Chapter 69
When they went to bed at night, Yao Ersao and Yao Erge chatted, "If our sister is like this, I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to get married in the future, right?"
Her aunt was now full of aura, and she seemed to have the qualifications to be on equal footing with her grandfather, uncle, and father-in-law. In just over half a year, she had changed drastically. Now she was so decisive in what she did and what she said. She couldn't imagine what kind of man she would marry in the future, and what kind of man could control her.
Yao Erge was speechless, "Do you think she can take care of this now?"
Yao Ersao thought about it and it made sense. She was about to give birth, and the work in the military settlement also had to be arranged and handed over. Their whole family had just arrived, so they also had to make arrangements. There were many things to do in all aspects.
"You, just worry about what you have to do. As the saying goes, when you first marry, you obey your father, and when you marry again, you obey your heart. It's not our turn to worry about this. Besides, we can manage a military settlement as big as An Nuan. When she wants to get married, she will definitely be able to handle it herself." When Yao Er Ge said this, he could hardly hide his smugness.
Yao Ersao knew what he was proud of and couldn't help rolling her eyes. It's your sister who is powerful and capable, not you!
Never mind. Her husband was right. They were the ones being controlled now, so how could they bother with her? Although they were her brother and sister-in-law, they still had their parents and older brother and sister-in-law above them. It wasn't their turn to worry about it.
Yao Zhubo planned to hold a small housewarming party. All the middle and high-ranking military officials who could attend came. Those who had accompanied the general on campaigns also had their subordinates or families send gifts. Lower-ranking officers and minor leaders also gathered in small groups to present housewarming gifts. Of course, Yao Chunnuan also prepared a return gift.
Zeng Yi took Zhou Yushu to the banquet.
Zhou Yushu didn't want to go, and kept muttering, "Once three months are up, I'll go back to the Yichun camp."
Meng Yi said nonchalantly, "Just go back, no one is stopping you, but this won't prevent you from attending a banquet, right?" Little guy, now that you're in the general's bowl, you still want to run away?
Zhou Yushu was at a loss for words and could only be dragged away by him.
"Let me tell you, I heard that Chief Secretary Yao's banquet will feature some new dishes, and they should taste delicious. It would be a real shame if you don't go."
Yao's grandfather, uncle Yao, father Yao and others sat in the main seats, and Yao Chunnuan led her eldest cousin and second brother to be responsible for welcoming the guests.
She led the two of them to each table to toast, "I'll offer you a cup of tea instead of wine. Thank you for taking the time to come. I'll drink this tea. Please feel free to eat and drink well."
The housewarming party was mainly about eating and drinking well. As for the arrangements for her family, Yao Chunnuan informed them and it was not a problem to make them.
When Yao Chunnuan brought her two brothers to Meng Yi's table, Zhou Yushu was busy eating. He did not participate in or discuss the topics at the table and did not communicate with others at all.
Yao Chunnuan looked at Meng Yi and gave him a look. It’s taken so long and you still haven’t dealt with that person?
Meng Yi gave her a helpless look in return. Although the young chicken farmer was young, he was extremely stubborn. He had put a lot of effort into him these days, but there was no visible effect.
Yao Chunnuan looked at him sympathetically and motioned him to keep trying.
Since the general was away, everyone was responsible for their own tasks, so they were very restrained and drank less alcohol at the banquet.
Ji Ze was away, and as his subordinate, Wang Lang wanted to go on his behalf, but was stopped by his old generals, so he had to ask someone to send gifts. What a joke! Everyone in the military settlement knew that this was Yao Zhubo's ex-husband. Now Yao Zhubo was pregnant and about to give birth. If he went there and angered her, causing a premature birth, who would be responsible? The general went on the expedition, taking many young generals with him. When they were away, they would also ask their families or subordinates to send gifts to express their gratitude. He would rather be like them, with no merit or fault, than take risks when his master was away.
