Zhou Cangyue also heard the news that Duke Dingguo vomited three liters of blood after learning the whereabouts of Jing Lao San. Don't underestimate the Beggars' Gang's intelligence network. Moreover, after Jinghong Tower's instigation, everyone in Jinling, from court officials to ordinary people, knew about it. Although the Beggars' Gang brothers cannot enter the wealthy families, they can still be heard walking on the streets. Zhou Cangyue was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. After he brought Jing Lao San back, he didn't try to hide it from He Ran. After all, he had Sister Ran's people under him, so he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. However, before he could use Jing Lao San to do anything, Sister Ran had already done it for him. Sister Ran is Sister Ran, she is just better than him. As for the purpose of Sister Ran doing all this, Zhou Cangyue certainly thought of it, but, so what? Is there any need for him and Sister Ran to be so fussy about it? Of course, Zhou Cangyue did not lock Jing Lao San into a small dark room and torture him day and night as Duke Dingguo had heard. He is not a pervert, and he is very busy. Zhou Cangyue only interrogated Jing Laosan twice.
Although he is young, his experiences in both lives combined may be richer than those of most middle-aged people. During the first interrogation, Zhou Cangyue could tell that Jing Laosan was a naive person with clear stupidity in his eyes. He was well educated and had not only studied the Four Books and Five Classics, but he had also learned the art of war. Zhou Cangyue became interested when he learned that Jing Laosan had studied military tactics. Although Zhou Cangyue proclaimed himself the Grand Marshal, he was a wild man when it came to fighting. Although he later found a few military books to read, he only flipped through them. It was not until Zhang Shigong came that he really began to study military tactics. No matter where the army went, there would be a sand table in his tent, which was also what Zhang Shigong requested from He Ran. Now, using sand table to conduct military exercises has become Zhou Cangyue and his generals' favorite pastime. But even so, the Tiger Power Army is full of rough guys, and few of them have truly learned the art of war. Therefore, when Jing Laosan said that he had learned the art of war, Zhou Cangyue sat upright and discussed the art of war with Jing Laosan. Unfortunately, Zhou Cangyue became disappointed after just a few words. Jing Laosan had indeed learned it, but he only memorized it by rote. And from the dull tone in his voice when he was reciting, it was clear that Jing Laosan had no interest in the art of war at all. Sure enough, Jing Lao San admitted that although he was born out of wedlock, Duke Dingguo's expectations for him were much higher than those for his legitimate brothers. Ever since he could remember, Duke Dingguo had invited many famous teachers for him. Duke Dingguo was a military general. In order to invite the great scholar to teach him, Duke Dingguo shamelessly went to the scholar's house to ask for his advice. His riding and archery were taught by Duke Dingguo himself. Even the prince of Duke Dingguo's Mansion did not have this honor. Unfortunately, Jing Laosan was not good at martial arts. He was injured just after learning how to ride a horse. Although he did not become disabled, he suffered a psychological trauma and refused to ride a horse again. Duke Dingguo was very strict with his other children, and he was not even kind to his youngest daughter. But towards Jing Lao San, Duke Dingguo showed his fatherly side. Duke Dingguo never refused any request made by Jing Laosan.
