Departure (2)

  133. Set out (2)

  Eight hundred thousand Mo family troops were stationed near the capital, with only General Zhang Qilan's 50,000 troops, which were said to be used to defend the capital, so they couldn't follow Ye Li's army to the border. Ye Li and Nan Hou needed to take people to a place hundreds of miles away from the capital to meet up with several armies stationed in various places before rushing to the border. This also eliminated the farewell ceremony and oath-taking ritual before departure. It just so happened that Ye Li didn't like this kind of hypocritical display, so he was naturally quite satisfied with such an arrangement.

  Most people in the Ding Wang Fu still had to stay in the capital to guard their respective posts, and only Feng Zhiyao Zhuo Jing, as well as Yun Tian and Xu Qingze, who was persuaded by Mo Jingqi with unknown methods, followed Ye Li to the battlefield. Because Xu Qingze insisted on going together to the border, Ye Li felt guilty towards Qin Zheng, whom he hadn't seen for many days. On the contrary, Qin Zheng, who came to see them off, smiled understandingly at Ye Li and reminded him to be careful on the road and return early. Moreover, Mo Jingqi somehow thought of sending Mu Yang along with them as they left, saying that since the Ding Wang's return date was uncertain, and Nan Hou was already old, he would send Mu Yang to serve as a errand boy for Nan Hou. Ye Li and Nan Hou didn't think much of it, but everyone knew why Mo Jingqi sent Mu Yang to follow them. Although Mu Yang was a young genius, others were not weak either, and no one could predict what the situation would be like on the battlefield. They didn't need to risk offending the emperor for this small matter.

  A group of people galloped their horses, and in just over a day, they arrived at Hengshui, a military stronghold located 500 miles outside the capital of Chu. Although Hengshui City was not prosperous or magnificent, nearly 100,000 Mo family soldiers were stationed twenty miles west of the city. Other troops from various places were also rushing towards this direction, and within these few days, nearly 300,000 soldiers would gather here. As they arrived at the foot of Hengshui City, it was already dusk. Ye Li reined in his horse and turned to Nan Hou, saying: "Your Excellency, General Sun arrived at Hengshui last night with his troops. Let's not enter the city and head straight to the Hengshui camp." Nan Hou looked at Ye Li with admiration, saying: "Let's do as the princess said." After a day and night of galloping, even ordinary men couldn't withstand it, but Princess Ding was still calm and composed, without any signs of fatigue on her face. This made both Nan Hou and Mu Yang feel surprised and admiring.

  The Hengshui Grand Camp was located at the foot of a mountain twenty miles west of Hengshui City, with endless plains in front and the Hengshui Mountains behind, making it a natural training ground. A group of people were stationed five or six miles away from the Hengshui Grand Camp, where the local general had arrived together with General Sun Yan, who had rushed ahead the night before, to welcome them. "Your subordinate is here to attend to Your Highness!" Ye Li slightly nodded and asked, "Where is the main general of the Hengshui Grand Camp?" A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with white hair and beard, yet still full of energy, stepped forward and bowed to Ye Li, saying, "Your subordinate is Lü Jìnxián, humbly serving as the main general of the Hengshui Grand Camp. It's an honor to meet Your Highness."

  Ye Li dismounted and raised his hand, saying: "General Lü need not be too polite. This is the Western Expedition Deputy Commander, South Hou, specially appointed by the Emperor, and this is the son of the Marquis of Muyang, Military Frontline Lieutenant Mu Yang." Ye Li did not introduce the people standing behind him, including Zhuo Jingyun and others, so the generals understood that they were his own men and only went forward to pay their respects to South Hou and Mu Yang. South Hou was also a veteran of many battles and naturally didn't stand on ceremony in front of these generals, greeting them warmly. As for Mu Yang, although he had the identity of the son of the Marquis of Muyang, his position in the army was only that of a lowly lieutenant, and every general present outranked him. He didn't have much to say, but followed South Hou in exchanging pleasantries with the others. Fortunately, Mu Yang, despite growing up with everything going smoothly for him since childhood, had not developed an arrogant attitude or looked down on others. The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

  After some small talk, Nan Hou asked seriously: "General Lü, is it suitable for the army to set out now?"

  Lü Jìnxián also spoke clearly, saying: "The great army has long been ready to set out, and as soon as the princess and the marquis give the order, we can depart at any time!"

  "Feng Zhiyao smiled and said: 'General Lü, we've been rushing all the way here and are really tired. Let's set off again early tomorrow morning instead.'"

  Lü Jin Xian glanced at the crowd and smiled: "General Feng is right, it was my fault for not thinking ahead. Your Highness, Duke, please return to your camp to rest for the night. It's also good for the soldiers to recharge."

