Chapter 362: Northern Army Attack

The allied forces of Xirong and Xiliang rode north and then west, chasing for a whole day, and met up with Xiao Zhuo's army ten miles west of Shengjing.

Snow began to fall at noon, and the allied forces braved the wind and snow as they advanced. By the time Shen Yuexi entered the An Wang army camp, the snow had already reached the horses' hooves. A group of soldiers passed by her, carrying firewood, nodding in greeting before heading toward a blazing bonfire in the distance.

"It's so cold," Shen Yuexi cupped her cold hands to her mouth, exhaled, and jumped off the horse with one leg. Someone came over and took the horse away. Not far away, Yang Cong and Xia Lan saw her and immediately ran over.

"Madam, our master is meeting with an envoy from the capital and can't get away. We came to pick you up first," Yang Cong reached out and brushed the snow off Shen Yuexi's shoulders. "Look at how heavy the snow is... Come into the tent and rest."

Xia Lan, who had been holding the hand warmer, handed it over and said, "The lord personally cooked the chicken soup for you. It's been warming on the stove."

Shen Yuexi grinned, thinking why chicken soup again. She took the hand warmer and held it in her hands and said, "Yang Cong, you just mentioned the envoy from the capital, how could there be an envoy from the capital?"

Yang Cong said: "I don't know much either, I just know that he is from the capital."

Seeing that Yang Cong didn't know, Shen Yuexi didn't ask any further questions. She told Xiao Zhuo to ask him himself after he was done. She said to Xia Lan, "Xia Lan, is that too much chicken soup?"

"A lot! The lord stewed a whole old hen, and the meat was melted."

"Then go call the two sisters over. They're both very cold and ate some bread on the way. Let's drink together."

Xiao Zhuo had already set up empty camps for both the Xirong and Xiliang armies next to the main camp. Before she entered, Mei Dai and Shen Lan had gone ahead to arrange for the two teams to set up camp and didn't come with her. She was tired of drinking chicken soup anyway, so she called them over to drink it together.

Xia Lan nodded in agreement, walked around Shen Yuexi, and asked, "Master, where is Liuli?"

"Look, this is it." Shen Yuexi puffed out her chest, and the parrot Liuli poked its head out from the felt wrapped around her chest.

Liuli's neck was as bald as an ostrich's. She was afraid the bird would freeze to death in the snow, so she took a piece of felt and wrapped it against her chest to keep it warm. Liuli was very sensible and seemed to know that this would keep her warm, so she didn't make any noises along the way.

"Oh my! You dare to put such a big bird in your arms? Who is the master?" Xia Lan screamed. "Its claws are so sharp. What if it kicks the child?"

"Liuli is very obedient...Hold it gently, or it will twist the back of your hand, which will hurt more than a pheasant's peck."

Xia Lan reached out and carried Liuli out, then took her to the nearby tent to feed her.

Shen Yuexi stood at the door of the tent. Yang Cong helped her take off her hood and cloak, shook off the snow on the cloak, and said, "Madam, please go in and warm yourself by the charcoal fire. I will go tell the master that you are back."

"Don't disturb him," Shen Yuexi jumped twice to shake off the snow on her feet, then lifted the thick cotton curtain and entered the tent, sitting down in front of the red-hot charcoal basin. "He's busy. First, give me a bowl of soup to warm my stomach."

The two armies were now engaged in battle, with Xiao Zhuo's army of 70,000 men against Xiao Beiheng's 300,000. She considered it immature to cling to Xiao Zhuo and show affection at such a crucial moment. She was a sensible and virtuous wife, not just a spoiled brat.

After drinking a large bowl of chicken soup with ginger slices, her stomach immediately warmed up. She was happily picking up a soft chicken wing and slurping the meat in her mouth when the curtain was lifted and Mei Dai and Shen Lan came in one after another.

"Sisters, you've worked hard. Come sit down and warm yourself by the fire." Shen Yuexi spat out the chicken bones in her mouth and said to the maid at the door, "Go and get two large bowls of chicken soup. Remember to put more meat in it."

