Chapter 528

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Then, the old man lifted the lid of the steamer basket beside him, and instantly a wave of heat mixed with the fragrance of steamed buns wafted out.

Inside the steamer sat plump, white buns, looking extremely tempting. The old man looked at Luo Shun and asked with a smile, "Young man, how many buns would you like?"

Luo Shun thought for a moment and replied, "Two, please."

The old man nodded, carefully picked up two buns with tongs, gently placed them in Luo Shun's bowl, and said, "If it's not enough, come get more. You must eat your fill." Luo Shun said gratefully, "Alright, thank you!"

After speaking, Luo Shun carried the two bowls and walked to a table nearby to sit down.

He lowered his head to look at the congee in his bowl; although it was called congee, it was actually cooked very thick, the rice grains plump, fragrance overflowing. He lifted the bowl, blew on it gently, then took a small sip.

The hot congee entered his mouth and instantly warmed his body, making him feel indescribably comfortable.

He then picked up a large bun and bit into it without hesitation. With that bite, he immediately hit the filling.

This bun was filled with pork and cabbage; there was a lot of meat inside, and biting down produced a "sizzle" of oil. Moreover, the filling wasn't loose and scattered, but a whole piece — clearly genuine ingredients.

Luo Shun couldn't help but marvel; although this place also looked like a military camp, the food here was too good!

Just as he was pondering silently, the old man who had served him rice a moment ago, seeing no one queuing at the moment, put down his work, walked over, and sat down opposite Luo Shun.

The old man looked at Luo Shun and asked curiously, "Young man, your face looks unfamiliar." Luo Shun nodded and replied, "Yes, Old Man, I only arrived here last night."

Hearing this, the old man couldn't help but continue asking, "Just arrived last night? Who brought you here?"

Luo Shun thought for a moment; he remembered Wang saying Ming'an's name might be fake, so even if he gave the name, the old man probably wouldn't know him. So he considered briefly and said, "Wang brought me."

Upon hearing this, the old man suddenly realized and said, "Oh, so it was the General who brought you!"

Luo Shun nodded without hesitation, as if he had anticipated the old man's question. Seeing this, the old man smiled slightly and continued, "Mhm, young man, judging by your outfit, you're here to enlist, right? But why did you only arrive now?"

Luo Shun scratched his head and replied somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm not too sure how the General arranged things for me; maybe I'll find out in a bit."

The old man nodded and didn't pursue the question further, instead chatting with Luo Shun about other topics. In the conversation, the old man learned Luo Shun's background was quite tragic and couldn't help but feel pity.

"Eat more, child." The old man said caringly, "Rest assured, since you've come here you definitely won't go hungry. And besides, we have meat at every meal here, and all you can eat!" As he spoke, the old man picked up another bun and put it in Luo Shun's bowl.

Luo Shun's eyes went wide, staring at the bun in his bowl in disbelief. Back in the Xishang Kingdom's military camp, he could generally only eat meat once every three to five days, and that so-called meat was just vegetables stir-fried with meat — almost all vegetables, little meat.

Now that he had come here, he could actually eat meat at every meal; this completely overturned his understanding.

"Old Man, having meat at every meal must cost a lot of money, right?" Luo Shun finally couldn't help asking.

The old man laughed heartily and replied, "That's for sure, but you don't need to worry — the army pays for it, so just eat to your heart's content!

From when Prince An was in charge of us, besides the funds allocated by the Emperor, the Prince often paid out of his own pocket to buy us meat so we could eat good food.

Now that the Young General has taken over, it's still the same. The Young General often says: 'Only with a full belly can one have enough strength to fight.' So he also frequently pays out of his own pocket to buy us meat."

Hearing this, Luo Shun couldn't help but feel a trace of admiration for Yan Wang. He thought, Qianqian's Fourth Brother not only cares for the soldiers but is also so generous — truly rare.

Soon, Luo Shun finished the buns in his hands. He washed his bowl and chopsticks, put them back in place, then turned and returned to his own tent. Once back in the tent, Luo Shun lay on the bed and began thinking about his beloved books.

"Argh!" Luo Shun suddenly slapped his thigh, annoyed, muttering to himself, "How did I not think of that? If I knew I was leaving, I should've brought those books! What a waste now!"

Simultaneously, on the other side at the Xishang Kingdom camp, due to the war's impact, Luo Shun and Qianqian's disappearance seemed trivial.

No one paid special attention to their existence; even if someone noticed they were missing, they felt it wasn't a big deal. After all, in such a war environment, casualties and disappearances were perfectly normal.

As for Ouyang Chenren, he would probably only think these two might have died unfortunately in battle or failed to return for other reasons.

After a day of rest and reorganization, the flames of war between Beilin Kingdom and Xishang Kingdom ignited once more. However, Dachang Kingdom chose to hold their ground, and not only that, they dispatched personnel to strictly conceal their movements.

In the ensuing three days of fierce battle, Beilin Kingdom's army suffered heavy losses, leaving only three hundred thousand men; in comparison, Xishang Kingdom's losses were relatively smaller, still retaining two hundred fifty thousand troops.

At this moment, Yan Wang was sitting in his tent, carefully considering the optimal time to strike. Judging from the current situation, neither side had gone all-out yet, and a mutually destructive stalemate had not yet formed, so he believed now was not the time to deploy troops.

Yan Wang decided to continue waiting patiently, observing the battle's development. Sure enough, in the subsequent warfare, Beilin Kingdom's situation grew increasingly dire, suffering consecutive defeats and retreats. Ouyang Chenren led the Qi Family Army in a fierce offensive, driving Beilin Kingdom's army back to Beisheng Cheng.

Between Beisheng Cheng and Beilin Kingdom's capital Beituo City lay four more cities. Watching the enemy about to reach their doorstep, Beilin Kingdom's Emperor Li Jing began to panic.

Meanwhile, as Beilin Kingdom suffered continuous defeats, Li Aotian had long since developed thoughts of retreat, lost confidence in Li Jing, and was even prepared to abandon him. Just then, someone sought him out.

Two days later at the Beilin Kingdom camp, the sun was bright, a gentle breeze brushing the face. In a corner of the camp stood a spacious tent; inside, a man stood tall and straight, clad in a sapphire-blue long robe, his sleeves fluttering, as if an immortal descending to the mortal world.