Chapter 433: Return to Beijing

When Chen Fenghe was about to take out the horse from the space, a shout suddenly came from afar: "Your Highness!"

The two turned around and saw Luo Yan and the Divine Fire Camp rushing over!

Xiao Yunshuo ordered the two soldiers of the Divine Fire Camp to take Shen Yichuan and Shen Qingxing respectively and return to the Dayu Army camp first. Then, while commanding the Divine Fire Camp to fight against the Beirong cavalry, he pulled Shen Fenghe onto his horse.

Although Chen Fenghe felt a little embarrassed, the people Luo Yan brought with him did not have any extra horses, so there was no other way.

Luo Yan handed a firearm and gunpowder in a cowhide bag to Xiao Yunshuo.

Chen Fenghe asked, "Are there any extra ones?"

Luo Yan was stunned for a moment and looked at Xiao Yunshuo.

Xiao Yunshuo nodded, and Luo Yan then handed Chen Fenghe a set of firearms and gunpowder.

These soldiers of the Divine Fire Camp have all undergone rigorous training. They are excellent in riding and shooting. Even on the bumpy backs of horses, they can accurately injure or kill the enemy.

However, even the most elite Divine Fire Battalion, with only dozens or hundreds of people, was trying to fight against tens of thousands of fierce cavalry. Not to mention the firearms of this dynasty that took time to produce gunpowder, even modern sophisticated pistols and machine guns were a pipe dream.

Therefore, their main purpose in fighting was not to repel the enemy, but to delay the enemy's attack.

The Northern Rong were renowned for their swift and sudden cavalry attacks. The longer their offensive could be delayed, the more time the Dayu army would have to prepare.

The troops of the Divine Fire Camp fought and retreated, and soon the Dayu Army, commanded by Mu Xuan, finally reorganized its battle formation.

Xiao Yunshuo, Chen Fenghe and the people from the Divine Fire Camp quickly retreated behind the Dayu army, while the Dayu army's cavalry also engaged in a head-on battle with the Beirong cavalry.

Yuan Xu came forward and said, "Your Highness, the Empress and His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince have been brought back to the camp safely. The Grand Prince of Beirong is also in our hands."

He was left behind by Xiao Yunshuo at the hostage exchange site, with the mission of protecting Qin Mengyue and Xiao Yunhao and bringing them safely back to Dayu Camp. As for the fate of the Northern Rong Grand Prince, he didn't care.

Because judging from the current situation, the Great Prince of Beirong is more useful alive than dead.

Therefore, when Xiao Yunshuo heard that the Grand Prince was still in Dayu's hands, he couldn't help but be stunned and looked over inquiringly.

Yuan Xu whispered, "Not long after the Northern Rong prince left with the remaining Northern Rong people, he returned wounded, saying that the Northern Rong people wanted to kill him..."

After hearing this, Xiao Yunshuo understood.

The people Zhao Ye brought with him were all his trusted aides. If the Prince of Beirong followed them back, wouldn't that be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth?

After Zhao Ye's confidant killed the eldest prince on the way to redeem the hostages, Zhao Ye, the second prince, became the legitimate heir of Beirong. He would then put the blame for the eldest prince's death on Dayu, saying that Dayu did not keep his promise, and he could also make the whole of Beirong united against the enemy.

It really is... a good plan that kills several birds with one stone!

Fortunately, although the Great Prince of Beirong was a little stupid, he was not completely a fool. He actually knew to escape back to Dayu.

If he fled towards Beirong, he would not be able to escape Zhao Ye's plan and would surely die, but escaping to Dayu was indeed the only way to survive.

At this time, General Chen, a member of the Dayu army, spoke up, "Your Highness, the Northern Rong are treacherous and don't keep their promises. Why don't we kill them and place their heads before the battle? This will surely boost the morale of our Dayu army and we'll be able to eliminate every last one of these Northern Rong villains!"

