Chapter 280 The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

The general manager of Xiazhou came in person, and what he escorted was the food that everyone in the military camp was looking forward to. He should be welcomed by the soldiers.

The two sides greeted each other with greetings and polite words for two rounds, both with smiles on their faces, and it was as if they felt like old friends at first sight.

After all, Xiazhou's safety still depends on Zhao Pan.

Whether the battle on the northern front can continue depends on whether Manager He can transport food here.

The mutual dependence of both parties determined that the relationship was very close from the beginning.

Zhao Pan seemed to follow the template of a general in the eyes of ordinary people. He had a strong back and strong waist, thick eyebrows and beard. His face was full of boldness, and his laughter seemed to knock down the small tree next to him.

When the military rations were delivered, the border troops came to take over. He Chunhua's team can finally rest.

Zhao Pan took He Chunhua to the camp to serve him wine.

It was already early in the morning (around three o'clock in the afternoon), and there were only five people sitting in the big tent. Opposite are Zhao Pan and a deputy general, and here are He Chunhua and his son and Elder Liang.

It is worth mentioning that there is a hornbill standing on Zhao Pan's shoulder, half yellow and half black, with an astonishingly large curved mouth, accounting for at least one-third of the body length, and an exaggerated helmet protrusion above the eyes.

He Lingchuan was very doubtful that the hornbill's two small eyes could see clearly the scenery directly in front of it.

After the introductions were made, the food was served.

He Lingchuan took a look and saw that there were two things on each table: mixed rice, stewed meat, and a small bowl for wine.

Then, the wine bowl was filled, and it was quite fragrant.

There were two bowls of meat on Zhao Pan's table, because the hornbill on his shoulder jumped on the table and started pecking at the meat.

It didn't have any hands, but it had a big mouth. It picked up the meat and threw it into the air, then opened its mouth to catch it and swallowed it.

One bite after another, very quickly.

"This morning, a big wild boar of three to four hundred pounds hit the fence and turned into this bowl of meat on the table. Otherwise, apart from mixed rice, wild vegetables and this jar of wine, I really wouldn't be able to come up with anything else. "The things are waiting for guests." Zhao Pan said with a smile, "This is probably because we knew Master He was coming, otherwise we haven't seen any living things on the front line for a long time."

The birds and animals in the nearby mountains and forests had long been eaten up by the hungry soldiers.

There were a lot of beans added to the brown rice, and He Lingchuan could only recognize soybeans, mung beans, and an unknown variety of mottled colors. The pork is boiled in water, with only salt added. He Lingchuan took a piece of it and put it into his mouth. He felt that his mouth was full of fishy smell and it was almost difficult to swallow.

The meat quality of wild boars and domestic pigs is very different.

The front lines of this war are short of food all day long, and they can hardly eat, let alone use ginger, garlic, pepper, aniseed, and soy sauce to remove the fishy smell and increase the fragrance.

However, He Lingchuan didn't even frown and ate it with a smile. When he was guarding monsters on the Chipa Plateau, he stuffed his mouth with even more unpalatable and weird things.

On the contrary, Elder Liang only took one bite and then put away the chopsticks without eating.

Zhao Pan glanced over and saw everything.

On the other side, He Chunhua also talked about the battle on the road, and then apologized: "I am ashamed of the king's trust. I only brought 9,000 shi of the 20,000 shi of food raised by the royal court. I am really incompetent!"

Before he reached the front line, he sent a special envoy to deliver the news, so Zhao Pan had already thought about the news several times, digested it several times, filtered out most of the negative situations, only shook his head and sighed: "Thanks to Mr. He for personally escorting me, Anyone else would not be able to save a grain of food from Hong Chenglue!"

He Lingchuan looked at his father and saw that he was hesitant to speak, so he said on his behalf: "Does General Zhao think so highly of Hong Chenglue? We have rarely heard this name before."

"Hong Chenglue's reputation is all in the Northern Demon Kingdom. He fought more with the countries in the east, and his deeds rarely spread here. But Nian Zanli and I have been guarding the north all year round, and we are very clear about his past." Zhao Pan waved his hand. He said, "Those who are good at fighting have no great achievements. In today's troubled times, there are many people who become famous in one battle. How many people can win a hundred battles, or even win without fighting? Let me talk about one more person, you must know him——"

"Hong Xiangqian."

He Chunhua was slightly startled: "The leader of the rebels?" Zhao Pan suddenly mentioned this person, and He Chunhua immediately realized that both of them were named Hong.

"Yes, Hong Xiangqiang, the leader of thieves who disrupted the central region and invaded the capital, is Hong Chenglue's brother!"

The He family father and son were both surprised: "Hong Xiangqian's biological brother is actually in Xiazhou?"

Hong Xiangxiang committed the crime of genocide. In other words, Hong Chenglue was considered a fugitive imperial criminal?

"Yes, there is a deep rift between these brothers. Hong Chenglue did not help Hong Xiangqian in his rebellion. Otherwise, it is hard to say whether Ke Jihai and the others could have defeated Hong Xiangqian and solved the crisis in the capital." Zhao Pan sighed, "Hong Chenglue is the best at catching fighter opportunities. He was able to defeat the enemy without fighting in at least two key battles. Master He was able to save nearly 10,000 shi of food from him. I dare not be too demanding."

He Chunhua frowned: "But this person wandering behind our army is always a major hidden danger, and we must find a way to get rid of him."

He had already seen Hong Chenglue's slickness. He escaped from the Xiazhou army twice last night and almost killed his son.