  In the vast camp, it was already quiet at night. Tomorrow morning, they would set out on a campaign, so most of the soldiers had gone to sleep early, except for the generals who were discussing matters in the central command tent.

  Inside the main tent, Ye Li changed into a light blue shirt and sat in the central position. Below her, on either side, were Feng Zhiyao, Lü Jinxian, Sun Yan and other generals, seated according to their ranks. As for Nan Hou and Mu Yang, as deputy commanders, they had been asked to rest after the meeting was over. The generals were all seeing Ye Li, the mistress of the Dingguo King's mansion, for the first time. It wasn't that they respected her identity as the Ding Wangfei, but rather they respected the Xuanzhen jade pendant hanging from her waist. One general stood up and said, "Your Highness, when will the king return?" The queen was only a supervisor, and Nan Hou, as deputy commander, was currently the highest authority in the Mohist army. Although Nan Hou's stance was always neutral, it still made these generals who were loyal to the Dingguo King's mansion feel somewhat uneasy. Ye Li lightly shook her head and said, "The king is far away in Beijun, and receiving news and rushing back will necessarily take some time. However, the war on the border cannot wait for the king's return. Otherwise... if the king were not here, would you all not fight?"

  All the generals were in an array, and Ye Li continued: "The princess understands the loyalty of all of you to the Ding Wang Fu and the prince. However, the princess also hopes that all the generals understand one thing - what is the purpose of the existence of the Mo Jia Jun?" The calm and beautiful eyes scanned over everyone lightly, "It's for the peace of the people of Da Chu. Every soldier in the Mo Jia Jun has parents, children, and family members, protecting Da Chu is also protecting their own loved ones."

  The crowd fell silent for a moment, and Lü Jingxian hesitated before saying, "Are we really going to listen to Nan Hou's command?"

  Ye Li said: "If the goal of Nan Hou and Mo Jia Jun is the same, why can't we temporarily follow his command? The king cannot rush back now, this is reality. Can we tell the people of Xi Ling that the king is not here, let's fight again in a few days?" Upon hearing this, everyone's expression twisted with restraint. Feng Zhi Yao smiled and said: "Your Highness, I think what everyone is worried about is that if Mo Jia Jun listens to Nan Hou's command, will he get the military power of Mo Jia Jun and be unfavorable to us?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Nan Hou won't get the military power of Mo Jia Jun. I will follow Nan Hou at all times, although there are some drawbacks, but now it can only be this way. To say that, even if Nan Hou temporarily takes over as commander-in-chief, he cannot personally attend every battle, so we still need to trouble you generals on the battlefield."

  Everyone chorused: "We will definitely not disappoint the queen's great expectations."

  Ye Li nodded and said: "Thanks to all of you generals. As for that, how much do you understand about the current situation at the front?"

  As soon as this was said, the people in the account immediately took advantage of the situation. Although they had a knot in their hearts towards the emperor's envoy, it was also because the emperor had been suppressing the Mohist army with all his might over the years. Originally, the Mohist army was scattered and stationed at various borders of the Great Chu, but because Mo Jingqi was uneasy, he took advantage of Ding Wang's injury and the Mohist army's heavy losses to transfer all the Mohist troops into the inland areas. Almost all the border guards were either the emperor's trusted officials or generals who did not get along with the Ding Wang Fu. Now that Xiling had invaded the Great Chu, they too had invaded the land they had guarded for generations. How could they really not be anxious? Lv Jingxian said in a low voice: "This time, Xiling came prepared, and King Zhen Nan led 300,000 troops to invade the border. According to the news from the front line, there were tens of thousands of people besieging Xinyang. The imperial court's troops found King Zhen Nan's ambush and lost more than half of their men. We have discussed this for two days, and I'm afraid that Xinyang City... cannot be defended."

  Everyone's face was somewhat unsightly, Xinyang is the granary of Northwest China. Once Xinyang falls, the loss will not only be a city and a pool, but also the food of the people in Northwest China and even military rations will be threatened.

  Yelü Chong thought for a moment and asked: "At our marching speed, what's the worst possible outcome?"

  Lü Jing said: "The Western Hill great army crossed over Xinyang and occupied the entire Qingzhou. Then they advanced to Jiangxia Town in Han Prefecture."

  Ye Li raised an eyebrow, and Lü Jìn Xiǎn explained: "There are 50,000 of our troops stationed near Jiangxia. The main general, Yuǎn Péi, is also a seasoned veteran of the battlefield. He should have already gone to support Xinyang. Once Xinyang falls, he will likely lead his troops to retreat and defend Jiangxia. We can set out immediately and should be able to arrive in time to support Jiangxia." Ye Li nodded, having previously discussed this with Fèng Zhī Xiāo and reaching a similar conclusion. She rubbed her brow and asked: "You only mentioned the situation of the central route army at Xiling, what about the southern and northern routes?"

