Chapter 133: White Cliff Yang Ke

This group of people were all stunned.

The pig at home is about to give birth?

You aren't there, so it refuses to give birth?

What kind of nonsense excuse is this?

Hearing this, Zheng Yueru covered her mouth, nearly bursting into laughter.

Isn't this the excuse Liu Dahao often uses? He truly is his father's son! Chen Ping, who often heard "the sow at home is about to give birth," nearly tripped and fell to the ground. Can the excuse not be the same every time? Can you be a bit more serious, can you think of a better one?

Zheng Yuxing had black lines on his face: "Young Master Liu, this..."

Liu Zheng looked heartbroken: "There is only that one pig at home, General, this is a major agricultural matter..."

Zheng Yuxing was torn between laughter and tears, but in the Longyuan Dynasty, this excuse was indeed impossible to refuse. The Longyan Dynasty valued agriculture and suppressed commerce, and its protection of livestock was extremely strict. Throughout the entire country, draft oxen could not be killed, and the crime of killing a draft ox was even more serious than killing a person. Pigs could be killed, but a sow that could give birth could not be killed; it carried the same penalty!

Thus, no one dared to underestimate this excuse about a sow giving birth.

"Fine, fine, fine..."

Zheng Yuxing gave a helpless laugh.

Crown Prince Xie Fang looked at Liu Zheng proudly: "Prefectural Assistant Liu, you are the greatest contributor to this great victory. It is indeed a great pity to leave like this. But no matter, this Crown Prince will certainly request rewards for you, and the titles and enfeoffments will be delivered to Yinzhou without a single word missing!"

Liu Zheng hurriedly thanked him.

The Third Prince Xie Ling did not speak, but he looked at this Liu Zheng before him with new eyes once again. He was not only interested in Liu Zheng, but also quite interested in Qin Zhangfeng, who was under Liu Zheng's command. Yet, no matter how he tried to persuade him these past few days, promising him high official positions and generous salaries, Qin Zhangfeng would not even look at him, remaining fiercely loyal to Liu Zheng.

Of course.

At this moment, those at Ruogu Pass who had such thoughts were not limited to just the Third Prince.

Including the Prince of Lu, including Zheng Yuxing, and including the Crown Prince, all of them coveted Qin Zhangfeng, who had single-handedly killed the Grassland's top expert, Luoge'er, that day.

It was just that Qin Zhangfeng's stance was very firm.

Therefore, as the Yinzhou army left, those who came to bid farewell to Liu Zheng and Qin Zhangfeng were quite affectionate, the purpose being to build a good relationship so that they might meet again in the future; who knew if there might be a possibility of them defecting to their side later?

The eighty thousand Yinzhou troops had lost three thousand in this great battle.

For a battle of this scale, this loss was nearly equal to zero. But regardless, they had come with a full eighty thousand, and were returning with only seventy-seven thousand. Liu Zheng still felt a bit heavy-hearted. The three thousand sets of remains had been burned into ashes to be brought back to comfort their families.

"Set off!"

The army had long since finished reorganizing.

At Liu Zheng's command, the Yinzhou army left in a grand procession. Even though the great victory had passed, the military discipline of the Yinzhou army remained as strict as ever. Even when celebrating with wine and meat, they remained orderly.

With the Yinzhou army gone.

Suddenly, everyone felt a sense of relief in their hearts.

While they were there, Ruogu Pass felt shrouded in immense pressure, and no one dared to approach the Yinzhou army's camp.

"Hahaha, keep drinking!"

"Come, come, come!"

"Some people don't want military merit, we'll wait for our promotions!"

"Old Mao, can you get promoted a rank this time?"

The Yinzhou army had already left this place, heading toward Yinzhou in a grand procession.

Although he didn't intend to stay for the rewards this time, how could Liu Zheng let his own people suffer a loss?

This fellow directly started awarding merits one by one inside his horse carriage.

"Jiang Xuan, listen to the decree!"

Jiang Xuan was overjoyed: "This general is here!"

