CHAPTER 344: CHAPTER 338 CURSING

It’s impossible to get them back, not to mention they’re a day ahead, and considering Zhao Cheng’s stubbornness, who can bring them back?

Even Zhao Hu himself couldn’t manage, let alone the servants.

But the steward still sent people to chase after them, even if it was just for appearances, it’s better to send Zhao Cheng some things.

As soon as they went out, families came crying to the door, and the steward asked and found out, "Old Lord, the young man not only took away young sir but also took several of the clan’s youths, as well as students from the school."

"Now all the families are coming here, Old Lord, do you, do you want to hide for a bit?"

Zhao Hu was dumbfounded, and when he came to his senses, he was furious, "Hide for what, where’s Zhao Dong, let’s find Zhao Dong!"

Is Zhao Hu someone who hides?

Of course not.

There are quite a few unruly ones in the Zhao Family, but among the older generation, Zhao Hu is certainly the most unruly. He went straight out the door and gathered those who wanted their sons and grandsons back, directly breaking into Zhao Dong’s house, nearly smashing it.

In the end, it was Zhao Ming who supported his father over to calm this conflict.

Zhao Song, looking at Zhao Dong’s house with the front hall smashed, angrily pointed at Zhao Hu’s nose and cursed, "What do you want, a rebellion?"

"Don’t you know Zhao Cheng’s temper? Who can be his master? Go vent your anger at home!" Then he spoke to the families following Zhao Hu’s chaos, "The children are all grown up, what they want to do is their own decision. Nowadays, staying at home is the way to death, going out, working hard, might lead to a future, can you forever keep your children as toddlers at home?"

The parents lowered their heads.

Only then did Zhao Ming speak, "Even Third Lady can lead troops to battle, they are still Third Lady’s brothers, why can’t they go to the battlefield?"

He said, "The students they took, the oldest is thirteen, the youngest is only nine. Compared to that, the clan’s youths are older, more knowledgeable, what is there to complain about?"

Zhao Hu was indignant, as foul-mouthed as Zhao Dong, "You speak nicely, why don’t you go? You hide in the clan, it’s easy to talk from the sidelines."

Zhao Ming isn’t like Zhao Cheng, would he be provoked to leave angrily?

His cold gaze fell on Zhao Hu, just about to speak when his father beside him was already jumping in rage, pointing at Zhao Hu and cursing, "How is he hiding in the clan? You think he’s willing to stay home dealing with your nonsense? He was evaluated as a mid-tier scholar, if it weren’t for the clan, he’d have gone into service long ago!"

"Daily it’s you causing him trouble, this year, how many times have the clan and tenant farmers complained about you? You still want to drive him away, once he leaves, can you then turn the sky upside down?" Zhao Song was particularly angry, "What’s the time now, the Xiongnu are just amassing troops at the Yu State border, all of you are either running away or being onlookers, I’m telling you, you better pray Third Lady can hold off the Xiongnu Army, otherwise, anyone in the clan, every one of them, will die at Xiping!"

Zhao Ming couldn’t help supporting him, "Father!"

"You shut up," Zhao Song attacked indiscriminately, pointing at him and scolding, "You’re also an unfilial thing, want me to migrate south, unless you step over my corpse!"

The clan members were quiet, shrunk their heads and dared not speak.

Zhao Hu also fell silent, only after Zhao Song glared aggressively at him and Zhao Ming, did he turn and leave.

Once Zhao Song left far away, then did everyone surround Zhao Ming, talking over each other, "Brother Ming, are we migrating south?"

"Is the situation truly this dire?"

"What is the court doing, wasn’t there talk of reinforcements going to rescue Luoyang, why can’t they drive the Xiongnu army out in one blow?"

Zhao Ming listened to their questions, only answering after they finished asking.

Migration south is the clan leader’s proposal, unless it’s extremely difficult, Zhao Zhongyu wouldn’t propose the entire clan migrate south, he is the clan leader, he has to be responsible for the whole clan.

Once they heard it was Zhao Zhongyu’s proposal, everyone greyed out, knowing things were this dire, they had no objections about not even saying goodbye to their children before they went to the front lines.

In the life and death moment, it’s no longer about one person’s life and death.

Some fell silent, others like Zhao Song, tearfully declared, "I won’t go, even if I die, I’ll die at Xiping!"

"Third Lady is solely brave and resourceful, perhaps can hold off the Xiongnu."

"No matter how brave and strategic, she’s only fifteen, that’s the Xiongnu Army, with cavalry, even Prince East Sea couldn’t handle them."

"Prince East Sea, heh, what’s there to compare with him? Great Jin became this way, isn’t it on account of them?"

"Did court officials’ brains get muddled? If Yu State falls, what good will they have?"

Zhao Ming let them curse, because he thought the same, though as a scholar, he preferred not to speak coarsely, but hearing the cursing still felt delightful.

Meanwhile, even someone as cultivated as Fu Zhi and as peaceminded as Zhao Zhongyu couldn’t help but to speak colorfully to Prince East Sea on the court!

Fu Zhi couldn’t bear seeing Yu State slip into war, shrieked passionately at Prince East Sea, "If Yu State falls, Great Jin will be in danger!"

He couldn’t help saying, "Prince East Sea, please use your brain!"

Prince East Sea sat stably on his chair, expressionless as he spoke to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Fu Zhongshu is correct, I ask Your Majesty to order Gou Xi to send troops to aid Yu State."

Yu State is Zhao Zhongyu’s homeland, his clan is all within Yu State, naturally he can’t sit idly by. He frankly asked, "Gou Xi naturally needs to send troops to aid Yu State, but his power alone isn’t enough, what about the Prince, the Prince still has two hundred thousand troops, please send them to Yu State, work together to drive the Hu people Liu Family out of the Central Plains."

Officials with families in Yu State came forward consecutively, bowing and requesting, "Please Prince East Sea send troops to Yu State."

Can Prince East Sea be forced by them?

Of course not, he got up directly, swept his sleeves and walked away, "In the battle to defend Luoyang, my losses were huge, soldiers were wounded and killed, they need to recuperate, how can they fight again?"

He said, "This matter, go find Gou Xi."

Finished talking, he left.

Fu Zhi was so angry he staggered backward, turning to find Wang Yan, only to see him sitting at the seat with closed eyes, furiously he grabbed him, "Yifu, you are both Minister of Supervision and Minister of Agriculture, tell me, how to solve Yu State’s plight?"

Wang Yan frowned slightly, pulled back his sleeve saying, "If it’s Yu State’s plight, naturally ask Yu State Governor."

Fu Zhi: ...

The Emperor sitting above sighed softly, knowing it was futile to seek Wang Yan’s aid, he directly called out to Fu Zhi, "Fu Zhongshu, Yu State is in peril, I assign you to go assist."

The ministers’ eyes widened, Fu Zhi also paused, he was willing to go but he had no one, how to go save it?

The Emperor had already decisively said, "Appoint Fu Zhi as Great General, send troops to rescue Yu State."

As for where the soldiers would come from, naturally it was to recruit them now, the Emperor instructed Fu Zhi to recruit soldiers from Chang’an, Yongzhou, and similar places.

Fu Zhi hesitated for a moment before accepting, it’s better than losing his temper and cursing people in the court, at least he now has some power.