Chapter 31: Attending the Banquet (Part 2)

  Taishi Sima let out a soft sigh, and indeed, Emperor Huangtian and his father were of the same vein, both valuing emotions and righteousness. However, this was also expressed at an inopportune time. After glancing at Emperor Yinglie's expression, he spoke up: "Since Tianyi is both the official wife of the Marquis and a meritorious subject who recovered the He Tao region, the Crown Prince's words were indeed biased. Nevertheless, what the Crown Prince said about the war also has some reason to it; I, too, have some doubts. Please, Marquis, explain this for me."

  This sentence can be said to have given Haotian enough face, and also did not greatly damage the face of Weiyuan Wang Zhang Cangyong. Haotian is not a completely reckless and impulsive person, hearing Taishi say this, he also understood that his outburst was not in the right place. Just as he was about to respond, Luo Xiang quietly said a sentence behind Haotian's back, it turned out that Zhang Tudang handed him an intelligence report to give to Haotian. Haotian took a rough look and suddenly had a smile on his face. And Luo Xiang was so happy that even his eyebrows jumped up.

  "Mr. Luo, but I don't know what good news it is that makes you so happy?" Sima Dangui asked in a curious tone. Like Pang Yan, he had recognized Luo Xiang at first glance, and although time had passed and Luo Xiang was now an aide to Huang Tian, he hadn't pursued the matter further. At the Imperial Examination three years ago, he had been the chief examiner, which made Luo Xiang one of his students. And as for this student, he had never looked down on him. He greatly admired Luo Xiang's calm and ruthless nature, Chu Xiangcheng's ability to stabilize the country, and Huang Tian's exceptional talent. However, young people are often inflexible and prone to breaking, and at the time, he hadn't expected them to take that path. Seeing Luo Xiang so happy, he couldn't help but feel a few pangs of curiosity.

  "The student pays respects to the master. Just now, the student received news that the 80,000 cavalrymen under the master's command who have gone deep into the northern border have sent back information." Lu Xiang said with a bow. Although there was some confusion about his title, the crowd including Huang Tian were too immersed in joy and shock to notice, only Pang Yan and two others exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with worry.

  Emperor Taizong of Tang said in surprise: "Eighty thousand cavalrymen going deep into the desert outside the frontier, can you explain it clearly?"

  "Hao Tian hastily stood up and said: 'To report to Your Majesty, after the battle at the crossing that day, I thought that the three countries in the northeast were currently empty at home, and their vigilance would definitely be lowered during the cold winter season. So, I specially let my three generals lead all 800,000 cavalrymen under my command to quietly infiltrate beyond the border. This is not only to rescue the hundreds of millions of our country's captured civilians but also to cause panic within their country and force them to withdraw troops to support their domestic areas, thereby reducing the pressure on our Great River defense line.'"

  As soon as this was said, everyone present was moved. Pang Yan and others were naturally overjoyed, but how the three major families would react, Hao Tian had no way of knowing.

  Hao Tian continued: "My three generals have already captured the southern stronghold of Mandan, Mifeng City, seven days ago, annihilating 20,000 defenders and rescuing 50,000 able-bodied men who were kidnapped." In fact, what Hao Tian was delighted about was not this victory, but that they finally had news from their group. This time, Hao Tian could be said to have sent out all his elite troops. Within the Yellow River Bend, except for Dingzhou and Shizhou, which each still had 10,000 cavalrymen defending the cities, there were no other cavalrymen left. Although the Yellow River Bend produced horses, after experiencing a great disaster, everything was in the process of recovery, and it would be almost impossible to gather 10,000 warhorses in a short period of time. The horses for Hao Tian's 80,000 cavalrymen were all captured from foreign tribes outside the Great Wall. If these 80,000 cavalrymen encountered any mishaps, then at least within three years, Hao Tian would not have the ability to launch an attack on his own initiative.

  The Emperor Yinglie was overjoyed when he heard the news. Since the revival of Wu Lie Emperor a hundred years ago, the military power of the Qingfeng Empire had not taken a single step out of the empire. Especially in recent years, not only had the imperial court's elite forces been lost, but also large tracts of land had fallen into enemy hands. The area north of the Great River was all under the control of the Hu barbarians' military might, and the imperial court was filled with anxiety. Just at this time, Haotian rose to power with just a thousand cavalrymen, not only recovering the Hetao region but also annihilating the 200,000 Hu barbarians there, forcing the attention of the three northeastern countries to shift to the Hetao region, which was deeply entrenched in enemy territory, greatly relieving the pressure on Qingfeng. Moreover, his great army had penetrated deep into enemy territory, such achievements had never been heard of in a hundred years, how could this not delight Emperor Yinglie?

