Chapter 652: Great Zhen's People’s Support

The architectural design of this tea house was meant to attract more customers. Its outer walls were made of removable wooden panels. Unless there were strong winds and sandstorms, these panels would be taken down. Long wooden planks connected the columns along the outer corridor, providing seating for a whole row of people and allowing those outside the tea house to listen in easily.

Normally, these wall panels wouldn't be removed in winter for warmth, but today the place was certainly bright and open.

By the time Ji Yuan arrived at the tea house, there were no seats left, and even standing room was scarce. He could barely stand at the entrance. All the corridor seats along the outside walkway were taken; the last two spots had just been occupied by two sword-wielding scholars who were ahead of him.

However, a person's demeanor and presence can sometimes be remarkably influential. Ji Yuan stopped at the entrance, scanning left and right but finding no less crowded spot. He had decided to simply stand by the door when the two sword-wielding scholars, who had just sat down on the outer corridor plank a moment before him, looked up and saw Ji Yuan standing a step away. Upon seeing him, they both immediately stood up.

"Sir, please have a seat here!"

One scholar extended his hand in invitation, while the other slightly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. Ji Yuan, of course, responded with polite words.

"Please, you two sit. I'm fine standing."

As he spoke, the mood inside the tea house was rising, with several tables near the fan-wielding storyteller loudly denouncing Zuyue as shameless.

The two scholars also turned their heads in that direction. They saw that the fan-wielding scholar had not yet started speaking again; a tea server was busy setting out snacks and fresh tea on his table, all ordered by the customers.

"Sir, please don't say more. Elders come first, please come and sit down quickly!"

"Yes, exactly, we young people can just stand."

Huh? "You young people"?

Ji Yuan's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of his own temples, and he instinctively touched the corners of his eyes. His temples were dark, and there wasn't a single wrinkle around his eyes. Did he look that old to these two young men?

"Alright then, thank you."

After cupping his hands in return, Ji Yuan stepped forward two paces and sat down sideways, with his feet resting outside the tea house. The tea server there, with his excellent eyesight, quickly called out.

"You few over there, what tea would you like?"

The scholar next to Ji Yuan promptly said.

"Please bring us three cups of Spring Before Rain tea. Put it on my tab!"

"Coming right up!"

As Ji Yuan and the others sat on the outer corridor plank, it was easier for the tea server to attend to them. He simply walked around to hand them their tea cups and pour their tea one by one.

"Customers, please bear with us. There are really no tables or stools left to place your tea cups, so you'll have to hold them for now."

"No problem, you go ahead!"

"Alright!"

Ji Yuan sat at the very end of the corridor plank. Although there was still an empty space next to him for one more person, the other two scholars, who were clearly friends, did not sit. Instead, they stood nearby, so this small area became the makeshift spot for all three to place their tea cups.

At this moment, the voices inside the tea house grew increasingly enthusiastic, with people continuously shouting.

"Sir, please tell us about the war at the front!" "Yes, yes, please do!"

"We're all waiting!"

The fan-wielding storyteller, who seemed to be a professional narrator, instinctively enjoyed building suspense. He picked up his teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and then snapped open his paper fan with a "snap."

"Speaking of these battles, they were truly stirring. For a long time, no news came back from the front. In truth, the imperial relief forces had suffered losses, which is why it wasn't widely publicized, though some officials' children were aware of it."

"Ah?" "What!"

"The relief army was defeated again?"

Everyone in the tea house was shocked, with some even spilling tea from their cups. However, seeing the fan-wielding storyteller's composed demeanor, seemingly without a hint of worry, some shrewd individuals knew there would surely be a twist later.

"Sir, please don't keep us in suspense, tell us quickly!"

"Yes, sir, our worries weigh heavily upon us!"

The storyteller fanned his paper fan. With so many people packed inside, the room felt warm.