When two armies clash, beheading a general from the opposing side can indeed boost morale. Furthermore, this is the Great Prince of the Northern Rong, nominally the future Great Khan of the Northern Rong!

Therefore, General Chen's proposal was by no means groundless.

Chen Fenghe suddenly spoke up, "Your Highness, killing the Northern Rong prince will certainly boost morale, but not killing him is the long-term strategy that will benefit us, Dayu."

General Chen, standing by, was very dissatisfied and said, "Your Highness, I, Old Chen, speak my mind without fear of offending you, but it is best to leave the matters on the battlefield to Your Highness and the generals. Your Highness has been frightened, so it would be best if you could return to your tents and rest."

Chen Fenghe glanced at General Chen and said, "General Chen, I know that General Chen has been fighting against the Northern Rong for many years and knows their soldiers and generals like the back of his hand. I would like to ask, General Chen, who is the best fighter in the Northern Rong army?"

General Chen, feeling a bit pleased with the compliment, said, "Of course it's Beirong's Second Prince Zhao Ye. That bastard's tactics are truly unpredictable. I, Old Chen, have suffered many losses at his hands. This time, I will definitely kill that bastard myself..."

He always called the Khan of Beirong a dog thief, so Zhao Ye was naturally a dog cub.

Chen Fenghe felt like laughing when she heard him scold her, but she suppressed it and said, "Since General Chen has also suffered at the hands of Zhao Ye, then he must not want to see Zhao Ye become the Khan of the Northern Rong, right?"

"Of course! If he becomes the Great Khan, it will be difficult to defend our borders! But it won't be his turn anyway. Isn't there a Grand Prince?"

"What if the Great Prince of Beirong was killed by Dayu to boost the morale of the army?"

General Chen finally realized what was happening. He slapped his thigh and said, "Oh! How could I, Old Chen, have forgotten about this? If the Big Dog dies, then doesn't that mean that the Second Dog Zhao Ye will be the Great Khan? Isn't that just like our Big Yu, the Crown Prince..."

At this point, General Chen came to his senses, slapped his mouth, and knelt down to apologize, saying, "Your Highness, I spoke without restraint. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"

Xiao Yunshuo was both angry and amused. He asked him to stand up and said, "I know General Chen is straightforward, that's fine. But the Crown Princess's analysis was spot-on. Are you convinced, General Chen?"

General Chen chuckled and said, "The Crown Princess is just as far-sighted as Your Highness. I'm impressed. As for that dog-like Prince, I, Old Chen, will definitely send him back to the Northern Rong. Let them fight each other for the position of Khan! It would be best if the dog-like Prince could defeat the second-in-command. That would be a relief!"

Chen Fenghe did not agree with General Chen's idea of ​​letting the Grand Prince become the Khan of Beirong. Of course, even if Dayu sent the Grand Prince back to Beirong safely, he would most likely not be able to defeat Zhao Ye and would eventually die.

Moreover, Zhao Ye becoming the Khan of Beirong might be a good thing for the people of Dayu in the long run.

Dayu was governed by Xiao Yunshuo, and the country was originally rich and strong. No matter how powerful Zhao Ye was, the Northern Rong would not be able to capture Yanmen Pass and rule the Central Plains.

If the Great Prince becomes the Great Khan, he may rely on his brutality and ferocity to invade and harass the people in the border towns of Dayu and will never make peace with Dayu. If Dayu wants to completely defeat the Beirong and drive them to the bitter and cold land further north, it will need to exhaust the entire country's strength to purchase food and military supplies.

Warmongering can allow a country to gain a wider territory, receive homage from all directions, and make the emperor's name go down in history, but for the people, it will actually lead to more exorbitant taxes, more corvee labor and military service, which is absolutely a hardship for the people.

But if Zhao Ye becomes the Khan, both Zhao Ye and Xiao Yunshuo are smart people. After weighing the pros and cons, they may sit down and reach a peace agreement between the two countries and open up trade.

Even though this peace may only last for a few decades at most, it is a real blessing for the people of both countries.