Mei Dai took off her cloak and handed it to Xia Lan. She sat opposite Shen Yuexi and said with a smile, "Sister is the one who has to work the hardest. She has to run around everywhere with the child."

"There's nothing I can do," Shen Yuexi touched her bulging belly, "I can't just sit here and drink soup and eat meat like an idler every day."

After all the hardships she has gone through, she is no longer the same person she was before.

Mei Dai said, "Sister, this is what I admire most about you. I didn't know I could achieve this before, but you inspired me."

Chen Lan also sat down next to Shen Yuexi, stretched out her hands to warm herself by the fire and said, "The Queen once said that we women must be self-reliant and independent, and cannot be content to be vases. I asked the Queen what a vase is, and she said it was a word coined by her younger sister."

Shen Yuexi was about to drink her soup when she burst out laughing. She didn't invent this word; there were plenty of vases in her time.

"Sister, what are you baking that prosthetic hand for?"

"It's so cold that I'm frozen. I can't bend my fingers unless I melt the ice."

The maid brought chicken soup, and the three of them chatted while drinking. After a while, Shen Yuexi felt sleepy and yawned. She was not strong to begin with, and now that she was pregnant, she felt even more sleepy. Mei Dai and the others helped her to the bed, and she only had time to say hello to them before she fell into a deep sleep.

As she slept soundly, she felt a warm, solid body against her back. She drifted off into its embrace, and it quickly retreated. Without thinking, she pushed forward again, and it continued to retreat.

Plop! Something fell to the ground.

Shen Yuexi propped up her upper body with her elbows and opened her eyes to see that it was Xiao Zhuo who had fallen off the bed. She then looked at her own position, which was the edge of the bed.

What happened? I pushed my husband off the bed again. What a sin.

"Husband," she said with a full smile, "I...well...ahem, I have a bad sleeping posture...I can't change it."

"It's okay with me, as long as you don't squeeze the child." Xiao Zhuo slowly got up, dusted off the dust on his body, and got back into bed.

Shen Yuexi was also afraid of bumping into the child, so she leaned against Xiao Zhuo's arms with her back to him. She took Xiao Zhuo's hand and placed it on her belly: "It'll be fine as long as you don't press too hard. Don't keep it hanging in the air. If someone doesn't know, they'd think you and I are magnets of the same polarity."

"What are homopolar magnets?" Xiao Zhuo whispered in her ear, "Is it something from your world?"

"The principle of magnets is that like charges repel and opposite charges attract," Shen Yuexi turned her head and smiled at Xiao Zhuo. "It's not easy to understand in words, so I'll make one for you some other day. But Big Bear has consumed a lot of energy on Baixiu Mountain. Even though it's not turned off, it needs to be charged for a few days first."

"Sister told me everything you did on Mount Baixiu," Xiao Zhuo said with admiration. "When I learned that King Qianglin had rashly descended the mountain and lost ten thousand men, I knew that Mount Baixiu was untenable. You made the decision to retreat instead of defending it, preserving the strength of the Western Rong army. I admire you very much."

"No wonder Sister Mei came to pick us up." Shen Yuexi said.

Come to think of it, given Xiao Zhuo's experience, he would have fled immediately upon learning of the situation at Baixiu Mountain. Why would he have waited there for Xiao Beiheng to attack him? But why didn't Zhao Mu stop him? Also, judging by the army's intentions, it seems they're not planning to stay in Shengjing; they're retreating to Xiliang. I have to ask.

"Husband, I have two questions."

"Um?"

"The first one is... cough, can you please stop touching me and talk nicely... Yes, that's good. I also know that my husband retreated early to prevent his brother from cutting him off, but why didn't we go to Shengjing, but continued on to Xiliang?"

"We can't enter Shengjing," Xiao Zhuo propped his head up on his elbow, gently rubbing his palm on her belly. "It's an isolated city. If we camp there, my brother's army will surround us, and Xiliang's food supply will be cut off. With 70,000 of us and the tens of thousands of civilians in the city, we'll quickly run out of food and fodder."

"What if my brother wants to attack Seungkyung? There are no defenders there."

Shen Yuexi felt unhappy when she thought that this was her and Xiao Zhuo's base, and she was about to give it to Xiao Beiheng.