  "Your Majesty, it's indeed a great joy, but the situation of the 80,000 cavalry troops led by General Jingbei is precarious. At first, they were able to launch a surprise attack, but once the enemy reinforcements arrive, their situation will become increasingly difficult. In my humble opinion, shouldn't our main force on the Great River defense line take the initiative to tie down some of the Hu barbarian's forces, allowing General Jingbei's troops to exert greater combat effectiveness?" Pang Yan ventured to say after his initial delight.

  "It's absolutely impossible!" However, it was Iron Zhen, the Minister of War, and Liu Xian, the Regent King, who were astonished.

  Liu Xian was also clearly aware of his own impatience at this time, but he didn't show any embarrassment. He clasped his hands and said: "Imperial brother, on the south bank of the Great River, we only have 100,000 soldiers from the Qinglong Army and 120,000 garrison troops from the local area, while north of the Great River, there are as many as 600,000 troops from the alien tribes beyond the border. Although our army has the advantage of the Jiaolong Army, defense is still slightly insufficient, let alone launching an attack."

  The emperor's eyebrows furrowed, and after a moment of hesitation, he said: "What is it that Iron Secretary wants now?"

  "Your Majesty, our military strength is now stretched to the limit. The Qinglong Army not only has to defend the thousand-mile-long Great River defense line but also respond to the Yangzhou Road, and there are no extra troops available. Moreover, the Eastern Dwarf Kingdom's naval forces have been harassing the eastern coastal areas in recent years, resulting in at least 40 million civilians being killed and 5 million strong men being captured this year alone. Even though the court has issued a ban on approaching the coastline within a 20-mile radius, the dwarves continue to launch group attacks on villages and towns along the Yangzhou Road. Although there is still the Zhuque Army stationed in Jiangnan Road, Han Fu's 100,000 troops have made our last reserve force, which cannot be easily mobilized, otherwise, if there is a change in the south, I, Qingfeng, will surely perish. Our current task is to seize the time to train the army, and under the condition of stabilizing the Great River defense line, try our best to consolidate the eastern coastal defense line, so as not to let the dwarves bring greater harm."

  The Emperor rubbed his temples, which were aching slightly, and after a while said: "Didn't I order you to rebuild the Eastern Legion and the Black Tortoise Legion? I wonder if these two legions can be of any use?"

  "I'm afraid it's not possible." Tie Zhen shook his head with a bitter expression: "There isn't enough time for training, lacking a large number of experienced veterans, especially without high morale. Although the two legions have been formed, their combat strength is only equivalent to that of the city defense troops. The Japanese are extremely skilled in individual combat, slightly surpassing the soldiers of the Qinglong Legion. If we send these two legions to fight against the Japanese, it will only lead to more casualties."

  The Emperor Yinglie heard this and smiled bitterly before saying: "Hao Ai, you also heard what was just said. It's not that I don't want to send troops, but the imperial court's military strength is really too weak at present."

  Hao Tian hastily said, "Your Majesty is concerned about the safety of the country, and I naturally understand. Although the 80,000 cavalry under my command are in a precarious situation, the three generals leading them are not ordinary people. It may be tortuous, but there will be no unexpected events."

  "That's good. Since that's the case, then let us wait for the day of the great army's triumphant return, and I will personally celebrate with them." The Emperor's spirit lifted, and he said with a smile.

  "Zhang, what are you thinking about?" Li Tiening asked in a low voice, looking at Zhang Cangyong whose spirit had not been very focused.

  Zhang Cangxiong shook his head, smiled bitterly and said: "I'm thinking of a person. Brother Li, have you noticed that Qin Tianyi beside Huatian is surprisingly similar to Qin Xianzi?"

  Li Tie nodded: "I also found out. I heard she was Qin Xianzi's niece, but what I didn't expect was that there really are people in the world who are so similar. Whether it's their appearance or expression, they're almost identical to Qin Xianzi back then."

  "Alas, twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Her son has grown up so big. Unfortunately, our memories are still stuck twenty years ago."

  "Who can forget? It's just that we never thought we'd end up as rivals with her son."

  The night was as calm as water, but the neat sound of horseshoes shattered the silence of the night, echoing back and forth on the desolate street. Haotian sat quietly on his horse's back, with his whole heart still hanging on the Blood Killers.

  "My lord, Yifu and Gongjing are all wise and intelligent men. Although they are currently in a precarious situation, with the 80,000 cavalry under their command, I don't think there will be any problems." Tianyi comforted him by saying.

