"Zhan Jue, come down and rest."
King Zhao's voice came from outside the carriage.
Zhu Zhan Xin stretched his back and walked out of the carriage to find that he had already arrived at a fortress.
"How did nephew Zhanchen sleep?"
King Zhao stepped forward and smiled.
"It's alright."
Zhu Zhan Xin nodded. Although it wasn't as comfortable as the bed, he couldn't ask for so much.
"Are we here?"
Zhu Zhanxin looked around.
"How can it be so fast? We haven't even left the pass yet. This is the Earthwood Fortress. The army will be resting here for a day.”
Zhu Zhanji walked over.
Earthwood Fortress?
Zhu Zhanyi's expression was somewhat strange. How could he not know about this famous Earthwood Fort?
Then, he sized up the Earthwood Fortress in front of him and found that the city walls were covered in scars, and he could vaguely see some blood.
"Nephew Zhan Chen, what do you want to eat tonight?”
King Zhao looked at him and asked.
"Anything is fine, Third Uncle."
"Sigh, that won't do. You're still growing now. How can you be so casual? Wait for Third Uncle to bring you some wild game.”
As he spoke, he smiled and patted his shoulder.
After he turned around, his expression changed and he shouted to the guard beside him.
"Go, bring me my bow."
"Third Uncle is so nice."
Zhu Zhan Xin sighed as he looked at the King of Zhao who was riding away.
That's for your own good. Your third uncle isn't a good person to others!
Zhu Zhanji secretly criticized.
At this moment, Zhu Zhanmo noticed that there were many soldiers repairing the city wall.
"Earth-Wood Fort is one of the three great forts of my Great Ming. It is very important. In the past, when Imperial Grandfather brought me out to pass by this place, he would lead troops to repair the city walls like now.”
Zhu Zhanji walked over and sighed.
"Three forts?"
Zhu Zhan Xin did not know much about this, but he was very interested in the matter of the Earth Wood Fort.
"Each of the three great forts is of great importance. Take this Earthwood Fortress for example. The Great Wall is right ahead of it. Once the Great Wall is breached, this place will become the second line of defense against foreign enemies.”
Zhu Zhanji saw that Zhu Zhanyi was interested in this and quickly began to explain to him. After all, this was the time to show his big brother's ability.
"What if this place is broken?"
Zhu Zhanxin asked.
At this moment, Zhu Zhanji's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Then the enemy can march straight into the capital!”
"Isn't this the last line of defense?”
"No, the last one is the capital. At that time, we will definitely fight to the death to protect our Ming Dynasty.”
As he spoke, Zhu Zhanji looked back in the direction of the capital.
Zhu Zhan Xin nodded his head. The men of the Zhu Clan still had guts.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhan Xin thought of something.
"Big brother, what if the general guarding the city is defeated?”
"Slash!"
Zhu Zhanji said firmly.
The Earthwood Fortress was extremely important. If it was really lost, then the general guarding the city would have to commit suicide.
"What if the one guarding the city is an emperor?”
Zhu Zhan looked at him playfully.
Zhu Zhan was stunned for a moment, but then his eyes became sharp.
"He should be beheaded. As the emperor, he could still cause the fall of the Earthwood Fortress. What's the use of such an emperor? Not only that, but the ancestral temple also has to expel him so as not to humiliate the ancestors.”
"But, Zhan Chen, why are you asking this? Don't worry, with Imperial Grandfather here, they won't be able to break in, let alone lose this fort.”
Zhu Zhanji thought he was worried about this.
Zhu Zhanji didn't explain anything. He was just reminding Zhu Zhanji.
Not long after, the King of Zhao returned on his horse. There were two rabbits lying on his horse.
"Nephew Zhan Chen, Third Uncle will make you some roasted rabbit meat tonight. I told you it's really fragrant, and I guarantee you won't forget it once you take a bite.”
Zhao Wang came up and picked up the two rabbits, smiling at him.
"Third Uncle, just let the army cook it.”
