Chapter 177: Kill Our Way Back

While everyone was busy, Liu Liu Yifei slowly approached, her deep dark circles starkly highlighting her exhaustion.

She walked unsteadily, her eyes bloodshot, her once beautiful face now haggard and worn; she had clearly not slept a wink all night, merely sitting by the bedside, staring vacantly at the bright moon outside the window, her mind entirely consumed with worry over Jiang Jiang Mingyu's safety.

Seeing Liu Liu Yifei in such a state, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart tightened, and he immediately asked with concern, "Liu Yifei, what is wrong with you? Did you not close your eyes all night?"

Liu Liu Yifei sighed softly and nodded, "I truly could not fall asleep; you led the great army deep into enemy territory, and I was so worried my heart nearly jumped out of my throat."

She grasped Jiang Jiang Mingyu's rough, large hand, her eyes filled with anxiety, "Jiang Lang, can you please stop acting so rashly? I cannot endure experiencing such worry and fear again."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu embraced Liu Liu Yifei with heartache, comforting her in a soft voice, "I do not wish to take risks either, but the situation forces my hand; I must personally lead the troops to boost morale. Rest assured, I will definitely return safely."

Burying her face in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's embrace, Liu Liu Yifei's tears dampened his robe; after a long while, she lifted her head, her eyes red as she asked, "Are my father and Uncle Zhang's family alright these past few days? They were frightened; did anything happen to them?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu answered gently, "Rest assured, they were only slightly frightened and have long since been safe and sound."

Hearing this answer, Liu Liu Yifei breathed a slight sigh of relief, but immediately her expression turned worried again, "I also have an uncle in Yasmodu; I do not know how he is faring now?"

Understanding her worries, Jiang Jiang Mingyu comforted her, "Do not worry; Zhu Ge Gang does not know your uncle, nor would he lay hands on civilian warriors; your uncle should be very safe."

Speaking thus, his tone suddenly became resolute, "Even if Bring Ruan Chen dares to harm a single hair on your uncle's head, I will make Zhu Ge Gang and the common people of Yasmodu be buried alongside him! I will show no mercy!"

A cold light flashed in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes; he wished he could immediately tear Bring Ruan Chen to pieces, and thinking of Wang Zhe, who had betrayed him and colluded with the enemy, and the possibility that he might have already been killed by Bring Ruan Chen, Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt another pang of sorrow in his heart.

At this moment, Liu Liu Yifei said with concern, "Jiang Lang, I know you are in a bad mood right now, but seeking benevolence and obtaining it, repaying resentment with resentment, is ultimately not the best strategy; we need tolerance and reason, not hatred."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu knew Liu Liu Yifei spoke reasonably, so he strove to calm his emotions and said to her, "You are right; I was too impulsive; we need to unite the people's hearts to defeat the enemy, not to increase hatred. Rest assured, I will assess the situation and act with caution."

A cold light flickered in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes as he suddenly remembered that his partner Wang Zhe was also in Yasmodu; given Fei Hou's hatred, he feared Wang Zhe had long since been torn to pieces.

At dusk, as the sun gradually sank in the west, dyeing the sky a fiery red with evening clouds, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had just stepped out of the county yamen gate when he saw Tu Tu Kesiluo leading a group of soldiers transporting cart after cart full of grain into the city.

"Big Brother, we have transported back the grain and fodder from Bring Ruan Chen's main camp; that bastard has an abundance of grain in his warehouse, and transporting it all back is enough for us to get through the spring famine!" Tu Tu Kesiluo said cheerfully as he approached with a smile.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu quickly walked to the grain carts, grabbed a handful of grain to inspect carefully, and indeed found it all to be superior quality.

Overjoyed, he praised repeatedly, "Good! Tu Tu Kesiluo, you have worked hard; this batch of grain is enough for our army to use for quite some time, and with this grain as our backing, we will have more confidence in fighting our battles."

Tu Tu Kesiluo scratched his head, saying somewhat bashfully, "Big Brother praises me too much; this is what we ought to do; even if everyone works a bit harder, we must ensure the warriors are fed and clothed."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded, praising Tu Tu Kesiluo for doing an excellent job, for the acquisition of this batch of grain had indeed greatly boosted the army's morale.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and patted Tu Tu Kesiluo on the shoulder, then ordered his subordinates to first transport the grain to the granary in the suburbs for storage; everyone immediately sprang into action, unloading the grain from the carts and carrying it to the granary.

