Chapter 267 The Northwest King Arrives to Submit, Breaking the Balance in Dongchuan!
That evening, ten newlywed couples came to return their wedding dresses, silver hairpins, and bracelets.
"Thank you all for your help, senior brothers, sisters, junior brothers, and junior sisters!" Shen Lanxi smiled as she accepted the gifts. These things would come in handy when the next wave of migrants arrived!
The people from Peach Blossom Valley and Ghost Valley chatted briefly with Shen Lanxi before quietly leaving.
Without these people taking the lead, the others would never have dared to stand up.
Two days later, another fifty couples had been gathered, and Shen Lanxi also went to participate as a witness and presented a gift.
It's as if Che Mingyuan has suddenly unlocked his full potential; he's now energetic and cheerful every day, a complete contrast to his previous enigmatic image.
Zhou Yunyue tried to contact Zhou Ruan several times, but each time she refused, citing Zhou Ruan's absence.
Shen Yuanjing was so fed up with all the commotion that he went to find Shen Lanxi.
"Big sister, ever since Zhou Ru'an arrived, Zhou Yunyue has been making a lot of small moves. Should we warn her?"
Shen Lanxi was so busy that she barely had time to breathe. When she heard that her younger brother had come to her for such a small matter, she immediately frowned and said, "Zhou Yunyue is someone from your backyard. If you can't even manage your own backyard, how can you command your soldiers?"
Shen Yuanjing felt a chill, knowing that his elder sister was angry, and immediately went back to confine Zhou Yunyue to her quarters.
The three Turkic tribes made a comeback and kept probing. Shen Lanxi personally commanded the elite troops of the Zhenbei Army to practice at the city gate every day.
The three Turkic tribes were standing thirty miles outside the city, watching them intently. Just as Shen Lanxi was considering whether to burn down the Turkic royal court again, she received a secret letter from Dongchuan.
After reading the letter, Shen Lanxi pondered for a long time before immediately writing a letter to Wei Dongzhu.
That night, Feng Wu quietly arrived.
“Sun Qian went out, and the person he met should be Yan Huai.”
Shen Lanxi's eyes flashed and she said, "Spread the word that the Wei family army's grain transport officer has appeared in the Northwest and wants to go to the capital to see the emperor."
Feng Wu frowned, pondering, and said, "You want to use Yan Huai to lure out the mastermind?"
Shen Lanxi smiled mysteriously: "Who said it must be Yan Huai? It could also be Zhang Youde or Wen Huaishan."
Feng Wu raised an eyebrow. "That name sounds familiar."
Cheng Zheng wrote beside him: "Dead."
Feng Wu twitched his lips, understanding what she meant.
"Let's use more bait and see how many fish we can catch!"
...
Upon receiving the secret letter, Wei Dongzhu immediately carried it out strictly.
A few days later, Shen Lanxi received a reply from Wei Dongzhu. Zhou Ruan wanted to marry Sun Miaoling, the daughter of the garrison commander of Xiling City, and promised to give the Zhenbei Army 1,000 dan of grain. Five hundred dan were already on their way, and the remaining five hundred dan would arrive with Zhou Ruan after the wedding!
Council Chamber
"To exchange the position of a prince's consort for only a thousand dan of grain is a bit of a loss!" Liu Yanhui shook her folding fan, seriously calculating the value of a prince.
Che Mingyuan said meaningfully, "That's not right. She is not the prince's consort, but only a prince's concubine."
Liu Yanhui tapped her forehead, only then remembering that Zhou Ruan already had a princess consort, and it seemed that he also had several concubines.
Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "There can only be one position as the Crown Prince's consort, but there can be many concubines!"
Cheng Zheng casually wrote: "Brilliant!" Trading a prince for grain—they would never have imagined it.
Zhou Ru'an is probably still feeling smug right now.
Shen Lanxi: "A thousand dan of grain is not enough. I remember the garrison commander of Hailing City also has a daughter, right?"
