Chapter 264: High Five
When Lu Jing came to pick up Su Qingwan, the sunset glow in the sky had gradually dimmed, and the dusk was as dark as ink, slowly spreading.
Su Qingwan had just finished paying tribute to the deceased soldiers, and her heart was as heavy as if a huge stone weighed down her body, and she was completely immersed in depression. Lu Jing walked silently to her side, accompanied her step by step, and walked back slowly.
The two were silent along the way. Su Qingwan was the first to break the silence and asked, "Does the court have any plans to send troops to Xilin?"
Lu Jing looked solemn and responded softly, "I have been waiting for news from the southwest. There has been no movement from the King of the Southwest so far. It is not clear whether Xilin has started a war on the southwest border. The current situation is very tricky, and we cannot afford a protracted war. It has only been a short time since the peace talks, and Xilin has broken his promise. This despicable behavior is really despicable. But now most of the silver in the treasury is invested in farming and trade, and there is really no extra money to support this war."
"If you really want to fight, fighting to support the war is also a way!" Su Qingwan's voice was icy cold, "As long as Xilin Yongxuan returns to Xilin with the peace treaty, he will become the next King of Xilin, but he was plotted to death at the border. The domestic political situation in Xilin is now turbulent, and the pro-war and pro-peace factions disagree and argue endlessly. The death of Xilin Yongxuan has become the fuse for the intensification of their internal contradictions, which is bound to cause civil unrest. Why don't we take the opportunity to send troops and take down Xilin in one fell swoop!"
After hearing this, Lu Jing fell into deep thought. After a moment, he slowly said, "You two are indeed aunt and nephew. You have such similar ideas. Nian Qing also has the same idea. He is even more radical than you. He proposed to pursue the victory and attack Xilin. It seems that defending the border and expanding the territory is the mission that your Su family is born with and engraved in their bones."
Su Qingwan heard this, a trace of relief flashed in her eyes, and she said: "Nianqing's idea coincides with mine, I also want to fight this battle. If Xilin Yongxuan succeeds to the throne smoothly, the two countries may be able to maintain peace for decades, and the people can recuperate. But now that he is dead, the hope of peace is slim. As long as Xilin dares to start a war in the southwest, Huainan will definitely fight across the Lanning River without hesitation."
In recent years, there have been frequent border wars, most of which were initiated by Xilin. Dayuan rarely initiated wars and has always adhered to the principle of peaceful coexistence.
"I will never tolerate Xilin's covetous presence on the border, making the Huainan soldiers nervous all day and always on guard against their surprise attacks." Su Qingwan's eyes were firm, and her tone was calm but revealed her unquestionable determination. "The offensive and defensive situation has changed. Although Huainan did not take the initiative to provoke a war, this does not mean that we are weak and can be bullied."
Lu Jing frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "Let me think about it carefully."
Su Qingwan's face darkened, and she said firmly: "If you don't agree, I will beat you too!"
Her voice was low but full of power. "If you agree, the troops of Zhongzhou will be deployed by the court. The court can be our solid backing, and Xiao Ning and Nian Qing can lead the troops to the battle. But if you don't agree, I will go to the southwest to borrow troops, reorganize Zhang San's bandits into the army, and Huainan and the southwest will work together to prepare supplies. We will fight wherever we can. I will let Xilin know what the consequences of provoking us are!"
Lu Jing knew that once Su Qingwan made up her mind, nothing could change her mind. She had experienced hardships since childhood, fled everywhere, and lived under the care of others for a long time. This not only did not wear down her will, but instead forged her tenacious character and rock-hard faith, which was completely different from the soft heart of ordinary women.
"If we decide to attack Xilin, the princess will probably agree." Lu Jing said softly, "I will mediate this matter."
"You agreed?" There was a hint of surprise in Su Qingwan's eyes. She didn't expect Lu Jing to give in so easily.
"Xilin has gone back on his word and completely disregarded his loyalty. If that's the case, let's fight! Do you really think our Dayuan soldiers are easy to bully?" Lu Jing looked towards the Lanning River. He knew in his heart that if this war really started, it would definitely last for several years, and the people would be plunged into dire straits. "It's just that..." Lu Jing changed the subject, his tone was gentle but unyielding, "You can't lead the troops yourself."
