After my soul traveled to ancient times, I don't want to be cannon fodder

So this old man has been very free recently, waiting for Zhong Ning's orders.

Pingning Hou repeatedly urged Zhong Lu to stay, but he refused and simply replied respectfully, "Your Highness has said that personal bravery is nothing; it is those who fight on the battlefield who are true warriors. I am not talented, and I do not ask for much. For now, I will only follow Your Highness's orders!"

"Without Your Highness's approval, I cannot act in this way!"

After all, there is an employment contract between them.

Although he is not a great talent, he also knows what keeping promises is!

Marquis Pingning was silent for a moment, then asked, "You would rather serve under Princess Zhaohua than follow me, General. Princess Zhaohua, is that really that good?"

A trace of admiration and respect appeared on Zhong Lu's face, and she replied solemnly: "Your Highness the Princess is a master of martial arts and cares deeply about the world. I and others respect you very much!"

How high must a princess's martial arts skills be to be respected by a warrior?

Pingning Hou's expression was unclear, but Shen Yan suddenly spoke up, "General, have you ever heard that Princess Zhaohua single-handedly destroyed the entire Prince An's Mansion?"

Marquis Pingning nodded slightly; he was also shocked at the time.

Seeing him nod, Shen Yan continued:

"In fact, at that time, His Majesty was reluctant to punish Prince An, and the Queen Mother was even more determined to protect Prince An. It was Princess Zhaohua who entered the palace to argue for her rights... and she almost deposed Eunuch Hong with a single blow..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes widened.

After a long while, Lin Canjun was the first to break the almost eerie silence, "Uncle Ying Ji, are you joking?"

Who is Eunuch Hong?

That is the protective umbrella in the palace.

Although Emperor Yong has Qi Yu to protect him, everyone knows that because of his superb martial arts and high loyalty, Qi Yu often needs to go out to help Emperor Yong do some important and dangerous things.

For example, checking accounts in Jiangnan, and cracking down on foreign kings in various places.

The reason why Emperor Yong was so safe in the palace was not only because the palace was heavily guarded, but also because of Eunuch Hong.

Eunuch Hong's martial arts level is the highest in Dayong at present, only one step away from the ninth rank. If there is a level, it is at least the eighth rank.

One step away from becoming a ninth-grade warrior.

How old is Princess Zhaohua?

How dare you compete with Eunuch Hong?

"If not, then, General Lin, why do you think His Majesty suddenly changed his mind? Not only did he imprison Prince An's mansion and confiscate it, but he also questioned all the ministers implicated in the Fangyuan case one by one?"

"Could it be possible that the confiscated property and the exiled hostages were fake?"

Shen Yan's voice was a little harsh, and he was also a little angry. As the princess of the current dynasty, Zhong Ning has done a lot for this country, but there are always some people who want to get more than they deserve.

Not only did they lack respect for her, they also showed no gratitude for the food and fodder she donated, and now they were unilaterally trying to seize her guards.

These guards were so skilled in martial arts that it must have taken her a lot of effort just to subdue them.

Marquis Pingning had never thought that his affection for a guard would lead to so many problems. He originally thought that she was just a little princess, and being her guard would not be as good as fighting on the battlefield.

Now he knew that he couldn't offend this little princess easily!

Lieutenant General Zeng, intent on easing the atmosphere, spoke up, "Everyone, since Guard Zhong is unwilling, we naturally won't force him. The banquet isn't over yet, so why don't you all return to camp? I'll offer you a toast!"

Another general with a slightly hot temper was immediately furious when he heard this. What kind of guards from the princess's family actually brought Qiao to them?

"You really don't know what's good for you, kid. It's a blessing for you that our general has taken a liking to you. How can you refuse?"

"How dare you!" Pingning Hou scolded. He already understood.

If what Ying Jibo said is true, then Princess Zhaohua should be the only ninth-rank master in their Dayong.

He is so young and has royal illegitimate blood.

It's really too lucky!

Marquis Pingning glanced at Zhong Lu, who looked calm as usual, and said regretfully, "Forget it. Since you don't want to, this general will naturally not force you!"

