Chapter 530

Zhang Tong was skilled in martial arts, a fierce general. Changli forced him to retreat repeatedly, yet he refused to surrender until he died in battle.

Zhang Tong was stabbed multiple times; before dying, he stared at the Great King and laughed loudly, "How is the Northern Border King any different from His Majesty? Both grow wolf fangs and sharp teeth, only the order differs—does that make the Northern Border King noble?!"

The Great King seriously replied: "Not the same. Though both grow wolf fangs and sharp teeth, I would not eat people for a chair. To this day, Baili Jun truly is a traitorous villain; I can barely be called… a wicked loyal subject?"

Just as he finished speaking, Zhang Tong spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, lifeless.

The Great King still felt somewhat uneasy, full of regret over the loss of the fierce general. "Why be so reckless? We're all from Jin; I could have spared your life to farm!"

He stared blankly for a moment, then quickly turned to Wei Shen to shift the topic, "... Did he just die from anger? I had only used seventy percent of my strength."

Wei Shen: ……

With Zhang Tong's death, the Jiangxia Army lost morale, let alone the temporary workers hastily recruited around Hongnong.

The sun set behind the mountains, and Hongnong was also secured.

In the battle for Hongnong, they temporarily changed the city gate; casualties were fewer than the Great King imagined, overall losses for the Northern Border were minor—only superficial injuries from falling logs and rocks, which good medicine could heal.

Soldiers began clearing the battlefield and arranging prisoners under the cover of night; the Great King was fine, he squatted at the gate watching the temporarily hired craftsmen replace the gate.

"I didn't expect Zhang Tong to have done his homework—he actually blocked the gate with a stone wall; it seems our fondness for storming gates has spread."

Wei Shen squatted beside him, "Rolling stones, hot oil, and horizontal beams—not lacking; scaling the walls isn't easy either—should we think of new tactics?"

The Great King patted his bald head and said, "Do you think I could come up with new tactics? Among the three veteran commanders in the army, it's not my turn to think."

Wei Shen counted on his fingers but couldn't figure out which three—they were the Marquis of the Eastern Capital and Feng Xiang; the others are all young people.

Only at the evening meeting did he learn that the third veteran commander was Changli, who looks about twenty…

After discussion, they found no special method for siege warfare; their gunpowder crossbows already far surpass contemporary standards.

Moreover, using siege ladders also requires filling them with lives.

The Great King has armor and shields, able to resist iron arrowheads; forcing a climb is merely one mediocre method. The Northern Border Army's performance today looks perfect to outsiders; the situation changes rapidly, and making too many plans now is futile—several people took out a map, plotted a route, and dispersed.

Although there were many matters in Hongnong, it wasn't the Great King's turn to handle them personally; that night he happened to have a private room, the street‑stall tycoon instinctively wanted to set up a stall, full of enthusiasm before reaching Phoenix Market, he suddenly remembered his negative account.

He owed two hundred thousand; in the short term he'd probably have to work for Meng Meng to pay it off!

The Great King was unwilling; he stopped and headed toward Bai Yang's place. He planned to pick up some junk to sell and repay the debt, and even if he sold his father's belongings at a stall, he would still feel sorry.

Give up, the Great King wants to give up.

As long as his account has no money, there's nothing to feel sorry about.

His brother Bai was very conscientious, knowing this guy had ruined his family and headed south; seeing him, he wanted to settle the bill, but the Great King righteously refused, saying he wasn't short of money and asking to be paid in grain instead.

The next day the Great King woke up naturally; upon rising, he found Wei Shen squatting at his door.

As soon as he noticed movement, he immediately reported, "Your maternal uncle has brought several branches of the Yang Clan to pay a visit."

The Great King ruffled his little tuft, "Then let's go~"

Wei Shen grabbed him, "Are we really going? Isn't this awkward? Yang Yao and Yang Cheng are different—he is our maternal grandmother's brother."

The Great King wore a small question mark, "What's up? I haven't even stepped on their turf attacking the city, have I?"

"You just changed the gate; saying it's giving the Yang Clan face is also limited—if Zhang Tong hadn't panicked and dared not kill Yang Yao first…"

"In that case, I'll definitely have to work harder to avenge my maternal uncle!"

What could Wei Shen say? He could only give the Great King a thumbs‑up with both hands.

The Great King said that, but inside he still felt a bit guilty—after all, they are relatives! If Yang Yao and Yang Cheng had the same attitude, he'd feel more at ease…

Who would have thought Yang Yao gave the king plenty of face; upon meeting, he presented a genuine big gift that couldn't be refused. The king, feeling embarrassed to mind that they didn't associate with the Wei clan, after a few words the king's attitude warmed up, calling him 'uncle' repeatedly, affectionate as if he'd grown up beside them since childhood.

"... Cousin, does the king have a filter? How come I feel this uncle is more handsome and friendly than the uncle from the Northern Border?"

Wei Shen: … I heard that the cavalry stationed in Hongnong's provisions, the Yang clan can take charge of some; not only friendly but also handsome? Heaven knows how handsome an old man the same age as his grandfather could be!

Even if he only rests one day, the king is happy to eat one day less of his savings. This move of his is not just greed for money, but being young and good‑looking, he puts on an 'I'm very well‑behaved' face while saying such cheesy lines, making them seem utterly sincere.

I also think so. Maybe the uncle and grandmother are more alike! When I was little I followed my grandmother to Hongnong, leaving a deep impression; now seeing the uncle again, he is indeed friendly. If you can't beat them, join them.

These two guys neither fall behind; the king puts on no airs, appearing as if relatives reuniting. Although during the siege he didn't show much concern for relatives, but don't rush—just wait and see how they'll perform later.

The king says Old Master Yang is handsome and amiable; Wei Shen says he still remembers his grandmother's courtyard, praising the Yang family's spacious and majestic ancestral home. Who would have thought that what he saw as a child he already forgot—the Yang family courtyard is still the same as when he last brought the king to lean on the wall and look.

Yang Yao immediately invited the two brothers to visit his home; the king gladly agreed.

After capturing a new city, the soldiers could rest; Dong Du Hou and Feng Xiang were busy to the point of dizziness, but when they turned around they saw the king dressed neatly, holding a folding fan, looking like he was about to go out, which clashed with the whole governor's office. Dong Du Hou felt it was a bit jarring: 'Your Highness, where are you going?'

The king swished the folding fan shut, 'Begging for alms! Uncle Liang, just wait for my good news!'

The king lifted his chin, striking the pose of a proud little peacock as he left the governor's office; no matter what he's doing, he must not lose his aura…

Dong Du Hou covered his forehead, '... I miss Xie Yuan.'

Feng Xiang: 'This…'

【King's Diary: Hongnong, June 10, sunny, a bit hot

After capturing Hongnong, military affairs are busy, but fortunately we are safe.

The king, lying in bed for half an hour, had figured out the unfortunate person to temporarily take charge of Hongnong… (crossed out) best candidate.

--- A proper diary from the indebted twenty‑million Bai Li Jing】

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{Rumor refuted: the stupid author is great, the person is still here ⌓‿⌓

Recently holiday updates are irregular because I'm resting; after the holiday I'll resume daily updates (˃⌑˂ഃ)}