Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 436 Gao Yang, Marry My Man Too (5000 words)

The morning sunlight streamed through the window paper, scattering across Gao Yang's face.

Her delicate skin seemed to be covered with a layer of jade-like luster, making her look even more beautiful.

Luo Tianxuan watched quietly, a faint smile on her face the whole time. She knew that something was probably wrong with her.

Previously, she had already sent many outstanding girls to her husband's side.

It was she who took the risk of sneaking into Langya, found the remains of Yang Siyao's sister, and brought Yang Siyao and her husband together.

It was she who took the initiative to create opportunities for her younger sister Tianyi and Buyu to spend time alone with Song Yan.

It was she who took the initiative to accept Hua Lianyue.

Ziyu was someone she forcibly kept by her husband's side.

Jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce.

There are probably not many girls who wouldn't feel jealous watching their husbands be intimate with other women, because not feeling jealous can also be interpreted as not caring. Any couple with a deep bond would feel some discomfort seeing their husbands being close to other women.

But she was different. On the one hand, her feelings for her husband were very deep, like the ocean, unfathomable; on the other hand, she constantly took the initiative to send outstanding girls to her husband's side.

There is some contradiction.

Luo Tianxuan felt that she probably wouldn't live much longer. After taking medicine for more than ten years, her body had been severely depleted. Even though she had reached the Grandmaster level, her body, which had been gradually eroded by the drug poison, was beyond repair... As for how much longer she could live, Luo Tianxuan didn't know, but she was sure she would die before her husband.

She's gone. My husband will be very sad and lonely. If there were other women by his side, he would feel much better.

That's just her simple belief.

My husband already has quite a few outstanding girls around him, so he shouldn't need any more. But it's like a habit; whenever he sees a pretty girl, he always subconsciously tries to pull her closer to him.

It's probably a strange disease.

Luo Tianxuan smiled and said, "So what if I'm sick? I'm not particularly concerned about it."

With a soft "ah," she stretched her arms to loosen her slightly stiff body before getting off the bed. She wobbled behind Gao Yang, wrapped her lotus-root-like arms around his soft, bouncy waist, rested her chin on his shoulder, and tilted her head gently to the side, leaning against his head.

"Tianxuan, don't do this. It's not good if others see us." Gao Yang's cheeks flushed red.

Although Gao Yang had a good relationship with both Luo Tianyi and Luo Tianxuan, and they were both women, such close contact made her somewhat uncomfortable.

Gao Yang should be considered the typical lady of a prominent family, the kind of image people have of a royal noblewoman, elegant and noble, shy yet generous.

Luo Tianxuan just chuckled, then opened her eyes and looked at Gao Yang's charming face reflected in the bronze mirror. She couldn't help but reach out and pinch Gao Yang's cheek: "Sister Gao Yang, you're so beautiful. I wonder which man will end up with you..."

Gao Yang's face turned even redder, and she twisted her body slightly as if struggling, but Luo Tianxuan held her tightly, and she ultimately couldn't break free. Her lips parted slightly: "You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"My man is already dead."

"So what if Fang Jun is dead? Ningguo doesn't forbid remarriage." Seemingly still a little tired, Luo Tianxuan yawned slightly. Although it is said that the dead should be respected, Luo Tianxuan's words showed no respect for Fang Jun. She could tell at a glance that Gao Yang was still a virgin.

In other words, although Fang Jun and Gao Yang had been married for several years, Fang Jun had never laid a finger on Gao Yang. Last night, Luo Tianxuan asked Gao Yang if Fang Jun was all show and no substance, something to be ashamed of. Gao Yang was initially reluctant to answer, but Luo Tianxuan persisted, and finally confessed. Luo Tianxuan then learned that Fang Jun wasn't impotent, but simply impotent with his wife.

As for other people's wives and concubines, that's perfectly acceptable.

If Gao Yang agrees to let Fang Jun exchange her with someone else, or if Gao Yang remarries another man, Fang Jun will be full of energy.

Even though Luo Tianxuan was somewhat prepared, she was still quite shocked to hear these words. Her expression was no better than that of Luo Tianyi when she first learned the secret.

She thought she was already very ill, but Fang Jun was the one who was truly terminally ill.
To insist on exchanging one's wife for other men—what a perverted fetish!

This also led to Luo Tianxuan having a very bad impression of Fang Jun. Since he had such a twisted hobby, why did he have to marry Gao Yang? Wasn't this ruining Gao Yang's life?
"Are you really going to remain chaste for a man like Fang Jun?"

Gao Yang smiled bitterly: "Things are not as simple as you think. Once I marry into the Fang family, I will be their daughter-in-law. Fang Jun is dead, and I have become a widow. Whether I can remarry and who I marry depends on the Fang family's wishes... The Fang family will most likely find another man of my generation to marry me."

This can be seen as reconnecting the severed ties between the royal family and the Fang family, but how effective it will be remains to be seen. Perhaps this reflects the tragedy of women in this era—they have no say in their own marriages, especially those in the royal family.

Therefore, she greatly admired Luo Tianxuan.

Although Luo Tianxuan and Song Yan's marriage was initially just for the purpose of bringing good luck.

But the fact that the two of them like each other is already a great stroke of luck.

"Are there any unmarried men in the Fang family of the same generation as Fang Jun?" Luo Tianxuan tilted her head, her expression somewhat suspicious.

“Of course there are. Fang Jun also has some illegitimate brothers…” Gao Yang smiled. Not every woman is like Yang Miaoqing, who would kill all her illegitimate children.

