When the news of the Ye army's victory reached Dongjing, everyone in the Ye Dynasty was in disbelief.
Of course, they knew about Hsieh Hyun-chen's military exploits. He was known as everyone's nightmare a few years ago. However, most of the people in the Imperial Court were civil servants. They would look down on things they had never experienced before. Furthermore, the military exploits were too exaggerated. Most of the civil servants felt that the people below them were just bragging on purpose.
It was a miracle to win with a few people, but it was a lie to say that one person won ten. How could such an unrealistic thing happen?
Now, they looked at the numbers on the report and stared at each other. None of them could say a word.
Hsieh Hyun-chen had eight thousand against one hundred thousand. The difference was even greater than one to ten. However, he had won in front of everyone.
Prime Minister Song looked at the records on the report in fear. On the 25th, Yelu Ji charged in the morning and tried to cross the river on the ice. Hsieh Hyun-chen cut off both his wings. He killed nine thousand and eight hundred enemies. Including escaping and trampling, he had killed thirteen thousand enemies on the first day. He had captured countless armors and weapons. Yelu Ji himself had also been shot by Hsieh Hyun-chen. The next day, the Northern Tribes tried to cross the river again but were suppressed by Hsieh Hyun-chen. The Northern Tribes lost five thousand people.
The Northern Tribes were in a stalemate for five days. Later, Yelu Ji's arrow wound worsened. In addition to the cold weather, the Northern Tribes could only retreat to the north. They gave up on crossing the river and also gave up on the rare opportunity to attack the capital.
The crisis in Dongjing was quickly resolved.
These few days, the news of the Northern Tribes' retreat was all over the capital. Everywhere, one could hear people discussing Hsieh Hyun-chen's legendary exploits. Hsieh Hyun-chen had been silent for four years. Today, he had returned to the limelight with an irresistible attitude.
Hsieh Hyun-chen announced to the world that the God of War would always be the God of War. Even if he disappeared for a while, as long as he wanted to, he could bring the God of War back to life. He could use less than a tenth of his forces to beat the Northern Tribes.
Friends would change, family would change, lovers would change, but your grandpa would always be your grandpa.
The capital had the most tasteless New Year. Who would have thought that after the first month, the capital would suddenly become as lively as the New Year. Nowadays, everyone in Dongjing was spreading the rumor that Yelu Ji had mobilized a hundred thousand troops and put down the bold words that he would capture Dongjing within five days. In the end, they didn't even cross the river and were beaten back with their tails between their legs. The 100,000 Northern Tribes were being chased and beaten up by Hsieh Hyun-chen. Every time he caught up, he would beat them up. They did not even dare to show their faces.
The storytellers in the teahouses were extremely happy when they talked about this. They would deliberately joke that Yelu Ji would probably be beaten back to his hometown.
It was hard to say whether Yelu Ji would return to his hometown, but Hsieh Hyun-chen really did not plan to go back.
After Yelu Ji retreated, Hsieh Hyun-chen ordered his troops to pack up. Under the leadership of the people of Qinghe Town, they crossed the Yellow River and headed north to deal with the Northern Tribes.
Mu Mingtang's carriage, under the protection of many bodyguards, slowly crossed the glacier and set foot on the territory north of the Yellow River.
Now that it was almost time for the river to open, crossing the Yellow River was a very dangerous time. Without a local who was familiar with the river, Hsieh Hyun-chen did not dare to let so many people rashly cross the ice. When Hsieh Hyun-chen had just mentioned this matter, many old fishermen of Qinghe Town had already volunteered. In the end, it was the mayor of Qinghe Town who brought the most experienced ferryman to personally lead the army.
Other than a few guides, Hsieh Hyun-chen did not tell anyone the time of departure. However, on the day of departure, there were still many people who came out to see them off. The mayor and the old fisherman who led them all the way to the other side of the river. If it were not for their stubbornness, the mayor would have wanted to send them to the next town.
When they stepped onto the river bank, the cavalry could move quickly. The mayor, Village Gentleman Zhao and the others reluctantly stopped and bowed deeply to the young men in front of them, "If we continue forward, we will not be in the territory of Qinghe Town. Prince saved Qinghe Town from disaster and now wants to go north to chase after the Northern Tribes. This old man has no way to repay you and can only bow three times to thank Your Highness. This old man and all the people of Qinghe Town will forever remember Prince and Princess' kindness. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen cupped his fists on the horse and said, "Thank you for your care over the past few days, Princess has been in Qingshui Town. The marching time cannot be delayed. Let us part ways here. "
"Prince, take care. We will wait by the Yellow River every day for Prince's victory and early return. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen looked behind him one last time. At this time, the sky was slightly bright. The grass and trees were covered in frost. The mountains in the distance were covered in a hazy fog. The Yellow River was like a silver belt that split the chaos and surged silently.
