Chapter 519 Bai Qingling's Secret Meeting with the Wolf Clan Leader!
Even though the guards wanted to stop Shen Lanxi from risking her life, they dared not speak, fearing that Shen Lanxi would send them back to the Great Zhou.
Regardless of whether it was Zhou Ruyuan's intention or Bai Qingling's, it is an indisputable fact that Zhou Ruyuan already harbored the ambition to command an army.
The three people were left to wait in place, while the seven of them, including her, split up and entered the Southwest Army over three days.
The location of the Southwest Army was chosen by the old Marquis of Yong'an when he was alive. In the years since Zhou Ruyuan took over, he has only made repairs and has not moved the army.
The distribution map provided by Zhao Zheng was very detailed. Shen Lanxi had simulated it in her mind beforehand, and once inside, she quickly found the correct locations.
Zhao Zheng had always dreamed of returning to this place, but unexpectedly, she arrived first by a twist of fate.
"Look how thin you've become, why don't you spend a few months in the kitchen?"
Shen Lanxi was assigned to the cook team, and then the cook team was assigned the tasks of lighting fires and washing vegetables.
During the day, the soldiers trained, and few people ventured into the kitchen. The cooks spoke without restraint, and she barely had to ask them anything before they told her everything she wanted to know.
"Do you think the princess is prettier, or the regent?"
"I've never seen him before, but the Regent must be powerful."
"How could our prince be so foolish as to marry such a princess? The other day when I went to town to buy vegetables, I heard the grain seller say that this princess is the one who cried for water three times in one night..."
"Really? How could His Majesty allow his son to marry such a woman?"
"It's either because they're good-looking or they're cunning."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
"The prince trains his troops every day, leaving all logistics to the princess. Our Southwest Army's logistics are in complete disarray."
"Have you heard? The other day, the princess had the delegation sent away without telling the prince."
"Didn't anyone tell the prince?"
"Who would dare! The prince listens to that woman so much that he's even willing to sacrifice his reputation for her. Who would dare to speak ill of her?"
Shen Lanxi frowned: So, it's all just Bai Qingling talking to herself?
Hmph, so what if Bai Qingling is just talking to herself? It's Zhou Ruyuan's indulgence. If Zhou Ruyuan hadn't delegated power, could Bai Qingling have commanded the Southwest Army?
Therefore, Zhou Ruyuan shares the responsibility!
At noon, someone came to deliver a message.
"The princess wants to order a few dishes that the prince likes. She said they should be made to be exquisite."
The cook readily agreed, and soon Shen Lanxi was assigned to wash vegetables.
She quickly separated the tender leaves of the vegetable and stuffed the note tucked inside into her sleeve.
While carrying firewood, he quickly glanced at it and casually tossed the note into the stove while starting the fire.
The flames were blazing, and the crackling sounds mingled with the clanging of the spatula.
The note said that it would be the second update tonight, and Bai Qingling would meet with the wolf clan leader in the Black Mist Forest.
The moon hangs in the sky, the crescent moon still bright and clear, the starlight twinkling, echoing the moonlight, each shining brightly.
"Meng Xiangka, I have delivered the people to you as agreed. When will you agree to form an alliance with our Southwest Army?"
The tall, strong woman, called Mengxiangka, had totems painted on her face, making her features unclear.
"I've changed my mind. If your Southwest Army wants to cooperate, then send Zhou Ruyuan to me!"
Bai Qingling angrily said, "How dare you! Your Highness commands the entire Southwest Army, yet you go back on your word, clearly showing you don't want to form an alliance with my Southwest Army. I have already received news from the capital today that Shen Lanxi is leading an army of 200,000 to annihilate you!"
Meng Xiangka's expression changed, and she immediately summoned two people to inquire whether the matter was true.
A hint of disdain flashed in Bai Qingling's eyes. If she told these barbarians that she had an army of 400,000, they would definitely not believe her and would check it themselves.
Furthermore, she didn't believe the imperial court would actually send Shen Lanxi with an army of 400,000.
As far as she knew, the imperial army had been sent to Shu and Ganzhou, and no soldiers would be assigned to Shen Lanxi.
Seeing that Bai Qingling was fearless, Meng Xiangka began to seriously consider whether what she said was true or false.
The entire Southwest Army, even when combined, numbered only a little over 200,000, and all these tribes combined numbered less than 100,000.
Even if she chose to ally with the Southwest Army, she could not defeat an army of 400,000.
"Why are you always speaking on behalf of the Prince of Zhennan? Where is the Prince of Zhennan? This chieftain demands to see him!"
Bai Qingling naturally wouldn't let her see him, especially after she revealed her covetousness towards Zhou Ruyuan; Bai Qingling was even less likely to let her see him then.
"His Highness is busy training troops, so he has entrusted me, the Princess Consort, with overseeing all matters other than military training."
"Furthermore, you are a woman, and so am I. In our Great Zhou, the etiquette in the main hall is very strict. Women cannot meet with men alone. Our prince is following the etiquette of the Great Zhou, which is why he sent me, the princess consort, to see you."
Meng Xiangka scoffed, "That's your Great Zhou's etiquette; it can't bind a foreigner like me!"
"You breached the contract first, refusing to negotiate, and now you want to use your Great Zhou etiquette to trap me, an outsider. You cunning outsiders, you really know how to do business!"
A dark glint flashed in Bai Qingling's eyes. No matter what, she would not let the prince see this woman.
This woman is so vulgar and shameless that she would consider it a defilement to the prince even if he were to see her.
"In short, the prince will definitely not see you. If you want us to agree to what you said before, you'd better agree to form an alliance with the Southwest Army, otherwise you can expect to be wiped out by the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
Their subsequent conversation could be described as a heated debate, and they parted on bad terms, each leaving indignantly.
Shen Lanxi gazed intently in the direction Meng Xiangka had left, curious about what conditions she had made to the Southwest Army.
What she said to the envoys before was entirely to appease them, hoping to minimize their suffering and save their lives within the limited conditions.
Surprisingly, they actually accomplished something.
The ten people were assigned to two tribes allied with the wolf clan. After receiving the confirmation, Shen Lanxi immediately arranged for people to go and check on their safety.
Fortunately, the people sent this time were not pedantic; otherwise, they would probably have already died for the Great Zhou Kingdom the moment Bai Qingling sent them away, and there would have been no chance for her to come and rescue them.
Shen Lanxi stayed in the Southwest Army for another three days. During these three days, she figured out the location of Zhou Ruyuan's training and the approximate strength of the Southwest Army. Then, she took the opportunity of going out to gather firewood to fake her death.
In the southwest, poisonous insects and plants frequently emit miasma, often causing soldiers to die from poisoning.
Shen Lanxi's feigned death did not cause the slightest ripple in the Great Zhou army.
Two days later, the southwestern border was placed under alert. The number of soldiers guarding the border increased from five to ten per team, and the number of troops at the outposts also increased from one hundred to five hundred. Patrols became more frequent.
At this time, news that Shen Lanxi had personally led an army of 400,000 to the southwest spread throughout the southwest.
Not long after the news spread, both the Southwest Army and the Wolf Clan received letters from Shen Lanxi.
One handwritten letter reads, "By imperial decree, I inspect and review the Southwest Army." Another handwritten letter is a letter of accusation.
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