Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Old Fang, have you discerned anything interesting from the scenery these past few days?" Li Yuanzhao asked, riding on his horse with a smug look.

Fang Zheng felt puzzled: "Interesting? How can scenery be interesting?"

Li Yuanzhao chuckled and pointed his horsewhip towards the distant peaks: "Look at the mountains."

"What's wrong with the mountains?"

Li Yuanzhao shook his head, feigning a sigh: "You're usually so clever, but how can you miss something like this?"

"We've entered the Red Peak Basin, and all the mountains we see are bare. Is there a single tall tree?"

Fang Zheng recalled: "It seems there aren't. But what exactly is Your Majesty trying to say?"

"I see that we're still some distance from Sangjak. Many of the tall trees have been felled and taken away, most likely for shipbuilding. Even the short trees are gone, indicating a scarcity of resources, so they've even cut down trees here."

"The common people we passed along the way are too weak to come here to cut wood for heating. Therefore, I suspect their fleet must be extraordinarily large. If they send a fleet to raid Holy City, our army will likely face a difficult battle," Li Yuanzhao sighed. "I wonder what the situation is over there. When I return, I'll have all the warships replaced with ironclad ships!"

Fang Zheng didn't know how to respond.

He wasn't sure if a battle had even occurred over there, or what the outcome would be if it had.

He could only wait until the main battlefield was settled before returning to investigate.

However, Li Yuanzhao's words made him a little uneasy. His fear of insufficient firepower was acting up.

Five ironclad ships... it did feel a little lacking.

Fifty ships would be more reassuring.

"We've been in the Red Peak Basin for three days. If we continue marching to meet them, I estimate that enemy troops will appear in a few days," Li Yuanzhao said, changing the subject as he looked ahead.

Fang Zheng replied: "Your Majesty's guess will likely be confirmed soon. There's no need to wait for the enemy's main force to arrive."

"Oh? How so?"

"Your Majesty forgets, the Brotherhood people are on the other side. If the enemy army is mobilized, they certainly won't stay by their side. They'll definitely take the opportunity to contact us. Since individuals are faster, we'll probably get the news in advance."

"That makes sense. I hope they can come as soon as possible and provide some information."

No sooner had Li Yuanzhao finished speaking than a team of soldiers escorted four people into the formation.

The four foreigners were forced to the ground, their mouths stuffed with cloth.

The guarding soldier loudly announced: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Lord Marquis, our troops have captured several enemy spies ahead who claim to have defected and speak the language of Great Jing. They claim to know Lord Marquis and request your personal examination."

"Remove the gags."

The cloth was removed from their mouths, and the four immediately looked at Fang Zheng with tears in their eyes, shouting: "Lord Marquis! It's me! It's Little Shuai! The Brotherhood leader!"

"I'm... Lord Marquis, you even taught me to sing once, 'The red sun rises in the east...'"

"Alright, alright, stop singing!" Fang Zheng chuckled.

It really was a case of speak of the devil! The timing was pretty good!

"They're on our side. Untie them."

The ropes were untied, and Little Shuai and the others looked radiant. Fang Zheng walked to Li Yuanzhao's side and introduced them: "This is His Majesty, the current Emperor."

The four hurriedly bowed, stealing glances at Li Yuanzhao.

Li Yuanzhao waved his hand: "No need for formalities. Did you come from Sangjak? Has Sangjak already sent a large army to this place?"

"That's right!" Little Shuai hurriedly said. "They're crazy, preparing for battle with all their might! The entire Sangjak has been almost completely plundered. They must be preparing for a decisive battle, and they're heading this way now."

"A million troops! They have a million troops! Including supplies and provisions, I don't know how many people there are in total. Too many... people everywhere, you can't see the end of them."

"We pretended to be scouting for information and ran out halfway. At their speed, they'll probably be here in ten days or so. Besides that... we don't have any other useful information. We've never known how much firepower they have."

Li Yuanzhao looked at Fang Zheng and smiled triumphantly.

I guessed right, didn't I!