Eight thousand people followed behind him silently. On the other side of the river, many people dragged their families and raised their heads to look in their direction. Further away, Dongjing was like a sleeping baby that was about to start a day of noise.
Hsieh Hyun-chen turned back and without hesitation, he waved his whip and pointed to the north, "Let's go."
Everyone responded in unison. The cavalry mounted their horses and the infantrymen held their spears. Mu Mingtang sat in the carriage and felt the carriage shake for a moment. Then, it started to move unsteadily.
A maidservant stood by her side and asked, "Wangfei, where are we going?"
Mu Mingtang shook her head. She did not know either.
She silently bid farewell to Dongjing in her heart.
The next day, the news of Hsieh Hyun-chen's army moving out was sent to the imperial court. During the morning court, Xie Xuanji stood in the hall and heard the official report, "The Northern Tribes have retreated from the river. It seems that they suffered a great loss on the water and want to return to the land to recuperate. Yesterday, Prince An led eight thousand imperial guards and crossed the Yellow River to chase after the East Pill King. "
The courtier who spoke revealed a strong sense of incredulity. It was already unbelievable that eight thousand could defeat a hundred thousand. But the result was not only that, the East Pill King's hundred thousand army was being chased by eight thousand people?
Oh, right, Yelu Ji did not have a hundred thousand men left. On the first day of crossing the river, Yelu Ji had lost more than ten thousand men, and in the following days, Xie Xuanchen had injured some of his men. Now, Yelu Ji probably only had a little more than eighty thousand men left.
The imperial court had never encountered such a situation. They had always been the ones being chased and beaten. This was the first time it had happened.
Later on, the officials discussed whether they should counterattack. Some suggested that they should not pursue the enemy. The crisis in Dongjing had been resolved and there was no need to chase after the Northern Tribes. Others were worried that Yelu Ji would trick them and purposely retreat as a trap.
In the end, the conservative side of the imperial court was still the majority. Later on, everyone agreed that it was better to keep the hundred thousand imperial guards for self-protection. If Hsieh Hyun-chen needed reinforcements, he would ask for it from the imperial court.
Throughout the morning court, everyone kept talking about Hsieh Hyun-chen. And it was not just today. Ever since the Northern Tribes ambushed the border on New Year's Eve, everyone in the imperial court was talking about Hsieh Hyun-chen.
Xie Xuanji felt a sense of helplessness. During this period, the emperor had been promoting him vigorously. Even Xie Xuanji himself felt that he was a rare talent. However, forceful support wouldn't last long. Once there was any trouble, the true colors of those who had climbed up by themselves and those who had climbed up by force would be exposed.
Your brother was still your brother. If Hsieh Hyun-chen did not die, Xie Xuanji would never be able to make a name for himself.
Xie Xuanji was not in a good mood. The feeling of helplessness was like seaweed that tightly bound him, almost suffocating him. When he returned to the Prince's residence, he summoned a maid and asked, "Did anything happen in the residence today?"
These maids were the personal servants of Xie Xuanji. They only listened to Xie Xuanji's orders. They were the envy and fear of the women in the backyard. The leader of the maids had her hair tied into a woman's bun. She bowed and said, "Your Royal Highness, the masters in the backyard were peaceful today. They did not cause any trouble. Only the Princess Consort kept muttering that it was impossible after hearing the news of Prince An's victory. She seemed to be very surprised. "
Xie Xuanji was not surprised at all. These few days, the city was in a state of panic. The women in the backyard were all busy protecting their lives. They did not have the energy to fight among themselves. Xie Xuanji was not surprised by Jiang Mingwei's strange behavior.
Jiang Mingwei had been preparing to escape for a long time. When he heard the news of Sui City falling on New Year's Eve, he did not hide it and crazily stocked up on supplies. Jiang Mingwei's behavior clearly showed that he felt that the Capital could not be defended and would fall sooner or later. That was why he hurriedly prepared the things he needed to escape. Because of Jiang Mingwei's actions, the other people in the Imperial Residence were affected and became panicked.
Although Xie Xuanji was not happy that Jiang Mingwei had made it clear that he did not trust the Imperial Court, he tacitly approved of Jiang Mingwei's actions. It was better to be safe than sorry. If it really came to that, the more preparations Jiang Mingwei made now, the more chances Xie Xuanji had of surviving.