The real reason why Chen Fenghe thought Zhao Ye was the Great Khan and agreed to send the Great Prince back to Dayu was,

Xiao Yunshuo has now revealed his identity and is even half-threatening to force the second prince to hand over the tiger talisman and military power. This is simply treason to Emperor Yucheng.

Emperor Yucheng would never let this matter go.

If Xiao Yunshuo wants to return to the palace safely and become the crown prince again, he will probably have to resort to the name of "clearing the court".

By then, Dayu would be in civil strife, and Beirong - Chen Fenghe guessed that the Khan had been killed by Zhao Ye. If the Grand Prince was also dead, then Zhao Ye would legitimately ascend the throne as the new Khan. With his military talent, he would certainly take advantage of the civil strife in Dayu and march south again.

If it really comes to that, Xiao Yunshuo will be attacked from all sides and his situation will be extremely difficult.

Therefore, for long-term considerations, the best scenario would be to allow the Northern Rong to also experience civil unrest. Although the Grand Prince was foolish, he had many supporters. Once he returned safely to the Northern Rong, it would take at least several years for Zhao Ye to achieve victory and become the Great Khan.

By then, Xiao Yunshuo must have ascended the throne as emperor.

She did not tell Xiao Yunshuo about these considerations in detail.

On the way back, she had already told Xiao Yunshuo that she saw Zhao Ye's confidant disguised as the Grand Prince and sneak into the tent of the Khan of Beirong.

With his shrewdness and intelligence, his analysis and prediction of the current situation is probably more long-term and thorough than hers, so she doesn't need to say more.

The reason why she interrupted just now was because as Xiao Yunshuo, refuting General Chen's reasonable advice would probably leave some resentment no matter what her original intention was.

Moreover, the ordinary soldiers in the army would probably not understand why the Great Prince of Beirong, who had killed so many of Dayu's compatriots, should be sent back safely. Over time, Xiao Yunshuo's prestige would be damaged.

Therefore, she acted like a bad person and told the reason. Even if someone didn't understand it in the future, they could blame her for misleading the master with evil words and being too soft-hearted.

Chen Fenghe raised her eyes to look at Xiao Yunshuo, but found that he was also looking at her with burning and affectionate eyes, and she couldn't help blushing.

"Your Highness, if there is nothing else, I will go see the Queen Mother and His Highness the Ninth Prince first. Your Highness, please be careful."

She would not join in the next battle to avoid exposing too much.

Xiao Yunshuo thought she was probably worried about her younger siblings, so he nodded and said, "Yes. I'll be back soon."

After finally meeting again, the two did not have time to say anything personal. They just looked at each other and gave each other a few simple instructions.

Xiao Yunshuo stayed at the front line to fight the enemy with Dayu Army, while Chen Fenghe returned to the tent to meet Qin Mengyue, Xiao Yunhao, and Shen Yichuan and Shen Qingxing who were brought back by the people from the Divine Fire Camp.

Because they had received advance warning from Shen Fenghe and Xiao Yunshuo was in command, although Dayu was hasty in preparation, Beirong's surprise attack did not gain them any advantage.

The two sides temporarily ceased fighting, but the Beirong army did not retreat. It was obvious that Zhao Ye was unwilling to return in defeat and was still waiting for the opportunity to plan the next attack.

That night, a message came from the dark chamber.

When Emperor Yucheng learned that Xiao Yunshuo had only faked his death and dared to detain Xiao Yuncong and take away the military power of the Tiger Seal, he was furious. He had already issued an imperial decree, which was sent to Yanmen Pass at an express speed of 800 miles, ordering Xiao Yunshuo to immediately return the military power of the Tiger Seal and return to Beijing to apologize!

It only takes three days to travel 800 miles from the capital to Yanmen Pass by express train. Once the imperial edict arrives, Xiao Yunshuo will be in a passive position.

If he did not return to the capital, he would be disobeying the imperial order. Even if he led the army back to the palace in the future, he would still not be able to escape the stigma of forcing the emperor to abdicate and usurping the throne.

