World Shock 93: Battle Calculation

On the official road not far from the Suixue Pass, several secret guards quietly hid their tracks and secretly protected their respective masters. An Sanbai was bored and hung himself on a big tree with dense branches and leaves on the roadside. He pointed to a small hill not far away and said to An Er who was standing under the tree with his eyes closed, "Look how stupid they are. They must have been discovered by the prince and princess if they hid there." An Er looked up at him and said, "They are secret guards, not stalkers. It's okay if they are not discovered by others. Even if the prince doesn't find them, he will know that they are following behind." Secret guards are supposed to protect the safety of their masters for twelve hours a day. An San rolled on the tree and said, "We are also secret guards." Although it doesn't look like it.

An Er looked unhappy, "We are not qualified secret guards. The prince will probably give the princess a few more secret guards when we go back this time."

An San's face was also a little gloomy. If the princess had not stopped him on the battlefield just now, she would not have been injured. An San did not think there was anything wrong with shielding the princess from arrows. The Dingguo Palace trained them to block knives and arrows when necessary to block all dangers for the master. And just now, the princess was stabbed in the back in order to stop him from blocking the arrows. If it were not for the arrow shot by the prince, the princess would not know whether she was alive or dead. As secret guards, they were really unqualified. An Si and An Yi were still missing, although this was the princess's order. He and An Er also failed to play the role of secret guards. "I will apologize to the prince and will not drag you down." An Er glanced at him and said, "What idiotic words are you talking about? We are a team. If you are replaced, can we still stay? Besides, you are not the only one who is wrong. I just... I prefer to follow the princess."

"Me too." He glanced at the secret guards on the other side. The life of the secret guards before they followed the princess was too boring. Although they had never followed another master before, the training and the teachings of the seniors were boring. If they hadn't followed the princess, they would have become as boring as those secret guards. "If we go over and plead guilty now, do you think the prince will be lenient with us?"

"You will only be more unlucky if you go there now." An Er said calmly. As a secret guard with professional ethics, he would never let others know that he saw the prince and the princess doing something on the street... Of course, this also includes the prince himself.

"But the prince and princess have been here for a long time. If they stay any longer, General Murong will come out to look for them." An San said in a knot.

"Then let them go and invite the prince and princess." An Er raised his chin and looked at the secret guards following Mo Xiuyao not far away. He believed that they were also in the same dilemma. Tsk... As the prince's personal secret guards, their ability to hide and lurk was too poor. He and An San found their hiding place with just a few glances.

"My Lord, My Princess." An Er stood up from behind the tree and saluted the two people who came with him. An San on the tree landed silently and saluted as well.

Mo Xiuyao narrowed his eyes at them and said calmly, "Not bad."

The two of them couldn't help but shudder in their hearts. Was the prince praising them?

Ye Li smiled faintly, "Get up, what are you doing here?" The two of them looked bitter and dared not speak. The princess did not need them to follow her all the time, but if they really went to do their own things now, the prince would definitely be furious. The princess could order them, but... the prince could replace them. Mo Xiuyao frowned and asked, "Where are the other two people? I remember there should be four people around you?"

Ye Li smiled and said, "I let them do their job."

"If you don't have enough people, you can transfer more from other places. The secret guards are here to protect you." Mo Xiuyao disagreed, "Since these four can't protect you, why don't you send a few more? Or give you the people around me?" Ye Li glanced at An San who gave her a pleading look, and said helplessly, "I don't like people following me in secret."

"They are here to protect your safety. I will select people with the best concealment ability so that you won't feel troubled."

"No one is better than us." An San glanced at Mo Xiu Yao and muttered in a low voice. Mo Xiu Yao's indifferent eyes immediately fell on him, and An San couldn't help but stiffen. Mo Xiu Yao said indifferently: "There has never been a dark guard who needs the master to save him. In this respect, there is indeed no one better than you."

