Zhou Gu’s face changed.
He knew that Xie Yuan had gone to the Nanchu Capital, a fact he learned from Fang Yue. Xie Yuan had done what he and Zhang Yun intended to do, but had ended up in the hands of an agent from Dawei. Naturally, they could not allow him to be taken to Dawei.
He immediately said, "Help me up."
"You can’t go, you need to recover," Su Rong immediately said.
Zhou Gu replied helplessly, "I know I can’t go, but I want to discuss with you. How do you plan to go?"
Su Rong helped him up and provided him with a support pillow, allowing him to half recline, "Fen Ling and I, along with all our secret guards and fifty thousand cavalry, will directly rush to the Dawei border. Ideally, we could intercept and rescue the person in the Nanchu territory before the Dawei agent leaves."
Zhou Gu nodded, "When did Uncle Xie run into trouble?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Five days ago."
Zhou Gu said, "From Wanren Mountain to the Dawei border, it’s four thousand miles. Even if you travel day and night with fifty thousand cavalry, you may still be hindered by the sheer number of troops. My father-in-law has fifty thousand troops in the West Ridge. Perhaps it’s better to send a letter to him, asking those troops to intercept the road from Nanchu to Dawei. You should also proceed there with fifty thousand cavalry. It might increase the chances."
Su Rong’s eyes lit up. "That sounds very good."
By sending a message in advance, the troops stationed at the West Ridge can mobilize sooner. With Wanniang coordinating directly with the commander of the fifty-thousand-strong West Ridge army, they should be able to intercept the person within Nanchu territory.
She took out a kerchief and wiped the thin sweat on Zhou Gu’s forehead. "You have lost too much blood and are too weak to travel with me. You should rest and recover. Today, we received a message from Ye Guixue. He has stopped the troops led not by Nangong Yin, but instead by his cousin, Nangong Yun. This person should not be too powerful, Ye Guixue should be able to handle him, especially since Qin Ruo is also with him."
"Qin Ruo?" Zhou Gu asked, puzzled.
"The son of former Minister Qin Yuan, older brother to Qin Luan. He is the person you’ve requested to take care of Qin Luan. I found out that he is talented, so I asked the Crown Prince for permission to fetch him from the place where he was exiled in Daliang. I went to the stone quarry and brought him back," Su Rong said, briefly explaining the details. "Let’s talk about it in more detail later."
Zhou Gu nodded.
Su Rong said, "Liu’an Prince’s forty-five thousand troops have been incorporated into my team by Fen Ling overnight. I will lead fifty thousand cavalry. After you rest for a day, the remaining forty-five thousand troops should join Ye Guixue and Qin Ruo. Then, depending on the situation, you can go to the Royal Capital or the Nanchu border. As Qin Ruo warned me before, be careful of the Nangong Family trying to escape to Dawei in the event of a crisis. Prince Yuan Zhao of Dawei has been amassing troops on the border of Nanchu, and I fear he might take advantage of the situation to advance. Since Nangong Yin is dead, after you meet with Ye Guixue, I would like you to ask Ye Xiang and my father to take a few troops back to the Royal Capital while the remaining forces, including the large batch of troops I borrowed from Daliang, should head to the Nanchu border."
Zhou Gu was aware of Su Rong’s borrowing of troops from Daliang but hadn’t had a chance to ask about the specifics. Within the limited time, the two hadn’t discussed much about the matter. He asked her, "Did you borrow three hundred thousand troops from Daliang?"
"Yes." Su Rong briefly mentioned that it was the Duke’s idea, then wiped the sweat off his face again. "So currently, I don’t lack troops. After you rest for a day, contact and dispatch them to Nanchu."
"Alright." Zhou Gu nodded, his mind at ease. Not asking anything more, he whispered, "Go quickly and be careful."
He was very reluctant. After all, they had just reunited, but Xie Yuan had to be saved. The importance of him to Su Rong was beyond doubt.
Su Rong nodded. She was also reluctant, having to part ways just after their reunion, especially since he was severely injured and she hadn’t had time to take good care of him. But he wouldn’t be able to withstand the wear and tear of the long journey, so she had to go alone.
She hugged him and kissed him. "Drink your medicine and rest well. Don’t leave any lingering illness. I will leave Bi Qing to take care of you."
"No, you should bring her." Zhou Gu shook his head. "Among my secret guards, some are proficient in medical treatments. Don’t forget, I also have medical skills."
Before Su Rong could respond, Zhou Gu kissed her and said, "Just follow what I said. You need someone with medical skills by your side. There won’t be any danger here."
Su Rong couldn’t say anything as Zhou Gu kissed her. She finally agreed, blushing, "Alright, alright!"
Zhou Gu let her go.
Su Rong looked at him. "Jiang Zhu, Zhang Mao, Ning Ze and others will lead a large number of troops. My senior sister Shen Yi is also in the army. The talented physician Dr. Zhang who joined my side is also there. After you meet with them, let Dr. Zhang carefully take care of you. Being young is not an excuse to ignore your health and leave lingering illness."
"I know." Zhou Gu softly said, "I will surely take care of my health since I plan to have a daughter with you in the future."
"Why a daughter?" Su Rong asked.
Zhou Gu replied, "Daughters are great. They are sweet and soft, just like you."
Su Rong smiled, "Sons are great too. You’re not smelly."
Before Zhou Gu could respond, she kissed him again and said softly, "Let’s have both sons and daughters. We will start trying after our great wedding. I should get going now."
Zhou Gu murmured agreement, holding her hand tightly for a moment, and then slowly letting go.
Su Rong stood up straight, stroked his face one last time, her fingers lingering on his cheek as she turned to leave the tent.
Zhou Gu watched her leave the tent. The curtain fell, blocking his view. Sighing deeply, he thought he must recover from his injuries as quickly as possible. He missed her already, even though she wasn’t gone yet. He really wished he could go with her, but he wasn’t able to.
After leaving the tent, Su Rong looked back one last time before heading to the Nanchu king’s tent.
Within the tent of the Nanchu king, Zhang Yun was already waiting, supported by an attendant.
The two had already heard from Fen Ling about Xie Yuan killing Nangong Yin and falling into the hands of a Dawei agent. The Nanchu king was also anxious, "We must prevent Dawei from taking him away."
In the past, he was extremely jealous of Xie Yuan. However, that jealousy has long since faded. When he heard that Princess Zhenmin remembered him until her last breath, he was greatly moved. Xie Yuan’s devotion to teaching Su Rong, his accompaniment and protection throughout her growth, was both of a teacher and father. He may not express it, but he felt profound appreciation in his heart.
He decided that Xie Yuan must not have any more accidents, or Su Rong would surely be heartbroken.
Therefore, before Su Rong arrived, he had, despite his injuries, already written a letter and prepared the Tiger Talisman for five thousand troops. As soon as she arrived, he handed over the letter and talisman to her without waiting for her to speak, "The commander of the West Ridge troops is Cheng Yun. He was a guard when I was the Crown Prince. He offended the Nangong family and was saved by me. I helped him fake his death and plot his departure to the West Ridge. He lived up to my expectations. Over the course of five years, he secretly recruited and trained troops in the West Ridge. Those fifty thousand are elite soldiers. I didn’t reach the West Ridge when Nangong Zheng was pursuing Zhou Gu and I, so I couldn’t use them at that time. Now, you can use them to save Xie Yuan."
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