Chapter 99: Revolution Is Not A Dinner Party
E Ji looked at the pair of man and woman embedded into the earthen wall by Yun Ce, turned her head to look at Feng An and Liang Kun, and said: “If you encounter trouble, would you do the same?”
Feng An, holding a knife in his hand, said to E Ji: “Before I could do that, I would already have fallen in battle.”
Liang Kun looked at E Ji’s stomach and said: “There’s nothing in your stomach. Even if I wanted to abandon you to block the enemy soldiers, I couldn’t carry the Young Master and flee on my own, so I’d have no choice but to fall in battle like Feng An.”
E Ji touched her empty stomach and said: “What Feng An did was wrong. We should run first. If we can’t escape, then do as Liang Kun said.”
Yun Ce said gloomily from the side: “I’m not dead yet.”
Feng An laughed: “I just went to check. There are no fewer than 100,000 troops there. You couldn’t bring yourself to abandon us and flee…”
Yun Ce said angrily: “Who says I couldn’t?”
Liang Kun vigilantly held the reins of the Red Date Horse and said: “Why haven’t you run yet?”
Yun Ce sat on the newly made wooden stool, took a sip of water, and said: “Because there’s no need to run. Such a large army—merely its vanguard scouts would be enough to destroy the Royal Hunting Ground ten times over.
Huh, where are Steward Qiu and the others?”
1 Feng An gritted his teeth and said: “They’ve probably already run off to join that army by now. I saw that the people in the army are dressed in tattered clothes. They should be a group of rebelling slaves or something.”
1 No sooner had he spoken than Old Qiu came running over in a hurry, shouting loudly at Yun Ce.
1 “Into the mountains, into the mountains. They won’t have time to search the mountains.”
1 Yun Ce smiled and looked at Old Qiu who was running over, saying: “No need to run. Their general is my friend. The reason they brought 100,000 troops here is actually just to show off in front of me. After all, I used to pity them, and now they feel they’ve made it big, so it would make them uncomfortable not to come show off here.”
1 E Ji’s eyes lit up.
1 “Miss Hong still owes our family money. You’re a big man with thin skin, so I’ll ask for it later.”
1 Yun Ce nodded approvingly. This wife he’d married was truly reliable.
1 Feng An and Liang Kun exchanged a glance, then said to Yun Ce: “We’ll go guard the gate.”
1 Although Old Qiu was trembling in fear just like Old Cheng who was embedded into the wall ahead, Yun Ce’s gaze toward Old Qiu was much kinder.
1 Fear is human instinct. When truly facing a terrifying enemy, Yun Ce was also afraid. But fear was one thing—at least you couldn’t harm others.
2 None of the women from the large family were by Yun Ce’s side. The youngest one had shrunk into his arms. This child hadn’t been afraid at first; it was mainly the women and children in the hunting ground crying and wailing like ghosts and wolves that had scared this child too.
2 Yun Ce gave the child a cake to hold and eat. He sat boldly in the courtyard like a mounted warrior, with Old Cheng’s horse spear planted beside him, his gaze sharp as he stared at the gate.
2 Miss Hong probably wouldn’t act too unreasonably, but that guy Pei Chuan was hard to say. If that guy dared to harm anyone, Yun Ce would let him experience the Overlord Divine Power he’d trained up over this time.
2 Feng An walked in with a difficult expression, holding a calling card in his hand. This thing was made of fragrant wood and was said to be quite valuable, exclusively used by prominent families and great official households.
2 Feng An deliberately said loudly: “Lord, Miss Hong has come to visit accompanied by Great General Pei.”
2 Yun Ce took the calling card and shouted toward the door: “Calling cards are always sent three days in advance. Are you two planning to come back in three days?”
2 Immediately after, the gate was kicked open by someone. Miss Hong led the way in, complaining about Pei Chuan as she walked. Coming from poor origins herself, and Yun Ce knowing it well, he still insisted on doing these pointless things that just invited ridicule.
2 The current Miss Hong was vastly different from the Miss Hong Yun Ce had seen in the wasteland. Back then, dressed in red Yi Tree Cloth robes, Miss Hong could dance before battle to boost morale and dance after battle to console the fallen.
2 Now, Miss Hong’s cloth robes had been changed to red silk, looking much more elegant. Though her face was still dark, after inserting all sorts of exquisite jewelry into her hair, it made her dark face appear less black, somewhat yellowish.
2 As for Pei Chuan, he was even more impressive. He wore a suit of pure black unknown full cavalry armor that matched his black boots inlaid with many fish-scale plates perfectly. Especially the pair of colorful bird feathers on his helmet, at least two meters long—this immediately let everyone know he was the commander of this army.
3 Miss Hong had been waiting for Yun Ce to speak first since entering, but Yun Ce just smiled and looked at them, the mocking intent in his eyes growing stronger the more he looked.
3 Pei Chuan said angrily: “Are you mocking us?”
3 Yun Ce looked at the ridiculously ornate armor on Pei Chuan and said to E Ji: “Demand the money.”
3 Seeing Yun Ce casually talking to E Ji as if he and the other were nothing, Miss Hong couldn’t help but say: “In the army, hierarchy and respect are paramount. Without that, you can’t command the crowd.”
3 Yun Ce laughed loudly: “Pingyuan City—I helped you take Zhang Gong Yaliang’s head amid ten thousand troops. In Sheyang City, I cut off Duke Yu’s feet worth ten thousand gold amid ten thousand troops. In the battle at Mo Yan Ridge, I killed Dianjun Captain Zhao Ling amid the army.
