Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Maybe this time we can really take Youzhou...
At this time, the city of Bianjing had not received the news yet and was still immersed in the joy of conquering Taiyuan. The Ji family was happy and prepared to celebrate a reunion year.
However, time passed day by day, and it was already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, and there was still no news of the emperor's return to the court. All kinds of rumors began to spread wildly outside. At the end of the year, there were many social interactions, and the servants spread the news by word of mouth, and soon it reached the ears of the women in the Ji family.
Everyone was worried and confused, inevitably feeling uneasy. When they gathered in Li's room that morning, An was the first to lose control and talk about the rumors. "Although we can't trust everything, but when the emperor returns to court, there should be some reliable news, so that all the civil and military officials can leave the city to welcome him. Now there's nothing..."
"Maybe it'll be today." Mrs. Li was worried, but she maintained a calm demeanor in front of her daughters-in-law. "It's cold and snowy in the north, and the roads are difficult to travel. It's not surprising that they can't make it back before the New Year. Don't listen to the rumors outside."
An Shi actually wanted to test her mother-in-law to see if she had any news that they didn't know. She was slightly disappointed when she heard her mother-in-law's answer. She replied "yes," but she was unwilling to give up. She looked at Fang Ying and said, "Sixth brother's wife is close to the young lady from the Zhou family. Is there no news from her family?"
Fang Ying shook her head: "Everyone has been busy these days, so I haven't seen Sister Zhou." Even if she met Zhou Congshan, given Uncle Zhou's style, she would not bypass the government and send a letter home first.
However, looking at the current situation, Fang Ying agreed with what An had just said - if the army really returned to the capital, they would definitely send a letter back as soon as they set out. Since there was no letter, it could only mean that the emperor was not planning to lead the army back.
Fang Ying had long guessed that the emperor would take the opportunity to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, but he didn't expect that he would be so anxious that he wouldn't even give the army time to rest during the New Year - could they win?
She was a little worried, but it was hard to say this to anyone - no one would like to hear someone afraid of losing before the battle even started. Moreover, what she could think of, Li must have thought of as well. Since the day before yesterday, the joy on her mother-in-law's face had faded, and it was obvious that she was also thinking about this matter.
After Fang Ying replied to An's words, she exchanged glances with Yue Qing'e. Yue Qing'e understood what she meant and found a random excuse to ask her mother-in-law for instructions, thus cutting off the topic.
Li was sitting at the top, and she saw the expressions of the two women clearly. She answered casually and sent them away to take care of the housework first.
Fang Ying and Yue Qing'e were busy all morning. Just as they were about to go back to their room to rest at noon, word came in from the outer courtyard saying that Erlang had sent his long-time attendant back home to report important matters to his wife.
The two sisters-in-law looked at each other and both thought that there might be news from the emperor. Yue Qing'e asked someone to tell the long-time servant to wait outside the lady's courtyard, while she took Fang Ying's hand and rushed to Li's room to inform her of the news.
Li did not seem surprised. When the attendant arrived, she immediately called him in for questioning.
"Madam, Erlang has instructed me to report that the Ministry of Revenue has issued an imperial decree to dispatch grain to various prefectures in Jingdong within a specified timeframe and to transport military reserves to the Zhenzhou camp. The emperor is currently leading his army back to Zhenzhou."
Instead of heading south directly back to the capital, he "returned to Zhenzhou" and mobilized military reserves. Li slowly exhaled and asked calmly, "Did Erlang say anything else?"
"Madam, Erlang said that he was busy at the government office today and might be back late. He asked me to report first. I will report the rest to you in detail after Erlang returns home."
"Got it. Go on down."
After the attendant withdrew, Yue Qing'e asked first, "Mother, does this mean... that you'll continue the fight and not come back for the New Year?"
Li sighed softly, "I'm afraid that's the case."
