“Tonight they’re holding a victory banquet to reward the three armies—it’s the best possible opportunity.” After learning what Lu Xiyuan was worried about, Governor Zhang scoffed dismissively. “I have thirty thousand troops here. Would she dare kill me?”

Lu Xiyuan had precisely this concern. He said, “I hear that among the troops she brought back this time, twenty thousand are soldiers she captured from the Prince of Donghai’s subordinate, Lieutenant General Ma Jiaen. That Ma Jiaen had a personal grudge against her—last year he framed Duke Zhao on the Prince of Donghai’s behalf. So when they met this time, Zhao Hanzhang said nothing and simply had him killed.”

So what wouldn’t she dare to do?

For a personal grudge, she killed a Lieutenant General—and a Lieutenant General valued by the Prince of Donghai at that. She said to kill him and killed him, without blinking an eye.

Killing one more Governor Zhang didn’t seem impossible either.

Lu Xiyuan wanted to continue persuading, but Governor Zhang grew irritated and couldn’t help saying, “Sir, you look ahead and behind at everything—how can you achieve great things this way?”

“Zhao Ming and Ji Yuan would never be so timid and hesitant,” he said. “If I had men like Zhao Ming and Ji Yuan at my side, why would I have wasted so many years only to be overtaken by a mere child?”

Lu Xiyuan fell silent, unable to speak for a moment.

Seeing he had struck a blow to Lu Xiyuan’s pride, Governor Zhang turned and left with a light snort.

The attendant saw his master humiliated. Enraged, his hand gripped his sword, ready to strike down Governor Zhang from behind. Lu Xiyuan quickly stopped him, not daring to show any unusual behavior, and whispered, “Don’t cause trouble. If you draw that sword, my life is forfeit.”

The attendant said, “My master has been humiliated. I am ashamed to remain in this world.”

Lu Xiyuan quickly said, “It’s not that serious…”

He paused before continuing, “However, a rift has formed between the Governor and myself. It will be difficult to continue our relationship. Go back immediately and pack our things. Once night falls, we’ll leave.”

He felt that Governor Zhang definitely couldn’t outmaneuver Zhao Hanzhang. This wasn’t just a calculated assessment—it was also direct intuition. As an advisor, he trusted his own judgment greatly, and he trusted his intuition as well.

When judgment and intuition aligned, his prediction would be almost certainly correct.

But the attendant was still fuming as he followed Lu Xiyuan back to their tent to pack.

Lu Xiyuan also felt regret. After all, it hadn’t been easy for him to reach Governor Zhang’s side. He had invested considerable time and effort. Now by running away, all his previous achievements would be erased, and he’d need to start from scratch.

The situation might even be worse—after all, he was abandoning his master and running off. If word got out, it would likely be very difficult for any employer to hire him in the future.

Even so, his life was most important.

Lu Xiyuan rolled up his belongings and placed them on the bed, covering them with a blanket. He decided to slip away as soon as it got dark.

Before the sky darkened, Zhao Hanzhang woke up.

This time she had slept for a full hour and a half. She was refreshed and energetic. She changed clothes, tied her hair in a high ponytail, then rolled up her sleeves and went outside.

She wore narrow sleeves convenient for movement, with a leather belt around her waist. While adjusting her sleeves, she walked out of the tent. Looking up, she immediately saw Ji Yuan sitting not far away, facing her tent entrance.

Seeing each other, both their eyes lit up. Ji Yuan stood up, while Zhao Hanzhang dropped her hands and rushed straight over. “Master Ji!”

Master Ji also came forward excitedly. “My Lady.”

The two enthusiastically shook hands. Zhao Ming, standing to the side, felt his teeth ache and couldn’t help coughing heavily.

Zhao Hanzhang turned her head and only then noticed Zhao Ming standing there. “Uncle Ming is here too?”

Fu Tinghan couldn’t help laughing aloud. “Uncle Ming and Master Ji were just talking.”

So how did you manage to see only one person when there were clearly three people sitting there?

Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze swept over where they were sitting. She felt this wasn’t her fault—Fu Tinghan was blocked by a corner of the tent. As for Uncle Ming…

Perhaps because he had his back to her, he wasn’t conspicuous?

Ji Yuan immediately came to her rescue. “My Lady has worked hard. Did you sleep well?”

Zhao Hanzhang immediately said, “I slept very well. Though I worked hard, Uncle Ming and Master Ji worked even harder. During this time, thanks to you two holding down the rear, I could charge ahead with complete peace of mind.”

Zhao Ming’s expression improved somewhat. He sat back down on his small stool and said to Zhao Hanzhang, “Tonight you’re rewarding the three armies. Will you be distributing merit rewards?”

Zhao Hanzhang made an affirmative sound before saying, “For those with outstanding performance like Zhao Ju, Xun Xiu, Zhao Kuan, and Mi Ce, I should give them special mention. We’ll give concrete rewards when we return to Chen County.”

Zhao Ming nodded and asked, “Governor Zhang is dissatisfied with you in his heart. How do you plan to handle him?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Find an opportunity to replace him.”

Zhao Ming’s face darkened. “There are so many people in this world who don’t accept you—are you going to replace them all?”

“Of course not,” Zhao Hanzhang looked at him oddly and said, “If he can’t develop Ruyin Jun according to my wishes but can manage the commandery governance well according to his own abilities, that’s also acceptable. I’m not someone who can’t tolerate others. It’s just that he doesn’t acknowledge me as Governor. Keeping him on does no good for Yuzhou or Ruyin Jun.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled slightly. “It does no good for me or for him either. Removing him is not only good for me but good for him as well.”

Otherwise, the accumulated contradictions would likely lead to a fight to the death later on.

This wasn’t what Zhao Hanzhang wanted to see.

Hearing her answer, Zhao Ming finally felt more at ease. He nodded and said, “Since you’ve made your decision, do it soon.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded in agreement.

Before nightfall, many people had already gathered in the open space in the middle of the camp—generals and squad leaders from various armies.

A seat was placed at the front, but no one dared go forward to sit. Everyone divided into left and right sides, with their subordinate officers following behind them.

As soon as Zhao Hanzhang appeared, everyone fell silent, watching as she walked forward and stood before that seat. Zhao Hanzhang pressed down with her hands, and everyone became even quieter.

She casually picked up a bowl, poured herself a bowl of wine, and said, “Warriors, this year both our Yuzhou and the Great Jin have experienced a difficult year, but we ultimately persevered!”

“We lost many brothers and sisters, lost many comrades-in-arms. Because of them, we enjoy temporary peace today. Let us honor them—honor all our comrades who worked hard to protect Yuzhou!”

Zhao Hanzhang poured the wine from her bowl onto the ground. The warriors all raised their bowls, their eyes reddening as they said in unison, “Honor our comrades!”

Everyone poured their wine onto the ground. Zhao Hanzhang poured another bowl and raised her hand. “The dead are gone, but the living should cherish the present moment even more, so as not to disappoint their trust and expectations. Come, warriors, Yuzhou’s peace today is also due to your efforts. I honor you all!”

She tilted her head back and drained the wine. The military wine was quite strong. Zhao Hanzhang felt it burning, and couldn’t help shouting, “Good wine!”

The warriors watching felt their spirits surge. They too drained their cups. At this moment, looking at Zhao Hanzhang standing at the very front, their hearts united in allegiance, finally acknowledging her from the bottom of their hearts.

Stimulated by the wine’s strength, Zhao Hanzhang’s heroic spirit rose. She simply picked up a wine jar and walked down, pouring for them one by one. “Come, come, let me pour wine for you.”