Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 380 - 379. Determining strategy, start by pacifying Beirong first
Chapter 379: Setting the Strategy, First Pacify Beirong
Hearing Ye Li’s words, Feng Zhiyao and Mo Xiuyao’s expressions became peculiar. From their expressions, Ye Li knew exactly what these two were thinking. Most likely, they were anticipating laughing at Young Master Qingchen’s misfortunes. Unfortunately, this major war wouldn’t be over for some time. By the time they finished and returned, perhaps Young Master Qingchen would have already solved all his problems and won his beloved. These two were merely regretting missing the chance to watch the drama of the world’s number one Young Master.
Marquis South coughed lightly, deeply feeling his old age and his inability to comprehend the thoughts of these young people. "Prince, Third Young Master Feng, shall we continue with our earlier discussion..." If he let Feng Zhiyao continue to probe, who knew what embarrassing things Feng Zhiyao might blurt out, making an old man like him feel inexplicably awkward.
Feng Zhiyao touched his nose, only then remembering that they were discussing important matters before Ye Li arrived. Mo Xiuyao, seeing Ye Li return, had long since grown impatient with them. He pulled Ye Li to sit down, hastily gave a few orders, and then shooed the two out.
For the first time in his life being kicked out, Marquis South stood at the study door, somewhat dazed. Feng Zhiyao, however, was quite accustomed to it. He pulled Marquis South along, laughing, "Marquis, let’s go, how about a drink at my place?" Marquis South eventually recovered, shook his head helplessly, and followed Feng Zhiyao.
After walking a few steps, Feng Zhiyao suddenly paused with some hesitation, as if he had forgotten to tell the Princess Consort something.
Marquis South looked back, puzzled. "What’s wrong? Aren’t we going for a drink?"
"It seems I forgot to tell the Princess Consort something," Feng Zhiyao said.
"Is it official business? What do you know that the Prince doesn’t?" asked Marquis South.
Right, Mo Xiuyao would definitely tell the Princess Consort, Feng Zhiyao mused. At most, it would just be a little later. He waved his hand and swaggered off with Marquis South.
「In the study」
Mo Xiuyao held Ye Li tightly in his arms, gently nuzzling the hair on top of her head, and said sullenly, "Ah-Li, you were gone for so long this time."
Ye Li smiled helplessly. "How can two months be long?" A round trip from the North to Jiangnan in two months was already quite fast. But Ye Li also knew it was best not to argue with Mo Xiuyao at this moment. "It’s my fault. I’ll come back quicker next time."
As expected, Mo Xiuyao said in a low voice, "A day apart feels like three autumns. Did Ah-Li not miss me at all?"
Ye Li’s face flushed. She raised her head, gently kissed Mo Xiuyao’s lips, and whispered, "I missed you too. Is that alright?"
Mo Xiuyao’s eyes darkened. He cupped the back of Ye Li’s head, drew her closer, and deepened the kiss. Ye Li was startled for a moment but was quickly overwhelmed by Mo Xiuyao’s fervent passion. Her watery eyes gently closed as they both sank into the lingering entanglement of their lips and tongues.
"Ah-Li..." Mo Xiuyao whispered Ye Li’s name. Ye Li felt his low voice in her ear send an involuntary shiver through her, her entire body seeming to soften.
"Hmm?" Mo Xiuyao lowered his head, tenderly and lingeringly savoring the sweet taste of her pink lips. "Ah-Li..."
"Father! Father! Mother’s back, isn’t she?!" Mo Xiaobao’s voice, mingled with the sound of running feet, came from outside, followed by a BANG! BANG! BANG! at the door. Pulled from their tender, lingering moment, they both sobered instantly. Ye Li looked at the door in surprise. "Why is Xiaobao in Weicheng City?"
Mo Xiuyao shot a cold glance towards the door and said lightly, "Last time Third Feng went to Licheng on business, he insisted on coming along. He’s not a baby anymore; it’s fine for him to see a battlefield." However, this little rascal wouldn’t dare disturb his time with Ah-Li!
Mo Xiuyao hummed lightly and flicked his hand towards the door. The door, which had been bolted from the inside, swung open. Mo Xiaobao, who had been leaning against the door, nearly tumbled inside. Fortunately, Mo Xiaobao had begun learning martial arts in the past one or two years and had some basic foundation. He merely tilted forward before steadily planting himself at the doorway. He looked puzzled at his father and mother sitting inside, and then at the open door. He had just pushed so hard and it didn’t open; how did it open now?
