She picked up a book and read it. This memorial was a petition from Guide County and Runan County. The contents were all trivial matters, but the major ones were accusations that the Shi State government had oppressed them by allowing them to enter the country and robbed them of people and grain.
It happened a month ago. She put it down and turned to the clerks sitting on either side of her, asking, "How did our army handle the matter of seizing people's food?"
A clerk closest to her stood up, bowed, and said, "Reporting to the Marshal, it was General Zuo who handled this matter. He has wiped out all the remaining troops of the Shi family in the subordinate counties."
"Hmm." Xie Lanzhi didn't offer much comment. She glanced at the clerk and noticed that he seemed to be used to her reactions.
The second memorial recounted the old story of the fall of Tianjing. Xie Lanzhi, because of the Empress, was clearly more concerned about it, and upon reading it, her eyes immediately darkened.
She managed to find a few words from a pile of tedious and verbose text, which was a simple report from the spies in Tianjing: "How many of the deceased emperor's relatives are still alive?"
She immediately said, "Come here!"
The clerk closest to him immediately bowed and said, "Marshal, is there anything wrong with the memorial we submitted?"
Xie Lanzhi pointed to the memorial from Tianjing and said, "This memorial was submitted last June and has long been in my hands. Logically, I should have read it long ago, so how could it have piled up like this!?"
She should have kept quiet until she asked. The clerk became cautious and said, "Marshal, you predicted last year that the new elites in Tianjing would pledge allegiance to you, so you shelved this memorial. Now that it's on the table again, it's just a formality."
In other words, the shares returned to her hands after six months of rotation.
The original owner, Xie Ying, stopped paying attention to the memorial because Huang Mang wanted to pledge allegiance to him.
But the situation is different now. Huang Mang left with resentment after joining us, so there's no need to waste time testing his loyalty to the Xie family.
She immediately said to the clerk, "Now that Lady Si is my wife, her relatives are naturally my relatives as well."
"The Marshal means that this memorial should be taken seriously," the clerk asked.
Xie Lanzhi nodded, and the clerk took the memorial from her hand, sat back down, and passed it down to the next person in line. When it reached the last person, a general came in, took the memorial, and hurriedly issued it.
She knew that her orders would be carried out by her subordinates.
All she had to do was wait for good news and bring the Empress's remaining relatives to the Southern Region!
Then, she found the tallest one in the pile of memorials. As soon as she opened it, she discovered that it was a memorial from three days ago.
This memorial also came from Tianjing.
Xie Lanzhi thought it was a message from a spy, but it turned out to be from Huang Mang, and it was even written by Huang Mang himself.
"This person submitted a memorial to me?" And it's at the top of the list; it's hard to say he didn't pay someone to put it at the very front. This happens quite often.
The clerk stood up again, took the memorial, glanced at it, and said, "This is General Huang's greeting to you."
Is it just a simple greeting letter?
Xie Lanzhi said, "Read it once."
The clerk began reading: "May you be well these days, and may everything go smoothly for the Commander-in-Chief. In the latter part of the month, I will drink precious Chinese medicine to nourish my body and strengthen my body..."
What followed was a long, rambling account of his daily life, how he recuperated from his injuries while listening to magpies chirping on the branches by the window, watching dancers perform, and observing his subordinates wielding swords, appearing quite content.
He wrote down every single detail of how he spent his days recuperating from his injuries.
Even the clerk wanted to throw it away after reading it. It was a full twenty thousand words.
Xie Lanzhi picked her ear. The rest of the memorials, apart from some good news about water conservancy and a bumper rice harvest, had nothing else to report.
She thought the whole morning would just pass by like that.
Suddenly, a carriage arrived at the gate of Fengyu Mansion. It was the carriage she had ridden in with the Empress. There were also guards following behind. Why would the guards that Xie Guang had chosen to protect the Empress come to Fengyu Mansion?
Could it be... that she found out about this so quickly?
Xie Lanzhi got up and went out. Just as she reached the door, a familiar, soft body bumped into her.
"marshal!"
She asked with concern, "You already know?"
Xie Lanzhi suddenly remembered Si Bogong; it seemed he had just told the Empress about the surviving relatives from Tianjing.
Si Xitong had been wandering for a year, and many of her relatives had died tragically. She had given up all hope, but she never expected that some of her relatives would still survive. Si Xitong wanted to cry, but she held back her tears.
She knew she didn't want to show her vulnerable side.
"Qitong." She was waiting for her to speak.
"I still have family." Si Xitong tried to hold back her tears, but as she spoke, they still dripped down her cheeks and onto her chest, burning her heart as well.
Xie Lanzhi patted the Empress's back and comforted her, "I just sent someone to inform Tianjing to bring back the rest of the royal family, so you don't need to worry."
"But, Marshal, I have ruined your important plans." Si Xitong's face was full of regret.
Xie Lanzhi knew what she was regretting, but she believed it was an uncontrollable development, especially given her desperate situation, thinking that all her relatives were dead and she was all alone. Therefore, she had no desire to live and only thought about avenging the dead before she died.
At this time, the empress was still very inexperienced and had not yet developed her career, so naturally she had not considered her future.
Now that she hears that she and her family have escaped the pursuit, how could she not be excited?
Xie Lanzhi: "Don't worry."
"But what can I do for you? I hope I can do something within my power for you." Si Xitong felt powerless at this moment. She could only pray that her loved ones would arrive safely in the Southern Region. She wanted to know if the child was still alive. As long as he was there, everything was still possible.
She said, "I don't need it now, but I'll have the opportunity to ask you for help in the future."