However, when the news of Hsieh Hyun-chen's victory reached the Capital, many people were shocked. Yelu Ji withdrew his troops. Dongjing's crisis was resolved. They did not need to escape. Xie Xuanji had tacitly approved of Jiang Mingwei's preparations to escape. Now that the crisis was resolved, Xie Xuanji's dark thoughts seemed to be suddenly exposed under the sun. It seemed especially filthy and wretched.
Xie Xuanji flew into a rage out of humiliation. He refused to admit that he was incompetent. Instead, he immediately pushed all the blame onto Jiang Mingwei. It was all Jiang Mingwei's fault for not seeing the big picture. The dignified Imperial Consort was actually so greedy for life and afraid of death. She had damaged the reputation of the Imperial Residence.
Xie Xuanji thought this way. The people below also followed suit. In fact, they were also secretly preparing to escape. However, nothing happened. Instead, everyone despised the Imperial Consort for being timid, afraid of death, and without integrity.
Jiang Mingwei did not know what the other people in the Imperial Residence thought of her. Right now, her mind was full of disbelief.
She had already prepared to escape. However, she suddenly heard that they won. Today, Hsieh Hyun-chen even chased after Yelu Ji across the river. In her previous life, it was clearly not like this.
Jiang Mingwei remembered very clearly that in her previous life, Yelu Ji had easily crossed the Yellow River and besieged Dongjing. He chased the Emperor and the others like stray dogs. Because of this merit, Yelu Ji became the most proud Wangye of the Northern Tribes. Even the Yelv Yan could not compete with him. When the Yelv Yan was fighting for the throne, Yelu Ji had also created a lot of trouble for him.
Why was the development completely different now?
Jiang Mingwei was astonished for a long time. In the end, almost numbly, he thought that it was because of Hsieh Hyun-chen. In her previous life, Hsieh Hyun-chen had died early from illness. Naturally, he could not fight and could not turn the tide at the critical moment. Just because of Hsieh Hyun-chen, even the general trend of history could be stopped by him and completely changed.
Jiang Mingwei had never been so confused. The plot of the Lantern Festival was gone. The plot of the peace negotiations was gone. Now, even the plot of the escape to the south was gone. In the book, Xie Xuanji's merits were all taken away. Did Xie Xuanji still have a part to play?
Although Hsieh Hyun-chen came to chase Yelu Ji and the others, it was taboo to be tired from marching. Hsieh Hyun-chen did not plan to chase after them. After crossing the river, he first went to the big city to replenish his food and reorganize his troops. Then, he brought enough food and water to Enzhou City.
Along the way, when the cities saw that Hsieh Hyun-chen had come, they were so grateful that they wanted Hsieh Hyun-chen to stay. They did not object to Hsieh Hyun-chen's request to enter the city. The news of Hsieh Hyun-chen going north to deal with the Northern Tribes had spread. Yelu Ji's 80,000 troops were still in Ye Dynasty. Apart from a few military towns, the other cities were in danger. They were more than happy to see Hsieh Hyun-chen come. What was food and equipment to him?
The Ye Dynasty did not have much ability other than money. Any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem. Also, if they did not give it to Hsieh Hyun-chen, when Yelu Ji came, it would be taken away. It was better to give it to Hsieh Hyun-chen as protection money.
Mu Mingtang also entered Enzhou City. When the Enzhou Zhizhou saw her, he was respectful and invited Mu Mingtang to stay in the Zhizhou Fu.
Mu Mingtang refused. She asked the Zhizhou to prepare another fu. It did not need to be luxurious or spacious. It only needed to be private, safe and clean.
The Zhizhou was regretful but not surprised. He wanted to use Mu Mingtang to get close to Hsieh Hyun-chen. But how could Hsieh Hyun-chen be at ease leaving his wang fei in someone else's territory? The Zhizhou had expected this result. However, even though Mu Mingtang said that there was no need to make a big fuss, the Zhizhou did not dare to let Mu Mingtang live in a private residence. He did his best to find a place that was not large but had exquisite facilities for Mu Mingtang to stay in.
After Mu Mingtang and the servant girls moved in, the servant girls looked around and were satisfied. "Even though the place is small, it is clear from north to south. The rooms are bright and there is a small garden. It is barely passable."
Mu Mingtang was probably the easiest to satisfy in this group of people. She actually felt that this place was already very good. When she heard the maid's words, Mu Mingtang silently swallowed her own evaluation and said, "We're outside right now, so don't be too picky. Go boil water. After traveling for an entire day, I am tired. "
The servant girl made a sound of acknowledgment and immediately left. When Mu Mingtang had first left the city, she had only taken five servant girls and a young Daoist. Now, there were more and more people serving her. Just the servant girls alone numbered more than ten.
Some of them were bought along the way, while others were given to her by the wives of the various city guards. In short, Mu Mingtang's army of supplies was growing larger and larger.
