teeth. If we really go to the battlefield, we will kill indiscriminately!"

Jiang Yuan chuckled at this, then waved his hand and called Li Hu over: "Guard them strictly. No one is allowed to leave the tent without my order!"

After saying that, Jiang Yuan looked at the carriage behind them again, fearing that Jiang Luoxue would jump down from it.

But fortunately, no, Jiang Luoxue and Bai Wei did not come over, which made Jiang Yuan feel a little relieved.

When everyone gathered in the big tent, Jiang Yuan looked at them, his eyes becoming dazed for a moment.

When I first came here, there were only three people around me: Wang Gang, Ma Zhi, and Li Hu, but in the blink of an eye, our team has grown to so many people.

Moreover, it is really rare for everyone to gather together. In the past in Taiping County, although they were all in the same city, Taiping County was too big, and Li Hu and others all had official duties, so there would always be a few people missing, more or less. But now, everyone is here, except Ma Zhi.

Just as Jiang Yuan was feeling overwhelmed with emotion, he suddenly felt his shoulders sink, and a vulgar voice sounded behind him.

"Hey! Sir, what are you thinking about?"

Jiang Yuan turned around in a daze and immediately saw Ma Zhi's arrogant look.

"You! You! Not you!"

"That's right, sir, I'm here!" Ma Zhi straightened his back, but soon relaxed again, shaking his head and looking towards the imperial capital.

"The imperial capital, it's been a long time since I last came here." As he spoke, Ma Zhi's face showed a look of nostalgia.

Jiang Yuan was stunned for a long while, his eyes kept looking at Ma Zhi. This kid was dressed the same as usual, his clothes were baggy, he still had that wretched mustache, and his shifty eyes were still looking at Jiang Yuan.

If there is any difference, it is that this kid has an extra long sword behind him.

For a moment, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but feel suffocated. After his expression changed, he looked at Ma Zhi and was about to speak when the other party spoke first.

"That's right, sir. I am the one planted by the East Factory." Ma Zhi said disapprovingly.

Jiang Yuan had an expression on his face, as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Chen Liu had said that they had arranged secret agents from the East Factory in every county. He had bombed Chen Liu once, but did not find out who it was.

What a surprise, it turned out to be this kid Ma Zhi!

"Hey, sir, don't worry so much, we are all brothers." Ma Zhi stroked his beard.

"Back then, I was just a small spy for the East Factory. Later, Commander Chen told me to find a place to hide. I thought the more remote the better, as there would be less work and more leisure. So I came to Taiping County, and the result was just as I expected."

"Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I haven't passed back any useful information. I have also eaten ten years of salary in vain, hehehe!" Ma Zhi showed a comfortable expression while speaking.

"I originally thought I could just eat and wait for death for the rest of my life, but ten years have passed, and this damn Zhao Junxuan has come, and then you, my lord, have done something so shocking that it will make the world weep and the ghosts cry."

"But don't worry, sir. I didn't tell anyone about it. It's better to have less trouble than more." Ma Zhi patted Jiang Yuan's shoulder while speaking.

Jiang Yuan couldn't help but laugh. "Since less trouble is worse than more, why did you reveal your identity? Wouldn't it be better to stay hidden in Taiping County for the rest of your life?"

"Even if we were defeated, Ning Fei wouldn't massacre the civilians of Taiping County, right? Wouldn't you just be able to continue to eat and wait for death?"

Ma Zhi sighed and slowly said, "Well, I'm afraid of death, but since I've been receiving a salary from the East Factory for decades, I should do something about it."

"Anyway, I'm here to get away with it. I'll just kill a few people to make myself feel better, and that's all!"

Jiang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Although Ma Zhi was a spy of the Eastern Depot, he definitely had not betrayed him or Taiping County over the years. Otherwise, Taiping County would never have developed to its current level.

Besides, Wang Gang, Li Hu, and Jiang Yuan were all close friends who had grown up together. If this guy really came to fight to the death, Jiang Yuan would be worried.

"Okay, I'll give you a musket when the time comes. Just fire a couple of shots and do your best."

Jiang Yuan said this and turned to walk into the big tent.

The big tent was already filled with laughter. With so many people around, and a few reckless guys like Li Hu, Zhao Kai, and Kong Xuan, it was hard not to be happy.

