The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 115 Dowry Maid
More than a month has passed since the first attack on Shu failed and the army retreated to Dasan Pass.

The emperor has been in a bad mood during this period.

Just think about it, Chai Rong had originally set a strategy to unify the world with great ambition, but he didn't expect to stumble at the very beginning. It would be strange if he was in a good mood.

However, as an ambitious emperor, Chai Rong would not be easily defeated by setbacks.

As the saying goes, you get up from where you fell. He went against the majority's opinion and decided to attack Shu for the second time.

Having learned from the first failure, the imperial court prepared to increase the stakes in attacking Shu and ordered the surrounding counties and cities to mobilize manpower and materials to transport food, fodder and equipment to Fengxiang Prefecture.

Of course, these arrangements have nothing to do with Li Yi for the time being. He is preparing for the expedition.

"Order Li Yi, the cavalry commander of the imperial guards, to concurrently serve as the cavalry commander and infantry commander of the Southwest Camp, and to grant him the power to command the vanguard of the camp."

"He led the Second Commander of the Right First Army of the Iron Cavalry, the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Commanders of the Left First Army of the Controlling Crane Army, and the First and Second Commanders of the Second Army, totaling 3,500 cavalry and infantry under seven commanders, and marched out on May 15th, the second year of Xian De..."

Early in the morning, the Privy Council sent someone to the Imperial Guards Office to convey the order to dispatch troops.

Zhang Yongde, the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guard, Shi Yanchao, the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guard Infantry, and Li Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guard Cavalry, verified the military order of the Privy Council on the spot.

This is an essential procedure. Once the military order is confirmed to be authentic, if any mistakes occur, the three of them will be held responsible.

After the three of them confirmed that everything was correct, they also had to call Wang Shenqi, the commander of the right wing of the Iron Cavalry, and Zhao Kuangyin, the commander of the left wing of the Control Crane Army, to come and check the military orders.

Because the mobilized troops come from the right wing of the Iron Cavalry and the left wing of the Control Crane, the commanders of these two wings are also required to verify it.

Then Wang and Zhao would carry the military orders to the garrison and convey them to the seven commanders who were going to the expedition.

As for the middle and lower-level generals, they only need to obey orders.

"Damn it! I told you that the vassal's troops are useless. They were beaten like grandsons in Fengzhou. In the end, they still have to rely on our imperial army."

After the person who conveyed the military order left, Shi Yanchao couldn't help muttering.

Zhang Yongde coughed lightly and reminded him, "Call the historian, be careful with your words!"

"I'm sorry, Zhang Dushi." Shi Yanchao bowed and apologized, but looking at his nonchalant look, it was obvious that he didn't take it seriously.

Zhang Yongde shook his head helplessly and said nothing more. Everyone was used to Shi Yanchao's temper and most of the time they were too lazy to argue with him.

Otherwise you'll be so angry that you'll die.

Li Yi sat aside without interrupting, but couldn't help laughing in his heart.

Fortunately, Fengxiang Jiedushi Wang Jing was not here, otherwise he would have slapped him in the face after hearing what Shi Yanchao said.

You have to know that Wang Jing is nearly ten years older than Wei Wang Fu Yanqing. In terms of seniority, no one in the entire Later Zhou army dares to say that they are older than him, and the other party may not tolerate Shi Yanchao's foul mouth.

However, Li Yi felt that although Shi Yanchao's words were unpleasant, they actually hit the point.

The main force of the first attack on Shu was the vassal troops of Fengxiang Jiedu. The court sent Xiang Xun to lead a thousand light cavalry of the imperial guards to fight, which was actually used to control and supervise the local troops.

After all, Xiang Xun was leading cavalry, which could not play a big role in the terrain conditions of Shu.

In addition, the problem of rebellion by the feudal lords was very serious during the Five Dynasties period, and the local armies were of varying quality. Sending the imperial guards to watch from the side could also prevent accidents during the battle.

But it turned out that the vassal army was not strong enough and failed in the last attack on Shu. The emperor probably had doubts about the combat effectiveness of the local troops.

Therefore, in the second attack on Shu, 3,000 infantrymen were directly dispatched from the Imperial Guards. It was obvious that the Imperial Guards were to be the main force, with the troops of the vassal states serving as auxiliary.

