Chapter 1069: This Porridge Was Wasted
The Prince of Tang's guard charged, leaving Meng Hu and Du Hu utterly bewildered. Unsure of the guard's true strength, the two instinctively employed their particular talent as rebels: flight! In a flash, Meng Hu and Du Hu vanished from sight.
Zhu Yujian was overjoyed by his first great victory. "These petty bandits, when they cross paths with this prince, shall all be brought to justice!" The Nanyang Prefect, watching, was quite bewildered. *This prince can actually fight? He's not a useless noble? This isn't good!* The more capable Zhu Yujian proved, the more likely he was to attract the emperor's suspicion, and the greater the risk of execution. The Nanyang Prefect knew that after such a victory, it would be even harder to persuade the prince to return. *Fine, fine, he's beyond persuasion.* He was certain to cause trouble, and to distance himself from it, the prefect needed to quickly submit a memorial, making a formal report to clear his name. The Nanyang Prefect immediately retreated to Nanyang City to draft his memorial, reporting that Prince Zhu Yujian was acting willfully, ignoring all counsel, and insisted on leading his troops to the capital to aid the emperor. He, a mere prefect, could not control a prince and was powerless to stop him...—
A scout rushed into the deserted village, recounting the battle between the Prince of Tang and Meng Hu and Du Hu to Bai Yuan, detail by detail. Bai Yuan, after listening, couldn't help but chuckle softly. "That fellow actually won?" But he immediately changed his tone: "When rebels fight, their minds are always half on retreat. Upon seeing a mysterious official army of unknown strength, they're often intimidated before even fighting. However, once the rebels figure out their true measure, and realize this army is merely a prince's guard, they won't fear him, and the Prince of Tang will be in danger."
Just then, another scout reported: "The Prince of Tang's guard is getting closer to us; it seems they wish to enter this village to rest." Bai Yuan smiled. "Go and make contact with him. Tell him the Xiaolangdi militia is here providing relief to refugees, acting on the Governor's orders. If he wishes to come, he's welcome, and we can even share some food with him. But we should put away our firearms. Don't let the Prince of Tang see them, lest he become covetous." The militia soldiers all laughed, cheerfully hiding their muskets.
As for the refugees in the village, they were a little panicked upon hearing that the prince's guard was approaching. Many, after receiving their relief grain, quickly retreated back into their homes. To the common folk, princes were not generally viewed favorably.
A short while later, the soldiers guarding outside the village escorted the Prince of Tang's guard into the village. Zhu Yujian wore a slightly curious expression on his face. After his recent victory, his soldiers needed rest, so he had planned to simply find any deserted village for them to recuperate. He hadn't expected, upon reaching this particular deserted village, to be greeted by a group of people reporting that the Xiaolangdi militia was here providing relief to refugees, acting on the Governor's orders. Naturally, Zhu Yujian had to come in and investigate.
Not long ago, he had specifically sent a memorial to the court, detailing the disaster in Nanyang, and was somewhat aware of the surrounding calamity. However, he was not a very wealthy prince and was powerless to help the refugees, so he could only hope that Zhu Youjian would intervene. Zhu Youjian, however, had provided a paltry three taels and five mace of silver! Zhu Yujian immediately knew that nothing would come of this, and he couldn't do anything about it afterward. He hadn't expected that the Governor of Henan had actually lent a hand!
As he entered the village, Zhu Yujian's gaze immediately fell upon several large, steaming cauldrons in the center of the village. Inside, thick porridge was simmering, so dense that a chopstick wouldn't fall over if stuck in it. Zhu Yujian thought to himself, *This disaster relief isn't just for show, it seems.*
Bai Yuan stepped forward, performing a deep bow. "I am Bai Yuan, humbly serving as an instructor for the Xiaolangdi militia. Greetings to His Highness, the Prince of Tang."
Bai Yuan replied, "Do good deeds, ask not about the future."
Zhu Yujian chuckled. "What a fine sentiment, 'ask not about the future,' well said. This time, as I go to the capital to aid the emperor, I share the same philosophy as Instructor Bai. As long as this prince does what is right, what does it matter what his future holds?" Bai Yuan said, "Your Highness, the Prince of Tang, is indeed a brave man." Zhu Yujian waved a hand. "Oh, 'brave man' is too strong a word; I merely do my best."
The two had just started chatting when, on the other side of the village, the Prince of Tang's guard had already entered. A general at the head of the troops strode over to the Gao Family Village porridge cauldrons. He glanced at the porridge in the pot, and without so much as a greeting to anyone nearby, grabbed a bowl and ladled out a serving from the pot.
This porridge was originally meant for the refugees, and truthfully, if the Prince of Tang's guard, having just suppressed bandits, were hungry and wanted something to eat, the militia wouldn't be stingy. However, his act of taking without asking, his presumptuous actions, were rather obnoxious. This angered a militia soldier who was dishing out the porridge nearby, and he couldn't help but speak up: "Hey! What do you think you're doing? You just come here and eat, as if this is your own property?"
The general snorted. "What's wrong with me eating a little of your porridge? Don't you see what kind of armor this officer is wearing?" He patted the armor on his body, which clattered loudly. It was clearly a set of high-grade scale armor, and by that alone, he intended to show his status: he was no mere grunt.
The militia soldier raged: "Damn it! So what if you're wearing armor? Here, no matter how high-ranking an official you are, you still have to follow the rules. If you weren't acting all high and mighty, giving you a bowl of porridge wouldn't be an issue. But since you are, don't blame me for being impolite." As he finished speaking, the militia soldier extended his left hand and, with a *snap*, grabbed hold of the porridge bowl in the general's hand.
The general, holding the porridge bowl in his right hand, pulled back. To his surprise, it didn't budge. He then realized that even with all the strength in his right hand, he couldn't overpower the other man's left. "Huh?" The general was a little surprised. *Damn it, a mere cook dishing out food has this much strength?* This made him feel a little indignant. He gripped with his right hand and yanked backward forcefully. The militia soldier also pulled back. The porridge bowl remained perfectly still in mid-air.
The general was enraged. He swung his free left hand, aiming a punch at the militia soldier's face. It would have been better if he hadn't attacked; the militia soldier was only contending for the bowl. After all, the Gao Family Village militia members were well-disciplined and wouldn't easily strike someone. But with his attack, the nature of the situation changed. The militia soldier snorted. He swung his right hand, a long ladle in his grip, and with a *whoosh*, jabbed it towards the general's face. The long ladle was longer than a fist, and an inch longer meant an inch stronger. The general's fist was only halfway through its swing when the ladle, with a "thwup," poked his forehead. The thick porridge still clinging to the ladle, with a *splat*, smeared all over the general's face.
The general let out a yelp and stumbled backward, crying, "Ow, hot, hot, hot..." The militia soldier, however, took the opportunity to yank back, snatching the porridge bowl from him. He then added with a chuckle, "Heh, good thing the porridge didn't spill; no waste."
"No waste, my ass!" another militia soldier nearby grumbled. "The half-ladle of porridge you smeared on his face, wasn't that a waste?" "Ah, that's truly terrible. To waste half a ladle of porridge on such a person... I was damnably mistaken."
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