Chapter 220 Urgent Report

Emperor Xiao Jing has been in a good mood lately.

Although he felt he was in his prime, he had visited the harem less often in recent years, and very few of the concubines in the harem were pregnant.

Unexpectedly, the favor shown to one of the Zheng family's daughters resulted in the birth of another prince.

Even though Emperor Xiao Jing disliked the Zheng family, he still liked this young prince.

That day, he took the Empress, Consort Die, and the Eighth Prince to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was also very fond of the Eighth Prince.

Not only were many things given to the Eighth Prince, but Consort Die was also given quite a lot.

Empress Dowager Zheng held Consort Die's hand and said with a smile, "You are a blessed person, your good fortune lies in the palace!"

These words made Consort Zheng, who was standing to the side, practically spit fire.

The Empress Dowager said the same thing when she gave birth to the King of Qin...

What? Is it because you're not favored, so you're going to groom someone else?

Consort Die was also overjoyed. She glanced at Consort Zheng, whose face was ashen, and then carefully lowered her head.

"It is already very good that I was able to enter the palace."

In terms of good fortune, who can compare to the Empress Dowager!

The more Empress Dowager Zheng looked at her, the more she felt that this grandniece was extraordinary and suitable for the palace.

Unlike that niece, who is incredibly arrogant, doesn't know how to be tactful at all, and often displeases the emperor; she's just a pig-brain.

If it weren't for the fact that he gave birth to the King of Qin, I really wouldn't want to bother with her...

Empress Dowager Zheng looked at Emperor Xiao Jing, whose expression remained unchanged, then glanced at Empress Xu, who was engrossed in admiring the flowers, and then at the Eighth Prince, who was being held in the arms of a palace maid.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince was born on an auspicious day and has a noble destiny. The other princes have all been granted titles and fiefdoms. Perhaps..."

Before Empress Dowager Zheng could finish speaking, a young eunuch rushed in.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Changsheng has sent his deputy general to the capital, and he is already waiting in the Hall of Diligent Governance."

They said there was an urgent report!

Emperor Xiao Jing was already a little impatient, but when he heard what the little eunuch said, he stood up.

"The deputy general of the Marquis of Changsheng? Why not bring him in directly?" Emperor Xiao Jing asked sternly.

"Vice General Han said that it concerns military affairs in the north, and he will be waiting in the Hall of Diligent Governance," the little eunuch said, bowing his head.

Upon hearing that it was Deputy General Han, Emperor Xiao Jing immediately remembered what had happened when Deputy General Han visited the palace last time.

The one who went to the palace last time to report the death of his sworn brother was this Deputy General Han.

Could it be that something major has happened in the North...?

Thinking of this, Emperor Xiao Jing hurriedly said a few words to Empress Dowager Zheng and then quickly headed towards the Hall of Diligent Governance.

The remaining empress dowager, empress, and imperial concubines all looked worried.

It's the North again...

If this matter needs to be discussed in the Hall of Diligent Governance, then it must be a major issue...

"Your Majesty, I must return to the palace now. I will come to see you another day." Empress Xu also hurriedly took her leave.

She needed to send someone back immediately to find out what had happened and whether her father knew anything about it.

Empress Dowager Zheng, who had originally intended to request an official title for the Eighth Prince, lost interest in doing so.

Is it the northern region again?

Why is it that something always seems to happen in the North when it comes to crucial moments?

After sending Consort Gui and Consort Die away, Empress Dowager Zheng immediately dispatched her head palace maid out of the palace.

"Go to the Duke of Anguo's residence and ask him if he knows about the unusual activity in the north."

......

When Emperor Xiao Jing rushed to the Hall of Diligent Governance, Vice General Han had already drunk two cups of tea and eaten three plates of snacks.

"Your Majesty..." Vice General Han hurriedly prepared to bow.

"No need for formalities. What happened in the north? Tell me quickly!"