"Whereas Left General Jiang Xuan, in the great victory at Rongshan Pass, planned with strategy, advanced and retreated with measure, and killed tens of thousands of enemies, his contribution is most significant. From today on, you are appointed Yinzhou Central Commander, with a salary of two thousand shi!"

Jiang Xuan was overjoyed and thanked him for the grace.

"Qin Zhangfeng!"

"This general is here!"

"Right General Qin Zhangfeng, you beheaded the enemy general amidst ten thousand men, directly influencing the outcome of the battle. Your military merit is outstanding. From today on, you are promoted to Yinzhou General Suppressing the North, with a salary of two thousand shi!"

Qin Zhangfeng thanked him for the grace.

"Cao Zhuan!"

"This general is here!"

"... Promoted to Yinzhou Colonel, with a salary of one thousand shi!"

"Zheng Yueru!"

The group was full of joy, yet upon hearing the name Zheng Yueru, they were all stunned.

"Ah?"

Zheng Yueru was also bewildered.

Liu Zheng looked at her with a smile: "What, do you not intend to listen to the decree?"

"No, Brother Liu, what are you..."

Zheng Yueru was startled.

Since ancient times, there have been no women in the army; this seemed to have become an iron rule. Even the cooks in the army could not be women. Liu Zheng's move truly frightened her, and for a moment, she didn't know whether to stand or sit.

Liu Zheng laughed out loud: "Zheng Yueru, in the great victory at Rongshan Pass, you spared no effort to secure the Langxian Soldier weapons and exhausted your heart and mind to provide logistical support; your contribution is most significant! You are appointed Yinzhou General Suppressing the South, and from now on, you will be in charge of the Yinzhou army's logistics and supplies, with a salary of two thousand shi!"

Everyone was stunned.

Since ancient times, where was there a precedent for a woman to be a general?

Zheng Yueru was so frightened she stood up: "Brother Liu, I, I..."

Liu Zheng looked around the circle: "Does anyone have any objections?"

"If it were you, could you have delivered those fifty thousand Mao Bamboo on time that day?"

The crowd was instantly rendered speechless.

Who would dare to guarantee that? Although Mao Bamboo looked simple, in reality, Zheng Yueru did not know how much effort she had exerted, how many communication methods she had used, and how much wasted money she had spent on this matter... How could these generals know the bitterness within?

"Good!"

"I support Miss Zheng, no, no, I support General Zheng!"

"I support her too!"

Very quickly, the generals in this large Horse Carriage expressed their support for Zheng Yueru one by one.

Zheng Yueru's eyes turned red.

Since ancient times, the status of women has been low, not only in society but also in the family; the father guides the son, and the husband guides the wife—this ideology is instilled in everyone's mind, and it is deeply rooted. Let alone being a general, even for civil officials, women are basically never employed...

Liu Zheng's move could be considered the first of its kind in the Longyan Dynasty.

How could Zheng Yueru not be moved?

Liu Zheng laughed and said, "But Miss Zheng, this general title is only conferred upon you by Yinzhou. As for the imperial court, they likely won't acknowledge it at all!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Zheng Yueru smiled, "Brother Liu, the Yinzhou conferment already makes Yue Ru feel ashamed. With the brothers shedding blood and sacrificing their lives on the battlefield, what virtue or ability do I, Yue Ru, possess..."

"Sister Yue Ru, since the young master gave it to you, don't be so modest!"

Jiang Xuan winked at Zheng Yueru.

Zheng Yueru instantly blushed a deep red.

Then Liu Zheng announced that the eighty thousand Yinzhou Army soldiers participating in this expedition would all have their ranks raised by one level, and their salaries would increase accordingly. Among the soldiers, there were also distinctions in rank; private, First-Class Soldier, Second-Class Soldier—these were all things Liu Zheng had created.

Naturally, the rewards were also generous. He could not let his brothers feel disheartened.

Sure enough, once these orders were issued, the Yinzhou Army cheered and their morale was greatly boosted.