"Thank you, General. It's not that I'm unwilling, but when I came here, Your Highness said that I would return immediately after delivering the food and fodder to the barracks. I dare not neglect it!"

"I will naturally report the matter raised by the general to the princess. If you approve, I will serve the country and defend the border of Dayong!"

Zhong Lu was serious and was not affected by the atmosphere at all.

The hot-tempered general saw the look of pity on his general's face and couldn't help but grumble, "He's just a guard. What's the harm in taking him? How dare you take Qiao..."

"General, generals!" Lu Xingzhou's expression became more serious. He bowed and said, "Forgive me for being frank. I was also recommended by Princess Zhaohua, and the first batch of funds for firearms research and development also came from the princess's private property."

"That's where the Firearms Battalion is currently located. It's in the mountains surrounding the Princess's Royal Manor. It's also under the Princess's name!"

"Not only that, the selection of officers and soldiers for the subsequent Firearms Battalion was also personally chosen by Her Royal Highness the Princess. In order to allow me to concentrate on developing gunpowder, I was given money, men, and land."

"The Firearms Battalion's current achievements are inseparable from the full support of Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"Even as her birthday approached, all she could think about was whether the soldiers on the front lines had enough food to eat and whether the casualties were severe."

"Not only did she purchase large quantities of food and fodder to support the front lines, she also recruited dozens of skilled medical practitioners from the public, along with a large quantity of medicinal herbs, to accompany the army."

"She did everything she could."

"Let me ask you, throughout history, has there ever been a princess who could achieve such a feat?"

"I am saying this today for no other reason than to hope that no one in the military will ever again discuss Princess Zhaohua or act disrespectfully towards Her Highness."

"Your Highness's kindness shouldn't be treated like this!"

As soon as these words fell, the entire training ground fell into silence.

you do not say!

The imperial court delayed the delivery of food and fodder, but the little princess took the initiative to donate food and fodder.

Not only did they donate food and supplies, they also sent you reinforcements, bringing firearms that could severely injure the enemy, and doctors and medicinal materials that could save lives.

I have done so much, but I haven't received a word of thanks from you. Instead, you are thinking about my guards!

This matter is too shameless.

Even the Marquis of Pingning felt his face getting hot at this moment. He never thought that just wanting a small guard would involve so much.

In fact, he knew in his heart that the reason he did so before was because he had some grudge against Princess Zhaohua. Because of the Fangyuan incident, he also received a letter from home and learned that his good-for-nothing son was also involved.

Therefore, he was somewhat angry at Princess Zhaohua for revealing the matter.

But after seeing how much she had done, I knew I had wronged her.

"This matter is something I haven't considered thoroughly!" Pingning Hou said calmly, then added, "Princess Zhaohua is devoted to the country, and I will always remember this!"

"General, you are too polite. I was too blunt just now. Please don't blame me!" Lu Xingzhou and Shen Yan bowed in succession.

Marquis Pingning nodded slightly, and of course he didn't take it to heart.

He waved his hand, inviting Zhong Lu to come closer, and said unhappily, "This general will no longer force you to serve under me. As long as you stay in the camp for a few more days and teach the soldiers martial arts, is that okay?"

Zhong Lu originally held the sword in one hand, and still looked as if it had nothing to do with him, but after hearing what the general said, he could no longer refuse.

In fact, in the following days, when Zhong Lu brought a group of secret guards to teach the soldiers martial arts, Pingning Hou realized that not only Zhong Lu was a martial arts expert, but the group of secret guards were also top-notch fighters.

Although he also had secret guards, they were defeated in less than ten moves when they fought against Princess Zhaohua's secret guards.

How could he know that Zhong Ning was a man who could make reasonable arrangements. Since there were so many seventh-grade warriors, it was common to let them train his secret guards.

She would occasionally give guidance to the seventh-grade warriors on their martial arts progress.

But the warriors will also give instructions to the group of secret guards.

Now, in the deep mountains of Futu Mountain, Zhong Ning has already built a training base, which was what he had ordered Xue Ming and Yue Sheng to arrange before.

A skilled mechanical craftsman from Jiangnan was specially invited to build a villa with all necessary facilities. The villa is hidden in the mountains to provide a cover for the daily training of the secret guards.