Che Mingyuan: "General, aren't you afraid they'll defect to Zhou Ru'an? Then they'll turn around and deal with them, which wouldn't be good."
Shen Lanxi said seriously, "Making friends with high-ranking officials is not something I should worry about. There are naturally people who are more anxious than me!"
That makes sense, and everyone nodded in agreement!
"General, Hiroshi Abe has sent people to negotiate again. He threatened that if we don't do as he says, he will go hunting and massacre the people of the Northwest."
Shen Lanxi sneered, "If he dares to reach out, we'll chop him up!"
Che Mingyuan said worriedly, "General, our current supplies and military strength are no match for the three Turkic tribes. If they really besiege us, the Northwest will be plunged into chaos again!"
Shen Lanxi handed him the secret letter.
"Our foreign aid is almost here!"
Che Mingyuan was puzzled. After reading the secret letter, his brows not only did not relax, but they furrowed even more.
"The Northwest Army was doing well in Dongchuan, so why did they come to our Northwest?"
Qian Feng also expressed his concern: "The three Turkic tribes are already enough for us to deal with, and now a Northwest King has come. What is his purpose in coming here?"
Shen Lanxi: "The secret letter says that Liang Shao, the King of the Northwest, has come to help our Zhenbei Army drive out the foreign tribes."
Che Mingyuan calmly offered four words: "We must be on guard!"
Liu Yanhui suddenly shouted: "The Northwest King has come to the Northwest, won't Dongchuan be thrown into chaos?"
Everyone in the council chamber stared at Shen Lanxi.
"Let it be chaotic. Dongchuan is currently under Zhou Ruyuan's command. If something really goes wrong, it's his responsibility to worry."
These words seemed casual, but everyone secretly felt that Shen Lanxi was making a fool of herself.
Without the Northwest King's restraint, if the King of Cheng and the King of Dongliao join forces, wouldn't Zhou Ruyuan be attacked from both sides?
Qian Feng sneered, "Serves you right!"
Liu Yan nodded vigorously: "Just wait and see, there's going to be some fun!"
Shen Lanxi chuckled twice: "Zhou Ruyuan is His Majesty's most valued prince. This time, let His Majesty see just how capable his most valued son really is!"
A few chuckles rippled through the crowd, and soon they resumed their discussion.
...
Shen Lanxi had already made plans to join forces with Liang Shao, but she didn't expect that the first thing Liang Shao did after arriving was to mention joining the army.
"Our Northwest Army, to put it nicely, is self-reliant; to put it bluntly, we are bandits and rioters. Now, the Northwest is recruiting soldiers and relocating laborers, regardless of their background, and minor offenses can be forgiven. For the sake of my brothers' lives and property, I am willing to lead my men to join the Zhenbei Army. From now on, we will be at the general's command!" Liang Shao said earnestly.
Shen Lanxi wouldn't let the sudden surrender cloud her judgment. She had elite troops under her command, which could strengthen the Zhenbei Army, but there was also another possibility.
If she loses control over her subordinates, she will be replaced.
"The King of the Northwest cherishes his soldiers and is of noble character, which I admire greatly!" Shen Lanxi said politely.
Looking at the woman before him, Liang Shao felt a deep sense of admiration.
“As a woman, you stepped forward to lead the army and guard the Northwest. In terms of noble character and bravery, I cannot compare to General Shen. General Shen is the one I truly admire!” Liang Shao said sincerely.
Shen Lanxi: "The Northwest King is noble, but I really can't make the decision for you to lead people to join the army. I need to report to the court and obtain the court's permission before I can formulate a plan for your surrender and inclusion."
After thinking about it, Liang Shao realized that the decision to grant amnesty was indeed in accordance with proper procedures.
Unexpectedly, Shen Lanxi is a rigid and rule-abiding person, which is quite different from what she wrote in her previous letters!
"Then I will lead my troops to await the general's good news outside the city!"
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