Chapter 83

The baozi were still the same as before, the congee made from rice was thick but not fresh. However, with the addition of pickled mustard roots, everything became different. After the rich aroma of meat, it brought a lightness, making one feel incredibly comfortable after eating it.

Unlike the grand launches of new dishes by the two major restaurants, the baozi shop quietly became more popular, with more people queuing up.

As the reputation of Hongyuan City as a food capital grew, Duke Dibei was so delighted that he couldn't stop smiling. Whenever he looked far into the direction of the Seventh Legion, he would ponder whether to go and see how that young man managed to catch so many fish.

At this time, Mo Hongxian, Wan Rou, and Zhao Danqing had already set off with the Sky-Shaking Mercenary Group, heading directly to Green Mountain Village...

Just as the situation in Hongyuan City was settled and the people's hearts were stable, Jiang Xingchen was bitterly directing the experts in the army to push the winch.

After being brought to this ice-covered lake that stretched as far as the eye could see by the old man, Jiang Xingchen didn't rest for a single minute.

The old man broke the ice, and he explored for fish, of course, telling the old man he was setting up a fish trap, regardless of whether the old man believed him or not.

Many soldiers had been waiting here for a long time, and the winch and poles were quickly prepared. Before Jiang Xingchen finished marking the ice, the old man was already eager to start drilling holes.

Under the astonished gazes of a large group of army experts, Jiang Xingchen set up the net with the poles and began teaching them how to push the winch, emphasizing not to use too much force.

For seven or eight months, he didn't rest, the vast lake surface had no shelter, the wind was so strong it could blow a person away, and he was so cold that his nose was running.

The winch slowly turned, and on the ice, apart from the howling wind, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the net outlet.

When Wu Tianfeng called them, everyone thought this was not feasible. Who would spread a net in winter to catch fish? They couldn't imagine how to spread the net, on the ice?

However, when they saw the 400-meter net slowly sinking into the water, their doubts turned into anticipation.

Finally, the first fish appeared, and all the soldiers trembled with excitement. For the past half month, they had only been able to eat two meals a day. They couldn't help but look forward to what would come up with the net.

As the net continued to come out of the water, the second, third... tenth, hundredth fish appeared, the density of the fish increased, and they eventually formed a cluster.

At this moment, all the soldiers couldn't help but cheer together, howling like wolves, the sound of hundreds of people shouting drowned out the howling wind.

Jiang Xingchen tightly wrapped himself in the animal skin, sniffing, and a smile appeared on his face. Just like the initial selection of the dance and song, this kind of heartfelt, collective cheering was his favorite.

However, he couldn't be happy for long. Dozens of strong soldiers suddenly surrounded him, grabbed him, and started throwing him into the air while cheering.

Jiang Xingchen was caught, thrown up, and caught again... He felt the world spinning and thought to himself, "Are these guys football players from Earth, how do they know this kind of play..."

It had to be said, the fish in this Bi Bo Lake were both large and numerous. This one net brought up over 20,000 fish.

Some of the soldiers were elated and transported the fish back to the front lines, but Jiang Xingchen couldn't rest. He started working with the old man to locate the second fish nest...

In the tent of the Seventh Legion, Wu Tianfeng paced back and forth. Although he had already confirmed that Jiang Xingchen could catch fish, he was still somewhat worried. After all, this was related to the lives of countless soldiers. The military rations were already exhausted, and if Jiang Xingchen didn't catch any fish, they would have to use people to fill the gap. They couldn't give the enemy a chance to recover now.

Thump, thump, thump... The sound of hurried footsteps, a soldier ran in quickly.

"How is it?" Before the soldier could speak, Wu Tianfeng impatiently asked.

"Success... pant, pant... success! Duke Jiang caught nearly 70,000 pounds of fish with one net... The transport team is rushing back now! Duke Jiang and Old Master Tang are preparing to cast the second net!"

The soldier's eyes still sparkled with excitement and disbelief. One net, 70,000 pounds of fish, when he heard the news, he didn't know how to describe his feelings.

Wu Tianfeng's reaction was similar. He stood there, dazed, muttering, "70,000 pounds, so many..."

Then, he clenched his right hand and slammed it into his left palm, shouting, "Great! Go quickly, tell the cooks to prepare, give the soldiers an extra meal today!"

After the soldier ran out, Wu Tianfeng was in high spirits, striding out of the tent, looking in the direction of Bi Bo Lake, and laughing, "Good job, you really did it, I owe you one, Wu Tianfeng!"

He turned and looked at the faint outline of Pingjun City not far away, sneering, "With the soldiers well-fed and full of energy, I don't see how you can hold out..."