3 Pei Chuan, dressed like this now, do you think I could take the head of a top general like you amid your 100,000 troops?”
3 With Yun Ce’s loud shout, he stomped one foot on the ground. On the half-foot-thick stone floor, seven or eight radiating cracks instantly appeared.
3 Miss Hong frowned and said: “What about those who refuse to submit?”
3 Yun Ce laughed: “Those who refuse to submit are already dissenters. Such people will ruin your major affairs in good times and be the first to flee in bad times, disrupting your morale. Why not kill such people?”
3 Pei Chuan said angrily: “Such excessive killing—before the enemy dies, half our side would die first. You’re harming me.”
4 Yun Ce laughed loudly: “You were originally a poor wretch. Now wearing these two outfits and stuffing your head full of jewelry, would other poor wretches still think you’re one of them?
4 Now, with your army vast in number and many coming to submit, instead of promoting the brave or heavily rewarding the fallen in battle, you’ve dolled yourselves up first, looking all majestic. Has your own combat power or wisdom increased?
4 This great chaos in Chuyun Prefecture wasn’t your merit—it was the Great Han Court helping you. Chuyun Prefecture’s Inspector Han De and Chuyun City’s City Lord Pang Bei helped you.
4 If not for the infighting among the rich, with your meager skills, how could you claim merits like attacking cities and plundering villages? At this point, instead of continuing to conquer Chuyun Prefecture’s 200 cities, you’re arrogantly aiming for Chuyun City.
4 Miss Hong, a single Zhou Chengming, commanding 3,000 Black Armored Cavalry, nearly slaughtered your 20,000 clean. Do you really think those rich people will help you when you attack Chuyun City?”
4 Miss Hong pulled out the jewelry from her head piece by piece. E Ji naturally caught them in a small wicker basket. After Miss Hong had removed all her hair jewelry, E Ji even reached up to remove Miss Hong’s earrings.
4 Miss Hong ignored E Ji’s plundering and looked at Yun Ce, saying: “Someone advised me that at this moment, the city lords and inspectors are already fighting irreconcilably with Chuyun City’s rich and noble figures. This is a great opportunity to seize Chuyun City. Once we take Chuyun City, the other cities will surely surrender without a fight.”
4 Yun Ce used his gaze to signal E Ji to check Miss Hong’s neck and hands, then continued: “Who is the greatest enemy of the rich?”
4 Miss Hong was somewhat displeased at E Ji removing the necklace from her neck, but seeing Yun Ce ask, she frowned and said: “Naturally, poor wretches.”
4 “Since that’s the case, do you still think the people of Chuyun City will help you when you attack the city?”
5 Miss Hong pondered for a moment and said: “No, they would even band together to trap us in Chuyun City. Once we’re defeated and destroyed, they would continue fighting each other.”
5 “If you ignore Chuyun City and continue attacking and plundering cities outside, what would they do?”
5 “Continue fighting until a result emerges from the fight, then settle things with us.”
5 Yun Ce continued: “Even if you take Chuyun City, do you know how to govern a city? Do you still remember the tragedy of Pingyuan City?”
5 Miss Hong said: “We could only loot it once and destroy Chuyun City.”
5 Yun Ce laughed: “The Great Han no longer wants Chuyun Prefecture now. Are you still willing to destroy Chuyun City? You still have much to learn. You need to learn how to govern large numbers of villages, how to manage fifth-level cities, and understand the operational relationships between villages and cities.
5 You need to make life better for the people of Chuyun Prefecture in a short time, especially poor wretches like you. If they can eat their fill, wear warm clothes, and have houses to live in, they will believe in you and be willing to follow you to fight the enemy for their good days.
5 Instead of, like now, just following behind your buttocks to loot chaotically and then immediately scatter like birds and beasts.”
5 Seeing that E Ji had already scavenged Miss Hong clean, Yun Ce immediately shut his mouth, unwilling to say more. He felt he’d talked too much, giving away something for nothing.
5 Miss Hong said: “You’re not deceiving me? You know I’m straightforward. If I follow what you say and it causes serious consequences, I’d certainly face death, and you might not escape unscathed.”
6 With no good stuff left on Miss Hong, Yun Ce naturally said no more and just kept staring at Pei Chuan’s armor with a smile.
6 Miss Hong looked at the grim-faced Pei Chuan and said: “Remove the armor!”
6 Pei Chuan said puzzled: “You believe what he says?”
6 Miss Hong said with a sullen face: “The last time I trusted someone you said was very reliable, my 20,000 brothers were nearly wiped out, and you and I almost lost our lives.”
6 Pei Chuan muttered: “That was an accident.”
6 Miss Hong roared: “If not for that excuse, I would have sent people long ago to pursuit and kill him. Remove the armor!”
6 Seeing Miss Hong angry, Pei Chuan immediately put on a smiling face and said: “Don’t be angry. I’ll remove the armor right now, right now.”
6 The anger on Miss Hong’s face eased a bit, and she said to the still reluctant Pei Chuan: “We’re about to have a child. I dare not take the slightest risk.”
6 Hearing this, Pei Chuan immediately sped up removing his armor. Most infuriatingly, this bastard winked at Yun Ce while removing it, showing no humiliation at all—instead, he looked like he’d just won a great victory.
