"This... I'm not at liberty to tell you!"
Chu Mingzhu scoffed.
"What's there to hide? There are wars going on in many places right now. Just the other day, I heard that a place not far from here called Hangu Pass has fallen. The Tatars have entered the Great Qi and killed many people!"
I heard they're almost at their breaking point and several waves of people have come to ask for help.
What? Your general sent you here to deliver a message, not to ask my general to take back the lost territory, is it?
After all, my general is very good at fighting. He led 20,000 men in Yixiantian and defeated 30,000 Rouran men, and didn't let them set foot in Daqi!
"I just don't know who's so incompetent! They can't even hold a checkpoint!"
Chu Mingzhu praised Xiao Yi with pride and satisfaction for a while.
The messenger scratched his head awkwardly and said...
"Madam is intelligent, and General Xiao is indeed brave; we admire him."
The generals at Hangu Pass faced an army of 100,000 with only 30,000 men, which is why their entire army perished. Although they were defeated, they died on the battlefield and are heroes of the Great Qi.
Chu Mingzhu was too lazy to listen to his nonsense and asked again.
"So who is guarding the Hangu Pass area now?"
My general is most likely going over there to provide relief, since this place is the closest!
It's no secret who the commander guarding the city is; even the local people know. Telling me isn't breaking any rules.
At this moment, Chu Mingzhu had no bad intentions. She just wanted to know who Xiao Yi was going to save. When she bragged to others, she could make it sound plausible!
After these battles, Xiao Yi will definitely be promoted and ennobled. When she returns to the capital, she may become a general's wife of the second rank. The rank of a titled lady is generally one rank lower than one's own official rank, so it is feasible for Xiao Yi to request that she be granted the title of a third-rank titled lady.
By then, she will have been someone who went to the battlefield with her husband. Just based on her reputation for not being afraid of hardship and sharing life and death with her husband, she will be a cut above those ladies in the inner quarters. It will be enough to make her proud for a lifetime.
The messenger, upon hearing this, realized it wasn't a secret, and that offending a general's wife wouldn't be a big deal, so he said...
"I heard it was a civil official surnamed Han and a princess."
She's the famous Princess Jingde, the one who made glass and crossbows. I don't know if you've heard of her!
To be honest, these two men have no experience in leading troops into battle, and more importantly, they have no troops at their disposal. The fact that they have managed to hold out for so many days is already beyond our general's expectations!
We were all puzzled; how did these two manage to hold off a Tatar army of 100,000 outside Tianshui City for a full four days?
Upon hearing that it was Xie Yushu, Chu Mingzhu was filled with hatred. She had finally managed to win Xiao Yi back, but Chu Jinyu, her only nephew from her maternal family, actually recognized Xie Yushu as his mother and refused to live with her.
Chu Jinyu was her only family member, but she ended up being corrupted by Xie Yushu after spending time with her.
When she returned home for her wedding, those damned servants actually said that a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup, and they wouldn't even let her check the account books, nor would they allow her to touch Chu Jinyu's salary.
It's absolutely despicable.
Previously, Chu Jinyu and she depended on each other for survival, and she managed everything in the house. It was Xie Yushu who instigated Jinyu to drift apart from her.
Xie Yushu is here to bring her bad luck; she should just die!
Thinking this way, a thought suddenly popped into her mind: why not let Xiao Yi go to the rescue, or go later, preferably after Xie Yushu has died under the Tatars' swords?
Although she thought this in her heart, Chu Mingzhu didn't show it on her face. Instead, she pretended to be concerned and asked...
"Look at me, I just felt sorry for the general and wanted him to sleep more, that's why I spoke to you a little harshly, young brother, please don't take offense."
You must be tired after coming all this way. I just made some noodles for the general, so come and have some too.
As for your military order, put it in the general's study first. I guarantee I'll wake him up an hour in advance. If you don't trust me, just go to the study after you finish eating and wait for him. No one is allowed to enter his study except for people from your camp. You can rest assured that it's there.
"That's right, the general just fell asleep, and I wanted him to rest a bit longer, since we'll be on our way again soon!"
Since Chu Mingzhu had put it that way, the messenger had no choice but to comply. He placed the military order on Xiao Yi's desk in his study and went back to the living room to eat a bowl of chicken noodles made by Chu Mingzhu.
Ever since Chu Mingzhu learned that Xiao Yi was going to rescue Han Zhongyu and Xie Yushu, she had been constantly scheming how to keep Xiao Yi occupied for a while.
Seeing the messenger return, he had someone serve him a large bowl of noodles, and then excused himself to go back to his room to pack some things for Xiao Yi before leaving.
The young messenger was filled with envy, thinking how wonderful it was to have a wife, and he kept thinking about her.
Chu Mingzhu came out of the living room but went straight to Xiao Yi's study. The guard at the door stopped her, but Chu Mingzhu made an excuse that Xiao Yi had asked her to pick up something, and was then let in.
Upon entering the study, he went straight to the military orders on the desk.
Upon opening the document, they found that Han Zhongyu and Xie Yushu were indeed guarding Tianshui. After Xiao Yi rested for an hour, he quickly led his men to provide support.
Chu Mingzhu racked her brains for a long time but couldn't figure out how to stall Xiao Yi. Then she opened the military order and stared at the "one" in the one-hour mark for a while, and suddenly she had an idea.
Seeing an ink stick and half a cup of tea on Xiao Yi's desk, he quickly ground some ink, picked up the brush, and added two horizontal strokes above and below the character "一" (one), changing "one hour later" to "three hours later".
The change from one to three is simply the addition of two horizontal lines, one long and one short, which is difficult to notice without close inspection.
Chu Mingzhu blew on it again to make the writing dry faster.
Looking at the military order she had revised, Chu Mingzhu's heart pounded with excitement. Two hours later, that would be enough time for Xie Yushu to lose her life!
This enchantress is finally going to disappear before her eyes.
As long as she dies, she can coax Chu Jinyu, and Chu Jinyu will naturally become close to her.
After revising the military orders, Chu Mingzhu pretended to take some tea from Xiao Yi's study and then went back to her bedroom to tidy up Xiao Yi's clothes.
About an hour later, Chu Mingzhu woke Xiao Yi up.
"A messenger soldier just came looking for you, but it wasn't a particularly urgent order, so I had him leave the military order in your study. He's had his meal and is waiting for you there!"
I wanted you to rest a little longer, but I was afraid you would rush off on an empty stomach, so I had to wake you up early.
I've packed everything for you, and the noodles are still warm. Have something to eat first, and if you have time, eat well before you go to sleep.
Upon hearing the military order, Xiao Yi's previously drowsy eyes immediately cleared, and he grabbed the bundle Chu Mingzhu handed him and rushed to the study.
The soldier was waiting for him at the study door. Upon seeing him, he said…
"General Xiao, General Zhang ordered me to deliver a message to you, instructing you to lead men to reinforce Tianshui City. Your wife just told me not to disturb you, so I placed the order on your desk."
Now that you're awake, please review the military orders yourself. Once they're in your hands, I'll return to report to General Zhang.
Xiao Yi nodded
"Okay, I understand. Go ahead. The Rouran have been infiltrating these past few days, so be careful on your journey."
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