Upon hearing this, another fast horse appeared at the gate of the Imperial Palace. The rider dismounted, held up a letter, and shouted anxiously, "Report—there is battle ahead!!"
"War?" Xie Lanzhi suddenly regretted that she hadn't finished reading the second half of the sequel before having a heart attack.
As a result, she has absolutely no idea what battles will take place in the second half of the sequel.
Thinking of this, she looked at the cavalrymen who were rushing to report, and they didn't even notice her standing at the door before rushing into the mansion.
The clerk in the mansion rushed over anxiously, carrying the battle report: "Grand Marshal, this report is an urgent message delivered by cavalry on horseback for seven days and seven nights!"
Seven days and seven nights! Xie Lanzhi easily released Si Xitong, who quickly stepped back and stood behind her, not daring to disturb her any longer.
She took the battle report but didn't rush to read it. Instead, she instructed the guards who had come with the Empress: "Take the lady back to Chenxiang Mansion."
"Yes!" The guards brought a stool for Si Xitong and helped her into the carriage. Si Xitong got into the carriage without hesitation. As she climbed into the seat, she peeked out from the small window on the right, looking at Xie Lanzhi with hopeful eyes.
Si Xitong said, "I will wait for you to come back."
She lowered the carriage curtain, quietly placed her hand on her heart, and silently prayed that her surviving relatives would reach the Southern Region safely, and that the Marshal would be victorious in every battle.
Most importantly, she hoped the marshal...
As this thought crossed Si Xitong's mind, she vaguely felt a surge of heat in her chest, and it seemed as if a figure had appeared in her mind.
It will give her something to worry about.
After the Empress left, Xie Lanzhi opened the battle report and was immediately struck by the words: "The flames of war have risen over Tianjing. Huang Mang has colluded with the vassal states of the Northern Region to jointly invade Jizhou Prefecture and Hanzhou Prefecture."
"The rulers of the two states were unfortunately captured."
Jeju Prefecture and Hanju Prefecture. Aren't they just two subordinate prefectures bordering her southern territory?
It's still within the territory of the Fifth and Sixth Jin among the Nine Jin! Huang Mang is still restless even after losing his right arm; she really overestimated his intelligence!
Xie Lanzhi casually tossed the battle report on the ground, then recalled the greeting letter from three days ago. But Huang Mang had launched a war against the two prefectures seven days ago, clearly mocking her.
She laughed, a laugh tinged with detachment: "It seems I'm being underestimated for not using force."
"That scoundrel, indeed, fears power but does not cherish virtue."
The clerk, hearing the marshal's casual remark, assumed she was mocking herself. He had just been asking, "Marshal, I need to invite the generals to discuss..."
"Pass down the order: Huang the Traitor has betrayed his faith and disregarded his benefactor. He deserves to be condemned by the world!" Xie Lanzhi stood up.
With her sword at her side and her sleeves billowing in the wind, she declared, "This commander shall fight!"
"Yes!" The clerk immediately took the order and left the Imperial Palace.
News of Huang Mang's attack on Jizhou and Hanzhou spread throughout the southern region in a single day.
This has caused unease throughout the south.
The fearsome Southern Region Demon Goddess, whom everyone dreads, is finally returning to wreak havoc after two years.
Chapter 12 Her words are law
News of Huang Mang's attack on Jeju and Hanju spread throughout the southern region.
The generals began to gather at the Imperial Palace.
This was Xie Lanzhi's first time facing all the Xie family generals. She sat in the seat of honor, her five fingers deftly twirling the ink brush. After spinning it five times, she pinched it with her fingers and casually tossed it, sending the ink brush flying into the pen holder within five meters of the clerk's desk.
The clerk looked at the ink brush firmly inserted in the pen holder and sighed inwardly: The Grand Marshal is not only an expert archer, but he is also so skilled with a pen.
In her past life, she loved playing pen-spinning darts while studying in university classrooms. Now, listening to her subordinates' reports, she felt a bit like she was back in the classroom. Her hands were itching to try it too.
The soldiers below sat upright, their eyes fixed straight ahead.
"What information have you found out?" she asked, and the generals sitting below her all rushed to answer.
Xie Guang coughed lightly and said, "Reporting to the Marshal, the eldest sons of both Jizhou and Hanzhou have just been sent to explain why the letter of aid arrived so late."
She said, "Speak."
Xie Guangdao said: "The main reason is that the rulers of the two states were deceived by the Yellow Bandit. He first offered tribute of grain and beautiful women to please them, making the benevolent rulers think that he was sincerely apologizing. So they accepted everything and designated four counties as passageways to and from Tianjing."
"However, unexpectedly, this was a trap set by the Yellow Turban rebels. When the two kings arrived at the meeting, they were ambushed by the Yellow Turban rebels in four counties and kidnapped back to Tianjing."
"Afterwards, the Yellow Bandit even threatened the king, ordering the two prefectures to open the waterway to the Seven Jin. The two prefectures put an end to the negotiations, and then the Yellow Bandit occupied eight counties in succession. Only then did the young masters urgently discuss for three nights and decide to seek help from the Southern Region."
Everyone was stunned by what he said.
"These two rulers are truly exhausting for themselves and others."
"They couldn't even see through such a simple trap?"
"No wonder we need to seek help from the Southern Region."
"The rulers of those two states are truly two pigs."
This reveals a little bit of information.
Xie Lanzhi tapped the table, signaling everyone to be quiet. The generals all fell silent.
She began to analyze the upcoming campaign against the Mang.
She had never fought in a war, but that didn't mean she was unfamiliar with it. On the contrary, her favorite books when she was in school were about the history of warfare using cold weapons.