Chapter 72
Without saying a word, Axia picked up Yao Chunnuan in a princess hug and rushed home.
Chief Steward Wu quickly called Axia back and had the servants fetch a cloak for Yao Chunnuan to put on. She was worried about catching a cold if she rushed out in such a cold weather. However, she was about to give birth, so it would be better for her to go back home. Her family had already made preparations for her birth, but the General's Mansion had nothing.
Manager Wu was just about to send someone to her house to inform them to prepare, but Axia was holding someone and Luo Suyi was holding a lantern, and the two women ran faster than the guards.
Giving birth is like going through the gates of hell for a woman. Chief Steward Wu immediately ordered the best military doctor to be on call at Yao Zhubo's home to ensure the safety of Yao Zhubo and her child. He also instructed him to use any medicinal materials from the General's Mansion's own pharmacy and treasury.
"Forget it, let's move to Chief Secretary Yao's residence." Yu Chen suggested.
They were waiting for news anyway, so it didn't matter where they waited. Yao Zhubo was not only a woman, she was also the second-in-command of the shogunate. She was a crucial figure for their military settlement, and their presence was unacceptable. Having them in charge would at least deter the evildoers in the shadows.
Wu Zongguan agreed with his suggestion. On the way there, he said, "The child in Yao Zhubo's belly is quite sensible. It struggled to come out only when everything was almost settled."
They were planning to launch the attack in the first half of the night, and they were too embarrassed to ask her for help, fearing she wouldn't be able to do anything by then. The general was in danger this time. The Yichun camp was pretending to be bandits, claiming they were only raiding forage, but who knew if they would end up going after the enemy and killing their generals or elite troops along the way?
If the enemy succeeded, the morale of the Xing family army and the military settlements would undoubtedly plummet, and even destabilize. After all, they had braved the freezing cold and heavy snow to fight the enemy, only to be ambushed by their own troops on their way back. Not only would their spoils have been stolen, but they might even have been killed. It was unbearable for anyone.
The person who came up with this idea is a complete jerk. The Yichun Military Colony and the Yichun Camp are supposed to help each other. Normally, they'd just have a few fights, but no one would resort to such shady tactics. What they did this time was simply wrong.
Yu Chen agreed, "Yes, this time it's all thanks to her. In this critical moment, even I was helpless." The disparity in strength between their military settlement and the Yichun camp was too great, otherwise they could have faced them head-on. Moreover, they had only just arrived in Yichun, so it was considered an away game. It was difficult to gain leverage over Marshal Zhu. Could they possibly storm the Yichun camp and capture his family, or even force him to withdraw at knifepoint?
As they were talking, they arrived at Yao Chunnuan's house.
At this time, her house was brightly lit, and servants were coming in and out, busy but not chaotically doing their work.
Yao Chunnuan gave birth late at night, and the whole family woke up. After Wu Zongguan and Yu Chen arrived, they sat in the hall with Yao's grandfather and others waiting.
Yao Chunnuan had hired two midwives, and they had moved in a few days earlier. Aunt Yun was also hired as a backup, to assist the two midwives. Since her own safety was at stake, Yao Chunnuan had done some research beforehand. These two midwives were indeed highly regarded for their skills as midwives, and they were also kind people with no major flaws in their character.
The first thing Wu Zongguan said when he saw the midwife was, "Midwife, Yao Zhubo is very important to our military settlement. You must do your best to help her deliver the baby, okay?"
"Manager Wu, don't worry, I will do my best." One of the midwives responded cautiously.
Yao Chunnuan had already been carried by Axia to the pre-prepared delivery room. Lying on the bed, she swore she had never known childbirth to be so painful. Her lower body spasmed, each time throbbing, her breath caught. In just a few moments, Yao Chunnuan's forehead was already covered in sweat.
At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: fortunately, this child was born for her, and had nothing to do with the Wang Lang family. Otherwise, would she give the child she had given birth to with so much effort and risked her life to the Wang family? She would feel sick to her stomach.
Considering that it was her first time giving birth, the midwife sat beside her and comforted her gently, "Don't worry, the baby in your belly is not big, and the fetal position is correct, so it will be easy to give birth."
Yao Chunnuan knew this. She had been intentionally limiting her intake of sugar, starch, and fat since her baby entered her eighth month. She'd heard from a friend that a baby over six pounds, even fully grown, wouldn't be weak; any larger would make childbirth difficult. A baby weighing over six pounds, if properly cared for, would grow rapidly, reaching seven or eight pounds.
"How long until the birth starts?" Yao Chunnuan asked.
The midwife took a look and replied, "It's two fingers dilated down there. It'll probably take a while. It's normal for a first pregnancy. Don't worry."
"Mom, give me a bowl of noodles. I need something to eat," Yao Chunnuan said to her mother, who was accompanying her during labor. Even though she had never given birth before, she knew it was physically demanding. She had just used up all her mental energy, and before she started, she wanted to eat something to replenish her energy.
Upon hearing this request, Yao's mother quickly asked the midwife, "Sister, can my daughter eat noodles?"
The midwife nodded and said, "Yes, as long as the mother wants to eat and can eat."
"Okay, I'll ask your sister-in-law to make it for you!"
Yao Dasao was told to cook noodles for Yao Chunnuan. She thought her sister-in-law was truly unique. Even at this hour, she could still calmly eat. She told Yao Ersao that she remembered when they had their first child. They were so nervous that they didn't even remember whether they were hungry or not.
Just as Yao Chunnuan was working hard to give birth, Meng Yi and his men in Funing District finally found the exact location of the secret library.
"General Meng, this should be the entrance to the secret vault."
Although Yao Chunnuan only gave a rough guess, after Meng Yi arrived in Funing, they worked together and actually got to the edge of the secret library.
