Chapter 840 The matter is rather tricky.
This is a matter of great importance, and General Yunhui and his men need to discuss it again.
Ruan Mingzhu was ushered out of the tent. Knowing there would be no immediate results, she walked toward the army doctor's tent.
The military doctor was used to seeing big scenes, and he had seen many injuries like Zhao Sanniu's. In less than half an hour, he had treated the wound.
"His internal organs weren't damaged, but he lost too much blood and needs to rest and recuperate," the military doctor instructed Ruan Mingzhu. "Logically speaking, given that his injury hasn't been treated for so long, he should have developed a high fever by now. What medicine did you give him? How has he managed to hold on until now?"
Ruan Mingzhu rummaged in her bundle and handed over the medicine that Cheng Wanwan had given her: "These are wound pills that Madam Sui had someone make."
The military doctor quickly took it and examined it carefully.
Ruan Mingzhu sat down by Zhao Sanniu's bedside, wiped the blood off his body, changed him into clean clothes, and then brought in the medicine she had prepared and carefully fed it to him.
Fortunately, Zhao Sanniu was quite cooperative and swallowed all the medicine that was fed to him.
"mother……"
He murmured unconsciously and grasped Nguyen Minh Chu's hand.
Ruan Mingzhu sighed, a sense of worry rising in her heart.
She originally thought that things would be resolved once she arrived at the garrison in the northern border region.
General Ke Yunhui's thinking was not wrong. Going to the Western Rong Kingdom to rescue people was not as simple as just sending troops. There were far too many things to consider.
She wasn't a general commanding battles, nor a minister in the military's Grand Council; she didn't understand these things as well. But she knew that military operations were not child's play, and couldn't be based on mere enthusiasm...
These past few days, Ruan Mingzhu has been exhausted. Now that she has a moment of free time, she lies down by the bed and falls asleep without realizing it.
She was overjoyed when the person on the bed stirred, and said happily, "Zhao Jingyu, you're finally awake. Lie down first, I'll go get you your medicine."
Zhao Sanniu couldn't stay in bed any longer. He threw off the blanket and tried to get up, but he pulled on the wound on his back and gasped in pain.
But ignoring the pain, he sat up and bent down to put on his shoes: "What did General Yunhui say? When will he send troops? I'll go too!"
Ruan Mingzhu pressed him down: "Take your medicine and drink your porridge first. We'll go ask General Yunhui when you feel better."
As the two were arguing, the tent flap was lifted, and General Yunhui walked in: "My strategist and I discussed the matter for three hours, and finally decided to write a memorial and send it to the capital by fast horse. We will then send troops after the Emperor issues his decree."
“Waiting for the Emperor's decree will take at least half a month!” Zhao Sanniu's eyes widened. “Half a month is such a long time; too many uncertainties can happen. Will my mother be able to wait for reinforcements to come to her rescue?”
"Your mother?" General Yunhui suddenly paused. "You're Lady Sui's son?"
He had vaguely heard that Lady Sui had a son under General Zhaoyong. Could it be the one standing before him?
“Yes, he is Zhao Jingyu, the son of Lady Sui, and I am Ruan Mingzhu, the youngest daughter of General Ruan Jingwei.” Ruan Mingzhu directly revealed her identity. “We are not ignorant soldiers. General Yunhui, could you please tell us your concerns in detail?”
Previously, General Yunhui assumed that the two of them were He Xiao's followers, so naturally he would not allow them to participate in the military's discussions.
But now that their status has risen, there are some things that can no longer be hidden.
"The Northern Frontier has a permanent garrison of 100,000, but with the outbreak of war in the Laqi Kingdom, 30,000 have been sent to provide support. That means we only have 70,000 soldiers left here," General Yunhui said gravely. "We need to send troops to defend the Northern Frontier, so we can only spare a maximum of 50,000 to rescue people in the Western Rong Kingdom. 50,000... that sounds like a lot, but do you know how many cavalry the Western Rong have? Along their entire border with the Great Yu Kingdom, the Western Rong have stationed as many as 200,000 cavalry..."
"With 50,000 against 200,000, do you two think you have a chance of winning?"
"The prince must be saved, and Lady Sui must be saved too, but we can't save her now, because she can't be saved. Do you understand what I mean?"
Zhao Sanniu opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back his words of resentment.
Nguyen Minh Chau pressed further: "Does the general mean that the Emperor should mobilize 200,000 soldiers before going to the Western Rong Kingdom to rescue people?"
"This matter is not so simple." General Yunhui smiled bitterly. "The entire Great Yu Kingdom has more than 400,000 troops. Troops are needed to guard the southeast, northwest, and other directions, and troops are also needed to garrison the major provinces and prefectures. Most importantly, the Great Yu Kingdom and the Laji Kingdom are at war, which has tied down 100,000 troops... A country cannot fight two countries at the same time. This would lead to internal and external troubles breaking out at the same time, which would be of no benefit to the country and its people..."
The words were quite clear, even Zhao Sanniu, who was only one-dimensional, understood them.
This meant that General Yunhui would absolutely not send troops to rescue them at this moment, and even if the emperor was informed of this, the court might not necessarily...
“However, the Prince of Qin is the Emperor’s younger brother and the Empress Dowager’s son. The court will definitely find a way.” General Yunhui’s tone softened. “In any case, let’s heal our injuries first and then wait for news.”
As soon as the person sent by General Yunhui to deliver the letter rode away at full speed, the people lurking in the Western Rong Kingdom sent back the news.
"Young Master Zhao, Lady Sui is currently safe." General Yunhui said with a relieved tone after reading the letter. "The King of Xirong has posthumously conferred the title of First-Rank Dongzan Dafu upon a high-ranking official and is giving him a grand funeral with the honors due to a first-rank official. He has also invited the most famous sorcerer in Xirong to perform a 9981-day ritual for his soul. According to our spies' inquiries and speculations, this Dongzan Dafu should be Young Master Zhao... At least, during this period, Lady Sui and the King will not be in any danger."
"Eighty-one days..." Zhao Sanniu murmured softly, "It seems Mother knew all along that the Northern Frontier wouldn't send troops to rescue us, so she bought eighty-one days for the court to mobilize its forces... Mother is so smart, why am I always so stupid..."
He slammed his fist on his head.
Ruan Mingzhu grabbed his hand: "Aunt Wanwan is smart, so you should learn from her. You're already stupid, and the more you beat her, the stupider she'll become."
"I want to go back to Beijing." Zhao Sanniu clenched his fists. "I must find a way to convince the emperor to send troops to rescue my mother."
"You're already injured, why are you going through all this trouble?" Ruan Mingzhu frowned. "Besides, as a seventh-rank officer, it's difficult for you to see the Emperor even if you return to the capital. Even if you do see him, your status doesn't allow you to participate in court affairs. You should stay here and recover properly. Once you're better, we'll go back to the battlefield and crush those bastards from the Western Rong!"
No matter how Ruan Mingzhu tried to persuade him, Zhao Sanniu was determined to return to Beijing.
General Yunhui had no choice but to arrange a carriage and a special escort to take the two of them back.
The next day at the crack of dawn, the two boarded the carriage, which was very comfortable, allowing Zhao Sanniu to lie flat and recuperate.
He originally wanted to ride his horse back to the capital quickly, but Ruan Mingzhu forcibly stopped him, so he had to patiently lie down and close his eyes to rest.
The journey from the northern border to the capital takes three days by fast horse, but six or seven days by carriage.
The soldier sent by General Yunhui to deliver the letter had arrived in the capital three days ago, and the letter was also placed on the desk in the imperial study in the imperial city.
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