If he returns to the capital, he will face the death penalty for his malicious intent to seize military power. Moreover, the Northern Rong can take advantage of his absence to launch another surprise attack!

Maybe Zhao Ye got the news, so he lingered there?

Xiao Yunshuo pondered for a moment and issued two orders.

One is to order Dayu to inform the spies in the Beirong army to spread the news that the Beirong Khan has died and was killed by the second prince of Beirong.

Secondly, he let his subordinates let the Northern Rong prince go due to negligence. Before leaving, he did not forget to carelessly "reveal" to him that Zhao Ye had sent his confidant to pretend to be his subordinates and kill the Northern Rong Khan.

Xiao Yunshuo even sent a master from the Dark Chamber to escort the Grand Prince back to the Beirong camp safely, and let all the Beirong soldiers and generals know the news of his safe return.

At dawn, the Northern Rong army indeed broke out into a melee. Zhao Ye was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength. Seeing that his planned plan was about to fail, he could only temporarily retreat eastward with his trusted troops in order to preserve his strength and compete with the Northern Rong Prince for the position of Khan.

Dayu was a little confused when he saw that the Beirong army was fighting as if they were risking their lives yesterday, but they were retreating due to internal strife today.

"Your Highness, there is chaos within the Beirong army. We can take advantage of this opportunity to pursue them and drive them out of Mobei!" General Chen said excitedly.

Before Xiao Yunshuo could say anything, Mu Xuan disagreed, saying, "General Chen, don't pursue a desperate enemy. The Northern Rong army was so ferocious yesterday, and now they're acting like this. It's very likely a conspiracy trap, waiting for us to fall into. Furthermore, this war has been going on for over a month. Even if we still have sufficient food and fodder, our soldiers are already exhausted. We should temporarily cease fighting and let them rest and recuperate before making plans for the next step."

This was exactly what Xiao Yunshuo was thinking, so he said, "General Chen is devoted to restoring our Great Yu territory, and his loyalty is evident. However, what General Mu said also makes sense. In my opinion, we should all rest a little."

The other generals all agreed.

This was how the matter was settled.

Xiao Yunshuo went to visit Xiao Yuncong in his tent. Ever since Xiao Yunshuo had kidnapped Xiao Yuncong and obtained the tiger talisman, Xiao Yuncong had been under house arrest in the tent.

Seeing Xiao Yunshuo now, Xiao Yuncong couldn't help but feel a little scared. He smiled apologetically and said, "Brother...Brother, I heard that you led the army to victory. You are indeed worthy of being the God of War of Dayu. I admire you so much!"

He was now afraid that Xiao Yunshuo would bring up the past, reveal the secret agreement he had reached with Beirong after being captured, and then use some excuse to kill him.

If he really wants to kill, the emperor is far away and not even his father can save him!

Xiao Yunshuo smiled gently and said, "Second brother, you are too kind. On behalf of the people of Dayu, I would like to thank you for your understanding of justice. After learning that I was still alive, you disobeyed the imperial decree and voluntarily handed over the tiger talisman to me. Only then was I able to lead the men of Dayu and repel the attack of the Northern Rong bandits. You played a great role in Dayu's victory. When we return to the court, I will report this to the emperor and ask him to reward you generously."

Xiao Yuncong: “???”

When had he disobeyed the imperial decree and voluntarily handed over the tiger talisman to him? Didn't he threaten him with a knife and forcefully take it away?

Seeing that he was unaware of the current situation, Xiao Yunshuo's eyes dimmed and he said calmly, "Second brother has volunteered to lead the army to fight against the Northern Rong. His courage is commendable. However, he lacks experience. If the dignified commander Dayu is captured by the Northern Rong and returns to the court, Sixth brother will inevitably make sarcastic remarks and even spread rumors to our father. There will even be rumors that Second brother retreated from Yanmen Pass and ordered his confidants to open Yanmen Pass..."

