Chapter 279 Next Target: Xiling City!
Zhou Ru'an acted first and reported later, immediately sending his personal guards to seize Hailing City amidst the chaos, and only then submitted a memorial to the court explaining the details.
Having captured a city, Zhou Ru'an's confidence swelled to unprecedented heights. Heeding Song Daoxi's advice, he seized the opportunity to incorporate Chen Xiong's troops into his own forces and then spread the word that he had killed the bandits to avenge Chen Xiong.
Of course, this fake news was also orchestrated by Song Daoxi, and the bandits did indeed quiet down for a while afterward.
Zhou Ru'an took this as a deterrent to the bandits by their Zhenbei Army.
"I reckon those bandits must have fled long ago after hearing of the Second Prince's name!" Song Daoxi said seriously.
Zhou Ruan's subordinates echoed, "That's right! Our Zhenbei Army is now a fierce and powerful force. The Second Prince's reputation has spread throughout the Northwest. Sooner or later, the entire court will know about our Zhenbei Army!"
These words struck a chord with Zhou Ru'an. He attributed the incredible success to Song Daoxi's strategic planning and his decisive order, emphasizing the importance of speed in warfare.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Let Shen Lanxi continue to hunt down the bandits and make sure they are wiped out!"
"yes!"
Zhou Ru'an was not happy for more than two days after capturing Hailing City when his subordinates urged him that the food supplies were running out.
"Second Prince, some of the grain supplies in Hailing City have been borrowed by our Zhenbei Army, and some have been robbed by bandits. The current grain supplies can only last for two more days at most. Also, our Zhenbei Army's grain supplies are running low!"
After Wu Tong reluctantly finished reporting the news, Zhou Ru'an immediately turned pale.
"If the city of Hailing is so large, is this all the food we have?" When Chen Xiong told him this before, he thought Chen Xiong was just pretending to be poor, but he didn't expect it to be true.
After figuring this out, Zhou Ruan felt somewhat sorry for Chen Xiong's death.
It seems that Chen Xiong is loyal to him, otherwise he wouldn't have given him food when he himself didn't have enough.
He was killed by bandits just like that, what a pity!
"Second Prince, we must come up with a solution quickly. Without supplies, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
The Wei family army serves as a cautionary tale, and thinking of this, Zhou Ru'an's expression immediately hardened.
Song Daoxi: "We can borrow some grain from Xiling first!"
Zhou Ruan's eyes lit up, but he hesitated.
We've already borrowed a lot from Xiling. If we borrow again, does Xiling still have enough? Will we still be able to borrow from them?
"The grain supplies allocated to us by the imperial court are already on their way. Once they arrive, we can return them to Xiling City!" Song Daoxi said calmly.
Once Zhou Ru'an made up his mind, he immediately sent someone to negotiate with Xiling City.
...
Qinglong Lake
Shen Lanxi pointed to Xiling and drew a circle, saying, "Our next target is Xiling City! Get our people ready!"
Che Mingyuan: "General, or bandits?"
Shen Lanxi nodded: "The bandits are rampant now!"
Everyone: "..." Whether it's outrageous or not is up to you to decide!
Within two days, bandits began harassing villages and towns around Xiling!
Sun Maoshan, the garrison commander of Xiling, had already begun to take precautions after learning of Chen Xiong's death, but he did not expect that the bandits would actually come, and his men were unable to defend against them.
Sun Maoshan immediately informed Zhou Ruan of the news about the bandits. Zhou Ruan had just taken supplies from him, and he couldn't accept them for nothing.
Those bandits are too cunning; he needs Zhou Ru'an to send men to help suppress them.
Zhou Ru'an received the imperial decree of commendation from the court, but before he could even enjoy his joy for two days, he received news of bandits causing trouble in Xiling.
We must not let news of the bandits reach the capital.
The bandits must die!
"This Shen Lanxi is completely useless; she can't even catch a few bandits."
Zhou Ru'an's advisor obediently replied, "A woman is a woman. She's probably hiding in some corner right now, embroidering and slacking off."
"A woman should never have been allowed into the military. Allowing a woman into the military is just bad luck!"
"Second Prince, you should order Shen Lanxi to be dismissed from her post. She is of no use in the Northwest!"
Zhou Ru'an was naturally tempted when he heard his strategist say this. However, if he dismissed Shen Lanxi now, there would definitely be people in the court who would question whether he was behind it, and it would damage his reputation.
Shen Lanxi must die, and she must die in full view of everyone, preferably on the battlefield. Then, he can give her a false title of sacrificing herself for the country, and he can also gain a reputation for being kind and brave!
"Let her stay put for now. Let her hide wherever she wants. As long as she doesn't hinder our efforts to reclaim the Northwest!"
Although Zhou Ru'an's advisors were unwilling, they could only agree.
"Second Prince, the court is urging us to recover the cities that were seized by the three Turkic tribes as soon as possible. If we send troops to Xiling now, we certainly won't have enough troops to attack the three tribes!"
Zhou Ruan looked at Song Daoxi, whom he now relied on greatly.
What is Mr. Song's opinion?
Song Daoxi cast a disdainful glance at the other strategists, then said, "Only by pacifying the internal situation can we govern the external affairs."
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Ru'an said, "Does the master want me to send troops to rescue Xiling?"
Song Daoxi lowered his voice and said, "Sun Maoshan, the garrison commander of Xiling, is mediocre. If it weren't for the Yue family's promotion, he wouldn't have been able to become the garrison commander of a city. This time, he came to ask us for help from just a few bandits, which shows that he has no courage at all. It's better for us to defend the city ourselves than to let someone like him lead the troops!"
Zhou Ru'an's heart skipped a beat. Taking over Hailing City earlier was just a coincidence. If Chen Xiong hadn't died, he would never have considered taking it for himself.
Now that the Emperor has issued an imperial edict appointing him to take charge of Hailing, can he also take over Xiling?
"I understand what you mean, sir!"
Zhou Ruan hurriedly ended the meeting and returned to his residence, heading straight to the courtyard where Sun Miaoling lived.
The two were deeply in love, making love passionately. As dawn broke, a carriage left Zhou Ru'an's residence and headed straight for the city gate. After leaving the city gate, it headed directly towards Hailing City.
...
Shen Lanxi received a message by carrier pigeon, perhaps ordering someone to withdraw it.
The platform is ready, and Zhou Ru'an has come up with the idea; now all that's left is to wait!
"Big sister, Kangzhu is going to give birth in the next couple of days, and I want to go back and see her!" Shen Yuanjing whispered.
A look of surprise flashed in Shen Lanxi's eyes: "So fast?"
Shen Yuanjing smiled and gave a soft "hmm".
"Now that we're done with this, we can rest for a few days. I'll go back with you!"
Shen Yuanjing hesitated and asked, "Is it okay if no one is watching us here?"
Shen Lanxi: "A few more days won't make a difference!"
She was still very much looking forward to her younger brother's child.
"Big sister, Kangzhu and I have discussed it, and we'd like you to name this child," Shen Yuanjing said, unusually shy.
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow and said, "You and Kang Zhu are both first-time parents. This is your first child. Aren't you going to name it?"
Shen Yuanjing smiled and said, "Without you, eldest sister, there would be no Shen family. Kangzhu and I really want you to name the child!"
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "Then I'll have to think about it carefully!"
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