"Chen’er." Ye Li stood up, looking at her son with a smile. It’s only been a few months, but he’s really grown much taller.
"Mother!" Mo Xiaobao exclaimed, then immediately stepped into the study and rushed towards Ye Li. Mo Xiuyao narrowed his eyes, lightly tapped the desk, and the wolf-hair brush on it shot at Mo Xiaobao. Mo Xiaobao screamed, swiftly dodging aside, and continued to run towards Ye Li. Mo Xiuyao tapped his finger again, and another wolf-hair brush from the desk shot towards him. This time, Mo Xiaobao wasn’t so lucky; the corner of his clothes was pinned to a nearby pillar by the brush. His outstretched small hand was less than three inches from Ye Li.
Mo Xiaobao turned to look at his clothes pinned to the pillar, then at his dear mother, who was just a short distance away. His big eyes blinked and quickly welled up with tears. "Mother... Father is bullying Xiaobao. Xiaobao misses Mother."
"Xiuyao..." Seeing her son reaching out with such an expectant look, Ye Li was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Mo Xiuyao swept a disgruntled glance at Mo Xiaobao, then lifted his hand slightly. With a surge of internal force, he drew the wolf-hair brush stuck in the pillar back into his hand. With a CLACK, it landed in the pen holder in front of Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiaobao shrank his neck, probably understanding that he had come at a bad time and his father was in a terrible mood. He carefully squeezed closer to Ye Li. "Mother..."
Ye Li gently patted Mo Xiaobao’s small head and said with a smile, "Xiaobao has grown taller. Have you been behaving well lately?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
Mo Xiaobao’s eyes lit up, and he nodded furiously. "Xiaobao has been very good, Mother. Xiaobao has grown up."
Ye Li pinched his small nose with an amused smile. "All grown up? And you still want Mother to carry you?" Seeing Mo Xiaobao stretch out his small hands, asking for a hug, Ye Li shook her head. Because she had often been away from Mo Xiaobao these past two years, Ye Li couldn’t help but feel a little guilty and indulgent towards him. However, a seven or eight-year-old child really shouldn’t be carried like this anymore. Mo Xiuyao’s eyes were already shooting flames.
Mo Xiuyao stepped forward, lifted Mo Xiaobao by the scruff of his neck, and set him down in front of himself. He said coolly, "Have you finished the tasks I assigned you?"
Mo Xiaobao proudly lifted his small face. "Of course, they’re done!" Just a two-hour horse stance, one hour of sword practice, one hour of riding, and twenty pages of calligraphy—how could such trivial matters stop him, Mo Yuchen?
Mo Xiuyao looked coldly at the smug expression on the little face. "Excellent. Then starting tomorrow, add another two hours of archery and twenty more pages of calligraphy."
Huh? Mo Xiaobao’s small face stiffened. He quickly calculated in his head: a two-hour horse stance, two hours of archery, then one hour of sword practice and one hour of riding, plus forty pages of calligraphy... It would take at least eight to ten hours to finish everything... He’d be exhausted to death!
"I was thinking..." Mo Xiuyao drawled, "...it must be that the homework I assigned you was too light, which is why you’re so idle. Therefore, starting today, I will definitely guide you strictly. After all... your mother and I have high hopes for you."
WAAAH... Mo Xiaobao’s face crumpled as he looked pitifully at Ye Li. Ye Li sighed and looked up at the ceiling, pretending not to see her son’s pleading eyes. She believed Mo Xiuyao knew his limits. More importantly, the more she tried to help, the more Mo Xiuyao would want to torment Mo Xiaobao. It was best to let them resolve matters between father and son themselves.
Seeing that his plea for assistance had failed, Mo Xiaobao despaired completely. Now Mo Xiaobao finally understood: if Father was truly furious, even Mother couldn’t save him. He could only look at Mo Xiuyao with the most innocent, pleading eyes. "Father, your son... will work hard."
Mo Xiaobao’s puppy-dog eyes were quite potent. Mo Xiuyao secretly twitched the corner of his mouth and looked skyward, speechless. Is this really my son? He’s so damn shameless.
"Be good... study hard. Your father has high hopes for you." Mo Xiaobao had still underestimated how hard-hearted a certain someone could be. Mo Xiuyao firmly patted his son’s shoulder, offering encouragement. His attempt to act pitiful failed once more. Mo Xiaobao paused in a daze for a moment, then finally burst into tears and fled.
