Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Get up, all of you! Military academy students aren't allowed to kneel... Your Highness, why don't you lend a hand? Don't just stand there and watch!"

Shen Lang ignored Yue Pengju and the others who were kneeling in the street, and just bent down in front of the car to remove the flat tire.

With all the bolts removed, he immediately instructed Jiang Shangxian to help lift the truck bed, and Shen Lang removed the entire tire.

"Brother, can you hurry up? This is no good for my precious body to be carrying this burden."

"hold on."

Shen Lang calmly took a spare tire from the rear of the car, quickly inserted it into the bearing, and then began to tighten the bolts with a wrench.

Jiang Shangxian finally let go, breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the flat tire, examined it closely, and found a small cut on it.

"This has nothing to do with me at all. It's just a cut. Don't you dare to slander me like this again."

Shen Lang did not reply and continued to fix the wheels, refusing to let the driver take over.

After securing the eight bolts diagonally, Shen Lang put down his tools and turned to the twenty Song students, including Yue Pengju, who were still kneeling on the ground, saying:

"Looks like my words don't work, huh? Fine, if you want to embarrass yourselves, then keep kneeling. But first, take off your uniforms so you don't disgrace my Army Academy."

The group quickly stood up, and Yue Pengju hurriedly said, "Principal, the Song Dynasty is in imminent danger. Bianjing is under siege by a Jin army of over 100,000."

Shen Lang took off his gloves and glanced at Yue Pengju: "And then?"

He casually pulled a pack of cigarettes from his waist pocket and handed one to the driver.

Han Ming continued, "It seems the principal has a very clear understanding of the situation in the Song Dynasty."

After lighting the match for the driver himself, Shen Lang nodded and replied, "Of course, I know everything perfectly well, much more than you do."

"Then why didn't you tell us!"

Yue Pengju said, his eyes red.

"Principal, my country is at a critical moment of life and death, and we, as soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty, are far from the battlefield and watching from the sidelines!"

Shen Lang replied expressionlessly, "Now that you know, what are you planning to do?"

Han Ming replied without hesitation: "Naturally, we should return to the Song Dynasty and fight the Jurchens to the bitter end!"

"Ha ha……"

Shen Lang smiled, then looked at Han Ming, Yue Pengju, and the others and shook his head.

"Fight to the bitter end? With just a few of you, I think you're just going to your deaths."

Han Ming was speechless for a moment.

Shen Lang's expression hardened: "The current situation of the Song Dynasty cannot be saved by the passion of just twenty of you."

Whether you stay or go back, it won't help the situation between the Song and Jin dynasties in the slightest.

Yue Pengju couldn't help but say, "Principal, as soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty, we cannot stand idly by and watch the Song Dynasty's land be trampled upon by the Jin people."

Moreover, Song and Chu were originally allies. Now that their ally is in trouble, can Chu remain indifferent?

Shen Lang countered, "So you mean to have the State of Chu send troops to the Song Dynasty to repel the Jin people for the Song?"

Yue Pengju remained silent, revealing an expression that seemed perfectly natural.

But Shen Lang's next words completely shattered their worldview: "The Song and Jin dynasties have clashed three times, and so far..."

"My state of Chu has not received any requests for military assistance from our allies. How can Chu send troops at this time without proper justification? What kind of logic is that?"

"What? How is this possible!"

Han Ming and the others were immediately filled with disbelief.

Jiang Shangxian quickly said, "Stop arguing, everyone. What your principal said is absolutely true. It's been almost four months since the Jurchens marched south."

Your Song state hasn't even sent an envoy. So what reason do you think my great Chu should have to send troops?

Since the State of Song has no such intention, why should our Great Chu drag our people and soldiers into the flames of war?

Now, all the students' faces turned extremely ugly.

Why didn't the State of Song send an envoy to the State of Chu to ask for help?

"Alright, go back now. You've all skipped one class today. Go back to the military affairs office to receive your punishment: ten laps around the drill ground."

After Shen Lang finished speaking, he was about to enter the carriage.

"Principal! The Regent!"

Yue Pengju stepped forward and grabbed the sliding door, his face pleading.

"What do you want to say?"

Sitting in the carriage, Shen Lang remained expressionless, showing no unusual emotions.

"Principal, I'm begging you, please save the Song Dynasty."

