Si Xitong said, "Thank you."
"We are already husband and wife in name, so you don't need to be so polite." Xie Lanzhi casually checked whether the doors and windows were closed. In fact, they were all closed properly, except for one door that was slightly ajar, letting in some air. The air that came in was accompanied by a chill, and it still made people feel cold.
Ancient methods of keeping warm were indeed rudimentary.
Her thoughts drifted away.
Si Xitong nodded, her delicate hands gathering her sleeves and gently rubbing them together. Perhaps feeling warm, she proactively placed her warm hands on Xie Lanzhi's hands. The moment she touched them, a piercing sensation like needles made her tremble slightly. She noticed that Xie Lanzhi's hands, which were already frozen red, were not even aware of it.
Si Xitong's eyes welled up slightly. She rarely cried, but at this moment she felt inexplicably sad. Perhaps it was because the marshal's question about the strategist had reminded her of her younger brother and evoked a sense of resonance. Her heartache for Xie Lanzhi might have stemmed from this.
Suppressing her emotions, she took the initiative to say, "Marshal, if my guess can benefit you, I hope you will take it seriously."
Xie Lanzhi was somewhat surprised by the tone of her request.
She paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically: "Go on, I'm listening."
Si Xitong was filled with thoughts, and she found the analysis that best suited the current situation.
“My younger brother, Si Xinian, has always been the child that Father Emperor most wanted to inherit the throne.”
Xie Lanzhi listened attentively.
"He was the most talented of all his brothers."
When Xie Lanzhi thought of Si Xinian from the original novel, there was only one word to describe him: a brilliant talent who died young.
Si Xitong was lost in memories, the moments she had spent with her younger brother were vivid in her mind, both brief and profound.
"He always liked to contradict his father, saying that he didn't love the country or the beauty, and that only his family and books were the most precious things in his life."
“That child isn’t in good health and is very sensitive to the cold.” Si Xitong lowered her eyes, concealing her sadness: “I’m sorry, my words are too far-fetched.”
It's snowing now.
Now, the Empress's plan clearly hints to her that the strategist behind Huang Mang may be related to the royal family.
Now Huang Mang has become a pair of tongs aimed at her, striking not only the Southern Region but also disrupting the situation at the end of the Jin Dynasty.
What Hongmen Banquet? The kidnapping of two rulers was probably planned by strategists long ago.
Now the Empress, having discerned this matter, has reminded her. Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but marvel; in chaotic times, perhaps the most terrifying thing is a strategist of exceptional talent.
These power struggles often operate covertly, subtly driving the situation forward until it spirals out of control.
As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. When everyone is caught in the game, they can only be passive. Even a formidable figure like Xie Ying might not be able to completely escape.
This plan is not only fraught with danger, but also incredibly mysterious!
Xie Lanzhi said, "If I have the chance, I really want to meet your brother."
"I don't know if he's alive or dead. We've been separated for over a year." Si Xitong's eyes were bloodshot. Perhaps she was thinking about the year of living hell she had endured. Her younger brother must have suffered a lot as well.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't bear to see her so sad, so she gently patted her shoulder to comfort her: "Don't worry, we just need to wait for the list of royal relatives to be sent back, he will be fine."
Si Xitong said, "Thank you, Marshal. Now I only hope that he can live a long and peaceful life."
The longing for family, the prayers for the unknown well-being of the younger brother. Separation from loved ones, death, and the divide between life and death—all these represent the sorrow of people in chaotic times.
Xie Lanzhi suddenly took Si Xitong's hands and encouraged her, "Little Phoenix, remember this: my weakness today reveals my strength."
Everything will be alright.
Si Xitong said silently, "My weakness now reveals my strength."
After the start of winter, the cold wind bites to the bone.
The Xie family issued an imperial edict to the southern region.
The entire southern region was in a state of war preparedness, with a massive scale, which greatly affected the surrounding prefectures and counties.
The Xie family mobilized 230,000 troops at once, and they passed through the two counties of Runan and reached Wujin in the same day. This troop strength and marching speed once again shocked the local armed forces throughout the south.
The capital of the Seven Jin states.
Si Bogong accepted Xie Shangguang's invitation to travel to Wujin together, and along the way they encountered Xie Ji, who was leading 50,000 people into Wujin.