「」
Since then, Weicheng City had one less tyrannical brat who flaunted his prowess and one more pitiful child who rose at cock’s crow to practice and studied with utmost diligence. Mo Xiaobao was very smart and usually didn’t need much time to learn things. But the homework Mo Xiuyao assigned couldn’t be resolved by intelligence alone. No matter how smart Mo Xiaobao was, capable of learning by heart at a glance and drawing inferences, he couldn’t turn two hours into one, nor could he turn forty pages of calligraphy into four. For this, everyone in the General Commandery Residence clapped and cheered. Of course, Mo Xiaobao also benefited. By the time he returned to Licheng, Mr. Qingyun and the Xu Family members discovered that Mo Xiaobao had grown taller and healthier. Moreover, his handwriting, which Mr. Hongyu had considered merely passable, had improved considerably and could now be deemed accomplished.
Although the fighting on the front lines was fierce, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, who were in Weicheng City, were relatively at leisure. As the commander-in-chief, he no longer needed to personally lead charges or deploy troops. Mo Xiuyao only needed to control the overall war situation and the deployment of troops in various locations. His previous appearances on the battlefield were merely warm-ups before the major war, done simply out of boredom.
However, despite this, a steady stream of messages continued to arrive from the front lines every day. Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao still spent most of their time each day in the study.
"Lei Zhenting personally led 700,000 troops to attack Ruichang City. He Su and Murong Shen are defeated." In the study, Ye Li softly read from a report that had just arrived by express courier.
Mo Xiuyao’s expression was calm. Leaning back in his chair, he said indifferently, "Not surprising. He Su and Murong Shen are indeed no match for Lei Zhenting. However... Lei Zhenting taking the field personally from the outset, and committing almost the entire main force of the Xiling army—is he trying to force my hand?"
Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Once the Prince moves to confront Lei Zhenting, it will give Yelv Ye and Helian Zhen a chance to catch their breath in the north. I didn’t expect Lei Zhenting to be willing to make such a sacrifice for a certain ally."
Ye Li shook her head. "This isn’t necessarily a sacrifice. If Beirong collapses first, Xiling will have no chance. By pinning Xiuyao down, Lei Zhenting not only gives Beirong breathing room but also prolongs the war. In another month or two, the main army of Great Chu should arrive."
Feng Zhiyao frowned. "In that case, we should defeat Beirong first, then concentrate on the southern threat." Otherwise, being attacked from both front and rear is truly infuriating. "By the way, Princess Consort, shouldn’t news of Mo Jingli’s ascension arrive in the next couple of days?" Feng Zhiyao asked curiously. He hadn’t expected Mo Jingli to actually ascend the throne in the end. Although the way it came about was somewhat... questionable, it still fulfilled Mo Jingli’s long-cherished wish, right?
Ye Li nodded. "It should be soon. Once Mo Jingli ascends the throne, it will be time for Great Chu to dispatch its army."
Mo Xiuyao stared at the map of various countries’ military strengths and battle situations spread out on the table in front of him. He pointed at Beirong. "Since that’s the case, let’s settle Beirong first. Coincidentally, we should be hearing from Yelv Hong soon enough."
Marquis South frowned. "What about General Murong?"
Once Ruichang City falls, Weicheng City and Feihong Pass will be next. Marquis South couldn’t help but worry.
Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly. "Let me see just how formidable Lei Zhenting, Xiling’s God of War, truly is. Marquis South, I’ll trouble you to defend Weicheng City. With Veteran General Yuan Pei guarding Feihong Pass, I can rest assured. Furthermore, I will order Fu Zhao and Lv Jinxian to lead a 200,000-strong army back as reinforcements."
Marquis South was startled and said solemnly, "If Your Highness recalls General Lv, what will become of the northern front? Once Lv Jinxian leads his troops back, we’ll be left without a general capable of independently holding the line against Beirong. Unfortunately, Zhang Qilan is thousands of miles away guarding Xiling, and Leng Huai is in the Capital of Great Chu; otherwise, we wouldn’t be so short of generals."
Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and smiled. "I will still personally go to meet Helian Zhen!" In the battle eighteen years ago, although Mo Xiuyao never admitted defeat at Helian Zhen’s hands, the Mo Family Army was indeed severely crippled by Helian Zhen. This score must be settled sooner or later.