"Mo... Xiu Yao..." Ye Li reached out and held Mo Xiu Yao's hand, and said softly: "They all helped me a lot. You can see that I don't need secret guards, I need assistants I can trust. Besides, secret guards are not useful everywhere, right?" For example, there are some places where secret guards cannot follow at all, and places where secret guards can follow usually also show up as ordinary guards. And the degree of danger is not that high. Fortunately, only a very small number of the secret guards in the Dingguo Palace are specially trained to protect the master, and the others have other duties, otherwise it would be a waste of talent. Mo Xiu Yao glanced at the two secret guards who lowered their heads, his eyes dimmed. He lowered his head and glanced at Ye Li who was looking at him seriously, and said in a deep voice: "They can continue to stay with you, and I will transfer four more secret guards to you."

"No." Ye Li smiled and said, "I'm not used to the secret guards. Even if you send someone else to follow me, they will become the same as An Er and his men in a short time. What's the point?"

Mo Xiuyao snorted and turned to walk towards the official road. Ye Li smiled and followed him. An Er and An San were left with a confused look on their faces. "A Er, what does the prince mean by this?"

"It means we can continue to follow the princess. Probably..."

Snow Pass Camp

Seeing Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao coming in, everyone in the big tent stood up quickly. Murong Shen personally stepped down from his position as the chief commander and stepped forward to greet them, "I have met your Majesty and Princess. This time, Yonglin was in danger thanks to your timely assistance. Please accept my bow." As he took off his battle robe and was about to bow, Mo Xiuyao stretched out his hand to hold his shoulders and said calmly, "This is my job, General Murong, there is no need to be polite." Since Mo Xiuyao didn't allow him to bow, Murong Shen naturally couldn't bow. Seeing Mo Xiuyao in good health and full of internal energy, a trace of joy flashed in his eyes. He didn't force it anymore, and stepped aside to invite the two to come in, "Your Majesty, Princess, please sit inside."

The people in the tent couldn't help but be amazed when they saw Mo Xiuyao walking in. Some were happy, some were shocked, and some were thinking deeply. Mo Xiuyao pulled Ye Li to sit down at the position of the chief commander, and asked: "General, how is the Nanzhao army?" Murong Shen hesitated for a moment, walked back to the main seat and replied: "Nanzhao has been attacking the city very urgently these days, probably wanting to cooperate with the rebels of King Li in the pass. Now that the prince and the reinforcements are here, there is no need to worry about these Nanyi barbarians. Tomorrow we will go out of the city to fight, and we will definitely drive these Nanyi back to the deep mountains of southern Xinjiang!" These days of defending the city are not only frustrating for the soldiers of Shattered Snow Pass, but also for the chief commander Murong Shen. However, no matter how frustrated he is, he can only endure it and not show it. Now that the reinforcements have arrived, it is naturally a time to be proud.

"I wonder how many troops the prince has brought this time?" The others were also eager to try.

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "Twenty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry and fifty thousand troops will arrive in three days."

There was silence in the big tent, and everyone felt as if a bucket of ice water was poured over their heads, chilling them from the outside to the inside. One of them stood up in disbelief and said, "Prince... why did the court assign 50,000 troops?" What about 50,000 Black Cloud Cavalry? What about 800,000 Mohist troops? Mo Xiuyao raised a faint smile on his lips, "I am just here to support first. The rest... the emperor will make his own arrangements." Everyone was silent, and Murong Shen sighed in his heart. What is there to not understand at this point? The emperor needs someone to support Southern Xinjiang as quickly as possible, and the only one who can march so fast is Prince Ding's Black Cloud Cavalry. But the emperor also doesn't trust Prince Ding, so he doesn't want Prince Ding to bring too many troops, and the real large troops are all in the back. The leader of the army must be someone the emperor trusts. When the rebellion is quelled in the future, the credit will naturally go to the later comers. Your Majesty... Is it true that nothing will happen to Prince Dingguo's palace if you treat him so harshly?

