Chapter 267
Lu Zhishen's plan to go to the northern line failed, but he just liked the feeling of fighting, and his heart was not as bloodthirsty as Li Kui. Now that he can't leave, he doesn't complain, and he knows what is important.

Wen Huanzhang originally thought that he had to do ideological work, but he did not expect that as soon as Yang Chang and his wife left, Lu Zhishen took on the responsibility of inspecting the camp. The role change was very fast.

On his way north, Yang Chang was always hesitant about whether to really leave.

After all, it is his own family affair, and Nianhan is a formidable opponent. He is worried that without him in charge of Zezhou, Lin Chong and others will make mistakes.

He was confused all the way and took a detour to Lijialing, intending to check out the situation on the northern line before deciding whether to go north.

The two men had good and fast horses, and they reached the camp at the foot of the mountain in half a day.

It was setting sun, and apart from a few teams of patrolling sentries, the entire camp was silent. Upon asking, they learned that Lin Chong had not returned from the battle, and the soldiers who remained in the camp were resting.

Go to bed so early?

Yang Chang walked towards the big tent with a suspicious look on his face, but was stopped by Qiu Qiongying on the way. She pointed at the corner of the camp's clothes and exclaimed: "Sir, look!"

"Hmm? Cannon?"

The sudden appearance of several familiar cannons made Yang Chang freeze in place for a moment. He remembered that he did not recruit any artillery troops to go with him on this trip to Zezhou in the south, but what was the situation in front of him?
This thing is inconvenient to transport, especially because of the rugged roads that waste transportation capacity. Moreover, there are no saltpeter mines in the states under Yang Changzhi, and the raw materials for gunpowder have to be purchased through private channels. It can be said that obtaining them is time-consuming and laborious.

The production of artillery shells is already insufficient, and the stock is not enough for Qiu Qiongying to throw as much as she wants, but now she wants to use them on artillery?

We started from scratch and have a weak foundation, so even if we miss a target, it will be a loss.

Yang Chang and Qiu Qiongying looked at each other at the same time. These two "weirdos" who threw artillery shells with their hands felt that artillery shells should not be wasted like this and that this was how normal armies used them.

Just then, Ling Zhen suddenly appeared.

"Captain? Third Madam?"

"Ling Zhen? Are you really here?"

"I arrived here this morning with the artillery corps under the orders of the general commander. The general is here for inspection, right? Please come to the big tent to chat."

"Okay, let's go."

Yang Chang followed him to the big tent calmly, thinking that Lin Chong had no one to send anyone to report, and everyone said that the war in Lijialing was under control, and never asked for support from him, and then secretly transferred the artillery troops?

Of course, although Ling Zhen's artillery army was special, its base was in Shangdang, Luzhou. As the commander-in-chief of Luzhou's troops, Lin Chong had the right to mobilize them, but he chose to mobilize troops from far away rather than nearby places, which made Yang Chang puzzled.

So when they entered the central army tent, Yang Chang asked around to understand the situation, and found out that what Lin Chong meant by small scale and controllable was that the Lijialing position had not been lost.

However, the continuous attacks by the Jin army had made Lin Chong's soldiers exhausted. The soldiers in the barracks were catching up on sleep during the day, and the consumption of bows and arrows was very huge, so the artillery army was dispatched.

Yang Chang did not comment after listening, because Lin Chong's deployment was well-planned and there was nothing unreasonable about it.

As night fell, Lin Chong returned to the camp in the wind and dust.

He knew in advance that Yang Chang had arrived, so he saluted as soon as he entered the tent: "General, Third Madam, why are you here?"

"I came by to take a look. From what I can see from your expression, the fighting here seems to be very intense. You were personally commanding the front line, why didn't you tell me about it?"

"hehe."

Seeing that Yang Chang seemed to be blaming him, Lin Chong smiled and explained: "Don't blame me, Taiwei. Due to the terrain restrictions of Lijialing, the battle was not fierce. It's just that the Jin soldiers have been attacking for a long time and have to send troops to fight every day. I have to respond. Taiwei must be busy in taking charge of the overall situation. The overall situation here is under control, so I didn't alarm you."