Emperor Xiao Jing could tell from Han's travel-worn appearance that he had rushed back overnight.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis has captured Leigu City. The details are in the memorial."

As he spoke, Vice General Han took out the memorial from Marquis Changsheng from his pocket and presented it to him.

Emperor Xiao Jing was startled by what Deputy General Han had said.

Have they taken Regu City?

Why? Why did we take Regulus when we had nothing better to do?

Emperor Xiao Jing was very familiar with the situation in the north.

Although the thirteen border cities of the Northern Hu were not large in scale, their locations were very important.

That's the barrier for the Northern Hu. If we take Leigu City, will it trigger another major war between the two countries...?

Emperor Xiao Jing was puzzled, but he also understood Marquis Changsheng.

This old general was calm and steady in character and in his actions, unlike his sworn brother who was a prodigy who would take unconventional and risky approaches.

There must be a reason why they suddenly occupied Regulus.

Upon opening the memorial and taking a closer look, Emperor Xiao Jing immediately understood what was going on.

Marquis Changsheng said that when Duke Dingguo was surveying the thirteen cities on the northern border, he discovered the back mountain of Leigu City.

There is a type of stone there that looks very similar to the ore used for iron smelting in Dayu.

The Duke of Dingguo secretly picked up a few stones and showed them to the old craftsman, who confirmed that they were ores that could be smelted into high-quality weapons.

Although the Northern Hu's smelting technology is inferior, if they were to discover this mine in time, it would be extremely detrimental to the Great Yu...

The Duke of Dingguo left a message saying that he would take Leigu City whenever he had the chance...

Recently, the lord of Leigu City suddenly sent troops to burn the Weiyuan Army's grain supplies, which presented a rare opportunity for Changsheng Hou.

Emperor Xiao Jing breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

So that's how it is. The Northern Hu people burned the Weiyuan Army's provisions first, and then the Weiyuan Army sent troops to occupy Leigu City.

That makes things easier. Even if the Northern Hu send envoys, Dayu can still retaliate.

After reading the memorial more carefully, Emperor Xiao Jing felt a little sad again.

So it turns out that all of this was arranged by my sworn brother!

"If that's all there is to it, Marquis Changsheng can simply send a memorial back."

"Why do I need you to make this trip?" Emperor Xiao Jing asked Deputy General Han with a smile.

This really startled him; he thought that the city on the Dayu side had been lost!

As it turned out, not only did they not lose it, but they also occupied an entire city with a legitimate reason...

This is a good thing!

Deputy General Han glanced at Wu Youde.

Wu Youde immediately bowed and then quietly walked to the entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Emperor Xiao Jing then looked at Deputy General Han.

"Speak, what else is there that cannot be mentioned in the memorial?" Emperor Xiao Jing said, picking up the teacup beside him.

"Your Majesty, our Marquis has discovered that the city lord of Leigu City's initial target was not the Weiyuan Army's grain supplies," Deputy General Han said in a low voice.

Emperor Xiao Jing was taken aback.

"Not provisions? Then what is it?"

"The Weiyuan Army is getting new weapons this year, and Lord Leigu's initial goal was to seize these weapons," Vice-Chairman Han continued in a low voice.

"Insolence!" Emperor Xiao Jing immediately smashed the teacup in his hand.

Deputy General Han immediately knelt down.

He knew that Emperor Xiao Jing's outburst was not directed at him.

It was addressed to those who had leaked the weapons transport itinerary.

The weapons of the Great Yu were the sharpest and most practical among all the surrounding countries.

Because after Emperor Taizu ascended to the throne, the first department he established was the weapons forging department.

The forging and transport of all weapons were carried out in secret.

How did Lord Regu know that the Weiyuan Army was going to change to new weapons?

Could this be a spy among the military officers in the Great Yu region who had access to weapons...?

Weapons are fundamental to the military affairs of the Great Yu; if something goes wrong with them...