Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 93. War Strategy Calculation

93. The Battlefield

By the main road not far from Broken Snow Pass, several hidden guards discreetly protected their respective masters, strategically concealed. Darky Three, bored, was lounging on a branch of a large, leafy tree by the road. He pointed to a small hill not far off and said to Darky Two, who was meditating under the tree with his eyes closed, "Look how foolish they are. Hiding there, the Prince and Princess Consort will surely discover them."

Darky Two glanced up at him. "They are hidden guards, not spies conducting surveillance. It’s enough that others don’t discover them. Even if the Prince didn’t spot them, he would know they were following." Hidden guards, after all, are meant to protect their masters twenty-four hours a day.

Darky Three rolled over on the branch. "We are hidden guards too." Even if we don’t quite look the part.

Darky Two’s expression soured. "We are not qualified hidden guards. When we return, His Highness will likely assign the Princess Consort new ones."

Darky Three also looked dismayed. On the battlefield earlier, if the Princess Consort hadn’t stopped him, *she* wouldn’t have been injured. He saw nothing wrong with taking an arrow for her; after all, they were trained by the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion to shield their masters from all danger, even if it meant acting as human shields. To his regret, the Princess Consort had been slashed while trying to prevent him from blocking that arrow for her. If it hadn’t been for the Prince’s quick arrow, her life or death would still be uncertain. As hidden guards, they were truly unqualified. Darky Four and Darky One were still nowhere to be seen, though that was by the Princess Consort’s command. Neither he nor Darky Two had fulfilled their roles as hidden guards. "I will go to the Prince and request punishment. I definitely won’t drag you down."

Darky Two glanced askance at him. "What idiotic nonsense is that? We’re a team. If you’re replaced, do you think we could stay? Besides, it’s not just your fault. It’s just that I... I rather prefer following the Princess Consort."

"Me too," Darky Three peeked at the hidden guards on the other side. Life as a hidden guard before following the Princess Consort had been utterly dull. Although they hadn’t served any other masters before her, their training and the teachings of their seniors had been exceedingly uninteresting. If they hadn’t started following the Princess Consort, they would have become as uninteresting as those other hidden guards. "If we go and ask for punishment now, do you think the Prince would be lenient?"

"Going now would only bring you more misfortune," Darky Two said calmly. As a hidden guard with professional integrity, he would never let anyone, not even the Prince himself, know that he had seen the Prince and Princess Consort on the roadside engaged in... well, whatever that was.

"But the Prince and Princess Consort have been here for a long time. If they stay any longer, General Murong will come looking for them," Darky Three fretted.

"Then let them go fetch the Prince and Princess Consort." Darky Two gestured with his chin towards Mo Xiuyao’s hidden guards not far off, certain they were feeling just as conflicted. Tsk... For the Prince’s personal hidden guards, their concealment skills are a bit too poor. He and Darky Three had found their hiding spots with just a few glances.

"Your Highness, Princess Consort." Darky Two straightened up from behind the tree and bowed to the approaching pair. Darky Three landed silently from the tree and also bowed.

Mo Xiuyao squinted at them, remarking coolly, "Impressive skills."

Both of them involuntarily shivered. Was the Prince complimenting them?

Ye Li smiled faintly. "Rise. What are you two doing here?"

With troubled faces, the two dared not speak. The Princess Consort didn’t require them by her side at all times, but if they were to truly go about their own business now, the Prince would undoubtedly be furious. The Princess Consort could command them, but... the Prince could replace them.

Mo Xiuyao frowned and asked, "Where are the other two? Aren’t there supposed to be four with you?"

Ye Li smiled. "I sent them to run an errand."

"If you don’t have enough people, more can be transferred from elsewhere. Hidden guards are meant to protect your safety," Mo Xiuyao said disapprovingly. "Since these four cannot ensure your complete safety, shall I assign a few more when we return? Or give you some of my men?"

Ye Li glanced at Darky Three, who was silently casting her a pleading look, and said helplessly, "I don’t like being covertly followed." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"They are for your protection. I will have people select those with the best concealment abilities; they won’t bother you."

"No one can be better than us," Darky Three muttered under his breath, stealing a glance at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao’s cool gaze immediately fell upon him, causing Darky Three to stiffen.

He heard Mo Xiuyao say calmly, "There has never been a hidden guard who needed their master to rescue them. In this regard, indeed, no one is stronger than you."

