I am the stepmother of my son, and the little villain has changed into a little cotton-padded jacket

"Back then, the border was in turmoil and war was raging. Foreigners invaded our border and captured three wealthy cities within a month. For a time, the people were living in misery and suffering. Wherever the foreigners went, no grass grew. Massacres and killings were common. The people were suffering terribly. Your Majesty immediately sent me to lead a team to guard the border and resist the invasion of foreigners."

Xiao Yizhuo lowered his head as if lost in memories, and slowly recounted what happened that year.

"My father and uncle went to the border with me to appease the people. My father is quite prestigious among the people. With my father in charge, the frightened people were indeed appeased, and the city on the border was stable for a while. But the foreigners did not give us time to breathe, and soon they launched an attack on the city, trying to force my father and uncle to surrender, but they failed. Instead, under the leadership of my uncle, we recaptured a lost city. Recovering lost territory was originally a very exciting thing, but what happened later made everyone's heart fall to the bottom." Xiao Yizhuo frowned, with a bit of helplessness in his voice.

Wen Shutang sat on the stool and listened quietly, without making a sound to interrupt, waiting quietly for Xiao Yizhuo to continue.

"It was written in the book of military tactics that food and grass must be sent before troops move. We have been defending the city for more than a month, but the food and grass have not arrived yet. Because of the lack of food and grass, my father and uncle dare not act rashly, for fear that the situation that has been gradually reversed will put us at a disadvantage again. We can choose to avoid fighting and save food and grass, but we can't withstand the fierce attacks of foreigners. Two important cities at the pass were successively breached. We were forced to retreat to the hinterland and planned to hold on to the city. After the food and grass arrived, we boosted morale and took back all the lost cities in one fell swoop."

Xiao Yizhuo paused and continued, "But for some reason, the food and grass that should have arrived at the border a long time ago has not arrived yet. It has been delayed for more than a month and the food and grass in the city is no longer enough for everyone to eat. Not only are the soldiers not full, but even the food rations of the people cannot be fully supplied. The city is in chaos and the trend of decline is becoming more and more obvious. At this time, not only did we not receive the food and grass, but we received a letter from the capital. It was written by His Majesty himself. The letter said that we should recapture two cities within seven days. If we fail to recapture them, the capital will no longer distribute food and grass to us."

Hearing this, Wen Shutang raised his eyebrows in surprise: "What? What kind of logic is this? Shouldn't we provide food and grass first and then talk about whether we can recover the lost territory?"

"Yes, we were all very surprised when we saw the letter. My uncle even rushed to the capital overnight to explain that the war on the border was urgent. If we didn't have food and fodder, we would definitely lose."

Xiao Yizhuo seemed to recall the scene of that year and closed his eyes in pain: "But in the end, we didn't wait for the supply of food and grass. Instead, we waited for the news that my uncle was imprisoned for treason. We were struck by lightning when we heard the news, but the situation was urgent at the time. My father and I couldn't care too much. We could only fight to the death with all our strength. Aze, Aye and Wan'er's father died in this battle. He died on the battlefield. Finally, we recaptured a city and exchanged it for some food and grass."

Seeing Xiao Yizhuo's painful expression, Wen Shutang could imagine how tragic the battle must have been.

Wars are always cruel and there will always be sacrifices, but it is precisely these sacrifices that bring a glimmer of hope.

Wen Shutang reached out and held Xiao Yizhuo's hand, gently patting the back of his hand to comfort him.

Feeling the warmth of Wen Shutang's palm, Xiao Yizhuo slowly exhaled.

"The famine was temporarily alleviated. I sent people back to the capital to investigate my uncle's imprisonment. I found out that someone whispered something in your majesty's ear. It was the Tang family who gave your majesty the idea that the treasury was empty and that we should save as much as possible in the war ahead. If our army could regain all the lost land with half the food and grass, it would demonstrate the strength and majesty of our great country, Nansheng. Your majesty believed the slander and specifically told the grain supervisor not to rush. This led to the delay in the arrival of food and grass, resulting in the tragic death of many soldiers. My uncle angrily denounced the Tang family as villains in the court, and was retaliated by the Tang family. They instigated your majesty to arrest my uncle and make an example of him."

Hearing this, Wen Shutang couldn't help but curse: "Does this emperor have a pig brain? How can he listen to such nonsense? He can only grow up to this age because of his good luck."

"Later, we could only get food and grass if we took back the city. However, we were hungry for a long time, so how could we devote ourselves to the war? We were defeated one after another, and the city was lost again and again. His Majesty was furious and thought that there was a spy in the army. In order to deter the spy, he hanged my uncle on the city gate."

Xiao Yizhuo's tone was calm when he said this, but the slightly trembling voice revealed that he was not calm at the moment.

"When my father heard the bad news, he was so angry that he vomited blood and fainted. The army was completely thrown into disarray, and some even wanted to retreat. For a time, rumors in the border area that Nansheng was going to die became more and more serious. The border area was in chaos, but the Tang family, far away in the capital, became a favorite of His Majesty because they pleased His Majesty. Gold and land were delivered to the Tang family like water."

Xiao Yizhuo clenched his fists. Whenever he thought of his uncle's wailing before being executed, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken, and the desire to kill all the members of the Tang family became stronger and stronger.

Even though Wen Shutang had never experienced that feeling personally, he could not help but feel his anger rising just by listening to it. He wished he could drag out those treacherous villains like the Tang family and whip their corpses.

Xiao Yizhuo calmed down a bit and continued, "Later, my father supported his broken body and stood on the city wall to boost morale, but he died afterwards, leaving me alone to guard the border. Fortunately, Fang Wenhe and the Prime Minister raised food and grass for me and sent them to the front line in time, which solved the urgent problem. With my father's help, the army's mood stabilized, and we finally recovered the lost land, but there is still one city that has not been recovered."

After hearing these words, Wen Shutang felt very complicated. On the one hand, he felt sorry for the loyal soldiers who died on the battlefield, and on the other hand, he felt sad for Xiao Yizhuo's father and uncle. It was obvious that both of them had the country in their hearts and were dedicated to serving the people, but in the end one was hanged for treason, and the other died with regret and hatred without seeing the lost land being recovered.

All of this was caused by villains like the Tang family who took advantage of the situation and made profits from it. Of course, the most fundamental reason was the emperor's incompetence and tyranny.