"Sir, it's just right. It's almost time for dinner. It's rare to have so many people here. Would you like to have a drink?" Zhao Kai sat on the chair with his arms and legs spread out.

Jiang Yuan laughed dumbly: "You're really bold. Let's drink some."

"Also, pass the word down: today, eat as much as you can. Half of each camp can drink, and the other half can wait until tomorrow!"

After saying that, Jiang Yuan waved his hand at everyone and said, "What's the point of drinking in the tent? Come out and drink!"

A moment later, a group of people sat around the table and jars of fine wine were brought up.

Li Hu looked into the distance worriedly: "Sir, aren't you afraid that Ning Fei will suddenly attack?"

"Haha, don't worry. I've studied Qingzhu and Ning Fei. These two guys never play by the rules. The more impossible something seems to you, the more likely they are to accomplish it."

"But the more certain you are about something, the less likely they are to do it. On the contrary, they will become suspicious, wondering if we are deliberately exposing our flaws to them, and will in turn strengthen their defenses."

After Jiang Yuan finished speaking, he shook the jar of wine towards Li Hu.

"Come on! Drink first!"

Unconsciously, the sky darkened and Jiang Yuan gradually became a little drunk. He looked at the imperial capital in the distance with drunken eyes.

"Newbie, you can't take it anymore?" Zhao Kai held the wine jar and looked at Ma Zhi who had been drunk unconscious.

"Well, don't laugh at me sleeping drunk on the battlefield. How many men have ever returned from the battles in history?" Jiang Yuan spoke slowly.

The group paused, then raised the wine jars again.

"Your Excellency is right. I might die tomorrow. I have to drink tomorrow's wine!" Kong Xuan said, raising the jar of wine and taking a big gulp.

I don’t know how long it took, Jiang Yuan slowly lay on the ground, looking at the stars in the sky.

Before he knew it, he fell asleep...

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Yuan slowly climbed out of the tent.

"Master, have some water." Wang Gang smiled and brought over a glass of water.

Jiang Yuan's heart moved slightly, and then he looked at Wang Gang with a smile: "Wang Gang, if there is a war the day after tomorrow, what do you think you should do?"

"Don't worry, sir! I will definitely be the first one to rush up and beat Ning Fei!" Wang Gang said, patting his chest.

Jiang Yuan smiled, then coughed twice: "Although this is true, there is something more important that you need to do."

"Master, what's the matter?" Wang Gang scratched his head and looked at Jiang Yuan in confusion.

Jiang Yuan pondered for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a suitable reason. He could only say with a sullen face: "We'll talk about it when the time comes. Anyway, you just have to obey my orders when the time comes."

After saying that, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but sigh. With Wang Gang's personality, if he was the first to rush forward, he would definitely be the first to die.

At this time, in a military tent not far from Jiang Yuan's tent.

"Lao Mo, are you serious?" Zhou Mingyuan stared at the prescription in his hand, his hands shaking slightly. Others might not understand it, but how could he not understand what it meant.

Mo Wentian, who was sitting aside, was looking at the sword in his hand with a smile on his face. He seemed to be in good health and hadn't coughed for a long time.

"Old buddy, I haven't let you unsheathe your sword for twenty years, and today I'm going to shock you again."

As he spoke, Mo Wentian gently placed the sword on the whetstone and began to sharpen the sword with gentle and slow movements.

"Okay, okay! I'll make some medicine for you and add half a pound of croton seeds into it. I guarantee that you'll thrive after drinking it. Then you won't have to fight Ning Fei to death. You'll just ascend to heaven after drinking it!" Zhou Mingyuan angrily took out a medicine jar from his heart.

At this moment, several figures appeared side by side at the door of the military tent.

"Third uncle."

Li Hu spoke with a smile.

Kong Xuan, Zhao Kai and others beside him all looked at Zhou Mingyuan calmly.

Zhou Mingyuan's expression froze, his hands trembling slightly: "No, you, you guys..."

Wang Jue nodded solemnly: "Please help me, Third Uncle!"

"That's right, Third Uncle, can you give us a hand?" Kong Xuan's unreliable voice sounded.

"Crazy, crazy! All crazy!" Zhou Mingyuan shook his head and sighed, then walked to the medicine jar and sat down.

Zhao Kai and the others all bowed to Zhou Mingyuan and said, "Third Master, please!"