The killing intent in Mo Xiuyao’s words made Marquis South pause slightly. He then nodded and said, "This general will obey. However... it’s not that I’m underestimating our capabilities, but I fear... even with so many people, we may not be able to stop Lei Zhenting." Lei Zhenting’s title as Xiling’s God of War wasn’t unearned. At least, among the generals in Prince Ding’s Mansion, besides Prince Ding himself, no one else bore the title of an undefeated god of war. For ordinary commanders like them, "victory and defeat are common in military affairs" was a phrase that described their reality. Marquis South had commanded armies on the battlefield for half his life and had tasted defeat numerous times.
Mo Xiuyao’s fingers tapped on Feihong Pass and Weicheng City on the map. He smiled. "Three months. Does Marquis South think there will be a problem holding these two places?"
Marquis South was silent for a moment. Does Prince Ding intend to pacify Beirong within three months?! After a long pause, Marquis South stood up and declared loudly, "This general accepts the order! I swear to defend Weicheng City to the death!"
Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction. "Then I shall rely on Marquis South."
「A few days later, news of Mo Jingli’s ascension to the throne finally reached Weicheng City.」
Upon receiving the news, Mo Xiuyao didn’t even bat an eye. He casually tossed the report aside, stood up, and extended his hand to Ye Li. Ye Li took his hand with a smile. It was time for them to set out on their expedition.
Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao did not send Mo Xiaobao back to Licheng before setting off; instead, they brought Mo Xiaobao along to the army camp. Young men of the Mo Family Army typically began their training in the barracks from the age of ten. Although Mo Xiaobao was only seven or eight years old, it wouldn’t hurt for him to follow along and observe.
Mo Xiaobao was indeed a bit excited on his first real trip to an army camp. Unfortunately, the daily homework Mo Xiuyao assigned piled up like a mountain, weighing him down and leaving him no time to chase cats or tease dogs.
This time, Mo Xiuyao’s approach was different from the previous slow, methodical stalemate he had maintained with Beirong. Hundreds of thousands of Mo Family Army soldiers, swift as lightning, swept towards the cities garrisoned by the Beirong army with the force of a thunderbolt. The Beirong were originally a nomadic people, skilled in long-distance raids and fierce assaults, but defending cities was their major weakness. After losing three cities in quick succession within five days and retreating four hundred *li*, they barely managed to regain their footing.
「In the Beirong army camp」
Yelv Ye gazed darkly at the generals below him. "Mo Xiuyao captured two cities in just five days," he said in a low voice. "What countermeasures do you propose?"
Helian Zhen said, "I didn’t expect Mo Xiuyao to ignore a major enemy like Lei Zhenting and single-mindedly attack our forces. In my opinion, Mo Xiuyao likely plans to deal with us, Beirong, with all his strength before turning to confront Xiling and Great Chu."
Yelv Ye looked at Helian Zhen and said coldly, "So, General Helian, are you saying your previous plan to ally with Xiling and Great Chu has utterly failed?"
Helian Zhen gave a wry smile. Yelv Ye usually addressed him as ’Uncle,’ but now he called him ’General Helian,’ clearly indicating his deep dissatisfaction. Helian Zhen sighed somewhat helplessly. "If Mo Jingli hadn’t suddenly delayed dispatching his troops, it wouldn’t have come to this. As things stand now... the plan against Prince Ding’s Mansion hasn’t failed; it’s just that we, Beirong, haven’t gained much from it."
In other words, it was a case of harming others without benefiting oneself. Prince Ding’s Mansion would indeed face a siege from Xiling and Great Chu. But who could have predicted that Mo Xiuyao would completely disregard the fall of Ruichang and its potential impact on Feihong Pass, Weicheng City, and even the Northwest—which the Mo Family Army had always protected—and instead single-mindedly target Beirong first?
Originally, Beirong and the Mo Family Army were already in a tense standoff, on the brink of war. In the current situation, Beirong hadn’t suffered significant losses; they had merely toiled for several months without any gain.
"Princess Consort Ding went to Jiangnan for two months," Helian Peng, seated below Helian Zhen, suddenly interjected.
Due to his past defeat, Yelv Ye had always held Helian Peng in low regard. However, Helian Peng seemed to have changed considerably in recent months. He paid no mind to Yelv Ye’s attitude, silently attending to his duties and seldom speaking. This had somewhat improved Yelv Ye’s impression of him. Hearing him speak now, Yelv Ye frowned. "Ye Li went to Jiangnan? How do you know?"
