After a round of lovemaking, Ito Sei held Zhao Ya's white and tender body. While playing with her soft and elastic chest, he asked softly, "What's the matter?"
"Two months ago, during brother's birthday, King Yan sent Li Wei of the Prime Minister to visit. At that time, Ya 'er hadn't seen husband yet, so there was no such prosperous scene. Therefore, the city was desolate. Li Wei thought that there was an opportunity and suggested to King Yan to attack Zhao after returning to Yan. "Zhao Ya, whose face was flushed, explained lazily.
"Although General Le Jian, Physician Jiang Qu, and the officials all objected, and even Physician Jiang Qu refuted the king, King Yan didn't listen and insisted on attacking Zhao according to Li Wei's suggestion. Therefore, he sent out two armies, two thousand carriages, and six hundred thousand men to attack. Among them, Li Wei will lead one, with about four hundred thousand soldiers to attack the northern part of Baixiang County. Qing Qin will lead the other, with two hundred thousand soldiers to attack the northern part of Songzi County. Yan Wang will lead the follow-up troops to follow. "
(I miscounted the five thousand soldiers in the previous chapter. This is the normal number. Above.)
"Now that the two cities have been conquered, the Yan army is entering Zhongshan. They will reach Fanbei and Fei soon."
During Zhao Ya's narration, Zhao Ni, Zhao Qian, Wu Tingfang, and Guo Xiu 'er listened to her quietly. It was apparent that they were very concerned about the battle ahead.
"What's the situation in the court?" Sei Itō asked.
"They are discussing whether to send General Lian Po or General Li Mu to lead the army. However, the conscription has already been sent to each city and they are currently gathering. " Zhao Ya moved her body to a more comfortable position in Sei Itō's arms and said softly.
"I wonder how many men will be left in Zhao after this. Don't tell me they won't be able to see it. "
When she said this, the atmosphere in the room became stagnant.
"Luckily, brother still remembers husband and specially let go of the boys studying in Julu Institute. He didn't force them to join the army, leaving Zhao with a bit of hope." Zhao Ya seemed to have noticed the atmosphere in the room, so she changed the topic in a relaxed tone.
"Haha." Sei Itō chuckled.
At this moment, Zhao Ya raised her head slightly and looked at Sei Itō's chiseled face as she asked softly, "Husband, what are your plans for this battle?"
Instantly, Zhao Ni, Zhao Qian, Wu Tingfang, and Guo Xiu 'er's gazes all landed on Sei Itō.
"Is there even a need to ask? Naturally, it's to fight for the military merits this time." Sei Itō pinched Zhao Ya's chest slightly and said with a smile, "This is a rare opportunity!"
"I knew that my husband would make such a choice." Zhao Ya sighed softly.
As one of the widows due to the war, Zhao Ya and Zhao Ni both sighed softly in their hearts.
Seeing this, the expression on Sei Itō's face slightly receded. He stretched out his arms and embraced Zhao Ya and Zhao Ni. His palms gently caressed them as he silently comforted them.
"Alright, let's sleep," Sei Itō said softly.
"Mm." Zhao Ya replied softly and closed her eyes. The others did not say anything and also closed their eyes to rest.
Not long after, the sound of even breathing could be heard in the room.
"The Yan Kingdom … I wonder what the Crown Prince Dan looks like now. He should have been born already, right?" Sei Itō thought to himself as he looked at the cloth canopy above the bed.
…
The next morning, after breakfast, Sei Itō, Zhao Ya, and the others left Madam Ya's residence in a carriage and rushed to Julu Academy. Then, they parted ways with Zhao Ya and the others who got off the carriage and headed straight to the palace.
Not long after, the carriage stopped in front of the palace. Sei Itō got off the carriage, tidied his clothes, and walked into the palace.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Julu requests an audience," a man who looked like an internal official bowed and said respectfully as he entered the Discussion Hall.
As soon as he said this, the noisy Discussion Hall immediately quieted down. It was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.
The internal official's heart tightened when he saw this. He could not help but feel some respect for the newly promoted Marquis of Julu.
"Quickly invite him in," King Zhao hurriedly said.
"Yes," the internal official replied and slowly left the hall. In the next moment, Sei Itō, dressed in black, walked into the hall.
While his back was facing the internal official, Sei Itō secretly gave King Zhao a look. King Zhao understood and said to the female servants, guards, and internal officials, "You are all dismissed."
"Yes." Everyone answered in unison and left the main hall.
After all the unrelated people had left, the officials, doctors, and King Zhao, who was sitting on the main seat, immediately prostrated themselves and shouted, "Greetings, My Lord."
"Get up." Standing in the middle of the hall, Ito Sei said softly.
"Shua." Everyone straightened up.
"Are you discussing the candidates for the general to fight against Yan?" Sei Itō asked after everyone was seated.
"Yes," King Zhao replied on behalf of the officials in the hall.
"There's no need to discuss. I will personally lead the army in this Kingdom War," Sei Itō said loudly.
