"General, are you saying there was an assassin?" Jin Qixiu looked utterly incredulous.
Zhang Han nodded solemnly. "That assassin was no weakling. If I hadn't reacted quickly enough, I'm afraid I'd already have been separated from my head. It truly came down to the slightest margin."
"And after that assassin appeared, the air in my tent started to smell sweet. It was likely some kind of poison, which is why I came to find you." Zhang Han sighed, somewhat helplessly.
That assassin was an expert at using poison. If Zhang Han had not previously served as the Minor Treasurer in the palace, managing the emperor's private assets and handling countless items every day, broadening his knowledge immensely, he might truly not have recognized the poison's scent.
"It's good that you're safe, General. You're the pillar holding us together. As long as you're all right, that's what matters." Jin Qixiu smiled, then sighed again. "It's just that I heard the taxes have been raised again lately. His Majesty, he..."
Zhang Han fell silent for a moment and patted Jin Qixiu on the shoulder. "Those are not matters for us to worry about. Right now, all we need to do is fight the next battle well. Win the next battle, and that will be enough."
Jin Qixiu pursed his lips without speaking.
Zhang Han came from a powerful aristocratic family, so naturally he did not need to worry about such things. But Jin Qixiu's family had been commoners for generations. Only in his generation had they finally produced a military officer, making him something of an important figure. Yet while he fought desperately on the front lines, his elderly parents back home were subjected to endless exploitation.
"Once the war is over, my military pay should be enough to let Father and