164 interrogation

you can go back now."The Prince Ding’s王府could be considered the largest residence in Jing City, which naturally had to do with its status among the nobility. After more than a hundred years of succes...164. Questioning

164. Questioning

Han Mingchi sat quietly in a corner, watching the woman seated calmly and listening intently to the opinions of the generals. Such purely military meetings were naturally beyond his scope to participate in. He simply sat quietly, observing Ye Li's beautiful face with its serene and composed smile as she occasionally shared her insights on everyone else’s suggestions regarding summoning holy swords. Unknowingly, Han Mingchi's thoughts drifted back to a long time ago when he first met Ye Li. Back then, an elegant young man in men's clothing overlapped with the current poised woman commanding hundreds of thousands of troops before him. An indescribable bitterness suddenly welled up in Han Mingchi’s heart. If things had been different back then... The thought was just a fleeting idea that he quickly dismissed by shaking his head and smiling bitterly, knowing it would be absurd.

"Mingchi"

Han Mingchi snapped out of his reverie to find the once noisy study now quiet. The generals had already left after their meeting was over; only Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin were still sorting through documents in a side hall nearby. Ye Li smiled at him as she observed, "What are you thinking about It's rare for me to see you lost in thought." Han Mingchi chuckled casually and looked her up and down before asking, "With the upcoming battle, do you have any problems now that you're different from usual" Ye Li was taken aback, then unconsciously stroked her flat abdomen with a faint smile. "Did Feng San tell you" Han Mingchi nodded and asked, "Can't I know"

Ye Li shook her head. "It's not really a secret, but it wouldn’t be good if news of this were to spread during the current military conflict. Don't worry; my health is fine. Besides, I don't need to personally charge into battle."

Han Mingchi gave her a sidelong glance and said, "If you still want to charge into battle now, you'd probably scare Feng San to death." Mo Xiuyao leaving Feng Zhirao was not just to assist Ye Li in war; more importantly, Feng Zhirao was someone Mo Xiuyao trusted most. Leaving him behind half the time was also for Ye Li’s peace of mind. Ye Li smiled wryly and sighed softly, "I hope this war can end soon." Han Mingchi said, "I can't help you much, but if there's anything I can do, just let me know."

Ye Lü looked at him and smiled, saying, "I really thought there was something I needed your help with." She then took out a dossier from behind the bookshelf and handed it to Han Mingyi, saying, "Since both you and Leng Haoyu aren't here, I had planned on delaying this plan. Now that you're here, take a look at it."

Han Mingyi accepted the sealed dossier, opened it, and flipped through it before raising his head and asked solemnly, "Is all of this worth it for Mo Xiuyao"

Ye Lü smiled lightly and said, "I am the Queen Consort of Prince Dingtang. What I gain or lose affects him too. How can you say that I'm doing things solely for him"

Han Mingyi's expression changed, and after a while, he sighed and said, "Alright, I understand. I'll handle this matter properly. This will also benefit the Han family, won't it"

Ye Lü smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"I thought we were friends," he stated.

Ye Lü smiled and said, "That's right, we are naturally friends."

In early October, the Prince of Zhennan led two hundred thousand troops to attack Hongzhou. The Mo army also responded with full strength. Since the beginning of the battle in the northwest, it had been nearly three months, and this time was truly a desperate fight. It finally made the soldiers from Western Ling realize that the Chu Kingdom's soldiers were not as weak or useless as they previously thought; the Mo army, which has safeguarded the Chu Kingdom for over a hundred years, is still a sharp sword stained with blood. Originally, there wasn't much difference in the number of troops on both sides. However, unlike the Western Ling army focusing solely on an attack at one place, the Mo army needed to defend the entire northwest region. Therefore, in terms of numbers, the Western Ling army had a slight advantage. Although the Western Ling army advanced slowly, they continued to push forward steadily, gradually approaching Hongzhou City.

The once peaceful and quiet Hongzhou seemed uneasy due to the impending storm. Many wealthy merchants and ordinary citizens left Hongzhou with their families for the border region; thus, there was no longer the usual hustle and bustle in the city, which now displayed a solemn and tense atmosphere before a major battle. On the city wall, Ye Lü sat quietly against the wall, basking under the warm autumn sun, making her feel drowsy. She had laid out a Go board in front of her and was slowly pondering over the black stones with one hand. The soldiers guarding the city wall looked at her from afar, feeling peaceful and calm.

Han Mingyue climbed up to the city wall and stared silently at the woman who was leaning against it, deep in thought. Ye Lü lifted her head and smiled at him, asking, "Is there something on your mind, Mr. Mingyue" Han Mingyue sat down opposite her silently and stared at the Go board for a long time before finally asking, "What are your plans"

Ye Lü raised her eyes and asked puzzledly, "What kind of plan"

Han Mingyue frowned and said, “The Prince of Zhennan is leading 200,000 troops to approach Hongzhou. Don't tell me you don't know!” Seeing Han Mingyue's rare angry outburst, Ye Lü smiled and said, "Mr. Mingyue, please rest assured; even if Hongzhou falls, I will arrange for you and Miss Su to leave here before that happens."

Han Mingyue stared at her and asked solemnly, “You have already anticipated the fall of Hongzhou”

Ye Li shook her head and said, "No. Hongzhou will not fall; it is the last line of defense for Da Chu in the northwest. Behind it lies the vast plains of Zhongyuan… And there are still hundreds of thousands of Mo Family soldiers engaged in battle. Even if all twenty thousand Mo Family soldiers in the northwest were to perish, Hongzhou would not fall into the hands of Xi Ling."

