Hearing the soldier's words, Wang Bing's face immediately became grave.
They had only traveled less than twenty li out of Suzhou City, and this area was practically the frontline between the two sides. The appearance of a large group of refugees at this time was indeed suspicious.
"Brother Wang, is there something amiss?"
"I just have a feeling that something isn't quite right. Suzhou City and Hangzhou City have become the front lines between the two armies. How can there still be a large group of refugees appearing here?"
Wang Bing did not hide much from Han Mo, speaking frankly.
"Are you suspecting it's a trick by those rebels?" Han Mo asked after a frown.
"It's hard to say, but we are out and about, and we must be on guard at this time!"
"If that's the case, then you go attend to your business. I'll be taken care of here, so there shouldn't be any problem!" Han Mo immediately said, knowing he couldn't delay Wang Bing further with an emergency situation arising.
"Then I'll go ahead and take a look first. I hope I'm just overthinking things!" Wang Bing said, and then he turned his horse and left. However, not long after he left, a squad of soldiers arrived by Han Mo's side.
"My lord, we are acting on the orders of Commander Wang to protect you. If there are any emergencies later, please stay inside the carriage and do not come out!" Before Han Mo could speak, the leading junior officer spoke directly.
"Since that is the case, then I will trouble all of you!" Han Mo did not stand on ceremony with them, as he was in the army and it was best to follow their lead. Although his martial arts were good, he had very little experience in warfare of this cold weapon era. He still had too many things to do and did not want to have his life wasted as cannon fodder for no reason.
"You few, from now on, stay close to my lord. No matter what happens, you are not allowed to leave the carriage!"
"Yes!" Seeing that Han Mo had agreed, the junior officer did not show any politeness. He cupped his hands towards Han Mo and immediately turned to instruct his subordinates.
"Cousin! Are you alright!" Hearing the commotion nearby, Jiang Yan also quickly came to the outside of Han Mo's carriage.
"I'm fine. May I know your name, this captain?" Although he was just a junior officer, within the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew, that person had managed his dozens of soldiers perfectly. Moreover, although Han Mo did not understand the art of military deployment, from the formation that person arranged, no matter from which direction the enemy attacked, the remaining men would have ample time to react. Han Mo was truly curious about what kind of person this minor officer was to achieve this.
"Reporting to my lord, my surname is Han, and my humble name is Shizhong. I am a subordinate of Commander Wang!"
"You said your name was what?" Upon hearing his self-introduction, Han Mo almost jumped out of the carriage. How could there be such a coincidence? He had been looking for him since Jingkou all the way to Suzhou City, but he had found no news of him. Yet, just when he had given up, this fellow actually appeared of his own accord. This truly made Han Mo sigh at the wonder of fate.
"Han, Han Shizhong..." However, Han Mo's strong reaction truly startled Han Shizhong. After all, he was just an ordinary junior officer, not even holding a proper rank yet. Compared to Han Mo, the gap in status was truly extraordinary. If he accidentally offended Han Mo somewhere, it could very well be a disaster for him.
"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I have no other intentions, I just feel like we are very compatible!" Seeing his nervous expression, Han Mo felt he had been a bit out of line. He coughed dryly and quickly found an excuse.
"Compatible?" Hearing Han Mo say this, Han Shizhong became even more nervous. Before coming, he had already heard from Wang Bing that Han Mo not only came from a prestigious family but had also been a top scholar and was deeply favored by the emperor at a young age. In this era, there were not a few of these literati who favored men. Especially those young masters from prominent families, they were even more unrestrained. Han Shizhong, though a soldier, had a truly imposing appearance. If he wasn't as handsome as Pan An, he could definitely be considered a handsome man. Seeing Han Mo's excitement, he naturally couldn't help but think in that direction. Of course, even though his heart was pounding, Han Shizhong did not dare to show it on his face.
Humans' hearts are like stomachs; Han Mo certainly didn't know what he was thinking at the moment. However, if Han Mo knew his current thoughts, he would probably vomit three liters of blood.
"Uh, Xu Fengnian! Bring out the soft armor my wife prepared for me!" Seeing the atmosphere becoming increasingly awkward, Han Mo called out to Xu Fengnian.
"Yes!" Although he didn't know why Han Mo was so interested in this small officer, Xu Fengnian didn't dare to ask too much. After glancing at Han Shizhong's appearance, he immediately turned towards the carriage behind them.
"My lord!" A moment later, Xu Fengnian hurried over to Han Mo, holding a small wooden box.
"This is a set of soft armor. I'm giving this to you. Find a place later and wear it inside your armor. It will at least ensure you are safe from surprise arrow attacks!" After looking inside the box, Han Mo handed the box directly to Han Shizhong without a second word.
"No, no, no, this is too precious, I can't accept it. My lord, you should keep it yourself!" The more enthusiastic Han Mo was, the more uneasy Han Shizhong felt. Without thinking, he quickly refused.
"Take it if I tell you to. A sharp sword is given to a hero. This thing is of no use to me. My life is entrusted to you anyway. If you get injured, who will protect me?" Han Mo was certainly unwilling to let go of this valuable connection now that he had found it. The more Han Shizhong refused, the more excited Han Mo became. The more excited Han Mo became, the more uneasy Han Shizhong felt...
"Captain Han, my cousin never takes back what he gives. Since my cousin is giving it to you, you should accept it!" Seeing the two of them pushing back and forth over a piece of soft armor, Jiang Yan was getting a little anxious watching them.
"This..."
"Alright, stop hesitating. You should hurry and find a place to put it on. My life will be in your hands later!"
"Thank you for your generous gift, my lord!" With the conversation reaching this point, even if Han Shizhong was feeling doubtful, he could only agree for now.