Su Qingwan paused, her face instantly turning cold. At this moment, Huainan City, shrouded in dusk, was like a silent dead city. The Xilin Army's surprise attack had dealt a heavy blow to the city, causing countless casualties. In the streets and alleys of the city, white flags swayed in the wind, and bursts of crying could be heard. It was a desolate scene, without any sign of life or joy.
"Why?" Su Qingwan asked coldly.
Lu Jing looked gentle and patiently explained: "In your heart, you actually prefer to let Lu Nianqing take over Huainan, don't you? Now he has established a certain prestige in the army, and everyone in Huainan City knows that there is a young prince. But if you continue to stay in Huainan, to be honest, it will affect his prestige to a certain extent. Take military power for example, General Xiao Ning has always followed your lead, and Yun Zhizhou will certainly obey your arrangements. Under the shadow of your absolute authority, it is conceivable how difficult it will be for Lu Nianqing to accumulate enough prestige in Huainan. Only if you leave Huainan and delegate power to him, let him lead the troops to attack Xilin and avenge the dead soldiers, can he truly win the recognition of everyone, take over Huainan naturally, and become the true King of Huainan with absolute authority."
Su Qingwan fell into a long silence after hearing this. In fact, Lu Jing had another reason that he hadn't said, but she already knew it in her heart. She and Nian Qing were destined to have only one person stay in Huainan.
Neither the imperial court nor the eldest princess would allow the two of them to stay in Huainan together to attack Xilin.
King Huainan, only one person is enough!
If the military and political power of Huainan is concentrated in her hands, it will be difficult for the princess to persuade the soldiers to march west. After all, key matters such as military supplies and logistics are controlled by the princess. Although she said before that if the court disagrees, she will let the southwest and Huainan support the soldiers to go to the war, it is not easy to put it into practice. She needs the court's assistance too much. The soldiers in Zhongzhou are under the jurisdiction of the court, and the court has the right to withdraw them at any time.
Moreover, she also needed a group of battle-hardened generals such as Ning Yuanhou and General Chen to lead the troops to attack Xilin together with Nian Qing.
"Okay!" Su Qingwan has always been resolute and never drags her feet. "I will go to the capital with you. You help me deal with the princess, let Nianqing take over as the King of Huainan, and lead the army to attack Xilin!"
She agreed to Lu Jing's conditions, and at the same time hoped that Lu Jing would keep his promise. This political marriage was a mixture of interests and emotions.
"Okay!" Lu Jing felt a slight pain in his heart, stretched out his hand, and said sincerely: "Xiao Wu, a gentleman's word is as good as gold."
Su Qingwan raised her eyes to look at him. At this moment, the bright moonlight had quietly climbed up the treetops, and the soft moonlight sprinkled on Lu Jing's face, adding a bit of tenderness to his eyebrows. At this moment, Su Qingwan felt a little warm in her heart. She was willing to believe that in this political marriage full of interests, there was still some true love.
"A word is as good as gold!" Su Qingwan high-fived him to form an alliance.
Recalling the time before this battle, Su Qingwan was full of hesitation. The road ahead was full of variables, and she was not sure how far they could go hand in hand with Lu Jing's feelings alone.
She also knew that considering the situation in Huainan, it was the safest and most beneficial arrangement for her to stay in Huainan. However, she had changed her mind now.
Since she and Nianqing were destined to have only one person stay in Huainan and the other go to Shangjing as a hostage, that person must be her. She took great pains to conceal Nianqing's identity, and even did not tell Xinan until now, so that Nianqing could take over Huainan smoothly one day.
She had said before that she respected Nianqing's ideas and would take over the title of King of Huainan if Nianqing didn't want to. Now it seemed that it was just self-deception. Deep in her heart, the position of King of Huainan belonged to Nianqing.
She hoped that Nianqing could inherit the will of his father and brother and restore Huainan to its former glory. Only in this way could the spirits of her people rest in peace.
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