"Second question!" Inside the large tent, by the stove, Zhou Fugui extended two fingers and asked, "Who are you really? Do you have anyone left at home?"
"Just an ordinary person in troubled times. No one is left at home anymore," Lin Yue replied faintly upon hearing this.
Zhou Fugui naturally wanted to know about Lin Yue's background, but Lin Yue seemed unwilling to mention it, brushing it aside with a single sentence. Zhou Fugui didn't want to press further.
"Mmm, and everything you've done...?" Zhou Fugui extended a third finger and asked.
"To survive." Lin Yue looked at Zhou Fugui and asked, "Are you willing to help me?"
This rhetorical question put Zhou Fugui in a difficult position, unsure how to answer.
Zhou Fugui had no intention of staying long and would escape at the first opportunity. However, now that Lin Yue was asking, how could he bear to tell her the truth?
"A single pitiful tale has changed my mind? That's underestimating me too much," Zhou Fugui thought to himself. "What if Lin Yue is deliberately setting a trap for me to fall into?"
Even if Lin Yue was telling the truth, the fact that she could survive in such harsh conditions, and that she had an army fiercely loyal to her, meant she must possess significant influence, intelligence, and cunning far beyond that of an ordinary person. Zhou Fugui had to be wary.
"One should not intend to harm others, but one must guard against them!"
Zhou Fugui's contemplation lasted only a moment. After that moment, Zhou Fugui's decision was made. He nodded and replied, "I, Zhou, shall be a soldier under your command. To devise strategies for my lord is my duty. What is there to be willing or unwilling about? Lin Yue, speak your mind freely."
Having experienced so much, Zhou Fugui's mind had become more mature. How could he not understand the principle of not revealing one's thoughts easily to others?
"Commander Zhou..." Seeing that Zhou Fugui was still unwilling to reveal his true intentions, Lin Yue sighed inwardly and said, "Regarding the matter of slaves I mentioned today, Lin Yue is troubled by it. Lin Yue knows clearly that what I rely on now is the slaves. I wish to abolish the system of slavery to win their hearts, but they surely won't tolerate me. I dare not act rashly. Do you have any wise counsel on this matter?"
"I dare not claim wisdom, but I have some thoughts on this. Whether they are feasible is entirely up to you to decide," Zhou Fugui replied with a nod.
"Just tell me. Today, whatever you say, I will not blame you, nor will I tell anyone else," Lin Yue said, looking at Zhou Fugui.
"It's not that serious, just some humble opinions..." Zhou Fugui said with a smile. "Ancient texts say that slaves and lowly people are treated like livestock, which shows their low status, a lamentable situation. Once a slave, forever a lowly person; if a family is enslaved, it is passed down through generations without change. This is truly tragic and infuriating. Therefore, Lin Yue, how to improve their status is the most crucial thing. And in the world, all matters require a gradual approach. Trying to become a fat person in one gulp will only lead to choking."
"What Commander Zhou said resonates with Lin Yue. Please continue," Lin Yue said, delightedly pouring Zhou Fugui a cup of wine.
Lin Yue possessed intelligence, courage, strategy, and boldness, but she lacked a resourceful strategist. She had long suffered from this. Now that Zhou Fugui was speaking so convincingly, how could Lin Yue not be pleased?
"It seems I've found the right person," Lin Yue thought happily.
"The world is divided into free people and slaves, this is the system of status," Zhou Fugui said, holding his wine cup and looking somewhat proudly at Lin Yue, who was serving him. "Free people can harm slaves as they would livestock. Therefore, Lin Yue, your first priority is to ensure their survival. If they can live, will they not be loyal to you?"
"Free people can harm slaves as they would livestock? Let them live?" Lin Yue murmured to herself.
"Yes. Let's not talk about abolishing their slave status yet. The first thing is to ensure their survival. Anyone who harms a slave shall be punished doubly. Implement a system of hiring, and other measures. Reform and change are the long-term solutions," Zhou Fugui continued.
"Implement a system of hiring? Reform and change? Wait, slow down. I can't keep up," Zhou Fugui's speech was extremely fast, and Lin Yue only understood half of it. So she said, "Reform means law!" Zhou Fugui smiled slightly and said slowly, "Law is the standard for the world, the benchmark for all things! Without law, the country cannot be governed; without power, the law cannot be enforced; without skill, power cannot be consolidated. Slaves are your private property, aren't they? Since they are private property, then let them pay some money. With money, there are slaves; without money, there are no slaves. Hiring slaves without paying them, the slaves can avoid you. This is the system of hiring!"
"System of hiring?" With Zhou Fugui's explanation, Lin Yue finally understood. She nodded and asked, "Will this work? Will this improve their status?"
"Of course it will!" Zhou Fugui nodded. "Abolishing slavery is still too early. Implementing a system of hiring is the first step. If you want slaves, you need to pay some money. That's acceptable, isn't it?"
"General Zhou, what you've said today has enlightened Lin Yue greatly. General Zhou, Lin Yue truly hasn't misjudged you," Lin Yue exclaimed.
Lin Yue truly lacked someone like Zhou Fugui by her side. She had never heard such words from anyone before. It was as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes.
"Whatever he wants, I will give him. I must keep him, no matter what," Lin Yue became even more resolute in her thoughts.
