Chapter 405

At the sight of the surrounding people glaring at him, the troublemaker was startled and quickly paid up before running off.

……

Just as Su Qiao and Ma Kui were eating, good news finally arrived from outside.

Su Qiao jerked his head up sharply and tossed the rice bowl in his hand onto the table.

"Quick, come in!"

The people outside also knew the military situation was urgent and dared not block him.

So the mounted messenger dismounted at once and strode quickly into the main hall.

"Greetings, my lord Su!"

"Enough. You look a bit familiar—you should be one of the men around Song Qiao, right?"

Su Qiao waved his hand, telling him to stand at ease and speak.

The messenger stood up and chuckled. "My lord has a keen eye. This lowly one is a Personal Guard by the Commander's side."

"Good, quickly tell me the situation."

Since it was a victory report, Su Qiao was sure it meant Song Qiao and the others had succeeded.

He just didn't know the specifics of the battle yet.

So he couldn't wait to urge the messenger on.

Song Qiao's Personal Guard didn't dare delay, hurriedly presenting a brief memorial, and through Su Qiao's back-and-forth questioning, gradually reconstructed the battlefield situation for everyone.

"Good, wonderful! This time General Song and the others truly Achieved great merit! Everyone says the Japanese pirates are hard to fight, but didn't Commander Song just wipe out over three thousand of them!"

Su Qiao was now refreshed in spirit, his whole person brimming with joy.

Ma Kui and the others in the hall were equally grinning from ear to ear.

They had always stayed by Su Qiao's side, so they naturally knew just how worried he had been before.

Now that good news had finally arrived, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Qiao immediately gave orders: "General Song and the others will likely return victorious tomorrow. Have everything prepared—tomorrow we Celebrate victory! Also, send the victory report by urgent express at eight hundred li a day, and dispatch someone to deliver it to Jingcheng!"

"Yes, my lord!"

……

With the victory report arriving, Zhang Xueceng naturally learned of it too.

Once the great stone in his heart was set down, what replaced it on his face was a look of wild joy.

The merit this time was no small matter—Su Qiao personally commanding could Can be said to be merit as commander.

Song Qiao and the others charging across the battlefield could be said to have earned merit only slightly less than Su Qiao's.

The remainder, naturally, would be divided among the other officials.

Don't think Zhang Xueceng seemed to have done nothing.

But as Prefect of Suzhoucheng, a Fourth Rank, Senior Grade official, he had still contributed considerable effort.

The pressure on logistics had almost entirely fallen on his shoulders.

For instance, the allocation of supplies and provisions, the distribution of armor and weapons from the storehouse, and so on.

One could say that even though Su Qiao looked down on Zhang Xueceng, who flattered his superiors and despised his inferiors, he still could not deny his contributions.

Where there is merit, there is reward!

Once the victory report reached Jingcheng, he would surely be commended by His Majesty the Emperor.

How could he not be overjoyed?

……

"My lord Su is truly remarkable. This time Suzhoucheng was preserved and the Japanese pirates were wiped out—all thanks to my lord Su's brilliant strategy! My lord Su can truly be called the benefactor of our Suzhoucheng!"

The moment Zhang Xueceng arrived, he started flattering Su Qiao, laying it on so thick that Su Qiao's secondhand-embarrassment reflex nearly gave out.

He hurriedly waved his hands repeatedly: "Stop, my lord Zhang. The Japanese pirates have been dealt with for now, but our affairs aren't finished yet. Earlier, when we cleared the fields and gathered the population, we forcibly relocated nearly all the villagers and commoners around Suzhoucheng and Ningbo Prefecture. Now that the Japanese pirates have been wiped out, the people must be moved back as soon as possible."

Zhang Xueceng heard this and quickly nodded in agreement: "My lord Su speaks rightly. This subordinate will arrange it at once."

"Mm, I am still well aware of my lord Zhang's abilities. I believe once the victory report is sent back to Jingcheng, it won't be long before His Majesty's rewards come down. Allow me to offer my lord Zhang my congratulations in advance."

Su Qiao said, cupping his hands toward Zhang Xueceng.

The moment this was mentioned, Zhang Xueceng's eyes were nearly lost in his smile, and his mouth simply could not close.

"Hahaha, my lord Su is too modest. This subordinate is merely basking in my lord Su's glory—congratulations to us both!"

……

Ever since Su Qiao went south, Zhu Youjian had hardly felt he'd had a single good day.

Every two or three days, he was basically getting scolded by Great-Grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang in one way or another.

Suzhoucheng and Ningbo Prefecture had been raided by Japanese pirates.

The news was quickly relayed up.

When Zhu Youjian learned that Su Qiao had personally gone to Suzhoucheng to lead troops and command, he was still rather worried at heart.

After all, Su Qiao had never commanded an army in battle before. The impression he gave Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Youjian was that of a scholar capable of stabilizing the state.

When had he ever led troops in battle?

Leading troops in battle was more the business of military men from generals' families.

Yet Su Qiao had gone all the same.

258, the story has run off course!

The mountains are high and the Emperor far away—Su Qiao was no longer in the capital, but far away in Suzhou.

Zhu Youjian could not help but worry greatly about Su Qiao's safety.

Although the Jurchens and Tatars had already been wiped out.

After such a long time, especially since Sun Chuanting went to Fujian and submitted a detailed report on the Great Ming's coastal defense and the decay of the guard posts, it became clear.

He also realized that the Great Ming's coastal defense was almost as flimsy as paper.

It could not compare at all with the elite forces in Liaodong; the gap between the two was like heaven and earth.

This explained why the Japanese pirates repeatedly invaded the borders, yet the Great Ming rarely won.

Zhu Youjian worried that Su Qiao might be in danger in Suzhou.

In the group chat, Zhu Youjian hesitated for a long time before finally tagging Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was looking at a world map; being tagged for the first time, he couldn't help but click to look, only to discover it was Zhu Youjian.

Hmm, this descendant of ours has finally learned to seek help when facing difficulties.

But isn't Su Qiao with him?

Wait, that's not right; it seems Su Qiao was sent south by us. Hmm, let's see what he wants.

With this thought, Zhu Yuanzhang took his gaze off the map hanging on the wall and sat down directly beside the desk.

"What's the matter? Hasn't Su Qiao returned to the capital yet?"

Zhu Youjian felt a bit like retreating.

The truth was, when Great-Grandfather got angry, he really did come to beat people!

After a brief struggle, Zhu Youjian still tentatively said:

"Great-Grandfather, Su Qiao is currently in Suzhou Prefecture and has encountered trouble!"

Seeing Zhu Youjian's words, Zhu Yuanzhang instantly felt no longer sleepy; he could climb five stories in one breath!

Since he first met Su Qiao, he had hardly ever seen Su Qiao troubled by anything.

He always appeared as if he was planning strategies in his tent, fully confident.

His grasp of the big picture and his strategic mind were both extremely strong!

He was often accustomed to setting traps in minute details; by the time you discovered them, you were already in the net and could not escape.

He was especially skilled at open strategies!

Su Qiao: How come I didn't know I was so awesome?!

But now, judging by Zhu Youjian's words, it seemed Su Qiao had encountered difficulties.

Could such a person actually encounter difficulties?!

How could he not be curious?

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately asked: "What happened to Su Qiao? Tell us!"

Rarely did the Laozu Sect scold anyone; while Zhu Youjian felt a sigh of relief in his heart, he recounted how the Japanese pirates had attacked Suzhou Prefecture and that Su Qiao was holding the fort.

This military intelligence had been delivered urgently to the desk by Zhang Xueceng, the Prefect of Suzhou, via an eight-hundred-li express.