The capital city, the north gate tower.
Watching the soldiers march out of the city gate and onto the official road in a grand procession, the Empress, dressed in a black and gold dragon robe and wearing a nine-tassel crown, focused her phoenix eyes and glanced to her side.
"Qin Chuan, do you really have to go in person?"
The Empress's voice seemed to carry a sense of sorrow, soft and gentle.
Qin Chuan, clad in armor, nodded. "I must go to this battle. If I go, we will win; if I don't, we will lose..."
"Alas," the Empress sighed, "I have no other requests, only one request..."
"What are the requirements?" Qin Chuan asked, looking up.
The Empress gave him a deep look and said, "Come back alive..."
...
Beneath the city walls, battle flags fluttered, armor gleamed, hooves thundered, and dust billowed.
The soldiers held spears, had swords at their waists, and their eyes were resolute, their morale high.
Qin Chuan felt uncomfortable under the weight of the armor, so he took it off after getting into the carriage.
Li Aniu was still driving the carriage, and his driving skills were becoming more and more proficient.
Beside the carriage, the white-bearded General An Dingguo rode a white horse, his eyes filled with worry.
When the Grand Preceptor went to fight the Southern Xiongnu, he only brought 30,000 men and did not consult him on any battle plans or strategies.
It's true that the Imperial Advisor wrote "Qi Jiguang's Art of War," but the Xiongnu were no easier to deal with than the Japanese pirates...
He spent most of his life fighting against the Xiongnu. He knew the Xiongnu's cruelty better than almost anyone else. It was difficult to defeat the Xiongnu, let alone launch an offensive. Using infantry to fight Xiongnu cavalry was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.
Thinking of this, An Dingguo sighed inwardly, "So be it, I'll leave it to fate this time. If all else fails, I'll risk my old life to serve my country..."
Qin Chuan, inside the carriage, was naturally unaware of General An Dingguo's thoughts; he was simply pondering which route to take to fight the Xiongnu.
There are three routes to choose from.
First, they went west to Loulan to fight alongside Loulan.
Secondly, he could travel north to Ji Province, find Zhang Chaozong, and fight alongside him. This was also the path the Empress hoped he would take.
Another route is to drive straight to the Xiongnu royal court, to strike at their base and relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao!
It could both severely damage the Xiongnu and resolve the crisis in Loulan.
But where was the Xiongnu royal court?
The biggest problem is finding the Xiongnu royal court.
Historically, Huo Qubing led 800 men on a thousand-mile raid, deep into the desert, directly attacking the Xiongnu chieftain's court, sealing the wolf's lair, and drinking from the vast sea, thus leaving his name in history.
However, the current situation is slightly different.
The terrain of the Southern Xiongnu was mainly grassland, with large areas of desert only at the border with the Northern Xiongnu. The desert served as the dividing line between the Northern and Southern Xiongnu, and also as a natural barrier that separated the two sides and kept them at peace.
An Dingguo approached the carriage curtain and asked into the carriage, "Grand Preceptor, may I ask which road you wish to take?"
Qin Chuan thought for a moment and asked, "Where are we now?"
An Dingguo said, "We've been marching for half a day and have left the capital region. Are we no longer heading west?"
"It's pointless not to go to Loulan."
Upon hearing Qin Chuan's words, An Dingguo guessed that he was going to Jizhou to meet up with General Zhang Chaozong. He thought this was a good idea, as General Zhang Chaozong was the bravest and most intelligent general in the Great Gan region. He had 60,000 to 70,000 troops in Jizhou. After the two armies joined forces, they would be able to fight the Xiongnu together...
Thinking of this, An Dingguo asked, "Shall we continue north?"
"Continue north..."
Qin Chuan took off his armor, casually tossed the loose pieces into the carriage, and reclined on the soft backrest, speaking lazily.
An Dingguo then asked, "Then... when will we continue our journey, and when will we rest?"
Qin Chuan said, "You can handle these things as you see fit. Let me know when we're almost at Jizhou."
An Dingguo breathed a sigh of relief. It was indeed heading to Jizhou; that was good…
"yes."
After saying that, An Dingguo rode his white horse a little further away from the carriage, and did not disturb Qin Chuan any longer.
...
The capital city, the Empress's study.
The Empress placed her hand on her forehead, looked at Xiao Yue, and said as if she were somewhat weak, "Xiao Yue, you should set off after tomorrow's court assembly."
"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? Should we call the imperial physician?" Xiao Yue asked with concern.
The Empress waved her hand and said, "I'm not feeling unwell, I'm just a little worried..."
Are you worried about him?
"yes."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yue lowered her head, speechless.
She didn't deny Qin Chuan's abilities, nor did she deny that her opinion of him had changed significantly recently. However, his smug, obnoxious manner kept lingering in her mind...
But after all, he was also making sacrifices for the royal family...
Thinking of this, Xiao Yue also began to worry. What if he really died this time...
She couldn't imagine what would happen next.
"Your Majesty, did he leave no last words?"
Xiao Yue blurted it out subconsciously.
The Empress raised an eyebrow and glared at Xiao Yue, as if to say, "Are you really hoping for his death?"
Xiao Yue quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had misspoke, and blushed with shame.
"He has a few things to tell me, one of which I want you to do."
At this point, the Empress paused slightly and continued, "Go to the Ministry of Personnel and have them issue a transfer order to move that... the magistrate of Jianglin County in Jiangzhou Prefecture to Leizhou in Hainan to serve as the prefect."
"ah?"
Xiao Yue opened her mouth, "Such a small matter for me to handle? And what did this lowly county magistrate do to offend him that he has to be transferred to a place like this..."
The Empress was slightly displeased: "What do you mean by 'this place' and 'that place'? Qin Chuan said that all the land under heaven belongs to me, and he wants to conquer a great empire for me. This Hainan will become... a scenic spot... I won't talk to you about these things. You should go now!"
"yes."
Xiao Yue bowed and withdrew, leaving the imperial study.
Looking north, she kicked her black leather boots and muttered, "This guy, we're about to fight the Xiongnu, and he's still thinking about this little thing. He's even more vengeful than me..."
...
In the Right Chancellor's residence, Li Zongmin handed a letter to two servants and instructed them: "You two must deliver this letter to Tuqi Chanyu of the Xiongnu, and tell him that our dynasty is going to attack from the direction of Jizhou, which is not good for your army."
"yes."
One of the two men accepted the letter and turned to leave.
Li Zongmin suddenly called out to the two of them, "Wait!"
The two men quickly turned around and bowed in greeting.
Li Zongmin clapped his hands, and four tall, burly men dressed in black and wearing cloaks walked in from behind the entrance hall. They all carried bows and arrows and had curved swords at their waists, and were clearly well-trained.
Li Zongmin said to the two messengers, "These are Xiongnu assassins trained by me. These four will safely escort you to the Xiongnu. Go!"
"Yes, sir!"
The two servants and the four assassins walked out of the Right Prime Minister's residence together.
A cruel and sinister smile appeared on Li Zongmin's face. He gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "You little bitch... you little bastard... you dare to mess with me? I'll make sure you all die!"
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