After the envoy from the Wei Country returned, it was time for the autumn tax in Ye Country. A piece of good news arrived from the Xu Mountain border pass: the army had cleared the land and harvested over ten thousand bushels of grain, enough to sustain the border troops for a year without relying on the imperial court for supplies, as long as they didn't have to pay taxes. This meant significant savings for the court in terms of food and provisions.
King of Ye was overjoyed. If every border army could be self-sufficient in terms of food, the court would save a substantial amount of grain and provisions each year. The saved resources could be used to expand the army, improve their equipment, and ensure that Ye Country would be strong enough to resist foreign invasions. In times of peace, with a sufficient treasury, the burden of taxes on the people could also be reduced.
The Ye court issued a decree for all border armies to follow the example of the Xu Mountain border pass and engage in farming during periods of peace. They also encouraged the people in various regions to cultivate new land, allowing the peasants to own the land they cultivated. Taxes would be exempted for the first two years, and only levied based on the output in the third year.
Furthermore, various military policies were introduced, particularly regarding promotions within the army. As long as ordinary citizens performed well, they would have the opportunity for advancement in the future. This gave hope to those who had long been exploited and oppressed at the lower levels of society, and they eagerly joined the military, hoping to achieve success and bring honor to their families.
This was a great feat and a milestone for Ye Country's path towards becoming a strong nation.
And Gong Xiaohua, who proposed the farming policy and was currently on a business trip, played a crucial role. She would undoubtedly be remembered in the glorious history of Ye Country.
At present, King of Ye directly rewarded her with a luxurious mansion in the Chongren District as her private property.
On the border between Ye and Wei countries:
"Prince, you're joking. You want to kill us. Why would I help you?"
"Don't forget the task given to you by King of Ye. If we die, Ye Country might face the wrath of Wei Country."
"Well, I can cooperate with them. I believe they will agree, right, Ghost Eunuch?" Gong Xiaohua looked at the Ghost Eunuch and said.
The Ghost Eunuch looked at the person speaking and realized something was amiss. Wasn't this the female guard who had narrowly escaped from him during a mission in Nanlong Prefecture?
Now, she was dressed in dark red armor, with her long black hair tied up in a high ponytail. Although he didn't recognize her from a distance due to her significant weight loss, upon closer inspection, he was certain that she was the same fierce warrior. She had now become the leader of this group, and it seemed like they were destined to cross paths again.
As he looked at her, he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. The power of her dual blades still haunted him, and if she chose to cooperate with them or even just stayed out of the fight, it would be effortless for her to defeat the Second Prince and his group.
"Of course, as long as the general chooses to cooperate with us, I will report to my king that the two princes were killed by bandits during their passage, and Ye Country had nothing to do with it."
"You see, Second Prince, I can fulfill my mission without doing anything!"
"You... You are truly cunning and deceitful," the Second Prince said in anger.
Ghost Eunuch looked at the Third Prince, who was protecting the Second Prince behind him, and said, "Considering our past relationship as master and disciple, as long as you don't protect him, I can spare you."
"Why did you side with the eldest brother?" asked the Third Prince with a pained expression. He still couldn't accept the fact that their master, who had taught him martial arts since childhood, had chosen to betray them.
"I am a rootless person who values power but also cherishes life. Rather than being discovered by you and tortured to death, I'd rather fight back and find a way out," Ghost Eunuch replied.
"Ha-ha, what an interesting turn of events," a sudden and abrupt laughter interrupted the people below from above the mountain peak.
Everyone looked up and saw a masked figure standing on a small hill not far from them. They hadn't noticed the presence of the other person all this time. How long had he been there?
"I wonder which faction you belong to, my friend?" Ghost Eunuch asked.
"Ha-ha-ha, our goal is the same, but we intend to kill them within the borders of Ye Country, not your Wei Country," the masked figure replied.
"So, you're an assassin sent by another country?"
"What if I am? What if I'm not? It depends on whether you cooperate with me or not. If you don't cooperate, I'll have to kill you all."
"Just by yourself, you think you can negotiate with us and kill us? That's laughable."
"Is that so?" He raised his right hand, placed two fingers on the corner of his mouth, and let out a whistle.
Suddenly, forty to fifty black-clad masked individuals appeared around them, armed with bows and arrows, surrounding the group. There were also a dozen or so people with knives or swords stationed at the four corners of the valley, watching them intently.
The situation took another turn.
"Since that's the case, let's cooperate."
Ghost Eunuch carefully reconsidered the situation and realized that the odds of success were greater if he joined forces with the other party. Besides, his current predicament was entirely because of Gong Xiaohua.
He had always wished to kill the other person to cleanse his own shame. Now that he had the opportunity to do so, he couldn't let it slip away. Therefore, he decisively allied himself with the masked figure.
"We will hold back their forces while you go directly to kill them, alright?" Ghost Eunuch said to the masked assassin, pointing at the Second Prince and the others.
"Deal."
"You have quite a few people you want dead," Gong Xiaohua said speechlessly.
"It seems like it's meant to be. General Gong, do you have a plan to deal with the enemy?"
"No."
The Second Prince was at a loss for words. Asking another question would only make him sound foolish.
"What should we do, General?" one of Ye Country's guards approached Gong Xiaohua and asked.
"Have our brothers prepare to break through the encirclement. We must not let these two men die within our borders. Once we successfully bring them into Wei Country's territory, we'll immediately retreat," Gong Xiaohua said, looking at the two princes of Wei Country as if they were burdensome.
The Second and Third Princes felt disheartened. How disliked were they? They were aware that in Wei Country, there were thousands of unmarried young girls infatuated with them.
"Understood."
"You and the Second Prince will board that armored carriage, while the Third Prince and I will protect from outside. Prepare to break through the encirclement," Gong Xiaohua said to the young envoy.
"Very well, General. Thank you for your suggestion," the young envoy accepted the proposal without hesitation.
He knew that staying in place would mean being surrounded by archers and hundreds of enemies, with assassins lurking around. If he stayed put, he would only be waiting to be killed. Now, the only chance of survival was to break free.
Just as the Second Prince and Gong Xiaohua got into the carriage, she pulled out a dagger from her foot and stabbed it into the side of the adjacent carriage. The horse screamed in pain and went mad, charging forward.
Without wasting any time, Gong Xiaohua mounted her own horse, crouched low on its back, holding the reins with one hand and stabbing the horse's hindquarters with the dagger in the other. The horse went wild and followed the leading carriage, rushing forward.
The Third Prince cursed, "Madwoman!" Then he mounted his horse, emulating Gong Xiaohua and charging ahead. Others followed suit, each one racing forward.
In an instant, the enemy's formation was thrown into chaos. The assassins they had brought began shooting arrows at the carriages, but luckily, the carriages were made of iron and were temporarily safe.
When Gong Xiaohua's horse ran alongside the carriage, she abandoned her horse and leaped onto the carriage. With one hand driving the carriage forward, she wielded her knife, slashing at the surrounding enemies who kept coming.
"Stop them! Don't let them escape!"
The enemy quickly brought out trip ropes to obstruct the horses. Unable to slow down in time, the carriage overturned due to inertia. Gong Xiaohua rolled to the side and landed safely, but the two people on the carriage didn't fare so well. They were thrown out heavily and felt their internal organs shifting, grimacing in pain.
At this moment, the black-clad assassins descended, their target heading straight for the Second Prince. The others surrounded the Second Prince and the rest of the defenseless people in the middle. Gong Xiaohua, the Third Prince, and the general from Wei Country protected them on the outer perimeter, engaging in a battle against the assassins.