Meng Yi was also surprised. Some of the soldiers that Yao Chunnuan asked him to lead were engineers, who were extremely capable in dealing with terrain. He didn't expect that they would make great contributions after arriving in Funing.
Zhou Yushu was still bewildered. Had Marshal Zhu's second secret vault actually been found by the Yichun camp? He still remembered how they'd set out, heading straight for Funing. Then, two or three hundred engineers emerged, armed with oddly shaped shovels, hammering and banging their way here and there, stopping and starting along the way, and finally they arrived here.
At this time, everyone was looking at the entrance of the secret library excitedly with eager eyes.
Meng Yi asked, "How long has it been since we set out?"
"An hour and a half."
Meng Yi calculated the distance and time it would take to quickly ride from the Yichun camp to Wuzhi Mountain to deliver the message, and then for the Yichun camp's troops to quickly return from Wuzhi Mountain. He realized that they had little time left and had to evacuate Funing immediately and return to the military settlement.
"All of them! Now pass on my order, immediately form up and return to the military camp!"
Many recruits looked at each other in confusion. One of them bravely said, "General Meng, aren't we going down? Where's the secret vault we finally found?"
Meng Yi remained unmoved. "Yes, we won't go down. What we need to do now is to evacuate this place immediately and return to the military settlement!"
The new recruits still didn't understand what it meant for military orders to be as heavy as a mountain. They were all very unwilling to hear that they could not go on to the secret library.
"General Meng, give us a quarter of an hour, and we'll go down the mountain in a quarter of an hour! We can't go into a mountain of treasures and come back empty-handed, right?"
"Yes, there are more than a thousand of us. If each of us takes a little, it will be enough for our military base to eat for a while."
"We don't take the heavy things, we only take the light and valuable things."
"No!" Meng Yi, remembering Yao Zhubo's warning before departure, ruthlessly refused. "Now I say it again, line up, immediately, immediately!"
The first to act were the veterans from the Xing Family Army, followed by the new recruits who lined up, although the operation was a bit slow due to their unwillingness.
"General!" The rest of the people returned to the team, leaving only two or three people holding on to the door unwillingly and not taking any action. They shouted unwillingly.
"No need to say anything more. Now, anyone who disobeys orders will be executed! Anyone who shakes the morale of the army will be executed!"
As soon as Meng Yi finished speaking, the three men were beheaded. The three veterans sheathed their bloodied swords.
"This, this..." The new recruits were speechless and frightened.
"I've given them chances, but they've repeatedly disregarded military orders. Those who are obsessed with money and don't follow discipline are unworthy of being our partners and comrades. They only care about their own greed, not realizing that their actions will bring harm to the entire army!"
Zhou Yushu knew Meng Yi's approach was correct. He was well aware of the strength of Marshal Zhu's 2,000 cavalry. They didn't have much time to escape. If they were caught by the cavalry, they would inevitably be caught in a fierce battle. When the Yichun camp's army pressed forward, they would be unable to escape. Moreover, once they entered the secret vault, the treasures would be so captivating that it would be difficult to regroup and escape.
At the same time, he also looked up to Meng Yi. He thought that this guy was a nonsensical person who could only use violence but not his brain. However, in the face of such great achievements and wealth, he could still resist being tempted, which showed that he had considerable self-control.
He didn't know that before setting off, Yao Chunnuan had repeatedly warned Meng Yi that Funing District was very likely the location of Marshal Zhu's second secret vault, and that he had a high chance of finding it. He must remember that his goal was to alert the enemy, thereby attacking Wei to save Zhao and resolve the crisis facing the general, not to seize Marshal Zhu's second secret vault. Before making any decision, don't forget your original intention.
Meng Yi did not have anyone collect the bodies of these three people. As soon as everyone gathered, he led them to retreat towards the military settlement through a shortcut.
Perhaps it was because several of their companions had died, or perhaps it was because they had passed a treasure mountain but failed to enter. In short, the more than 1,000 of them retreated, but the atmosphere was not very good, and the new recruits looked very depressed.
Meng Yi and his personal guards exchanged a glance, and then an old soldier spoke slowly, "Why are you all so listless? Are you still thinking about that secret vault?"
A round-faced recruit, noticing that it was his captain who was speaking, couldn't help but mutter, "I just don't believe you don't feel sorry at all, Captain."
"What's a pity? What's there to regret? Those three were just short-sighted guys! Their deaths are not a pity." The veteran warned the new recruits on their first mission, "Don't follow their example. As someone who's been there, I can tell you this is just a small opportunity. If you miss this one, there will always be another."
You can brag all you want, but you really think there are secret treasure vaults everywhere in Yichun. The new recruits complained in their hearts.
"You don't believe me? Come, Captain, let me tell you why I say that. First of all, Marshal Zhu's first secret vault was discovered by our Chief Secretary Yao."
The new recruit nodded repeatedly: Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard of it.
"Marshal Zhu's second secret vault is the one we just found. It was also discovered by our Chief Clerk Yao." The old soldier's tone was extremely proud.
New Soldier: I’ve seen it tonight.
"Think about it, with the first and second, how far away will the third be?" Anyway, he felt that it would not be far away.
New Soldier: That makes some sense.
The old soldier said slowly, "So, if you miss this opportunity, it's no big deal. As long as our Chief Secretary Yao wants to find it, no matter how secretive Marshal Zhu's treasure house is, we, Chief Secretary Yao, will find it. So, you should keep a long-term vision, there will be plenty of opportunities to dig for treasure in the future!"
Zhou Yushu, standing by, was speechless. "Hey, hey, have they forgotten about him, a young general from the Yichun camp?" Also, if you say that, Marshal Zhu will be dying to get rid of you, Yao Zhubo.
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