"Alright, I'll tell you about the developments in the war at the front. About half a year ago, the bandit army from the state of Zuyue broke through our Great Zhen's border pass. Two to three hundred thousand men, truly every single one of them a bandit. I heard most of their soldiers thought our Great Zhen was poor, but when they entered Qizhou, they discovered our people were wealthy. It was like bandits stumbling upon mountains of gold and silver. They plundered, murdered, and looted along their path, committing countless atrocities. In some places, entire villages were massacred, property was ransacked, women were violated, and even children and the elderly were not spared..."

"Scoundrels!" "These damn thugs!"

"Oh, it infuriates me!"

Not just the people in the tea house, even Ji Yuan listened with a deep frown.

"Fueled by their plunder, the bandit army's morale soared. After the Qizhou border army was defeated, the local militias within the region were utterly powerless to resist. Moreover, Great Zhen has enjoyed peace and prosperity for many years, with excellent education. While not every road is free of lost items, at least there are few bandits in the countryside. Aside from the border army, there aren't many soldiers in the various cities within the province. The people of Qizhou truly suffered a disaster, alas!"

The people in the tea house were simultaneously enraged and sighing in unison.

The storyteller shook his paper fan and shook his head.

"News then came back that the current Emperor decreed resistance against the Zuyue bandits. Three columns of the Imperial Army advanced into Qizhou one after another to engage the Zuyue brigands... But those scoundrels were despicable and base, truly a band of brigands with no soldier's pride, resorting to every shameless trick... This ultimately led to the first army losing tens of thousands of soldiers, and the second army also suffered several setbacks..."

Ji Yuan's gaze shifted from the storyteller to the people in the tea house. Many clenched their fists, while others tightly gripped their swords, filled with a shared sense of indignation against the common enemy.

As for the storyteller's claim that the first two armies' failures were due to the "despicable and shameless" tactics of the bandit army, this was clearly a glorification of Great Zhen's Imperial Army. In warfare, deception is fair play; no matter how much one detested the Zuyue people, a loss was a loss.

"Damn these bandits!" "How could our Great Zhen Imperial Army lose to such scoundrels!"

The two scholars beside Ji Yuan leaned on their swords, one hand gripping the hilt so tightly that their knuckles turned white.

"Sir, please tell us what happened next. Judging by your expression, our Imperial Army surely didn't suffer a complete defeat, did it?"

Someone inside asked, and the storyteller smiled.

"Of course not. While all three columns of the imperial army marched valiantly, the real highlight was the last column, led by the venerable General Mei She, General Who Conquers the North. He led his troops through Qilin Pass, and all the commanders under him were skilled and seasoned warriors from the court. There was also a formidable general whom you might not know: Yin Zhong, the second son of Lord Yin. This Second Young Master Yin is truly exceptional; he achieved a great victory in his very first battle!"

"Is that so?" "What? Lord Yin's family has a military general?"

"Oh my, Lord Yin is a great scholar of his time, and his second son is actually a military man?"

"Lord Yin's household truly produces exceptional talents!"

The tea house erupted in chatter once more. Even Ji Yuan, an elder, couldn't help but smile, thinking that his "Tiger Cub" had truly grown up.

At this point, the storyteller's old habit kicked in, and he began to build suspense again. Instead of directly recounting the battle, he elaborated on Yin Zhong's story.

"As you may not know, before his departure, Second Young Master Yin was merely a Feathered Captain. He had famously stated, 'I shall not accept a general's position without merit or achievement.' Otherwise, given Lord Yin's status, he certainly wouldn't have lacked a military rank. But this time, based on his military achievements, Marshal Mei personally appointed him to a general's post, truly earning it..."

The storyteller picked up his teacup and cleared his throat. Seeing that everyone was eager to hear more about Yin Zhong, he quickly continued.

"General Yin, being the second son of Lord Yin, is naturally also a man of profound knowledge. It is rumored that as a child, he studied with the imperial family and consistently ranked at the top of his class. His martial arts are even more extraordinary; his weapon, a pair of black halberds, is unique in the army. When he wields them with both arms, he is unstoppable. Not only is his strategy exceptional, but he also possesses the courage to face ten thousand men!"

The tea house was bustling with chatter and somewhat noisy, but this was also when the storyteller himself particularly wanted to speak. So, he grabbed his storytelling clapper and slammed it on the table.

