Chapter 373: Tangut Military Affairs
"I've always said that those two greedy bastards are not good people!" When Third Sister You heard what You said, she shouted angrily, "When we first entered the mansion, those two bastards almost used us sisters as prostitutes for fun. If it weren't for my eldest sister's face, I would have risked my life to not have anything to do with them!"
"Sister, you were wronged in their house, why didn't you tell me!"
"Tell you? What's your rank? This is the Duke's mansion. If you say one more word, you'll be dragged out and beaten to death. Our You family is just a small one. What do you think you can do alone?" You said in a sad voice.
Third Sister You bit her thin lips, her face full of unconvinced. Everyone has only a head and two hands. The worst that can happen is that she can fight with them and only lose her life. What else can she do?
You Erjie helped You Shi wipe her tears, and then continued to comfort her, saying, "My third sister and I didn't know your difficulties. If it weren't for your eldest sister's help over the years, I don't know what life would have been like at home. Fortunately, your eldest sister has finally gotten what she deserved, and life in the mansion has become much more comfortable."
"As for Miss Qingwen, you don't have to worry. Although Qingwen is fierce, she is not unreasonable. I will take my third sister to apologize to her later. I don't think she will bear a grudge against my eldest sister for this matter."
Upon hearing this, Third Sister You nodded sullenly. It was just an apology, and she was not afraid.
You Shi shook her head slightly. "Forget it. I'll find a way to solve this matter. Besides, how can I hide this matter from the Marquis? You don't have to interfere."
"Alright!" You Erjie said, "Third sister and I don't know what the rules are. If we offend the Marquis, it will be bad. Then the eldest sister will forgive the third sister this time. However, if the third sister and I need to step in, no matter if we are scolded or not, the third sister and I will never escape!"
…
Jia Cong naturally didn't know that the brave Qingwen had fought against the fierce Third Sister You. After he hurried into the palace, he found that he was not alone. There were also many military heroes from the Yuanping lineage and the founding lineage. Even Wang Ziteng, the Minister of War, had arrived.
"Could it be that a war broke out somewhere again?" Jia Cong was suspicious , but he greeted everyone and did not ask too many questions. He just followed Xia Shouzhong all the way into the back hall of the Longshou Palace.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Everyone saluted Emperor Longxing.
"Well, everyone, get up!" Emperor Longxing waved his hand casually, and then handed a memorial to Xia Shouzhong, "This is the secret report just sent by the Jinyiwei. Take a look and see what the rules should be."
Xia Shouzhong came over with the memorial and handed it to Jia Cong first, who opened it and took a look.
Although it was not a war, it was obviously related to the war. The memorial wrote that Tangut troops were found to be active outside the Great Wall in Fengzhou area. It was very likely that these Tanguts were eyeing Datong Prefecture.
After reading it, he turned around and handed the memorial to Meng Zong beside him.
It took a long while for everyone to finish reading, and then they focused their attention on Emperor Longxing.
"Tell us all!" Emperor Longxing said, "These Tanguts have been fighting with our Daqian for decades. Although there have been no major wars since Emperor Taizong, small wars have almost never stopped. What do you think is their purpose this time?"
"Your Majesty, the Tanguts have always been eyeing our Central Plains with evil intentions. Taizu defeated them and made them dare not steal in Jiuyuan. Now that they have been safe for a few years, I think they are thinking again! In my opinion, we should send generals to deal with any war that the Tanguts may launch at any time."
“Otherwise, once the Dangxiang people advance, even though the court has two large camps in Fengzhou and Huanzhou, it will not be able to react in time and may miss the opportunity to fight.” Lin’an Earl of the Yuanping lineage said.
"If Your Majesty allows, I am willing to go and will not let the Tanguts step into the Great Wall and ensure the safety of Datong!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the people from the Yuanping lineage spoke up in agreement.
"I don't think there's any need to panic!" said Xie Jing, Marquis of Dingcheng. "A few years ago, Luosha invaded our borders and was almost wiped out by Marquis Guanjun. How could the Tanguts not be a little afraid? Besides, they always make some noise every year, but they will naturally retreat after making some noise. How can such a small country dare to provoke the tiger whiskers of Daqian?"
"Besides, even if we really need to send someone to take charge, there is no need for Earl Lin'an to go."
"The Earl of Lin'an hasn't been to the battlefield for a long time. I don't know if he can still hold a sword and wear armor! If someone is really needed, I think the Marquis of Guanjun is more suitable."
"That's true!" Pingyuan Hou Jiang Zining said with a smile, "Although Guanjun Hou is young, who can compare with him in terms of martial arts? Not to mention the battle of Lanzhou, wasn't Guanjun Hou the one who led his troops to suppress the rebellion in Jiangnan last year?"
"There are hundreds of thousands of White Lotus followers, and millions of civilians. Even if other people could solve this chaos, it would probably take a long time and cost countless soldiers and money. However, the Champion Marquis planned it, and in just two or three months, hundreds of thousands of White Lotus followers were wiped out."
"Such martial arts and planning are beyond the reach of me at least!"
"Hey!" Shou Shanbo sneered, "You're saying this as if there's only one champion marquis left in the entire Daqian?"
"Which one of us doesn't have some merits? Is it worth bragging about? The White Lotus Sect? They are just rioters. How can they be considered a major war?"
"When I followed His Majesty the Emperor in the bloody battle in Liaodong, some people were nowhere to be found."
"Your Majesty, I request that you send me to Fengzhou to take charge!"
Emperor Longxing glanced at everyone, then asked Meng Zong, "Old Duke, what do you think?"
Meng Zong hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, I think you can send a large camp to Zeng Bing to prevent any unexpected events."
"Jia Cong, what do you think?" Emperor Longxing asked again.
Jia Cong also pondered and said, "I agree with what Duke Qing said. Although it is not advisable to start a war when the Tanguts move, we must still be on guard."
"First, we have two camps in the Xijing area. However, the Huanzhou camp is too far away from Xijing, nearly a thousand miles away, so if a war breaks out, we won't be able to respond in time . Therefore, we only need to send an elite force to the area around Yehuling in Xuande Prefecture to control the Great Wall pass. Then, no matter what the other side does, we will have the power to respond."
"Yehu Ridge is roughly between Fengzhou and Huanzhou, about 400 to 500 miles away. If necessary, the cavalry can arrive in just two or three days. In this way, the three armies will form a tripartite alliance and defend each other! It will be enough to protect the safety of Datong."
