Chapter 256 Leave it to her
In mid-June, Xiao Zhuo first arrived at Xiaogang Village. He asked the people to take refuge in the city, and then Xiao Zhuo led his troops to set up camp five miles west of Xiaogang Village.
Shen Yuexi was puzzled and asked, "Husband, why don't we go into the city? Even to Xiaogang Village would be fine."
The west of Xiaogang Village was flat, with only a few valleys, essentially undefensible. It was nowhere near as fortified as the city to the north. She assumed that even if Xiao Zhuo didn't station troops in the city, he would at least station them in Xiaogang Village, where there were already large, existing buildings for the soldiers to rest. Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhuo had painstakingly built a new camp from scratch.
Xiao Zhuo explained to her, "If the army enters the city to defend, the Qi King's army can directly besiege the city, and our grain transportation route from Liang Province will be cut off. By then, failure will be a matter of time. Now I will not enter the city, but set up camp in the southwest of the city, forming a pincer attack with the city defenders and guarding the grain route at the same time. With this army here, the Qi King's army will not dare to openly besiege the city. If they force the city, I can attack their flank or attack their main camp. It is far better than going into the city and defending it blindly."
Shen Yuexi didn't quite understand what he was saying, so she asked, "What if the King of Qi and Xiao Beiheng split into two armies? For example, Xiao Beiheng leads 30,000 troops to attack the city, while the King of Qi's 70,000 troops deal with us? What should we do then?"
Xiao Zhuo smiled slightly and said, "Dividing the troops may seem useful, but it is actually a way to bring disaster."
Shen Yuexi still thought her idea was quite reasonable, but then General Qiu Liming came over and said, "Madam, the Lord once told his subordinates that a fist should be clenched to hurt when hitting someone. Using two fingers to poke will only cause discomfort. If the King of Qi divides his forces, then none of their armies will have a manpower advantage over us, effectively weakening themselves."
After Qiu Liming described it with his fists and fingers, Shen Yuexi finally understood. She stuck out her tongue and said, "I thought it was too simple. It seems I can only watch the battle."
Before leaving, Mei Dai told her that she didn't need to learn how to command troops and fight, as Xiao Zhuo would handle everything for her. It seemed that she could only watch this great battle from the sidelines.
"I have something for you to do," Xiao Zhuo picked up a letter from the desk. "We're about to engage in battle with the Qi King's army. The Yan army at the southern border is a potential threat. I need Yue Xi to go there and find out what the commander of the border, Zhao Mu, thinks. Do they support or oppose our army, or remain neutral?"
"Oh, me?" Shen Yuexi pointed at the tip of her nose.
She didn't expect that Xiao Zhuo would assign her such a big task and actually asked her to negotiate with Zhao Mu.
Xiao Zhuo smiled and touched her head: "If Military Advisor Song Zhen were here, he should be the one to handle this matter. Now I can only let you be my Military Advisor."
Shen Yuexi was a little scared and lowered her head and said, "But I... I'm afraid I can't do it well."
She had given speeches to people a few times before, but they were all ordinary people like villagers. Now Xiao Zhuo wanted her to negotiate with Zhao Mu, the commander of the border, a powerful general of the Yan Dynasty, commanding an army of 100,000. She subconsciously felt that she was not up to the task.
The war is about to begin. What if I mess things up because I can't speak?
Xiao Zhuo reached out and held her shoulders, his dark eyes looking at her tenderly: "Yuexi, this matter requires someone who is courageous, strategic, and skillful. Apart from you, I can't think of anyone else who can do it."
He used three praise words in a row, praising Shen Yuexi so much that she felt dizzy and floated up in the air. She squinted her eyes and said happily:
"Don't worry, my husband. Leave it to me."
She is courageous, strategic, and dexterous...she feels embarrassed by all the praise.
As for courage, she had experienced so many battles that she was no longer afraid of any crisis. As for dexterity, this was what Sister Mei Dai praised her for at the time.
It wasn't until the carriage was about to reach the border city gate that Shen Yuexi understood.
"I don't have any strategy at all," she cried in the carriage. "I'm just a fool in this regard."
What happened to me at that time? Why did I agree to this man for no reason?
Xia Lan, the maid who was riding in the same carriage with her, froze her smile upon hearing this and said, "Madam, how about... how about we go back first?"
They were almost there when Shen Yuexi suddenly said she couldn't make it, which was really scary.
"Is it too late to go back?" Shen Yuexi stretched out her hand and just opened the window a crack when the carriage stopped.
"Master," Qiang Lin said from outside the car window, "General Wei Liang has led his troops out of the border to greet you."
Shen Yuexi was startled. She finally understood what was happening. They had reached the border, and Wei Liang had actually come out to greet them. Now there was no way to escape. She had no choice but to go ahead.
She fixed her makeup in front of the mirror, reached out to open the door, and planned to jump out of the carriage as usual.
Her hand was on the car door handle, but she changed her mind and decided not to do it.
Now she was a special envoy representing Xiao Zhuo's army. She couldn't act as casually as a village woman. Not only would she be laughed at, but she might also be looked down upon, which would be detrimental to the negotiations.
During her free time during the Xiliang conscription, Mei Dai had occasionally discussed with her the manners and demeanor of a princess, the importance of being dignified and not impetuous. Mei Dai herself was a role model in this regard, and although Shen Yuexi hadn't tried too hard to learn, she had learned a little bit from spending time with Mei Dai every day.
She held back and didn't move. Two secret guards came over and opened the car door for her.
Xia Lan got out of the car first and stood beside it with her hand outstretched. Then Shen Yuexi put her hand on Xia Lan's and got out of the car.
The carriage stopped at the foot of the border city, and General Wei Liang had led the generals out of the border to welcome them.
Shen Yuexi had shown him friendship by gifting him a gun and saving his life in the city. He was grateful to Shen Yuexi and when he knew she was coming, he went out of his way to greet her as a sign of respect.
Wei Liang saluted first and said, "I am General Wei Liang, paying my respects to Princess Zhao." The generals behind him also saluted.
Shen Yuexi's heart moved.
Wei Liang still claimed to be the Princess of Zhao, which meant that they recognized the will of Emperor Yongde and were still loyal to him. So, it was easy to proceed.
She smiled and raised her hand, "Thank you, Generals, for coming out to greet us. Please stand up."
"Thank you, Princess." Wei Liang straightened up and stepped aside. "Princess Zhao, please enter the pass. I will lead the army to escort you."
Watching Shen Yuexi and his group enter the border, Wei Liang felt quite emotional.
I didn't expect Xiao Zhuo to send Shen Yuexi as an envoy to the border.
I remember the first time I met this deposed Crown Princess, she was with 5,000 prisoners of war coming to the border to beg for food. At that time, she was really rustic and silly, not at all like a Crown Princess.
Now that I see her again, Shen Yuexi's words and actions actually have the style of a princess.
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