Xie Lanzhi sighed, thinking about how much her men depended on her emotionally: "I accidentally went too far and even hit Ma Hong."
“He won’t mind.” Si Xitong knew his general well: “General Ma has always been generous, just like his grandfather. I have a high opinion of him.”
Xie Lanzhi also agrees with Ma Hong.
She sat up, took the towel, rubbed it in the basin, washed her face and hands, and then put them back in the basin. Then she lay down again.
Si Xitong knew she was tired and stopped bothering her. They would both just make do for the night.
The news of the birth of the Imperial Guard reached the ears of the Xiongnu.
Anshan soon received a new imperial order to find Anshan as soon as possible.
The Western Guard was also interrogating people overnight.
Zhang Changle stayed up all night, interrogating An Shan, whom he had captured, hundreds of times to confirm his information.
Finally, a confession was prepared and Ansan signed it.
Even though he was tied to the tiger bench, Ansan still couldn't believe it and asked, "Ansan-kun, does Ansan-kun really think I'm dead?"
Seeing that he still hoped his own people would save him, Zhang Changle clicked his tongue and said, "My men killed you right in front of them. They just didn't know it was a fake death."
Anshan's eyes were filled with despair. He thought about how much his son had done for his motherland, and how once they thought he was dead, they never investigated him again. He was filled with resentment.
But the thought that his motherland believed he was dead, and that was why she wasn't pursuing the matter, rather than abandoning him, gave him renewed hope.
Zhang Changle said, "This commander has confirmed that you are not An Shan. You are just a smokescreen set up by An Shan."
"In that case, your home country will soon find out that the real Ansan is still alive, and you, the imposter, will naturally be no threat to them."
Anshan struggled for a moment, his heart filled with torment.
Zhang Changle added, "According to the rules of Xiwei, prisoners who have no further use can be sent on their way."
"No, no!" Anshan tried to move, but he was bound by ropes. He struggled, crying, "You can't kill me!"
Zhang Changle found this person particularly interesting. When he was arrested on the spot, this person was more determined to die than anyone else, but now, after only three months of tormenting him, he has regained his will to live.
Zhang Changle had already drained him dry; what other valuable information could he possibly have? Zhang Changle's attitude was cold, seemingly impatient because he had nothing left to exploit.
"You'll have one last good meal in the middle of the night, so eat well. When you get to the underworld, tell them my name."
After Zhang Changle finished speaking, he yawned and turned to leave the cell.
Anshan was immediately terrified, because this man's attitude determined his life or death. When he was valuable, this man always had the face of a madman, but now he didn't even bother to pretend, clearly intending to send him to his death.
He hurriedly said, "I have one more secret I haven't told you yet!"
"You don't." Zhang Changle's figure walked away from him step by step, waving her hand as if she wasn't interested.
Anshan said, "The king has two doubles!"
These words were spoken.
Zhang Changle finally stopped. He glanced at him with his right eye and said, "I see."
"You still have some time to live."
When Zhang Changle left the West Guard death row, he instructed his men to prepare a room for An Shan and to serve him good wine and food during the last month of his life.
When Anshan saw the prison guards bring him fine wine and food, he swallowed and couldn't resist the urge to eat.
At this point, the more the prisoner desires external things, the stronger his will to survive becomes, to the point that in the end, he doesn't want to die at all.
Since they don't want to die, they will definitely gather new intelligence to try and save their lives.
Zhang Changle was waiting for him here.
The next day, he passed the message on to Si Xitong. He also gave a copy to Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Lanzhi was still eating breakfast when she glanced at Zhang Changle. He seemed much more composed than he had been six months ago, and his aura was even more sinister.
Si Xitong felt that the information Zhang Changle had sent so urgently during breakfast must be some kind of urgent information.
After she finished reading it, she fell silent.
After Xie Lanzhi finished reading, she put down her bowl and chopsticks and asked someone to prepare a new set of bowls and chopsticks.
"If Commander Zhang doesn't mind, let's have a meal together."
"Yes!" Zhang Changle was hungry, so he picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a steamed bun, and started eating.
Xie Lanzhi first told Si Xitong, "Madam Lu said that my crisis has been resolved."
“Aqina hasn’t done it yet.” Si Xitong continued, “This substitute might be a new approach Aqina is taking, used to avoid trouble for him.”
If even General King and Archina could sacrifice their opponent to save themselves, then their other stand would be even more indispensable.
If Aqina is allowed to repeatedly use substitutes to escape divine punishment, the world will be even more unsettled.
Xie Lanzhi glanced at Zhang Changle, who was eating a steamed bun. Torture was his forte, so he must also have methods to keep people alive. Therefore, Anshan couldn't die; he had to be used by her.
She subtly withdrew her gaze.
Si Xitong somewhat understood what she meant.
She said, "Changle, I'm leaving her to you."
Zhang Changle swallowed the steamed bun, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This subordinate wants to recruit him into the Western Guard."
"You can make the final decision, depending on the situation." Si Xitong delegated the authority to him.
Zhang Changle was incredibly excited. The Western Guard was becoming increasingly adept at its work, all thanks to the master's trust in him. This allowed him to gather intelligence and infiltrate various countries without any reservations.
Currently, there are 5,000 spies from various countries working for Xiwei. Their spies are ubiquitous and have become an immeasurable force.
"Your Highness will certainly live up to your kindness." As soon as Zhang Changle finished speaking, he felt a sharp gaze shot at his earlobe. He felt a chill run down his spine and quickly said goodbye before leaving.