"No, my brother's goal is to annihilate us, not to capture Shengjing. In his eyes, Shengjing is an expendable target. Besides, Shengjing's outer city has not yet been built and cannot be used for defense. When I lead the army to retreat westward, the army's food supply has always been guaranteed. Food and fodder are the foundation of the army's survival and must not be lost."

Shen Yuexi finally understood Xiao Zhuo's intention and was about to ask another question about Zhao Mu when Xiao Zhuo said, "You're pregnant, so why didn't you take a car all the way here, but just rode a horse? Don't the Western Rong army have carriages?"

When Shen Yuexi heard Xiao Zhuo ask this, she immediately became unhappy.

"You're still asking that? Do you think I don't want to drive? But we retreated so hastily that we didn't even leave any candles in the car. It felt like we were in a dark room. The windows were also sealed shut with nails, and we didn't know where to find them to unlock them, so we had no choice but to ride Xiaobai away."

"I understand," Xiao Zhuo nodded sympathetically, "Don't be angry, as long as you can come back safely."

"That's right. I'm so wronged. I can't even drive a car. Marching and fighting is hard enough, and I really don't need to struggle with a broken carriage. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's get down to business. If we keep retreating west, my brother's 300,000 troops won't be reduced in the slightest. We can't keep going like this, can we?"

"No, what my brother has done is infuriating. He may seem powerful, but it won't last. It won't be long before the time for a decisive battle between our two armies arrives."

Shen Yuexi blinked: "Decisive battle?"

Xiao Zhuo asked, "Guess who sent the messenger today?"

"who?"

"Prime Minister."

Shen Yuexi perked up when she heard this, and sat up immediately and asked, "Why did the Prime Minister contact my husband? Does my brother know that he did this?"

Xiao Zhuo smiled slightly, crossed his arms behind his head, and said slowly:

"When I clashed with Zhao Mu, I noticed he seemed coerced by my brother. However, my brother must have spies planted within Zhao Mu's army, so I couldn't send anyone to communicate with him. It was the messenger sent by the Prime Minister who told me the truth: General Zhao Mu was forced to attack us, and my brother threatened the lives of his wife and children. These two facts, when verified, are enough to prove that this wasn't their strategy."

"Why would the Prime Minister do this? Isn't he my brother's subject?" Shen Yuexi asked doubtfully.

"My brother's means of obtaining the throne were far too cruel. He could only conceal it for a while, as truth will eventually come to light. The Prime Minister once led the ministers to seek veneration for our father's coffin, but was stopped by Empress Pei. They then conducted a private investigation," Xiao Zhuo gazed at the tent ceiling. "Although the Prime Minister discovered the truth, they were all civil servants and dared not make it public. This is something only I can do... This was also our father's last wish."

"My lord, there's urgent military information." Maid Xia Lan's voice echoed from outside the tent. "The Queen of Xiliang and the allied generals are already gathered in the general's tent."

Hearing the words "urgent military intelligence," Xiao Zhuo immediately jumped out of bed. Shen Yuexi followed suit, picking up her clothes and helping Xiao Zhuo dress. After Xiao Zhuo finished dressing, he kissed her on the forehead and said, "Rest in the tent. I'll take care of it."

It was just past two in the morning. Shen Yuexi knew the military situation was urgent and would not allow anyone to rest before coming back. Fortunately, she had a good sleep and felt much more refreshed. She escorted Xiao Zhuo out of the tent. After Xiao Zhuo left, she turned to Xia Lan and asked, "What happened?"

"General Zhao Mu seems to have been imprisoned by Xiao Beiheng. The enemy's Northern Army has now replaced its general and is marching towards us overnight. They will arrive tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning," Shen Yuexi murmured, "It's early morning now, which means we still have more than a day to respond."

The main road to Baixiu Mountain has been blocked by rocks. It would take a lot of time for Xiao Beiheng's Southern Army to cross Baixiu Mountain, both for climbing the mountain and clearing the road. Unexpectedly, Zhao Mu's Northern Army ran into trouble first.

Things are unpredictable. It seems that there will be a big battle outside Shengjing City.