If Hongzhou were to fall, it would mean that they had exposed the backs of over a hundred thousand Mo Family soldiers inside the borders to Xi Ling. The consequences could be unimaginable. Han Mingyue raised her eyebrows and looked at Ye Li in confusion. "If you don’t want Hongzhou to lose control, why are you letting the Xi Ling army advance Although the Mo Family Army has been depleting the strength of the Xi Ling army all along, they have not truly fought to the death. There’s no need for you to hide anything from me; even though Tian Yi Pavilion used to refrain from participating in wars between nations, it doesn’t mean that we haven’t studied them."

The reason why the Mo Family Army could instill fear in other countries was not solely because of the military genius of several generations of Duke Dingwang. More importantly, it was because the soldiers of the Mo Family Army were fearless and willing to charge forward no matter what.

There have been many historical records detailing the deeds of the soldiers of the Mo Family Army. To defend a unimportant small city, they could all die in battle without retreating even half a step. For the purpose of capturing an outpost, they would attack around the clock and never waver even if the bodies under the city walls piled up like hills.

But nowadays, the Mo Family Army might seem brave enough to others, but it was still far from their true capabilities.

Ye Li casually threw down a chess piece in her hand and leaned on her cheek as she looked at the handsome man before her with a half-smile. "Are you worried about the Mo Family Army"

Han Mingyue paused for a moment, then said coolly, "Ming is my younger brother; I need to know if he will have any chance of survival by following Duke Dingwang."

Ye Li clapped her hands and stood up with a smile. “You don’t need to worry about this. I am aware of the situation.”

Han Mingyue said coldly, "I can't see how you could possibly know anything. The Mo Family Army clearly has the ability to block the Xi Ling army from advancing beyond Hongzhou…"

"No," Ye Li shook her head and looked at Han Mingyue seriously. "The Mo Family Army indeed currently has the capability to temporarily hold back this 200,000-strong Xi Ling army. However… only for a short while.公子明月 should be aware that although Xi Ling's total forces in their invasion of Da Chu amount to around 500,000, their national military strength exceeds 1.5 million. The people of Xi Ling are fierce and brave; they can be conscripted into the army at any time with minimal training, allowing for another one hundred thousand soldiers to be recruited within a short period. At that point… even if the Mo Family Army fights ten times their number, it would not be enough. Moreover… the people of Xi Ling are not weak; over these few days of battles, our two men at most could only exchange for three from them."

Han Mingyue frowned and said, "If this is so, wouldn’t you be inviting a wolf into your home by letting them enter Hongzhou"

The smile on Ye Li’s lips was faint yet clear, like the frost flowers on branches in winter mornings. "Right now, Prince Zhennan will not reinforce the northwest any time soon."

Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone knows that the commander of the Mo Family Army in the northwest is me, a woman under eighteen years old. If Prince Zhennan still needs to send troops from Xi Ling for assistance… even if he wins, his reputation could be completely ruined." A war god who has fought for decades against Xi Ling and a girl in her teens who hasn't seen battle; if their forces are equal and the Prince of Zhennan sends additional reinforcements, it would mean admitting to the entire world that Lei Zhen霆 is not only inferior to Mo Liufang but also to his daughter-in-law. After this, the title of "Prince Zhennan" might become a laughingstock.

"What do you plan to…

The smile on Ye Li's face gradually faded as she turned her head to look at the distant wilderness, calmly saying: "I want all of Xiling’s twenty million troops to remain in the northwest!"

Han Mingyue was shaken by her words. He could clearly hear the unhidden killing intent and bloodlust in Ye Li's voice.

"You want all of Xiling’s twenty million troops to stay in the northwest! You... How dare you even think like this..." For the first time, Han Mingyue felt his voice trembling as he spoke. To completely eliminate an entire army of twenty million soldiers from Xiling, such a thought seemed impossible for someone who had never been on the battlefield to come up with. No… Perhaps it was precisely because they hadn't been on the battlefield that one could speak so recklessly. Ye Li leaned against the city wall and looked at him with a smile, saying: "What's there not to be afraid of These days, the Xiling army has been engaged in continuous battles; those who can reach Hongzhou City are no more than ten million. This city… will become their final resting place."

Han Mingyue couldn't help but shiver involuntarily, yet a burning sensation rose spontaneously within his chest. Staring at Ye Li unwaveringly, Han Mingyue said: "Now I finally understand why Xi Yao looked at you the way he did."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. Recalling something with nostalgia, Han Mingyue said: "Do you remember… when Xi Yao first went to battle, he was only around thirteen or fourteen years old. He said that given three or four years, he could pacify Nanzhao and ensure peace in the southern regions of the Great Chu for a hundred years... Unfortunately..." Hearing his words, Ye Li seemed in an unusually good mood as she smiled: "That's why I'm the Queen Consort of Dingwang… Prince of Southern Peace, after hiding for so long, this queen has grown rather eager to see how the battle unfolds."

—— Excerpt ——

Fans must also find it a bit dragging, right Mainly because each chapter is too short and I can't write much content... Sweat, my mistake, shame on me… The real battle begins tomorrow, after which the plot will have major changes… We'll soon enter the next volume. A head's up: in the next volume, 'Mountain and River Sacrifice', will I tell you that a great devil king of chaos is coming Mewahaha wouldn’t it be extreme” Su Zhe pondered for a moment and couldn't help blanching, "An eye for an eye, ten times over. However, after so many years have passed, Duke Ding's temper has become smoother....