Chapter 977

Wang Yu's people were all numb, but Guo Shuhan remained calm and composed, as if the heavens collapsing and earth splitting outside had nothing to do with him, not even a penny's relation, and absolutely could not affect him.

Wang Yu turned his head and saw Guo Shuhan like that, suddenly doubts arose, "Qingming, do you know what's going on?"

"Don't say it, I actually seem to know now." Guo Shuhan shook his feather fan, chuckling.

"What does that mean?"

"Ningyuan, you've gotten flustered; you should be better at this than I am." Guo Shuhan said with a light smile, "What's hard to guess? In the whole Nanyue Jun, who could produce this many cavalry? Only Marquis Zhenyuan and Cao Lin."

"Cao Lin is unlikely to take this route, so the answer is left with only one. Moreover, my subordinates learned from the Wild Dogs' populace that outside the city there is a Great Banner flag, the cavalry wears full armor, and their armor is entirely black; such a formation, besides Marquis Zhenyuan, who else could it be?"

"Then the question arises: why would Marquis Zhenyuan bring such a large horse-slaying knife to pick at this thorn in the Liu Min Ji? The answer is simple: just passing through."

Wang Yu's mind turned, and he also understood: "Cao Lin is dividing his troops to attack Lingshouzhou, while Marquis Zhenyuan wants to join the fun, first take Lingshouzhou and, along the way, pull out this thorn of the Liu Min Ji."

"Exactly!" Guo Shuhan chuckled and nodded, "So we'll just stay put, wait for Marquis Zhenyuan to finish this battle, then we'll leave. Given Marquis Zhenyuan's character, he won't make things difficult for us wandering scholars."

Wang Yu not only wasn't calm, but became even more anxious: "You bastard, you've ruined my big plans!"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Guo Shuhan heard this and immediately objected, "I did this for you, went to the border of Feng Xian Zhou and didn't go back but turned back again, leaving all the military and governmental affairs of the prefecture unattended, and you actually dare to blame me?"

"To save your old life, look at what state I've become—my hair is falling out in clumps; do you still have any conscience, you bastard?"

Wang Yu knew he was at fault, didn't dare say more, just let out a heavy sigh: "But since Chen Wuji personally leads the troops to attack Lingshouzhou, the rest of his forces under his command have surely already marched north."

"He's heading north, and I'm the first to get hit; I'm trapped here now... it's over, An Sai Zhou is in danger, what should we do now?"

Guo Shuhan forcibly suppressed the urge to let his mouth twitch wildly upward, also let out a heavy sigh: "Who can predict such an unexpected event? Although I meant well, I too feel awful about this."

Wang Yu waved his hand: "Let me think quietly; there must be a solution!"

Guo Shuhan nodded.

You know, it's not easy for even a fly to escape the Liu Min Ji now; if you can come up with an escape plan, the laborers will truly admire you!

Suppressing the urge to hum a little tune, Guo Shuhan called out the little sister who was reading in the room, had her boil a pot of tea, and took out the fine tea he had treasured for a long time and was reluctant to use.

Unfortunately we couldn't have a large glass of white liquor, so we substituted tea for wine to console our inner joy.

……

Chu Yun, accompanied by an old man surnamed Qin, and two subordinates holding the Yellow Registers and treasures, left the city and marched toward Chen Wuji's awe-inspiring military formation, like heavy black clouds pressing down on everyone's heads.

Chen Yun and Qin Lao walked with heads held high, chests out, eyes not glancing sideways, but the two attendants behind them were almost shaking with Parkinson's, their legs nearly trembling like noodle legs.

Chen Wuji sat high on his horse, seeing Chu Yun and Qin Lao's bearing, his eyes lit up suddenly.

Before the myriad troops, their expressions unchanged, this old and young pair bore a semblance of a great general's demeanor.

"Second-generation hall master of the Wild Dogs, Chu Yun, accompanied by Elder Qin Guan Shui and the Liu Min Ji Southern City Yellow Registers, pays respects to Marquis Zhenyuan!"

When they were still about ten paces from the formation, Chu Yun planted his feet, shouted loudly, and performed a deep bow.

Chen Li waved his hand, and immediately several Personal Guard with stern expressions and cold faces rode out on horseback.

They dismounted, carefully searched Chu Yun and his four companions, confiscating all their weapons, then brought Chu Yun et al. before Chen Wuji.

"Hall Master Chu, Elder Qin, why is your Wild Dogs Hall called Wild Dogs?" Chen Wuji asked, remaining on horseback and looking down.

Chu Yun and Qin Lao were stunned for a moment; they never expected the esteemed Marquis Zhenyuan's first question to be this, somewhat offbeat and not following convention.

"Your Lordship!" Chu Yun raised his head, stared directly at Chen Wuji, and said loudly.

"The Wild Dogs Hall is not a hall, nor a Rivers and Lakes gang; it is merely a title."

"We Refugees fled here like stray dogs, settled and built homes; later Elder Qin and those seniors suggested we unite and organize manpower for self-defense; after the manpower was organized, the elders believed that before we arrived here we were like stray dogs, but now that we have settled, we should be like wild dogs—ferocious and able to band together—to survive."

"'Wild Dogs, also meaning dogs that have lost their homes, this name carries another layer of meaning.'"

Chen Wuji nodded, "You've all worked hard."

Chu Yun was taken aback, remained silent, while Qin Lao, whose expression had been tense all along, finally let out a quiet breath of relief—Marquis Zhenyuan was indeed as rumored.

Just that sentence was enough.

Among the princes, dukes, generals, and ministers of this world, few truly empathize with their suffering.

Even fewer can utter a word of hardship.

"What is your purpose in leaving the city this time?" Chen Wuji asked.

"I would like to ask Marquis Zhenyuan why…" Chu Yun's words hadn't finished when Qin Lao harshly pulled him back, forcibly cutting off his continuation.

Qin Lao, with a somewhat fawning smile, said: "Your Lordship, we have come out of the city to surrender; we have brought the Liu Min Ji Southern City Yellow Registers, and also some little trinkets we have collected over the years, as a modest token of respect for you."

Chen Wuji dismounted.

Chen Li and the others immediately followed suit, all dismounting at once.

Seeing this, Qin Lao hastily took the Yellow Register from the attendant's hand and solemnly passed it to Chu Yun, gesturing with his eyes for him to step forward quickly.

Chu Yun hesitated a moment, then swallowed his question and strode forward.

Chen Li stepped forward, received the thin Yellow Register with both hands, and passed it to Chen Wuji.

"I didn't expect the Liu Min Ji to have something like this; it's clear you put much thought into settling here." Chen Wuji opened the Yellow Register, seeing the neatly organized household information, he couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised.

"Who made this register?" he asked.

Qin Lao smiled a little embarrassedly: "It was me, the little old man; my father once worked in the government office for a while, often bringing documents home to handle; when I was young, I helped him grind ink and learned a bit, copying by imitation—I don't know if it's right or wrong, please don't laugh at me, Marquis."

Very good, quite good!