Chapter 308
Yuquan Pass.
The soldiers looked at the man walking through the middle with respect on their faces and admiration in their eyes.
Not long ago, Nuhaci, who was known as the greatest warrior of the Turks, was eager to have a match with the former General Dingyuan when he heard that he had arrived.
As a result, the troops were insufficient, and the morale of the soldiers at Yuquan Pass was greatly boosted by the arrival of Duan Gan. Before they could even face Duan Gan, they were driven away by the Ghost Guards and the soldiers of Yuquan Pass.
Duan Gan entered the commander's room, looked at the marching formation map and the terrain sand table, tapped his fingers lightly twice on the side, and fell into deep thought.
At this moment, a burly man with a full beard walked in, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble servant, Meng Tian, pays his respects to the Regent."
Where is Murong Yan?
"The Lieutenant General was captured alive by Nuhaci due to a moment of carelessness. In my humble opinion, they do not seem to have any intention of exchanging him."
Nuhachi...
Duan Gan recalled that the people he had encountered before were flexible and adaptable. When they saw that the situation was not right, they immediately ran away with their men without caring about saving face. Even though they knew that they were outnumbered, they still insisted on going against the grain.
"Moreover..." Meng Tian sighed, "and it's been so long, I'm afraid the chances of survival are slim."
Murong Yan is not bad. Although he is sometimes reckless, spoiled, and has a cleanliness obsession, he is always the first to step forward when something happens.
On the battlefield, they know how to cooperate with their brothers and never act recklessly by going it alone.
"Their camp is so far away?"
"It's about fifteen li away."
Has the Liao Kingdom replied yet?
The small towns surrounding Yuquan Pass were all captured, but because Yuquan Pass was the last line of defense on the border of the Celestial Empire and was easy to defend and difficult to attack, they were able to hold out for so long.
Moreover, they came prepared and instigated scattered tribes near the Liao Kingdom.
Perhaps they made some promise that made them so willing to lead the charge and fight to the death for the Turkic Khaganate.
Meng Tian shook his head. "No, not even the people we sent are here."
“These Khitan dogs are utterly treacherous. It was only because you spared them back then that they were able to grow so powerful.”
"It's alright, I will have someone contact Yelü Lie."
Something must have happened in the Liao Kingdom, because Yelü Lie wouldn't dare to refuse to see his people.
He had no foundation whatsoever. The eldest son of the Liao Kingdom was dead, but there was a second son.
Even though he has now ascended the throne, there are still quite a few people who have rebelled against him.
Meng Tian nodded, secretly relieved.
For some reason, whenever Duan Gan was around, the soldiers always felt at ease, as if their true backbone had returned.
It was the same five years ago, and it's still the same five years later; nothing has changed.
"Meng Tian".
He suddenly came to his senses and looked up.
Duan Gan's cold black eyes were indifferent, yet they exuded an air of authority without anger.
"General Dingyuan."
Looking at the familiar expression, he unconsciously uttered the name he used back then.
Duan Gan's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded slightly, beckoning him over. He then moved the objects on the sand table and began to explain in detail.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. The two looked out the door and saw snowflakes fluttering in the air. A cold wind blew by, bringing a biting chill.
"It's snowing!"
"This is the first snow of the year!"
"The end of the year is approaching, I don't know if we'll be able to go home alive..."
"We can definitely do it. General Dingyuan is here, what are we afraid of, the Turks..."
The soldiers' casual chatter drifted in on the breeze.
………
After the palace banquet ended, a maid stood before Tao Tao, her head bowed, and said respectfully, "Regent Princess, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."
"No, it's snowing. I must go back to take care of my child. Please tell the Empress Dowager that I cannot go. I will definitely go to the palace to apologize another day."
Tao Tao smiled faintly and turned to leave.
The old woman frowned, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at her retreating figure. After a long while, she stammered, "The...the child?"
She had never heard of the Regent's wife having a child. How could this be?
She wanted to call for someone to stop her, but when she saw the guards beside her, the old woman immediately gave up the idea.
He could only grit his teeth and go back to report.
Murong Jia Hui turned her head, her eyes filled with worry, and said softly, "Sister, didn't you offend the Empress Dowager by rejecting her so directly just now?"
"What if the Empress Dowager really punishes you?"
She muttered to herself, not daring to speak loudly, for fear of annoying Tao Tao.
The worry on his face was genuine.
"And... little sister, are you pregnant so quickly?"
Murong Jia Hui looked at her still flat stomach with slight surprise. She had only been married for a short time, but she didn't expect that she would already have a child.
She assumed that Tao Tao's mention of a child was because she was pregnant.
Tao Tao looked at her with a smile, "I was talking about the flowers in my yard. It snowed and I was worried the servants wouldn't be able to move them inside in time. Did you think I was pregnant?"
Duan Gan didn't drink the herbal medicine for nothing, okay?
Ever since that night when he said he wouldn't love her if she had a child, he went to the imperial physician himself to get a contraceptive decoction.
Duan Gan never considered letting her drink it, fearing it would harm her health. She wouldn't bother drinking such a thing herself, but instead had the imperial physician develop a contraceptive soup for men.
Murong Jia Hui exclaimed in confusion, then paused, stunned.
It turned out to be a flower; she had thought...
"Let's walk back. It's been a long time since we've had a walk, and it's snowing today."
Tao Tao's words instantly brought her back to her senses. "Okay, I'm fine with anything."
The Cai family lived nearby, so after sending Murong Jia Hui back, she didn't take a carriage but walked on the street instead.
Seeing that there were very few people on the streets because of the snow, the cold seeped into my body without restraint.
Leng Qiao and Rong'er stood on either side of her, with six Privy Council guards following at a distance behind them.
She exhaled a breath of cold air and suddenly missed the wontons she used to eat.
As she walked, she came to Chengnan Street, which she knew well. The wonton stall was still there, not yet closed.
Tao Tao was delighted and quickly walked over.
"Boss, give me one... uh, nine bowls of wontons."
The stall owner was overjoyed and shouted, "Alright, sir, it's coming right away! Please have a seat."
Originally, because of the snow, not many people were eating there, and since the food wasn't very big, I thought I'd leave it out a little longer before packing up.
Unexpectedly, a big business deal came in; thankfully, he didn't leave.
Tao Tao turned and beckoned the guards over, "Come and sit down quickly. I ordered you wontons. It's so cold; eating them will warm you up."
The six people looked at each other, but none of them moved.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"I've already ordered, it would be a waste not to eat it, come on over."
She called again.
That's when they came over.
Tao Tao pulled Rong'er and Leng Qiao to sit on either side of her, waiting for the wontons to be served.
When Rong'er saw that her hands were red from the cold, she quickly got up to add hot water.
Returning to the table, he poured Tao Tao a cup of hot tea, saying, "Your Highness, you can warm your hands by holding this."
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