As soon as Xie Ji entered the small county town of Wu Jin, he ran into Si Bogong. Remembering the letter that the Grand Marshal had specially given him, he quickly dismounted and called out to Si Bogong, "Brother Jin, please wait!"
When Si Bogong heard someone calling him, he turned around and saw Xie Ji hurriedly running up to him with his sword slung over his shoulder. Xie Ji handed him a letter and reminded him, "Brother Jin, this mission is arduous. It all depends on you to complete the Marshal's orders."
"Does the Marshal have another mission?" Si Bogong asked, taking the letter with a puzzled expression.
Xie Ji didn't explain further and left directly.
Si Bogong opened the letter and read it aloud in front of everyone. Its contents seemed to greatly surprise him. He pondered it for a moment, then carefully considered it. Finally, he exclaimed in admiration, "This plan is brilliant, truly brilliant!"
Xie Shangguang, who was standing nearby, was confused. When he heard that the letter was written by the Grand Marshal himself, he exclaimed, "This kid should also pay more attention to the Grand Marshal's instructions. Let me see it, Master Si!"
Si Bogong did not give him the letter, but quietly put it away and then comforted the young man sent by the Grand Marshal.
He said, "When this letter reached me, the Right General hadn't even opened it. Shang Guang, are you sure you want to read it?"
Xie Shangguang sensed a hidden meaning in Si Bogong's words, and he hesitated. Although he really wanted to see it, would reading the Grand Marshal's private message be considered overstepping his bounds?
He probably thought of his second uncle Xie Guang, who had been punished, and shut his mouth.
Si Bogong kindly revealed to him, "After we arrive in the Five Jin, the two of us will have to make a trip to the Six Jin."
Xie Shangguang understood that this might be related to private messages, so he nodded and said, "Then I'll listen to you."
This is the first day of the march.
The following day, Xie Xia's troops arrived at Qi Jin by water. To demonstrate the sincerity of a vassal state, the ruler of Qi Jin, Si Lei, offered two grain-producing counties to Xie Xia. Xie Xia, upon receiving the commander's order, openly refused.
Xie Xia specifically told Si Lei: "The 100,000 men I lead will not immediately attack Tianjing, but they can serve as a backup for the Seven Jin, preventing them from being invaded by the Yellow rebels."
"The Grand Marshal's order is one that the King of Xia dares not disobey!" King Si Lei of the Seven Jin Kingdom said solemnly.
As a result, Qi Jin will be pushed into the limelight by Marshal Xie, which will bring disaster upon them.
On the third day, Xie Guang led 80,000 troops into the territory occupied by the Huang bandits and began a large-scale burning and killing.
Bones lay exposed in the wilderness, and for miles no rooster crowed. The flames of war engulfed four counties, and in one night the Yellow rebel army was consumed.
On the fourth day, Xie Ji arrived in Wu Jin, where he was greeted by Si Feng, the eldest son of Wu Jin, who asked for instructions: "I wonder what instructions the Grand Marshal has for Wu Jin?" Xie Ji replied expressionlessly: "Lead 50,000 cavalry and hold your positions."
"You only need to cooperate."
Fearing his power, Si Feng dared not ask any further questions.
On the fifth day, all roads and supply lines from the Five Jin and Six Jin states leading to Tianjing were blocked by 100,000 hastily assembled troops from the Five Jin and Six Jin states. The Yellow rebels' logistics were in dire straits.
On the sixth day, of the 230,000 people, only Xie Guang led 80,000 men to massacre them in the border region near Tianjing.
Aside from the troops of the Five Jin and Six Jin armies, all forces related to Huang Mang were subjected to the "Gua Man Chao" (a military campaign).
Xie Guang personally supervised the execution at Caishikou, watching the executioners slice through the heads of Huang Jun's generals, officials, and relatives. Blood splattered as the blades rose and fell, and heads rolled to the ground.
In a single day, a thousand heads were chopped off. It wasn't until a messenger appeared holding an imperial edict: "Reporting—the Grand Marshal has ordered that the killing be stopped immediately. Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life; ten thousand people may be spared a chance of survival. Let no innocent people be implicated."
"Your subordinate obeys the order!" Xie Guang reluctantly put down his killing arrow and shouted to the Xie family soldiers who were supervising him: "The rest will be temporarily locked in the dungeon, served with good wine and food, and will be released without charge once the Grand Marshal liberates Tianjing!"
