Chapter 884: On the Way Forward
Editor: Henyee Translations

Two days later, on the road to Linzhang City.

A troop of twenty thousand soldiers, marching majestically, escorting food, medicinal materials, and seeds.

At the forefront of the troop rode a young man with a commanding presence and a young woman in green, both emanating an air of valor and determination.

The troop maintained strict military discipline, with only the sound of orderly footsteps and no chatter.

Suddenly, the curtain of a carriage at the rear of the column was pulled aside, and a chubby boy half-emerged, complaining loudly, “I want to rest. My butt hurts, and I don’t want to sit in the carriage anymore!”

He was the grandson of the Prime Minister, clad in brocade, with a chubby face and small, squinty eyes, the epitome of a pampered and spoiled young master.

No one paid him any mind, and the troop continued its march.

This wasn’t his first outburst. Children from large families always seemed unable to endure hardship, not to mention causing trouble and annoyance for others.

If it weren’t for the Emperor’s express command, such individuals would not be allowed anywhere near the army camp.

As for why the Emperor issued such a command, both Chu Qingzhi and Tang Jinghong were still puzzling over it. The Emperor’s strategies were not as straightforward as they appeared; indeed, he thought several steps ahead with deep calculations.

Du Zhaolin squeezed through from the side, “Tang Jinghong, General Tang, are you trying to kill us with your harsh training? Can’t you show a little compassion?”

The son of the Grand Tutor, a spoiled and ignorant gambler, as the Grand Tutor’s only son in his old age, was excessively doted on. Behind the scenes, the Grand Tutor implored Tang Jinghong to discipline his son, for which he was profoundly grateful.

Tang Jinghong ordered the caravan to continue moving and rode back, “Get off the carriage.”

Seeing Tang Jinghong’s stern demeanor, Du Zhaolin swallowed nervously, shrinking back a bit in fear, “Wh-what for?”

Tang Jinghong replied calmly, “You think riding in the carriage is too hard, right? I’ll give you a more comfortable option.”

Hearing this, both men quickly disembarked, and Rong Shenning said, “General Tang is considerate.”

Once they were off, Tang Jinghong said, “Walking is the most comfortable method. Follow us on foot,” then turned his horse around and headed back to lead the troop.

Rong Shenning and Du Zhaolin were stunned; they were actually being made to walk!!!

The surrounding soldiers barely contained their laughter. Arguing with the general was a fool’s errand, and they would soon learn what “special treatment” meant.

Chu Qingzhi glanced back at the two men but said nothing. Riding in the carriage was indeed the most comfortable way to travel, though it could be tough on the buttocks. Compared to the soldiers marching on foot, however, they were living in luxury.

Du Zhaolin pointed at Tang Jinghong’s retreating figure, threatening loudly, “Tang Jinghong, if you treat us this way, we will write letters of complaint.”

Tang Jinghong responded indifferently, “See who will send your letters.”

Du Zhaolin exclaimed, “I am the son of the Grand Tutor! If something happens to me, can you bear the responsibility?”

Tang Jinghong’s tone was measured, “Rest assured, if something happens to you, I will report that you have died for the country. I’m sure the Grand Tutor would be very proud.”

Du Zhaolin, “…”

Laughter broke out among the ranks.

Tang Jinghong projected his voice using internal energy, “Accelerate, we must reach the next camp before dark.”

“Yes!” The soldiers responded in unison, their voices robust, startling Rong Shenning and Du Zhaolin.

The troop didn’t wait for the two, continuing on their way, leaving them standing there, watching as their carriage moved farther away. They began to regret their actions.

The carriage also carried other young nobles from the capital, each with their own personalities but none as troublesome as Du Zhaolin and Rong Shenning, who remained quiet and behaved.

Du Zhaolin asked somewhat aimlessly, “What do we do now?”

Rong Shenning, confident in his untouchability, said, “We just won’t walk. I don’t believe Tang Jinghong will really leave us behind.”

Du Zhaolin thought differently, suspecting that Tang Jinghong wouldn’t act so predictably; otherwise, he wouldn’t have left them behind so decisively, “What if he really doesn’t care?”

Rong Shenning asserted, “Impossible. If something happens to us, how would he explain it to our families?”

Du Zhaolin whispered, “He already said he’d report us as having died for the country.”

“I refuse to believe that,” Rong Shenning looked around, found a rock, and sat down, refusing to move.

Seeing Rong Shenning’s defiance, Du Zhaolin, also known in the capital for his spoiled behavior, naturally became an ally in misfortune. He, too, sat down, refusing to move.

However, Tang Jinghong had no intention of looking back for them, leading the troops forward without a second glance.

Sitting on the rock, watching the tail end of the troop disappear, they began to feel uneasy. Could it be that they were really going to be left behind? In this wilderness, if any wild beasts appeared, they would indeed end up sacrificing their lives, whether they liked it or not!

After exchanging glances, they reluctantly started to follow.

“It’s too much. They really didn’t wait for us.”

Ahead of the troop.

Meng Shengdong looked back, “General, those two haven’t caught up.”

Tang Jinghong confidently stated, “They will catch up.”

Meng Shengdong and Qi Kaiming exchanged glances. The general’s words were always prophetic, and this time was no exception, so they said no more.

Chu Qingzhi chuckled softly. With Tang Jinghong being the king of soldiers, dealing with two young troublemakers was nothing.

Soon, everyone noticed Du Zhaolin and Rong Shenning had indeed caught up, albeit limping and looking quite pitiful, having never experienced hardship before.

The troops thought to themselves, the general certainly knows how to handle situations.

Inside the carriage, Yi ChuanChuan lifted the curtain to look back, seeing their sorry state and couldn’t resist mocking, “I thought you chose a more comfortable option. Turns out it’s walking on your own feet.”

Having listened to their complaints for days, everyone was relieved to have some quiet at last.

Yi ChuanChuan, the youngest son of the Minister of Rites, was sharp-tongued and somewhat immature, taking pleasure in others’ misfortunes. He, too, had been sent to Tang Jinghong by the Emperor.

Rong Shenning, out of breath and furious, retorted, “Yi ChuanChuan, you wait. Your day will come.”

Yi ChuanChuan, known as “Six Verticals” because of his double ‘Chuan’ name, deliberately laughed out loud, “Now I’m waiting. Come at me, fatty. You’ve finally met your day. Serves you right.”

He then added, “But really, you should lose some weight. Eating recklessly in the capital, look at you now, struggling to walk. I’m gasping for air just looking at you!”

Rong Shenning was livid, “Yi ChuanChuan, come down here. I’ll show you!”

Yi ChuanChuan made a face, “Do you think I’m as foolish as you? Comfortably sitting in a carriage and yet choosing to walk. Must have been full and bored.”

Rong Shenning was so angry he was speechless, “You…”

“You what? Just keep walking!” Yi ChuanChuan closed the curtain, cutting off Rong Shenning’s view.

Rong Shenning was so frustrated he tripped over a stone, nearly falling.

The others, overhearing Yi ChuanChuan’s scolding, felt a refreshing sense of schadenfreude. They were also fed up with the young master’s constant whining these past few days.

Inside the carriage, Fan Jingxu suppressed his laughter, “Why provoke him?”

Yi ChuanChuan took a deep breath, “I just love the feeling of seeing someone get so mad they puff up like a blowfish. It’s exhilarating.”

Fan Jingxu, “…”

An stange hobby indeed!