After Song Shiyu met with the Zhang family’s young miss, he returned to camp without saying a word, simply urging Duan Yunfeng to have the princess speak on his behalf to the Zhang family about the marriage.

Duan Yunfeng asked, “What did you say back then?”

He closed his eyes and, with a sardonic smile, said, “The Zhang family is definitely full of clever people~”

“Be careful, the princess might be whispering in your ear.”

“Oh, so it was you who was whispering in her ear.”

Song Shiyu: “…………”

“If the young master is unwilling, I’ll just go to the princess directly…”

“Hey!” Duan Yunfeng grabbed his shoulder, laughing. “Why are you in such a hurry? Isn’t the princess already speaking on your behalf? I’ve never seen anyone so eager to get married. Are you afraid the Zhang family’s young miss will regret it and you’ll end up alone? Indeed, you’re not getting any younger. Tsk…”

Song Shiyu: “……”

He clenched his fists, wanting to say, “Wasn’t someone else more eager than me back then?” but in the end, he held back.

Xiao Heng quickly took care of the marriage arrangement for Song Shiyu.

The marriage between the Zhang family’s young miss and Song Shiyu was set for the fifteenth of this month, which left them very little time, because the Northern Army would soon march eastward to Fengxiang.

The Zhang family had no choice but to hurriedly make preparations.

After the major defeat of the Chu army at Jinzhou, Duan Yunfeng, in the name of the Northern King, issued a proclamation, stating that he would immediately head to Fengxiang to support the king and protect the Yan family’s throne. At the same time, he denounced Li Jichang’s treasonous actions and called on all the feudal lords of the world to unite and fight the invaders, restoring the Great Yan dynasty.

This proclamation was written by Wang Muchuan, the second-place scholar of the Jinghe era, who poured all his literary knowledge into this one document. It was a stirring, passionate piece that lambasted Li Jichang, tearing him apart with sharp words.

After completing all the preparations, Duan Yunfeng sent an envoy to the Western Capital of Chang’an, calling on the Governor of Chang’an to join his anti-invader campaign and allow his army to pass through on their way to Fengxiang.

However, ten days after the envoy’s departure, Duan Yunfeng had still not received any news.

Since the fall of Luoyang, it seemed that Chang’an had completely lost contact with the surrounding counties and regions…

That day, after Duan Yunfeng’s proclamation was sent out, aside from some scattered forces who came to join the King of the North, the most numerous arrivals were the refugees fleeing from the Shanbei Yan Zhou region.

These people had suffered under the tyrannical rule of the “local emperor” Sun Haohan in Shanbei for a long time. In just three days, nearly twenty thousand refugees had gathered inside and outside of Jinzhou City.

How to handle these refugees was a major headache for Zhang Zhicheng. After all, the farmland in Jinzhou City was limited, and most of it had already been allocated. Where could they find extra land to distribute to these refugees?

Duan Yunfeng decided to recruit a portion of the young and strong refugees into the Northern Army.

At the moment, with the ongoing war, it was a crucial time for military recruitment.

However, the process was not going smoothly. Many of the refugees from Shanbei had been through various battles and wars, and were experienced fighters with fierce combat capabilities. Among them, there were even refugee leaders who had formed their own factions, like military tribes.

If they were to disperse these refugee leaders and integrate them into the Northern Army, many of these leaders would become rebellious elements, making it difficult for the Northern Army’s officers to integrate them into a cohesive force. The generals of the Northern Army were not eager to train such a mixed and disorderly group.

Thus, Xiao Heng suggested forming a separate refugee army, managed independently from the Northern Army.

He entrusted Zhang Zhicheng with full responsibility for the recruitment of the refugee army.

This decision greatly troubled Zhang Zhicheng, the deputy in Jinzhou. Facing these fierce refugee soldiers, he often felt like a rabbit in a wolf’s den.

For the past few days, Zhang Zhicheng had made little progress in recruiting, but upon hearing that Xiao Heng would personally inspect the situation, he immediately ordered his subordinates to be on their best behavior and ensure that they demonstrated strictness and orderliness in the recruitment process in front of Xiao Heng.

“Your Highness…” Zhang Zhicheng greeted Xiao Heng as he arrived, immediately leading him to the newly built tent. He handed Xiao Heng a cup of hot tea. “Most of these refugees lack household registration documents, so the review process is quite tedious.”

As Xiao Heng sat down, the officials in charge of the recruitment sent away two people who did not meet the requirements.

The snow was falling heavily that day, and the following group of refugees, seeing the officials questioning everyone as if they were inspecting household registrations, grew increasingly impatient, and began to shout.

“Silence! Silence!”

Immediately, an official went forward, trying to calm the crowd.

The entire group remained in chaos, crowded together in disarray.

