Chapter 85: Stone Hundred Household
However, the nephew didn't understand Shi Yan's expression and said bluntly, "After Your Majesty leads the troops out of Xifengkou, you will definitely attack the Wuliangha directly. The Wuliangha will be caught off guard and flee. This is the perfect time to pursue them." The young man pointed to the rocks representing peaks on the sand table and said, "There are many mountains north of Xifengkou. If the Wuliangha are temporarily defeated, they will definitely choose to hide in the mountains and seize the opportunity to strike back. Your Majesty should search the mountains and raid the caves. You will definitely be able to capture the bandits."
When Shi Yan heard him say this, he knew that what he said was clearly a counter-tune to Marquis Wu Ding. When he saw Guo Xuan's expression, he felt even colder in his heart, as if he had been stripped of his armor and thrown outside the tent, and would die in the next second.
After hearing this, the officers thought along his line of thought and found it to be very reasonable.
The Wuliangha invaded and plundered in order to steal food for the winter. How could they be willing to lose everything like this? If they wanted to recover their baggage after being defeated by a surprise attack, they could only hide in the mountains.
Although Guo Xuan did not dare to attack the princess, he still did not take a centurion seriously.
He snorted after hearing this and said, "How dare the Wuliangha, such rats, act so presumptuously in the land where the emperor is? They should surrender obediently when they see Your Majesty. You seem to look down on these enemy generals. I wonder if you are afraid of fighting!"
When Captain Shi heard this, veins popped up on his forehead, but he remained silent in the end. Zhu Yuhuan naturally saw this expression.
Shi Yan was a lowly official, and lacked confidence. Hearing such a scathing accusation, his face turned pale and he was about to open his mouth to defend himself. Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Marquis Wuding is right. The Wuliangha bandits won't escape."
Guo Xuan was stunned when he didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to agree with him.
Everyone looked at her, and Zhu Yuhuan then explained, "The Wuliangha bandits looted along their way south, likely taking a lot of cattle, sheep, and supplies. How could they just abandon them like that? They can either surrender to save their lives, or, as you suggested, hide in the mountains and gather strength for a counterattack." At this point, she curled her lips and said, "Your Majesty is traveling with 3,000 elite troops, hundreds of whom are equipped with Shenji guns. We are outnumbered, and the bandits' equipment is far inferior to ours. Even if they managed to escape, they would have been terrified and would never dare to counterattack. They can only surrender."
This Wuliangha bandit group's military intelligence collection was clearly inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty. They had traveled south from Daning with relatively smooth sailing, so they were bound to underestimate the enemy. Who could have imagined that Zhu Zhanji would lead his elite troops to attack? Whether they feared the emperor or not was another matter, but two rounds from the Shenji musket would have silenced anyone. Furthermore, this group was most likely a mob.
Zhu Yuhuan's analysis made sense, and since she spoke for the officers, there was a burst of applause in the tent.
In fact, some of them understood these principles, but not everyone could use these reasonable analyses to convince others, not to mention that some officers, although holding high positions, only obtained their positions through family connections and did not fully understand military affairs.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at Guo Xuan with a smile, his tone rising slightly, "Marquis Wuding, was what I just said exactly what you wanted to say?"
Guo Xuan had seen many storms in the army, but none of them was as great as the look Zhu Yuhuan gave him. It made his heart skip a beat and he felt a chill on his back.
He now understood that Princess Shunde was telling him that whatever Guo Xuan could think of, Princess Shunde could also think of. She was not a clay doll that he could control in his hands, so he should not think of controlling her in exchange for wealth and glory.
Guo Xuan's throat was dry, but he couldn't utter a word.
Captain Shi was truly convinced and said, "I never thought that the princess, though young, could be more thoughtful than my wife's sewing needle."
Shi Yan was nearly irritated by his nephew's words and was thinking about how to make amends, but Zhu Yuhuan didn't care at all. He smiled and said, "Then don't look down on the lady who is the matchmaker in the future."
