The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 133
Wanlan frowned, wondering if she could stop the war.
Zhao Defang pressed down on her shoulders to stop her pacing back and forth, and said in a low voice, "Wanlan, the Imperial Uncle already knows you're in the army. He summoned me just now to ask me to return to the capital with you. I don't need to go with you on the trip to Youzhou in the north." Wanlan suddenly looked up and glared at him, "You're not going? And I can't go either?"
"right."
He pulled her to sit down at the low table in the center of the tent. "So I was thinking, since we can't stop the Imperial Uncle, why don't you go back with my elder brother? I'll go to Youzhou on his behalf. Maybe everything will be different—"
"no!"
Before she could even sit down, Wanlan jumped up in shock and anger, staring at him in disbelief. "Why do you always try so hard to push me away from you? I came to this Great Song Dynasty to follow you. If I can't be with you, what is the point of my existence? Don't you understand?"
“But Wanlan, this time I must go with you.”
“Then we’ll go together.” She declared without hesitation. “Don’t worry, I’ll get my uncle to agree to take us along.”
"Wanlan!"
She looked up at his startled eyes and said calmly, "You're worried about your uncle and your elder brother, so you're going with me. I'm worried about you, so I have to go with you too. If you want to stop me, then persuade your uncle to continue the northern expedition."
"You know perfectly well that it's impossible, so how can I dissuade you?"
"Then you have to let me come along, so I don't have to think of other ways to follow the army."
Zhao Defang frowned, still repulsed by her wanting to go north with him, but he couldn't do anything about her stubbornness. "I'll take you to find the Imperial Uncle in a bit."
"good."
Around 7 PM, Zehua led her toward Zhao Hao's main tent.
Several soldiers guarded the outside of the tent, while the inside was brightly lit. Wanlan followed the person in front of her and entered the tent, looking up at the man sitting at the table looking at the terrain map.
"Royal Uncle".
Zhao Hao glanced at Zhao Defang, who had called him, then turned to look at Wanlan, who was dressed as a servant, with a half-smile. "Deqing, you actually disregard my army. What punishment should I give you to earn your respect?"
Wanlan smiled faintly, "How about I punish Wanlan by making her the Imperial Uncle's strategist and going north to attack Liao together?"
Zhao Hao was surprised for a moment, then slowly stood up.
"Are you going north with the army?"
"If I had to choose, I would definitely not make this decision. The soldiers in the army are exhausted after the recent capture of Taiyuan, and it is really not advisable to fight again. Would you, my uncle, accept Wanlan's suggestion?"
Zhao Hao looked at her quietly and asked, "Do you know the outcome of this Northern Expedition?"
"Know."
"Then the outcome will definitely not be very optimistic."
Zhao Hao suddenly smiled faintly, "Otherwise you wouldn't have suggested that I stop here, but—I have decided that I have no choice but to go. Some things, if you don't try, will never have a result."
Wanlan smiled. "So I'm just making a suggestion, not trying to dissuade you. I'm here today to ask the Imperial Uncle to let Zehua and me stay. We don't want to go back to the capital."
"I have never known what you are thinking."
Zhao Hao chuckled and glanced at Zhao Defang, who had been standing silently beside her. "When I wanted to keep you here, you completely ignored my presence. Now that I intend to let you return to the capital, you even have enough opportunities to escape my long-standing suppression. Yet you insist on staying. Ha!"
Wanlan tilted her head to look at him, "So, will Imperial Uncle agree or not?"
"Of course I agree! I'd like to see what kind of battle instructions you, my female strategist, will give me." Having received the expected answer, Wanlan glanced at Zhao Defang, whose brows were deeply furrowed, and smiled as she took his hand at his side.
Chapter 115, The journey to Pengshan is not far (2)
In June, the army began its northward march.
On the 19th, they arrived at Jintaishun, the territory of the Liao Kingdom.
On the 20th, the Emperor personally donned armor and led half his army to Qigou Pass. Li Yu, the governor of Yizhou in eastern Liao, resigned his post and left a thousand soldiers to guard the pass. On the 21st, the Emperor arrived at Zhuozhou, where the judge Li Yuande surrendered the city.
On the 23rd, the Song army reached the south of the Liao capital and camped at Baoguang Temple.
The Song army entered Liao territory and fought for several months without bloodshed.
Later, in the Battle of Shahe, they decisively defeated the army led by Yelü Xidi, the Northern King of the Liao Dynasty, capturing more than 500 Liao soldiers alive. With the successes of the past few days, the exhausted soldiers became increasingly relaxed.
However, Wanlan's expression grew increasingly serious.
"What did you say?"
Wanlan, who had been deep in thought, suddenly looked up and stared at Lan Wu in front of her. He seemed to have just said something. "Our army discovered the remnants of the Northern King's army at Desheng Pass. His Majesty has already led troops to pursue them."
The remnants of the Northern King's army?
No... that's a trap!
"Where is the prince?"
"He also went with the emperor."
Lan Wu spoke quietly, raising his eyes to look at her slightly pale face, his brows gradually furrowing. "Madam, what's wrong?" "How long have they been gone?"
"We set off two hours ago."
Wanlan glared at him in shock and anger, "Why didn't anyone tell me?!"
"The prince said they were just some remnants of the army, and there was no need to tell you, lest you worry."
After Lan Wu finished speaking, he noticed her rather unusual expression and asked, "Madam, do you know anything? I also think they are just some remnants of soldiers and are not worth fearing."