Seeing Xiao Heng remain expressionless as he watched this chaotic scene, Zhang Zhicheng’s anxiety grew.

At this moment, someone suddenly shouted from the front of the crowd:

“Your general has grand ambitions to restore the kingdom, yet you refuse to recruit talent without regard for their background. Remember, Emperor Taizong did not disdain Liu Muzhi’s poor origins, appointing him as the vanguard of the Northern Army. In the end, Liu Muzhi led the army to reclaim the eleven northern provinces and achieved great success. Yet now, you refuse to make use of capable and righteous people. How can you achieve your goals like this?”

Zhang Zhicheng’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately signaled the officials to drag the troublemaker away.

But to his surprise, the man was as strong as an ox, and several officials could not pull him away. The man grew increasingly enraged, pointing at them and saying, “Your recruitment is just for show; you don’t actually want a capable army!”

Xiao Heng’s gaze shifted to Zhang Zhicheng:

—What is going on here?

Zhang Zhicheng, his body drenched in cold sweat, quickly explained, “This person does not meet the recruitment criteria, but unexpectedly, he became resentful. I will have someone handle him immediately…”

Xiao Heng raised his hand to stop him:

—Bring him over.

Zhang Zhicheng dared not say “no” and could only signal for the officials to bring the man forward.

When the man was brought under the eaves, Xiao Heng finally saw him clearly.

The man was tall, very sturdy, and had dark skin, clearly someone who had been working hard for years.

Xiao Heng asked Zhang Zhicheng:

—Why does he not meet the recruitment requirements?

Zhang Zhicheng immediately turned to the official in charge of the review, “Why doesn’t this man meet the requirements?”

The official replied, “He has committed crimes in the past and even killed someone…”

Since Xiao Heng was coming for an inspection today, Zhang Zhicheng had specifically emphasized not to accept anyone with a criminal record.

The man immediately sneered, “There was a landlord in our county whose son was a rogue, using his power to bully the daughter of a tenant farmer. Later, he bullied my family, and I couldn’t stand it. We got into a dispute, and I accidentally killed him. I was thrown into prison. But let’s not talk about the reason I committed the crime…”

He turned to look at the official, “I just have one question for you. Who in the army hasn’t killed anyone? Why do you go to the battlefield? Do you think soldiers fight with just their mouths, drowning others with saliva? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re recruiting monks who vow not to kill, ha ha ha.”

At his words, the crowd behind him burst into laughter.

Zhang Zhicheng felt embarrassed, wishing he could dig a hole and hide.

Xiao Heng:

—Let him come forward. I have a few questions for him.

Zhang Zhicheng immediately gestured for the officials to bring him forward.

Now that they were close, Liu Jun noticed that the person sitting on the main seat wore a veil hat, and his simple white silk robes almost blended into the snow. Although his face was not visible, his aura was regal, and even the local governor stood respectfully beside him, constantly observing his expression while speaking. It seemed he was someone from a noble family.

Liu Jun immediately wiped the smile off his face.

Xiao Heng asked him:

—What is your name?

Liu Jun stared at the characters for a long time, seemingly trying to confirm something.

Zhang Zhicheng frowned and coughed lightly, “Why are you still standing there without bowing after seeing the princess? What are you doing?”

“Uh…” Liu Jun came back to his senses and immediately knelt, respectfully saying, “I am Liu Jun, paying my respects to Your Highness!”

Xiao Heng:

—Since you believe you have the talent to compare with Liu Muzhi, if I don’t come to check on you today, wouldn’t it be my fault if I fail to restore the Great Yan Empire?

At this, Liu Jun was completely confused, his previous defiant attitude gone. He turned to look around, his eyes pleading for help. Finally, he awkwardly rubbed his forehead, “Uh, Your Highness, I… don’t quite recognize these characters.”

It turned out that Liu Jun was illiterate, and since Xiao Heng wrote in cursive, he couldn’t read it.

Zhang Zhicheng frowned, “You can’t even recognize the characters written by His Highness, and yet you dare to boast about having the talent of General Liu Muzhi under Emperor Taizong? It’s just laughable!”

He immediately ordered the officials to send Liu Jun away to avoid further embarrassing himself in front of Xiao Heng.

However, Xiao Heng raised his hand to stop Zhang Zhicheng. He wrote:

—Liu Muzhi didn’t know many characters either, and that is quite similar.

Everyone around them laughed out loud.

Liu Jun’s face turned red as he scratched his head, quietly asking the official beside him, “What exactly did His Highness say?”

Xiao Heng did not press him further. He called for Li Jinxi and had him read Xiao Heng’s words aloud to Liu Jun.

When Liu Jun heard this, he cupped his hands and bowed, “I don’t dare to compare myself with General Liu, but if Your Highness gives me an army, I will definitely lead it to capture cities and conquer territories for you.”

