"No, Mr. Feng only asked me to tell the commander that he sent Mr. Yu to Silver Tiger City..."
Li Jun paced back and forth, hands behind his back. The reason Feng Jiutian refused to explain everything to Ge Lu was undoubtedly because she feared he would be captured and unable to keep the secret. If that was the case, then Yu Sheng's trip to Yinhu City was definitely not just about persuading Sima Hui. After pondering for a long time, Li Jun's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
"When you arrived, how did Mr. Feng deal with Peng Yuancheng?" Li Jun asked again.
“Mr. Feng has no intention of engaging in a decisive battle with Peng Yuancheng. He has already ordered the abandonment of Leiming City. When I arrived, he was directing the transport of all the grain and supplies from Leiming City to Kuanglan City,” Ge Lu said.
His answer reassured Li Junxin somewhat. Instead of fighting Peng Yuancheng for a city or territory, Feng Jiutian moved more important supplies and personnel from the war-torn Leiming City to the newly built and easily defensible Kuanglan City. With the strong defenses of Kuanglan City and the defensive equipment carefully designed by Mo Rong, Kuanglan City would be enough to keep Peng Yuancheng occupied for a long time.
The reason Feng Jiutian sent Ge Lu to risk his life to deliver the news was undoubtedly because he feared that if he learned of the internal strife in Yuzhou and Peng Yuancheng's rebellion, he would rush back to his troops and risk defeat. But even if he didn't rush back, with the troops now being attacked from both sides and the confirmation of the internal strife in Yuzhou, maintaining morale would be extremely difficult.
"This is really adding fuel to the fire..." Wei Zhan couldn't help but sigh.
Li Jun shook his head, signaling Wei Zhan not to say more. Then he asked, "Did Mr. Feng say that I should immediately return to the rescue, or did he ask you to bring any advice?"
"Mr. Feng never said he would lead the army back to rescue, nor did he send me with any suggestions."
Li Jun felt increasingly relieved. If Feng Jiutian had ordered Ge Lu to urgently request reinforcements at this moment, then Feng Jiutian would have been a person lacking tactical acumen. If he were in charge of the overall situation in Yuzhou, the outcome would likely be dire. Now that Feng Jiutian had not made that foolish suggestion, it seemed that he already had a plan to defeat the enemy. Even if he could not quell Peng Yuancheng's rebellion, it would be enough to sustain him until he returned to his army.
"By the way, there's something I want to ask this young man." Wei Zhan suddenly remembered something and asked, "Does Mr. Feng know that Ningwang City has been captured by the Lianfa Army?"
Ge Lu noticed that everyone in the camp was staring at him, which made him feel even worse than when he was tortured in the Lianfa army camp. After a moment's thought, he said somewhat awkwardly, "Because the roads were blocked by the traitors Peng Yuancheng and others, there were checkpoints along the way, so Leiming City is still unaware that the Lianfa army has captured Ningwang City."
Seeing the hint of disappointment in Li Jun's eyes, Ge Lu quickly added, "It's quite a coincidence. When I came here, Mr. Feng warned me to be careful when passing through Ningwang. At first, I thought Mr. Feng was overthinking things. But after being captured by the Lianfa army traitors in Ningwang, I realized that Mr. Feng had the ability to foresee the future. I only regretted being betrayed by the villagers I stayed with, thinking that I would ruin the commander's important business. Fortunately, those traitors only beat me. After learning about Peng Yuancheng's rebellion, they released me..."
Li Jun's heart skipped a beat. Feng Jiutian's warning to Ge Lu to be careful when passing through Ningwang was certainly not some kind of prophetic revelation; otherwise, he would have simply told Ge Lu that Ningwang had already fallen. His actions must have been based on accurate deductions from various circumstances. His summons of Ge Lu was likely not only to reassure him, but also to subtly inform him of the overall situation. After all, knowing oneself and one's enemy is the key to victory. Confined to Huai'en City, without outside intelligence, knowing neither oneself nor the enemy, defeat is inevitable.
If that's the case, it's probably within Feng Jiutian's expectations that Ge Lu would fall into the hands of Lian Fajun. He arranged for this person, who only knew the general outline but not the details, to come, so that all the details could only be deduced by himself, but he refused to let him bring any letters, precisely because he was afraid that Ge Lu would be captured by Lian Fajun.
Li Jun raised his eyebrows. At this moment, he noticed that Ge Lu's words were full of "petty people" and said, "Ge Lu, look at yourself. Although you are shorter than me, you are not a 'petty person'. Have you forgotten what I said in the oath of Kuanglan City?"
