Cunning General Si Ning
Chapter 257: Thirty

Chapter 257: Thirty

Si Ning sat there listening to Shang Jin talking about his past, the past he was convinced that Si Ning was his friend they used to play around in the pool of mud even though he was well aware that Si Ning was the Empress of Xiu yet it seemed Shang Jin thought they were friends before he became General. It was such an odd thought because Si Ning’s childhood was in Xiu and he was born with a silver spoon so being friends with Shang Jin from another village miles from Zhonghua was impossible.

Si Ning wasn’t about to correct him, they were indeed friends in the modern day world so he smiled glad that Shang Jin was okay, Shang Jin talked about his village being attacked, their house burning and how he was able to escape with his grandmother, his grandmother didn’t make it because she was shot by an arrow on her leg so she died leaving Shang Jin to roam around until he was found by one of the men from the Yang village when he was roaming around in the woods at the base of the mountain so he was brought up and had been living with the Yang tribe ever since. It was the reason he wasn’t tall like them. Shang Jin didn’t remember much about his parents because his father died when he was young and he had always been living with his grandmother but he remembered their names and Si Ning that got his father’s name correctly was the reason he stopped their attack because definitely, Si Ning was his friend, a brother from another family.

Shang Jin told Si Ning about a passsage they could take to the other side of the mountain and they won’t have to spend up to two hours on the road before they get to where Ge Liang was, he said the passage was safer and it was the only reason Si Ning sat there trying not to think he would be late from attacking Ge Liang while forcing himself to eat cooked rabbit that had no taste, as courtesy demands he had to eat it after seeing how O San Mi kept cutting the best part for him and telling him it was cooked by his daughter.

The doctors in the village and the villagers also took care of his wounded men and they were all fed and treated that even the four men that were critically wounded and looking at death’s door, only one of them died, and one was in a coma and his fate looks dark because he might not make it and two were surprising fine, they could even talk a little but were put to sleep because they needed plenty of rest.

"What does suri man means?" Si Ning asked Shang Jin, he doesn’t understand why O San Mi kept calling him that, he looked around to see some young women pointing at him while blushing.

"It means beautiful man." Shang Jin replied, his eyes on one of the women that came forward and gave Si Ning a flower.

Si Ning accepted it from her and smiled, she was pretty and seemed happy as she ran to meet the others. "I am sorry for leaving you behind." He said to Shang Jin talking about how he left Shang Jin in their home town and went abroad without a word. He turned the yellow flower over to see it had no spike so he tucked it into his waist belt.

"There is no need to be sorry, we were still young and no one would think our village will face such an attack." Shang Jin told him. "I am glad to meet someone from my village and my best friend at that, meeting you seems like a long lost connection I regained because you do not feel like a stranger to me." He smiled widely as he placed some boiled vegetables on Si Ning’s plate.

"Right." Si Ning nodded knowing Shang Jin was talking about his past which he had no idea about.

"You know I am glad that I didn’t kill you and I listened to you if not that is how we will miss the opportunity of having a better life and that might even lead to our extinction because we attacked the Empress of Xiu so I want to apologize to you, Your Majesty." Shang Jin said. "I apologize for attacking you and your men without even trying to negotiate, it is a foolish move of me."

"But it is what has been keeping you and your people safe for years." Si Ning told Shang Jin.

Shang Jin nodded in agreement. "We started on a bad footing, my people trust easily and you also trust easily, it is like you are one of us." He told Si Ning.

"How do you know I trust you and how do you know your chief trusts me?" Si Ning had to ask because it would be normal if they kept suspecting each other like the man from the Yang tribe that was still giving him a suspicious look from afar.

"Because of your aura, you have talented people with you, he sensed everything." Shang Jin gestured to Xiao Pei. "He is like a dog with a sharp nose." He said his eyes glinting with admiration.

"Xiao Pei." Si Ning was confused.

"When our chief greeted you, your guard hand was on the hilt of his sword but you and chief have this soothing aura surrounding you so we know that it was a peaceful greeting." Shang Jin explained. "I have to be his friend." He declared as he stood up walking up to Xiao Pei.

It was odd when O San Mi moved to touch his forehead with Si Ning’s, at that moment O San Mi might want to strangle Si Ning or stab him but the greetings went smoothly and now Si Ning could see that it was because O San Mi didn’t have any bad intent. Si Ning shrugged as he placed his empty plate down his gaze directed to O San Mi who was busy throwing the children from his village up.

"General." Jiang ChenMu said when he got closer to Si Ning.

"Assembly the men that don’t have serious injuries, the rest will stay to get treated here, it is dusk and according to my calculations, we should reach them by night" Si Ning instructed.

"Yes General." Jiang ChenMu nodded.

As if Si Ning’s men were excepting the command they all gathered immediately Jiang ChenMu gestured for them to come before their General and soon Si Ning found himself facing more than seventy of his men.

"Xiao Pei." Si Ning gestured for him to come forward. "Select the forty two men that are well enough to fight, the rest will stay." He said when Xiao Pei came to him, he was already used to how stubborn and how they were always loyal to their Master so he was going to leave Xiao Pei to select the ones that didn’t receive many injuries if not then he knew that all his wounded men will follow him.

"Then I and my men will lead you." Shang Jin came forward as the village men stood behind him.

Si Ning found himself facing more than fifty of the Yang’s tribe warriors, even the man that was watching him with an angry expression was with them. "This is my fight, your tribe is getting small and I won’t let your men go extinct by my hands so I need only ten men."

"Ten is just like taking nothing, didn’t you say we should replace the men you lost? then sixty." Shang Jin said.

"Twenty." Si Ning said, something at the back of his mind told him that the Yang people were harmless but he doesn’t want them to be more than his men and when he told the village chief he wanted a replacement for the men he lost but no one can replace the men he lost so all he wanted was just a few men just to make it look like he was trading something for their permanent stay in Xiu.

"Fifty nine." Shang Jin said after a while.

Si Ning doesn’t understand why Shang Jin could see sixty and fifty nine different.

"Thirty." He concluded after some time, that he could work with thirty.

"Fifty five." Shang Jin said.

"Thirty or no one." Si Ning said, his resolve firm and he and Shang Jin found themselves in a staring contest as he could see that Shang Jin was finding it difficult to conclude.

"I want to help and most of us have never been down the mountain so this is our chance." Shang Jin explained.

O San Mi also joined them and more of the Yang tribe men too, it was as if they thought Si Ning wasn’t satisfied with their number so more came to join with hopeful expression.

"Thirty." Si Ning repeated.

Shang Jin turned to see O San Mi nod yet he kept twisting his mouth to the side like it was hard for him to agree. "Thir...ty." He finally agreed after sometime and the two friends nodded at each other as they sealed their agreement with a hug.