However, Jiang Jiang Mingyu also considered the need to care for the people's food and clothing, so he instructed Tu Tu Kesiluo, "Send a few people to investigate which elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in the city are most in need of relief; I want to allocate a portion of the military grain to aid them; although we cannot distribute directly to all the people, at least we must ensure the vulnerable groups are fed and clothed."

Tu Tu Kesiluo immediately carried out the order, sending people to investigate the situation of the impoverished common people; Jiang Jiang Mingyu also said to Liu Liu Yifei, "The grain is primarily for military needs, but we must also, within our capabilities, help the people most in need to get through this difficult time."

Liu Liu Yifei nodded, praising Jiang Jiang Mingyu's kind act; thus, after meeting the military grain requirements, Jiang Jiang Mingyu specifically set aside a portion of grain, which Liu Liu Yifei distributed to the poorest people; though it could not satisfy everyone, it was still better than letting them starve.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu knew deeply that the common people were the foundation of the nation; while fighting to protect his home and country, he also did his utmost to care for the people's livelihood, which was the embodiment of benevolent governance and filled the people with support and affection for him.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, three days quietly slipped by.

On this clear morning, Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood before the county yamen gate, looking at the soldiers lined up in neat formation, ready to depart, and could not help but feel a myriad of emotions; the preparations and training of these past few days had greatly boosted morale, and now the great army was poised to strike, ready to retake the prefectural city in one decisive move.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu took a deep breath and beckoned over a middle-aged scholar dressed in a green robe with a thick, bushy beard.

"Nie Qingping, I am leaving Dingtao County in your hands; you must govern this place well and take good care of the people," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said solemnly.

This person was none other than Nie Nie Qingping, the scribe of the Shangmu City Defense Camp, who had been appointed as temporary county magistrate when Zhu Ge Yu conquered Dingtao; seeing that he worked diligently and managed affairs shrewdly, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had directly promoted him to the official county magistrate.

"My lord, rest assured, I will definitely serve the people with all my heart and not disappoint my lord," Nie Nie Qingping replied with cupped hands, a determined light shining in his eyes.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded with satisfaction, then looked toward Liu Liu Yifei and her father, Liu Yongjian, not far away.

"Liu Yifei, you, my father-in-law, and Uncle Zhang's family will temporarily remain here; wait until I retake the prefectural city, and I will send someone to fetch you," he instructed softly.

Liu Liu Yifei hurriedly nodded, her eyes red as she said, "Jiang Lang, you must return safely; I will wait for you forever."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu held her hand, saying softly, "Rest assured, I will definitely return."

With that, he vaulted onto his horse and shouted loudly to his subordinates, "Bring out Bring Ruan Chen; let us depart. Kill our way back! Retake the prefectural city!"

The soldiers' blood boiled, and their loud shouts echoed through the clouds; Bring Ruan Chen, with his hands tied behind his back and an expression of numbness, followed at the very front.

After struggling for the past few days, Bring Ruan Chen had calmed down, accepting his fate that death was inevitable; since he would only turn to ash a few days earlier anyway, he might as well spend his remaining time in quietude.

Riding on horseback, Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed forward with burning eyes; finally, he was about to realize his grand ambition of retaking his homeland and pacifying the chaotic world; thinking that the people, who had known no peace day or night, would soon welcome the dawn of tranquility, Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt both gratified and excited in his heart.

"Jiang Lang, please be careful!" Liu Liu Yifei gazed from the city tower at the departing great army, her hands tightly clasped, her heart filled with unease; Jiang Jiang Mingyu took a deep breath, reined in his horse to look back, stared fixedly at Liu Liu Yifei for a moment, and then whipped his horse into a gallop.

The great army marched forth in majestic force, quickly disappearing beyond the horizon.

Liu Liu Yifei gazed at the sun-drenched grassland, unable to calm her heart for a long time.

She knew that her and Jiang Jiang Mingyu's future hung entirely on the outcome of this battle to retake the city.