157 Expedition Abroad

eng Zhiyao raised an eyebrow, "The Li Prince is ranked first among the ladies of noble families in Jing City as their ideal husband."Xu Qingchen shrugged indifferently, "That doesn’t change the fact t...157. Marching Out

157。Marching Out

After reaching an agreement, Ye Li generously granted Han Mingyue a certain degree of freedom. Similarly, out of respect for Han Mingyue, they no longer kept Su Zuidie under close surveillance and confined to that small courtyard. As a smart person, Han Mingyue naturally knew what was best for himself and Su Zuidie. The Southern Prince indeed valued Han Mingyue greatly, but this was because of the power and wealth he wielded. Now, without anything, Han Mingyue might only become a target to vent his anger on. As for Su Zuidie, whether it be Mo Xiuyao or Ye Li, they would not give her much patience either. Therefore, if Han Mingyue wanted Su Zuidie to live well, the best approach was to watch over her personally.

After once again winning against the Southern Prince, Ye Li's mood didn’t improve because she knew that the current situation remained very unfavorable for the Dingguo Marquisate. Watching the generals going in and out of Mo Xiuyao’s study every day, Ye Li was well aware that another separation was imminent.

Three days later, news came again that Jiangxia had been besieged once more. Quietly gazing at the elegant woman beside him, Mo Xiuyao's eyes were filled with deep remorse and reluctance. With his army of 700,000 soldiers ready for battle, he was hesitating to set out on this campaign for the first time in his life. He had never detested Mo Jingqi’s selfish and despicable methods so much; if possible, how much he wished that wherever he went, Ye Li could be by his side. Looking at the rare moment of childishness in front of him, Ye Li couldn't help but smile somewhat mockingly as she reached up to stroke his handsome face gently, saying softly, "You should set out now. Don’t worry; I will take care of Xinyang and Jiangxia for you, as well as the entire Northwest."

Mo Xiuyao embraced her tightly, the man who had rarely shed tears before now having moist, heated eyes. However, he didn't want his wife to discover his momentary weakness.

Sometimes… love doesn’t need words; sometimes, certain actions and things can better express its meaning than the word ‘love’ itself.

"Ah Li..."

Ye Li pursed her lips into a faint smile and responded to his embrace with her hand, "Don't you believe in me"

Moxiu Yao shook his head and said, "If I can't even trust Ah Li, who else can I believe in this world"

"Since that's the case, go ahead and do what you need to do," Ye Li supported his shoulder and looked up at him seriously. She wasn't a person who liked clinging or being overly sentimental; although she didn't want to part from him, she knew that there were things that had to be done. If that was so, then she would hold the vast expanse of land in the northwest for him and let him have no worries. The burden placed on this man by heaven was already heavy enough. Since she chose him, she would share some of his burdens with him: "Ah Li, once this war is over, nobody can ever make you leave my side again," Moxiu Yao gritted his teeth and kissed the person in his arms fervently. The deep kiss continued until both were out of breath before they parted. Ye Li smiled softly and said, "I won't stay under your wing forever, Moxiu Yao. If I decide on someone, I want to stand beside him." Moxiu Yao held her tightly in his embrace and said discontentedly, "You have never hidden yourself beneath my wings. However… This king looks forward to walking side by side with Ah Li."

After bidding farewell to Moxiu Yao, Ye Li stood atop the city walls of Xinyang and watched far into the distance at his departing figure. Moxiu Yao did not take the soldiers from Xinyang because both Xinyang and the entire northwest were facing hundreds of thousands of strong enemies. Only a few generals such as Lü Jinxian followed him to the new battlefield, while Feng San, who had been by his side all along and was regarded as the most trusted confidant, remained in Xinyang.

Standing at one corner of the city wall, Han Mingyue watched the elegant lady standing on the battlements gazing into the distance. A complex expression flashed across his eyes; it seemed to be a mix of envy, relief, and disappointment.

"Prince Ding is truly reassured," Han Mingyue said as he walked over to stand beside Ye Li and sighed softly.

Ye Li glanced at him sideways and smiled calmly. "I am his wife; if I can't reassure him, who else could" Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "This time is different from the previous incident in Yonglin. Prince Nanzhen isn’t Prince Li either. Are you really not afraid at all" Ye Li turned around to look at him with a half-smile. "If fear could solve problems… then I am very scared." After saying that, she didn't pay any more attention to what Han Mingyue wanted to say and instructed Feng San standing nearby, "Send reinforcements to General Yuan Pei. Also, disperse the troops into various parts of the northwest; we don’t need so many people in Xinyang City." Feng Zhirao frowned slightly and said somewhat reluctantly, “My Lady, if we spread our forces thin, it might not be good for defending Xinyang.” Ye Li replied calmly, "Who said we are going to defend Xinyang What we want to do is tie Prince Nanzhen down in the northwest with his hundreds of thousands of troops so that he has no time to meddle. As for Xinyang… who besides the Mo army soldiers and a few civilians are there in this city now With chaos about to break out, how many people will still focus their attention on this northwest town From now on… Central Plains is the important stage of this world."

Feng Zhirao fell silent for a moment before bowing and saying, "This subordinate accepts the order."

Seeing Feng Zhirao turn away after receiving his instructions, Han Mingyue smiled and sighed. "Feng San is usually very proud; he listens to no one else except Moxiao’s words. I didn't expect him to be so convinced by your Ladyship." Not only Feng Zhirao, even he himself was amazed at the courage and decisiveness of this woman who was barely twenty years old. He finally understood why Cold-Hearted Moxiu Yao valued this Princess Consort Ding so much. Such a woman could make heroes fall head over heels.