"Mo... Xiuyao..." Ye Li reached out and took Mo Xiuyao’s hand, saying softly, "They’ve all helped me a great deal. You can see that I don’t need hidden guards; I need trustworthy assistants. Besides, hidden guards aren’t useful everywhere, are they?" For instance, some places were completely inaccessible to hidden guards, and places where hidden guards could follow, ordinary guards could usually appear as well. Moreover, the level of danger in such places wouldn’t be very high. Fortunately, only a very small portion of the hidden guards from the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion were specially trained to protect their masters; the others each had different responsibilities. Otherwise, it would be too much of a waste of talent.

Mo Xiuyao glanced at the two hidden guards with lowered heads, his eyes slightly narrowed. He then looked down at Ye Li, who was gazing at him earnestly, and said in a deep voice, "They can continue to stay by your side. I will assign another four hidden guards to you."

"No, thank you," Ye Li said with a light smile. "I’m not accustomed to hidden guards. Even if you assign other people to follow me, it won’t be long before they become just like Darky Two and the others. What’s the point then?"

Mo Xiuyao grunted softly and turned to walk towards the main road. Ye Li pressed her lips into a smile and followed him, leaving Darky Two and Darky Three behind, looking bewildered.

"Darky Two, what does the Prince mean by this?"

"It means we can continue to follow the Princess Consort. Probably..."

「Broken Snow Pass Military Camp」

Upon seeing Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao enter, everyone in the main tent quickly rose to their feet. Murong Shen personally descended from the Chief General’s seat to welcome them. "This subordinate general greets the Prince and Princess Consort. Yonglin’s crisis was averted thanks to the timely assistance of the Prince and Princess Consort. Please accept this subordinate general’s salute." As he spoke, he lifted his battle robe, about to kneel.

Mo Xiuyao reached out and supported his shoulder, saying calmly, "This is my duty, General Murong. There is no need for such ceremony."

With Mo Xiuyao preventing him, Murong Shen naturally couldn’t kneel. Seeing Mo Xiuyao looking healthy and full of inner strength, a flicker of joy couldn’t help but cross his eyes. He no longer insisted and, stepping aside, invited them in. "Prince, Princess Consort, please be seated inside."

Seeing Mo Xiuyao stride in, looking healthy and vigorous, the expressions of everyone in the tent were quite fascinating—some joyful, some shocked, some contemplative. Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li to a seat below the Chief General’s and asked, "General, what is the status of the Nanzhao army?"

Murong Shen hesitated for a moment, then returned to the main seat and replied, "Nanzhao has been attacking the city fiercely these past few days, probably intending to coordinate with Prince Li’s rebel forces inside the pass. Now that the Prince and reinforcements have arrived, we naturally no longer need to worry about these southern barbarians. Tomorrow, we shall sally forth to meet them in battle and surely drive these southern barbarians back into the depths of the Southern Border!"

These days of defending the city had been frustrating not only for the soldiers of Broken Snow Pass but even more so for Murong Shen, the Chief General. But no matter how frustrated he felt, he had to endure it and not show it. Now that reinforcements had arrived, it was naturally a time to feel proud and elated.

"How many troops has the Prince brought this time?" Others, too, were eager for action.

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "Twenty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry. Another fifty thousand troops will arrive in three days."

A silence fell over the tent. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over everyone’s heads, chilling them to the core. One of the more hot-tempered ones stood up incredulously, "Prince... how could the Imperial Court have dispatched only fifty thousand troops? Where are the fifty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry? What about the eight hundred thousand Mo Family Army?"

Mo Xiuyao’s lips curved into a faint, indifferent smile. "I am merely the advance support. As for what follows... His Majesty has His own arrangements."

Everyone fell silent. Murong Shen sighed inwardly. What was there not to understand at this point? The Emperor needed someone to support the Southern Border with utmost speed, and only Prince Ding’s Black Cloud Cavalry could march so quickly. However, the Emperor also didn’t fully trust Prince Ding, so he was fundamentally unwilling to let Prince Ding lead too many troops; the main forces were still behind. And the one leading them would undoubtedly be someone the Emperor trusted. In the future, once the rebellion was quelled, the credit would naturally go to those who came later. The Emperor... would treating the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion so harshly truly not cause problems?