Fang Zheng cupped his fist in admiration and walked to Little Shuai's side, asking: "Can you usually get in contact with Prince Wu?"

"Yes! Since the Brotherhood started providing information to Sangjak, we've spent most of our time in Sangjak and can often see him. If we say we have important matters to report, Prince Wu will definitely see us."

"Very good!" Fang Zheng gave the four a reassuring look. "I have an important task to entrust to you now. I wonder if you're willing to do it?"

"No," the four replied in unison.

Still willing? They'd been fooled for so many years, even a pig should have figured it out by now!

Hearing the other party refuse without even listening, Fang Zheng's face fell: "What's going on? As members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, instead of thinking of serving the country, you're shirking responsibility. What kind of behavior is that!"

Little Shuai and the others were exhausted and too lazy to pretend anymore, complaining loudly on the spot.

"Reporting to Lord Marquis! We already completed the tasks assigned by our superiors long ago and should have gone home! But the court keeps adding new tasks."

"We can't influence the current battlefield situation at all. What else can we do? We're not young anymore, we don't want to take risks, we just want to go home and enjoy ourselves as soon as possible."

"And also...."

"Enough!" Fang Zheng stopped Little Shuai and the others from complaining, displeased. "There are always people like this, who start complaining when their superiors ask them to do a little more. Do you know? I could give the task to anyone, in Great Jing's current situation, is there a shortage of people rushing to do things?"

"The reason I chose you is to give you a chance for promotion. Complaining, muddle-headed, lacking wisdom!"

"Dedication is a blessing," Li Yuanzhao leaned over and added. "If you don't have this spirit of dedication, do you even want to be a citizen of Great Jing?"

The faces of Little Shuai and the others turned pale...

Fang Zheng said decisively: "Alright, let's start assigning tasks now. Listen carefully."

The expressions of Little Shuai and the others were numb.

They weren't even willing to pretend anymore...

"This is your last task. Return to Prince Wu's side and keep a close watch on him at all times. If Great Jing goes to war with him and he tries to escape or commit suicide, you must immediately restrain him and ensure that his life is in the hands of Great Jing."

"If you succeed, you'll have no worries for the rest of your lives. If you fail, there will be no punishment."

"Isn't this risking our lives! I won't do it! I don't want to be a citizen of Great Jing anymore, okay? I'm going home to fish, please, Lord Marquis, give me a way out," Little Shuai cried heart-wrenchingly, while the faces of the others were ashen.

Fang Zheng beckoned to the Embroidered Uniform Guard not far away and whispered a few words.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard turned around and brought four small wooden boxes.

Fang Zheng handed the wooden boxes to Little Shuai: "Don't rush to refuse. One for each of you, open the boxes."

The four opened the boxes. In the center of each box was a shiny silver revolver, surrounded by dozens of bullets.

Seeing their confusion, Fang Zheng explained: "This is the Zhonglun Handgun, the latest war artifact developed by Great Jing. It can fire six bullets in succession and is easy to reload. These four guns are the only four handguns in the world. Each of you can say that you are the first person in the world to possess this artifact."

Li Yuanzhao secretly rolled his eyes.

Hadn't Old Fang said these words to others before him?

"With it, you can kill enemies on all sides and ensure your own safety. Moreover, I'm not asking you to take a huge risk to capture the chief bandit, but to wait until the two armies are engaged in battle, and then, ensuring your own safety, seize the opportunity to strike," Fang Zheng persuaded.

"Rest assured, if the enemy flees, our army will definitely pursue them closely! You only need to restrain him, and we will immediately come to your rescue. What do you think of that?"

The four looked at each other.

If it meant seizing the opportunity to strike while ensuring their own safety, it wasn't impossible.

The four whispered to each other for a while, and finally reached a consensus.

Little Shuai said: "Lord Marquis, we're willing to do it, but you have to promise that this is the last time, and you absolutely can't go back on your word."

"After you complete it, you can enjoy the rest of your lives. I, as a man, give you not only the court's promise but also my own!"

......