As Ye Li walked down the city tower, Han Mingyue looked at a certain spot on the tower and said calmly, "Do you now understand the difference between yourself and her"

In the shadows, Su Zuiedie silently stepped out. Her stunning face was filled with gloominess and resentment. It wasn’t just because Mo Xiuyao trusted Ye Li; it was also because she clearly knew that she didn’t have Ye Li’s capabilities or decisiveness. Watching Ye Li calmly coordinate the three armies and issue commands made her envious and even longed for such power herself, but deep down, she understood that she lacked the strength to match Ye Li's every order. With a resentful grunt, she said, "So what"

Without words, Han Mingyue remained silent for a while before saying, "Let’s go. After the war ends, we will leave here. Don’t do anything unnecessary; if you anger Duchess Dingwang, I won’t be able to save you."

Su Zuiedie gritted her teeth and glared at Han Mingyue for a long time but ultimately did not say anything more.

Mo Xiuyao’s departure heralded the end of Xinyang City's brief peace. On the city tower, the soldiers of Mo Family Army stood in high alertness toward the Western Capital troops glaring from below. Following Ye Li’s orders, Feng Zhirao had secretly dispatched most of the Mo Family Army out of Xinyang City. Whether Prince of Southern Peace discovered this or not, he likely believed that an unguarded Xinyang was more beneficial to him. Almost every day saw skirmishes outside Xinyang City, but the Western Capital troops who once swept forward without obstacles could no longer enter even a part of the city gates as before. The news from all over Northwest and the sudden appearance of Mo Family Army in various regions made Prince of Southern Peace furrow his brows despite receiving the message that Mo Xiuyao was surrounded by nearly 800,000 troops. He had now understood the true intentions of the woman who often appeared on the city tower with a detached gaze towards the bloody scenes below. But at this moment… he couldn’t extricate himself from the situation. Without completely conquering Northwest, his ambition to invade Central Plains would be shattered. Furthermore, even the news that Mo Xiuyao was heavily encircled didn’t stir any reaction in the woman inside the city tower or throw her into disarray. While occasionally mocking Mo Xiuyao for marrying a heartless and ruthless wife, he couldn't help but ponder what kind of woman she truly was.

On the city tower, Ye Li, as usual, handled military and administrative affairs in the city before climbing up to look out at the distant Western Capital camp with fluttering banners.

"Duchess… " Feng Zhirao climbed onto the city tower and looked at the slender and graceful silhouette of the woman before him, sighing inwardly. Only they these trusted people knew how much pressure and burden this young woman carried. At the same time, the determination and decisiveness displayed by this woman further won the hearts of all soldiers in Mo Family Army. It was because she was Ye Li, not because she was Duchess Dingwang.

Ye Li turned around with a faint smile and said, "Feng San, is there something"

Feng Zhiyao frowned as he looked at her slightly pale face and said worriedly, "Your Excellency seems to be in poor health these few days. Should we call a doctor" Ye Li shook her head and replied, "I'm just tired. If Xiling’s Southern Warlord Zhuang was easy to handle, then it would not have earned him the title of the God of War in West Qin. I am also quite worried."

Smiling at her, Feng Zhiyao said, "Subordinate can't see any signs that Your Excellency is worried. We managed to stall Southern Warlord Zhuang and part of the troops from Xiling here in the northwest. This has already reduced the burden on his lordship by a third. Your Excellency’s contributions are not insignificant."

"A third…" Ye Li pondered for a moment before asking, "How is His Highness doing now"

Feng Zhiyao hesitated slightly before still如實翻譯，不加解釋地說，“雖然墨家軍的所有部隊都已經在他的掌控之中。但是目前西陵和南詔以及黎王同時發難，王爺手中不過五十多萬人馬，三方應敵根本應付不來。何況還要防著京城那位背後使陰招。”

“現在王爺需要應對多少人？”

“至少八十萬。”鳳之遙沉聲道。

葉璃冷笑一聲道：“不是防著他使陰招，是他已經出招了。南詔小國，總兵力不會超過三十萬人，南方的墨景黎必須防範著墨景祈最多也隻能抽出二十萬人，至於西陵……雷騰峰所部也不會超過二十萬人。”

鳳之遙微微變色道：“目前還冇有大楚各地駐軍參戰的訊息傳來，也就是說…墨景祈暗中至少藏有數十萬大軍！”

Feng Zhiyao said, "Although all the troops of Mo Family Army are under His Highness's control now. However, with Xiling and Nan Zhao as well as Li Prince causing trouble simultaneously, His Highness only has more than fifty thousand troops at his disposal, making it impossible to handle three fronts at once. Furthermore, he also needs to be wary of the schemes from the capital."

"How many people does His Highness need to deal with now"

“At least eight hundred thousand.” Feng Zhiyao said solemnly.

Ye Li snorted and said, "It's not a matter of guarding against his schemes; it’s that he has already made his move. As a small country, Nan Zhao cannot muster more than three hundred thousand troops in total. Southern Mo Jingli must guard against Mo Jingqi at the same time and can only scrape together up to two hundred thousand troops at most. As for Xiling… Lieutenant Lei Tengfeng’s forces will not exceed two hundred thousand either."

Feng Zhiyao's expression changed slightly as he said, "Since there has been no news of the various garrisons in Greater Chu joining the battle yet, this means that Mo Jingqi must have secretly hidden at least hundreds of thousands of troops!"n!" In the imperial study room, Mo Jingqi raged and smashed everything inside. This time, he was completely outmatched by Mo Xiu Yao. When Mo Xiu Yao dropped this bombshell at his son’s full moon cele...