"Lin Yue, we can talk, but you still need to understand one thing," Zhou Fugui said afterwards.
"What is it? Tell me," Lin Yue nodded.
"Either don't do it at all, and remain hidden in the abyss. If you do it, you must use the power of thunder to destroy all obstacles and stumbling blocks, seize the opportunity, and strike a fatal blow," Zhou Fugui replied, a hint of ferocity appearing on his face.
Lin Yue nodded upon hearing this.
Lin Yue knew in her heart that Zhou Fugui was referring to another matter.
In fact, Lin Yue was already doing it, like peeling back an onion, layer by layer, slowly shedding its outer shell.
Zhou Fugui's words further solidified Lin Yue's resolve.
At the same time, Lin Yue now clearly understood one thing: even if Zhou Fugui still refused to reveal his true intentions, Lin Yue was certain that he genuinely wanted to help her.
Lin Yue felt a touch of gratitude for this.
"General Zhou, would you like to see Lin Yue dance?" After a moment, Lin Yue suddenly asked.
"Dance?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
"Mmm..." Lin Yue nodded. "Lin Yue's life has always been dictated by others, forcing her to dance. This time, Lin Yue is willing to dance for the general!"
...
North of Xue Lin City, Yan Yong Xing Fort
Yong Xing Fort is located in the northwest of Xue Lin City, and it is a necessary thoroughfare. In other words, the Hun right-wing army must pass through here if they wish to attack Xue Lin City and the other two passes.
Late that night, the moon in the night sky was dim, and the stars were sparse. The entire land seemed to be asleep. Around He Qiao Fort, apart from the chirping of insects, everything was quiet.
Before the silent Yong Xing Fort, a hundred horsemen arrived. The hooves of their steeds were wrapped in thick cloth, which significantly muffled their sound.
"Commander Zhou, what do you think about taking this fort?" Lin Yue asked, turning to her subordinate commander, Zhou Fugui, after observing for a while.
The Xiongnu Great Chieftain had ordered Lin Yue to lead her troops to capture Yong Xing Fort, and Lin Yue could only comply. She had led her army here today, intending to capture Yong Xing Fort.
"Princess Consort..." In front of others and in public, Zhou Fugui still addressed her as "Princess Consort." He rode forward, looking at Yong Xing Fort in the night, and replied, "As far as I know, Yong Xing Fort is a large stronghold of Yan, with strict defenses and difficult to conquer. If we were to attack it head-on, the losses would surely be considerable. Princess Consort, you see, Yong Xing Fort is built on a slope. If the army attacks, it would be an uphill battle. The terrain itself is disadvantageous to our army."
"Damn it, what is this all about?" Zhou Fugui thought to himself, filled with despair.
Zhou Fugui had been ordered by Yan's border commander, Hu Yan Sheng, to attack the enemy beyond the border. But unexpectedly, his entire army was "captured" by Lin Yue. Now, he was being forced to lead his slave army to attack Yong Xing Fort. Of course, on the surface, Zhou Fugui was "joyfully and eagerly coming forward..."
Zhou Fugui's heart was with Yan, but to the Yan army, it appeared that Zhou Fugui and his men had betrayed the Yan Kingdom and defected. Hu Yan Sheng and others, upon learning of this, would undoubtedly be grinding their teeth in anger.
And Hu Yan Sheng and the others knew, and even the Yan imperial court knew, that this would inevitably implicate Zhou Fugui's family. Therefore, Zhou Fugui was desperate to return home, his mind solely focused on escaping.
As Zhou Fugui and his men followed Lin Yue's army further south, closer to Xue Lin City, escaping became increasingly difficult. The reason was that the closer they got to Xue Lin City, the fiercer the battles between the Yan and Xiongnu armies became. The Yan army desperately defended the three passes, and the area outside the city was filled with Xiongnu cavalry, spreading out like a vast sea. If Zhou Fugui and his men tried to flee south, they would be killed or recaptured by Xiongnu cavalry within an hour.
Therefore, Zhou Fugui was extremely distressed at this moment, only able to silently search for an opportunity to escape.
"Oh, is that so? Then what should we do?" Zhou Fugui's reasoning was sound, so Lin Yue nodded and asked again.
"When besieging a force, leave a gap; if there's a gap, the enemy will emerge. If they emerge, they can be easily scattered and defeated!" Zhou Fugui replied. "The enemy is already cornered. Why suffer further losses of our soldiers?"
"General Jun Jin, what do you think?" Lin Yue turned and asked Jun Jin.
"Very appropriate!" Jun Jin, the Xiongnu's right-hand general, spoke little, uttering only two words.
However, Zhou Fugui could only fool Lin Yue, who knew nothing of warfare, but he couldn't fool Jun Jin, who was a seasoned warrior.
Jun Jin saw through Zhou Fugui's little trick at a glance, but he didn't expose him.
"Besieging a force and leaving a gap" is a strategy employed when one side has an advantage but cannot completely annihilate the enemy. Currently, Yong Xing Fort had at most over two thousand soldiers, while Lin Yue's slave army numbered over twenty thousand, ten times the enemy's strength. There was no need to employ the strategy of leaving a gap; they could completely annihilate them.
"I am ignorant of military matters. I will leave it all to you two," Lin Yue said with a smile, believing that Zhou Fugui was truly considering her best interests.