Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 164. Questioning

164. Questioning

Han Mingxi sat quietly in the corner, watching the woman who sat leisurely before him, attentively listening to the generals’ opinions. Naturally, he had no say in such purely military meetings. He simply sat and watched as Ye Li, her beautiful face holding a serene smile, occasionally voiced her own insights and opinions. Han Mingxi’s thoughts gradually drifted back to when he first met Ye Li. The image of the androgynously dressed youth from back then and the woman who now calmly commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers overlapped in his mind, stirring an indescribable bitterness in his heart. If only... back then... The thought had barely surfaced before he gave a bitter smile and dismissed the absurd notion. Even if we had known each other earlier, Junwei would not have chosen me...

"Mingxi?"

Han Mingxi snapped out of his reverie, blinked, and found that the previously noisy study had quieted down. The generals had left after concluding their discussion; only Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin were still sorting documents in the nearby side hall. Ye Li regarded him with a smile. "What are you thinking about? It’s rare to see you so lost in thought."

Han Mingxi smiled nonchalantly, looked her up and down, and said, "We’re about to go to war. You’re different now than you were before. There won’t be any problems, will there?"

Ye Li paused, unconsciously stroking her flat abdomen. She smiled faintly. "Did Third Feng tell you?"

Han Mingxi nodded. "Am I not supposed to know?"

Ye Li shook her head. "It’s not exactly a secret, but if word got out now, with the war ongoing, it wouldn’t be good. You don’t have to worry; I’m in very good health. Besides, I don’t need to personally lead the charge into battle anymore."

Han Mingxi glanced at her. "You still want to lead the charge now? You’d scare Third Feng to death." Mo Xiuyao had left Feng Zhiyao behind not only to assist Ye Li in the war but, more importantly, because Feng Zhiyao was one of Mo Xiuyao’s most trusted men. A major reason he was left was to ensure Ye Li’s safety.

Ye Li smiled faintly and sighed softly. "I hope this war can end soon."

Han Mingxi said, "I can’t help you much. If there’s anything you need me to do, just ask."

Ye Li looked at him and smiled. "Actually, I do have something I need your help with." With that, she retrieved a file from a hidden compartment in the bookshelf behind her and handed it to Han Mingxi. "With both you and Leng Haoyu absent, this plan had to be delayed. But now that you’re here, it’s the perfect time. Take a look."

Han Mingxi took the sealed file, opened it, and flipped through the pages. He looked up, his voice serious. "Is it worth it for you to do so much for Mo Xiuyao?"

Ye Li smiled faintly. "I am Princess Consort Ding. Our fates are intertwined; we prosper together and fall together. How can this be considered doing it solely for him?"

Han Mingxi’s expression flickered. After a moment, he sighed. "I understand. I’ll handle this. This will benefit the Han Family too, won’t it?"

Ye Li smiled. "Thank you for your trouble."

"I thought we were friends."

Ye Li smiled. "Indeed. Of course, we are friends."

In early October, the Southern Garrison Prince personally led an army of 200,000 to march on Hongzhou. The Mo Family Army also mobilized its full strength to meet them. The Northwest campaign, from its inception, had now been raging for nearly three months. This was the first true, life-or-death struggle, and it truly made the Xiling soldiers realize that the soldiers of Great Chu were not as weak and useless as they had previously imagined. The Mo Family Army, defenders of Great Chu for a century, remained a bloodthirsty, sharp blade. Initially, the numbers of the two armies were not vastly different. However, unlike the Xiling army, which concentrated its attacks on a single point, the Mo Family Army had to defend the entire Northwest. Thus, the Xiling army still held the advantage in numbers. Though their progress was slow, the Xiling forces continued to advance steadily, gradually closing in on Hongzhou City.

The once peaceful Hongzhou City seemed to grow restless with the impending storm. Many wealthy merchants and ordinary citizens began to leave with their families, heading beyond the pass. The city lost its usual hustle and bustle, replaced by an air of solemnity and gloom in anticipation of the coming war.

Atop the city wall, Ye Li sat quietly, leaning against the ramparts. The warm early winter sun shone on her light blue cloak, lulling her into a comfortable drowsiness. A Go board was placed before her, one hand holding a black stone as she slowly contemplated her next move. The soldiers guarding the tower watched from a distance, a sense of calm and stability settling in their hearts.

Han Mingyue stepped onto the city wall, watching the contemplative woman leaning against the ramparts for a long moment without speaking.

Ye Li raised her head and smiled at him. "Young Master Mingyue, is something the matter?"

Han Mingyue silently sat down opposite her. He stared at the Go board for a long time before finally asking, "What’s your plan?"

Ye Li looked up, puzzled. "What plan?"

Han Mingyue frowned. "The Southern Garrison Prince is leading an army of 200,000 and approaching Hongzhou. Don’t tell me you don’t know!"

Looking at Han Mingyue, who was rarely so agitated and unlike himself, Ye Li smiled. "Young Master Mingyue, rest assured. Even if Hongzhou City falls, I will arrange for you and Miss Su to be sent away from here beforehand."

Han Mingyue stared at her and said solemnly, "So you’ve already anticipated that Hongzhou City will be breached?"