"I see."

Yang Chang grinned and thought to himself, I'm idle in the south, but looking at what Lin Chong has done, he is indeed a capable general. If the battlefield of Zezhou is handed over to him, it doesn't seem to be a big problem.

"Nianhan is trapped in Lingchuan, and military supplies and fodder must be transported from Baixing. A long-term consumption will be disadvantageous to the Jin army. The more frantic his attack on Lijialing is, the more necessary it is to stop him. Seeing that you have transferred all the artillery troops here, it means that the war on the ridge is still fierce. Tomorrow, my wife and I will help you drop bombs?"

"Ah this."

"Sir, are you going to stay here? You're not going to Luzhou to see my second sister?"

"With the enemy at hand, the country comes first, and family comes second. Princess, we can talk about family affairs later."

Qiu Qiongying wanted to insist, but Yang Chang's eyes were so determined that she shut up and stopped talking.

"Going to Luzhou?"

Lin Chong was stunned when he saw this, and then added: "The family affairs of the Taiwei are the affairs of the state. You don't have to worry about Lijialing. I will make sure that the Jin army will not pass. As for the artillery army commanded by Ling Tongzhi, it is not planned to be deployed yet, so I won't bother you, and..."

"And what?"

"The commander has been famous in the Jin army for throwing cannonballs, and Nianhan is intimidated by your reputation and dares not attack the southern front. If he knew you were here, maybe he would be able to do something."

"Officer."

Qiu Qiongying was delighted when she heard this. She couldn't help but pull Yang Chang's sleeves and echoed, "What Manager Lin said is very true."

"rational."

Yang Chang nodded his head vigorously, glanced at Qiu Qiongying, and said, "Then I'll be back soon, but the artillery is inconvenient to transport, and each shell is precious. I'll leave my wife here and let her drop the bombs at the critical moment?"

"It's not necessary."

Lin Chong waved his hands when he heard this. Although Qiu Qiongying was skilled in martial arts, her identity was so special that keeping her would be disadvantageous to his command.

He explained earnestly, "I believe that the main purpose of the Taiwei's establishment of an artillery corps is to create a unique army. We cannot discard artillery because it is heavy, nor can we rely on the virtuous couple to throw it because the shells are precious. This may lose the original intention. I often admonish the new recruits, 'No matter how good you are on the training ground, it is better to fight on the battlefield. Only those who can crawl out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood are real good soldiers.'"

Yang Chang was deeply moved after listening to this. This is an example of 'the speaker is unintentional but the listener is intentional'. Good soldiers are trained through trial and error, and good generals should also be given opportunities to train. If he does everything by himself, wouldn't that be like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang working hard?

We can still take care of it now as the chassis is small, but what will we do when the territory becomes larger in the future?
What is even more frightening is that one will become dependent on others. In the future, one will be dependent on oneself for everything. How can one become an immortal through cultivation? Even if one becomes an immortal, one will become an immortal who worries about others. The longer one lives, the more work one does.

"Cough cough."

Yang Changshi then coughed twice, patted Lin Chong's arm and said solemnly: "Brother, you are right. Zezhou is now handed over to you. Whether it is Master Lu on the southern front or the troops in Gaoping Pingqian, they are all under your unified command. I hope that when I return next time, I can hear your victory report!"

"Don't worry, Commander. Lin Chong will live up to your expectations!"

"In that case, we'll leave."

"Now."

Ling Zhen was about to remind Lin Chong that it was getting dark, but Lin Chong asked him to escort Captain Yang and his wife out of the camp. Then Ling Zhen remembered that Captain Yang could see at night and was accustomed to walking at night.

The summer heat of August has not yet subsided and the weather is often scorching.

Traveling during the day is really not as good as traveling at night. Even the horses are more relaxed at night.

The couple traveled overnight, and stopped at Huguan the next morning to rest their horses. After a short rest, they continued northward and arrived at Lucheng, the agreed destination, before noon. Gu Dasao was already waiting there, but Zhao Fujin, who was very fast, was not there.

Yang Chang was not hesitant. After a brief greeting, he sat down to learn about the situation.