Yue Qing'e turned to look at her sister-in-law, only to see her frowning and looking out the window, as if lost in thought. Thinking of how they had just consummated their marriage when Liu Lang went off to fight, Yue Qing'e sighed inwardly, reached out to hold Fang Ying's arm, and gently advised, "Don't worry, Liu Niang. Judging from the situation, even if the war continues, it will take until after the New Year, and we still have to transport food and grass."
Fang Ying came back to his senses, but before he could reply, Li had already glanced over and echoed, "That's right. Calculating the date, they can reach Zhenzhou before New Year's Eve at the earliest. They'll then have to rest and wait for food, fodder, and weapons. By the time they actually set out, it will probably be after the Lantern Festival."
"Mother is really quick at calculating." Fang Ying quickly smiled. "I've been calculating the distance in my head for a long time, but I still can't figure out whether they can enter Zhenzhou before New Year's Eve and have a good New Year."
Li said those words to comfort her daughter-in-law, but because she was telling the truth, she felt a little relieved and less worried after she finished speaking.
Then he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Liu Lang will be with the emperor and won't have to endure any hardship. He will still be able to have a good New Year. Maybe he can even be reunited with the Duke, San Lang, and Si Lang. We are all at home, don't worry too much, and spend the New Year in peace."
She comforted her two daughters-in-law, and when Ji Yanshou returned home in the evening, she had to pull her son aside to ask him about the details.
However, Ji Yanshou's authority was limited and he didn't know much. He could only speculate based on the deadline set by the imperial edict that the government would actually send troops after the Lantern Festival, which was consistent with Li's prediction.
On the morning of the next day, when the female relatives came to pay their respects, Li told them the news, and then said the same thing as the day before: since the war had not yet started, they should put all their energy and spirit into celebrating the New Year as planned.
The An family had been uneasy before because there had been no news and no one had come back. But when they heard that there was definite news, they were immediately relieved - it was not the first time that their husbands could not come home for the New Year due to the war, and they were used to it.
Moreover, since Northern Zhao had just been destroyed, everyone was still in high spirits. They felt that since the emperor was determined to continue using military force, there must be a way to win. Who knows, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun might be recaptured after the new year.
As a result, everyone in the palace became joyful again. On New Year's Eve, they worshipped their ancestors and stayed up all night to welcome the new year in a lively manner.
However, because the emperor and the army did not return to the capital, and he had not yet rewarded the generals for conquering Northern Zhao, the powerful families in the capital celebrated the New Year in a relatively restrained manner. Apart from visiting relatives and old friends to wish each other a happy new year, there were no large-scale banquets or entertainment.
Fang Ying only went back to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year and to pay New Year's greetings to Aunt Deng on the third day. After that, she stayed at home playing cards and chatting with Li and never went out again.
She was still worried about the upcoming war, and she knew that her mother-in-law was no less worried than she was, but the two of them sat together and tacitly agreed not to mention it until they received a letter from Ji Yanlang and his son before the Lantern Festival.
There were only two letters this time, one was written by Ji Guangting himself, and the other was a New Year's greeting letter written by Ji Yanlang and signed jointly by the three brothers.
After reading the two letters, Li called her three daughters-in-law and showed them the last letter.
The letter was very brief, only saying that after Taiyuan, although Ji Yanlang and his father and brother were separated, they had arrived in Zhenzhou to reunite, and he wrote a letter specifically to wish his mother and brother and sister-in-law a happy new year. Apart from that, he only mentioned some trivial matters such as the weather getting warmer and the ice and snow melting.
From beginning to end, there was no mention of the upcoming war.
A few days later, news came that the imperial carriage had set out from Zhenzhou. Li took Fang Ying to Xiangguo Temple. After returning home, they began to fast and eat vegetarian food again.
It was not known whether the Buddha really blessed the State of Chen or the dynasty was prosperous, but wherever the army went, the defenders of Yizhou and Zhuozhou surrendered one after another. Before the end of the first month of the year, the army had already reached the south of Youzhou City.
