Chapter 455 This is the result I wanted!
Shang Ruyi looked at him, hesitant to speak, her expression growing increasingly heavy.
Mu Xian seemed to sense something.
His breath hitched, and his whole body trembled involuntarily. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse: "Could it be...could it be because of that night—"
"..."
Shang Ruyi remained silent and sighed softly.
Mu Xian's face turned pale instantly.
He was Yuwen Ye's trusted bodyguard, and sometimes even closer to Yuwen Ye than his wife, Shang Ruyi. Therefore, he clearly remembered that after Yuwen Ye arrived in Fufeng, until he fell ill, he ate and drank the same things as everyone else, without any other abnormalities.
Except for—
On their way here, he drew a bag of water from the river and gave Yuwen Ye a sip.
"It really is me..."
Mu Xian felt both regret and guilt, and his eyes reddened instantly. Shang Ruyi stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Mu Xian, this matter is not yet settled. I only have suspicions."
"..."
"Besides, even if it really is because of that bag of water, it has nothing to do with you."
"..."
"Nobody knew something like this would happen upstream. You were just doing your job, so you're not at fault at all, understand?!"
Her deep voice carried an indescribable sense of authority, causing everyone in the hall to fall silent for a moment. Mu Xian was finally awakened by her words. He looked up at Shang Ruyi, his throat tightened, and finally said, "I understand."
"..."
"Thank you, young mistress."
Shang Ruyi nodded, then looked back at everyone and said, "I have been searching for the cause of the general's illness these past few days, but the general has indeed had no problems with his food, clothing and other necessities since he arrived here. The only possibility is that the Jingguan (a mound of corpses) has polluted the water source. Therefore, no matter what, we cannot fetch water from downstream."
"..."
“If the water source really does carry disease, then there’s no need for Xue Xian to attack the city; the entire Fufeng will collapse on its own without a fight.”
Now, even Song Yu and Ma Xu shut their mouths.
You see, an epidemic is different from war. Those in high positions have soldiers to protect them even if war breaks out. But once an epidemic spreads, no one, regardless of status or wealth, wants to die from such a disease.
However, although the lobby quieted down, a deep voice murmured—
"Plague..."
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat. She turned around and saw Yuwen Qian standing behind her, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness.
Seemingly sensing the other's gaze, he looked up at Shang Ruyi and said in a deep voice, "If what you say is true, sister-in-law, and the water source has been polluted, then—"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Yes, she hadn't thought of that.
If Yuwen Ye contracted the disease just from drinking a sip there, wouldn't all the villages and towns downstream of the Xiaolin River be affected by the disease?
Dai Junliang, who was standing to the side, thought for a moment and said, "There are other rivers downstream that flow into Xiaolin River, so it shouldn't affect anyone else, right?"
Yuwen Qian and Shang Ruyi exchanged a glance.
After a long pause, he said, "So be it."
Yin Changyue said, "Let's talk about the problem we're facing now. Since the young mistress is worried that the water source has been polluted and we can't fetch water from downstream, but Xue Xian has sent people to monitor the riverbank upstream, and they've defeated our men several times, what should we do?"
Ma Xu sneered.
In truth, there's nothing more to say at this point.
If food and water supplies are plentiful, holding a fortified city is perfectly justifiable. However, without water, no one can hold out any longer, so there is only one way out—
Shang Ruyi glanced at Ma Xu, then at Song Yu.
Although she wanted to say something, she knew that if she continued, it would involve military affairs. As the general's wife, she could inquire about what was happening in the city and uphold the sixteen-character military order that Yuwen Ye gave before he fell into a coma, but she could not interfere in military affairs at will.
Just as she hesitated, a hint of anxiety rising in her heart, Yuwen Qian's voice rang out behind her again.
He said, "Sister-in-law, what do you think?"
"...?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback, and everyone in the hall was also stunned for a moment.
This is, after all, a military matter. Whether or not to send troops should be a decision made by the men themselves. Why did this Duke's heir directly ask a woman?
Facing everyone's surprised gazes, Yuwen Qian smiled calmly.
He said, "Since Feng Chen had already given instructions about fetching water before he fell into a coma, he must have also mentioned to you how the people in the city should deal with the situation if the water fetching was obstructed."
"..."
"If he said it, you might as well tell everyone."
"..."
Not only Shang Ruyi, but even Mu Xian couldn't help but look at the young master with astonishment.
By saying this, wasn't he essentially giving Shang Ruyi the power to make decisions in the army?