Upon hearing this order, the remaining survivors all wept bitterly, saying, "Thank you, Marshal, for sparing our lives!"
"Mother, I don't want to die!"
"My son, no, we won't die."
On the night of the sixth day, the fighting temporarily ceased, and the darkness stirred. Xie Jun planned his move carefully.
At the location of the four counties, Xie Guang led his generals to rest when they suddenly received a messenger carrying a new imperial order from Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Guang accepted the letter with a complicated expression. Upon opening it, he found it to be a revocation order.
"Grand Marshal, what exactly is she trying to do?!" He crumpled the letter into a ball on the spot, completely baffled by the Grand Marshal's actions.
Xie Guang found the Grand Marshal increasingly unpredictable, which caused him severe anxiety. He urgently asked his advisor Jiang Jinshi, "What does the Grand Marshal mean by this? Our army is advancing like a whirlwind, and the Yellow Army is retreating one after another. We are on the verge of victory, but the Grand Marshal has ordered us to retreat!"
"This general simply cannot understand!"
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:30:01 on November 8, 2021 and 10:45:00 on November 11, 2021!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Uranus Gravity 3 bottles; 1 bottle today;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 16 The Forces That Hate Xie Lanzhi
Many questions lingered in his mind, but the Grand Marshal would not give him any answers at this moment.
Seeing the general's anxiety, his advisor Jiang Jinshi quickly advised, "After reading the letter, I believe the Grand Marshal is trying to achieve something in the long term."
Xie Guangdao: "What is it?"
“Naturally, it’s about the people and the land,” said Jiang Jinshi. “Your humble servant believes that the Grand Marshal did not intend to exterminate them, but instead ordered you to slaughter the Yellow bandits in four counties. Clearly, this is to establish a deterrent effect here.”
"The four counties happen to be the crossroads connecting the five and six Jin provinces. Furthermore, they are the land from which the capital city was built. Now, the Yellow rebels are surrounded by three Jin provinces and have no way to escape. Moreover, as you can see..." Jiang Jinshi took out a map from his sleeve and pointed to the five Jin provinces, saying, "The Grand Marshal has deployed 50,000 cavalry in the five Jin provinces to guard the rear. The Left General has 100,000 troops in the seven Jin provinces."
He then pointed to the Six Jin and said, "The Six Jin are located between the fifth and seventh ranks. They are better off without troops than with troops. They are surrounded by our forces and can be quickly reinforced. Therefore, the Yellow bandits dare not attack the Six Jin at all."
"This creates a three-sided defense! There's only one way left: to escape to the northern region."
Xie Guang finally understood. He said, "You guessed that the Grand Marshal wanted to surround us without attacking, to make the Yellow rebels give up. Even if the Yellow rebels don't give up, with 150,000 troops and their respective generals, it's hard to guarantee that some won't be forced to defect to us to save their lives due to the crisis."
"Even if the Yellow Traitors don't surrender, they can only flee to the Northern Regions!" What kind of place is the Northern Regions? It's a land of three barbarian tribes, where everyone is fierce and ruthless. Forget about morality, the rules in the Northern Regions are still tribal. Any Jin people who surrender to the Northern Regions will be reduced to slaves.
Of all the military strength in the Central Plains, only the Southern Regions and the northern barbarians could make the western and northern regions wary.
"In my opinion, killing 150,000 is not out of the question!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshi realized that the General had indeed failed to grasp the Grand Marshal's intentions. He hadn't even noticed that the Grand Marshal had already begun adjusting his personnel arrangements. If it were the Grand Marshal of the past, he wouldn't have devised any land-grabbing schemes; instead, he would have led his troops in a direct attack, massacring Tianjing.
While a bloodbath may have a deterrent effect, it is more likely to incite public outrage. It is not a long-term solution.
Now, the Grand Marshal not only promoted his senior brother Wu Qiu, but also rewarded him with many good things.
These actions all indicate that the Grand Marshal intends to... take up residence in Tianjing!
As the capital of the late Jin Dynasty, Tianjing held an extraordinary position during the chaotic times, and naturally could not be trampled upon like Huang Mang and his ilk.
What does it mean to be stationed in Tianjing?