"Originally... I thought that with His Highness Prince Ding’s recovery, we would be able to wipe out the Southern Border in one fell swoop and fulfill His Highness Prince Ding’s unfinished ambition from years past. It seems now we can only let these southern barbarians off for the time being," Murong Shen finally said with a somewhat regretful smile after a long pause. As generals, none of them did not wish to achieve glory on the battlefield and establish meritorious deeds. But Prince Ding’s sudden recovery had already aroused the Emperor’s suspicion; how could the Emperor possibly entrust such a monumental achievement as pacifying the Southern Border to Prince Ding?

Mo Xiuyao smiled nonchalantly. "It seems this is indeed not a good opportunity. These coming days, we will still have to trouble you, General. I will stay in Yonglin for a few days. Once the main body of reinforcements arrives, I must depart for the Capital City."

Murong Shen was taken aback. "The Prince will not stay at Broken Snow Pass?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled. "With you overseeing Broken Snow Pass, General, there’s no need for me to meddle. Besides, Mo Jingli’s army of over a hundred thousand is still near Yonglin. I... have some private matters to attend to."

Murong Shen could only nod. "Since it is so, the Prince may act as he sees fit." Although he regretted that they probably couldn’t teach Nanzhao a severe lesson this time, such matters were not for a military commander like him to decide. Besides... the mere appearance of Prince Ding in good health at Broken Snow Pass, this news alone was enough to scare those southern barbarians out of their wits. After all... it had been little more than a decade since the last war where the Southern Border was nearly wiped out.

It was already nightfall when they returned to Yonglin City. Fortunately, Mo Xiuyao didn’t need to spend too much effort on matters in Yonglin City. Feng Zhiyao, who had been left behind, had already managed everything in an orderly fashion. Ye Li curiously observed Feng Zhiyao. He had discarded his gorgeous red robe for green armor and a white robe, appearing heroic and martial, as if he were a completely different person from the one in the Capital City. At the same time, Feng Zhiyao was also curiously sizing up the still gentle and composed Ye Li. He truly couldn’t equate the elegant and beautiful woman before him with the black-clad woman on the battlefield who killed without mercy.

Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li to sit down in the study, then gestured to Feng Zhiyao towards a nearby chair and asked, "Leng Haoyu hasn’t arrived yet?"

Feng Zhiyao smiled. "He just arrived; he’s gone to change his clothes and will be over shortly. He encountered some trouble on the way and was pursued relentlessly; he looked quite disheveled when he arrived."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows curiously at Feng Zhiyao.

Feng Zhiyao chuckled. "He was audacious enough, relying on his wealth, to compete with Prince Li for grain; wasn’t that just asking to be cut down? But the effect was quite good; he acquired at least three-tenths of this year’s grain harvest from various parts of Jiangnan. Now, even if Prince Li turns to attack the various regions of Jiangnan, it’s likely he’ll face a grain shortage before long. So, Prince Li has sent assassins to hunt him down everywhere."

"What will he do with so much grain?" Jiangnan could be called the granary of Great Chu; three-tenths of Jiangnan’s entire grain output is no small amount.

Feng Zhiyao smiled nonchalantly. "Once Jiangnan descends into chaos, grain prices will only soar; there will be no worry about not being able to sell it. Even if it truly can’t be sold, we still have several hundred thousand mouths to feed."

Sure enough, before long, Leng Haoyu appeared at the doorway. His handsome face bore a recently acquired wound. Fortunately, it didn’t look too severe and probably wouldn’t leave a scar. "Prince, Princess Consort."

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said gravely, "You’ve been away for more than half a year. What happened in Lingzhou this time? Why did Mo Jingli suddenly decide to raise troops?"

Leng Haoyu looked at Mo Xiuyao in surprise. "Didn’t the Prince already know about Prince Li’s rebellion, and that’s why you led men south?"

Mo Xiuyao said coolly, "I came for some matters concerning the Southern Border. I had just set out when I received news of Mo Jingli raising troops. Even if Mo Jingli lacks foresight, he should know that he wasn’t fully prepared."

Feng Zhiyao shook his head. "I think Mo Jingli chose an excellent time. It caught us completely off guard. Never mind a few days late; even if we had arrived half a day later, I’m afraid Broken Snow Pass would have been lost."