For three whole days, Jiang Xingchen and the old man worked almost non-stop, casting ten nets, bringing up nearly 500,000 pounds of fish. He couldn't help but marvel at how many fish were in this Bi Bo Lake!

Three days later, a soldier galloped up, shouting from a distance, "Great victory! Great victory..."

Rushing up close, the soldier dismounted, kneeling on one knee, "Duke Jiang, Old Master Tang, Pingjun City has been captured, our army has won a great victory!"

"Boom~" Before Jiang Xingchen and Old Master Tang could speak, the soldiers who had been fishing with them burst into cheers, laughing, roaring, and even sobbing. This battle had lasted so long, and everyone's mental limits had been pushed to the extreme. Now it was finally over.

Jiang Xingchen and Old Master Tang also breathed a sigh of relief. Old Master Tang was fine, being a great expert at the Essence Energy level, he could handle the three days of hard work. But Jiang Xingchen was exhausted, having worked at high intensity for three days without rest.

He took a deep breath and was about to sit down.

But at this moment, he suddenly noticed that the soldiers were looking at him again, their eyes gleaming like wolves seeing meat.

"Oh no~ These guys are addicted to this!" Jiang Xingchen cried out in his heart, shouting, "Don't come over, or I'll have the legion commander... Hey, you guys got the wrong person!"

Jiang Xingchen couldn't escape the fate of being thrown and caught, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Old Master Tang watched from the side, a smile on his face. He knew that these soldiers were genuinely grateful to Jiang Xingchen. Without the fish he caught, they would have had to attack the city on empty stomachs, with a very low chance of survival...

Finally, the disoriented Jiang Xingchen was put down, and Old Master Tang helped him up, telling the soldiers not to go to the Seventh Legion, just to return the fishing net later.

It wasn't that he was deliberately being difficult, but Jiang Xingchen was truly exhausted. After three days of non-stop work in the cold, he needed to rest. If he went to the Seventh Legion, a group of wolf-like men would surely drink him to death out of gratitude.

After saying this, Old Master Tang put Jiang Xingchen on his back and left.

When Wu Tianfeng learned of Old Master Tang's decision, he understood his thoughts and felt even more guilty towards Jiang Xingchen. After all, he was not a martial artist and had worked hard for three days for the Seventh Legion.

After instructing the soldiers to send the fishing net to Green Mountain Village, he calmed down, picked up a pen, and wrote a letter to the Imperial Military Department...

A day later, the Imperial Military Department was silent, the marshal's smile growing wider as he read the white silk in his hand.

The military officials below stared at the marshal, their faces showing obvious anxiety.

"Pingjun City has been captured by the Seventh Legion, the great general of the Dongxuan Kingdom has been taken alive, and countless supplies have been seized..."

The marshal finally looked up, reading Wu Tianfeng's report word by word.

"The city has been captured, finally, Pingjun City has been captured!" The entire military department erupted in joy. A month ago, the hope of capturing Pingjun City had appeared, but a once-in-a-century snowstorm had completely buried that hope. Now...

This good news hit like a mountain, leaving the military department dazed for a long time, as if in a dream.

After a long while, the marshal stood up, glanced at the people below, and headed directly to the palace. The emperor didn't know about this news yet.

Half a month later, in the palace hall, Emperor Qiankun slammed his hand on the table, growling, "Good! Well done!"

The marshal looked at the emperor in surprise. Since ascending the throne, he hadn't seen the emperor lose control of his emotions for a long time.

"Marshal, how many casualties did the Seventh Legion suffer in this battle?" After taking a deep breath, the emperor asked calmly.

"The casualties were not small, but they were within acceptable limits!" the marshal replied.

"Hmm?" Emperor Qiankun looked puzzled, his eyes questioning.

"In the last few days, although the military rations couldn't be delivered, Jiang Xingchen invented a method of winter fishing. One net brought up tens of thousands of pounds of fish, and it was thanks to these fish that the soldiers regained their strength!"

"One net, tens of thousands of pounds, in this season!" The emperor couldn't help but show disbelief.

After a slight pause, the marshal bowed slightly and continued, "I originally wanted to tell the emperor earlier, but considering how unbelievable it was, I didn't tell you and took the initiative to send Jiang Xingchen... Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

"Punish you for what!" The emperor waved his hand, saying, "If the marshal hadn't made the decision, I wouldn't have agreed either. This was just a joke... But the final result is that we won!"

As he spoke, the emperor stood up, unable to hide his satisfaction, chuckling, "It's Jiang Xingchen again, it seems my judgment was good!"

The corner of the marshal's mouth twitched slightly, and he agreed, "The emperor indeed has good judgment, such talent is rare, appearing only once in decades!"

The emperor, hearing this, smiled awkwardly, then changed the subject, saying lightly, "The negotiations are finally in our favor now!"

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