Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 157. Going to War

157. Setting Out for War

After reaching an agreement, Ye Li generously granted Han Mingyue a certain degree of freedom. Likewise, out of consideration for Han Mingyue, she no longer kept Su Zuidie under constant watch, confined to that small courtyard. Han Mingyue was a clever man and naturally knew what was best for himself and Su Zuidie. The Southern Garrison Prince truly valued Han Mingyue, but that was because of the power and wealth he held. Now, this destitute Han Mingyue would likely only become a target for the Southern Garrison Prince to vent his anger on. As for Su Zuidie, Han Mingyue also knew very well that neither Mo Xiuyao nor Ye Li would show her much patience. Therefore, if Han Mingyue wanted Su Zuidie to live well, the best way was to watch over her carefully himself.

Despite once again achieving victory in a confrontation with the Southern Garrison Prince, Ye Li’s mood didn’t improve much as a result. She was well aware that the current situation remained highly unfavorable for the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion. Watching the generals coming and going from Mo Xiuyao’s study every day, Ye Li knew in her heart that another farewell was imminent.

「Three days later,」 news arrived that Jiangxia was once again under siege. Mo Xiuyao quietly gazed at the graceful woman beside him, his eyes filled with deep apology and reluctance. The Mo Family Army, seven hundred thousand strong, was already mobilized and ready for battle. Yet, for the first time in his life, he hesitated before embarking on a campaign. He had never so intensely loathed Mo Jingqi’s selfish and despicable tactics. If it were possible, how he wished he could have his Ah-Li by his side, no matter where he went. Ye Li found this rare display of childishness from the man before her somewhat amusing. She reached out, gently stroked his handsome face, and whispered softly, "You should set off. Don’t worry. Whether it’s Xinyang, Jiangxia, or the entire Northwest, I will guard it well for you."

Mo Xiuyao pulled her tightly into his embrace. His eyes, which rarely held tears, grew moist and warm, but he didn’t want her to see this momentary weakness. Sometimes... love didn’t need to be expressed in words. Sometimes, certain words and actions could convey its meaning even more profoundly than the word "love" itself.

"Ah-Li..."

Ye Li’s lips curved into a faint, soft smile as she returned his embrace. "You don’t trust me?"

Mo Xiuyao shook his head. "In this world, if I can’t even trust Ah-Li, who else could I possibly trust?"

"In that case, go and do what you must, without worry." Ye Li placed her hands on his shoulders, looked up at him, and said earnestly. She wasn’t naturally the sentimental or clingy type. Even though she was reluctant to part, she understood more clearly that some things simply had to be done. Therefore, she would guard this vast land of the Northwest for him, so he would have no worries about the home front. The burdens heaven had placed on this man were already heavy enough. Since I chose him, let me share some of them.

"Ah-Li, once this war is over, no one will ever take you from my side again," Mo Xiuyao vowed, gritting his teeth and kissing the sweet, fragrant lips of the woman in his arms. The deep kiss lingered until they were both slightly breathless. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Ye Li chuckled softly. "I won’t always remain sheltered under your wing, Mo Xiuyao. If I commit myself to someone, I wish to stand shoulder to shoulder with him."

Mo Xiuyao held her close, saying with a hint of displeasure, "You’ve never hidden under my wing. But... This Prince looks forward to a life of walking shoulder to shoulder with Ah-Li."

After seeing Mo Xiuyao off, Ye Li stood atop the city tower of Xinyang, gazing at his distant, receding figure. Mo Xiuyao had not taken Xinyang’s troops with him, as Xinyang and the entire Northwest region were also facing hundreds of thousands of formidable enemies. Only a few generals, like Lv Jinxian, followed him to the new battlefield, while his most trusted confidant, Third Feng, who had always been by his side, was left behind in Xinyang.

Han Mingyue stood in a corner of the city tower, gazing at the elegant woman standing by the battlements, looking into the distance. His eyes flashed with an incredibly complex emotion—a mixture of envy, gratification, and perhaps loss.

"Prince Ding certainly is reassured," Han Mingyue sighed softly, walking over to stand beside Ye Li.

Ye Li glanced at him and responded with a faint smile, "I am his wife. If he cannot be reassured with me, then with whom can he be?"

Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "This time is different from Yonglin. The Southern Garrison Prince is not Prince Li. Are you not afraid at all, Princess Consort?"

Ye Li turned, looking at him with an enigmatic smile. "If fear could solve problems, then... I would be very afraid." Without waiting to hear what else Han Mingyue might say, she turned to Third Feng, who stood nearby. "Send reinforcements to General Yuan Pei. Also, disperse the main army throughout the Northwest. We don’t need so many men in Xinyang City."

Third Feng’s handsome brows furrowed in disapproval. "Princess Consort, if we disperse our forces, I’m afraid it will be detrimental to Xinyang’s defense."

Ye Li said calmly, "Who said we are defending Xinyang? Our goal is to pin down the Southern Garrison Prince and his central army of several hundred thousand in the Northwest, so he has no time to interfere with the Prince. As for Xinyang... besides the Mo Family Army, how many civilians are even left in the city? With great chaos about to erupt, who will still pay attention to this northwestern town? From now on... the Central Plains is the crucial stage for the entire realm."

Third Feng was silent for a moment, then cupped his hands. "This subordinate obeys."

