Zhao Hanzhang paused her pen, feeling it would be a disservice not to talk bad about Prince East Sea after writing this far, so she continued to write eloquently.
Prince East Sea is old, hence blind and narrow-minded, constantly suppressing Your Majesty, causing much suffering to Your Majesty. He lacks the talents to govern and the ability to lead troops, which is why Jin State is splitting apart, but you are different.
Zhao Hanzhang said: I heard you are knowledgeable and talented, with a chivalrous heart. If you were beside the Emperor, you could certainly revive Jin State.
She expressed: Since the ancestors, the Zhao Family has been dedicated to the emperor. My grandfather devoted his life to Jin State. So, as long as the Great General can protect the emperor and preserve Jin State, not only Zhao Hanzhang but the Zhao Family is willing to follow him as leader.
Zhao Hanzhang finished writing and shivered involuntarily. She carefully checked the letter, found so typos but was too lazy to correct them. The words matched her mood; only by letting him see them could he understand her intentions, so she decided not to transcribe it again.
Such a thick letter would take considerable ti to transcribe again.
Zhao Hanzhang saw Fu Tinghan reading seriously and leaned forward with her chin in hand, asking, "Well, how do you think this letter turned out?"
Fu Tinghan said: "I don’t know how Wang Mi will feel, but I’m moved."
Zhao Hanzhang smugly smiled and, after pondering for a mont, said: "Should I copy another identical one and accidentally let it fall into Liu Cong’s hands?"
Fu Tinghan replied: "Too much is as bad as too little."
Zhao Hanzhang thought so too, "Alright."
She called Zeng Yue over and handed him the letter, "Find a way to discreetly deliver it to Wang Mi’s army."
Zeng Yue took the letter and solemnly agreed.
Although the two armies were at war, ssengers were not prohibited. It wasn’t difficult for the ssenger to deliver the letter, but the tricky part was how to do it discreetly so Liu Cong wouldn’t find out;
No, it should be delivered discreetly, openly unnoticed by Liu Cong, yet in a way that would make him suspicious, sending it to Wang Mi’s army.
This was very difficult. The soldiers delivering the letter discussed for a long ti before figuring it out, and only set out discreetly after dark.
Zhao Erlang and Xie Shi also led the Zhao Family Army to retreat a bit and settled in the city.
Zhao Erlang really wanted to go back and see his sister, but he was a general and couldn’t leave. He could only irritably move back and forth at the front of the army and then fiercely glare at the brightly lit place in the distance, "Xie Shi, why don’t you let fight? We’ve stood all day."
Xie Shi said: "If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move; we wait for the governor’s orders."
"But my sister..."
"The governor is safe and healthy," Xie Shi warned in a low voice: "Little General, be steady. If you are steady, the army will be steady. You are the general; if you are confused, how can the soldiers fight with confidence?"
Zhao Erlang then stood quietly.
Xie Shi thought he had persuaded him and was about to urge him to eat so dry rations when he heard Zhao Erlang say grievously, "I tried, but I’m still anxious. What should I do?"
Xie Shi: ...
Helpless, Xie Shi called Lv Hu over, casually took out a piece of dry rations and said: "Take it to the governor, and say the Little General ate this biscuit and found it very good, sent it for the governor to taste."
Lv Hu looked at the standard military-issued rations and didn’t move.
The governor probably has this stuff, right?
Is it necessary to go through the trouble of sending it?
Xie Shi narrowed his eyes slightly, "Hurry and send it!"
Lv Hu looked at Zhao Erlang.
Zhao Erlang nodded repeatedly, "Quickly send it, quickly send it."
He glanced at the biscuit, thinking one wasn’t enough for his sister. She had a big appetite, so he took out the rations stored in his own bag, hesitated a bit, and divided two pieces over, "Here, take these to Sister too."
Xie Shi couldn’t help but smile, complinting Zhao Erlang, "Erlang is filial, oh no, it’s just friendly."
Bla it on how childish Zhao Erlang acts, he always subconsciously treats him like a child.
Lv Hu took the three pieces of biscuit and left, arriving at the main camp, where Zhao Hanzhang was eating as well.
A small pot of rice, a basket of stead buns, and a plate of boiled eggs—bird eggs—that Fu Tinghan’s trusted aide looked everywhere to find.
Zhao Hanzhang was eating and received the three snacks from Zhao Erlang. Hearing it was suggested by Xie Shi, Zhao Hanzhang imdiately understood and packed up all the stead buns on the table, divide half of the bird eggs out, handed them to Lv Hu, saying: "Take them back to Erlang, tell him I said to be vigilant at night so Wang Mi and Liu Cong don’t ambush."
Then she said to Ting He: "Go with Lv Hu, tell Erlang I’m fine, just busy with so matters outside that need handling, so he needs to help guard the front."
Ting He accepted the order and went into the city with Lv Hu to see Zhao Erlang.
Zhao Erlang opened the cloth bag and saw the still-warm stead buns, imdiately abandoning the hard and dry rations. He took one and bit into it, clamped a bun in his mouth, then took one for Xie Shi, hesitated a bit, and gave one to both Lv Hu and Zhao Cai.
Taking the bun down, he mumbled, "You two share."
Lv Hu and Zhao Cai responded, very moved.
Xie Shi saw him guarding his food like this, holding his bun, feeling both touched and unable to resist laughing.
Ting He paused for a while before saying, "Erlang, the lady wants you not to worry about her, she’s just busy with things outside; she asks you to guard the front well for her."
If he were normal, he’d definitely suspect Ting He’s words, but Zhao Erlang isn’t normal, so he believed as soon as she spoke.
He munching the bun mumbled: "I knew Sister is amazing, how could she get hurt?"
"When Sister’s lips turned pale, was it because she was too tired?" Zhao Erlang said, "It must be exhaustion. Mother said that ladies have a few days when they’re particularly tired, and I should protect Sister well during those days. Ting He, tell Sister not to worry; I’ll guard the front and not let them break through."
Ting He blushed slightly, glanced at Xie Shi and others, and stomped her foot, "Erlang, don’t say such things to others. Anyway, rember the lady’s words, I’ll go back."
Zhao Erlang, chewing his bun, puzzledly looked at Xie Shi, "Sir, why is Ting He acting strange?"
Xie Shi lightly bit the bun and scolded him, "Even eating needs manners; how can you wolf down your food like this?"
Zhao Erlang, although always able to heed Xie Shi and Wang Nai’s advice, doesn’t listen to everything. His sister said not to listen if he feels it’s wrong.
So he imdiately retorted, "Sister said, fighting requires speed. Eating needs to be quick too. Eating slowly will make you hungry; being hungry ans you’ll lack strength; lacking strength ans you’ll die! So eating slowly ans dying. Sir, you need to eat faster."
After speaking, he glanced at the cloth bag with only two buns left, hesitated a long ti, then reluctantly gave him another, "Eat, there’s none left after this."
Inside were bird eggs, but Zhao Erlang only shared one with Xie Shi, and kept the rest for himself.
If his sister hadn’t told him to treat Xie Shi and Wang Nai with the sa respect as her, he wouldn’t have shared food with them.
Xie Shi sighed, shook his head, and couldn’t help but smile.
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