Jing Laosan said that he didn't want to ride a horse or learn martial arts anymore. Although Duke Dingguo was very unhappy, he finally agreed. But he had to teach him the art of war personally. In the words of Jing Laosan, it was simply a life worse than death. He had no interest in military tactics, and in order to answer his father's questions, he could only memorize them by rote. Fortunately, Duke Dingguo later discovered that he was not interested in this, so he did not force him to continue studying. From then on, Duke Dingguo finally gave up and stopped forcing him to learn riding, archery and military tactics. When it comes to studying, Jing Laosan didn't have much talent, but he came from a good family, met a famous teacher, and worked very hard. Diligence can make up for one's shortcomings. He passed the imperial examination and became a scholar when he was a teenager. If the imperial examination had not been suspended after the capital was moved, he would probably have become a juren now. As for his own life experience, Jing Lao San only knew that he was different from his other brothers. Although he was registered as the wife of the Duke, he was actually born out of wedlock and his aunt died when he was born. When he was a child, he once asked Duke Dingguo that he wanted to visit his aunt's grave. Duke Dingguo said that his aunt was buried at the border, too far away. Later, when he grew up, he knew that in this mansion, some things could be said and some things could not be said. For example, if he wanted to visit his aunt's grave, he had to keep it to himself and never say it out loud. When asked about his life in the Duke's Mansion, Jing Lao San said that his stepmother had never treated him harshly since he was a child. Whatever his brothers have, he also has. But his stepmother never paid much attention to him. However, he was not affected by this. After all, although he did not have a mother who loved him, he had a father who doted on him. His brothers never rejected him. They all practiced martial arts and were generous and open-minded. Because he was injured and could not practice martial arts, his brothers took good care of him. Even his youngest sister made him a leg warmer when she learned that his leg was injured while riding a horse. When talking about this, Jing Laosan had a smile on his face. It was obvious that he was very satisfied with his life and his family. Zhou Cangyue had seen countless people and he knew at a glance that Jing Laosan was not lying. This is all Jing Laosan knows. Therefore, after the first interrogation, Zhou Cangyue did not immediately conduct a second interrogation. Although Jing Laosan was not kept in a small dark room or subjected to severe torture, he did not have freedom either. According to the list of books given by Jing Laosan, Zhou Cangyue sent a lot of books to Jing Laosan and also assigned him a servant so that Jing Laosan could continue his studies. After hearing what happened in Jinling, Zhou Cangyue decided to re-examine Jing Laosan. This time, Zhou Cangyue did not hide anything. He told Jing Laosan everything about how Duke Dingguo mistakenly thought that his ears had been cut off and he vomited blood in panic. Of course, he did not mention He Ran, because Sister Ran's behavior could not be questioned. Sure enough, after hearing this, Jing Laosan burst into tears and cursed the person who spread the rumor. He lived a good life here, with books to read, people to serve him, and a big chicken leg every day. Zhou Cangyue observed silently, and the flash of cruelty in Jing Laosan's eyes did not escape his eyes. Well, I almost made a mistake. Maybe because he cried too much during the day and consumed his energy, Jing Laosan slept very soundly that night. In a daze, he felt like he was flying. He wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids seemed to be as heavy as a thousand pounds. Soon, he fell into a deep sleep again.
When Jing Laosan woke up completely, he was no longer where he used to live. Although Zhou Cangyue did not give him freedom, he also gave him an elegant and comfortable place to live. He had a study and a bedroom. There were paintings of flowers and plants of all seasons hanging on the walls. There were exquisitely crafted screens in the room. He also had endless books to read. But the place he was in now was completely different from before. This can't even be called a residence. Because this is a stable! What wafted into his nose was a mixture of hay and horse manure. Dozens of war horses had white steam coming out of their mouths. A few of them had bad tempers and were looking at him provocatively while stamping their hooves in annoyance. Jing Laosan was worried that the horses would rush over and trample him to death the next moment. He wasn't lying, he had a shadow on the horse. When he was a child, he fell off a horse and the horse's hoof stepped on his leg. Although it was a pony, the pain was deeply engraved in his memory. He did not ride a horse, or even a carriage or mule cart. Duke Dingguo doted on him, and he rode in a sedan chair on the long journey from the capital to Nanjing. There was also a stable in the Duke Dingguo's mansion, but he had never been there. But now, he was not only in the stable, he had become a stable boy. The scholar's robe on him was gone, and the well-made shoes on his feet were gone. Now he was wearing a patched coarse cloth robe and a pair of tattered straw sandals with his toes exposed! Jing Laosan called out loudly to his servant. The servant was Zhou Cangyue's man, whom he never trusted. But now, he was eager to see this servant. He was scared, he was really scared! Even though he was kidnapped, even though he knew that the person opposite him was the murderous Marshal of the Tiger Army, he was not afraid. Everything he told Zhou Cangyue was true, but there was one thing he didn't say. That is, Duke Dingguo not only taught him riding, archery and military tactics, but also trained him to respond calmly, remain fearless and composed in the face of danger. Therefore, he quickly gained Zhou Cangyue's trust and had a relatively good prison environment, where he could wait for the opportunity comfortably. But now, he was panicking. Facing Zhou Cangyue who had thousands of troops, he did not panic, but looking at the dozens of war horses in front of him, he was shocked and scared, and extremely panicked. Jing Laosan screamed loudly. All the war horses that could be used as war horses were fierce. Therefore, when these war horses heard his screams, even those that had no interest in him and were just professional grass eaters became energetic as if they were injected with chicken blood. They looked at him eager to try, and their neighs made Jing Laosan even more collapsed. He ran around the stable like a headless fly. The stable had a door, although it was just a simple door nailed together with wooden strips, it was locked from the outside. Jing Lao San banged on the door and cried, "Let me out, let me out, someone, someone come quickly!" The warhorse behind him was still neighing, and Jing Laosan tried desperately to bang on the door, but he was just a weak scholar, and no matter how hard he banged, the wooden door that was leaking air everywhere did not move at all. Jing Laosan felt so exhausted that he could no longer stand and fainted at the door. He had a dream. In the dream, he returned to the house full of books. He sat on a comfortable chair, and the servant was sitting beside a small red clay stove, brewing fragrant tea. The teapot is bubbling and bubbling, and it's all so beautiful. But when he woke up, what he saw was the shabby but extremely sturdy wooden door. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the door and sprinkled on the ground in patches. He looked at the light and shadow on the ground, his eyes moving from near to far. What was that? It was a horse!