Mo Xiuyao frowned. "If he were truly prepared, he shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to attack Broken Snow Pass. He could easily have split his forces, one to tie down General Murong at Broken Snow Pass, and the other to advance directly east. The southeastern regions have always been tranquil, with few garrisons. As long as he completely occupied the area south of the Yunlan River, even if we had two to three hundred thousand men, trying to cross the Yunlan River smoothly to quell the rebellion would not necessarily be easy. General Murong, unable to hold out alone, would find Broken Snow Pass unsustainable; it would only be a matter of time. At that point... Mo Jingli would gain all the benefits, with no need to divide them with Nanzhao."

"He wasn’t fully prepared yet he hastily raised troops... Could it be that the Emperor intended to move against him?" Leng Haoyu guessed.

Feng Zhiyao shook his head. "No. If His Majesty had intended to move against him, he wouldn’t have let him leave the Capital City in the first place."

Leng Haoyu nodded and, after thinking for a moment, said, "Prince Li’s uprising was indeed sudden. When he had just returned to Lingzhou, there was no activity, but three days later, he suddenly raised troops. I was also quite startled at the time."

Ye Li asked, "My Prince, for what reason did you suddenly rush here?"

Mo Xiuyao looked at her and took a letter from his breast pocket, handing it to her. Ye Li took it and saw it was the letter she had previously sent back, along with a letter clearly in her maternal grandfather’s handwriting. After reading it through, Ye Li said in astonishment, "Shu Manlin, the Sacred Maiden of the Southern Border, is a descendant of an emperor from the previous dynasty?!" This was truly something Ye Li hadn’t expected. It was too melodramatic. She had indeed suspected Shu Manlin might have some other identity, but that the Sacred Maiden of the Southern Border was a descendant of a previous dynasty’s emperor, and Mo Jingli was the current Emperor’s own younger brother... And then the two of them conspired to rebel?

"Didn’t Nanzhao establish its kingdom by betraying the previous dynasty? How could they let a descendant of a previous dynasty’s emperor be called the Sacred Maiden of the Southern Border?" Judging from how the King of Nanzhao treated Shu Manlin, he shouldn’t be unaware of her identity.

Mo Xiuyao said, "The ornament you sent back was a relic of Princess Chaoyang, who was married to a tribe in the Southern Border during the previous dynasty."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow. So what? It must have been several hundred years from Princess Chaoyang’s time to the founding of Nanzhao.

Feng Zhiyao explained, "This Princess Chaoyang was a remarkable woman. It’s said that even before she married, she had participated in court affairs. However, Emperor Gaozong at that time disliked women participating in governance and had issued several edicts to reprimand her. Later, he even sent her to the Southern Border for a political marriage. Although Princess Chaoyang vanished from public view after that, the tribe she married into, with the support of the previous dynasty’s emperor, became the largest in the Southern Border at that time. This tribe was also the precursor to the Nanzhao royal family. The Nanzhao royal family admired Central Plains culture. Although their relationship with the previous dynasty wasn’t good, they treated some... ’rebellious ministers’ of the previous dynasty very well. From Nanzhao’s founding until the fall of the previous dynasty, those with traceable records show they sheltered at least three imperial sons, two princesses, and one imperial kinsman prince. Some of these individuals had failed in rebellions, others had fled to Nanzhao after being framed. And without exception, these people eventually married into the direct line of the Nanzhao royal family. The last one they sheltered, though the records are somewhat vague, we speculate was likely the Crown Prince of the previous dynasty."

"So, you’re suggesting that the Sacred Maiden of the Southern Border could be the orphan of the previous dynasty’s Crown Prince?" Ye Li asked, feeling a wave of dizziness. Indeed, if you thought storybooks were overly dramatic, reality would only be more so.

Feng Zhiyao smiled. "In the third year after the fall of the previous dynasty, the then Queen of Nanzhao married a man from the Central Plains of unknown identity. Five years later, Nanzhao continuously harassed the borders of Great Chu. It wasn’t until the Queen of Nanzhao and her royal husband both passed away that things gradually quieted down. But over these many years, the two countries have constantly alternated between war and peace, never truly ceasing hostilities. Whenever an opportunity arose, Nanzhao would try every means possible to invade the Central Plains."

Ye Li rubbed her temples. "Understood. So Nanzhao has a very strong bloodline of the previous dynasty’s royal family. Are they planning to reclaim the land for the previous dynasty and enter to rule the Central Plains?"

"Reclaiming the land for the previous dynasty might be false, but their desire to enter and rule the Central Plains is certain," Feng Zhiyao nodded.