Zhu Zhanji said with a sour tone. Why hadn't he received such treatment before?
"Sigh, how could those chefs make me smell like this? Just wait.”
King Zhao said disdainfully.
About two hours later.
Zhu Zhanxi and Zhu Zhanji were called to a bonfire.
The dazzling bonfire illuminated their faces red. Above the flames were two iron rods, and the two rabbits were placed on top of them.
As the flames swayed, an alluring fragrance began to waft through the air.
Zhu Zhanxi and Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but gulp. The King of Zhao was right. His martial arts were indeed good!
Looking at the greedy looks of the two, Zhao Wang smiled. He took out a dagger and poked one of the rabbits. Immediately, a ball of fat was left on the rabbit.
"Rabbits are so fat in autumn."
King Zhao smiled.
"Alright, the fire is about ready."
As he spoke, he grabbed a fat rabbit leg and cut it off with a dagger.
"Come, nephew Zhan Jue, have a taste.”
"Thank you, Third Uncle."
"Be careful, it's hot."
Zhan Xu covered his hands with spiritual energy, took the rabbit leg, and blew on it before he started to chew on it eagerly.
Zhu Zhan Xin, who was standing at the side, could not take it anymore. He stretched out his hand and wanted to grab a rabbit leg to taste.
Pa!
With a crisp sound, King Zhao slapped his hand away.
"Third Uncle, you're treating me too differently.”
Zhu Zhanji was speechless. How could he be so biased?
"You little brat, how can you compare to Zhan Fei? He's still young, and he's still growing. It's fine if you don't take care of him, but you want to take his things?”
King Zhao cursed at him.
Zhu Zhanji pursed his lips.
"Here, eat this."
As he spoke, he threw something to Zhu Zhanji.
Zhu Zhanji subconsciously reached out to take it, but the next moment, he was so scalded that he gasped a few times.
When it finally cooled down a little, Zhu Zhanji realized that what the King of Zhao had thrown at him was actually a rabbit head.
"I say, Third Uncle, I only eat this?”
Zhu Zhanji looked at the rabbit meat on the bonfire and then at the rabbit head in his hand. He suddenly felt that it wasn't fragrant anymore.
What's so delicious about this?
"If you don't want to eat it, give it to me."
The Zhao King looked at him in annoyance. Only then did Zhu Zhanji realize that the Zhao King was also gnawing on a rabbit's head.
This time, he felt much more at ease. He quickly picked up the rabbit's head and started gnawing on it.
Although he was an imperial grandson, he had been to the battlefield many times, so he had very few taboos in terms of food.
The Zhao King looked at Zhu Zhanji and snorted coldly. Then, he looked at Zhu Zhanyi and smiled brightly.
"Don't worry, Zhanjiu, there's still more, eat slowly.”
As he spoke, he handed over his water bottle.
Zhu Zhanji just stood there and watched, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Looking at Zhu Zhanxin eating so happily, he looked at the rabbit head in his hand and could not help but start to recall the past.
"Speaking of which, this rabbit meat was taught by Second Brother.”
As he spoke, Zhao Wang seemed to have thought of something and shook his head with a smile. Then, he lowered his head and took another bite.
"Yes, Second Uncle also knows how to do this?"
Zhu Zhan Xin was a little curious.
"Haha, your second uncle knows a lot.”
King Zhao laughed.
"Let's not talk about anything else. All my skills were taught by him.”
Looking at the bonfire, he kept recalling the past.
"Third Uncle, tell me about your past. Treat it as a story.”
"Good!"
Hearing Zhan Hu's words, the King of Zhao did not hesitate. He casually picked up the wine jug on the other side and took a sip.
"I remember that it was a summer. The war had just ended and we had won a miserable victory. Your second uncle and I had just come down from the front lines and were covered in blood.”
"I haven't even sat down to drink some water and rest for a while, but your Imperial Grandfather has already ordered us to lead the way to collect the corpses of the soldiers.”