Xiao Yuncong suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, as if he understood something...

Xiao Yunshuo paused deliberately before continuing, "However, I can testify for my Second Brother. He retreated, firstly, to confuse the Northern Rong bandits, and secondly, because he knew I was still alive. Therefore, he led his army back to Yuncheng and handed it over to me. This allowed me to triumphantly pursue the Northern Rong army, driving them out of Yanmen Pass and even reclaiming the cities of Huaining and Shuozhou. Compared to this great achievement, the mistakes he made earlier can be completely ignored. Second Brother, you say... is that so?"

Xiao Yuncong finally understood what was going on. He immediately knelt down and said confidently, "Thank you, my Royal Brother, for explaining this to me. I know my experience in leading troops in battle is limited, and I can't compare to yours. So, when I learned you were still alive, I was overjoyed and offered you the Tiger Talisman. That's how we were able to repel the Northern Rong army. My contribution was insignificant, so I can't take any credit for it. This great victory was entirely thanks to your Royal Brother and the bravery of your men!"

Xiao Yunshuo nodded in satisfaction, smiled, and helped Xiao Yuncong to his feet, saying, "Second brother, please stand up quickly. Why are you and I still refusing each other? When we return to the capital, we will report to the emperor. The emperor will never blame you for calling out the tiger talisman without permission. Instead, he will reward you for your military achievements!"

After coming out of Xiao Yuncong's tent, Xiao Yunshuo returned to his own tent.

Chen Fenghe was using a knife to cut the roasted lamb brought by the food logistics soldiers into small pieces.

These were freshly slaughtered sheep, roasted over a campfire until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, oozing with fat. They were then delivered to each tent. In addition to the roasted lamb, there were also baked cakes and boiled milk tea.

Although milk tea is a common food for the Beirong people, many people in the towns on the border of Dayubei also herd cattle and sheep and have this kind of food tradition.

Seeing Xiao Yunshuo coming in, Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "The milk tea will be ready soon, Your Highness, please wait a moment...ah!"

Before she could finish her words, Xiao Yunshuo had already picked her up and carried her sideways onto the fur-covered bed beside him.

Although they met, Xiao Yunshuo was focused on the war day and night and didn't even have time to sleep, so it was naturally impossible for them to have sex as a couple.

Now that the civil strife in Beirong has finally subsided and the military crisis has been resolved, it's time for him to start eating meat.

"Your Highness, it's still daytime..."

This is a tent, with only a thin layer of felt cloth separating the inside and the outside. Any movement can be heard clearly from outside...

"Don't worry, I've already given the order, no one will come in." Xiao Yunshuo saw that she was wearing the men's military uniform of Dayu soldiers, with a man's bun on her head, and no makeup. She was not as gentle and delicate as ordinary women in women's clothes. Instead, she had a bit of heroic charm. He felt really uncomfortable. How could he let go of her just because it was daytime?

"Then... Your Highness, aren't you hungry?"

He had been paying attention to military affairs and the war before, but he hadn't eaten much. She didn't believe that he wasn't hungry.

While untying her armor, he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards something, saying with a smile, "First, take care of your hunger here, then your stomach. Your stomach can wait..."

Chen Fenghe's palms were burning, and her cheeks were even hotter, so she just let him do whatever he wanted.

It was unknown how long it was before Xiao Yunshuo stood up and asked for hot water to be brought in.

After the two of them had simply cleaned up, Chen Fenghe asked, "Your Highness has won the battle. When will you lead the army back to the palace? The sooner you return to the palace, the better. Otherwise, there will be more trouble."

Returning to Beijing in the name of "clearing the court" is the worst plan.

Now that the Northern Rong were in chaos and retreated on their own, Dayu not only defended Yanmen Pass, but also took back the important military town of Huaining Shuozhou that had been occupied by the Northern Rong for many years. This can be said to be a great victory.

Being able to lead the army back to the capital to report to the emperor in the name of a victorious army was legitimate, and even Emperor Yucheng could not find a reason to refuse.