Helian Peng remained silent, his gaze on Yelv Ye calm and indifferent. He considered his defeat by Ye Li the greatest humiliation of his life, so naturally, he always paid close attention to her movements. However, after learning his lesson a few times, he no longer acted impulsively. Moreover, Ye Li’s plans weren’t easy to fathom. It was only in the last few days that Helian Peng had slowly pieced together this speculation from various clues.
Helian Peng lowered his eyes. "Father, you should be aware... that Southern Garrison Prince’s Mansion and Prince Ding’s Mansion jointly annihilated the Cangmang Mountain bandits."
Helian Zhen nodded. Such a major event had occurred not long before he went to Jiangnan; of course, he knew.
Helian Peng continued, "But after Cangmang Mountain was wiped out, Young Master Qingchen disappeared for a period. Licheng, however, sent no one to investigate. And during that time, Ye Li also made no public appearances. Therefore, she must have gone to Jiangnan."
A flicker of anger flashed in Yelv Ye’s eyes as he said in a deep voice, "So it was Ye Li again, meddling in my grand plans! Mo Jingli’s sudden delay in dispatching troops must be related to Ye Li."
Helian Peng nodded. "That’s likely the case. However... even if Ye Li hadn’t gone, the alliance of the three kingdoms probably wouldn’t have proceeded so smoothly. If Young Master Qingchen hadn’t disappeared... he would have been the one to handle this matter initially."
Everyone fell silent. True, but Young Master Qingchen operated in the open, making him somewhat easier to guard against. But now, they didn’t even know what Ye Li had been doing in Jiangnan.
Helian Peng said, "Prince Ding likely intends to drive us, Beirong, out from within the pass before Great Chu dispatches its army. Then he can concentrate on dealing with Lei Zhenting and Mo Jingli."
Yelv Ye sneered. "Drive us Beirong beyond the borders? It won’t be that easy! All of you, speak. How should we deal with Mo Xiuyao?"
Everyone looked at each other. Yelv Ye frowned. "Helian Peng, you speak."
Helian Peng said in a deep voice, "Our Beirong army excels in close-quarters combat, and our cavalry is particularly skilled at long-range raids. However, we are indeed not proficient in city defense. The Mo Family Army now holds the initiative. For Beirong, this meant, as the Central Plains people would say, pitting our weakness against the enemy’s strength. Defeat under such circumstances is predictable."
"Then what should we do?" Yelv Ye asked.
Helian Peng said, "In this subordinate’s opinion, we should play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses by taking the offensive. Apart from the Royal Court, the entire Beirong territory has no proper cities to speak of. Thus, Beirong soldiers have never really needed to defend cities. Now, suddenly forced onto the defensive, they are naturally constrained and unable to fight effectively."
Yelv Ye thought for a moment, then turned to Helian Zhen. "Uncle, what do you think?"
Helian Zhen nodded. "Peng’er is right. I also agree that our army is at a distinct disadvantage in sieges. We would be better off turning the tables and launching an offensive. In terms of cavalry, even if Beirong cannot defeat Prince Ding’s Mansion, we are at least evenly matched. However... our cavalry outnumbers their Black Cloud Cavalry. Although the Black Cloud Cavalry was once known as the most elite troops of the Mo Family Army, it was not their main force. The main body of the Mo Family Army still consists primarily of ordinary infantry, as the complex terrain of Great Chu greatly restricts cavalry operations. Beirong, however, is a land of vast grasslands, and its soldiers are predominantly cavalry. If it comes to a direct confrontation, the Black Cloud Cavalry would definitely not gain an advantage."
Yelv Ye’s brow furrowed as he looked at Helian Zhen and the others. "This King will trust Uncle’s and General Helian’s judgment. We cannot retreat further. According to the recent messages from the Royal Court, my father, the King, is already very displeased that I’ve made no progress in over half a year and have even lost much of the territory we had gained. If we suffer another defeat, I fear Father will find it difficult to approve sending more troops. Beirong itself is vast but sparsely populated, so conscripting soldiers isn’t as easy as in the Central Plains. The Beirong army’s successive losses have already caused great dissatisfaction in the Beirong Royal Court and given Yelv Hong an opportunity to criticize me."
"Your subordinates understand," they all replied, rising.
Yelv Ye nodded with satisfaction. "Good. This time, Uncle and General Helian will lead the troops. Helian Peng, do not disappoint this King again."
Helian Peng said solemnly, "This subordinate understands. Please rest assured, Your Highness."