Ye Li looked at Mo Xiuyao strangely. "Even so, you didn’t need to rush here so urgently. Since they’ve been preparing for over a hundred years, they probably wouldn’t mind preparing for a few more decades."

Mo Xiuyao looked at her. "If this matter of Mo Jingli raising troops hadn’t occurred, what were you planning to do?"

Ye Li paused, recalling her plan to visit the holy land of the Southern Border. "Is it dangerous?"

Mo Xiuyao’s expression was not pleasant. "Don’t you think there’s something very wrong with that so-called holy land of the Southern Border?"

Ye Li blinked, awaiting his explanation.

"The Sacred Maiden of the Southern Border, upon reaching the age of twenty-five, must enter the holy land. But in reality, most Sacred Maidens are already relieved of their duties as Sacred Maiden and enter the holy land by twenty-one or twenty-two, the youngest even having relinquished her duties as Sacred Maiden and entered the holy land at nineteen. These so-called Sacred Maidens—no one knows their appearance, their family background or identity, and even less what they do after entering the holy land. Yet these women must all receive various kinds of education from a young age, and after becoming Sacred Maidens, they even have a certain influence on Nanzhao’s governmental affairs. How much time, financial resources, and effort must be spent to cultivate such a person? Is it merely to have them be revered as a Sacred Maiden for a few years, then thrown into some ’holy land’ to die of old age?" Mo Xiuyao stated calmly.

Leng Haoyu pondered. "What the Prince says is reasonable. This rule regarding Nanzhao’s Sacred Maidens is indeed rather strange. I remember the Sacred Maiden with the shortest tenure seemed to serve for only two years; she became Sacred Maiden at fifteen and stepped down at seventeen."

"I thought we were discussing what dangers the holy land of the Southern Border might hold?" Ye Li reminded him.

Mo Xiuyao said, "There is no Southern Border holy land to speak of. Perhaps such a place does exist, but it is definitely not a place that enshrines Nanzhao’s treasures and serves as a retirement home for Sacred Maidens. That should be the Nanzhao royal family’s greatest secret. Therefore, once anyone touches upon that place, they will be eliminated by the Nanzhao royal family at all costs. That’s why there are rumors that no one who trespasses the holy land of the Southern Border has ever returned alive."

Ye Li was somewhat disappointed. So, that means there are no Flowers of the Abyss Underworld in that so-called holy land of the Southern Border at all.

Leng Haoyu said, "This shouldn’t have much to do with Prince Li’s sudden raising of troops, right?"

Feng Zhiyao leaned back lazily in his chair and smiled. "No connection? The connection is huge. Previously, we thought Mo Jingli wanted to use the Sacred Maiden of the Southern Border and Nanzhao. Now it seems that fool was used by others. That’s why he so hastily raised troops. And here I thought he’d gotten smarter. A fool is still a fool!"

Ye Li was somewhat puzzled. "What leverage could Nanzhao use to persuade Mo Jingli?"

Feng Zhiyao smiled. "For example, sharing the land with the Sacred Maiden of the Southern Border. With Nanzhao’s assistance, it would naturally be easier for Mo Jingli to obtain the world. Then, with both land and beauty, neither being compromised, any man would be hooked."

Ye Li couldn’t understand. Nanzhao could meticulously plan for over a hundred years just to enter and rule the Central Plains. Is the world truly so intoxicating?

"Hmph, they’ve calculated well. If they can’t break Broken Snow Pass from the outside, they’ll breach it from within. Speaking of which, if it weren’t for the Princess Consort, by the time we arrived today, forget Broken Snow Pass, there would have been no foothold for our reinforcements in Lingzhou or Yongzhou."

Leng Haoyu frowned and asked, "Prince, what are your plans?"

Mo Xiuyao said lightly, "No plans. It’s not safe for you in Jiangnan at present; make arrangements to return to the Capital City as soon as possible." Leng Haoyu moved his lips as if to say something. Mo Xiuyao glanced at him and said, "I will speak with General Murong and have you and Murong Ting marry at an earlier date. Haoyu..."

Leng Haoyu shivered and quickly said, "This subordinate understands. Many thanks to the Prince for making this possible."

Feng Zhiyao said, somewhat resentfully, "We finally get out of the capital, only to have it end so abruptly. Does the Emperor have to be so wary of us? What a waste of this young master’s time."

Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "Nanzhao won’t achieve anything significant; for now, there’s no need to pay them any mind. Rest assured, this trip won’t be in vain for you."

