Chapter Twenty-Six

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Wang immediately raised her head, her bright eyes and white teeth gazing intently at Mo Yinghuo.

"The Iron Pagoda, trained by the Marquis, is a rare elite force. I also cherish talent. If the Marquis agrees to lead the Iron Pagoda into my Yunzhao Army, I will naturally inform the Emperor that the Marquis will remain the commander-in-chief of the Iron Pagoda." Mo Yinghuo paused, glanced at the Empress Dowager, and smiled, "Empress Dowager, you will also return to Yunxiu Kingdom with us. Rest assured, I will personally petition the Emperor to prepare a comfortable and pleasant courtyard for you with the style of Dongliang."

Upon hearing this, Marquis Haitang was startled. The curved sword hanging at his neck slowly slid down to his waist, lying limply in the hand of the once-glorious woman. He glanced at the Queen Mother, who also glanced at him. Then, Marquis Haitang sheathed the sword, gave a cold laugh, and said, "Princess, didn't you say you had one condition? There's more than one."

Mo Yinghuo gave an easy "Oh," waved her hand, and a sly smile appeared on her lips. "Is that so? Okay, then one will do. The first one will suffice. As for the Empress Dowager..." She paused deliberately, glanced at the Empress Dowager who was still kneeling on the ground, and said casually and without revealing her true feelings, "Kill her."

Marquis Haitang seemed to have anticipated the Princess's words. He glanced around at the Ironclad Pagoda soldiers, now stripped of their heavy armor, then looked at the pitiful-looking Empress Dowager beside him, his gaze sharp as a hawk. He knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and said, "I will obey the Princess's commands! However..."

Mo Yinghuo gestured for Captain Chen to help him up, thinking to herself, "Just as I thought, this woman is truly more important to this Marquis Haitang than his own life." Then, as if she had already anticipated the Marquis Haitang's concerns, she spoke up, "This princess knows that surrendered soldiers are easy to capture but difficult to capture their hearts. Your Highness can let them choose for themselves. However, this princess would like to remind Your Highness of one point: the defeat of Dongliang was not entirely due to Yunxiu Kingdom. There are personal and national grudges. If it weren't for these 50,000 Iron Cavalry repeatedly invading the borders of Yunxiu Kingdom and oppressing the people of Yunxiu Kingdom, Yunxiu Kingdom would not have sent troops to attack."

"However, now it seems that you can guess who these 50,000 Ironclad Cavalry were loyal to in the first place, and who Marquis Haitang was acting on orders from. We have a common enemy. Aren't you curious about who is manipulating you? Don't you want to truly avenge Dongliang? Therefore, you don't need me to teach you how to get your men to follow you. You will think about it carefully on your own."

The Empress Dowager raised her eyes, her long eyebrows like painted flowers, and looked up at the princess who was about the same age as her son. Her eyes were full of melancholy and surprise. She suddenly remembered the conversation between the two people who always dressed in black and white, controlled the Eastern Liang King's temple, and called themselves people of Shiling Kingdom.

"Look at her delicate and beautiful face, what lies hidden beneath is a ruthless heart and a far-sighted strategist."

Sensing the Empress Dowager's gaze, Mo Yinghuo slowly stepped forward, humbly and politely helping her up, his face smiling. "Empress Dowager, please accept my condolences. When the King of Dongliang was dying, he had two last wishes: one was for me to spare the 50,000 Iron Cavalry, and the other was to avenge his elder brother and father. I have already spoken about the 50,000 Iron Cavalry. As for the matter of revenge, it depends on the Empress Dowager's decision."

She deliberately avoided speaking directly, neither explicitly nor implicitly, her words veiled yet clear. It was as if she were trying to fathom people's hearts, or perhaps bewitching them, elegantly digging a hole and then drawing you in willingly. Her words were dignified and appropriate, neither diminishing the prestige of Yunxiu Kingdom nor tarnishing the shame of Dongliang's fall. Commander An, listening from the side, secretly admired her, his kind and gentle expression transforming into an even more profound one.