"Originally... I thought that His Royal Highness Prince Ding would be able to pacify Southern Xinjiang in one fell swoop and continue the unfinished ambitions of His Royal Highness Prince Ding. Now it seems that we can only let these southern barbarians go this time." After a long time, Murong Shen smiled with some regret. As a general, everyone wants to conquer the battlefield and make achievements, but now that Prince Ding has suddenly recovered, it has aroused the emperor's suspicion. The emperor will never be willing to give Prince Ding such a great achievement as pacifying Southern Xinjiang. Mo Xiuyao smiled nonchalantly and said, "It seems that this is indeed not a good opportunity. General, you will have to work hard these days. I will stay in Yonglin for a few days, and I will set off to return to Beijing when the reinforcements arrive."

Murong Shen was stunned, "Your Majesty, you won't stay at Broken Snow Pass?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "There are generals in charge of the Broken Snow Pass, so there is no need for me to make any comments. Besides, there are hundreds of thousands of troops under Mo Jingli in Yonglin. I... still have some personal matters to deal with."

Murong Shen could only nod and say, "In that case, Your Majesty, please do as you please." Although he felt a little sorry that he might not be able to teach Nanzhao a heavy lesson this time, this matter was not something that a military general could decide. Moreover... Prince Ding appeared in Broken Snow Pass in good health. This news alone was enough to scare the Nanyi to death. After all... it was only ten years ago that the last war in Southern Xinjiang was almost quelled. It was already nightfall when he returned to Yonglin City. Fortunately, everything in Yonglin City did not require Mo Xiuyao to spend too much thought. Feng Zhiyao, who was left behind, had already taken care of everything in an orderly manner. Ye Li looked at Feng Zhiyao with some curiosity. He changed out of his gorgeous red clothes and put on green armor and white robes, looking heroic and vigorous. He seemed to be a different person from the capital. At the same time, Feng Zhiyuan looked at Ye Li, who was still gentle and calm, with some curiosity. He really couldn't equate this elegant and beautiful woman with the black-clad woman who killed people ruthlessly on the battlefield.

Mo Xiuyao pulled Ye Li to sit down in the study, pointed to the chair next to him and asked Feng Zhiyao, "Is Leng Haoyu not here yet?"

Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "He just arrived. He went to change his clothes and came here. He ran into some trouble on the way and was chased all the way. He looked a little bit flustered when he got here."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow curiously and looked at Feng Zhiyao. Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "He relied on his wealth and power to snatch food from King Li. Isn't he just waiting to be killed? But the effect is not bad. He has at least purchased 30% of the food in various places in Jiangnan this year. Now even if King Li turns around and attacks various places in Jiangnan, I'm afraid he will be short of food soon. So, King Li sent assassins to hunt him down everywhere."

"How will he deal with so much grain?" Jiangnan can be said to be the granary of the Great Chu. Thirty percent of the grain in Jiangnan is not a small number. Feng Zhiyao smiled indifferently and said, "Once there is chaos in Jiangnan, the price of grain will only soar. It will not be unsalable. Even if it really can't be sold, we still have hundreds of thousands of people to eat."

Sure enough, Leng Haoyu appeared at the door not long after. There was a scar on his handsome face, but fortunately it didn't look too serious and would not leave a scar. "Prince, Princess."

Mo Xiuyao nodded and said in a deep voice: "You have been in Lingzhou for more than half a year. What happened this time? Why did Mo Jingli suddenly decide to start a rebellion?" Leng Haoyu looked at Mo Xiuyao in surprise and said, "Didn't the prince lead his men south because he knew about the rebellion of Prince Li?" Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "I came here for some things in the southern border. I received the news that Mo Jingli had started a rebellion just as I set out. Even if Mo Jingli is stupid, he should know that he is not fully prepared."

