After Xing Xiuyan left, Zheng Hongfang slowly sipped his tea in the small living room.
The tea was slightly bitter yet sweet, and he fell into deep thought.
Xing Xiuyan quickly returned to her accommodation, calmed herself down, washed her face with water, and finally composed herself.
This feels even more intense than the last time I fought against the bandits with the commander.
After calming down, she went to Shenxi's room, partly to report to Shenxi and partly to help Shenxi go to sleep.
Shen Xi was not asleep yet; she was pondering the current affairs of the world.
Putting aside everything else, will Ge Congshan, the prefect of Xianghe Prefecture, send troops? And how much impact will his sending of troops have on the political situation?
Haozhou Prefecture and Miaojiang Road have already colluded with Xie Ning of Nanning Prefecture and are discussing attacking Kangjian Prefecture. When the three forces surround Kangjian Prefecture, Kangjian Prefecture alone is no match for them. Once it falls, the three forces will join forces and can then directly attack the capital.
The capital was originally protected by Nanning Prefecture, Jingchuan Prefecture, Yuzhang Prefecture and Yizhou Prefecture. Now, Nanning Prefecture has rebelled, and due to the power struggle among several princes, the other three prefectures are in chaos.
The power in Jingchuan Prefecture is now divided in two: one half belongs to the Emperor and will support the Crown Prince, while the other half supports the Eighth Prince. The two forces are now clashing and fighting within Jingchuan Prefecture.
The reason was that they supported the Crown Prince and wanted to lead troops to support him, but the Eighth Prince's forces naturally wanted to stop them.
There was also the Ruyang Prefecture nearby, whose intentions were unclear. No one could guess what the Ruyang Prince's attitude was.
He watched the princes vie for power, remaining inactive. Whether he was sitting back to observe the tigers fight or hoping to reap the benefits, no one could guess.
Once Xianghe Prefecture and Jianming Prefecture jointly launch an attack, Xianghe Prefecture can remain stable for the time being and the foundation of the people's lives will not be shaken, but Jianming Prefecture will have already shaken the foundation.
Jianming Prefecture is already conscripting soldiers everywhere, and every family must contribute manpower and money to serve in the army.
Even refugees were forced into military camps.
The combat effectiveness of such an army is self-evident.
Moreover, the small number of people who could still hold on before could no longer do so this time, and in just the last few days, the number of refugees who have come to Chenxi has increased exponentially.
Chenxi felt immense pressure.
No way! Given the current situation, it's likely that the refugees will become bandits. And once they become bandits, their primary target will be Bian'ai County, where there's still surplus grain.
Even if we could stop or suppress it, how much manpower and resources would that require? Moreover, with more such conflicts, we would inevitably come into contact with the plague, and the pressure on the medical system would increase exponentially.
Although the plague has lessened considerably since its inception, people are still dying.
We should take them in, but there are too many people. We only have enough food for two years, but if we take them all in, it will only last for one year. There will definitely be more refugees in the future, and we won't have enough food to eat.
Furthermore, if they were to accept the offer, it would mean soldiers and labor.
Shenxi made a bold decision.
We must send troops from Jianming Prefecture to attack Yuzhang Prefecture and support the Third Prince. Then she will conquer Jianming Prefecture and everything will be solved.
The situation has completely descended into chaos; who cares about her anymore?
Just as she was thinking this, Xing Xiuyan returned. She tiptoed around and, seeing that Shenxi was deep in thought, knew that her leader was thinking about something important, so she prepared to leave.
Shen Xi had already seen Xing Xiuyan. Coming to her senses, she smiled and said, "I've thought it through. Come, come, sit down and tell me the details."
Xing Xiuyan's blush, which had just faded, returned: "Chief, what else could it be?"
Chen Xi patted the chair next to him: "Sit down. No matter what the situation is, you have to say something."
Xing Xiuyan stopped being coy; she had come to report to her superior.
He then sat down and explained the situation in detail.
Chenxi sighed softly: "Xiuyan, will you find it strange that I didn't send a middleman to find out the truth?"
Xing Xiuyan shook her head: "The commander has his reasons for not having the middleman ask."
Seeing that Xing Xiuyan did not show any additional expression, Shen Xi knew that she was not affected by this matter.
He reached out and gently pinched her smooth cheek: "Xiuyan's mouth is so sweet. If I were a man, I would definitely marry you."
Xing Xiuyan couldn't take it anymore. "Commander, you must have been thinking too much just now, and now you're making fun of me again!"
"The leader is just talking nonsense. The leader is a man, and he is also a leader. He doesn't just marry casually."
Shen Xi's expression turned slightly serious: "Xiuyan, you can't underestimate yourself. With your abilities and looks, you could easily marry a nobleman."
"I guess you don't understand why I didn't find a middleman to ask for you, but I still want to make it clear to you."
When Shenxi got down to business, he stopped joking and explained seriously, "The middleman I found is definitely loyal to me, but while he is loyal now, I can't guarantee he will be loyal in the future. Even if he is loyal in the future, I can't guarantee he will always value you, nor can I guarantee he will reveal this matter under special circumstances."
Shenxi said seriously, "If it gets out, and you and Zheng Hongfang have already gotten married, then it's fine. But if you still don't get married, and given your mindset that you don't want to be single, now that this relationship has been spread, no one can say whether it will affect your future husband and children. After all, not everyone can laugh about their wife's (mother's) ex-boyfriend's relationship."
"Furthermore, if Zheng Hongfang is also married, it's uncertain whether his wife will be indifferent to it."
“You and Zheng Hongfang are my capable subordinates. I cannot let these uncertainties affect your future lives.”
Xing Xiuyan was deeply moved, not expecting her superior to think of so much: "Commander, you are so good to Xiuyan."
Shenxi sighed softly: "If I had been the middleman, Xiuyan wouldn't have been in such a predicament tonight."
Xing Xiuyan immediately straightened her face: "Chief, this won't do. If you act as the middleman, Brother Zheng will think that you made the decision. Even if he has objections, he will probably agree to it. This is something Xiuyan doesn't want to see."
"Oh?" Shenxi laughed immediately: "Xiuyan is really smart, she actually figured out why I didn't want to be the middleman."
Xing Xiuyan chuckled: "Xiuyan is the leader's maid, how could I not consider the leader?"
Shen Xi laughed heartily: "Don't just think about the chief anymore. He even brought up Brother Zheng. There's still hope for this!"
Xing Xiuyan's face turned bright red. She never expected that Brother Zheng, whom she had been thinking about all the time, would suddenly appear in front of the commander.
"That's Mayor Zheng, not Brother Zheng, sir. You must have misheard me."
"Haha." Shenxi laughed: "Don't be so awkward. Brother Zheng is Brother Zheng. He's older than you. I was even thinking of calling him that, but he was afraid of scaring me."
Once, Chenxi jokingly called Qi Xiuwen "Brother Qi," which startled Qi Xiuwen so much that he immediately bowed deeply and said many times, "No way!"
Sigh, it's so difficult for the leader to even call someone "big brother"!
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