Chapter 312 The State
Xiahou Yin didn't believe it when he first heard the news.
It is said that the eldest princess regarded Princess Chang Le as the apple of her eye, even though she was not her biological daughter, she was more than a biological daughter to her. How could she allow the crown prince to agree to send her away for a marriage alliance?
But the urgent order, written in black and white, was something Xiahou Yin read over and over again before forcing himself to accept the truth.
Duan Wei and Xiahou Zhong were not too surprised. There are true and false promises. Besides, she was supposed to be Princess Chang Le. She had been missing for so long. As long as it was a woman, she could be named Princess Chang Le.
Qi could easily afford to pay such a price.
Fortunately, the person has now been found. Although he was in a sorry state, he was not missing any limbs, so the princess will not be too grief-stricken.
Compared to their initial strong opposition upon receiving the first letter from the Yue Kingdom, the generals had now fully grasped the reality.
Previously, they confidently believed that Qi was far superior to Yue in terms of cavalry, infantry, tactics, and military equipment. However, after this battle, they discovered that the gap between Qi and Yue had been rapidly narrowed, and Yue was even stronger than Qi in many aspects.
After all, the current unification of the Yue Kingdom is commanded by the only son of the late emperor, the Prince Xiaoyao. From top to bottom, they are almost united as one, working together towards a common goal, which is completely different from the situation in the Qi Kingdom, where the power of several sons still makes it somewhat fragmented.
Back at the main camp, Duan Wei's expression was somewhat solemn, only relaxing slightly when he looked at Xiahou Yin:
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You'd better put your mind to it."
Xiahou Yin: "General Duan, I don't understand. We still have the strength to fight, so why did we hastily agree to a marriage alliance?!"
Duan Wei looked up from the sand table and asked him, "Still have the strength to fight?!" He sneered and pointed to Xiahou Zhong, whose face was equally uneasy.
"Have you forgotten that in the battle three days ago, your father was almost shot through the eye!"
Xiahou Zhong still has a scar on his forehead that hasn't fallen off. It's about the length of a thumb, deep enough to expose the bone, and less than half an inch from his eye, which shows how dangerous the situation was at the time.
Xiahou Zhong looked at his somewhat distraught youngest son and said:
"Now that she is the chosen one for a marriage alliance, if there is not enough time, she may be sent directly to Yue from here. There is no longer any possibility between you and her."
Xiahou Yin simply said, "The difference between me and the princess is like heaven and earth. I dare not even dream of it. But my great Qi is not afraid of the mere Nan Yue. Agreeing to the marriage alliance is nothing short of admitting that Qi is inferior to Nan Yue. That's why we have to compromise!"
Xiahou Zhong's eyes narrowed sternly: "Enough! Do you know what you're saying? Are you suggesting that the Crown Prince and all those civil and military officials are less thoughtful than a mere child like you? Since they've made their decision, they must have their reasons. All you have to do is obey orders!"
Xiahou Yin's hands were clenched into fists at his sides. He glanced at his father, then at the solemn-faced General Duan, and finally uttered the words he had wanted to say since early that morning:
"I send my concubine to secure the nation; I wonder where a general would be needed?"
Duan Wei slammed his hand on the table with a bang, his eyes wide with anger: "How dare you!"
"Ignorant child, you can't even do the math of sending Princess Chang Le to a marriage alliance to save hundreds of thousands of soldiers from fighting and bloodshed between Qi and Yue, and to reunite hundreds of thousands of families. What right do you have to be a general?"
"I once thought you were a promising talent, but now it seems you're nothing more than a brat blinded by beauty, with only romantic feelings for his children and no sense of national duty!"
"Get out of here!"
Upon hearing this, the entire tent fell into a deathly silence.
Xiahou Yin is the son of the deputy general and a promising young talent whom the commander-in-chief once favored. However, he was humiliated in front of them, which shows that he has really angered General Duan.
The boy gritted his teeth and forced out, "Fine, let's go."
After saying that, he turned around angrily and went straight to the tent where Qi Yuxuan was temporarily staying, and went to guard her.
The old doctor had gathered the medicinal herbs he requested before dark, and brewed a large bowl of strong medicine at nightfall. He then instructed the woman who was temporarily summoned to serve the princess to drink it down her throat.
Inside the main tent, Duan Wei and Xiahou Zhong sat facing each other, their expressions not too good.
They were well aware of what Xiahou Yin had said during the day.
It's just that they're getting older and have become more thoughtful. When it comes to the choice between sacrificing themselves or sacrificing tens of thousands of soldiers, they no longer hesitate in the slightest.
Since sacrifices are inevitable, why not obtain hard-won peace at the lowest possible cost?
Duan Wei sighed, "Don't you think we're getting old? Our ideas aren't as brave and fearless as they were when we were young. We're always hesitant and afraid of making a mistake."
Xiahou Zhong rarely saw this old general, who had once led him into battle, display such a nostalgic and sentimental expression, and felt a pang of sadness.
"General Duan, it is my son who is unruly, narrow-minded, and incapable of distinguishing between what is important and what is not, which is why he spoke rashly."
Duan Wei shook his head. "No, it's precisely because he can discern that he's right. Exchanging a woman's entire life for the peace of the country seems like a worthwhile deal, but the premise is, can peace really be exchanged for one person?"
"Today she is a princess, tomorrow she will be a hostage... For example, if we cede five cities today and ten cities tomorrow, we can only have one night of peace. When we get up and look around, the Qin army is already here. The land of the feudal lords is limited, but the desires of the tyrannical Qin are insatiable. The more they offer, the more Qin invades. Therefore, the strength and weakness, victory and defeat, are already determined without a fight."
After they finished speaking, neither of them said anything more.
After a long silence, Xiahou Zhong said gravely, "Adding fuel to the fire will only extinguish the flames; the fuel will never run out."
Duan Wei: "That's exactly the point."
But these roughnecks who only read military books all know this principle, so why don't the Crown Prince and his men know it, and instead agree to a marriage alliance to end the war?
Qi Yuxuan was awakened by the nauseatingly bitter taste in her mouth.
When she opened her eyes, the unfamiliar fabric above her head startled her, and she almost thought that she had not escaped and was still in the Yue Kingdom's palace.
Xiahou Yin, who had been watching over her, woke up immediately upon hearing the sound and exclaimed anxiously, "Princess?!"
"The princess is awake! Someone come quickly!"
A commotion suddenly erupted outside the bed. Qi Yuxuan tried to sit up, but found that her limbs were weak and even turning her head was difficult.
She was still too hungry and too tired. Her body felt empty, as if all the blood and energy had been drained from her, leaving only a frail shell.
A woman she didn't recognize lifted the curtain and came in. Seeing that the woman wanted to get up by herself, she quickly helped her sit up, saying:
"Princess, please be careful. The doctor said that you are particularly weak right now. If you don't take good care of yourself, you will develop health problems in the future."
"If you need anything, just tell me... Oh right, I forgot to mention, my husband's surname is Li, so you can call me Lady Li, Princess."
The woman looked kind, and Qi Yuxuan pursed her lips and nodded, "Madam Li."
But as her gaze shifted slightly, she caught a glimpse of a fish-shaped wooden plaque at Li Niangzi's waist, and her pupils instantly contracted.
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