Chapter 849 This battle will not be easy.
The King of Xirong, sitting on his throne, suddenly threw the memorial to the ground.
He angrily said, "Who leaked the news? How could the Great Yu Kingdom know that the King of Qin and Lady Sui had been abducted by my Western Rong Kingdom?"
“Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it may be information leaked by the Yuezhi people.” The Grand Minister stepped forward, cupping his hands. “The Yuezhi people are skilled at digging tunnels to hide. They must have missed a few people that day. The Yuezhi went to the Great Yu Kingdom to inform them in order to retaliate against my Western Rong. Otherwise, the Great Yu Kingdom would not have known the news so quickly.”
"Ha, my Western Rong will devour the Yuezhi tribe sooner or later." The Western Rong king's face was cold and angry. "In your opinion, what should we do now?"
He originally planned to attack the Great Yu Kingdom after the autumn harvest next year and occupy its fertile fields. Everything was in preparation. Starting a war at this time would be extremely disadvantageous for their Western Rong Kingdom.
Moreover, according to scouts, the Great Yu Kingdom has suddenly begun recruiting soldiers, aiming to gather 300,000 troops to attack the Western Rong.
The Western Rong forces stationed on the eastern front numbered 200,000, but even with their superior numbers, they were no match for an army of 300,000...
This time, the Great Yu Kingdom came with great force, not only to rescue King Qin and Lady Sui, but also to wash away the shame of their defeat twenty years ago.
"Your Majesty, this is our Western Rong territory." The minister below laughed. "Most importantly, do these hastily conscripted soldiers know how to fight? Do they know how to kill with a single blow? One of our Western Rong soldiers can be worth ten of theirs. What is there to fear?"
"The most troublesome issue in winter is the supply of food. The war should not be dragged on for too long. So let's fight a quick battle and drive out the Great Yu Kingdom within half a month, so that they can feel the shame of their defeat twenty years ago again!"
"Sending another princess here for a marriage alliance won't do. We need at least ten princesses and a hundred noble ladies, or the Western Rong will beat a dog when it's down!"
"..."
The ministers in the hall seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, and they became more and more enthusiastic as they spoke.
The Western Rong King's expression gradually softened. Looking at it this way, it seemed that starting a war with the Great Yu Kingdom ahead of time was not such a bad thing after all.
at the same time.
Cheng Wanwan was burning paper money when a blizzard swept in, nearly blowing out the fire in the charcoal brazier several times.
Below the steps, dozens of monks chanted sutras day and night to pray for the souls of the two deceased in the coffins.
For the past month or so, her daily life has consisted of either going to the experimental field to check on the progress or sitting in the yard burning paper money.
When she was burning paper money, no one bothered her, and she could quietly think about many things.
When the wind and snow subsided, Princess Taiping arrived with her entourage.
"Lady Sui," Princess Taiping said calmly, "I've gathered fireworks and firecrackers from all the cities near the capital. Is this enough for you?"
Cheng Wanwan looked up.
The princess was followed by thirty or forty palace servants who led a carriage to the entrance of the courtyard. The carriage was piled with fireworks and covered with oiled paper to prevent them from getting wet.
The Great Yu Kingdom is famous for its fireworks, but the Western Rong Kingdom does not have the technology. These are rare items that Western Rong merchants brought back to their country from the Great Yu Kingdom. It is really not easy to find so many.
Although this wasn't enough, for Cheng Wanwan, as long as the items had a source, the quantity didn't matter.
She stood up: "Thank you, Your Majesty. With these, my son's journey will be more lively, and he should be able to find his way back to his homeland."
The monks chanting sutras below couldn't help but shake their heads slightly.
These fireworks were rare items reserved for the nobles of the Western Rong, and they were only used to create a festive atmosphere during holidays. Yet this Lady Sui was going to set off so many fireworks on the day of the funeral; it was simply a waste of resources…
However, they couldn't really accuse anyone of anything.
It is said that the rice seeds provided by Lady Sui can actually take root and sprout on the land of Xirong. They have already grown several inches tall. In another month or so, they will be able to produce ears and rice. If the yield per mu can really reach five or six hundred jin, their Xirong Kingdom will never lack food again. In the future, all the good things of Dayu Kingdom will belong to their Xirong Kingdom!
Cheng Wanwan said softly, "It's cold outside. Your Majesty, please come inside and sit for a while, and have a cup of tea."
Princess Taiping had the palace servants behind her help carry the items into the storeroom, and then followed Cheng Wanwan into the inner room alone.
After serving the hot tea, Granny Qi left the inner room and stood guard at the door, watching the people coming and going around her warily.
“Lady Sui, I’ve had someone make the blueprints you gave me last time.” Princess Taiping said in a low voice, “Those things look a bit strange. I didn’t dare bring them into the palace for fear of attracting the attention of the Western Rong King. So I gave them to General He at the experimental fields. If you have time, go and take a look and see if they work.”
Cheng Wanwan immediately expressed her gratitude: "With this, our chances of escaping have greatly increased. Thank you, Princess, for your righteous help."
She had the princess make something called a musket, a gun-shaped weapon that could be fired simply by filling it with gunpowder, causing extremely high damage. It was a ranged weapon, a complete game-changer for this era.
She originally did not intend to bring this weapon into this era because its destructive power was too great and unfair to enemy countries.
Can!
In this world, what is fair or unfair?
When two countries go to war, blood will inevitably flow like rivers, and even if gunpowder had not been invented, countless people would still have died.
Using gunpowder to fight against the Western Rong might have ended the war sooner.
“I’ve sent people to inquire and they’ve learned that the Great Yu Kingdom has already recruited more than 200,000 soldiers, and more will continue to join along the way. By the time the army reaches the border of the Western Rong Kingdom, it should number 300,000,” Princess Taiping said. “The Western Rong Kingdom only has 200,000 troops on its eastern front, which is no match for the Great Yu Kingdom. For the sake of the country and its people, the Western Rong Kingdom will definitely hand over Lady Sui and her entourage unharmed.”
Cheng Wanwan shook her head: "Originally, I also thought that after the Great Yu Kingdom's army pressed in, the Western Rong would hand me over, but now, I don't think so. The Western Rong went to so much trouble to capture me, and in order to appease me, they not only appointed my son as a first-rank official, but also allowed me to make some outrageous requests. It seems like they are favoring me, but in reality, they are very interested in the rice variety I researched. Before the rice in the experimental field is harvested, the King of the Western Rong will never let me go, and I may very well become a hostage... Furthermore, the soldiers temporarily recruited have no experience in fighting, which is tantamount to sending them to their deaths... This battle will not be easy to fight."
The Great Yu Kingdom is conscripting soldiers in her name, and so many ordinary people are volunteering to join the army. Countless people will die on the battlefield. If thousands or tens of thousands of people die because of her, her future years will probably be filled with unrest.
"On the day of the funeral, I will lead all the people of the Great Yu Kingdom to escape." She raised her eyes. "Princess, come with us."
Having stayed in the Western Rong Kingdom's palace for so long, she was well aware of the princess's predicament. Such a shabby place should have been left long ago.
Their princess of the Great Yu Kingdom has sacrificed twenty years for the Great Yu Kingdom. It's time for her to return to her homeland and enjoy the honors that a princess deserves.
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