The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 357 Everyone shouts for beating

"I know you're all impatient, but please be patient."

Liao Hongsheng felt a bit of a toothache looking at Tao Heng's smug expression.

Lord Jiang, who considered himself to have a decent relationship with Tao Heng in the past, was so angry that his face turned red, as if he were accusing a faithless man: "Tao Heng! I misjudged you!"

He was so sincere, thinking that this colleague was not well-liked, so he took care of him in every way.

But little did I know that there was a reason why someone was disliked.

Tao Heng, that bastard, was ostracized entirely because he was too ruthless and cruel. Any normal person would develop a sense of apprehension after spending some time with him.

Tao Heng seemed unconcerned that the only person he could call a friend had suddenly turned against him.

He ignored the emperor's words and calmly looked at him: "Your Majesty, a country won by conquering one city at a time is more secure. Most importantly, Lord Cen's plan cannot succeed."

other people:……

Although they thought so too, wasn't Tao Heng being too blunt?

Shen Jiaming held his breath, steadied himself in a horse stance, and prepared to pull Cen Wan back if she rushed out.

But Cen Wan was calmer than he had expected: "Since Lord Tao is so certain, why don't we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"I'll bet on whether my plan will succeed."

Lord Jiang: No. What kind of troublemaker is Tao Heng? Aren't Cen Wan and he both His Highness's people? Why has things gotten so tense?

Zheng Xun lowered his eyes, concealing the smile in them.

Others might not see it, but Zheng Xun knew that this so-called bet was not only a contest between Tao Heng and Cen Wan, but also a mutual support between the two.

Tao Heng needs to enhance his reputation for being ruthless and disregard family ties, while Cen Wan needs a legendary experience to expand her influence.

To a certain extent, they can completely control the outcome of the bet.

Even if unpredictable results occur, as long as any one of them achieves their goal, Zheng Xun will still profit.

The emperor looked at Zheng Xun with a teasing gaze.

Zheng Xun winked at him frankly.

The ministers were unaware of the legal issues involved; they were simply determined to join in the fun and, after the court session, they planned to start a betting game as well.

Zheng Xun turned on the light screen again after they finished their discussion.

Oh, so how come she's not a remote control in another sense?

This time, the scene inside the light screen was no longer the Brown Kingdom, but the border of the Great Yong Kingdom.

The emperor's gaze instantly locked onto the familiar figure on the screen.

It's Zheng Jiao.

His daughter has grown taller again, now standing tall and spirited, like a sapling that has absorbed enough nutrients, basking in the sunlight and growing strong.

On the training ground, soldiers were scattered everywhere.

Wait, what's with the scattered soldiers?

However, this description is not entirely wrong.

These people had obviously just finished training; they were all covered in sweat and so tired that they could barely lift their fingers.

The vast training ground, despite having many people, was even quieter than the Fengqin Hall.

After a while, someone finally had the strength to cry out, "I miss my mother..."

"Exit."

“You don’t understand. Even when my family was at its poorest, I never suffered like this.”

"That's true. If I keep training like this, I feel like I'm not far from death..."

Hearing their conversation from a distance, the captain sat up in shock and slapped him on the head.

"Aww! Captain!"

"What nonsense!"

The soldier muttered a rebuttal: "I was just saying."

“We soldiers are all begging for food on the edge of life and death. When we go to the battlefield, our only thought is to survive. Don’t say anything like that or that. I can’t say it, and I can’t listen to it.”

The soldier looked at his serious expression, lowered his head, and said somewhat helplessly, "Pah, pah, Captain, I didn't say anything just now."

The captain nodded with satisfaction: "You're all new recruits, and the training must have been tough. It's normal to have some complaints, but the general and the others are doing this for our own good. The harder you work now, the better your chances of survival later..."

The soldiers were unwilling to listen to his long-winded lecture, and one or two of them were getting impatient.

"I can't worry about what will happen in the future, but if I keep training like this, I'm going to die."

The old captain looked somewhat melancholy.

When he saw these young children, it was as if he were seeing his old comrades-in-arms.

The arrogance and indifference on their faces were so similar.

They are too young, and those who have never seen a battlefield firsthand can hardly empathize with his words.

He knows it all.

But he always thought that if he said ten sentences, it would be good if they could listen to one or two.

Even though they all found him nagging and long-winded, he couldn't stay silent; he couldn't just stand by and watch them die because of his ignorance and stupidity.

He touched his chest and took something out of his pocket.

Everyone else was curious.

"Captain! What's this? Did your wife give it to you?"

The captain shook his head: "I don't have a wife. For someone like me who lives on the line, wouldn't getting married be a waste of time for others?"

Under everyone's expectant gaze, he opened the cloth bag layer by layer.

The contents inside were a huge disappointment to everyone.

"Oh dear, it's just a pair of insoles."

"It's new, but it's a bit old."

The captain said calmly, "This is something my friend treasures."

"friend?"

“Yes, my best friend. We enlisted together and were assigned to the same squad. My friend was a pessimistic person, and he went to the battlefield with the determination to die. He was always at the forefront, and became a centurion and then a chiliarch at a young age, which was much better than me. This was the last thing his late mother left him, and he never used it until he died, but in the end, it benefited me.”

The others were speechless.

The captain glanced at them and sighed, "I hope you come back safely."

His words were even more impactful than his long rant, and the soldiers were all deeply moved, falling completely silent.

The captain silently wrapped up the insole and stuffed it back into his chest.

After resting enough, he stood up and limped away.

The soldiers watched his retreating figure.

Their captain was only in charge of instruction and had long since stopped going to the battlefield.

But he never missed a training session. While others went outside to adapt to the environment, he would sit near the entrance of the military camp, watching the exit and waiting for them to return.

After a long silence, a soldier suddenly said, "We'll win, won't we?"

"Will do."

"It will happen, none of us will... we will all come back alive."

Outside the light screen, the ministers looked at Tao Heng, each gaze filled with dissatisfaction, as if blaming him for wanting to send these soldiers to their deaths.

Tao Heng's expression remained unchanged, but in his heart he was accusing His Highness of going too far.

His Highness is putting him on the hot seat.

If it weren't for trying to create a persona, he wouldn't be foolish enough to say those unpleasant things.

Everyone knew that a war between Dayong and Heguo was inevitable, but he was the only one who chose to say it directly.

He himself knew that his words were so inappropriate and annoying.

He had no doubt that if he and the rat passed through the Fengqin Hall at the same time, he would be the first one to be hit.