The Sparrow Army released by Gu Dasao has currently opened hotels in Damingfu, Cizhou and Xiangzhou. However, due to the Jin army's frequent looting, two of them were temporarily forced to close. The "sparrows" have changed their identities as traveling doctors and peddlers, and continue to operate in these places and continuously transmit intelligence back to Weisheng.

In the middle and late last month, Erlido's Eastern Route Jin Army crossed the Yellow River from Huazhou and returned north, passing through Damingfu and Mingzhou, and leaked information related to Bianliang, which was then learned by the Sparrows.

Seeing that Mrs. Gu was speaking in general terms, Yang Chang could not help but interrupt and ask, "Sister-in-law, please focus on Princess Xunde. How did you get the information about her? It is unlikely that such an important captive would be known to the outside world."

"You may not know, this is just a coincidence."

Mrs. Gu paused and slowly explained, "Princess Xunde fell ill during the journey and stayed in Daming Mansion to seek medical treatment. She happened to be encountered by our people, so we knew her identity. At that time, her husband complained that if Princess Maode had not married the Grand Marshal, her sister would not have been targeted."

"How does this involve me?"

Yang Chang was stunned when he heard this. Since the prince consort had such a complaint, could it be that he had killed too many Jin people and they were deliberately venting their anger on his sister-in-law? However, according to Zhao Fujin's tone, wasn't this sister-in-law still a young girl? How could she get married so soon?

As time went by, the girl would grow into a woman, but this guy didn't react for a while.

Mrs. Gu looked at Yang Chang counting his fingers, not knowing that he was calculating her sister-in-law's age, and then added: "At that time, there were Jin soldiers following us, and our people did not dare to ask, so the specific situation is unclear, but Princess Xunde had a very hard life."

"What do you mean? By the way, what's wrong with her?"

Yang Chang was not familiar with the chronology of that time, and was interrupted by new questions before he could figure it out. So he let his confused mind go, thinking that he would ask directly when the princess came.

"That young lady has been pregnant for several months. Although her pregnancy is stable, how could she have endured any hardship? How could her body endure riding horses and running around every day? Isn't this bleeding? These golden dogs are damned!"

"what!"

After hearing Mrs. Gu's answer, Yang Chang's head suddenly started buzzing.

Even pregnant women are not spared? And she even brought her husband with her. What are you trying to do? Is the Chinese nation so arrogant?

In fact, Yang Chang was overthinking this.

The nomadic people at this time were very different from the Central Plains dynasties.

The kings of the Central Plains were influenced by etiquette and history books and considered it a great shame and humiliation if their wives and daughters were taken away by the enemy. However, the nomadic peoples were accustomed to this and women were the spoils of tribal conquests.

Take the Jin Dynasty's conquest of the Liao Dynasty as an example. All the beautiful women left over from the Liao royal family were married to Jin nobles without exception, becoming the bond of marriage and integration. Even though they became tools for reproduction, ordinary people of the Liao Dynasty would not be angry, because the same thing happened when the Liao Dynasty annexed small tribes.

A large proportion of these women who were forced to remarry were abducted while pregnant, and the "receivers" would raise the children as their own, and would not have the concept of raising a son for their enemy. (Example: Genghis Khan's eldest son Jochi)

Just as he came back to his senses from his anger, Yang Chang continued to ask: "Where is Princess Xunde now? Is her life in danger?"

"They stayed in Daming Prefecture for two days, and continued northward after the bleeding stopped. Although their lives were no longer in danger, if they continued on the bumpy ride, the baby in their belly would definitely not survive."

"What did you say?"

"Official."

When Mrs. Gu heard the voice, she turned around and saw that Zhao Fujin and Hu Sanniang had both arrived. She immediately bowed to them.

Zhao Fujin, who had always been steady, heard that his sister was abducted and suffering on the road. He lowered himself and pulled Mrs. Gu to question her. Mrs. Gu had no choice but to repeat her story.

Hu Sanniang regretted not being able to get pregnant in her life, but her maternal instinct was aroused while she was taking care of Yang Huang, and she could not bear to hear the news of the baby dying in the womb.