Empress Dowager Wang regained her senses, her slender frame revealing a resolute determination. "I will go back to Yunxiu Kingdom with you." She knew that she was not actually of much use. The reason why the Princess wanted her to go back to Yunxiu Kingdom with her was only to better control Marquis Haitang.

She was nothing more than a pawn.

The Empress Dowager's gaze gently fell on Marquis Haitang. This man, for her sake, had become a powerful weapon of Dongliang; now, for her sake, he had also become a powerful weapon of Yunxiu Kingdom.

Mo Yinghuo tactfully walked away, while Captain Chen, still with an amiable demeanor, stood in front of Marquis Haitang and the Empress Dowager. Mo Yinghuo winked at him several times, but Captain Chen, oblivious to the reason, returned the winks with a forced smile.

"Honestly, no wonder the Yunzhao army is full of bachelors, they're all so clueless about romance." Mo Yinghuo sighed deeply in her heart, then turned and walked back. She walked to Captain Chen's side, whispered in his ear, "Captain Chen, come with me." She was too lazy to explain to Captain Chen, and after taking a few steps, she stopped again, beckoned to a few soldiers nearby, and said, "You guys come over here too."

Her Highness the Eldest Princess has created a pleasant and calming environment for the two of them to talk.

Marquis Haitang walked to the Empress Dowager's side and said softly, "It's just the two of us left."

"Yes, it's just the two of us left." The Queen Mother avoided his gaze.

Two sentences, two meanings. Marquis Haitang understood.

...

Mo Yinghuo stood quietly not far away, arms crossed, straining her ears to try and hear something. Zhao Shu, however, silently approached her, still keeping a step or two's distance.

“General.” Zhao Shu frowned slightly.

Mo Yinghuo, startled by his call, quickly stopped listening, looked at Zhao Shu, smiled, and said, "Yes, it's Zhao Shu. What's up?"

Zhao Shu: "Were you eavesdropping?"

Mo Yinghuo's lips twitched slightly. She rubbed her temples, walked to his side, and whispered in his ear, "Zhao Shu, keep your voice down. I'm trying to find out if there's any useful information."

Zhao Shu subconsciously took a small step back, looked at Mo Yinghuo, and said slowly, "General, how do you feel this time?"

Mo Yinghuo's heart jolted, and the cinnabar mole on her eyebrow burned intensely. She scratched the back of her neck with one hand and stammered, "It feels... haha, what... what feels?"

Zhao Shu: "How did the Stone Spirit Kingdom use Stonehenge in warfare?"

"Oh, is that it..." Mo Yinghuo breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Zhao Shu mention this, but then she thought for a moment, "Really, what was I thinking just now? How could he possibly ask about that kind of feeling..."

Seeing Mo Yinghuo deep in thought with furrowed brows, Zhao Shu assumed she was pondering the question he had asked, so he planned to quietly walk away and let her think about it on her own. Mo Yinghuo, noticing Zhao Shu's sudden departure, quickly called out, "Zhao Shu, where are you going? Didn't you ask me anything earlier?" She looked puzzled and annoyed.

Zhao Shu stopped and said in a low voice, "General, have you figured it out?"

Mo Yinghuo smiled, raised an eyebrow, and thought to himself, "So that's how it is." He then said, "Yes, I have a general idea of ​​their combat habits, but there are still some things I don't understand. I would appreciate it if Young Master Zhao could explain them to me."

Zhao Shu nodded slightly, "General, please ask whatever you wish."

Mo Yinghuo: "Zhao Shu, let's set off first to meet up with Gongliang Zhong and the others, and then rush back to Yunxiu Kingdom. My brother sent an urgent message from 500 li away, saying that a strange thing has happened in the capital. We can talk about it in detail on the way, shall we?"