Three thousand people may not sound like a lot, but they are the elite of the imperial guards.

With the assistance of the vassal army in the rear, as long as the logistics are guaranteed, it is more than enough to fight a small-scale battle.

At this moment, Shi Yanchao suddenly looked at Li Yi and said, "Li Duyu Hou, you are quite courageous. Tsk tsk, you took over Qin, Feng and the four prefectures in two months... By the time you lead your men to Fengxiang Prefecture, it will be around the end of May, right?"

"Even if we don't count the travel time, it will be before August at the latest. In my opinion, it's a bit risky!" Shi Yanchao's words were actually correct. Under the shadow of the last failure to attack Shu, everyone would naturally feel that the four states of Qin and Feng were not so easy to capture.

But the tone and expression he used when he spoke were really irritating.

Li Yi bowed and said, "I'm sorry to trouble Envoy Shi Du for worrying about me, but since the military order has been issued, I accept it regardless of the outcome."

"It's a good thing for young people to be ambitious, but they should also act within their capabilities!"

Shi Yanchao stood up and walked over to Li Yi, patting him on the shoulder. "To be honest, after fighting alongside Li Duyuhou at Xinkou last year, you're quite my type."

"I hope you can conquer Qin and Feng within two months of this Western Expedition. I'll treat you to a drink when you return..."

Li Yi was stunned, but before he could speak, Shi Yanchao walked straight out of the signing room.

Zhang Yongde chuckled. "To be honest, Shi Dushi is a man of temperament, but his mouth... is really unpleasant."

……

The day for the expedition was set on May 15th.

Since Wang Jing and Xiang Xun are still waiting for orders at the front line, they have to wait until Li Yi and Zan Jurun lead their troops to set off before the troops of both sides gather in Fengxiang Prefecture.

The actual date of the start of the war will not be until the end of May at least.

After finishing his shift, Li Yi returned home as usual. He had no say in the deployment of the imperial guards, so the prime minister and the privy councilors were naturally responsible for it.

However, as soon as he arrived at the door of his house, Li Yi found that there were more than a dozen trucks delivering things to his home. He was suddenly puzzled and was about to ask, but he saw a familiar figure in the busy crowd.

"Huh? Xian'er, why didn't you go back to Daming Mansion?"

The familiar person Li Yi saw was the maid named Xian'er when he first met Fu Er Niang.

"Alang."

The maid Xian'er bowed quickly. She was a little confused about Li Yi's question, but she still replied honestly: "I am the Second Madam's maidservant, so naturally I have to stay by her side."

"Dowry maid?" Li Yi only then remembered the existence of a dowry maid.

The so-called dowry maid is actually a personal maid who has served the young lady since childhood and usually marries with the young lady.

They not only understand the young lady's living habits and preferences, but can also help deal with trivial matters after the young lady gets married. They are also the young lady's confidants in her husband's family and can help her solve her problems.

In some special cases, they even had to serve the male master and warm his bed, so that they had the opportunity to be promoted to concubine.

However, when talking about the dowry maid, Li Yi remembered an embarrassing incident. On the wedding day, he suddenly saw Fu Liumei and thought that she had also come with the dowry.

It was not until afterwards that I found out that Fu Liumei was only there to see the bride off... Actually, if you think about it, you know it's impossible. The King of Wei's daughters have no trouble finding a husband, so how could two sisters marry the same person?
Li Yi subconsciously glanced at the maid Xian'er, and for some reason he asked, "Xian'er, how old are you this year?"

Xian'er didn't think much about it and replied, "I am seventeen."

Li Yi nodded, but then realized why he was asking this question.

To hide his embarrassment, he changed the subject and asked, "Then why haven't I seen you these past few days?"

Xian'er replied, "The Fu family's house in Tokyo has been uninhabited for a long time. I've been watching them clean up over there these past few days."

Li Yi suddenly realized that it was no wonder that he hadn't seen Xian'er since the wedding.

Then he pointed to the carriage at the door and asked, "What about these things?"

Xian'er: "These are the Second Lady's dowry. Someone brought them back from the Fu family's house today."

(End of this chapter)