Ye Li shook her head. "No, Hongzhou City will not fall. Hongzhou is Great Chu’s final bastion in the Northwest. Behind it lie the vast, open Central Plains... and hundreds of thousands of Mo Family Army soldiers currently engaged in battle. Even if all two hundred thousand Mo Family Army soldiers in the Northwest were to perish, Hongzhou would not fall into Xiling hands." Once Hongzhou was lost, it would mean exposing the rear of hundreds of thousands of Mo Family Army soldiers stationed within the pass to the Xiling forces, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Han Mingyue’s sharp eyebrows rose as he looked doubtfully at the serene woman before him. Though not well-versed in the Art of War or battle tactics, his skill in analyzing intelligence allowed him to grasp certain realities. "If you don’t want Hongzhou to fall, why are you letting the Xiling army continue to advance? The Mo Family Army has been attriting the Xiling forces, but they haven’t truly fought with desperation. You don’t need to hide it from me. Although Tianyi Pavilion hasn’t participated in wars between nations in the past, that doesn’t mean we haven’t studied them." The Mo Family Army’s ability to intimidate other nations didn’t solely rely on the masterful command of troops by generations of Princes of Ding Kingdom. More importantly, it was due to the soldiers’ dauntless courage—their willingness to face death and advance unflinchingly. Many historical records documented the Mo Family Army’s deeds. To defend even an insignificant town, they would fight to the last man without retreating a single step. To seize a pass, they would attack relentlessly, day and night; even if corpses piled into mounds beneath the city walls, they would not waver in the slightest. The Mo Family Army of today, while perhaps appearing valiant enough to outsiders, was definitely not fighting at its true potential.

Casually tossing down her Go stone, Ye Li propped her cheek on her hand and regarded the elegant man before her with an enigmatic smile. "Is Young Master Mingyue concerned for the Mo Family Army?"

Han Mingyue hesitated for a moment, then said calmly, "Mingxi is my own younger brother. I need to know if he truly has a chance to survive by following Prince Ding’s Mansion."

Clapping her hands lightly, Ye Li stood up and smiled. "Young Master Mingyue, there’s no need to worry about that. I naturally have my plans."

Han Mingyue said coldly, "I fail to see what plans you could have. The Mo Family Army clearly has the ability to halt the Xiling army outside of Hongzhou..."

"No." Ye Li shook her head, looking at Han Mingyue seriously. "The Mo Family Army does indeed have the capability to temporarily hold off these two hundred thousand Xiling soldiers. But... only temporarily. Young Master Mingyue, you should know that Xiling’s total force for this invasion of Great Chu is only about five hundred thousand. However, Xiling’s domestic military strength exceeds one million five hundred thousand. The Xiling people are robust and fierce. They can conscript soldiers at any time and, with minimal training, mobilize at least another million men in a short period. By then... even if each Mo Family soldier could take on ten of theirs, they couldn’t withstand such numbers. Moreover... the Xiling soldiers are not weak. These past few days of engagement have shown that for every two of our soldiers lost, we can take down three of theirs at best."

Han Mingyue frowned. "In that case, letting their forces into Hongzhou is like inviting wolves into your own house, isn’t it?"

Ye Li’s smile was faint and sharp, like frost on branches on an early winter morning. "The Southern Garrison Prince will not be sending reinforcements to the Northwest for the time being."

Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow.

"By now, the whole world knows... the commander of the Mo Family Army in the Northwest is me, a woman not yet eighteen years old. If the Southern Garrison Prince still calls for reinforcements from Xiling... even if he wins, his lifelong reputation will be utterly ruined. He is a Xiling god of war who has fought on battlefields for decades. I am a young woman in my teens who has never set foot on one. If our forces are comparable in number and he still needs to call for more troops, he would be admitting to the entire world that he, Lei Zhenting, is not only inferior to Mo Liufang but also to Mo Liufang’s daughter-in-law. From then on, the title ’Southern Garrison Prince’ would likely become a laughingstock."

"You intend to..."

The smile on Ye Li’s face gradually faded. She gazed out at the distant wilderness, her expression cool as she said, "I want all two hundred thousand of Xiling’s army to remain in the Northwest—permanently!"

Han Mingyue’s heart jolted. He clearly detected the undisguised murderous intent and the scent of blood in Ye Li’s words.

"You want all two hundred thousand Xiling soldiers to remain in the Northwest! You... How dare you even think such a thing..." For the first time in his life, Han Mingyue clearly felt his own voice trembling. To annihilate an entire army of two hundred thousand Xiling soldiers... such words were not something a woman who had never been on a battlefield should be able to utter. No... perhaps it’s precisely because she has never experienced a battlefield that she can say something so audacious.

Ye Li leaned against the city wall and smiled at him. "What’s so daring about it? The Xiling army has been fighting day after day. At most, only a hundred thousand of them will make it to Hongzhou City. This city... will be their final resting place."

Han Mingyue shivered involuntarily, yet an uncontrollable surge of fervor welled up in his chest. Staring fixedly at Ye Li, he said, "Now I finally understand why Xiuyao chose you."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at him.

Han Mingyue reminisced, "I remember... when Xiuyao first went to the battlefield, he was only thirteen or fourteen. He said that if he were given three or four years, he could pacify Nanzhao and ensure a century of peace and stability for the southern regions of Great Chu... It’s just a pity..."

Hearing his words, Ye Li seemed to be in high spirits. She smiled. "And that’s why I am Princess Consort Ding... As for the Southern Garrison Prince? After he’s been hiding for so long, this Princess Consort is actually looking forward to this battle."