Watching Third Feng turn and leave, Han Mingyue chuckled and sighed, "Third Feng has always been proud, listening to no one but Xiuyao. I didn’t expect him to be so thoroughly convinced by the Princess Consort." It wasn’t just Third Feng; even Han Mingyue himself marveled inwardly at the courage and decisiveness of this woman who was not yet twenty. He finally understood why the aloof and seemingly cold-hearted Mo Xiuyao valued this Princess Consort Ding so highly. Such a woman was enough to make any ambitious hero in the world fall under her spell.

Watching Ye Li descend from the city tower, Han Mingyue gazed at a certain spot on the tower and said softly, "Do you understand the difference between you and her now?"

From the shadows, Su Zuidie silently emerged. Gloom and resentment were written all over her stunningly beautiful face, not just because of Mo Xiuyao’s trust in Ye Li, but more so because she knew perfectly well that she lacked Ye Li’s capability and resolve. The calm and composed way Ye Li commanded the armies and the authority she exuded when issuing orders made Su Zuidie envious, even desperate to possess such power herself. However, deep down, she also understood that she lacked such strength. Her background as a highborn lady, sheltered in inner chambers and versed only in palace intrigues, made it impossible for her to comprehend the reasoning behind Ye Li’s commands. She scoffed resentfully, "So what?"

Han Mingyue was speechless for a long moment before finally saying, "Let’s go. When the war is over, we’ll leave this place. Don’t do anything foolish. If you offend Princess Consort Ding, even I won’t be able to save you."

Su Zuidie gritted her teeth and glared at Han Mingyue for some time but ultimately said nothing more.

Mo Xiuyao’s departure signaled that the brief peace in Xinyang City was over. Atop the city tower, the soldiers of the Mo Family Army stood on high alert, vigilantly watching the Xiling army glaring covetously from below. Following Ye Li’s orders, Feng Zhiyao had covertly dispatched more than half of the Mo Family Army out of Xinyang City. Whether the Southern Garrison Prince noticed or not, or perhaps even if he did, he might have thought a sparsely defended Xinyang City better served his interests. Almost every day, battles of varying scales erupted outside Xinyang City, but the Xiling army, which had previously advanced with unstoppable momentum, never again managed to breach Xinyang City’s gates as they had before. News from various parts of the Northwest, along with Mo Family Army units that seemed to have suddenly appeared everywhere in the region, kept the Southern Garrison Prince’s brow deeply furrowed, even when he received word that Mo Xiuyao was besieged by nearly eight hundred thousand troops. He had come to understand the true intentions of the woman who would occasionally appear on Xinyang City’s tower, indifferently gazing down at the bloody battles. But now... he could no longer withdraw. If he didn’t completely conquer the Northwest, his ambition to seize the Central Plains would be doomed to utter failure. What infuriated him most was that even the news of Mo Xiuyao being surrounded by a massive army did not seem to affect the woman in the city in the slightest or cause her to lose her composure. While occasionally deriding Mo Xiuyao for marrying such a ruthless and unfeeling wife, he couldn’t help but secretly wonder just what kind of woman she was.

As usual, after attending to the military and administrative affairs within the city, Ye Li ascended the city tower, gazing at the sea of billowing flags over the distant Xiling army camp.

"Princess Consort..." Feng Zhiyao followed her up the tower. Looking at the slender and graceful figure of the woman before him from behind, he couldn’t help but sigh softly in his heart. Only her trusted confidants like him knew what immense pressure and heavy burdens this young woman was shouldering. At the same time, her resilience and decisiveness had earned her the even deeper admiration and respect of all the soldiers in the Mo Family Army. It was because she was Ye Li, not merely because she was Princess Consort Ding.

Ye Li turned with a soft smile. "Third Feng, is something the matter?"

Feng Zhiyao frowned, looking at her slightly pale face with concern. "Princess Consort, you haven’t seemed well these past few days. Should we call a physician to take a look?"

Ye Li shook her head. "I’m just a little tired. If the Southern Garrison Prince of Xiling were that easy to deal with, he wouldn’t be worthy of the title ’War God of Xiling.’ I’m quite tense too, you know."

Feng Zhiyao smiled at her. "This subordinate sees no sign of tension from you, Princess Consort. We’ve managed to tie down a significant portion of Xiling’s forces and the Southern Garrison Prince in the Northwest, relieving the Prince of at least a third of the forces he would otherwise face. Your contribution in this has been immense, Princess Consort."

"One-third..." Ye Li mused for a moment, then asked, "How are things on the Prince’s side now?"

Feng Zhiyao hesitated before replying truthfully, "Although all the Mo Family Army’s forces are under the Prince’s command, Xiling, Nanzhao, and Prince Li are all attacking simultaneously. The Prince has just over five hundred thousand troops, and he’s completely overwhelmed dealing with enemies on three fronts. Moreover, he also has to guard against that one in the Capital City using underhanded schemes."

"How many enemies does the Prince have to face now?"

"At least eight hundred thousand," Feng Zhiyao replied gravely.

Ye Li gave a cold snort. "It’s not a matter of guarding against his schemes; he has already made his move. Nanzhao is a small kingdom; its total military strength won’t exceed three hundred thousand. Mo Jingli must guard against Mo Jingqi, so at most, he can deploy two hundred thousand. As for Xiling... Lei Tengfeng’s contingent won’t exceed two hundred thousand either."

Feng Zhiyao’s expression changed slightly. "So far, there’s no news of garrisons from various parts of Great Chu joining the battle. This means... Mo Jingqi secretly has at least several hundred thousand hidden troops!"

Ye Li closed her eyes briefly and sighed softly. "Mo Jingqi is determined to annihilate Prince Ding’s Mansion and the Mo Family Army."