Your Majesty said that my life is worthless, so why are you crying when I increase my troops?

Chen Qing left with Wei Saner and others in a daze.

Under Xia Mingyuan's temptation and coercion, he had come to this point step by step and had long lost the power of choice.

All I can do now is obey Xia Mingyuan's arrangements.

In the private room, Pan Yue stood in front of the window, watching Xia Mingyuan's back disappear in the crowd, his face solemn, and remained silent for a long time.

Pan Hongxing endured the pain in his buttocks and sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Dad, I really can't understand why we have to get entangled with this Xia Mingyuan."

"Haven't you been wanting to deal with Sun Yaozu and his son for a long time?"

"Why did you have to drag this guy into this?"

"If you ask me, he, as a guard at the princess's mansion, doesn't seem to have much ability..."

"shut up!"

"You bastard, can't you use your brain?"

Pan Yue was furious and turned around to glare at Pan Hongxing coldly.

Pan Hongxing shrank his neck, looked at his father with some fear, lowered his head and dared not talk back.

But obviously, he still seemed a little unconvinced.

Pan Yue, who was about to rush over and kick his son, calmed down. He gritted his teeth, sighed, and said, "Son, I have a piece of advice for you."

"Once you are with Commander Xia, you must do your job well and hopefully gain his appreciation."

"Dad wants revenge in this lifetime, but I'm afraid there's no hope. If you can talk to Commander Xia, maybe there's still hope."

Hearing this, Pan Hongxing was shocked and looked up at his father in disbelief.

"Dad, I've never heard you say something that would boost others' morale and destroy your own prestige."

"This Xia Mingyuan is only about the same age as me, is he really that powerful?"

Pan Yue sighed, "This man, whether in terms of his scheming or his methods, is a true hero of his generation."

"No matter where Chen Qing is, he is considered a hero. But when he stands before Xia Mingyuan, he is tricked like a three-year-old child."

"What Dad is most thankful for now is that he didn't completely offend him at that tailor shop."

Xia Mingyuan and his group returned to the princess's mansion.

Chen Qing followed the instructions and left Hanyang quietly.

After daily sword-wielding practice, Wei Saner handed Xia Mingyuan a towel to wipe his hands, brought him some tea and fruit, and stood aside, seeming to be hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Xia Mingyuan smiled knowingly.

"Wei San'er, you've been with me for so long, are you still going to hide things from me?"

"Just say whatever you want to say."

Wei Saner hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, do you really believe that Chen Qing will work for us?"

"If we let him leave the city like this, what should we do if he changes his mind and runs away?"

Xia Mingyuan chuckled and said calmly, "He won't run, and he doesn't dare to run."

"Besides, even if he runs away, it's no big deal."

"Whether it's the Xu family or the Poison Dragon Gang, once they know the truth has been revealed, they will want him dead even more than we do."

"But this guy is not a pushover. If he can betray his master once, he might betray us."

"If he turns against us in five days, will we be in danger?"

Xia Mingyuan laughed dumbly, "Wei San'er, if you don't lead the troops, there are some things I can't explain to you clearly."

"You just need to understand that for a qualified general, the most important thing is how to use people."

"In this world, there are no purely bad people, nor purely good people. Most people are not black or white."

"As for the positive, we can use it in a positive way. As for the negative, sometimes taking an unconventional approach can produce unexpected results."

After Xia Mingyuan finished speaking, he looked at Wei Saner beside him with a smile.

Ever since Wei Saner came to the princess's mansion, he has been using this guy very smoothly.

Be perceptive, know how to handle things, and understand the rules.

Most importantly, he knows how to obey orders.

Xia Mingyuan still respects such subordinates very much.

If used well, he might become a capable helper in the future, and will definitely not be worse than Lu Xiucai and the heir of the military strategist.

Wei San'er scratched his head, not quite understanding what you meant, then smiled and said, "Sir, I'm a bit slow-witted. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to understand your teachings for a while."

"However, my cousin said that as long as you stay with the young master, listen and watch more, you will understand sooner or later."

Xia Mingyuan smiled lightly, nodded, and said nothing more.

One day later, on the outskirts of Hanyang, at Dulong Mountain.

"Third brother, what did you say?"

In the main hall of the stronghold, the boss Jiang Tai slammed the table with a ferocious look on his face.

"Damn, these Xu family bastards, are they just talking bullshit?"

"I've worked so hard for them, and the promised grain and silver are being cut in half?"

Chen Qing lowered his head, walked forward with a look of indignation on his face.

"Brother, I don't know what's going on with the Xu family. No matter how I tell them, we're going to have a hard time without winter supplies, but Xu Wu from the Xu family won't agree."

"I tried to talk him into it with a smile, but he slapped me in the face."

"Xu Wu also said that this mission is extremely urgent. It was ordered by the head of the family himself, and he wanted us to quickly gather 3,000 men and horses and set off to Lin County to carry out the mission."

"If you ask me, we should just ignore them. The emperor has plenty of hungry soldiers. The Xu family won't give us this or that, so do they really want us to work for them?"

Chen Qing spoke with righteous indignation, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Jiang Tai frowned and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said, "Third Brother, I know you've been wronged this time, but the Xu family is not something we Poison Dragon Gang members can afford to offend."

"If they really go against their will and take the supplies but don't work for the Xu family, I'm afraid our Poison Dragon Gang will be on the list of those to be eliminated next year."

"Well, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head."

"Although the Xu family cut down half of the supplies, we still have food in our mountain stronghold. If we live frugally, we should have no problem getting through this winter."

"After this year, our Poison Dragon Gang will have to find a stronger leg to cling to."

Chen Qing heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, but he still pretended to be unconvinced and said, "The Xu family doesn't even take us seriously."

"I just can't stand the arrogance of those people!"

"Alright!" Jiang Tai waved his hand helplessly, not doubting Jiang Qing too much in his heart. "You've been busy for so long, go down and rest."

"This time the Xu family asked us to gather 3,000 men, so you don't have to go with them. You will just be responsible for transporting the supplies sent by the Xu family up the mountain."

"Also, I've heard about your brother's situation. Although it's heartbreaking for me as the eldest brother, it's not a good idea for Hanyang to be without his spies watching over him."

"In the near future, find a way to train a group of people and place them in Hanyang City to keep an eye on Pan Yue and his men."

"If there is any movement, report it to me immediately."