When Xiao Yunshuo went to see Xiao Yuncong, Shen Fenghe knew it was about this matter. Judging from Xiao Yunshuo's expression, he must have persuaded Xiao Yuncong.

As long as Xiao Yuncong admitted that he "knew he was incompetent and took the initiative to hand over the tiger talisman to the prince", then Emperor Yucheng's so-called crime of stealing the tiger talisman with the intention of treason could no longer be imposed on Xiao Yunshuo.

If Emperor Yucheng insisted on doing so, then Xiao Yunshuo could lead the army to "clear the emperor's side" and march south to the capital on the grounds that Emperor Yucheng believed the slanderous words against the prince and must have been deceived by treacherous officials.

At this moment, the An Cabinet should have spread the news of the Crown Prince's victory in defeating the Northern Rong army to the entire country of Dayu as quickly as possible.

With the promotion of Xie Gao and his disciples, scholars all over the world were talking about this matter. Some wrote poems and essays to praise this victory, some wrote memorials to be sent to the capital to be submitted to the emperor, and some wrote them into vernacular novels and gave them to storytellers to tell in teahouses and taverns.

With such public opinion spreading, it was hard for the legendary story of the prince not being dead and appearing like a god from heaven, leading the Dayu army to defeat the Beirong, not to be known to everyone from princes and ministers to peddlers and hawkers.

With such military achievements, Xiao Yunshuo would not be criticized by the world even if he "cleared the court". Instead, people would think that he was a righteous army.

After all, only a tyrant who has been deceived by treacherous officials would kill the heroes who won the battle and saved the people of Da Yu on trumped-up charges. Such a tyrant should be "purged from the court"!

Xiao Yunshuo nodded and said, "The army will rest for half a day and then set out tonight to enter Yanmen Pass and return to the capital."

Emperor Yucheng's urgent imperial edict, which traveled eight hundred miles, clearly stated that Xiao Yunshuo must hand over the tiger talisman and return to Beijing immediately for trial. According to information from the Secret Cabinet, he would probably arrive at Yanmen Pass early tomorrow morning and here in the afternoon tomorrow.

The capital must be taken back, but Xiao Yunshuo has no intention of handing over the tiger talisman.

Therefore, there is no need to accept this imperial edict.

Of course, not accepting the answer does not mean you have to refuse it, as that would be disobeying the emperor's order.

However, the army always perfectly "misses" the imperial envoy who delivers the imperial decree. Isn't that God's will?

Therefore, the next day, when the minister arrived at the place where the army was originally stationed, he only saw a team of troops to relieve the pressure. He felt both devastated and relieved.

He collapsed because his duty was to convey the imperial edict. If he couldn't pass it on and missed the deadline, he would be in danger of losing his life.

The good news is that if the content of this imperial edict were to be successfully passed on, he would probably be despised and scolded by the whole world, and it would even be written into history books, and he might be infamous for thousands of years!

The imperial envoy was in a great dilemma, but he could only "chase" the army.

But, for some reason, he always missed it perfectly.

In addition to this one, Emperor Yucheng issued several other imperial edicts, all of which, without exception, required Xiao Yunshuo to hand over the tiger talisman and ride alone into the capital as soon as possible.

The only difference is that the content of scolding Xiao Yunshuo for deceiving the emperor is gone, and instead it is replaced by emotional cards such as commending him for his military achievements and wanting to reward him, or knowing that he is still alive, the father is very excited and wants to see the emperor as soon as possible.

These are just tricks to fool three-year-old children.

Xiao Yunshuo was not a three-year-old child, so he was naturally not fooled. Those imperial envoys still could not find Xiao Yunshuo, and they could not even find the shadow of the 100,000-strong army!

Occasionally, they would find him, but before they even saw Xiao Yunshuo, he would be beaten black and blue by the people below as a liar.

Half a month later, the 100,000-strong army had arrived at the foot of the capital.