Shen Lang glanced at him and said coldly, "Let go."

Yue Pengju was extremely unwilling, but when he met Shen Lang's cold and ruthless gaze, he finally obediently let go.

Jiang Shangxian patted him on the shoulder and said, "Sergeant Yue, you should also understand your principal's difficulties."

He's currently managing the entire Chu court and its affairs on behalf of His Majesty, so he really doesn't have time to deal with the affairs of your Song Kingdom.

You should all go back now. Don't think about anything else; focusing on learning is what's truly useful.

After saying that, he climbed back into the carriage.

Yue Pengju watched as the car door slowly closed, completely cutting off their view of each other.

As the carriage gradually disappeared into the distance, Yue Pengju felt a surge of intense frustration welling up in his chest.

"Pfft~"

Suddenly, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

"Pengju!"

Han Ming was the first to rush forward and help him up, and the other students immediately surrounded him in a flurry of activity.

"Pengju, don't scare me!"

Han Ming looked extremely nervous, pinching Yue Peng's philtrum and calling out to him repeatedly.

After a long while, Yue Pengju slowly woke up, glanced at his colleagues around him, and finally held Han Ming's hand tightly.

"The Great Song Dynasty is about to perish. As a soldier of the Great Song Dynasty, I am paid by the emperor, yet I am unable to serve my country. I am ashamed of the emperor's kindness and the people!"

“Pengju, this is not your fault alone, don’t blame yourself.”

"Ah~ Why is this happening, Great Song Dynasty, Great Song Dynasty~"

Yue Pengju's grief-stricken cries echoed through the street, immediately attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Shangxian looked at Shen Lang, who was sitting opposite him handling official business, and couldn't help but ask, "You really don't plan to get involved in the affairs of the Song Kingdom?"

Shen Lang: "What benefits can helping the State of Song bring to my State of Chu?"

Jiang Shangxian hurriedly said, "They are, after all, allies. It would be rather unreasonable not to step in."

Besides, people can't always only look at interests, right? We also need to consider feelings.

Shen Lang turned a page of the official document, not even looking up, and said, "There has never been any sentiment between countries. Even if there was, it's all in the past."

The only thing that can sustain a relationship is self-interest; even if we consider feelings...

Then I ask you this: why should the State of Chu clean up the mess created by the State of Song itself?

The misery of the Song people and their soldiers was caused by the incompetent rulers and ministers like Zhao Ji, Zhao Huan, and Ye Fan, not by the officials and people of my Chu state.

Even if those who are not citizens of my Chu Kingdom were piled up before me like mountains of corpses and seas of blood, I would feel no empathy whatsoever.

Don't blame me for being cold-blooded, I'm just stating the facts. To sacrifice the soldiers and civilians of my Chu Kingdom for a decadent and unambitious dynasty...

I couldn't do such a thing. The only thing I could do was, after the fall of the Song Dynasty, utter a few meaningless words on behalf of His Majesty in the Xuanzheng Hall.

“That’s a bit much,” Jiang Shangxian objected. “The Great Song will eventually be part of our Great Chu territory.”

From now on, the people of Song will be citizens of my Great Chu. If word gets out, aren't you afraid it will chill the hearts of the people of Song?"

Shen Lang closed the official document: "At least for now, they are not citizens of my Chu Kingdom."

I have no obligation to sacrifice the lives and interests of my own people for the sake of the lives of people in other countries.

I, Shen Lang, am the Regent of the Great Chu. Every step I take is for the sake of ensuring that the people of my Great Chu have enough to eat and wear, and can live a prosperous life.

I wouldn't dare say that everyone in the Great Chu is wealthy these days, but at least people in various regions can eat meat more than six times a month.

If the Song state causes their quality of life to decline, do you think I, as regent, can still remain in my position?

As he said this, the carriage had already entered the gate of Weiyang Palace.

Jiang Shangxian was stunned by Shen Lang's words for a long time, and finally sighed helplessly: "You, I really don't know what to say to you. Forget it, I'm too lazy to care about these trivial matters. You can decide for yourself."

After saying that, he jumped off the carriage and turned back to say, "By the way, there's also news from Northern Yan. Murong Ke is probably coming to Jinling soon to discuss grain purchases. You'd better be careful."

"understood."

Shen Lang also jumped out of the carriage, and the two walked together toward Xuanzheng Hall.