"Clap!"

The tea house instantly fell silent.

"I shall now tell you about one of the most crucial battles during the Imperial Army's northern advance, which was also Second Young Master Yin's battle for fame. He discerned the enemy's objective, volunteered to ride swiftly through the night to reinforce Luqiao Pass, led surprise troops to cut off the enemy's supply lines, deployed diversionary forces to confuse and deter enemy reinforcements, and even commanded over a hundred elite cavalrymen disguised as defeated enemy soldiers to lure a column of the enemy into an ambush. Furthermore, he slew a bandit general in the midst of ten thousand soldiers..."

The storyteller grew more animated with each word, fanning his paper fan rapidly. Everyone in the tea house listened with surging excitement, suppressing a powerful urge, their fists clenched even tighter than before.

Ji Yuan picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was clear, fragrant, and sweet, seemingly with added dried tangerine peel. The storyteller's description of the battle was emotional, and Yin Zhong had indeed performed admirably. While pleased for Yin Zhong, Ji Yuan also mused that if the same tactical maneuvers had been employed by the Zuyue army, they would likely have been labeled as "despicable tricks."

Ji Yuan listened for a while, not only to the storyteller's account of the front-line war but also to the conversations of the crowd, observing the emotions of the people present. After finishing his tea, he stood up.

With its powerful nation and unified populace, Great Zhen, though temporarily set back, was by no means something Zuyue could contend with.

A moment later, the tea server came over, carrying a teapot.

"Come, come, esteemed guests, more tea for everyone!"

The two scholars, who had been completely engrossed in the story, quickly turned to retrieve their teacups. They intended to speak a few words to the distinguished-looking gentleman who had been sitting with them, but they found that there were now only three teacups on the corridor plank. The white-robed gentleman with the dark jade hairpin was gone, and two coins lay beside one of the teacups.

"Uh, brother, where's that esteemed gentleman who was just here?"

One scholar asked a middle-aged man standing near the corridor seats. The man was engrossed in the sounds from inside the tea house, casually glanced around twice, and simply said, "Don't know, don't know, didn't see him."

Looking at others nearby, whose expressions were all drawn by the voices from inside the tea house, the two scholars exchanged glances and could only reluctantly give up the idea of looking for Ji Yuan.

"Ah, that gentleman's demeanor was far from ordinary; he must be a very learned man. It's a great pity we couldn't chat with him more!"

The scholar who had paid for the tea sighed regretfully and reluctantly pocketed the two coins.

"Brother Deng, there are calls for military service everywhere. I heard that after pacifying the Qizhou conflict, our Great Zhen Imperial Army might continue north to quell the Zuyue rebellion and achieve great feats. I wish to join the army to serve the nation. Even if I can't be a strategist, I'd be content as a military scribe. What do you think, brother?"

"Brother Qi, you speak well. Just like Second Young Master Yin, we scholars, though we may write with a brush at our desks, should wield swords when mounted in the saddle..."

The other scholar, invigorated and excited, echoed a few words and was about to say he would go with him, but then a thought flickered, and a wave of hesitation washed over him. Finally, he could only say,

"Brother Qi, what admirable ambition!"

The scholar named Qi saw his friend's slight frown and patted his shoulder, saying,

"Brother Deng, you have parents above you and a wife and children below. How can you simply leave? Each person has their own circumstances. We will meet again someday! I've heard what I needed to hear. I'll take my leave now. Waiter, the bill please."

"Coming right up!"

The tea server scurried over, glanced at the teacups, and quoted a price of twelve coins.

The scholar named Qi took out two five-cash coins from his money pouch. Just as he was about to give them, along with Ji Yuan's two coins, he inexplicably felt that Ji Yuan's two coins had a brilliant copper sheen. After a moment of hesitation, he swapped them for two other coins from his own pouch.

After paying, the scholar named Qi cupped his hands to his friend and strode away. The scholar named Deng behind him merely watched his friend's retreating back, several times contemplating chasing after him, but ultimately slapped his thigh and sat back down.