knife

Chapter 577 Give It a Second Look

Han Zheng spoke very naturally, without feeling at all that there was anything inappropriate about it.

Jiang Qian, upon hearing Han Zheng's suggestion that she arrange a marriage, showed no shyness or embarrassment.

For them, this kind of thing is very common.

When both sides lack even the most basic trust, the leaders of both sides use marriage as a means to strengthen their ties and thus ensure the smooth progress of their cooperation. This is actually the simplest and most effective measure.

Such things are commonplace in history books.

Jiang Qian smiled and said, "I told him that right away after we came down from Cloud Mist Mountain."

"Your Majesty is wise. What does Li Dachui have to say?" Han Zheng asked.

Jiang Qianyi shrugged: "It seems he's quite resistant to this matter, beating around the bush and refusing to give the truth! Or maybe he looks down on me?"

Han Zheng angrily said, "This is truly outrageous! Judging from Li Dachui's past actions, he is a man of great cunning and should know that this is the best thing for both of us. Even if the Empress Dowager were as ugly as Wu Yan, let alone in her prime, he would still have to marry her if he wanted to cooperate with us!"

Seeing Han Zheng's furious expression, Jiang Qian couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"In my opinion, this man is somewhat afraid of his wife. That General Xiao Changche seems to have some skill; he actually managed to make a hero like Li Dachui bow down. Once things calm down, I'll have to go and see for myself!"

"Xiao Changche is nothing but a warrior, oh no, she's a woman, she should be called a female warrior!" Han Zheng shook his head: "How can she compare to Your Majesty? Moreover, can the area outside the pass be compared to the land of Great Chu? Li Dachui can't tell which is more important, can he? Or is this person pretending to be ignorant in order to get more benefits from us?"

Jiang Qian shook her head: "I don't feel that way. It seems that Li Dachui is really resistant to this issue. Well, how should I put it? I can sense that he doesn't dislike me, but he hates this kind of naked, purely transactional marriage!"

"Could someone like Li Dachui possibly have a moral fastidious streak?" Han Zheng was greatly surprised.

“Everyone has their own principles. This Li Dachui might be indiscriminate in other areas, but he might be quite particular about this one.” Jiang Qian stood up, took a few steps, and said leisurely, “If that’s the case, then he’s someone I should think of even more!”

Han Zheng shook his head, clearly not understanding.

“Xiao Changche helped him conquer the entire area outside the Great Wall and destroy the Yuan Dynasty. This was the foundation for his conquest of the world. Without this foundation, there would be no Li Dachui today. Moreover, I also heard that Xiao Changche is about to give birth to his child. At this time, it's fine if he's not by his side, but if he's still out there having affairs, it's obviously not appropriate!” Jiang Qian said with a smile. “This is not about having affairs, this is a matter of national importance!” Han Zheng said angrily, “Didn't He Jiong tell him about this?”

"Not yet!" He Jiong's voice came from outside. "These past few days you've been rushing around like crazy, while I've been working myself to death here. Li Dachui and the Empress Dowager have devised a massive plan, and I'm just at the very beginning. There are so many people and things involved, I'm simply overwhelmed!"

He Jiong walked in, followed by Kang Zhen, the commander of the Tiger Army. Now, the core members of Jiang Qian's small group, except for the naval commander Wang Dao, were all present.

"Let's first give Prefect Han a general overview of the specific plan!" Jiang Qian said.

Kang Zhen cleared his throat and said, "The news of the Empress Dowager's arrival in Yong'an should have already reached Danyang City by now. This is a helpless move, because if the Empress Dowager doesn't show herself, the morale of the army and the people cannot be maintained. But once she does show herself, Xiang Ying and his men will definitely gather their troops to attack us in the shortest possible time. To them, the Empress Dowager is a major threat, and the importance of other matters can be postponed!"

Han Zheng nodded and said, "Moreover, if Xiang Ying and his men send troops, they will definitely contact He Zudao to launch a pincer attack on us from both sides. I can even guess that Xiang Ying will give either Yong'an or Ruyin to He Zudao as a reward for this expedition!"

“Exactly!” He Jiong said, “Therefore we must take the initiative to start the war and cripple He Zudao first! And this is one of the reasons why we have to join forces with Li Dachui, because if we fight the He clan openly now, we really don’t have the confidence to win quickly.”

Jiang Qian picked up the conversation, saying, "Li Dachui turned Ke Wuji against us a long time ago. Now Ke Wuji, He Yiming, and their group have tens of thousands of elite troops, and they are currently in Yong'an, joining forces with Feng Kuan to attack us. With their help, we can easily swallow up Feng Kuan's main force, and even launch a counterattack into Xiangfan. If we can win, then He Zudao will be no threat. Even if Xiang Ying comes to attack again, we will have a greater strategic buffer zone, that's one point."

"Secondly, with Wang Pu dead in battle and the navy split, the navy now under Chen Yan's command is slightly weaker than Wang Dao's. However, Chen Yan's command and combat abilities far surpass Wang Dao's. On the water, we are currently at a disadvantage. If the Shu Commandery's navy were to come east and join forces with Wang Dao, we would have an absolute advantage on the water. As long as we can control the Yangtze River, we will be virtually invincible!"

Kang Zhen said, "These past two days, we have been making preparations for this battle. Rumors have been spread that our army is demoralized and deserting in large numbers. In fact, these so-called deserters have been taken away by Wang Dao's navy and have been ambushed in key areas. It can be said that everything is ready for this battle, except for the final push!"

"What I need to do is try my best to hold off He Zudao's main force, right?" Han Zheng asked.

“That’s right. He Zudao might be planning something big this time. He might send his main force to assist Feng Kuan in the battle. But with Brother Han setting up an offensive posture in Ruyin, he will have to think it over. That’s the time we need for him to think. By the time he reacts, we will have already defeated Feng Kuan and captured Xiangfan.” He Jiong said, shaking his head.

"I'll mobilize all forces as soon as I get back!" Han Zheng laughed. "I probably can't beat He Zudao in a real fight, but putting on a show of force to hold him off for a while shouldn't be a problem."

“Li Dachui came here this time to finalize all the details of the cooperation between the two sides!” Jiang Qian said. “For him, this is just a pawn in his grand scheme, but for us, it is a matter of life and death. If we win, the world will be vast; if we lose, we will really have to pack our bags and find a place to live in seclusion!”

(End of this chapter)