Feng Zhiyao shook his head and said, "I think Mo Jingli chose the right time. He caught us off guard. Let alone if we came a few days later, even if we came half a day later, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to defend Broken Snow Pass." Mo Xiuyao frowned and said, "If he was really prepared, he shouldn't have been so anxious to congratulate Broken Snow Pass. He could have divided his troops into two groups, one to hold back General Murong at Broken Snow Pass and the other to We can march directly eastward. The southeast has always been peaceful and there are few troops stationed there. As long as he completely occupies the area south of the Yunlan River, it will not be easy for us to successfully cross the Yunlan River and quell the rebellion even if we have 200,000 or 300,000 troops, let alone tens of thousands of troops. It is only a matter of time before General Murong will be unable to hold on to the Broken Snow Pass. By then... Mo Jingli will not have to share any benefits with Nanzhao. "

"He is in a hurry to raise an army without being fully prepared...that means the emperor wants to take action against him?" Leng Haoyu guessed.

Feng Zhiyao shook his head and said, "No, if the emperor wanted to take action against him, he would never have let him leave the capital."

Leng Haoyu nodded, thought for a moment and said, "It was indeed a sudden move for Prince Li to raise troops. He had just returned to Lingzhou and there was no movement, but three days later he suddenly raised troops. I was also shocked at the time."

Ye Li asked, "Why did the prince come here so suddenly?"

Mo Xiuyao glanced at her, took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to her. Ye Li took it and saw that it was the letter she had sent back before and a note that was obviously from her grandfather. After looking down, Ye Li said in surprise: "The Saint of Southern Xinjiang, Shu Manlin, is the descendant of the previous emperor?!" This was indeed something Ye Li had not expected. This was too ridiculous. She did guess whether Shu Manlin had any other identity, but the Saint of Southern Xinjiang was the descendant of the previous emperor, and Mo Jingli was the younger brother of the current emperor. Then the two of them conspired to rebel?

"Didn't Nanzhao establish itself by rebelling against the previous dynasty? How come the descendants of the previous emperor are called the Saint of Southern Xinjiang?" Judging from the attitude of the King of Nanzhao towards Shu Manlin, he should not be unaware of her identity.

Mo Xiuyao said: "The ornament you sent back was a relic of Princess Chaoyang who married into a tribe in southern Xinjiang during the previous dynasty."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows. So what? Princess Chaoyang had been away from Nanzhao for hundreds of years.

Feng Zhiyao began to explain: "This Princess Chaoyang is a remarkable woman. It is said that she had participated in government affairs before she got married. However, Emperor Gaozong at that time did not like women participating in government affairs and issued edicts to reprimand her several times. Later, she was sent to southern Xinjiang to marry. Although Princess Chaoyang disappeared after that, the tribe she married became the largest tribe in southern Xinjiang at that time because of the support of the previous emperor. It was also the predecessor of the Nanzhao royal family. The Nanzhao royal family admired the Central Plains culture. Although it was different from the Central Plains, it was not as powerful as the Central Plains. The relationship with the previous dynasty was not good, but some of the previous dynasty's... traitors were very good. From the establishment of Nanzhao to the demise of the previous dynasty, there are traces that at least three princes, two princesses, and one prince were taken in. Some of these people fled to Nanzhao because of failed rebellions and some because of being framed. Without exception, these people eventually married or married direct descendants of the Nanzhao royal family. Although the records of the last person they took in are a bit vague, we guess that he should be the crown prince of the previous dynasty. "

"So, what you want to say is that the Saint of Southern Xinjiang might be the orphan of the former crown prince?" Ye Li asked, feeling dizzy. Sure enough, if you think the story is ridiculous, reality will be even more ridiculous.

Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "In the third year after the fall of the previous dynasty, the queen of Nanzhao at that time married an unidentified man from the Central Plains. Five years later, Nanzhao kept invading the border of Dachu. It was not until the queen of Nanzhao and her husband passed away that the situation gradually subsided. But over the years, the two countries have been fighting and making peace from time to time, and there has never been any real peace. As long as there is an opportunity, Nanzhao will find ways to invade the Central Plains."

Ye Li rubbed his brows, "I see. So Nanzhao has a very strong royal bloodline from the previous dynasty. Are they planning to take back the kingdom for the previous dynasty and rule the Central Plains?"