All of Hong Chenglue's opponents were eager to kill him, but he was still alive and well.

Thinking of this, another thought suddenly came to He Chunhua's heart.

"Conquering others without fighting?"

Zhao Pan put down the bowl: "What did Mr. He say?"

"Oh, it's nothing." He Chunhua raised the wine bowl, "I'd like to give General Zhao a bowl. It's a great blessing to have you in town."

Zhao Pan is a general as famous as Ke Jihai and Wu Di. If anyone else comes here, he really can't stop Nian Zanli's offensive.

He raised his bowl and drank it all in one gulp without giving in.

"My son visited Bailu Town and heard that Hong Chenglue and his wife lived in seclusion there for three years, and their lives were actually very poor." The arrogant generals lived in seclusion and were willing to endure poverty and humiliation. Even the storybooks dared not write about this because it did not make any money. He Chunhua asked again, "What is going on? Does General Zhao know the truth?"

"There are many versions passed down from the Northern Monster Country. The most popular one is that Hong Chenglue was displaced when he was young. He was rescued by his wife Ajin twice when he was in danger. The two wandered together and suffered hardships, so they had a deep relationship. Later, Ajin had a difficult delivery, and Hong Chenglue swore a blood oath to stop using the sword. Unfortunately, his son died and his wife was paralyzed. He was disheartened and bound by the oath, so he simply resigned and lived in seclusion in the countryside from then on."

He Chunhua couldn't help laughing: "Nonsense. Such a small thing can make such a person so angry. A general at the height of his career is retiring? Child's play!"

"I don't think so either. But the common people love this kind of storybook the most." Zhao Pan said with a smile, "I heard in my early years that Hong Chenglue was involved in the internal strife of the royal family, and he was on the wrong side, supporting the enemy of the current demon emperor. Hehe, you and I both know the danger. So it is very likely that he resigned to avoid disaster, perhaps using the excuse of his wife's difficult childbirth. This is also a good way to run away, otherwise the new emperor of Beijia may not have the grace to tolerate others after he takes office."

Even if there was, Hong Chenglue didn't dare to gamble at the time.

"That makes sense." He Chunhua pondered, "But now he's back and leading the troops for Xunzhou people. This is most likely the Northern Demon Kingdom behind the scenes."

"That's inevitable. Nian Zanli suffered two defeats under him, but Hong Chenglue is now leading the troops of Xunzhou. If it weren't for the Northern Demon Kingdom's instructions, how could he serve his defeated general?" Zhao Pan snorted, "There are wars everywhere, and the demon country is everywhere. But it doesn't end itself, hateful!"

He Chunhua hummed, thoughtful.

Everyone chatted for so long that the meal was finished long ago.

Zhao Pan was considerate: "You have come from afar, and it's dark, I won't disturb you to rest."

He Chunhua said: "It doesn't matter, I want to go to the front line now."

The new Xiazhou General Manager loves his job and is different from those pampered officials. Zhao Pan certainly won't object: "Then please follow me."

He Lingchuan of course followed his father and visited the front line together.

It turned out that the enemy and us were separated by a river called Han River, which was about 15 meters wide. The area north of the river was occupied by the Xunzhou people, and the area south of the river was occupied by Zhao Pan's army.

The camp of the Yuan State's official army was well-organized, and the lights on the other side were bright. From where He Lingchuan stood, he could still see the sentinels holding long spears in the Xunzhou military camp.

The two sides were so close, but the atmosphere was still peaceful.

He Chunhua also asked, "Hasn't there been a fight recently?"

Even on the front line, it was not fought every day.

"The farmland in the rear was planted these two days, and the front line agreed to avoid fighting." Zhao Pan pointed to the yellow flag in front of the camp, "The season has come. If we don't plant the fields in time, we will have nothing to eat next year."

"It seems that Xunzhou's food is not abundant." Otherwise, the Xunzhou people should have launched a fierce attack to eliminate the Yuan Army's opportunity to cultivate and cultivate land.

"Xunzhou suffered from drought last year, and the grain harvest was poor. If Hong Xiangqian had not suddenly attacked Woling Pass this year, and the Grand Marshal had not initiated a national coup, I don't think Nian Zanli would have chosen to defect this year."

"The northern demon country doesn't support it?"

"After Sun Fuping was killed, Nian Zanli's rebellion was exposed, so he had to surrender to the Beijia Kingdom first. I heard that the Beijia Kingdom's attitude towards him was rather cold."

He Chunhua smiled: "It's not a good deal to rush to the front." If the Beijia Kingdom took the initiative to persuade Nian Zanli to surrender, he would definitely be treated very well.

"Yes, if Beijia supports Nian Zanli, and gives us money and food, we can't hold on for so long." Zhao Pan said bitterly, "It just wants to see us fight internally and reap the benefits later. Nian Zanli is such a fool!"

"However, the Northern Demon Kingdom has also taken action now, and has appointed Hong Chenglue." He Chunhua pondered, "Its strategy towards Yuan Kingdom may have changed."

Zhao Pan sighed: "There are no outsiders here, let me tell you the truth. Lord He, in the eyes of an ancient country with a long history like the Northern Demon Kingdom, we are actually a small country. Its current focus is in the east, and it should not be interested in reaching out here."

He Chunhua was silent. Beijia's attitude towards Nian Zanli shows the arrogance of this country.

After all, it has always been a strong country in its 600-year history.

He Chunhua's mentality is very subtle, as if he should be thankful for Beijia's indifference to this place, otherwise Xiazhou would be even more precarious.