Guo Xuan heard the hidden meaning in her words and his face turned red and he was speechless.
Seeing Guo Xuan couldn't lose face, Zhang Fu took the initiative to speak: "The princess has been taught by the Taoist priest and has been with His Majesty. She is very clever."
"yes……"
As he spoke, footsteps were heard outside the tent. A messenger rushed in, his face beaming with joy. He announced, "The Wuliangha bandits have all surrendered. Their chieftain was personally shot dead by Your Majesty. Countless livestock and supplies were captured in this battle! Your Majesty has ordered the Imperial Consort Commander, the Marquis of Xining, and others to move camp forward and rendezvous with the royal army at Huizhou!"
Now everyone shouted "Long live the emperor" and left according to Song Ying's orders, preparing to break camp and set off. Song Ying personally went to supervise the execution of military affairs.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan gave an order to Xu Gong behind him, asking him to ask the centurion's name.
Guo Xuan had never expected that all this would be exactly as Zhu Yuhuan and Captain Shi had said. After everyone dispersed, he finally swallowed his resentment and bowed to Zhu Yuhuan, saying, "Your Highness, what you said is far superior to what I had in mind. I admire you."
Zhu Yuhuan reached out and lifted Guo Xuan's arm, saying, "Marquis Wuding is too modest. They say that gold can be found in the waves. Marquis Wuding has made great contributions, so he naturally knows that both military campaigns and official duties require a down-to-earth approach. Father sees this clearly, so how could he not make use of such an ambitious person?"
Whatever frustration Guo Xuan felt was gone after being tossed around by Zhu Yuhuan. He simply said respectfully, "Your Highness is right. I will order the camp to be disbanded."
Zhang Fu saw that she had seen through Guo Xuan's thoughts long ago. After Guo Xuan left, he spoke again, "The princess said before that she wanted to reward the officers. I wonder how she would reward them."
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "Didn't Daddy seize a lot of supplies? I asked Daddy for them in advance and will distribute them after I get them."
Zhang Fu couldn't help but laugh. "Your Highness is indeed very thoughtful and considerate, always thinking one step ahead of others. This so-called military rehearsal not only appeased Marquis Wuding and the officers, but also invisibly tested the standards of these junior officers. If Your Majesty wishes to reward meritorious officers and promote them, you can do so today."
The two men stared at each other for a moment, and Zhu Yuhuan said calmly, "Your Majesty is surrounded by a world of fervor and prosperity, and everyone is flocking to him. Naturally, you must be more thoughtful and considerate in this world, otherwise, if something goes wrong, you will only regret it. The Duke of Yingguo understands this better than I do."
Zhang Fu's expression tightened, and he smiled and said, "Your Highness is absolutely right."
After parting with Duke Ying, Zhu Yuhuan went back to pack up briefly. Seeing Xu Gong coming back, he smiled and asked, "Did you catch up with them? What was the name of that centurion just now?"
Xu Gong replied, "When I went there, the governor Shi was scolding him, saying he was extremely audacious. I approached him and asked him about it. He stopped. His name is Shi Heng."
Zhu Yuhuan, who was originally tidying up his armor, exclaimed, "Shi Heng? Which Heng?"
Xu Gong said, "He said it means 'heng', which means a prosperous career."
Zhu Yuhuan was startled, and couldn't help laughing: "It's a good name. I really have a connection with Captain Shi."
Xu Gong couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why is your Highness asking about him?"
"There are many powerful figures in the tent, and he dares to speak out, which shows his courage." Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "The 'Biographies of Assassins' talks about 'blood courage,' 'pulse courage,' 'bone courage,' and 'spiritual courage.' ② These describe those who fight the enemy in battle. Isn't the verbal battle in the tent also a battle? Captain Shi was furious, but he didn't lash out, so he can be considered 'brave.'"
Zhu Yuhuan was not afraid of anyone following him to climb up the ladder, but the prerequisite was that the person had real ability and could afford Zhu Yuhuan's "toll".
Xu Gong suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."
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