  Lv Jin Xian said, "The southern and northern routes each have at least 1.5 million troops. They are attacking the Jiayi Pass in the south and the Tianyun Pass in the north separately. Although the border generals are doing their best to resist, I'm afraid the situation is not optimistic."

  "Who led the troops on Nanlu and Beilu?"

  Lü Jìnxián shook his head, and Sūn Yán said: "Report to the princess, it is said that the southern route is led by the son of the King of Southern Town, Léi Téngfēng. This person has been taught by the King of Southern Town since childhood, and at the age of 19, he went to the battlefield to fight against the Northern Róng and showed his outstanding abilities, which are not to be underestimated. The main general of the northern route is the old general of Xīlíng, Shàngguān Yí. This person does not have any particularly great achievements, and he is already over 60 years old. However... he is the military strategist teacher of the King of Southern Town." Yè Lì nodded, and after thinking for a long time, she raised her head and said: "You all worked hard today, generals. We will set out early tomorrow morning, so everyone should go back and rest now."

  Everyone stood up and bid farewell to Ye Li, turned around and left. Only Feng Zhiyao and Zhuo Jing Xu Qingze were left in the tent. Feng Zhiyao smiled at Ye Li's deeply furrowed brow and said: "Xi Ling is coming with a strong momentum, does the princess feel a headache?" Ye Li sighed and said: "Can't help but have a headache?" She wasn't an extraordinary genius, to put it bluntly, she simply didn't have the energy for such large-scale warfare. If it were small-scale special operations, she had the confidence to be proud of herself, but when it came to deploying troops and pointing at the mountains, even with Mo Xiu Yao's guidance, she still couldn't help but feel a little psychologically insecure.

  "Feng Zhiyao said, 'It can be confirmed that this time, Xiling has mobilized at least 600,000 troops. With such a large military force, and the reputation of Xiling's Southern King, the God of War, even if you were those veteran generals on the battlefield, how many of them wouldn't be worried? Although Xiling's Southern King was once defeated by Da Chu's Regent King Mo Liu Fang, Mo Liu Fang is already dead, but he is still alive.'"

  "Lier, you've done well." Xiu Qingze looked at Ye Lier with a hint of warmth in his usually cold eyes.

  Ye Li smiled lightly and said: "Second brother, don't praise me anymore. I'm just pretending to be calm on the surface, but my heart is actually in a mess."

  Xu Qingze said: "Don't be too nervous, just do what you can. If there's anything I need to do, just let me know."

  Ye Li nodded, "Thank you, Second Brother."

  At this time, Mo Xiuyao's heart was icy cold. He looked up at the bright moon in the sky and couldn't help but think of the past year. Since the incident, he had never thought that his life would have such comfort and joy again. From being like close friends to later becoming mutually supportive and then deeply in love, he didn't know when Ah Lian's every smile and frown had been etched into his heart, impossible to erase for this lifetime.

  "Your Highness." A dark guard appeared silently behind him.

  "What's up?"

  An Wei Dao said: "The list of masterminds behind the assassination of the queen has been investigated clearly. Moreover, since Xi Ling's invasion, the emperor has summoned the queen to enter the palace several times, seemingly wanting to obtain the military power of the Mo family from the queen's hands. However, none of them succeeded."

  Mo Xiuyao's eyes surged with dark tides, and he coldly laughed: "He will never be able to distinguish between what is light and heavy, fast and slow. Go tell Rong Hua, no matter what, we must set off tomorrow."

  An Wei hesitated for a moment before saying, "Gongzhu Ronghua's influence on Yelü Xian might not be that deep after all."

  Mo Xiuyao said lightly: "If Yelü Hong wants to defeat Yelü Ye, he will naturally know what to do. Go and prepare, we'll set off tomorrow."

  The Dark Guard nodded in response, "Understood, sir!"

  Mo Xiuyao raised his head to gaze at the bright moon in the sky, his eyes gradually softening. "A Lian... Mo Xiuyao always tires you and makes you suffer... One day... one day I will bring all the best things in the world to your feet. As for those who want to harm you... this king will absolutely not let them off!" Originally, when news of Xiling's invasion arrived, Mo Xiuyao should have immediately set out to return to the capital. However, Beijun King's attitude was unexpectedly resolute, insisting that Mo Xiuyao stay and attend the crown prince's grand wedding. There was even a hint of threat in his tone. Mo Xiuyao was not afraid of his threats, but if he really were to leave abruptly, Da Chu might have to face attacks from two countries at once. Beijun King had not yet made preparations to annex Da Chu, but he did not mind delaying Mo Xiuyao, the young war god who had risen to fame, for a while, perhaps gaining some benefits in the process. So... he should die!