The fat man casually grabbed a bucket of instant noodles and two pieces of bread at the entrance of the command tent, and said while eating, "The food is pretty good."
I ordered someone to bring back the men Fatty brought, saying, "There's no other way. These guys are here to help. Even if we don't pay them, we have to make sure they're well-fed."
The fat man picked up the thermos in the command post and made himself some noodles. He placed a disposable fork in front of him and asked me, "What's going on? Are Baozi and the others doing well?"
I said, "It's easy to handle, it's easy to handle. It's just that the opposing general is a bit stubborn and doesn't eat or drink anything."
Fatty Ying frowned and said, "Do you need more people? I was just worried you didn't have enough, so I came to check. If you don't have enough, just say the word, and I'll come with another 200,000."
I said, moved, "We have enough men. But to be honest, we really can't do anything to them. Not to mention the losses we've suffered, the Jin soldiers also have missions to complete."
Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and Jin Shaoyan and Ersha entered. Seeing that Fatty Ying had come in person, Jin Shaoyan choked with emotion and said, "Brother Ying..."
Fatty Ying laughed and said, "You're so skinny, kid."
Ersha watched as Fatty Ying grinned foolishly. Fatty glared at him and said, "Hang up!"
After Qin Shi Huang arrived, Wanyan Wuzhu finally lost his composure. I don't know how his mentality changed, but before, he didn't take hundreds of thousands of troops seriously, yet now 20,000 men had already stirred him up. This might have been the so-called last straw that broke the camel's back—especially since that straw was quite heavy for the fat man.
Jin Wuzhu sent us a cold, unceremonious letter, inviting me to the Jin army camp to discuss the exchange of hostages and related matters. Although his wording was precise and neither servile nor arrogant, I could still sense a sense of dejection within it. This young man surnamed Wanyan had finally yielded. The messenger was the same general I had bribed before. Jin Wuzhu somehow knew about our past, and sending such a person clearly indicated a gesture of goodwill.
We had a brief meeting to discuss it, and half of the generals disagreed with my taking such a risk. Others were indifferent, believing that Jin Wuzhu would never dare to gamble with the lives of 800,000 people. In the end, I decided to go in person; I needed to clarify things with Jin Wuzhu, and besides—I really missed Baozi.
A few people were determined to go. Ersha, needless to say, and Fatty Ying insisted on going too. Many others also strongly requested to go. In the end, Tong Yuan, being a bodyguard major, managed to snatch a spot. Jin Shaoyan held my hand tightly. I told him, "I promise to bring Shishi back. Besides, you really can't leave. If you're detained, these 3 million people are counting on you to support them and continue fighting." Only then did he relent. The guard team naturally had to be 300 men, and I specifically instructed Xu Delong not to act impulsively. Xu Delong said, "Don't worry, although we and Jin Wuzhu are enemies, it's a matter of each serving their own master. If we're talking about hatred, that brat Qin Hui is the most despicable."
So, our group of more than 300 people, along with Nianhan, a prisoner of the Jin army, set off for the Jin army's main camp that afternoon.
On the way, I asked the messenger, "Our two girls didn't suffer much with you, did they?" I was still very polite to him, after all, he had helped me a lot, and I'm the kind of person who easily remembers good deeds.
The yaman smiled obsequiously and said, "No, no, I promise. At first, I secretly sent them delicious food, but when our marshal found out, he turned a blind eye. In my opinion, my marshal has long been willing to negotiate, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Especially these days, when we haven't had any food, the two young ladies still haven't dared to mistreat us."
The Jin camp was open, and a few soldiers were symbolically stationed at the gate to welcome us. As soon as I entered, I gave Nianhan a push on the back and said, "Go, you're free now."
Nianhan asked in surprise, "You're just going to let me go like that?"
I said, "So what do you want? Should I throw you a farewell party?"
Nianhan said, "Didn't we agree to exchange hostages? Are you sure you can release me now?"
I sneered, "Who said I agreed? You were a hostage, that's true, but we released you. As for our people, there's no question of an exchange. Even without you, I would have taken them back."
Tong Yuan clapped her hands and said, "Well said!"
I chuckled and said, "Aren't we tough guys? That's where my cleverness lies. Anyway, with 300 of us in the enemy camp of 800,000, we can't bring him back. It's good to pretend to be heroes and have some fun."
Tong Yuan laughed and spat.