Mu Xian immediately turned his head and carefully looked at the young mistress. At this moment, the general's wife, whose words could affect the life and death of the entire city, was clearly shocked. However, she did not say anything immediately. She just thought silently for a while before raising her head again, her face calm.
She said, "No."
"..."
Before he fell into a coma, Feng Chen only gave the military order to defend the city, and said nothing else.
"..."
"However, the methods of defending a city should be adapted to local conditions and the times. The situation is different now than before, and I'm afraid you will all have to put in a lot of effort to figure out the specifics."
After saying that, she nodded and said, "In that case, I'll head back now."
Mu Xian was taken aback. Seeing that she actually nodded to everyone, she turned and left, and he had no choice but to follow her.
Before long, the two of them followed the path they had taken and entered the second gate.
Mu Xian was filled with doubt and anxiety, but he could only keep it to himself. His breathing became heavy as they walked back to the courtyard. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and whispered, "Young Madam, why didn't you say anything just now?"
Shang Ruyi kept walking, just a little slower.
She asked, "What did you say?"
"Young Master just now wanted the Young Madam to come up with a solution. If the Young Madam has any ideas, why didn't she bring them up?"
"..."
"I believe that the young mistress should have a way to deal with this."
Shang Ruyi then turned to look at him, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Do you have a solution in mind?"
Mu Xian frowned and thought for a while, then said, "I am stupid, and the only solution I can think of right now is to go out of the city to fetch water. Since the people on the other side are constantly guarding the upstream and looking for an opportunity to ambush us, we can only send more people, because no matter what, the water supply in the city cannot be cut off. If it is cut off, people's morale will be in chaos, and if people's morale is in chaos, Fufeng will collapse without a fight, even without the enemy outside attacking."
"..."
"Moreover, the longer we have to fetch water, the worse it is for us."
Shang Ruyi nodded: "It's not that you're stupid. Right now, not only me, but even the people in the hall just now could only think of this one method."
Mu Xian said, "Then—"
"Since there's only one way, why do I have to be the one to speak up?"
"..."
"When I speak, it's the same as the general speaking."
"..."
"If this method can successfully defend the city, the person who went out to fetch water will be credited while the general is currently unconscious; if this method fails, the person who proposed the method will bear the responsibility."
"..."
"Therefore, this matter may not be beneficial to us at the moment, but it is mostly harmful."
"..."
"I cannot let Feng Chen's two previous victories in defending Fufeng be ruined because of my words. He risked his life for those victories!"
"So that's how it is."
Mu Xian suddenly realized, and recalling how the people in the hall had all seemed to have some thoughts in their eyes, yet none of them said anything, acting like silent gourds, he couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
These people are so cunning.
Especially—
Fortunately, Shang Ruyi was not swayed by flattery and stepped forward recklessly. Instead, she saw through the other party's intentions at this time, thus allowing her to temporarily stay out of the situation.
After all, Yuwen Ye had been unconscious for several days, so they could only stay out of it for the time being.
As they were talking, the two of them had already reached the courtyard gate. Just then, Cheng Qiao led a group of people by. Upon seeing Shang Ruyi, he hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting. Mu Xian gave him a wink, then looked at Shang Ruyi, and then nodded slightly.
Although he didn't know what the two of them had talked about in front of him, seeing him like this, Cheng Qiao felt relieved.
Mu Xian followed Shang Ruyi and continued walking inside.
Reaching the center of the courtyard, he seemed to remember something and said softly, "Then, will the young mistress leave this matter alone?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi stopped in her tracks.
"Who says I don't care?"
"That--"
"If I'm not mistaken, they should be deciding right now who will lead the troops out of the city to fetch water."
"..."
"Moreover, in order to avoid being blocked by the other side again, and to ensure that the water can be retrieved smoothly this time, they will definitely send out a large number of troops, and there will be a major general leading the troops."
Mu Xian asked, "Ma Xu?"
Shang Ruyi nodded slightly: "He has always wanted to make amends for his previous defeats by fighting and earning merit, so this time, he will definitely try to fight."
"That--"
"But he's definitely not the only one."
"...?"
"Ma Xu suffered such a crushing defeat in the previous battle that neither Yin Changyue, Dai Junliang, nor even his elder brother could easily trust him again and entrust the army to him. Therefore, there is only one person who will assist Ma Xu in leading the troops into battle—"
Mu Xian's eyes flickered: "Song Yu?!"
Just then, they arrived at the door.
Shang Ruyi took out the piece of cotton yarn she had just removed and slowly tied the two ends behind her ears, revealing only her bright eyes. At that moment, a cold and sharp light suddenly flashed in those seemingly clear eyes.
"This is the result I wanted!"
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