Zhang Ping’s withdrawal of the Jibei Army, which he commanded, was a great cause for celebration.
The old duke immediately sent a message to the Crown Prince in the Capital City by express horse.
After some consideration, Zhou Gu said to the old Duke: "Grandfather, you and Big Brother can take 100,000 troops from Jinglu back home, while Third Brother and I will take 200,000 troops to the border."
The old duke looked at him.
"Xiaoqi and I suspect that Zhang Ping is in collusion with Dawei. When Zhang Ping mobilizes his troops, Dawei will definitely mobilize as well. Dawei will not wait for Zhang Ping to gain the advantage before taking action. Dawei must be waiting for internal strife in Daliang before they move. Therefore, if we rush to the border, we could deter Dawei from acting. If we cannot do that, we can at least block the iron cavalry of Dawei." Zhou Gu said.
The old duke nodded, stroking his beard, "That’s possible, and it makes sense." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Looking at Zhou Gu, he thought of how unfortunate it was that such a good grandson of his was not sticking by his side.
He waved at Zhou Gu, "Let Zhou Wei and Xingze also go. All of you go, I will take the troops back."
His old bones can still lead 100,000 troops. As for returning to the capital, he can just take his time as there are military doctors in the army.
Zhou Wei immediately nodded, "Grandfather is right, I must go."
As the heir of the Duke Residence, it would be unreasonable for him to stay behind every time, always having his younger brothers stand in front of him. If this continues, he would feel depressed. As the heir, he doesn’t even get a chance to do anything.
"Understood!" Zhou Gu glanced at his elder brother.
Thus, on that day, the 200,000 Jibei Army packed up their camps and prepared to set off for the border.
The old duke stood in front of the tent, watching the troops depart, with Zhou Gu by his side. He said to him: "Grandfather, regardless of whether Dawei has moved its troops or not, once I reach the border this time and sort everything out, I will go to Nanchu."
The old duke turned his head to look at him, it was rare for the two of them to have a peaceful conversation, "Go ahead."
Zhou Gu laughed, "Don’t miss me too much, Grandfather. You’re in good health and should live for more years. Once Xiaoqi secures that position, and I become her husband, I will take you and grandmother to Nanchu."
The old duke glared at him, "Not only are you abandoning your home, but you also want to kidnap me and your grandmother away? What kind of idea is that!"
Zhou Gu chuckled, leaned in close and asked, "You don’t want to go? Fine, I’m sure my grandmother and mother will be happy to go."
The old duke laughed in exasperation, "You get on my nerves all day, why would I miss you? What I regret is that after raising you so big, you are now part of someone else’s family, you ungrateful creature."
Zhou Gu had rarely heard a kind word from him. Eight out of ten times, he was chastised. But he was used to it and understood that this was his grandfather’s unique way of showing affection for him. After all, out of all his grandsons, he was the only one who was scolded.
Who else could accept this kind of favoritism, if not him!
He was silent for a moment, "The Crown Prince doesn’t miss me, so you shouldn’t be too upset either, Grandfather. It’s no big deal. When you go back, tell Grandmother and Mother not to worry about me. Xiaoqi can’t bear to see me suffer. She’s the most dangerous when she softens. In the future, we will live well together. She even broke off her engagement with Ye Guixue from the Ye Xiang Residence. She definitely won’t mistreat me in the future."
Hearing this, the old duke blew his beard, "You’re my grandson, not my granddaughter."
What’s all this talk about feeling wronged? It’s as if he were marrying off his grandson.
Zhou Gu laughed cheerfully, "Well, that’s the gist of it."
"Go away!" The old duke waved dismissively, expressing his disdain for his grandson, "Write frequently to your grandmother and mother, so they won’t worry about you."
He was really fed up with his old wife crying and wiping her tears every time this little fellow was mentioned. It always fell to him to comfort her.
Zhou Gu nodded, turned around, and looked at the old duke. He reached out and hugged him, "Grandfather, take care."
The old duke choked up, his eyes almost welling up with tears, "Go, go, go!"
Zhou Gu hugged him for a long while before he mounted his horse and truly left.
The old duke watched the 200,000 troops depart, a cloud of dust billowing up as they left. It wasn’t long before they disappeared from sight. He watched them for a while before heaved a deep sigh.
A soldier by his side asked, "Old Duke, shall we set off now?"
"Us? There’s no rush." The old duke shook his head, "Let me write a letter first and send it to Su Rong. After that little girl comes to see me, then we can go."
He was too old to go looking for her. Besides, with her short arms and legs, it was better to have her come to him. There were somethings he wanted to say to her.
After all, she had given his grandson a marriage contract. This was not a trifling matter. Now that they had set the betrothal, it could not be broken. His grandson had given up the path he had laid out for himself since childhood. Now that Su Rong had taken him, she must treat him well in the future. She could not keep a harem like those men. No, he misspoke, she could not have a bunch of concubines, even if she were to become the Queen of Nanchu. Otherwise, considering how deeply his grandson cared for her, he would go mad if she did so.
Not that he was trying to take precautions too early, worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet. But the fact was, power was the same for both men and women. As a monarch at the peak, stability could not be maintained only by love. Balancing the power of the various clans and controlling both court and country was essential. Many emperors used the method of filling their harems as it was convenient and saved effort. Even the Nanchu King, who did not reject women sent from the major clans to his Imperial Harem, didn’t turn them away. Although he did not visit his harem, it was fully staffed.
Of course, the Nanchu King was different from other emperors. He must have other methods, even if he does not visit his harem or favor his concubines, he can still stabilize the situation in the court. Otherwise, Nanchu would not have been stable for so many years. But overall, he too couldn’t escape taking women into his harem.
As for him, he was not demanding Su Rong, he just wanted to hear what her plans for Nanchu and for Zhou Gu would be if she were to become the queen. Seeing Su Rong would also make him truly at ease.
Zhou Gu, who had already left, had no idea about his grandfather’s plan. Even if he was smart, he wouldn’t have thought of it. After all, Su Rong hasn’t gone to Nanchu yet. It would still take a lot of effort to get to that position. Right now, he only had the assurance of a marriage contract, and no wedding yet. Thinking about these things was premature for now.
Su Rong also had no idea that the old duke was already concerned about the future of her harem for the sake of his grandson. She was on her way while waiting for news from Zhang Yun.
Her wait was not in vain. On the second day after her 150,000 troops arrived at the Longxi County, she received a letter from Zhang Yun.
In the letter, Zhang Yun stated that everything had gone as expected. Zhang Ping was dead, he had taken over the 250,000-strong Jibei Army, and they were on their way back to meet her in Longxi County.
Su Rong smiled, "As expected of Zhang Yun."
Fen Ling leaned in to look at the contents of the letter, nodding again and again, "The third young master Zhang is indeed a remarkable person."
He really did as he said, achieving victory without shedding a drop of blood.
Su Rong estimated the time and instructed Fen Ling, "Prepare a feast involving slaughtering sheep and cattle for him in five days."
Fen Ling readily agreed, "You got it."
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