  Haotian shook his head: "I'm not worried about their safety, I'm just thinking about what they'll do next. To the west is Yelü Chihuan's 600,000-strong army, although they have a numerical advantage, but as long as Yelü Chihuan holds onto the main road and drags them down at all costs, even if they can break through, they will definitely pay a huge price. To the south is the 6 million-strong allied army of the three northeastern countries, although there are imperial dragon troops patrolling on the river, but the allied army's defenses are tight, and there is no possibility of secretly crossing the river. And if they continue to stay in Mandan, Yelü Canghai will definitely summon heavy troops to surround them. In this situation, where the army goes is really a headache."

  "Your subordinate thinks that General Blood Kill and Feng Jingxin are not easy to deal with, we can see that they are comparable. So your subordinate thinks that they will not head west or south, even if they do, they will set up an ambush." Lu Xiang said firmly, as if he had seen through Huang Tian's thoughts.

  "Does the general mean to head east?" Huan Tian asked, seemingly prepared. The army heading deep into the interior of Bei Jing seemed like a good move, as it would allow them to shake off the pursuit of the Man Dan dynasty while continuing to exert the army's deterrent effect. But Ye Lü Chen Hai was no pushover; would he really just sit back and watch as the bloodthirsty 80,000 cavalry slipped through his fingers?

  "It shouldn't be, at least they won't head east for the time being." Tian Yi interjected, "However, Master and both younger brothers are not ordinary people, where they will go and what they will do, I don't understand either."

  "In that case, let's put it aside for now. We should have full confidence in their abilities." Haotian nodded and changed the subject, saying: "What do you think of the current Emperor and the Regent King?"

  Luo Xiang thought for a moment before speaking slowly: "The current emperor is resolute and daring, although not yet mature, but truly a person who works for the country and the people. If it weren't for the three major families and An Yongchang's obstruction and internal and external troubles, Your Majesty would certainly be a great ruler. However, the empire's accumulated illnesses are hard to cure, and Your Majesty is not good at plotting, so the situation may not be optimistic. As for the Crown Prince, although he is currently in harmony with Your Majesty, this is only because of the circumstances. If the situation improves, the Crown Prince will certainly not be content with being idle. Master, you must be careful to guard against this Crown Prince, who is more sinister and cunning than Your Majesty, and is absolutely a person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals."

  Haotian nodded, he had the same feeling. Although Liu Xian appeared to be open and honest, Haotian could always intuitively sense the gloom emanating from his heart. He let out a slight sigh and continued to ask: "How does Mr. view the three major families?"

  "The three major families are all deeply rooted and powerful, if the three families can work together, the world of Qingfeng would have long been unrecognizable. Although the three families occasionally unite, they often prioritize their own interests and engage in internal power struggles. Normally, each family governs itself, so for now, they do not yet have the strength to confront the imperial court. The three major families originally had the Song family of Yizhou Road as the most powerful, but in recent years, due to Li Tie's diligent governance and the emergence of talented individuals from the Li family, their power was surpassed by the Li family. As for the Zhang family of Huai River Road, since An Yuan Wang only has a daughter, and although the Zhang family dominates the waterways of Jiangnan, their land army only has one Yellow Turban military unit, making them the weakest among the three major families."

  Hao Tian smiled and said: "Who is the thousand gold of King Anyuan after all? Why didn't you attend tonight?"

  Luo Xiang also smiled and said, "The thousand gold of King Anyuan is the legitimate Princess Zhang Yuewan, who was conferred by the imperial court. She also attended tonight, but at that time she was dressed as a man, so Master didn't notice."

  "Zhang Yuewan? Isn't she one of the Four Great Heavenly Talents in the martial arts world, Moon Maiden Zhang Yuewan?" Haotian's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had heard of the reputation of the Four Great Heavenly Talents before, but he never thought that Zhang Yuewan was actually the Princess of An Yuan Kingdom.

  "Not bad, this girl, although a daughter, is extremely talented and intelligent. I've heard that Zhang Cangshu has often lamented why she wasn't born as a son." Lu Xiang continued to say.

  "Four Great Heavenly Kings? Can you say it more clearly?" Tian Yi obviously was very interested in this, so he turned his head to ask.

  "The Four Great Beauties of the Martial World are a term used to refer to four exceptionally beautiful women in the world. They are Sheng Lanyin, the most outstanding disciple of the Jade Palace of Yaochi; Xian Lianchen, the contemporary heir and future mistress of the Tianwu Star River; Xue Qingshuang, the Holy Virgin of the Blood-colored Clan who commands the strongest Dragon Rider Legion on the Blood-colored Plateau; and Zhang Yuewan, the legitimate princess of the An Yuan Wangfu on the Huai Shui Road."

  Tianyi curiously asked, "Apart from Di Qing Gongzhu, the other three concubines are unheard of. They seem to have a certain status, I wonder how their strength compares to Mingjian Mountain Villa?"