Chapter 411: A Marriage Alliance (Part 1)
"...Did I black out again after drinking?"
Upon waking up and finding herself no longer at Yonggu Pass, Shen Tang knew the matter was over, and her expression turned slightly sour.
When asked about the details of what had happened, he remained dissatisfied: "What was I thinking when I was drunk? How could I let Wu Hui suffer this injustice?"
A beating would be enough?
She can fight too!
Why drink to the point of blacking out and changing your phone number?
Gu Chi rolled his eyes and retorted, "Otherwise what? If our lord were to single-handedly destroy Yonggu Pass, regardless of victory or defeat, it would completely block any possibility of cooperation between the two sides, bringing nothing but harm. Wu Hui's trip to Yonggu Pass wasn't for revenge..."
The main purpose was to test the other party's strength and ascertain their bottom line for cooperation, while eliminating the risk of potential conflict between the two sides in the future. This was the biggest gain from the trip.
personal enmity?
As long as a person is alive, when can't they report it?
Fortunately, our lord also performed admirably.
Their formidable strength made the soldiers of Yonggu Pass no longer dare to underestimate them, which also facilitated future integration and takeover.
Shen Tang knew this principle, but she was still unconvinced.
She rubbed the soreness in her temples, suppressing the discomfort of her hangover, and asked again, "When will that princess arrive?"
Before she could even establish herself in Longwu County, she was ditched with such a huge burden. Shen Tang didn't immediately erupt in anger, partly due to the lingering effects of her hangover; she couldn't muster the temper to lash out. Escorting the princess to Shiwu at this point was one thing, even fitting her wishes, but the fact that they still had to gather over a thousand women to "add to her dowry" was utterly disgusting! They didn't treat women like human beings at all!
If it weren't Shen Tang, but any other prefect, what would they do if they were forced to take this task by their superiors?
Disobeying orders?
Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.
Although powerful figures have raised armies in various places, and the Zheng Qiao royal court is teetering on the brink of collapse amidst the turmoil, it has not yet fallen. Who knows how many trump cards they still have up their sleeves?
If you dare to disobey, you might become a prime example.
Do not disobey orders?
If she were to actually send troops out to search for and forcibly conscript over a thousand eligible women, she would never gain the approval of the common people of Longwu County. In fact, there might even be assassination attempts the very next day, and any ambitious individuals who heard of this would be ashamed to associate with her.
Putting aside these cold, hard interests, how can you live with yourself after destroying over a thousand families? Have you abandoned all basic human decency?
Gu Chi replied, "There's still half a day left."
Shen Tang's brows were furrowed tightly.
"Half a day?"
This is a very tight schedule.
Shen Tang asked again, "What about the thousand beautiful young women?"
Gu Chi sighed softly, "Seven days!"
"Seven days?"
Shen Tang raised an eyebrow.
She became curious.
Longwu County has been harassed by the Ten Black Horse Bandits for the past two years, and the scale of the attack reached its peak in recent years. How many young women dare to live here? Those with some ability have long since fled elsewhere with their families to seek refuge.
Gather a thousand beautiful young women within seven days...
Shen Tang said, "...Inhuman!"
If this were to be implemented, it would be a living hell.
Xu Quan also angrily cursed, "The royal court really has no men left! Outrageous! It's one thing to offer a marriage alliance in exchange for troops, but now they're sending so many women... They call it a 'dowry' for the princess, so she won't miss her homeland too much while she's alone in a foreign land, but what are they really up to? It's as clear as day!"
The Ten Black Horse Bandits plundered everywhere, not only for food.
Another important objective is women. Now, without the risk of plunder, they're offering over a thousand high-quality, eligible women to curry favor with them. Haha, Shi Wu must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Xu Quan was furious ever since he learned about this, and it took him a long time to calm down. He wished he could transform into a "righteous hero" from a folk tale and assassinate Zheng Qiao all by himself!
But compared to that, he was more worried about his lord.
Only seven days left...
Even with our lord's temperament, he wouldn't do such a thing.
So--
There's only one path left!
Xu Quan said angrily, "Let's just rebel against him!"
Despite his emotional outburst, Xu Quan knew what to say in what situation. He spoke his mind, keeping his words to himself so that only a few people around him could hear. His main purpose was to address his lord: "My lord, what do you say?"
Shen Tang said, "No."
Xu Quan was startled: "No way?"
If this route doesn't work, we'll just have to find a group of people!
The boy's pupils dilated, his eyes seeming to accuse, "My lord, you've changed," "You're no longer the lord I know." Shen Tang chuckled and said, "Young man, don't be so impatient! There's always a way out, and things will work themselves out!"