Despite the detrimental intelligence brought by Ge Lu, Li Jun still had the leisure to joke with his subordinates, causing the officers to exchange bewildered glances. Only Wei Zhan relaxed, a smile appearing on his face. Li Jun had noticed this, but pretended not to, and still asked, "Ge Lu, what did your battalion commander Zhao Xian call me?"
A smile appeared on Ge Lu's face. He was a homeless child that Zhao Xian had found on the streets of Leiming City. He was used to being disliked and beaten wherever he went, so he couldn't help but feel inferior when facing others. Li Jun spoke to him in a relaxed tone, which put him at ease.
“Brother Zhao calls the Commander Brother, of course I know that,” he replied.
"You're being a 'petty person' again. You call Zhao Xian 'elder brother,' and Zhao Xian calls me 'elder brother,' so what should you call me?"
In terms of age, Zhao Xian and Wang Erlei were both older than Li Jun, but when they first met, Li Jun used a trick to get rid of the local bully who had been harassing them. Therefore, Zhao Xian and Wang Erlei called Li Jun their elder brother. Most people in the Peace Army knew this. Zhao Xian and Wang Erlei were very polite to everyone else, but they were more casual in front of Li Jun, precisely because Li Jun was their "elder brother".
“Then it’s naturally ‘Big Brother’.” Seeing Ge Lu’s face turn red and he dared not answer, Wei Zhan smiled and helped him out of the predicament.
"Yes, sir... I should call you Commander-in-Chief." Ge Lu lowered his head and answered in a low voice.
Li Jun shook his head and said, "Since you call me Big Brother, why do you still call yourself a villain? In front of me, Li Jun, all the Peace Army members are brothers, sisters, uncles, and elders. There are no villains among them. Ge Lu, you must remember this: no one is born a villain. As long as he is willing, no one can make him a villain!"
As he spoke, his expression was extremely impassioned, as if he had vaguely returned to the scene in Kuanglan City. Ge Lu looked up at him, his eyes full of admiration. Before anyone could process what he was saying, Li Jun continued, "Ge Lu, you've had a long and arduous journey, and you've been tormented by the Lianfa army. Take a rest first. The rest of you should go and comfort the soldiers. As for the matter of Yuzhou, everyone must tell the truth and not hide anything. Mr. Wei, would you please stay and have some tea brewed with melted snow with me?"
Section 3
Inside the small stove, the dark red embers radiated heat in all directions, and a purple clay teapot placed on it was already making a "buzzing" sound as the water began to boil.
Li Jun evenly sprinkled tea leaves into two porcelain cups, then poured in boiling water. The water agitated the leaves, causing them to float and swirl before slowly settling back down. The hot water helped the tea leaves unfurl at the bottom of the cups, releasing their fragrance into the water.
Li Jun first handed a cup to Wei Zhan, then moved the other cup in front of himself, took a deep sniff of the tea aroma, and asked, "What do you think, sir?"
“Indeed, Commander Li’s tea-making skills may not be considered masterful, but this tea is quite excellent.” Wei Zhanming knew that he was actually asking about Wei Zhanming’s opinion on the current situation, but he pretended not to know and began to comment on the tea.
"Does the commander know what kind of tea the last one is?" He took a sip and continued, "The best tea comes from the peaks of about three thousand feet high, between cliffs and precipices, where it is constantly nourished by clouds and mist, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and the brilliance of the sun and moon. Around the time of Qingming Festival each year, when spring arrives on the high mountains, a beautiful sixteen or seventeen-year-old maiden, dressed in light clothing, gently sips the tea from the branch with her delicate tongue, then warms it with the girl's body heat. After a month, it is sun-dried under the scorching sun to remove the remaining moisture. Finally, it is stir-fried in a newly made white iron pot. Only by processing it in this way can the best tea be obtained."
"This is too extravagant and so complicated. How much tea can one person produce in a year?"
"At most, only two or three ounces. Often, young girls fall into deep ravines while picking them. It's pitiful, such a pity!" Wei Zhan couldn't help but sigh deeply as he spoke. Although he came from a prestigious family, he had always been regarded as the unfilial son in his family. From a young age, he had a compassionate heart for the poor and weak. Therefore, when he heard that the Lianfa Sect, mainly composed of farmers, had risen up to resist tyranny, he resolutely joined Xue Qian's side.