Chapter 112 I Want to Go to the North

The Great Yu Kingdom plans to take action against the Red-haired Barbarians in a month and reclaim the two cities lost due to the betrayal of the Zhou King.

Because of this matter, the imperial court has been busy with this issue recently.

The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, the Firearms Factory, and the Imperial Household Department were all busy.

Since it is a major battle, there will inevitably be soldiers who are injured.

Although the Weiyuan Army in the north has its own military doctors, those few people will definitely not be enough once war breaks out.

General Shen sent a secret letter to Emperor Xiao Xuan, requesting that the court send some physicians to the north to assist.

Emperor Xiao Xuan agreed and posted notices in the capital and surrounding prefectures.

Any doctor who signs up to go to the north will be exempt from taxes for three years, regardless of how much land they own or how many shops they have.

In addition, the Imperial Medical Academy will also send a small team composed of imperial physicians and female physicians to the north.

The reason for requesting female healers is that there is an elite female unit in the Weiyuan Army, and having female healers would make things much easier.

No one in Chongqing dared to underestimate this elite female force.

It is said that this was brought up by Princess Xining, who guarded the northern lands of Dayu many years ago.

They were brave and skilled in battle, in no way inferior to other elite troops, and in many cases, they achieved more military exploits than those men.

...

"Have you made up your mind?" Song Zhimian asked Lian Qiao.

Lian Qiao thought for a moment and then hummed in agreement.

She looked at Song Zhimian, a little embarrassed.

"I know this is not good. Leaving you alone in the palace means that if something happens, you won't even have anyone to talk to."

We agreed to be together...

"Am I deserting my post now?" Lian Qiao asked, holding Song Zhimin's hand.

Song Zhimian almost burst out laughing.

Forsythia is so cute!

"What kind of desertion is this! You must have a reason for wanting to go to the North."

You're going to the north with people from the Imperial Medical Academy, so your safety is definitely not a problem.

Besides, it's not like you're never coming back after you go to the North.

I won't face any other danger while I'm in the Eastern Palace.

"It's alright, I'll wait for you to come back at the East Palace. When you return, tell me about what happened in the North," Song Zhimian said to Lian Qiao with a smile.

Lianqiao nodded immediately.

"Yes, I will definitely tell you about the situation in the North."

The people at the Imperial Medical Academy all say that the northern lands are endless grasslands as far as the eye can see; I really want to see them with my own eyes!

Song Zhimian nodded. The North was indeed beautiful, but many soldiers of the Great Yu Dynasty had been laid to rest there forever.

...

In the days that followed, Lianqiao visited the East Palace even more frequently.

She sent Song Zhimin a lot of prepared medicine packets and some ready-made pills.

Forsythia provides detailed instructions on what pills to take for common symptoms and how to take them.

She was worried that Song Zhimin might feel unwell while she was away, and that Song Zhimin would be too embarrassed to ask the imperial physician for medicine.

They even secretly sent Song Zhimin a small porcelain bottle.

"Colorless and odorless, if anyone wants to hurt you, just secretly sprinkle it on their face, and they'll collapse immediately without any reaction. Then you can do whatever you want."

I originally wanted to get you that colorless and odorless poison, but then I remembered that this is the palace, and it doesn't seem right to give you poison here.

"After you leave the palace, I'll prepare all sorts of poisons for you."

Song Zhimian held the small porcelain bottle in disbelief.

"Is this powder really that potent?"

"Yes, that's really powerful! Remember to hold your breath when you're sprinkling it on someone's face! Don't let yourself get dizzy before the other person does," Lian Qiao warned.

Song Zhimian quickly agreed.

...

In the days that followed, the capital city seemed to suddenly become very busy.

Everyone was talking about the impending great battle in the North.

“The red-haired barbarians of today are more powerful than the Hu people of many years ago; they also have cannons and firearms.”

"Yes, the northern barbarians used to fight with warhorses and long-handled swords, but the foreign peoples now are not the northern barbarians of the past."

They also have firearms and cannons, but they're not as powerful as those of the Great Yu!

"How did they get these things?!"

"I heard it was created by some small, foreign countries overseas, and it has existed for many years."

Someone in my family works in the Ministry of War, and I heard that the red-haired barbarians have gathered many people from small foreign countries to deal with this great war.

His Majesty's intention is to reclaim those two cities before the snow falls in the north.

"The barbarians also have firearms and cannons, so it seems that many people will die in this great battle."

"In war, people always die."

A distant relative of mine has been to the northern region.

He said that on a mountain not far from the Weiyuan Army camp, countless soldiers of the Dayu Army were buried.

The soldiers who died on the battlefield were buried there.

General Shen's eldest son, Shen Dalang, was also buried there after he died in battle.

The old Marquis of Wu'an was also buried on that mountain.

"Ugh! I really don't want to go to war!"

But we can't afford not to fight this battle!

...

Song Zhimian was organizing the books and writing implements that Xiao Jingjue would need for his studies today.

Xiao Jingjue, who was supposed to go and pay his respects to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, rushed in from outside.

He didn't even glance at the books and writing materials that Song Zhimin had prepared, and plunged headfirst into the room where he kept his favorite treasures.

Song Zhimian found it a bit strange.

It's not time to play yet. The little prince is always well-behaved and wouldn't cause trouble by wanting to go out and play during school hours.

But now...

Xiao Jingjue searched the room for a long time before finally finding a small bow that she liked.

This bow is small and exquisite. It was specially made by the Ministry of Works at the behest of Emperor Xiao Xuan for the young Xiao Jingjue.

Xiao Jingjue slung the bow behind his back and rummaged around the room for a while.

Finally, they found another exquisite little sword.

After hanging the sword at his waist, Xiao Jingjue let out a long breath and stood in front of the bronze mirror for a while.

"Your Highness? Are you... going to play a war game?" Song Zhimian asked curiously.

Xiao Jingjue looked at himself in the bronze mirror from left to right for a long time before nodding in satisfaction.

"Master of Ceremonies, is this alright?"

"That's wonderful! I just wonder who Your Highness played war games with today!" Song Zhimian quickly said.

There was no way around it; ever since news of an impending war in the north spread, Xiao Jingjue had become obsessed with war games.

On the Eastern Palace side, a group of eunuchs played war games with him.

With everyone else holding back, Xiao Jingjue was victorious in every battle, earning him the title of the Great General of Zixiao Pavilion...

"We're not playing war games today."

"I'm going to volunteer for the battle today!" Xiao Jingjue said earnestly.

"You're going to volunteer for battle? You're going to volunteer for battle?" Song Zhimian was very surprised.

"That's right! My imperial grandfather is going to lead the expedition in person! As his grandson, I should also learn from him and go to the north to see for myself."

Master of Ceremonies Song, please tell the teacher that I will not be attending the class today.

I want to kneel at the entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance and plead for battle, asking my grandfather to take me with him to the north!

After Xiao Jingjue finished speaking, he turned and left.

As he walked, he didn't forget to hold onto the small bow he was carrying on his back...