He had a narrow perspective and actually asked Bai Qingyan such a foolish question about whether unification would mean no more wars.
"Only by destroying the Wei Kingdom can Yan ensure no worries on its western and southern fronts. After the Wei Kingdom is destroyed, the next target for Yan will inevitably be Xiliang," Bai Qingyan spoke slowly, "so the Jin Kingdom must destroy Liang this time and secure the north. Only then can we talk about the grand unification."
With that, Bai Qingyan did not press Zhao Sheng too hard. She just pushed the map in front of Zhao Sheng: "General Zhao, look at this map and think over my words carefully. Rest well here tonight. If you are willing... persuade the Liang soldiers who refuse to take the medicine. After all, this medicine for treating the plague is also very precious to the Jin Kingdom. If the Liang soldiers repeatedly knock over the medicine and refuse to take it, General Liu might... give the order to stop providing them with the medicine."
After speaking, Bai Qingyan stood up and walked outside.
Bai Jinzhi, who had been standing outside the door after a nap, saw her eldest sister coming out and went up to greet her. She glanced at Zhao Sheng inside the room, then deliberately raised her voice: "If the Liang soldiers don’t want to take the medicine, fine, we might as well let our Jin soldiers each have a bowl to strengthen their bodies and prevent the plague!"
As Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi’s footsteps faded away, Zhao Sheng pressed his hands on the map, gritting his teeth, his eyes red...
The more he tried not to think about Bai Qingyan’s words, the more those words echoed in his mind over and over again.
·
Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi returned to the main tent, where Ji Langhua brought two bowls of steaming hot noodles.
A simple clear broth, with a poached egg on top, sprinkled with a little green and white scallion, and a bit of hot oil drizzled over it, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.
Ji Langhua placed the two bowls in front of Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi: "Eldest Young Lady, Fourth Young Lady, please make do with this for now!"
Liu Hong had issued orders in the army. From the commander to the soldiers, everyone had the same meals at the same time every day. Once the meal time passed, no one, not even the Emperor, could ask the cooks for a special meal.
Ji Langhua had told the cooks that Bai Jinzhi and Bai Qingyan hadn’t had time to eat, so the cooks secretly allowed Ji Langhua to use their utensils.
The hot broth noodles were gobbled down. Bai Jinzhi’s tongue was scalded numb, but she sighed contentedly and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief: "Langhua’s noodles are truly exceptional!"
Bai Qingyan held her bowl, sipping the hot soup in small sips. She had not put down her bowl when Zhao Ran arrived, holding a letter sent by Bai Jinxiu from Dadu City.
Bai Qingyan put down her bowl and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief: "Zhao Ran, come in!"
Zhao Ran walked quickly to Bai Qingyan, handed over the letter after a salute: "Eldest Young Lady, it’s a letter from the Second Young Lady!"
Bai Jinxiu’s second piece of news was that Fu Ruoxi had noticed Fan Yuhuai getting close to former members of the Patrol Camp recently. Not that Fu Ruoxi, now the leader of the Patrol Camp, was unhappy with Fan Yuhuai’s contacts with his former subordinates, but he sensed something unusual.
Although Fan Yuhuai used to be the leader of the Patrol Camp and it was reasonable for him to be nostalgic and keep in touch with his former subordinates, Fu Ruoxi investigated and found that even when Fan Yuhuai was the leader, he never frequently treated his former subordinates to meals and drinks, which was uncharacteristic of him.
Perhaps because Fan Yuhuai lost an eye saving the Emperor and was now a favored person by the Crown Prince, his former subordinates in the Patrol Camp were very supportive of him.
Fu Ruoxi was only suspicious and said he would keep an eye on Fan Yuhuai. He told Bai Qingyan not to worry too much, just to be aware.
Bai Jinxiu also mentioned that Li Mingrui, who had been dismissed for framing Bai Qingyan, did not get a chance to lead troops in his latest attempt, though he had pledged military services. The Left Prime Minister, Li Mao, started looking for other ways...
This time, when the Crown Prince wanted to send someone to escort grain, supplies, and medicine to Qingxi Mountain Pass, the Left Prime Minister petitioned for his son again. But after much consideration, the Crown Prince did not agree and ultimately decided, on someone’s advice, to use Fan Yuhuai’s son Fan Yugan and General Zhang Duanrui’s cousin Zhang Duanning.
Fan Yuhuai’s son Fan Yugan was an idle and wealthy scion. He joined the army following Lu Yuanpeng’s mischief but couldn’t endure it and was sent back to Dadu when new recruits were dispatched to the southern territories by his father, Fan Yuhuai.
It was said that Fan Yugan was initially unwilling to escort grain, supplies, and medicine to Qingxi Mountain Pass this time. According to Bai Jinxiu’s investigation, Fan Yugan found studying for the imperial examinations too hard. After returning from the military camp, he once declared that he wanted to be a wealthy, idle man for life.
Zhang Duanrui’s cousin Zhang Duanning, Bai Jinxiu had also investigated. He was an honest and average but reliable person.
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