Chapter 2736: Letter of Introduction

Manbao was not comforted at all. She glanced at State Duke Zhao and asked, “Are you being threatened?”

State Duke Zhao shook his head, “No one can withstand the advance of a great army.” If there is anyone, it must be the Emperor.

Manbao withdrew her gaze and said to him, “Chief Steward, Bai Shan told me two days ago that he embarrassed you on the battlefield and wanted to apologize. I’ve noticed your complexion hasn’t been good recently, so I’ll have someone prepare a nourishing soup for you shortly.”

State Duke Zhao instinctively touched his face and asked, “Is my complexion really bad?”

Then he nonchalantly waved his hand and said, “It’s not a big deal. However, Lord Zhou should advise Lord Bai that even when saving lives, he must act within his means. Moreover, on the battlefield, mercy is least advisable.”

Manbao responded calmly, “He’s not in command of the troops.”

State Duke Zhao shook his head, “In Great Jin, which of our men isn’t capable of writing with a brush or fighting enemies on horseback? Bai Shan will eventually become a governor, and if his official luck is good, he might even become a military governor. Which one doesn’t need to command troops?”

Unlike the literati during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the literati of Great Jin have their own heroic spirit. Being capable of combat on horseback is a basic requirement. People like Wei Zhi, Lord Tang, and Minister Feng have all been on battlefields and commanded troops.

Even Minister Liu used to follow the great army, managing military supplies and occasionally being raided by enemy troops, or leading people to raid enemy forces instead.

Manbao was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, “You’re right. When he returns, he should work harder on martial arts and practicing horseback archery.”

State Duke Zhao said, “These are minor paths. The main thing is to cultivate a ruthless heart and learn some military tactics. However, what you learn from books might not be useful; participating in more battles is better.”

Upon saying this, State Duke Zhao felt a stirring in his heart. Since Bai Shan could block his sword, it showed he had some ability. Therefore, he considered recruiting him into the ranks of military generals. If he entered the Ministry of War, the next time it needed to argue with the Ministry of Revenue for funds, they’d have a competent voice.

So he became enthusiastic, telling Zhou Man, “Treat his hand wound well. After Anshi City is taken, I’ll bring him onto the battlefield.”

He added, “The Ministry of War is much better than the other five ministries.”

Manbao: …

She needed to reconsider the nourishing soup for State Duke Zhao.

State Duke Zhao received a bowl of bitter nourishing soup. The soldier carrying the soup carefully said, “Chief Steward, Lord Zhou mentioned that this medicine is precious, saved with difficulty from the army supplies, so please take your time drinking it.”

State Duke Zhao frowned at the dark soup and asked, “What’s the chunky stuff inside?”

“Meat!” the soldier replied, “So it’s a medicinal dish, not really medicine; it’s very precious.”

Emphasizing the word “precious” repeatedly made it hard for State Duke Zhao not to eat it. He gulped and asked, “Is there any leftover? I noticed His Majesty looks quite fatigued.”

The soldier replied, “No, there was only a small pot, and Lord Zhou said that this medicinal dish was specifically cooked for you according to your health, and it might not be suitable for His Majesty.”

State Duke Zhao became more suspicious, suspecting Zhou Man of publicly avenging a private grievance. There were many possible reasons, possibly because his sword injured Bai Shan’s hand or because he said Bai Shan wouldn’t be threatened by Goguryeo.

In any case, there were many reasons.

As for their relationship… huh, they seem to get along quite well.

At least better than Ashina, Chibi Heli, and the others. They see each other quite often and are relatives too.

With this thought, State Duke Zhao reached out, took the bowl, and drank a sip, nearly spitting it out.

The soldier looked at him enviously.

State Duke Zhao painstakingly finished the bowl of medicinal dish. It wasn’t so much bitter as indescribable, and the meat wasn’t tasty either, with the meat juices tasting medicinal, lacking the pleasure of eating meat.

State Duke Zhao handed the bowl to the soldier and walked away.

The soldier shouted after him, “Chief Steward, Lord Zhou asked you to drink more water.”

During discussions, the Emperor couldn’t help but glance at State Duke Zhao’s complexion, and others did so sneakily too.

State Duke Zhao lifted his head to look at them, held back for a moment but couldn’t, “Your Majesty, did I conduct myself improperly?”

The Emperor retracted his gaze and said seriously, “No, just noticed your complexion doesn’t look good. Have you been too tired lately? Maybe we should pause the offensive, giving Bai Shanzheng some time.”

“We mustn’t,” State Duke Zhao immediately replied, “It would harm him more to stop attacking now.”

General Ashina added, “It could be paused but not stopped.”

State Duke Zhao touched his blackened face and asked, “Is my complexion really that bad?”

The Emperor didn’t speak, but General Ashina said gently, “It’s not that bad, but I heard Lord Zhou specially prepared a nourishing soup for State Duke Zhao…”

It must be when someone is really weakened that they’d drink a nourishing soup, right?

Even he, after fighting continuously for two days and nights, was only administered acupuncture for two days, without needing medicine.

Chibi Heli glanced at State Duke Zhao, scanned him discreetly up and down, feeling proud to straighten his posture and lift his chin slightly.

State Duke Zhao: … So infuriating. His reputation was tarnished. Had he known, he wouldn’t have eaten that bowl of nourishing soup.

Unwilling to face them here, he raised his fist and said, “Your Majesty, I request to go into battle and take East Third Street.”

The Emperor became more serious, pondered for a moment, then asked, “Would attacking at this time disadvantage Bai Shan?”

State Duke Zhao said, “Bai Shan should have arrived by now too, but Goguryeo wouldn’t meet him immediately if they wanted to intimidate him. This battle can serve as his calling card.”

After some thought, the Emperor nodded and advised, “Moderate the attack; let them know our sincerity.”

“Yes.” State Duke Zhao accepted the order and quickly led the troops out of camp towards the city. As he exited the camp, he happened to see Zhou Man leading a group of students returning from a follow-up diagnosis at the prisoner camp. Hence, he stopped his horse and said to Zhou Man, “Lord Zhou, I remember your medicine.”

Manbao smiled, “Chief Steward, you’ll understand the benefits of this medicine after your battle. I would never harm you.”

State Duke Zhao snorted. He knew Zhou Man wouldn’t harm him, yet intentionally making the soup taste so bad was true, causing him to be ridiculed.

State Duke Zhao led the troops into the city.

Watching the troops pass by one after another, Zhou Liru felt a bit worried, “Aunt, Uncle is on the other side in the enemy camp. Will their movement affect Uncle?”

Manbao quietly watched the city direction, saying, “The attack should be moderate. This counts as Bai Shan’s stepping stone; otherwise, it’s uncertain when he could meet them.”

Meanwhile, Bai Shan was standing in front of a courtyard, surrounded by people coming and going. Some would glance at him when exiting, while others entering would do the same.

Bai Shan stood calmly in the courtyard, leisurely tidying his sleeves occasionally, admiring the courtyard scenery without urgency.

It’s not the peak summer time of June or July, so he’s not afraid of standing; enjoying the sun will actually help him grow.