Chapter 3536 The Rhythm of War
Afterwards, the three of them finished their meal in silence. Putting down their chopsticks, Xinping almost couldn't wait to salute his father and mother, and then left in a hurry.
Looking at her back, Nan Yan smiled and said, "I've never seen her so energetic even when eating candied haws before."
Just at this moment, the palace maids came in to clear the dishes. Zhu Feng had already gone to the other side of the couch to sit down and rest. Hearing her say this, he simply said, "As you grow older, how can you still chase after food like you did when you were little? You have to think about the things that adults of your age should think about."
Nan Yan personally made a cup of tea and placed it on the small table beside him. Then she sat down and said to Zhu Feng, "Then the Emperor had thought of this before?"
Zhu Feng glanced at her and asked, "What did you say?"
Nan Yan said: "Of course it was Li Bushang - no, Li Wushang, of course it was him who sent troops against us."
Zhu Feng calmly picked up the teacup and took a sip, saying, "Don't tell me you think that after he returns, we can really live in peace and enjoy eternal tranquility."
Nan Yan frowned.
Honestly, she hadn't really thought about it that way. Even when Zhu Feng released Li Bushan, she felt a little uneasy. Li Bushan had been hiding his identity and hiding with them for over a decade, hoping to one day use their power to return to the Kingdom of Yue. It was unlikely that such a person would remain content after ascending the throne.
Nan Yan said, "I have never thought of it this way."
“…”
"Peace between our two countries cannot be achieved through words, nor can it be bought by granting favors. I have seen this clearly over the years."
“…”
“War and peace are two extremes, but peace is always won in the flames of war.”
Zhu Feng glanced at her, a smile in his eyes: "You are right."
“…”
"This battle will have to be fought sooner or later. Li Wushang is fighting now because, firstly, he is dissatisfied and, secondly, he wants to see what other tactics I have."
Nan Yan said, "So, Your Majesty, only if you can defeat him this time can there be true peace between the two countries, right?"
Zhu Feng nodded.
Nan Yan's brows gradually furrowed.
At this point, the situation was very clear. Now she was only worried about one thing -
"If that's the case, Li Wushang will definitely mobilize the entire nation. This way, the scale of this battle will probably be quite large."
“…”
"The Emperor said before that it would be within a month. Is that really possible?"
Zhu Feng glanced at her and said, "You don't believe me?"
“…”
"Didn't you just tell Xinping that I won't fight a battle I'm not sure of, and I'm sure I'll win?"
Nan Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "In front of the child, I naturally have to speak for the Emperor. Moreover, I also believe that since the Emperor has long known Li Bushan's true identity, he must have anticipated today's situation and even made preparations. It's just that—"
It was obvious that she was truly worried, so Zhu Feng stopped keeping her in suspense and said calmly, "As long as we can control the tempo of the war, the time of its end will naturally be under our control. You can rest assured in me."
Nan Yan glanced at him and a smile appeared on her face.
She said, "Since the emperor has said so, I will really not worry about it anymore."
However, even if she said she didn't worry, the battle reports from every day that followed would be reported to the South Courtyard, and she would inevitably know how many thousands or tens of thousands of troops were dispatched from both sides, when and where the fierce fighting took place, and how many casualties there were.
In just ten days, the two sides had fought no less than twenty games.
At the beginning, the fighting in the north city that night alone scared the people in Yongzhou half to death. After all, they had lived in peace for a long time and had forgotten the days when there were small fights every three days and big fights every five days. The sudden outbreak of war on the border made them terrified, and some wealthy businessmen even thought about moving out of Yongzhou.
However, the emperor closed the city gates and forced everyone to stay in the city.
But they could not enjoy a peaceful life if they stayed, because there were wars every day. But after fighting for more than ten days, they seemed to have gradually become numb. Every day they watched the wounded soldiers retreating from outside the city, and soldiers and horses continued to leave the city to reinforce. The people gradually got used to such a life.
What's more, after that night, no soldier from Yue State crossed the border and attacked Yongzhou City.
All the fighting took place outside the city.
Therefore, everyone settled down.
The only one who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan was Princess Xinping, who lived in the South Courtyard and was not affected by the war at all.
She spent her days inquiring about the battle reports outside. One time, she even went to the city wall with her eunuch, Jinzhong, to watch the battle unfold. Nan Yan found out and caught her. She had them pin her to a bench and start beating her. However, the cane in her hand held high for a long time before it came down. Nan Yan cursed with a dark face, "If you dare to mess around again, I'll beat you to death and pretend I never gave birth to a daughter like you!"
The young palace maid Chu Yun and the young eunuch Jinzhong were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, even hitting their foreheads and causing them to bleed.
Xin Ping said unconvincedly, "You want me to think about it, but you don't even let me see it clearly. How can I think about it?"
Nan Yan then put down the cane in her hand, looked at her red eyes, and said, "Are you still thinking about what your father told you to do?"
He said calmly and angrily, "You just call me stupid and don't explain it to me clearly. I'm sitting here, I can't see or hear anything, how can you come up with anything out of thin air?"
She was also very angry and spoke without any care.
Nan Yan listened and frowned.
At this moment, footsteps were heard outside, and Xiao Shunzi's voice came: "The emperor has arrived."
Before Nan Yan could go out to greet him, she saw Zhu Feng walk in. Seeing Xin Ping pinned down on a bench with her butt sticking out, looking like she'd just been beaten, he laughed and said, "What's going on? Execution at the gate?"
Nan Yan sat aside angrily: "You say it yourself!"
Xinping pursed her lips and hugged the bench. Before she could say anything, Zhu Feng had already pulled her arm and lowered her from the bench, saying, "Alright, I heard it outside just now."
Nan Yan said with a sullen face, "She still hasn't learned her lesson from the last incident. Now there's a war going on outside the city, and she still dares to run out!"
Xinping complained softly, "Your son won't leave the city again."
Nan Yan said, "How dare you talk back!"
As he spoke, he was about to pick up a cane to hit someone. Ruoshui and the others beside him hurried forward to persuade him, but Zhu Feng waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, you don't have to be so angry. Besides, she's not wrong."
Nan Yan looked at him: "What?"
Zhu Feng said, "There's a war going on outside the city, but she's not leaving the city, so what is she afraid of?"
When Xinping heard this, his eyes lit up.
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