Mu Mingtang's army was still considered good. Hsieh Hyun-chen's army was expanding even more. After the news of Hsieh Hyun-chen heading north spread, there was a constant stream of people who came to join them. In every city and town, the local city guards would also take in a group of people.
When he left, there were only eight thousand people. Now, there were twenty thousand people.
Hsieh Hyun-chen went to check on the defenses of En Province City today. The scouts sent back news that Yelu Ji's army was nearby. It was likely that there would be a big battle in the near future.
This time, they did not have the geographical advantage. Yelu Ji would not underestimate the enemy. It would be a big battle.
En Province's Zhizhou had been worried for several days. Now that Hsieh Hyun-chen was taking over, he could not ask for anything more. Hsieh Hyun-chen was also fully in charge of mobilizing the city guards in En Province City.
However, Hsieh Hyun-chen went to check on the level of training of the city guards in En Province City. When he came back, he was extremely worried. Mu Mingtang had already bathed and changed his clothes. Seeing him come back with a dark expression, he went forward to help him remove his cloak and arm guard. He asked, "What's wrong? Who made you angry again?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen had a headache when he thought of this. He threw the cloak to the servant girl and walked inside with Mu Mingtang's shoulder. "It's those trash outside. I'm really curious. En Province City's annual military budget is not small. How can they train to this level? "
Mu Mingtang heard this and comforted him, "You can't use your own level to measure other people. If everyone in the Ye Dynasty was like you, then where would there be Northern Tribes and Western Xia? They wouldn't even be able to build a country. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen laughed when he heard this. It was strange to say that people outside also said similar things. However, those trash outside praised him for being brave and invincible. Hsieh Hyun-chen was so disgusted that he just wanted to pinch them to death. However, when Mu Mingtang said it, it was very pleasing to the ear.
Hsieh Hyun-chen felt like he was floating. Sure enough, his mood immediately improved. Hsieh Hyun-chen held Mu Mingtang in his arms. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his original decision was correct.
Now, he was training soldiers during the day. At night, when he came back from the barracks, he could still sleep with a warm and fragrant jade. If he hadn't brought Mu Mingtang with him, he would have been able to sleep for as long as he fought in this war.
It was really scary just thinking about it.
Hsieh Hyun-chen and Mu Mingtang talked for a while, then Mu Mingtang pushed him to take a bath. Before going to bed, Hsieh Hyun-chen's thoughts wandered. He asked for pleasure, but was rejected.
Mu Mingtang knew that the situation these days was very tense, so he didn't allow Hsieh Hyun-chen to pester him at night. He was very determined to let Hsieh Hyun-chen sleep more and rest more. Hsieh Hyun-chen's resistance was to no avail. He could only go to bed aggrievedly.
He felt that this was a double rejection of his body and mind.
Hsieh Hyun-chen was rejected for several days in a row. His entire person became irritable. He completely remembered Yelu Ji. If the enemy didn't want to attack him, then he would attack him. Since Yelu Ji didn't attack the city, then Hsieh Hyun-chen would take the initiative to attack him.
He had to quickly finish this matter and not affect his married life.
The news that Hsieh Hyun-chen wanted to take the initiative to attack caused a great commotion in En Province. En Province's Zhizhou had a bitter expression on his face. He repeatedly confirmed, "Prince, are you really going to lead the troops out?"
"That's right." Hsieh Hyun-chen said, "Yelu Ji's 80,000 soldiers are scattered outside. Who knows how many villages and lands they will bring disaster to. Sitting and waiting for death is not a solution. If he doesn't come, I'll go find him. "
The Zhizhou wanted to say something but hesitated, "But, En Province City …"
The Zhizhou was especially afraid that Hsieh Hyun-chen would be ambushed by Yelu Ji after he took away En Province's troops. Or worse, Hsieh Hyun-chen would be defeated by Yelu Ji. What would happen to En Province then?
Hsieh Hyun-chen saw through the Zhizhou's thoughts. He sneered, "You just need to close the city gates. Don't court death yourself. My Princess is still in the city. How can I let anything happen to En Province? "
The Zhizhou was immediately convinced. That's right, An Princess Consort was still there. The Zhizhou immediately felt very relieved. An Princess Consort was a living talisman. She was much more useful than the safety talisman in the temple.
The Zhizhou's heart was greatly relieved. Soon, Hsieh Hyun-chen led the troops out of the city. After he left the city, he turned back and looked deeply at the city gates.
His wife was behind him, waiting for him to return.
When his subordinate saw this, he asked, "Prince An, is it too rash for us to take the initiative to leave En Province City? This way, we might put En Province in danger. "
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