Feng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow. "Only you would dare say Nanzhao cannot amount to much. I think the Nanzhao people are quite calculating, to be able to endure and scheme for such a long time..."

Mo Xiuyao’s smile was cold. "Over a hundred years, generation after generation, and they still haven’t accomplished their goal. What more can they become? Perhaps the only commendable thing about them is their persistence."

Feng Zhiyao smiled. "I guess the ones Nanzhao hates the most are probably the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion." For them not to have succeeded in over a hundred years, the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion undeniably deserves great credit for that. "For instance, that incident a dozen or so years ago—if not for the last-minute withdrawal of troops, the Nanzhao people would never again have to worry about how to enter and rule the Central Plains. So, what did the Prince mean by not letting me make this trip for nothing? Are we still going to fight Nanzhao?"

Mo Xiuyao looked up and smiled. "We’re not fighting a war; we’re suppressing bandits."

"Suppressing bandits?" the three men in the study asked in unison.

Feng Zhiyao’s eyes darted around. "I don’t recall any formidable bandits or robbers in Yongzhou."

Mo Xiuyao said coolly, "Just because there weren’t any before doesn’t mean there aren’t any now. Otherwise, what about the Yongzhou reinforcements?"

"Weren’t they dispatched by Mo Jingli?" Feng Zhiyao asked.

Mo Xiuyao sneered. "Let’s not even discuss whether he has the brains for it. Even if he did, how many soldiers would the Lingzhou rebel forces need to annihilate an army of twenty thousand? At that time, Mo Jingli’s rebel army was still near Yongzhou City. How could he dispatch an army of at least thirty thousand to rush several hundred li to ambush the Yongzhou reinforcements?"

Feng Zhiyao pondered for a moment. "To achieve that, this force must have been dispatched on the very same day he launched his rebellion, to be able to ambush the Yongzhou reinforcements by the Yunlan River. Moreover, they must have known beforehand that Yongzhou would definitely send reinforcements to rescue Broken Snow Pass. Knowing that Wu Chengliang is one of our people are few and far between; Mo Jingli definitely couldn’t know. If he didn’t know, it’s even more unlikely he would dispatch an ambush specifically for Yongzhou’s reinforcements. Because Yongzhou could very well, like other places, have remained inactive. Similarly, other places might have also dispatched troops to rescue Broken Snow Pass."

"The ones who ambushed Lord Wu weren’t Mo Jingli’s men?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow.

"The Southern Border isn’t the only one eyeing this fat piece of meat that is Great Chu," Mo Xiuyao said coolly.

"Xiling," Leng Haoyu stated with certainty. "Beirong is too far from the Southern Border, and the appearance of Beirong people is too distinct from that of the Great Chu people. It would be impossible for them to infiltrate Great Chu on a large scale. But Xiling is different. Although there are slight differences, those mainly pertain to the Xiling royal family, which has intermarried with people from foreign lands. The common people of Xiling, for the most part, don’t look much different from the people of Great Chu." The thought that a force capable of annihilating twenty thousand men had infiltrated Great Chu sent an involuntary shiver down Leng Haoyu’s spine.

Mo Xiuyao’s eyes were profound. "These generals of Great Chu garrisoning the borders, it’s long past time they were given a good shake-up."

Feng Zhiyao shrugged. In recent years, the border garrison commanders have been almost entirely replaced by the Emperor; they couldn’t do anything about it. Suppressing bandits... doesn’t sound too bad...

"Prince, when do we set out?" Since there was a battle to fight, why bother whether it was the Southern Border or Xiling? Feng Zhiyao asked with great interest.

Mo Xiuyao looked down at his slender fingers, his voice low, "After the Emperor’s men arrive to take over Yonglin. You go make preparations first. Remember... if you let a single one of them escape Great Chu alive, don’t ever speak to me about wanting to go to the battlefield again for the rest of your life."

"Yes, Prince!" Feng Zhiyao stood up and responded sonorously. After a moment’s hesitation, he couldn’t help but ask, "Regarding Broken Snow Pass..."

"For now, pay it no mind. They won’t be able to determine a victor within several months. And we don’t have the time to manage them anymore," Mo Xiuyao said gravely.

"Understood."

Ye Li quietly watched the two men conversing, her brow slightly furrowed. An inexplicable sense of unease rose in her heart...