“It may be false that they want to regain the territory for the previous dynasty, but it is certain that they want to rule the Central Plains.” Feng Zhiyao nodded.

Ye Li looked at Mo Xiu Yao strangely and said, "Even so, you don't have to rush over here. Since they have been preparing for more than a hundred years, they shouldn't mind preparing for a few more decades." Mo Xiu Yao looked at her, "If Mo Jingli hadn't started the rebellion this time, what would you have done?" Ye Li was startled, and remembered her plan to visit the Southern Xinjiang Holy Land. "Is it dangerous?" Mo Xiu Yao's face was not very good, and he said, "Don't you think that the so-called Holy Land in Southern Xinjiang is problematic?"

Ye Li blinked, waiting for his answer.

"The Saint Maidens of Southern Xinjiang must enter the Holy Land when they are over 25 years old. But in fact, most of the Saint Maidens have already given up their Saint responsibilities and entered the Holy Land at the age of 21 or 22, and the youngest is even 19. No one knows the appearance of these so-called Saint Maidens, no one knows their family background and identity, and no one knows what they do after entering the Holy Land. However, these women must receive all kinds of education since childhood, and after becoming Saint Maidens, they even have a certain influence on the political affairs of Nanzhao. How much time, financial resources and energy does it take to teach such a person? Is it just to keep her there as a Saint Maiden for a few years and then throw her into some holy land to die of old age?" Mo Xiuyao said indifferently. Leng Haoyu pondered, "Your Highness is right. The rules of this Saint of Nanzhao are really strange. I remember that the shortest reign of a Saint seemed to be only two years. She became a Saint at the age of fifteen and abdicated at the age of seventeen."

"I thought we were talking about the danger in the Southern Border Holy Land?" Ye Li reminded.

Mo Xiuyao said, "There is no such thing as a Southern Xinjiang Holy Land. There may be such a place, but it is definitely not the place where the Southern Xinjiang treasures are enshrined and the Holy Lady is raised. That should be the biggest secret of the Nanzhao royal family. So once someone touches that place, the Nanzhao royal family will kill them at all costs. That's why there is a rumor that no one who dares to enter the Southern Xinjiang Holy Land will survive."

Ye Li was a little disappointed. There was no such thing as a Netherworld Flower in the so-called holy land of Southern Xinjiang.

Leng Haoyu said: "This should have nothing to do with King Li's sudden uprising, right?"

Feng Zhiyao lazily leaned back in his chair and smiled, "It doesn't matter? It matters a lot. We used to think that Mo Jingli wanted to use the Saintess of Southern Xinjiang and Nanzhao. Now it seems that the fool was used by others. That's why he raised the army in such a hurry. I thought he was smart, but a fool is a fool!" Ye Li was a little confused, "What chips can Nanzhao use to persuade Mo Jingli?"

Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "For example, sharing the world with the Saintess of Southern Frontier. With the help of Nanzhao, it will be easier for Mo Jingli to get the world. When the time comes, the beauty and the country will be no mistake, and every man will be tempted." Ye Li couldn't understand why Nanzhao could work hard for hundreds of years to rule the Central Plains. Is the world really the most intoxicating? "Humph, their calculation is not bad. If they can't break through the Broken Snow Pass from the outside, they will break through it from the inside. If it weren't for the princess this time, I'm afraid we would feel that today, let alone the Broken Snow Pass, Lingzhou and Yongzhou would have no place to stand for reinforcements."

Leng Haoyu frowned and asked, "What is your plan, Lord?"

Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "I don't have any plans. It's not safe for you to stay in Jiangnan now, so leave for the capital as soon as possible." Leng Haoyu moved his lips to say something, but Mo Xiuyao glanced at him and said, "I will tell General Murong to let you and Murong Ting get married as soon as possible. Haoyu..." Leng Haoyu was startled and said quickly, "I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help."

