After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 940 - 925: Acceptance

Zhao Hanzhang took the list and, seeing the rows of numbers, almost crumpled the paper, "I don’t care how much they offer, such evil deeds cannot be forgiven."

Liu Kun, standing behind her, quickly snatched the list and glanced at it, "Why not let them atone for their sins? This is a lot of money, and it could all be spent on provisions and military pay. Not to mention the Zhao Family Army, if you could provide enough supplies to Shi Le, would he still run off?"

The anger Zhao Hanzhang had accumulated over the past few days finally erupted; she moved her foot and said, "Do you want to reminisce about the strength of my kick, brother?"

Liu Kun’s stomach ached; it had been bruised blue for a day and hurt even more, but he still stubbornly said, "They deserve death, but there are many ways to make them pay. This money is ransom for their lives; you can punish them by enlisting them in the army."

"How many brave warriors die in each battle? Not to mention the military slaves," facing Zhao Hanzhang’s furrowed gaze, Liu Kun confidently said, "They’re going to die anyway, why not let them atone more and contribute before their death?"

Zhao Kuan nodded repeatedly and pushed the list forward, "My Lady, Uncle Ming and Mr. Ji have almost plucked their beards out because of provisions. The army is short on supplies, not to mention the relief for refugees. There are many refugees migrating from Youzhou and Jizhou to He Yan State, mostly pouring in here. Without food relief, the rear might fall into chaos."

Zhao Hanzhang confiscated the property of these people, but they still have relatives and friends. Zhao Hanzhang doesn’t implicate others for association; those who didn’t participate are fine. They’re willing to ransom lives with large sums of money, which might not mean much in the grand scheme, but when it comes to buying food and saving lives, it’s a substantial amount.

Thus, Zhao Kuan believed there could be some leniency.

He advised Zhao Hanzhang, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

Zhao Hanzhang took the list, applied slight pressure with her fingers, and said sternly, "Double the ransom amount, and if they’re still willing to pay, change the sentence to exile, exile to serve in the army!"

Zhao Kuan immediately bowed his head in agreement.

Zhao Hanzhang turned and left, exuding a fierce aura.

Liu Kun quickly held his waist and chased after her, "Are you just going to let Shi Le escape? You have only twenty thousand men, and they’re all new recruits. Without the Jinyang Army, how can these men capture Shi Le?"

Zhao Hanzhang turned to look at him, furrowing her brows, "Second brother, is your waist and backside well? Can you even take one move from Shi Le chasing like this?"

"You!" Liu Kun’s face turned red in anger, "I had intended to take the shortcut to intercept him from the front, to attack both north and south with you..."

"With Shi Le’s speed, he’s almost out of Jinyang by now. Can you intercept him in Jinyang?" Zhao Hanzhang bombarded him with questions, "And once out of Jinyang, it’s open grasslands all the way; how do you plan a north-south attack?"

"You know all twenty thousand under me are new recruits, can Shi Le not counterattack? Not to mention my twenty thousand new recruits, even your Jinyang Army, facing Shi Army head-on, can you win?"

Liu Kun opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.

Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "Yue Shi, attacking battles and defending city battles are different; take good care of Jinyang, I’ll depart tomorrow."

Liu Kun came to his senses and quickly asked, "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to attack Wang Jun!"

Liu Kun panicked, "How will you attack? Your main force is held by the Xiongnu; are you going with only these twenty thousand new recruits?"

Zhao Hanzhang was about to mention Tuoba Yilu, who she had agreed to meet in Zhongshan Kingdom, but upon seeing Liu Kun’s anxiety, she changed her mind and said, "I was just thinking of borrowing twenty thousand men from brother."

"Fine," Liu Kun agreed without hesitation, and added, "I’m going too!"

Zhao Hanzhang was speechless.

Liu Kun stood his ground, his gaze steadfast; he was determined to demonstrate his capabilities to Zhao Hanzhang and their parents!

Zhao Hanzhang took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright, you can go!"

Go ahead, with the arrival of Shi Army later, they have already dealt with the fleeing Xiongnu soldiers. Now, all the territory south of Jinyang has been reclaimed by the Zhao Family Army, and the area north up to Dai County has also been regained during this time. The new County Magistrates are appointed by Zhao Hanzhang, so Jinyang is relatively secure; at least, as long as the front lines don’t falter, Jinyang won’t be in danger.

Since Liu Kun is also going, twenty thousand men aren’t enough. Zhao Hanzhang asked him for fifty thousand, with her leading twenty thousand, and he taking thirty thousand himself.

With a large army, it’s not easy to set off at will; provisions and supplies must be prepared, delaying some time.

This time, Shi Le crossed Changshan County and successfully reached the border of Zhongshan Kingdom; going further, he refused to go.

Meanwhile, Wang Jun personally came to Zhongshan Kingdom to welcome him.

The two didn’t meet immediately but exchanged letters across a sixty-mile distance.

Shi Le wanted Wang Jun to guarantee his treatment in Youzhou, while Wang Jun needed to ensure his genuine surrender.

Although scouts had confirmed Shi Le and Zhao Hanzhang had indeed fallen out, Wang Jun couldn’t help but harbor suspicions due to incessant murmurings from his advisors. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

But he had people advising him to trust Shi Le, like Sima You Tong; however, he wasn’t always by Wang Jun’s side. He was an external General recently tasked with receiving Shi Le’s army, so Wang Jun called him back just in case.

He told Wang Jun, "Shi Le looted Xiping and attacked Zhao’s Castle, killing many of the Zhao Family; how could Zhao Hanzhang truly accept him? Shi Le must be ostracized, hence seeking allegiance with you."

He further added, "He originally rebelled against the Xiongnu; given the current circumstances, Zhao Hanzhang has one share, Xiongnu another, and the General has the remaining share. Besides the General, who else could he turn to?"

Wang Jun found his words reasonable, resonating with his thoughts.

Sima You Tong observed his expression and spoke more earnestly, "The Xiongnu are also in Youzhou now; if Shi Le joins, the Xiongnu won’t be able to withstand. We seldom encounter the Xiongnu, and we bear no blood feud with them. Since the General can obtain support from Duanbu Xianbei and Wuhuan, surely he can also gain support from the Xiongnu. By then, the three parts of the country would have at least two under the General."

Wang Jun’s eyes shined brighter, his heart soared with ambition.

He was fifty-eight this year, approaching sixty. During the turmoil of the Eight Princes, he felt Jin was nearing its end; but he never had the opportunity, moving slowly southward from Youzhou.

Now, the court has only a ten-year-old child, and the governance is controlled by a foreign woman. He could easily replace them.

The Sima family could kill the Son of Heaven in broad daylight and become emperor, proving the Son of Heaven isn’t truly divine. Why couldn’t he?

The country could be ruled in turns; surely it must be his turn now.

Wang Jun grew eager, instructing Sima You Tong, "Quickly send someone to see Shi Le and say I’ll host a banquet by the river tomorrow, inviting him. I will agree to all his demands."

He wished he could subdue Shi Le today, conquer Liu Cong tomorrow, and claim the throne the day after.