Just at this moment, Liu Zheng suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind. He turned his head to look and saw a person riding a War Horse, catching up from behind, shouting "Young Master Liu" the whole way. This person was none other than the Second Leader of the Baiya Army, Yang Ke!

"What is the Second Leader doing here?"

Liu Zheng asked curiously, "In a few days, there will be the rewarding for merits..."

But as he said this, he could not continue.

Yang Ke also wore a self-deprecating smile.

That's right.

The Baiya Army itself was not an army acknowledged by the imperial court; strictly speaking, it still belonged to the bandit armies... This time they came under the name of Baiya Prefecture, and the army did come in the name of a regular army, but these generals, such as Yang Ke and others, were definitely not officials acknowledged by the court, and some were even on the court's wanted list.

Therefore, Yang Ke had no reason to stay for this rewarding of merits.

Liu Zheng sighed. Usually, the Baiya Army sounded imposing, but it was never an existence acknowledged by the court. At this moment, the existence of the Baiya Army appeared slightly awkward. In the end, when fighting, the Baiya Army suffered the most losses, but when it came to rewarding merits, the Baiya Army did not get a single drop of oil. They would probably just give Baiya Prefecture a symbolic consolation.

"Second Leader, come quickly, come quickly!"

Thinking of this, Liu Zheng invited Yang Ke onto the carriage.

Yang Ke gave a bitter smile, "I am not in a position to stay, yet Young Master Liu is unwilling to stay; the difference between us must be like heaven and earth."

Everyone persuaded him for a while.

Those generals who had just received their rewards also took their leave. In the Horse Carriage, only Liu Zheng, Zheng Yueru, Qin Zhangfeng, and Jiang Xuan remained.

Liu Zheng spoke without any reservations, laughing, "That old man Chen Ping is truly cunning. When fighting, he let the Baiya Army stand at the very front, but when it comes to rewarding merits, I'm afraid the Baiya Army won't get a single bit of profit."

Yang Ke sighed, "To tell you the truth, Young Master Liu, the day Du Biao first transported the Refined Salt back to Baiya, I tried to dissuade him, saying this business could not be touched. However..."

He gave a bitter smile and did not continue.

Liu Zheng was very surprised; he did not expect there to be such a story behind this. It was said that this Yang Ke was the Military Advisor and mastermind of the Baiya Army; it seemed that was indeed true. Refined Salt was something that was simply too hot to handle... but at the same time, it was also full of temptation.

The Baiya Army had previously had disagreements regarding this matter.

However, in the end, they still could not resist the temptation of the Refined Salt, which led to this disaster of war.

Liu Zheng laughed, "Second Leader, has the Baiya Army never thought of other ways out?"

Yang Ke trembled all over and looked over in disbelief.

If it were the previous Liu Zheng speaking to them in this tone, Yang Ke would definitely have sneered and cursed Liu Zheng for being arrogant and having wild ambitions.

However, after witnessing the combat power of the Yinzhou Army, he absolutely dared not underestimate this world-renowned Young Master Liu.

These words...

Seemed to have the intention of recruiting?

A young man who had just started out wanted to recruit the Longyan Dynasty's famous official-bandits, the Baiya Army?

Many people would probably find it laughable if they heard this.

However, Yang Ke did not laugh.

After this great battle, the seventy-thousand-strong Baiya Army was left with only twenty thousand. He was in a hurry to go back this time because he also had to consider the issue of self-preservation. After all, many of the Baiya Army's businesses could not be brought to the table. It looked stable for now...

However...

What would happen after the rewarding of merits over there was finished?

As the saying goes, when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked.

Was there still a need for the scattered Baiya Army to exist?

The Empress behind the Baiya Army, Prince Lu, and even Zheng Yuxing...

Would they still need the Baiya Army?

Although Chen Ping did not succeed in exhausting the strength of the Yinzhou Army, he had truly beaten the Baiya Army into an empty shell.

When Chen Ping returned to Liangzhou, could the Baiya Army withstand the retaliation of Liangzhou Prefecture?

In an instant, Yang Ke fell into deep thought.