Some individuals speculated that the two would reconcile. If Wang Lang himself was interested, he would privately make an effort. If a reconciliation really happened, having someone like Yao Zhubo in the presence of the general would be a good thing for their master. But Wang Lang wanted to use this opportunity to repair the relationship, so there was no need.
It was a pity that Wang Lang was unable to attend Yao Chunnuan's housewarming party.
When he learned that she had brought her entire family to Yichun, he admired his ex-wife more and more. Bringing her family here so early and protecting her weaknesses was really a precautionary measure.
He also admired the Yao family's head of household. Far away in the suburbs of Beijing, he actually believed his daughter's words and moved without a doubt. What a trust and courage this showed. Why hadn't he realized before that the Yao family, with their ambition and courage, could rise to prominence if given the opportunity?
Recently, middle and high-ranking military officials have been bringing their families to Yichun. I don't know who came up with this idea, but they really think long-term.
He could tell that Xing Changfeng was planning to use the Yichun military settlement as his base. Furthermore, this move was very meaningful, which made him wonder if Xing Changfeng had already started to have such intentions.
He calculated the days and knew she would be giving birth soon. Wang Lang told himself to be patient. He just didn't know whether the baby would be a boy or a girl, and whether it would look like her or him.
After the Yao family's housewarming party, the military settlement was peaceful and tranquil. Until one night, two soldiers from the General's Mansion arrived to invite her.
To invite her so late at night, something must have happened. Yao Chunnuan said nothing more. Under the worried gaze of her family, she put on a thick cloak and went out with Axia.
When Yao Chunnuan arrived at the General's Mansion, she immediately went to the meeting room. Upon entering, she found that only Chief Steward Wu, Yu Chen, and Meng Yi were present. She was the first to ask, "What happened?"
Manager Wu raised his head and stared into her eyes. "Yao Chunnuan, can we trust you?"
This title? Yao Chunnuan's heart moved. It wasn't Yao Zhubo, it wasn't Yao Shi, it was her, Yao Chunnuan herself. "Did something happen to the general?" But how could it be? Two days ago, they received a letter from them saying that everything was fine and they would return soon.
Yu Chen said, "I told you I couldn't hide it from her."
"As expected, something happened," Yao Chun said warmly.
"Can we trust you?" Manager Wu asked again.
Yao Chunnuan said sternly, "Butler Wu, of course you can trust me. I was promoted by the General and you. Without you, I would still be in the South District. Honestly, even if Yu Chen and Yu Changshi betrayed the General, I wouldn't. Do you think there are many superiors who are as unconventional in employing people as the General?"
Her words made Yu Chen laugh.
"I cherish my current life very much. And you also know that I have taken my family to Yichun. I hope to give them a stable environment and do not want turmoil. The baby in my belly, my family, and I are all in the Yichun military settlement. It is equivalent to that my life and property are all here. It can be said that if something happens to the general, I will be the one who suffers the greatest loss. Therefore, I am the person who least wants the general to get into trouble." Yao Chunnuan felt a dull pain in her stomach while speaking. She could only breathe slowly to relieve the pain.
Chief Steward Wu nodded, acknowledging her words. In fact, if he didn't trust her, he wouldn't have invited her here so late at night. "We received news that a group of people ambushed the general on his way back..."
"Where were they ambushed?"
"Five Finger Slope."
Wuzhipo was already within Yichun. Yao Chunnuan pondered that although the general and his men had only brought out 4,000 elite soldiers, each of them was brave and skilled in fighting, and could fight ten of their own.
The ambushers of the general and his men couldn't have been bandits from the mountain strongholds. After all, the general and his men had previously wiped out all the mountain strongholds in Yichun, leaving them afraid to show their faces. Even if they did, they wouldn't dare to face their four thousand elite troops. Therefore, if not unexpectedly, the ambushers must have come from the Yichun camp.
Shi Mei was a counselor, a man of meticulous attention. He had led his men to the military settlement for negotiations and then wandered around the settlement, perhaps discovering something. It now appeared that he must have noticed the general was not at the settlement and had subsequently verified this.