I can't afford to mess with him, the jealous king is out of here.
Zhang Changle left.
Xie Lanzhi then said frankly, "Two years from now, foreign enemies will arrive. I think Aqina will not miss this opportunity. I'm just afraid that our people will have to face both internal and external troubles and be attacked from both sides."
"At that time, Achina will win people's hearts by claiming to be a savior."
"Lanzhi, the people who should be worried and anxious right now are not us, but Aqina," Si Xitong said calmly.
With the trainee children and the blueprints that Lan Zhi had taught them, the Ministry of Works had increased the monthly production of mortars to fifty rounds in the past two months.
Its power is decent.
However, Si Xitong set a new target: the mortar must have a range of more than 300 meters.
Wei Zhao, who had finally met his targets, is now balding on the back of his head again.
Si Xitong rarely brought up the recent situation of the Ministry of Works: "Lanzhi, the students of the Ministry of Works are getting thinner and thinner, and they often catch a cold due to the dampness. How do you deal with this?"
Xie Lanzhi was surprised that she cared so much about the health of her subordinates; no wonder she was a future emperor. No wonder so many people were willing to follow Little Phoenix. Little Phoenix was incredibly perceptive.
She said, "People over there all have short hair. If you are a disciple of steelmaking, I suggest you shave your hair short."
"Our bodies and hair are gifts from our parents." Si Xitong shook his head and said, "I have suggested it before, but most people do not understand and refuse to shave their heads."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi suddenly realized that the stable development of firearms in New Tianjing was a century ahead of its time.
But his thinking seems to be stuck twenty years in the past.
Perhaps they should focus on their mindset. If their weaponry advances too far ahead of their thinking, it could create significant obstacles.
So the couple asked Li Ling, a renowned scholar and Vice Minister of Rites, to come up with a solution.
Li Ling himself was an old-fashioned person. When he heard that His Highness was asking the students of the Ministry of Works to shave their heads, he was the first to jump out and object.
This made Xie Lanzhi doubt that she had chosen the wrong person; she should have found a young person who was more open to new things.
Si Xitong seemed to have great confidence in Li Ling. She even summoned his son, Li Jin. Li Jin also seemed to find it difficult to accept shaving his head, feeling that it was essentially becoming a monk, which violated etiquette.
Both father and son were initially opposed.
Xie Lanzhi planned to take a different approach. However, Si Xitong secretly met with the two of them, and what they discussed made Li Ling and his son Li Jin fall into deep thought.
Li Ling then suggested that they could give it a try.
Li Jin also agreed to help.
Xie Lanzhi was quite surprised. Why could these two old-fashioned people accept it so quickly?
She took the initiative to ask her beloved wife, "What exactly did you say to them?"
Si Xitong said, "I only told Lord Li and his son that the Mo family disciples have been falling into comas due to dehydration from the high temperature of the stoves recently. The Imperial Physician has repeatedly warned them that they may perish in the Ministry of Works in time."
"That's it?" Xie Lanzhi didn't find it very convincing.
"Of course, it's not just that." Si Xitong quietly uttered a riddle, and Xie Lanzhi immediately urged her to speak, saying that not saying it would tickle her.
Si Xitong immediately said, "I had previously instructed Li Ling to contact the disciples of the Mohist school and then ordered him to supervise the work. Because the work went smoothly, I gave him many ancient books and recorded his achievements."
"I didn't expect him to value craftsmanship so much, and he even had private connections with the disciples of the Mohist school. So at this point, all I had to do was tell him that I was going north in two years."
"He naturally knows what to do."
At this moment, saving the nation and restoring the Jin dynasty is the most important task, far more important than shaving one's head. Li Ling is a man who values patriotism above all else. When he learns that the rigid rules of propriety might cost the lives of pillars of the state, he will certainly not hesitate to correct them.
I never expected Little Phoenix to understand her subordinates so well, and to defeat them one by one based on their personalities.
Soon, a wave of enthusiasm for shaving one's head for the country swept through the student circles of New Tianjing. The Ministry of Works was the first to take the lead. Although many people opposed shaving their heads, since the Ministry of Works was the first place to experiment with it, many people both opposed it and waited and saw.
Li Ling, as the Vice Minister of Rites, stood up to support the Ministry of Works in shaving heads for the country, and he even set an example by having his son do it himself.
So, in front of everyone, Li Ling shaved Li Jin's head short.
Li Ling even declared to the students: "Even if the hair of the father is cut off in place of the mother, the father will not blame the mother for not doing so. Even if you shave your head, you should still take protecting your family and country as your great ambition."
"Moreover, it is a monk being ordained in the State of Wei!"
The phrase "shaving one's head to defend the country" has stirred the fervent hearts of countless students. It is extremely popular among young people.
The older, learned scholars still opposed it, but they wouldn't stand up directly to oppose Li Ling and discourage the students' patriotism. They wouldn't do something that would harm the country's interests.
Privately, many Confucian scholars began to visit Li Ling to inquire about this matter.
Li Ling received them one by one and explained everything to them. The Confucian scholars heard that His Highness had promoted the shaving of heads for the sake of the pillars of the Ministry of Works, and that the promotion of shaving of heads was to preserve talent for manufacturing firearms and launching a northern expedition against the Xiongnu.
The mere phrase "Northern Expedition against the Xiongnu" is enough to make one's head spin.
The great Confucian scholars believed that it was not difficult to accept someone who shaved their head for the purpose of saving the country.