I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 192 Releasing Military Power

As the noise outside quickly subsided, Ye Wanshu's heart gradually calmed down.

Although she wasn't entirely confident of winning tomorrow's game, Gu Tingzhou's visit tonight undoubtedly reassured her.

Back in bed, she soon fell asleep peacefully.

Meanwhile, twenty miles away from Jiayu Pass, the Duke of Ningguo led the Yuezhou army on a long and arduous journey of ten days. They were about to reach Jiayu Pass when Tao Anran noticed that the old Duke had no intention of stopping. He had no choice but to advise, "Duke, why don't you let the soldiers stop and set up camp to rest?"

Thinking of his grandson and granddaughter-in-law, the Duke of Ningguo said with a worried expression, "No, we must enter Jiayu Pass as soon as possible and subdue Xie Zhan's army."

"It will be very difficult to subdue them." Tao Anran raised her eyes and looked at the gray sky ahead. "The Duke of Ningguo is holding the banner of the Prince of Yongning. Our Yuezhou army is the army of the vassal king. Xie Zhan, as a border general, should come to welcome us in person. However, he has not come yet. We cannot break the hierarchy. Even if we enter Jiayu Pass, it will only make the Gu family's generals more arrogant."

His reminder immediately alerted the Duke of Ningguo: "Xie Zhan has been stationed at the border for many years. I've heard that even Empress Dowager Gu is somewhat wary of him. If we just go into the pass like this, I'm afraid even if we produce the emperor's secret edict, he won't take it seriously."

Tao Anran smiled and said, "The Duke need not worry too much. Xie Zhan is, after all, a subject of Daye. The situation in Lin'an is unclear at the moment. As long as we send someone to Jiayu Pass to summon him to receive the imperial decree, he will have no choice but to obey if he comes. If he does not come, it will be considered a rebellion. Our 200,000 Yuezhou troops have cut off his way back, and there are also 100,000 Mu family troops outside the pass. If he dares to rebel, he will have to think twice."

The Duke of Ningguo was very pleased to hear this: "No wonder Qingqing insisted that I take you with me. You are indeed very clever."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency," Tao Anran replied humbly, then solemnly instructed, "When Marquis Wuping arrives later, Your Excellency must ensure that he receives the imperial decree immediately and do not give him any pleasantries."

Duke Ningguo nodded: "Don't worry, I have some methods to deal with such fierce generals."

After saying this, he ordered his trusted confidants to lead men to Jiayuguan to deliver the imperial decree, while he personally led the army to choose a strategic location to set up camp.

After the camp was set up, he and Tao Anran drank a cup of tea in the commander's tent, when they heard the earth-shaking sound of horses' hooves outside.

Both of them were taken aback. Tao Anran smiled faintly and said, "It seems that Xie Zhan is not easy to fool. I will have to use some words today. Please wait in the tent for a moment, Duke. I will personally go to greet him."

After giving his instructions, Tao Anran personally left the command tent. Looking up, he saw that the firelight in the distance illuminated half the sky, and there were tens of thousands of dark figures.

"What is the meaning of this Marquis Wuping's words?" Tao Anran stepped forward unhurriedly: "It's one thing that the Prince of Yongning personally led the expedition to the northern border on behalf of His Majesty, but what is the Marquis Wuping trying to do by leading a large army here now? Could it be that he intends to rebel?"

"Who are you?" Xie Zhan sat upright on his horse, glancing disdainfully at Tao Anran: "Since Prince Yongning is personally leading the expedition on behalf of His Majesty, he should be of one heart and mind with the soldiers in the northern border. Why bother with so many formalities? Are you trying to put on airs?"

"Insolence!" Tao Anran's eyes flashed sharply. "I think Marquis Wuping has been spoiled and arrogant for many years on the frontier. He has forgotten the proper etiquette between ruler and subject. Do you even have any sense of imperial authority?"

Xie Zhan choked.

Even if Prince Yongning is not the best, he is still a member of the imperial clan, not to mention that he has the emperor's decree in his possession. There is really no reason for him to condescend to greet him.

However, he still felt uneasy. The scouts had reported that the only thing they had seen was the banner of the Prince of Yongning, and he had never seen the Prince of Yongning appear. He wondered if the Prince of Yongning was really in the camp.

Seeing him hesitate, Tao Anran gave him no time to think and urged him sharply, "I request that Marquis Wuping enter the tent immediately to meet His Highness Prince Yongning."

Xie Zhan looked around, looking troubled, and was about to dismount when he was stopped by the general beside him: "My lord, be careful, there might be a trap."

"What, you scoundrels, are you trying to sow discord between the Marquis and my Highness?"