Yang Chang saw that she looked sad, so he stepped forward, held her green hand, and asked with concern: "Madam, why are you here? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine." Hu Sanniang shook her head gently, "I was worried about my second sister, so I followed her to see her."

"That Huanger"

Seeing Yang Chang frowning in worry, Hu Sanniang immediately replied, "We have Li E to take care of us, Lei Zhen and Ma Baoguo to protect us, and my second brother is in charge of Weisheng, so nothing will go wrong."

"Ah."

"Oh, right, your Excellency has the ability to appear and disappear like a ghost. He was able to sneak into the enemy camp and kill the marshal. Is there any hope of saving Princess Xunde? The princess's mother passed away early, and she has a deep friendship with her sister. She has been crying these past few days. In addition, there is the retired emperor."

Zhao Fujin was asking about his sister's whereabouts when he suddenly heard Hu Sanniang and Yang Chang discussing rescuing people. He immediately turned around and interrupted them: "Thank you, sister. Saving people is different from killing people. Although I also want to rescue Xun De and my father, I can't let Yang Lang take too much risk. Maybe I can use my magic to rescue Xun De halfway, but I need Yang Lang's help. I don't know if it's possible."

Yang Chang replied, "We have made arrangements here, but the Jin army has been gone for several days. If we want to rescue them, we must set out as soon as possible. If they are sent to Shangjing, even if the princess knows the art of speed, it will take a long time to go back and forth."

"Yang Lang agreed?"

Zhao Fujin was happy at first, but then worried, and immediately asked, "Does this count as putting personal interests above public interests?"

"Princess's family affairs are official affairs. If I can rescue your father, can I be the second Cao Cao?"

"Uh"

Zhao Fujin was stunned at first by the half-serious and half-joking words, and then she pursed her lips and replied: "Yang Lang is my heaven, you can be whoever you want, but can you really save so many people? If not, just rescue Xun De first. After all, Daddy is the retired emperor of the Song Dynasty, and there should be no danger for him to stay in the Jin camp, but it's hard to say about Xun De."

"Hmm? I'll listen to you."

Yang Chang was stunned when he heard this, and thought that Zhao Fujin was worthy of being a princess. Her political sensitivity was far better than others. She had already thought of the Jin people's different treatment of prisoners. However, if Huizong heard this, it would probably cause a great uproar.

Considering that the Jin army would take the prisoners back to Shangjing, if they went too late they would have to flee from Yuguan to the northeast, Yang Chang set out with Zhao Fujin on the same day.

Of course, he had to give some instructions to Hu Sanniang and Qiu Qiongying before leaving. When passing by She County, he stopped and instructed Sun Li to take the initiative to expand his defense zone during Lin Chong's absence to ensure that the order in Luzhou was not affected.

Yang Chang and Zhao Fujin left Fengyue Pass and headed north while inquiring about the movements of the Jin army. They finally confirmed that the captives were stranded in Zhending Prefecture. The next step was to sneak into the city to rescue them.

At that time, tens of thousands of Jin troops were stationed in Zhending. Yang Chang wanted to escape from the city with a pregnant woman, which was much more difficult than killing Han Li. This required a clever design, so he thought of the prop [Disguise Feather].

The two then came to Fenglong Mountain. With his super perception, it was not difficult for Yang Chang to find and shoot birds in the forest, but this guy wanted to catch them.

The first kill has a high chance of dropping items, so you should catch it alive and give it to others, and then pick up the drops yourself.

They walked through the dense forest for two hours. Suddenly, the sky gradually darkened. Zhao Fujin felt a little nervous. When he saw that Yang Chang had caught more than 20 birds, he gently reminded him, "Yang Lang, is that enough?"

"Well, that should be enough. If you are really unlucky, then..."

Yang Chang was halfway through responding when he suddenly noticed danger approaching from behind. He immediately protected Zhao Fujin behind him. He suddenly saw a large black shadow deep in the dense forest, but it was obscured by trees and leaves and could not be seen clearly.

"Princess, be careful! Use the armor technique quickly!"

(End of this chapter)