Chapter 222 The audacious foreign tribes must be trying to sabotage this marriage alliance!
"Xiao Fang, you can go back to your old profession!"
As soon as Shen Lanxi finished speaking, Xiao Fang immediately let out a loud, excited shout.
"Brothers, follow me and we'll get rich!"
Xiao Fang selected twenty people, who changed their clothes and immediately set off.
Shen Yuanjing asked worriedly, "General, will something bad happen?"
Shen Lanxi: "Are you worried they'll be recognized?"
Shenyuan scenic spot.
Shen Lanxi said with a half-smile, "Even if they recognize me, so what?"
Shen Yuanjing's eyes slowly widened.
Half an hour later, Xiao Fang returned with his men to report.
"More than a dozen were injured, but no one was killed!"
Shen Lanxi: "Let's go, we'll wait as we walk!"
"yes!"
This time, no one needed to urge them; in no time, the wedding procession ran like an arrow released from a bow, quickly catching up with them.
"General Shen, wait a minute, wait for us!" Nie Shuanghai spurred his horse to catch up with Shen Lanxi.
"General Shen, we have been attacked by bandits."
Shen Lanxi was furious: "Who are you, daring to attack the marriage procession?"
Nie Shuanghai glanced at her, then quickly lowered his head and said truthfully, "They are dressed as foreigners, and we can't understand what they are saying!"
Shen Lanxi was furious: "Bold foreign tribes! They must be trying to sabotage this marriage alliance. They are utterly treacherous!"
Xiao Fang and the others subtly twitched the corners of their mouths.
Nie Shuanghai became nervous.
"General, we've only been out of the capital for a short time. How dare these foreign tribes be so bold?"
Shen Lanxi sighed and said earnestly, "The foreign tribes have calculated that our Great Zhou is about to fall apart. They want to sabotage the marriage alliance and prevent it from ruining their alliance plan. When the time is right, they will definitely move south and continue to carve up our Central Plains!" The more she spoke, the more sorrowful she became, showing her deep concern for the country and its people.
Nie Shuanghai felt a sense of urgency: "If it's really as the general says, then the foreign tribes will definitely not allow us to arrive safely in the Northwest!"
Shen Lanxi: "Commander Nie is wise; that's exactly their plan. I suspect our journey ahead is going to be quite turbulent!"
Nie Shuanghai immediately raised his hand.
"General, what should we do?"
Shen Lanxi shook her head helplessly and sighed, "With just the number of us, we can't fight against so many. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. I'm afraid we won't even make it to Jialing Pass before we perish on the way to the Northwest!"
Nie Shuanghai was scared. His parents were old, his children were young, his wife was frail, and his younger siblings were still young. The whole family depended on him. He couldn't afford to get into trouble!
"General, is there really no other way?" Nie Shuanghai was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Shen Lanxi said earnestly, "It's not that I can't do it, it's just... you should go and discuss it with the other ministers!"
Nie Shuanghai sensed that Shen Lanxi had something to say but didn't, and that the marriage alliance should indeed be notified. If the officials in the marriage alliance couldn't handle it, he would then go to the general.
He could understand; after all, General Shen was a woman and probably hadn't made any decisions before. In situations like this, it was up to the men to make the decisions.
Nie Shuanghai gathered several officials from the Ministry of Rites and went together to find Zhou Yunyue.
Zhou Yunyue felt like her insides were about to come out. She was filled with hatred; it was all Shen Lanxi's fault for abandoning them. Otherwise, those bandits wouldn't have hurt so many of them.
Thinking of the bandits' arrogant words about kidnapping her, Zhou Yunyue couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.
"Princess, Commander Nie and the officials from the Ministry of Rites have arrived!" a palace maid reminded her.
Zhou Yunyue quickly wiped away her tears. No, she couldn't let others see her like this; it would damage the royal dignity.
"Quickly bring me a veiled hat!"
"yes!"
Nie Shuanghai told Zhou Yunyue about the attack by foreign tribes.
"Princess, our journey to the Northwest may not be peaceful. We only have these few people, which may not be enough. We need to ask the imperial court for more troops!"
Cao Ziling's complexion wasn't much better. When he fled in a panic, he was thrown off the carriage. Fortunately, the carriage wasn't going fast, and he landed on a small hill. He was only frightened and was otherwise unharmed.
"Princess, let's have the local garrison send someone to escort you!"
Zhou Yunyue's eyes flickered. She only dared to be arrogant in the marriage procession. Her previous statement about writing a letter to her father was just something she said casually, relying on her status as a princess. If she were really asked to write a letter, she wouldn't dare!
"Should we have local troops escort them? Should we report this to the imperial court?"
Nie Shuanghai was taken aback, then honestly replied, "Of course it must be reported."
Zhou Yunyue's eyes flickered, and she subconsciously straightened her back, saying, "There is unrest in four parts of our Great Zhou, and troops need to be dispatched to each place. We are definitely short of troops, so we won't trouble the local garrison."
Nie Shuanghai frowned: "Princess, what if we are attacked by foreign tribes again?"
Zhou Yunyue's eyes lit up: "Isn't there Shen Lanxi? Isn't she the Grand General who quelled the rebellion? She must be very powerful. Why don't you go find her!"
The more she talked, the more convinced she became that this was how it should be, and her tone became even more self-righteous.
"Shen Lanxi is responsible for escorting me to the Northwest for the marriage alliance. If anything happens on the way, it will be because she failed in her duty. I will definitely tell my father that she is unworthy of the title of Grand General for Suppressing Rebellions!"
Nie Shuanghai cursed Zhou Yunyue in his heart, but respectfully took his leave.
After leaving, he immediately went to find Shen Lanxi and told her exactly what Zhou Yunyue had said.
Shen Lanxi: "Princess, you have confidence in me as the general who quelled the rebellion. Commander Nie, let's rest in a nearby city for a day. I'll send a letter to the court through my brother Fei to discuss our next steps. There are so many capable people in the court; they can surely help us!"
Nie Shuanghai really wanted to ask, "Are you sure?"
They finally arrived at Hailing City just before the city gates were about to close at night.
The imperial court's reply arrived the following morning.
Emperor Renxiao personally decreed that the local guards should not move, but allowed her to hire some people to escort her along the way!
As for the money for hiring, not a word was mentioned.
Without saying a word, Shen Lanxi immediately took the imperial edict and ordered people to start hiring!
At the same time, several carrier pigeons and hawks flew towards Dongchuan and the northwest respectively!
Qian Feng, who had already arrived at Jialing Pass, immediately led a group of people toward Hailing City after receiving the letter.
With the imperial decree, they could be "hired" openly and legitimately.
After receiving the message delivered by the flying eagle, the various groups from Dongchuan, having already made preparations, disguised themselves as merchants and set off in the northwest direction.
After spending five days in Hailing City, they recruited two hundred people at a high price. This was only because Shen Lanxi offered an exorbitant price of three hundred taels of silver, which is why some able-bodied young men were willing to sign up.
Rumors are already circulating privately in Hailing City.
"What kind of hiring is this? It's just conscription!"
"They're heading northwest. What is the northwest? There's a war going on there. Even if they get the money, they won't live to spend it!"
"I would have been happy to receive this money back then!"
"What a load of rubbish! This is money to buy your life. Those who sign up are definitely desperate for money, people who have been forced into this situation!"
"Remember the Wei family army? Do you want to become like them?"
"Have any letters been sent back to those soldiers the Northern Expeditionary Army recruited from here more than two years ago?"
The three hundred taels of silver instantly extinguished the desires of those who were tempted to take it.
(End of this chapter)
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