Tujia Village.

After a long silence, Zheng Erniang finally calmed down.

No matter what I think in my heart, at least it has calmed down on the surface.

"Sister Zheng, many years have passed and you are still the same as before, but I am already old."

Ling Rushui, the Minister of War, sighed slightly.

Over the years, Zheng Erniang has stayed in the village and has never gone out. In fact, she has not experienced much hardship. Although she is already in her forties, she looks like a girl of eighteen or nineteen, as if time is frozen on her face.

Average.

Ling Rushui, the Minister of War, was two years younger than Zheng Erniang, but she already had white hair on her head, gray temples, and her face was full of vicissitudes of life.

"Ling Rushui, if you want to get too close, don't say anything. I just want to know why he left without saying goodbye, and why there has been no news for so many years? I have written so many letters to the court, but why has the court never replied?"

Zheng Erniang's face was indifferent, as cold as frost.

"I will explain these to you one by one."

"You can leave aside everything else. Tell me, is he still alive?"

When asked about this sentence, Zheng Erniang's emotions fluctuated again, the kind of uncontrollable fluctuations.

"He's still alive." Ling Rushui sighed.

"Haha, he is still alive as expected. Good people don't live long, and disasters last for thousands of years. He is a disaster!"

Zheng Erniang laughed for a while, and then tears flowed from her eyes again.

"He's still alive...why is he still alive?"

She murmured to herself for a while, then suddenly raised her head and asked, "Where is he?"

"He is on the Seven Leaves Island in the sea."

"Qiye Island? If he hasn't appeared for so many years, is he just staying on Qiye Island?"

"Yes, he stayed on Qiye Island for twenty years..." Ling Rushui said.

"Then why didn't he show up?"

"It's not that he doesn't want to come back, but he can't come back. Three months after he arrived at Qiye Island, he was poisoned by a strange poison..."

"After being poisoned, he can't see, hear, or move. Except for his brain, he can still think about things. He is no different from a dead person." Ling Rushui continued.

"He, he is like this."

Zheng Erniang said in a daze, and most of the anger that was originally filled with her was immediately dissipated, and the extremely complicated emotions came in an instant.

This was something she had never imagined.

She had thought about that man abandoning his wife and son, and thought about that man being plotted against by the court, but she never thought about that man being in that situation.

"Fortunately, there were people around him who took care of him. Over the years, he survived, and the toxin was finally detoxified for him recently. But after all these years, even though he can see and hear, he is still speechless and unable to stand up.

"Ling Rushui's eyes flashed with pain.

Who in the right mind can endure that kind of boundless pain?

What's more, that person is his eldest brother, the Tanhua Lang who was extremely proud in the past.

"He, how is he now?"

All Zheng Erniang's resentment disappeared in an instant, and she became extremely anxious.

"It's not very good. I still can't move now. I can barely speak a few words. He asked me to bring the jade pendant to you." Ling Rushui said.

"I want to see him."

Zheng Erniang knows that there are still many questions here, but she has no desire to know urgently now.

Now, she just wants to see him as soon as possible!

"Okay, I'm going to take you there to meet him this time, and there are some things that you will know when you get to Qiye Island." Ling Rushui said.

"Brother Ling, do you have anything else to do when you come to my cottage?" Zheng Erniang wiped her tears with a handkerchief, sat up, and then said slowly.

Ling Rushui was excited when she heard Zheng Erniang's name.

This means that Zheng Erniang has accepted him.

That's what Zheng Erniang called him back then.

"There is something. The imperial court wants to recruit Tujia troops to go north to help Marshal Yue." Ling Rushui said.

"According to the previous contract, the Tujia army can be dispatched, but all expenditures will be borne by the imperial court..."

"In addition, you are responsible for solving the recent famine of the Tujia people." Zheng Erniang thought for a while and said.

"These conditions are easy to talk about." Ling Rushui said.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's take action. You go talk to my son, and I'll pack your things. When everything is ready, we'll hit the road."

Zheng Erniang stood up. She couldn't wait any longer. More than twenty years had passed.

At this moment, thoughts surged in like a tidal wave.

She couldn't wait any longer.

"Okay, I'll ask someone else to talk to your son. I'll wait for you outside now."

Ling Rushui was a decisive person, and he had arranged several plans early in the morning.

And Zheng Erniang's current actions are also within his plan.

Zheng Erniang packed up her things very quickly. She didn't have many belongings, but only prepared a few pieces of clothing. Then she followed Ling Rushui on horseback and left.

The person who stayed in the village to talk to Zheng Xiong in detail was Ma Fujun, a member of the Ministry of War.

Ma Fujun is a versatile man in both civil and military affairs and is a rising star in the Ministry of War. The imperial court has high hopes for him when he is appointed here.

"Brother Zheng, I will accompany you on this trip north." Ma Fujun said with a smile.

At this time, all conditions had been negotiated, and Zheng Xiong also let go of his heavy worries.

He is not afraid of war, but afraid of some affairs within the clan.

"Our Tujia army will be assembled soon, in two days at most." Zheng Xiong laughed a few times and said.

"So fast?" Ma Fujun was slightly surprised.

"Of course, our Tujia people have never languished in martial arts. We are always training our bodies." Zheng Xiong said proudly.

"How many people can be gathered? It's best if they are in the prime of life. It's better not to include the old, weak, sick or disabled." Ma Fujun asked.

"Of course we are in our prime. We Tujia people are very honest. We don't cheat here, just do whatever we want..."

Zheng Xiong paused and said: "We can probably gather about 8,000 people, no more."

"Okay, eight thousand is enough."

Ma Fujun nodded.

If there are eight thousand elite soldiers, it is enough to deal with tens of thousands of ordinary troops.

The Tujia Army is recognized as a special and powerful force. Don't underestimate them because they rarely go to the battlefield. If you use them well, they can definitely be used as a surprise force.

"Master Ma, how can we get to the north with so many of us?"

What Zheng Xiong is most concerned about is how 8,000 people will travel?

"Go and get food and grass first, and set off together..."

"Walk to the pier, and we'll take a boat to the north." Ma Fujun said.

"Let's take a boat ride..."

When he heard that he was going to take a boat, Zheng Xiong's expression changed slightly.

He is a good man on land, but he is not so easy to use on the ship.

He once took a boat ride, and that time he almost vomited all the food in his stomach.

"Can you not take a boat?" Zheng Xiong asked.

"That won't work. We can't go north quickly without a boat."
Chapter completed!