Yao Chunnuan said, "The people who ambushed the general should be from the Yichun camp. To be more precise, they should be Marshal Zhu's direct troops."
Manager Wu, Yu Chen and others also made such a guess.
"I don't know how many soldiers are there in the ambush."
"It is estimated that the number is four or five times that of the general and his men." Chief Steward Wu looked solemn.
So, 16,000 to 20,000 men? What a massive outlay. This was equivalent to sending out one-third of the Yichun camp's forces. Yao Chunnuan became even more certain of their earlier suspicions. "It's definitely them."
"The purpose of their ambush is to get the gold, silver and prisoners of war seized by the general?" Yao Chunnuan had previously learned from the court bulletin that this time they had unexpectedly launched a surprise attack on Jiamu County, a relatively wealthy county within Di Luo's jurisdiction, and won a great victory, bringing back a lot of spoils.
"Marshal Zhu, are you planning to take advantage of the situation?" Meng Yi said angrily.
"Hmm." Isn't that obvious? It's certain they're planning to rob the thieves. They're probably looking for revenge for when their military unit raided the private vaults of Marshal Zhu and his men.
"Originally, they were stationed in Yichun, and it was their responsibility and mission to fight against the Diluo tribe. Under the premise that the two sides were destined to be enemies, the Diluo had no time to go south this year because of the dispute over the position of leader. But Marshal Zhu and others did not even organize troops to launch a surprise attack, take advantage of the fire, and weaken the enemy's strength by the way! They only knew to hide in the Yichun camp. Now that the general has done what he should have done for him, he turns around and wants to steal our war spoils! Doesn't he have any sense of the overall situation?" Meng Yi said hatefully.
Yu Chen frowned and said, "It's no use scolding them now. The key is how to resolve the current crisis. The general sent the spies back to report back, hoping to see if they can solve this problem. If they can't, we'll probably have to hand over the spoils this time."
Wu Zongguan nodded. "Well, let's find a solution quickly. I don't think they can hold out for much longer." When the general sent the letter back, the troops at the Yichun camp still didn't know they had been discovered. But the enemy wasn't stupid, and they would probably find out soon.
If it were normal times, they would not be afraid, but they had just fought a big battle and there must be wounded. Moreover, they were tired and exhausted. The enemy would take advantage of the situation and it would be difficult to deal with them.
"How many troops can we spare to go to Wuzhipo to support the general?" Support is necessary.
Meng Yi understood this best. "Of the new recruits we recruit, only a quarter are able to go on the battlefield."
A quarter, or about two thousand? Adding the two thousand elite soldiers left by the general, they could only send out four thousand troops in total. But the enemy had nearly twenty thousand. The disparity in numbers was so great that even if they sent all four thousand, it wouldn't necessarily be effective. The disparity in strength was simply too great.
They all looked at Yao Chunnuan at the same time.
The situation was urgent, so Yao Chunnuan didn't make fun of Qiao or keep the question secret. "There is a way."
The three of them brightened up when they heard this. "What method?"
"Besiege Wei to save Zhao." She was used to holding back, the troops were not hers to manage; she excelled at unraveling the mystery. Lately, she'd been studying the parchment the Han brothers had left her before their deaths. Although it was a military map of the northwest border, military maps, even if not identical, shared commonalities. After studying it, she seemed to have a vague idea of two possible locations for Marshal Zhu's second secret vault.
"It may not work, but let's try it." Yao Chunnuan said. After all, it was just a guess, and the confidence this time was not as strong as the last time.
“It will definitely be useful!”
Although Marshal Zhu was the commander-in-chief of the Yichun Camp, there were other factions within the camp. They speculated that the 20,000 troops sent to ambush the general were probably Marshal Zhu's direct subordinates. If he discovered that his second secret vault was lost, he would definitely dispatch troops to reinforce him. This would save the general from danger.
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