"A dead end, you can't go straight!"
Xu Quan answered decisively.
Gu Chi smiled and reminded him, "Wen Shi, don't rush. We have two plans. One of them—did you know that the registrar has a wonderful skill? It can solve our immediate problem. If you don't believe me, you can ask Xian Deng..."
Xu Quan: "..."
Does Mr. Qishan have a brilliant plan to resolve this predicament?
Jiang Sheng: "..."
How come he gets dragged into every little thing?
When Jiang Sheng met Xu Quan's inquisitive eyes, he felt a mouthful of blood choke in his throat and forced out each word with utterance: "This old man does not know!"
He had no idea how flawless Qi Shan's [Masterful Hands] disguise was! Gu Chi really knew how to rub salt in the wound! Although Xu Quan didn't know why Jiang Sheng was reacting so strongly, he could tell from the relaxed expressions of the gentlemen that this matter wouldn't be difficult to resolve. The lord didn't need to choose between two options, because a third path had been found! He breathed a small sigh of relief.
Shen Tang went to greet the marriage procession, but instead of the unfortunate "princess," he encountered a high-pitched, heavily made-up eunuch who delivered the imperial decree. The eunuch completely disregarded Shen Tang, the prefect, and remained arrogant.
After delivering the imperial decree, he even attempted to solicit bribes.
However, Shen Tang ignored him.
The eunuch's face darkened when his attempt to extort a bribe failed.
"The princess's marriage to Shiwu is a matter of paramount importance for both countries, and there can be no mistakes whatsoever. Does Lord Shen understand?"
Shen Tang said, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency."
Seeing Shen Tang's clueless expression, the eunuch delivering the imperial decree snorted and rolled his eyes, a hint of schadenfreude lurking in his eyes. Shen Tang settled the marriage procession on the spot, then, citing the need to "gather the people," led his entourage back to the capital.
Theoretically speaking, with Qi Shan around, they could gather not only a thousand young women, but even ten thousand.
"I can't come up with the money."
Qi Shan couldn't help but pour cold water on her lord's hopes.
Do you really think his literary talent is free?
This involves disguising a thousand people, not just one or ten. The scale is too large and the time is too tight; it cannot be completed.
Seeing that Gong Shuwu and the other martial arts masters remained silent, Zhao Feng said, "This matter is truly outrageous! Lord Shen, in my opinion, Zheng Qiao is already in dire straits himself. Having killed the envoy and rebelled, he may not be able to spare any manpower to quell the rebellion..."
Let's gamble on this possibility!
It's better than being forced into a limbo.
Shen Tang didn't say anything, but just looked at Bai Su.
Q: "Are those people okay?"
Shen Tang has a female armed force under her command.
However, their skill levels are uneven. Some are considered elite, but others have only been recruited recently and are not yet fully developed in various aspects. It's hard to say how much strength they can bring to the battlefield if sent rashly. Shen Tang plans to take them to Shiwu and cause a ruckus!
Bai Su was suddenly called out, but she didn't panic.
She said, "Okay!"
How many able-bodied men were conscripted and sent to the battlefield to fend for themselves? Every single one who survived was an elite soldier, seasoned through countless life-or-death experiences. In comparison, Bai Su's subordinates were very fortunate, as they had ample time to accumulate the skills necessary to survive on the battlefield. The hundred or so most experienced among them had been meticulously trained for two years.
A martial artist's blade never draws blood; that's just child's play. If they can't even survive that... it only proves they don't deserve to live. As for the rest, apart from a very few very young ones, the rest have all undergone two or three months of rigorous training.
For ordinary soldiers, after two or three months of training, they could be considered half "elite" on the battlefield!
so--
Bai Su repeated, "They can!"
Shen Tang carefully considered and deduced the situation in his mind.
After a while, his gaze turned to Xu Quan.
Xu Quan felt inexplicably uneasy under that gaze. His lord said, "Wen Shi, I have an important task for you!"
"Please speak, my lord."
Shen Tang coughed lightly.
He became unusually embarrassed.
Actually, it's not a big deal, because most of Bai Su's subordinates are "greenhorns," and their overall combat strength might not be ideal. They are also the most unexpected contingency plan in this operation, so they cannot afford to lose them. She wants to add another "female martial arts expert."
Xu Quan: "...???"
He touched his chest.
He murmured, "But...but I am a man..."
It's not good to hang out in the women's camp.
"That's not a problem!"
Shen Tang waved his hand.
May all beings be blessed!
|ω`)
My second ultrasound is tomorrow. I hope that small lump of fluid around the cyst has been successfully absorbed; otherwise, I'll have to stay in the hospital for a few days...
(End of this chapter)
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