Chapter 947: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 947: Secret Omen (4)
Xiao Ruiyuan nodded slightly and did not hide anything. “Recently, a powerful cavalry force appeared from an unknown origin and destroyed a neighboring state of Kucha. Now, they intend to attack Kucha itself. The situation in Kucha has only just stabilized, and they are unable to resist this cavalry force. As a result, they have sent an envoy to request aid from His Majesty, who is considering deploying troops.”
This cavalry force wasn’t large, only twenty thousand strong. However, they were exceptionally well-equipped and formidable in battle. In just over a month, they had decisively defeated Kucha’s neighboring state. Though Kucha had an army of one hundred thousand, they would likely be no match in a real fight.
Moreover, those twenty thousand cavalry might only be the vanguard—no one knew if more troops were waiting behind them.
If Kucha fell, the next likely target would be Da Chu. The principle of "lips gone, teeth cold" applied here—allying with Kucha to keep the cavalry force at bay beyond the borders was far better than allowing them to charge straight into Da Chu, pillaging and slaughtering its people.
Ideally, Da Chu’s army could join forces with Kucha’s troops to eradicate this threat before it could grow.
Hearing this, Mo Yan suddenly recalled something Xue Tuanzi had once told her—about a catastrophic war that had broken out in Da Chu during her first life. The invaders had ravaged Da Chu’s lands, slaughtering and enslaving its people. In just a few short years, fewer than thirty percent of the population had survived.
However, that war had erupted after she had succumbed to the plague in her first life. The timing didn’t match. Could it be that she was overthinking things, and this cavalry force wasn’t the same as the invaders from her past life? Or had history’s trajectory changed, bringing everything forward?
The second possibility sent a chill through Mo Yan’s entire body. She immediately asked Xue Tuanzi in her consciousness, “What’s going on? Has the war been brought forward?”
Sensing her anxiety, Xue Tuanzi reassured her, “Yan Yan, don’t worry. This cavalry force is formidable and does have connections to the army that invaded Da Chu in your first life, but they are merely a vanguard and won’t cause much of a stir. In your first life, at this point in time, this cavalry force also attempted to invade Kucha, but they were eliminated by the joint efforts of Da Chu and Kucha’s armies.”
They weren’t the same?
Mo Yan let out a breath of relief. That was good. That was very good!
However, when she thought about how this cavalry was merely a scouting force and that behind them might stand an army of hundreds of thousands, all eyeing Da Chu hungrily, she couldn’t feel at ease.
The great war twenty years later seemed unavoidable. Now that she knew about it, she had no choice but to find a way to warn Xiao Ruiyuan, who could then alert Chu Heng and Emperor Hui’an to remain vigilant. It would be best to investigate the origins of this cavalry force—after all, knowing the enemy was half the battle.
If they could eliminate these invaders before they had the chance to prepare for their conquest of Da Chu, that would be even better!
In the face of a collapsed nest, no egg remained unbroken. If the great war twenty years later was inevitable, she could only prepare by purchasing as much land as possible. She could use the land as cover to gradually bring out supplies stored in her space. Who knew how long the war would last? When the time came, provisions would be the most crucial factor—having enough or running out could determine victory or defeat.
With a plan forming in her mind, Mo Yan gradually calmed down and focused on listening to the conversation between her father and her fiancé.
“…His Majesty intends to cultivate young generals, so it is unlikely that I will be leading the troops this time. Father-in-law, you can rest assured.” Xiao Ruiyuan addressed himself as “son-in-law” and referred to Mo Qingze as “father-in-law” with practiced ease, clearly not saying it for the first time.
Indeed, this wasn’t the first time. Now that both men were serving as officials in court and the imperial edict for the marriage had been issued, Xiao Ruiyuan had begun openly addressing Mo Qingze as his father-in-law. The first time he did so in front of all the Hanlin Academy officials, it had caused quite a stir.
Though not entirely in accordance with protocol, it showed that the powerful General Xiao highly valued this imperial marriage.
At first, Mo Qingze had kept a stern face, unwilling to acknowledge it. But after hearing it so many times, he had completely lost the will to argue and simply accepted it.
“Ahem, there are indeed too few capable and battle-tested generals in the court. If His Majesty doesn’t intend for you to go, then don’t step forward. The younger generation must be given opportunities.” Mo Qingze coughed, tactfully expressing that he didn’t want his son-in-law to go to war.
The battlefield was merciless, and he naturally didn’t want his son-in-law taking such a risk. Since the emperor had other plans, he could only remind Xiao Ruiyuan not to take on too much responsibility and push himself onto the battlefield. Whether His Majesty approved or not was another matter.
Hearing this, Mo Yan glanced at Xiao Ruiyuan, who had an involuntary twitch at the corner of his eye, and stifled a laugh behind her hand. Did her father really think his son-in-law was old?
Xiao Ruiyuan noticed her amusement but held back the urge to flick her forehead in front of his father-in-law. Instead, he respectfully said, “I will heed Father-in-law’s advice.”
If this had been in the past—before he had anything to care about, before he understood Emperor Hui’an’s intentions—he might have voluntarily requested to lead troops to the frontier. But now, he had someone he wanted to protect, and he no longer felt the same eagerness to charge into battle.
Mo Qingze, seeing that his son-in-law showed no signs of reluctance, was quite satisfied. After a few more words of encouragement, he pulled Xiao Ruiyuan back to another round of chess. The atmosphere became even more harmonious.
Mo Yan let out a long sigh of relief, picked up the empty fruit plates, and walked out of the grand study.
She admired heroes who defended their country, but she didn’t want the man she loved to risk his life on the battlefield. Call her narrow-minded or say she lacked a sense of national duty—she didn’t care. That was just how she felt.
If he insisted on going, she wouldn’t stop him. She would even prepare his battle gear for him. But if this happened too many times, she couldn’t guarantee that one day, after too much waiting and too much worrying, she wouldn’t lose her hope for this relationship. She wasn’t sure if she could continue living in endless waiting and fear…
(End of chapter)
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