There was a roar of praise for the emperor in the capital, and the An and Cheng families in the palace were also overjoyed. They all felt that Youzhou City would be captured soon, and when the time came, if their husbands made great contributions, they might even be awarded an imperial edict.
Only Fang Ying felt a lingering sense of unease, feeling that the Hu people had held Youzhou for decades and that it wouldn't be easy to conquer. However, despite her thoughts, she wasn't foolish enough to contradict or show it when everyone else was rejoicing. She consoled herself with the thought that she came from an official family, had conquered the country on horseback, and had skilled generals and elite soldiers around her. While the Hu people might be strong, they weren't invincible. Perhaps they could truly retake Youzhou this time?
But for many days thereafter, the news that came was that the enemy was holding the city firmly and our army could not take it down. Even though Fang Ying was ignorant of military affairs, he knew that it would be extremely disadvantageous to drag it on like this - Youzhou was the "Nanjing" of the Hu people, not comparable to the previous Taiyuan. The Hu people would never abandon it easily and would certainly send elite troops to reinforce it. Then...
Fang Ying didn't dare to think any further, so she resorted to practicing calligraphy in her free time to calm her mind. But while she could control her daytime thoughts, she couldn't control her dreams at night. For several days in a row, she dreamed of losing battles. Once, she even dreamed that Ji Yanlang was missing again, his life or death unknown. Li fainted from tears, but she couldn't shed a single tear, forcing herself to wake up anxiously.
"Don't be afraid, my lady. Dreams are the opposite of reality. Your lover will definitely return home victorious." Lichun patiently comforted her.
Of course, Fang Ying also hoped that nightmares were the opposite, but after a few days, the news that the Hu people's reinforcements arrived in Youzhou in two groups, formed a three-sided attack on the defenders, and our army was defeated in a bloody battle was passed back to the capital.
"Mother, I've inquired. Aside from Envoy Wang, whose horse was shot by an arrow, breaking his leg, and suffering serious injuries, all the other commanders are safe. Father, following the imperial edict, has led the Third and Fourth Commanders back to Zhenzhou to prevent the Hu people from taking advantage of the situation. The Sixth Commander has been guarding the emperor and will be returning to the capital with him soon."
After hearing Ji Yanshou's report, Li sighed and said, "Amitabha, thank God." She then said to her daughters-in-law standing by, "Are you all relieved now?"
An also followed suit, clasping her hands together and chanting the Buddha's name. Cheng, with red eyes, said, "As long as you are safe."
Fang Ying saw that Li still had something to ask her second uncle, and followed Cheng's words, saying that she would tell the Fang family and Aunt Deng the news so that everyone could feel at ease, and then she resigned.
An and Cheng also took their leave and walked out together with Fang Ying, sighing with gratitude as they walked. When they reached a fork in the road and were about to part ways, An couldn't help but say enviously, "It's still good to be in the Imperial Guard. In less than half a month, Liu Lang will be home."
"Yes." Cheng sighed, "Unlike us, defending Zhenzhou... I don't know how long it will take."
This is a difficult question to answer. How long we can hold out depends on whether the Hu people will really take advantage of the situation to attack, and how strong the attack will be.
Fang Ying simply didn't answer, pretending to be distracted. She said goodbye to her two sisters-in-law, went back, and sent people to inform the Fang and Deng families respectively.
Ten days later, the imperial carriage finally returned to the capital under the escort of the imperial guards. By this time, spring was already in full bloom in the city of Bianjing, and the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd was just around the corner.
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The author has something to say: Liu Lang is finally home!
Sorry to have kept you waiting again (you may not believe it, but I have actually been writing every day these days, but this chapter is too difficult to consider, so I only write a hundred or two hundred words every day... I also have to look up historical materials...
I will continue with the emotional drama later, I hope it will go more smoothly, Amitabha
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2021-02-24 01:13:38 and 2021-03-11 00:32:29~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of rikoai; 1 bottle of hamster who loves to eat melon seeds;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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