At this point, he raised his head and took another sip of wine.
"At that time, we hadn't eaten yet and were so tired that we couldn't even lift our swords. However, your Imperial Grandfather had already spoken, so we dragged our bodies and began to clean up the battlefield.”
"I still remember the situation at that time. At that time, I really couldn't hold on anymore. The corpse was stained with blood and was very slippery. I don't even know how many times I fell in that pile of corpses.”
"In the end, my eyes couldn't see clearly, and my head was a blur. Just as I was about to fall, Second Brother came.”
"He walked over with a rabbit covered in blood. I couldn't tell if its fur was white or black.”
He smiled.
"He said,'Third Bro! Hold on, see what I brought you. I'll give you more food later.'”
"When I heard that there was an extra meal, I immediately woke up. Later, we started a fire at the side. Second Brother couldn't find a stick, so he took out a spear from the pile of dead people.”
"After wiping the blood off, I strung the rabbit up. I sat there and stared at the rabbit, hoping that it would be cooked.”
Zhu Zhanxin nibbled on a rabbit leg and listened with relish. This was much more interesting than storytelling.
"I waited and waited. Second Brother would even flip the spear from time to time. Finally, when the rabbit was cooked, Second Brother cut off a rabbit leg for me.”
"At that time, I was so hungry that I didn't care if it was hot or not. I ate it directly. In the end, it was so hot that I almost cried out. Second Brother was just like me now, hugging a rabbit head and watching me make a fool of myself.”
"After it got a little cold, I took a bite.”
King Zhao sighed.
"Third Uncle, that must be the most delicious rabbit meat you've ever eaten.”
Zhu Zhanxin asked.
King Zhao shook his head.
"No, that's the worst I've ever eaten.”
"But at that time, the rabbit meat had a strange taste and almost made me vomit. But I was hungry at that time, so I didn't care so much. I endured it and swallowed it.”
"It wasn't until later that Second Brother told me that the rabbit I ate at that time was dug out from a pile of dead people, which was why it had such a strange smell.”
"That's true. How good can a rabbit that eats dead meat taste?”
Speaking of which, he and Second Brother seemed to have been through this. The two of them went to the battlefield together, blocked each other's swords, dug for food among the dead, and visited the brothel together.
Slowly, he became a member of the Han King's faction. He himself did not know what was going on, but after so many years, he was used to it.
King Zhao sighed.
When he heard this, he immediately felt that the rabbit leg in his hand was no longer fragrant.
The King of Zhao smiled at him.
"Don't worry, I dug this rabbit out of the hole. Don't worry about eating it.”
"Come, Third Uncle will add some more to it.”
As he spoke, he took out a sachet-like thing from his pocket and carefully took out a handful of powder from it with his fingers and sprinkled it on the rabbit leg in his hand.
Immediately, a fragrance filled the air, making one's appetite rise.
"This is spice? Third Uncle, give me some too."
Zhu Zhanji stretched out his rabbit head.
"Go, go, go. This thing is expensive.”
King Zhao ignored him and solemnly placed the bag away.
"What's so expensive about it? There are plenty of them in the palace.”
Zhu Zhanji pursed his lips.
"That's the palace. Let me tell you, if you sell this small bag to the West, it's a small bag of gold.”
King Zhao looked at him and shook his head.
"Wait, Third Uncle, how did you know?”
Zhu Zhanji seemed to have noticed something and looked at him playfully.
"Third Uncle, you don't know how to do it?"
"No, that's not true. Don't talk nonsense.”
Zhao Wang was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, waving his hands excitedly.
Zhu Zhanji just looked at him without saying anything. Helpless, he could only take out the sachet and throw it to him.
Zhu Zhanji said as he sprinkled the spices.
"Third Uncle, this is not a big deal. There's nothing to be embarrassed about.”
"Humph."
King Zhao snorted coldly and did not say anything.
Zhu Zhan looked at them and seemed to have discovered something.