Zhao Shu: "Okay."

"Sigh, Zhao Shu, I've noticed that my life has become a bit chaotic ever since you appeared. I have to constantly check the time with the soldiers." Mo Yinghuo rubbed his temples, rested his arm on his forehead, and stole a glance at Zhao Shu through his fingers.

"General, it's only just begun. You'll get used to it gradually," Zhao Shu said calmly and methodically.

Subsequently, Mo Yinghuo ordered Colonel An and Colonel Chen to garrison troops in Suzang, while Colonel Pu led a detachment to escort the Queen Mother to Yunxiu Kingdom. As she had expected, Marquis Haitang indeed enjoyed considerable prestige in Dongliang. Apart from a small number of Ironclad Cavalry soldiers who were unwilling to become soldiers of Yunxiu Kingdom, the rest swore to follow Marquis Haitang to the death.

Moreover, just now, the eldest princess stated unequivocally in front of them, "Dongliang has submitted to Yunxiu Kingdom. His Majesty instructed me to tell you all—from now on, the people of Dongliang will be the people of Yunxiu Kingdom; the soldiers of Dongliang will be the soldiers of Yunxiu Kingdom. The people of Yunxiu Kingdom will live in peace and prosperity, and so will the people of Dongliang; the soldiers of Yunxiu Kingdom will enjoy the glory and honor they deserve, and so will the soldiers of Dongliang."

Moreover, the Yunzhao Army of Yunxiu Kingdom has achieved remarkable military exploits in recent years. Some of the Ironclad Cavalry, secretly pleased with themselves, seemed to have gotten a great deal. Looking at Mo Yinghuo, they couldn't help but feel their faces darken considerably.

Captain An squinted, his eyes giving off a hazy, almost eerie green light. He clicked his tongue and said, "Little Pu, why do you think the general wants to take in these 50,000 Iron Cavalry? Yunxiu Kingdom has been thriving in recent years. Don't you know that surrendered soldiers are the hardest to manage?"

Captain Pu's stubble twitched in dissatisfaction. Although An Wenbin was indeed a few years older than him, for some reason, he couldn't see a trace of elder's aura in this man. He simply said two words, "I don't know."

An Wenbin was completely unaffected by his emotions and continued, "Commander Pu once served as a Hanlin Academician. He should be as accomplished in both literature and martial arts as the Princess. In the past few years, he may not have mastered everything, but he should have mastered some of it."

He was always straightforward and outspoken, never considering the consequences of his words or actions, nor the feelings of others. Not only the Yunzhao army, but even the soldiers on the Beiding Marquis's side knew this. Commandant Pu knew he wasn't being sarcastic, but he was still somewhat displeased by what he heard, so he didn't respond, lightly kicked his horse's flank, and rode away.

Of the entire Yunzhao army, only the Eldest Princess and Commandant Chen could converse with him amiably. Deputy Generals Gongliang Zhong and Shurong, like the other soldiers, would try to say as few words as possible when they encountered him.

Seeing that Captain Pu had ridden away, An Wenbin waved to Captain Chen, who was not far away.

Captain Chen rode over with a beaming smile. He was already a kind and gentle man, but now that he had won another battle, his expression was even more radiant, as if he had finally found a wife.

Captain An asked the same question.

Lieutenant Chen did not directly answer An Wenbin's question, but simply smiled and said, "Actually, the general has had his eye on these 50,000 Iron Cavalry from the very beginning."

Captain An: "The general told you that."

Captain Chen: "Captain An, haven't you noticed? The two armies have been fighting for nearly an hour, and the number of casualties is very small. At first, we thought the light cavalry and archers were just stalling for time, but now it seems that the general is not just stalling for time. She doesn't want to fight at all. To be precise, she doesn't want to cause too many casualties. Only the Yunzhao Army has the confidence to fight like this."

Captain An laughed loudly and said, "That's because our Princess is so powerful."