There was no fragrance of books, no small red clay stove, no bubbling teapot. When he woke up from the dream, he was still here, he was still in this terrible stable. There was a horse in front of me. For some reason, the horse was not tied up and was walking around leisurely in the stable. But apparently the other horses wanted to be like him, or were unhappy that he could just stroll around. So the horses became angry. They roared, snorted, puffed out white steam, stamped their hooves, and neighed one after another. Jing Laosan had never seen such a scene before. For him, it was no less than hell. Jing Laosan only felt heat under his body, and a hot current surged out. If it were usual, he would have been extremely ashamed, but now, he felt nothing at all, because compared to the horror, what was peeing in his pants? The horse finally saw him and walked towards him excitedly. A foul smell came from under Jing Laosan's body, and he became completely incontinent. Maybe the horse also smelled the stench. It shook its head in disgust and actually stopped. But it was too late. The moment the horse raised its hooves and walked towards him, Jing Laosan not only became incontinent, but also fainted. I don’t know how long it took before Jing Laosan woke up. Then, he fainted again, woke up, fainted again, and woke up again, in an endless cycle. Finally, Jing Laosan left the stable, but he didn't know it because he had a high fever and was confused. The military doctor said that if he continued to have the fever, he would probably become a fool. Zhou Cangyue was very satisfied with this. He asked someone to treat Jing Laosan's illness, and he took this opportunity to go fight a war. Zhou Cangyue knew that He Ran was in Xuzhou, and Ran’s army’s battlefields were mainly concentrated in Fengyang, Huai’an and Yangzhou. He was a little far away and couldn't go over to help. But, he can make a show of force to scare the enemy. Sister Ran has been very busy recently and hasn't written to him for a long time. He didn't dare to disturb her, nor did he dare to write a letter on his own initiative. Sister Ran didn't pay much attention to him in the first place, and if this continued, Sister Ran would forget about his existence. Just like in the dream, Sister Ran no longer remembered him. He went to the gate of the compound every weekend to peek at Sister Ran, but later when Sister Ran looked at him, she still looked like she was looking at a stranger. If that was his and Sister Ran’s previous life, then in this life, at least, he must not let Sister Ran forget that there was someone like him! Taking advantage of Jing Laosan's illness, Zhou Cangyue went to Tongcheng personally and set fire to the county government office in Tongcheng, and fought a battle with the defenders of Tongcheng. Tongcheng is located in the Jianghuai fortress. Its commerce flourished due to water transportation. Confucianism and education were respected and the imperial examination was prevalent. Tongcheng had many celebrities, including literary leaders and great scholars of the time. There were many academies and schools in the city, as well as a large and complex network of aristocratic families. It is conceivable what a sensation Zhou Cangyue's fire and battle caused. When the news spread, all the scholars in Jiangnan were in anger and panic. This is the Tiger Army, a group of vicious beggars! Have you heard? Wherever the Tiger Army passes, not even a live chicken can be seen. Now the Huwei Army has set their sights on Tongcheng. Seeing that the rich, upright and ancient elegant place is about to become a battlefield and its literary elegance is destroyed in the flames of war, who would not be heartbroken and worried? Such a good city is about to be occupied by a group of beggars. It would be better to give it to He Ran. Ran’s army will treat the people of every city well and will respect scholars even more. Zhou Cangyue lit a fire and came back amid scolding from all sides. Well, although Jing Laosan's fever had subsided, he was still in a daze. The military doctor said that he was too frightened and needed to continue resting.
Zhou Cangyue: If I had known you were so disappointing, I would have set off a few more fires and come back. (End of this chapter)