Why was the King of Zhao so familiar with the price of spices in the West?
The only possibility was that he owned a caravan, which was why he denied it so strongly.
One had to know that in the Great Ming Dynasty, merchants had the lowest status. As for the King of Zhao, he was a royal noble.
It would be a shameful thing for the Great Ming Dynasty's Wangye to privately raise a caravan.
For example, if the King of Zhao did this, it would be like a princess going into the sea to earn some extra money.
That was the gist of it.
However, from King Zhao's perspective, there was nothing he could do.
He had so many subordinates to support, and it would cost money.
As for why he had to raise so many people, it was needless to say.
……
At night, in the carriage, Zhu Zhanmo leaned on the table under the light of the lamp. The brush and ink in his hand swayed as he wrote something on the paper.
"Fifth brother, what are you doing?"
"I'm writing a letter to Mother."
Zhu Zhan Xin sighed. He could not ignore Zhang shi's words.
"Hmm? Let me see what it says."
Zhu Zhanji's interest was piqued when he heard this, and he got up and went over.
'Mother, I'm doing pretty well here. Third Uncle has taken good care of me and even prepared a carriage for me on the way.
Third Uncle specially went to hunt two rabbits for me to eat. Let me tell you, Third Uncle's cooking is better than the chefs on Chang Le Street.
I ate rabbit legs, and Eldest Brother ate rabbit heads. I saw that Eldest Brother ate quite well. When you go back, ask the chefs in the palace to make him a few more rabbit heads. I don't need them…
In short, everything is fine with me here. You don't have to worry, Zhu Zhanxin.'
After he finished writing, Zhu Zhanxin took out his exclusive seal, exhaled, and stamped it.
God damn it, he ate it so happily because he only had rabbit heads to eat.
Zhu Zhanji was speechless.
"Fifth brother, why did you write so early? The messenger from the army hasn't arrived yet.”
Zhu Zhanji reminded.
"It's okay. I brought a messenger pigeon."
As he spoke, Zhu Zhanhao stuck his head out of the window and blew a whistle.
This caused the hidden guards in the dark to be on guard and quickly stared at him.
At this moment, they saw a familiar figure waving at them.
Instantly, they understood and began to monitor other places.
"Are these the pigeons in the residence?"
Zhu Zhanji was a little surprised to see the familiar mark on the pigeon's foot.
"I say, Fifth Brother, this little thing hasn't been tamed yet. Does it know the way?”
"It's fine. I've let it follow me all the way. If it doesn't remember, I'll stew it.”
Zhu Zhanxin said as he tied the letter.
"Alright, little guy, scram."
The pigeon flapped its wings and flew away quickly. It soon disappeared into the dark night.
Zhu Zhan Xin was not worried about whether this pigeon could fly back. After all, that little fellow had eaten one of his medicinal pills.
If it couldn't even do this, it was time for it to be put in the pot.
Late at night.
A figure walked over with a torch. When he reached the side of the carriage, he stopped.
He stuck the torch into the ground and got into the carriage.
Seeing Zhu Zhanxin sleeping soundly, he carefully stretched out his hand…to cover the blanket that had been kicked away.
Only then did he leave with a relieved expression.
After he left, Zhu Zhan Xin opened his eyes and glanced in the direction of the carriage entrance. Then, he turned over and fell asleep again.
Third Uncle was pretty good.
The next day.
The army started to set off again, and Zhu Zhan Xin sat on the carriage again, swaying behind.
Crown Prince Manor.
"How's the Crown Princess? Is she still not eating?”
"Yes."
The servant girl nodded.
"This, what do you think this is? Why are you still so stubborn with yourself?”
Zhu Gaochi looked helpless.
"Crown Prince, the Crown Princess told me to tell you that if you don't let her out, she would rather starve to death inside.”
The servant girl whispered.
"Sigh, she…"
Zhu Gaochi sighed. Ever since she was placed under house arrest yesterday, Zhang shi had not eaten, which made him anxious.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]