Faced with such an arrogant attitude, Zhang Zhicheng could no longer hold back.

But Xiao Heng merely let out a light chuckle and said:

—Back then, Liu Muzhi recruited 56,000 soldiers from the various barbarian tribes with just one command. Now, you have several hundred refugees behind you. If you believe you have the talent to be a general, why not prove it to us?

Liu Jun froze for a moment, then immediately understood Xiao Heng’s intention.

“Good!” He said solemnly, bowing slightly to Xiao Heng, before turning and walking toward the crowded refugee group.

Facing the bustling crowd, Liu Jun raised his voice, “If anyone here is willing to join the army and follow me into battle, step forward!”

There was no response from the crowd.

Seeing how awkward the atmosphere was, the officials watching the spectacle couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, and some even laughed quietly.

Liu Jun ignored the chatter. He turned and walked toward the nearby stable, where he led out a strong mule. He continued, “If anyone among you can defeat me in a match, I will give him this mule. Anyone who wants to compete, step forward!”

The once noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, a few strong men from the crowd took the initiative to step forward, including several influential refugee leaders.

Liu Jun immediately called them forward to compete with him.

To everyone’s surprise, after a few rounds, all the challengers were knocked to the ground by Liu Jun’s spear, none of them being a match for him.

As for Liu Jun, he grew more vigorous with each fight, his spear flying through the air. “Who else wants to try!”

More and more people stepped forward. At first, some might have wanted the mule, but as the competition went on, the refugee leaders competed not for the mule, but to prove they were stronger than Liu Jun.

In the end, no one managed to win the mule.

The crowd that had gathered began to cheer for him.

Liu Jun had been competing for nearly half an hour, defeating twenty-one challengers in total. By the end, his clothes were nearly soaked through with sweat.

At this moment, the refugees, who had once been disordered and undisciplined, were now awed by his powerful skills, and no one dared ignore his words anymore.

Liu Jun then pointed toward the soldiers of the North Guard, who were training nearby. “Do you see those soldiers wearing silver armor over there?”

“Why are they always so invincible, making the enemy tremble in fear, while we refugees are always displaced, getting trampled from one place to another? Is it because we are weaker than them? No! It’s because they are well-fed, well-dressed, and every day they get three liters of grain, with additional rewards of silver each month. They wear armor that can withstand knives and spears, and ride the best warhorses!”

The refugees listening to his impassioned speech couldn’t help but show longing in their eyes. What Liu Jun described was the ideal life they all dreamed of.

Liu Jun continued, “Now, an opportunity is right in front of you. If you join the army, you’ll get grain and silver. In the future, as long as you make achievements in battle, you too can wear silver armor and ride the best horses! Now, if you’re willing to join and follow me into battle, step forward!”

In the sudden silence that followed,

“Clack—”

The sound of refugees stepping forward echoed.

In the end, nearly two hundred men stood in front of Liu Jun.

Zhang Zhicheng was stunned.

The problem he had been struggling with for days was solved in an instant.

Liu Jun led the two hundred men and walked toward Xiao Heng.

Xiao Heng just smiled and then asked him:

—How will you fulfill the promise of grain and military pay to them?

He had told Liu Jun to prove his ability to lead, but he hadn’t said that he would definitely let them join the ranks.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jun immediately bowed and knelt before Xiao Heng, loudly declaring, “If Your Highness is willing to take me into your service, from this moment on, I and the two hundred men behind me will be Your Highness’s personal soldiers. We are willing to go through fire and water for you, without hesitation!”

Xiao Heng, without showing any emotion, slightly pursed his lips. This man certainly knew how to play his cards.

In the sudden silence that followed, Liu Jun anxiously looked up at the expression of the person sitting on the main seat.

Then, he saw Xiao Heng wave his hand to call over Li Jinxi, ordering him to bring one hundred taels of silver.

Xiao Heng pushed the silver toward him and picked up a brush, writing:

—I will give you three days. If you can recruit one thousand men and turn them into a well-trained force, I will make you a Zhonglang General, in charge of this refugee army. This will be your salary.

Liu Jun’s heart warmed, and he quickly thanked, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace!”

After repeatedly expressing his gratitude, he led the refugees away one by one.

Watching Liu Jun and the others turn to leave, Xiao Heng rose from his seat, signaling that today’s inspection was over. He then stepped out into the vast snow.

Li Jinxi stood by, holding an umbrella for Xiao Heng.

Xiao Heng raised his eyes to look at the imposing walls of Jinzhou City in the distance, estimating how many days it would take to leave Jinzhou…

He now had money, grain, and a loyal court faction led by Wang Muchuan.

What he still lacked was an army that would only obey his orders.

Once this army was formed, and they conquered Fengxiang to regain control of the Yan court, it would be the day he would return to the throne.