Feng Zhiyao said unwillingly, "I finally made a trip out of the capital, but it has to end in a hurry. Does the emperor have to be so wary of us? It's such a waste of my time." Mo Xiuyao said calmly, "Nanzhao will never become a big name, so don't worry about it for now. Don't worry, your trip will not be in vain this time." Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows, "Only you dare to say that Nanzhao will never become a big name. I think the people of Nanzhao are very scheming. They can actually spend so much time to endure and arrange things..." Mo Xiuyao smiled coldly, "More than a hundred years, generation after generation have not been able to accomplish anything. What kind of big name can they achieve? Perhaps the only thing worthy of praise is their persistence." Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "I guess the Nanzhao people hate the Dingguo Palace the most." The Dingguo Palace definitely played an indispensable role in the fact that nothing has been accomplished for more than a hundred years. For example, if the troops had not been temporarily withdrawn more than ten years ago, the Nanzhao people would never have to worry about how to rule the Central Plains. "Then what does the prince mean by not making my trip in vain? Should we still fight Nanzhao?"

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyes and smiled, "We don't fight wars, we suppress bandits."

"Suppress the bandits?" The three people in the study asked in unison.

Feng Zhiyao's eyes turned and he asked, "I don't remember any powerful bandits in Yongzhou."

Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "Just because there was no such thing before doesn't mean there is no such thing now. Otherwise, what's the matter with the reinforcements from Yongzhou?"

"Didn't Mo Jingli send someone to do it?" Feng Zhiyao asked.

Mo Xiuyao sneered, "Let's not talk about whether he has the brain or not. Even if he did, how many troops would it take to wipe out 20,000 troops of the Lingzhou rebels? At that time, Mo Jingli's rebels were still near Yongzhou City. How could he let an army of at least 30,000 people rush to attack the Yongzhou reinforcements hundreds of miles away?"

Feng Zhiyao pondered for a moment and said, "At least he sent this group of troops on the same day he raised his army, so that he could ambush Yongzhou's reinforcements by the Yunlan River. And he must have known in advance that Yongzhou would definitely send reinforcements to rescue Shattered Snow Pass. Very few people know that Wu Chengliang is one of ours, at least Mo Jingli would never know. If he didn't know, it would be even more impossible for him to send an ambush specifically to ambush Yongzhou's reinforcements. Because Yongzhou is likely to remain silent like other places, and it is also possible that other places will also send troops to rescue Shattered Snow Pass."

"The one who ambushed Lord Wu wasn't Mo Jingli's man?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow.

"It's not just Nanjiang that is eyeing the fat piece of meat of Da Chu." Mo Xiuyao said lightly.

"Xi Ling." Leng Haoyu said affirmatively. Bei Rong was too far away from Nanjiang, and the appearance of Bei Rong people was too different from that of Da Chu. It was impossible to infiltrate Da Chu on a large scale. But Xi Ling was different. Although there were some slight differences, that was the royal family of Xi Ling who had intermarried with foreigners. Most of the ordinary people of Xi Ling were not much different from the people of Da Chu. Leng Haoyu shuddered at the thought that a group of people who could wipe out 20,000 people had infiltrated Da Chu.

Mo Xiuyao's eyes were deep, "These border guards of Da Chu should have been punished long ago."

Feng Zhiyao shrugged his shoulders. The border guards had been replaced by the emperor in recent years, and there was nothing they could do. Suppressing bandits... seemed like a good idea...

"Prince, when do we set out?" Since there is a war to be fought, why bother whether it is in Southern Xinjiang or Xiling, Feng Zhiyao asked with great interest. Mo Xiuyao looked down at the slender fingers and whispered, "Wait until the emperor's people come to take over Yonglin. You should let them prepare first. Remember... if you let a person walk out of Da Chu alive, don't tell me that you want to go to the battlefield again in your life."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Feng Zhiyao stood up and answered loudly. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "This side of Broken Snow Pass..."

"Don't worry about it for now. It will take several months for them to decide the winner. We don't have time to care about them either." Mo Xiu Yao said in a deep voice.

"Understood."

Ye Li looked at the two men talking quietly, frowning slightly. She felt inexplicably angry and uneasy...