Tao Anran said, "My lord has just entered the northern border. Does he intend to break with the Yuezhou army? How can we fight together against the enemy in the future if we do that?"

Xie Zhan was deeply troubled, wondering what tricks his nephew and the Empress Dowager were up to. They had placed the Mu family army at Xiling Pass and now allowed the Prince of Yongning to enter the northern border. If he were to fight the Yuezhou army on equal footing, the only ones who would benefit would be the northern bandit cavalry.

After thinking it over, he had no choice but to dismount, select a few strong guards to accompany him, and whisper to the rest of them, "You wait here."

Then, he followed Tao Anran into the commander's tent. The tent was quiet. Xie Zhan glanced around and immediately sensed something was wrong. He called out to Tao Anran, "Where is the Prince of Yongning?"

Just as he was about to draw his sword, he suddenly saw the Duke of Ningguo leading his soldiers in, surrounding the tent.

"Duke of Ningguo?" Xie Zhan asked in astonishment.

"Marquis Wuping, Xie Zhan, receive the imperial decree." Duke Ningguo raised the imperial decree and solemnly read it aloud: "Prince Qi has rebelled, and His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are in danger. Marquis Wuping, Xie Zhan, is hereby ordered to hand over the tiger tally and return to the capital with the royal army to defend the emperor."

"Impossible!" Xie Zhan said angrily. "Duke Ningguo, don't try to fool me. What kind of person is Prince Qi? How could he possibly have the ability to rebel?"

"Marquis Wuping, are you questioning His Majesty's blood edict, or do you think His Majesty and Empress Dowager's lives are utterly insignificant?"

The Duke of Ningguo placed the imperial edict in his hand with a stern face: "Do you expect me to go to Lin'an first to find out the situation before letting you go back?"

Xie Zhan unfolded the imperial edict and examined it. The imperial edict was made by the Wensi Academy and was printed with a unique floral seal. It was impossible for a vassal king to forge it, and the eye-catching seal was something no one could imitate.

This forced him to believe it.

"Could it be that Prince Qi has really rebelled?" Xie Zhan muttered to himself.

"Lord Wuping, the northern cavalry is currently eyeing us covetously. You and the Duke of Ningguo must unite as one and quell the unrest in Lin'an as soon as possible to stabilize the morale of the army. Otherwise, if the cavalry enters the pass, the Great Ye Dynasty will face annihilation," Tao Anran solemnly advised.

Seeing the hidden axemen all around, Xie Zhan knew he couldn't put up a stubborn resistance, otherwise the two armies would fight to the death, and Lin'an would surely fall.

He slowly took out the tiger tally from his bosom, held it in both hands, and ordered the soldiers behind him: "Pass on the order that all soldiers obey the orders of the Duke of Ningguo."

The Duke of Ningguo quickly accepted the tiger tally, his face immediately darkening: "The Marquis of Wuping is arrogant because of his merits. Arrest him immediately and send him to Lin'an for His Majesty to deal with."

"Duke Ningguo, what do you mean?" Xie Zhan looked at him angrily.

The Duke of Ningguo snorted coldly: "Xie Zhan, you have shown contempt for the emperor's authority. This crime is unforgivable. If you do not wish to end up with your family destroyed, you should honestly return to Lin'an to plead guilty."

Thinking of his wife, children, and elderly parents, Xie Zhan's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, being escorted away by the guards inside the tent.

The Duke of Ningguo examined the tiger tally, then patted Tao Anran on the shoulder with a look of satisfaction: "Well done."

Tao Anran smiled slightly and relieved Xie Zhan of his military command. He then became anxious: "Duke, His Highness did not bring many troops with him when he entered Lin'an. We must immediately send someone back to Lin'an to defend the king."

The Duke of Ningguo found the gentle young man more and more pleasing to the eye, and said with a faint smile, "Anran, I'm entrusting this responsibility to you. Do you dare to accept it?"

This was a tremendous achievement, and Tao Anran was somewhat flattered: "This junior is of limited talent and knowledge."

"Don't refuse, I trust your judgment."

The Duke of Ningguo explained, “The 300,000 troops at Jiayu Pass are all arrogant and fierce soldiers. Although Xie Zhan has handed over the Tiger Tally, I’m afraid the morale of the army is currently very unstable. I must personally take charge here. However, we cannot be careless in our mission to defend the capital. I can only entrust this responsibility to you.”

Seeing the old Duke's expectant gaze, Tao Anran nodded and said, "This junior will never fail the Duke's trust."

"Very well, Your Majesty commands you to lead 50,000 troops to escort Xie Zhan and depart immediately."

The Duke of Ningguo led him out of the camp, personally inspected the troops, and then personally escorted him southward.