The two continued their conversation as they entered Ye Guixue’s tent.
Ye Guixue was trying to sit up in bed with help, intending to get out of bed, but Su Rong stopped him, "You should rest, given the severity of your injuries, and let the wounds heal first. There’s no need to push yourself."
Ye Guixue paused, not insisting further, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Su Rong laughed, "You were never this polite when we were in Capital City of Daliang."
Ye Guixue also laughed, "I’m indebted to you for saving my life. It’s different now."
Su Rong took a seat and replied to his comment, "Indeed, it is."
Because of Zhou Gu’s life-saving grace, she was forced to give him a handwritten marriage contract. Now with Ye Guixue’s enormous favour, the Ye Xiang Family would really have to repay her in the future.
"It seems that you brought troops from Daliang." Ye Guixue leaned back onto the cushions and put forth his question, "Did you borrow troops from Daliang to come to Nanchu?"
"Yes, both the Emperor of Daliang and the Crown Prince were generous and lent me three hundred thousand troops." nodded Su Rong, "As soon as I set foot on the border of Nanchu and learned of the situation inside Nanchu, I sensed something was wrong here, and so, I gathered fifty thousand cavalrymen to come and rescue you."
Ye Guixue was shocked, "Three hundred thousand soldiers?"
Both Ye Xiang and Lady Ye were astounded.
Ye Xiang asked incredulously, "Why would the Emperor and the Crown Prince of Daliang lend Your Highness such a large number of troops?"
Three hundred thousand soldiers was indeed a considerable number. It should be known that even when the Nangong Family had asked for troops from Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei, they had just borrowed fifty thousand troops, and the total number of soldiers maintained in Nanchu Country was almost the same. Did the Emperor and the Crown Prince intend for her to conquer Nanchu with equal military force? But wasn’t that overly generous?
"Ye Xiang, you should know about Zhang Ping’s treason and rebellion, right?" Su Rong looked at Ye Xiang, "Zhang Ping secretly raised four hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, of which three hundred and fifty thousand were over the endorsed number allowed by the Imperial Court. This part of the army pledged loyalty to the Imperial Court after Zhang Ping’s sudden death, but the Imperial Court could not afford to sustain these extra troops, so I borrowed them from the Imperial Court." Su Rong made no attempt to hide the fact. "As I borrowed these troops, I was also helping Daliang indirectly support its army. It was a win-win situation. The Emperor and Crown Prince were very willing. The ministers in the court also approved of this move."
"I see." Said Ye Xiang, who was somewhat familiar with Daliang, sudden felt that this was not so surprising. It would indeed have been unthinkable for most people though.
"It seems we’re fortunate to have the soldiers from Daliang. You’ve proven your wisdom, Princess." Ye Guixue, too, hadn’t anticipated this. Back when he had the Tiger Talisman authorising him to command a hundred thousand soldiers, she insisted on returning it and abandoning the plan, which had left him at a loss. However, in just a few short months, she had returned to Nanchu with three hundred thousand soldiers. With this force, she essentially wielded immense power in Nanchu.
He believed that with these three hundred thousand soldiers, even if the Nangong family was powerful, they would pose no threat.
At this time, Ye Xiang truly admired Su Rong. She was so young, yet she had managed to get the trust of the Emperor, Crown Prince, and courtiers of Daliang, borrowing three hundred thousand soldiers. It was not something ordinary people could achieve. He asked, "Princess, have you signed an agreement with Daliang?"
"I have. Would you like to see it?" Su Rong asked him.
Ye Xiang bowed, "If it is convenient for you, I’d love to take a look."
From their very first meeting, he had shown her utmost respect, accepting Su Rong as his ruler.
Su Rong smiled, "As the stalwart minister of His Majesty, of course you should."
The agreement she had signed with Daliang was always with her, kept in a light box. She handed it to Ye Xiang.
After reading the agreement bearing Su Rong’s seal and that of the Emperor, Crown Prince, and Jade Seal of Daliang, he respectfully handed it back to Su Rong, "Your Highness’s plans are far-reaching, and the agreement is fair to both sides. It is excellent."
Su Rong casually accepted it and handed it to Ye Guixue to read.
After Ye Guixue finished reading, he laughed and said, "The expense of feeding and equipping these three hundred thousand soldiers is a huge burden. To be frank with you, Your Highness, although Nanchu is wealthy, our national treasury has been exhausted due to the internal strife that started earlier this year. The addition of these three hundred thousand soldiers to Nanchu would certainly add considerable pressure."
Ye Xiang immediately said before Su Rong could respond, "What’s the current situation? Having these three hundred thousand soldiers is just right. Even if there’s great pressure, we can’t return them. We need to quickly conclude the civil unrest, stabilize the court, and restore civilian life as soon as possible. Then it won’t be too much pressure."
Su Rong nodded, "I have already ordered that we rest today and set off tomorrow, heading directly to the capital. We will take control of the capital first and then get rid of the Nangong family."
"And Prince Liu’an, Chu Qian, that grandson." Ye Xiang added.
Su Rong nodded, "Of course, he also needs to be dealt with."
"Do you have any news of His Majesty and Lord Thursday?" Ye Guixue asked.
Su Rong shook her head, "No, not yet. The Crown Prince’s secret agents have all been wiped out by the Nangong family. All I know is that they were headed towards Dawei."
Ye Guixue nodded, looking somewhat worried, "Originally, I planned to have someone stir up trouble for the Nangong family and search for His Majesty and Lord Thursday while leading the troops to the border of Daliang to meet you after leaving the capital. I didn’t expect that the troops dispatched by the Nangong family would move so quickly, and they even mobilized the elite troops of Dawei. As a result, I was too preoccupied with defending myself to block outside news."
"No news is good news." Su Rong said, "I trust Zhou Gu. He would not have taken His Majesty out of the capital if he was not sure."
However, certainty and danger coexisted. With the Nangong family’s full-scale deployment, it was imaginable how difficult it would have been for them if they had been hiding from place to place, pursued, and hunted down.
Ye Xiang suddenly said, "His Majesty secretly raised fifty thousand soldiers in Xiling. If they are in a dangerous situation, they should be heading towards Xiling."
Ye Guixue was startled, as this was news to him, "Father, when did His Majesty secretly raise fifty thousand soldiers?"
"Five years ago, at the same time when you were being trained." Ye Xiang said, "Because of this matter, the fewer people who know about this, the better. Therefore, apart from His Majesty, only I know."
Ye Guixue sighed with relief, "If His Majesty can be safely taken to Xiling by Lord Thursday, having soldiers in hand should be a relief."
Su Rong felt relieved after hearing this. So the King of Nanchu had privately raised an army too, which provided another layer of assurance.
A day later, the army of one hundred and fifty thousand embarked on their journey towards the Royal Capital.
Instead of riding a horse, Su Rong sat in a carriage. Qin Ruo handed her a registered book for her to peruse. After reading, Su Rong nodded to him, "You’ve been working non-stop, even though we had a day off. Your eyes are red from lack of sleep. We’re not in a hurry to travel now, you can get some sleep in the carriage."
Qin Ruo nodded and said to Su Rong, "I’m worried about Brother Zhou. If Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei could lend fifty thousand troops to the Nangong family, he could lend them more. Brother Zhou took His Majesty towards Dawei, and even though there are fifty thousand soldiers in Xiling, I still feel uneasy. Your Highness, don’t forget, Prince Dawei once had five hundred thousand soldiers stationed at the Nanchu border. If they discover their whereabouts, it would be very dangerous."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
