novelden Chapter 144 8 Mile Expedited
Chapter 144 8 Mile Expedited
Qamdo
This is the fifteenth day since Ye Wuwei left.
During these fifteen days, the officials saw no significant difference in the way they looked at Qi Wushuang, only slight changes.
He was no longer late for court as before, nor was he in a hurry to leave after the court was dismissed. He always reviewed memorials and discussed state affairs in the side hall of Taiji Hall, and stayed together with his ministers until very late before leaving.
It’s just that I talk even less, and I can barely say a few words a day.
When the ministers asked him for his opinion, he would often only answer with a few words, and then Chu Fu Chi would explain it on the side.
However, this was only what the officials saw. Qi Wushuang's close friends knew:
Qi Wushuang is in danger now!
You never know when he will do something surprising!
Especially little Dengzi, he was even more worried.
Qi Wushuang slept with Ye Wuwei's pillow every night. It would be fine if he fell asleep, but the key was that he slept very little.
Ask Xiao Dengzi how he knew?
Because every night Qi Wushuang’s posture before going to bed is the same as the posture after waking up!
In addition, Qi Wushuang's dark circles were getting bigger and bigger, and his body was getting thinner day by day. How could Xiao Dengzi, who served Qi Wushuang every day, not know?
But this time, little Dengzi didn't blame Ye Wuwei.
Although Xiao Dengzi didn't know what Ye Wuwei was doing in the North, he could tell from Chu Fuchi's words that Ye Wuwei was doing something very dangerous for Qi Wushuang.
You might even lose your life!
Since Ye Wuwei was determined to complete this task for His Majesty, as Qi Wushuang's loyal subordinate, Xiao Dengzi naturally would not blame Ye Wuwei.
During these fifteen days, Princess Yunshang chose Yuwen Qian for her son Mu Yiyang.
To be precise, it was Mu Yiyang himself who fell in love with Yuwen Qian.
It's not just a liking, it's an infatuation.
Mu Yiyang was completely moved after just one look at Yuwen Qian, and then he told Princess Yunshang that he wanted to marry Yuwen Qian.
Princess Yunshang was satisfied with Yuwen Qian's family background, but she was not very satisfied with Yuwen Qian's appearance.
She felt that it would be a good idea to marry a virtuous woman, and Yuwen Qian was too beautiful. If Mu Yiyang married her, it would be a disaster rather than a blessing.
However, Princess Yunshang was ultimately unable to persuade Mu Yiyang and had to propose marriage to Qi Wushuang.
Qi Wushuang just said "I have no objection" and nothing else happened. It was Chu Fuchi who made up for Qi Wushuang.
Chu Fuchi said to Princess Yunshang:
"Your Majesty means that Miss Yuwen is, after all, the niece of Consort Yuwen, so it's not easy for Your Majesty to issue an order directly.
Why not have the princess go to Miss Yuwen's family in person to propose marriage? As long as Miss Yuwen has no objection, then His Majesty will have no objection either."
Unable to cope with Mu Yiyang's disturbance, Princess Yunshang had no choice but to go to Yuwen Qian's house in person to propose marriage.
Later, Grand Tutor Yuwen met with Mu Yiyang alone. No one knew what they talked about, but the Yuwen family agreed to marry Yuwen Qian to Mu Yiyang.
When the court was in session that day, an urgent military report suddenly arrived from eight hundred miles away.
The military report was delivered by General Yuchi Yan, the most important general under Qi Wushuang.
The military report stated that the Ati people in the north had organized an army of 100,000 and marched south.
Chu Fuchi was a little surprised when he saw the military report:
It is now the end of September. In another month, the north will enter the cold winter. Many places in the north will be completely frozen, and the freezing season will last until early March next year.
Riding and walking during the freezing period are both big problems, so this time used to be a truce period between the North and the Qi Dynasty.
But now, the Ati people have assembled an army of 100,000 and are heading south. Are they planning not to return to the north before March next year?
If we don’t return to the north, what will the 100,000-strong army eat in these five months?
Where are they going to stay?
But General Yuchi Chu Fuchi also understood this. He was the most calm and steady person, and the military reports he sent over would not be wrong.
If this happens, there will be no peace in the towns and villages near the south of the desert for the next five months.
Because the land south of the desert is barren and cannot provide food for the Ati people, if the Ati people want to eat, they can only go south.
The areas under the greatest pressure will be Andu, Lindu and the towns between Andu and Lindu.
Chu Fuchi explained all the key points.
After Chu Fuchi finished speaking, the people from the two factions, including Master Zhuang and Master Yuwen, were not too worried.
Because Chamdo is quite far away from the south of the desert, and Chamdo is easy to defend but difficult to attack, even if the northern army attacks, Chamdo does not have to worry about being conquered by the northerners.
The reason why the Qi Dynasty chose Chamdo as its capital was not only because Chamdo was a historical and civilized place with fertile land, a large population and a strong economic foundation, but also because Chamdo had an excellent geographical advantage.
Changdu is backed by the Chang River in the north and the Bailing Mountains in the south. It is also surrounded by natural barriers such as Tongguan, Huguan, Dashanguan and Xiaoguan, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
The people from General Qi's faction were somewhat worried. General Qi said:
"Among Andu, Lindu, and the towns between them, only Andu can stand up to the Northland. Aren't the other cities in danger?"
The generals of Andu were even more worried.
Although they followed Qi Wushuang in Chamdo, their families were still in Andu.
Although Andu is powerful, he cannot do anything alone.
Furthermore, His Majesty, who is the most skilled in leading troops in battle, is now in Qamdo. Without His Majesty's leadership, it is uncertain whether Andu can withstand it.
Thinking of this, the generals of Andu all looked at Qi Wushuang.
Qi Wushuang, who had been quiet recently, suddenly took the initiative to speak.
Qi Wushuang asked He Changsong: "Minister He, what do you think?"
The highest-ranking military officer in Andu in Chamdo is Nie Youren, but Nie Youren is currently the commander of the imperial guard, and his main responsibility is to guard Chamdo.
Andu cannot be lost, and Chamdo cannot be lost either.
He Changsong said:
"Your Majesty, at all costs, we cannot allow the northern army to move south. We must trap them and kill them in the desert south."
"Then do you think the current forces in Mo Nan, Andu, and Yingdu can resist a 100,000-strong army from the north?"
"It's hard."
Qi Wushuang asked Lu Zhaozhong and several generals of the An Army in succession, and everyone's statements were consistent with He Changsong's.
Qi Wushuang looked at General Qi and said, "General, how should we handle this situation?"
General Qi thought for a moment and looked at Grand Tutor Zhuang and Grand Tutor Yuwen: "How about each of your two clans send some troops to the south of the desert?"
Yuwen Taishi spoke first:
"The Yuwen clan has lived in the south for many years and cannot adapt to the northern climate. Winter is about to arrive. I am afraid that all the soldiers will fall ill on the way to the south of the desert."
Although this is an excuse, there is some truth to it.
Zhuang Taifu's words are even more interesting:
"I can transfer some of the Zhuang family's troops to Chamdo to temporarily replace the Imperial Guards in protecting Chamdo. The Imperial Guards can then be transferred to the south of the desert to resist the northern army."
The imperial guards were all Qi Wushuang and members of the Qi family.
Hearing what Master Zhuang said, the generals of Andu started cursing in their hearts.
This was to send the armies of Andu and Yingdu to their deaths, taking the opportunity to weaken Qi Wushuang's power, and then Taifu Zhuang and others would control Chamdo and even the Qi Dynasty.
Even General Qi cursed Master Zhuang in his heart for being shameless.