"Your Majesty's body is priceless. How can you go to such a dangerous place?!" King Zhao exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, Your Majesty, please retract your order," the other officials also tried to persuade him.
"There's no need to persuade me. I have already made up my mind," Sei Itō said.
"Yes," King Zhao and the other officials had no choice but to lower their heads and agree.
"Also, I will prepare my own army this time. There's no need for Zhao to send a single soldier. You can all reject the previous conscription order. After all, there are not enough men in Zhao. We can't afford to be tossed around like this, "Sei Itō said again.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for helping Zhao." King Zhao bowed and said gratefully.
"Alright, get someone to announce it to the public later. Three days later, I will lead the army and depart from Julu. During this time, I will not receive any orders, "Sei Itō said.
"Yes," King Zhao replied respectfully.
As for the last point, King Zhao, who was already under Sei Itō's control, wouldn't dare to give any orders to Sei Itō. At most, he would send a letter to ask. Hence, it was pointless to say anything. However, it could be considered a warning in advance. This was to prevent Yan Capital from being unprepared when his army broke through.
After saying this, Sei Itō didn't stay in the palace any longer. He turned and left the palace, passing through the long courtyard and arriving in front of the palace. Just as he was about to board the carriage, a panting voice sounded from afar.
"Marquis Julu, wait …"
Sei Itō stopped and turned to look in the direction of the voice. In the blink of an eye, the figure of a delicate and pretty female servant appeared before his eyes. She held onto her skirt with both hands and quickly walked over.
A moment later, the female servant arrived in front of Sei Itō.
"This servant greets Marquis Julu." The female servant took two deep breaths to calm herself down before bowing.
"What is it?" Sei Itō raised his eyebrows and asked.
"Marquis, the Queen has invited you," the female servant replied.
Sei Itō raised his eyebrows in surprise and said calmly, "Lead the way."
"Marquis, please follow this servant," the female servant said. Then, she took a step forward and led Sei Itō deeper into the palace.
Although the palace during the Warring States Period was not as luxurious as the later dynasties, the scenery inside was not inferior at all. There were red flowers and green plants, and short trees could be seen everywhere. Under the decoration of the palace, it was very beautiful.
Just like this, Sei Itō and the female servant walked past a restricted line and stepped into the inner palace. Finally, they arrived at a courtyard with flowers and grass. It looked like a courtyard in the palace.
The female servant walked forward and led Sei Itō into a room in the courtyard.
The space in the room was very large, more than a hundred square meters. Four thick, dark red pillars stood in the middle of the room, supporting the roof. Gauze curtains made of high-quality cicada silk were casually placed, dividing the slightly spacious room and adding a gentle and beautiful temperament to the room.
A beautiful upper-class woman who was no more than thirty years old, who had a graceful and luxurious appearance and a pair of majestic phoenix eyes, who was not as beautiful as Zhao Ya and Zhao Ni, was still above average in terms of beauty. She leaned against a soft cushion on a long couch and looked at him with a calm and dignified gaze.
It was Han Jing, who was born in Korea and was the descendant of King Zhao.
"This servant greets the Queen." Sei Itō cupped his hands and bowed.
"No need for formalities, Marquis Julu," Han Jing raised her arm and said calmly.
Sei Itō stood up and asked straightforwardly, "May I know why the Queen has summoned me?"
Han Jing sat up and looked at Sei Itō with a dignified and sharp gaze. "From what the King has said, Marquis Julu wants to be the commander and lead the army to fight against the Yan army?"
"Yes." Sei Itō smiled.
"Marquis Julu, have you learned the art of war?" Han Jing frowned at Sei Itō's performance and asked.
"Although I am not proficient, I have read all the moves of Sun Tzu, Liu Tao, and Tai Gong," Sei Itō replied.
"Then have you ever led the army?" Han Jing frowned and asked again.
"No." Sei Itō replied. At the same time, he added in his heart, "At least not in this world."
"Then how dare you ask the King to be the commander of the army! Could it be that Marquis Julu wants to learn from Zhao Kuo and cause trouble for the Zhao Kingdom?! "Han Jing said angrily.
So this was where the problem lay. Queen Han Jing was afraid that Ito Naruto would be like Zhao Kuo, who was an armchair strategist. He would harm the Zhao Kingdom, which was already in a precarious situation, and make it even more dangerous.
"Then does the Queen know that the soldiers I brought this time were all self-recruited? I did not use a single soldier from the Zhao Kingdom!" Sei Itō asked.
"You are alone. How can you recruit soldiers? You are still a citizen of the Zhao Kingdom! What is the difference between this and the King giving you the order to recruit soldiers! "Han Jing reprimanded loudly.
Although she was in the palace, she was still clear about some things in the kingdom. Therefore, she knew a little about Sei Itō's situation. However, she did not know everything, so it was inevitable that she made a wrong judgment.
"Of course there is a difference." Sei Itō smiled.
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