Actually, there's something else I haven't said—anyway, there are still over 3 million of us outside, and Jin Wuzhu can't possibly keep any of our people here. It would be too petty of us to actually send someone to hold a knife to Nianhan's neck and guard against him step by step.
We walked a little further, and Jin Wuzhu was already waiting there. When he saw us, he tried to put on a show of polite formalities. I waved my hand and said, "Hurry up. Let's find a place to talk and get all the paperwork done before dark."
Jin Wuzhu, his face grim, accompanied us to the central command tent. It was along the way that I truly witnessed the living conditions of the Jin army. Each tent was haphazardly covered with various types of Qin crossbows, and the ground and tents were littered with colorful wrapping paper and plastic bags. Some potholes were filled with foul-smelling, unidentified rotting matter, which squeaked and crunched underfoot. The Jin soldiers all looked dazed and disoriented. Some of the more lucid ones even bowed to Jin Wuzhu, while many others just grinned foolishly at us from afar, innocent and harmless…
This isn't a military camp! The abstract landscape composed of cold weapons and modern junk makes it look like a post-apocalyptic setting orchestrated by some genius director. It's bizarre and colorful, enough to trigger an epileptic seizure or send a poet's inspiration running wild. It's practically the pinnacle of postmodernism, a product of the union of God and Demon, a prophecy of the consequences of humanity's unrestrained exploitation of the Earth and its own potential… This is fucking art!
Jin Wuzhu grew increasingly gloomy as he walked, and finally couldn't hold back any longer. He glared at me fiercely and said, "This is all your doing!"
I knew I was wrong, so I didn't say anything, but I was thinking to myself: from an artistic point of view, it would be even better if there were a few more used condoms hanging from the roof!
Chapter 169 The Esquimo of Paris
Before long, we arrived at Jin Wuzhu's command tent. The tent roof was covered with crossbow bolts from "Terracotta Warrior No. 1" and "Terracotta Warrior No. 2" (after the relocation of the command tent, the range of No. 3 is not yet that far). I pretended not to see anything and walked in first with my head held high.
Jin Wuzhu followed in, his mouth moved as if he wanted to give some instructions to his subordinates, but in the end he didn't say anything, and said: "I'm very sorry, our army is short of supplies and has nothing to offer you."
I waved my hand apologetically and said, "I understand. Let's get straight to the point."
Jin Wuzhu tossed his helmet aside, just as he had when they first met. But last time, it was a nonchalant arrogance; this time, it carried an indescribable dejection. He sat down in his chair and said in a deep voice, "Speak. What exactly do you want?"
I chuckled and said, "Didn't we already say that..."
Jin Wuzhu shook his head in frustration: "Don't say you only think about those two women. Nobody's a fool."
I said seriously, "But we really only want those two women."
Jin Wuzhu asked in astonishment, "Are those foolish emperor's mistress and that ugly woman really worth all this trouble?"
I reminded him, "Don't use the word 'ugly' again. That's the fourth time now, thankfully she only remembered it twice."
Jin Wuzhu placed his hands on his knees and said, "I can release these two people anytime. Now tell me what's next—what exactly do you want?"
Tong Yuan said impatiently, "Why are you going on and on like an old woman? Didn't we say we only want those two older sisters?"
Jin Wuzhu pointed at me and said, "Let him speak."
I scratched my head and said, "She's right, I don't want to say it a second time."
Jin Wuzhu asked in surprise, "I can't understand it like this: I can release the people now and then safely withdraw my troops?"
I nodded and said, "That's right."
Jin Wuzhu rubbed his head, thinking for a long time, but the more he thought about it, the less he understood. "I noticed earlier that his steps were unsteady; he probably hadn't eaten in a long time. People in that state usually think a beat slower." Jin Wuzhu was frustrated for a moment, then looked up and said, "How can I believe you? Can you tell me why? One of those women is ugly… uh, one is nothing special, and the other is just a little prettier. But you've made such a fuss. If you can't give me a good reason, it'll be hard to convince me to release them."
Qin Shi Huang angrily said, "Are you ever going to stop being such a coward? Do you think I'd lie to you when I'm hungry?" The fat man was usually amiable, but he was a powerful figure who had unified China, and he had a very fiery temper with outsiders.
I laughed and said, "It's not his fault. Anyone would have to think about it for a while—that General Wan..."
Jin Wuzhu: "...And looks."