Although Jiang Miaojun was also jealous, the Jiang family was not the Yang family, and the Fang family was not the Song family. In the Song mansion, Jiang Miaojun did not have the right to control everything.

Fang Jun was Fang Hai's son who often appeared in front of others, but he was not Fang Hai's only son.

“There are three men around the same age as Fang Jun. Two of them have wives and are loving and harmonious... The remaining one once beat his wife to death while drunk.” Gao Yang was also a bit troubled.

She was a widow, and the man was a widower.

From this perspective, the two are a good match.

But Gao Yang simply didn't have the guts to live a lifetime with a man who could beat his wife to death.

Upon hearing this, even Luo Tianxuan couldn't help but slightly open her mouth, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at Gao Yang: "Gao Yang, you'd be better off marrying my man than marrying the kind of man who beats his wife."

Gao Yang blushed instantly.

She gave Luo Tianxuan a reproachful look, even though it was just private talk between best friends, it was still a bit too much.

Is it... Song Yan?
For some reason, the image of that boy suddenly appeared in my mind.

……

Government office.

The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.

Nothing earth-shattering happened, but almost all the important figures in Pingyang City had gathered together.

From Governor Song Yan to Duke Mei Wu.

The middle prefects are Jia Yifei, Mr. Liang, Zhang Han, Zhang Zhen, Wang Chao, Ma Han, and Lei Yi.

Even Li Er, who has not yet been assigned a specific position, was happy to be present. Apart from Liu Yisheng, who was unable to attend due to his distance in Xinhou, it would be no exaggeration to say that the gathering was a gathering of outstanding individuals.

On the table among the crowd was a huge map.

Song Yan did not hide anything and revealed all the information he had obtained after Mr. Liang, Jia Yifei and others left yesterday.

Such news was shocking. Upon hearing that the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu actually wanted to become the first emperor of a foreign race in the entire Central Plains, everyone's expression changed, and a trace of fear inevitably appeared deep in their eyes. In this era, the Xiongnu cavalry was still a synonym for fear that made people tremble with fear.

However, these people were no ordinary individuals. They quickly calmed down, especially Mei Wu, who had Song Yan fetch a map. After that, he remained motionless, staring intently at the undulating mountains on the map, as if in deep meditation. The others knew that this War God of Ning Kingdom was making calculations in his mind, and at this moment, no one dared to utter a word. The entire government office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After an unknown amount of time, Mei Wu suddenly let out a heavy sigh, his expression slightly weary: "I think I know the Xiongnu's marching route."

At present, the Xiongnu army has not even set out.

To think he knew the Xiongnu army's marching route in advance! If it weren't for Mei Wu saying this, he would have rolled his eyes several times. But if it was Mei Wu, it wasn't impossible. After all, he was a military genius who had fought against the Xiongnu many times. As long as he was on the border, the Xiongnu would not be able to enter the pass.

Over a period of more than a decade, the once invincible Xiongnu were almost psychologically traumatized.

For a moment, all eyes were on Mei Wu, eager to see what insights this military genius had. Mei Wu didn't stand on ceremony, casually pulling up a map and pointing to Anzhou Prefecture: "The three Xiongnu princes are probably fighting their own battles, meaning there shouldn't be a general overseeing the entire army above them... But, in any case, attacking Anzhou Prefecture is the first battle, so the three of them will definitely join forces to break through the pass."

"Although the border passes of Anzhou are high and imposing, they certainly cannot withstand the fierce attack of 150,000 Xiongnu cavalry for long..."

"Moreover, as far as I know, the governor of Anzhou is a graduate of Bailu Academy. The civil officials of Bailu Academy all have one thing in common: they are greedy for money."

These words caused Liang Guangzong, Gao Xingcai, and Jia Yifei to look somewhat embarrassed. Although the three of them were not civil officials from Bailu Academy, they were all scholars and felt a sense of shame at being implicated and targeted. However, given Old Master Mei Wu's advanced age and extremely high status, they could only endure being mistakenly implicated.

“Anzhou is a border region. Although the imperial court’s finances are tight, as far as I know, the military pay and equipment for the border troops are distributed as much as possible. But with a governor like this, most of the military pay is embezzled, and most of the new weapons and equipment are smuggled and sold off.”

"Without military pay and good weapons and equipment, the fighting capacity of the Anzhou border troops is predictable... I estimate that the border troops can only hold out for three days at most. After that, the gateway to Anzhou will be completely opened, and the iron hooves of the Xiongnu cavalry will trample on the land of Anzhou."

Song Yan nodded slightly; this was not much different from what he had expected.

"Subsequently, the three Xiongnu princes will likely divide into three routes—upper, middle, and lower—to conquer cities and territories until they take over the entire Anzhou region."

"Immediately afterwards, the Xiongnu army had three paths before them: one to attack Pengzhou, one to attack Dingzhou, and one to attack Pingyang."

"Of the three routes, Pingyang is the most likely."

"Once Pingyang is captured, the northernmost part of Ningguo will be under the control of the Xiongnu. When the Xiongnu army continues to march south, they will have no worries about their rear and will not have to worry about the Pingyang army attacking from the rear, thus falling into a situation of being attacked from both sides."

That's so.

Before this, Song Yan also thought that after the Xiongnu army took Anzhou, their next target was Pingyang, but he did not think about why it was Pingyang.

Then Mei Wu pointed to the map and said, "Here, here, and here... There are many places where Anzhou and Pingyang are adjacent, but the three counties are the most likely places for the Xiongnu to launch an attack. First, the city walls of these three counties are not high and easy to capture. Second, behind these three counties is a flat road without many high mountains and rivers, which is convenient for the Xiongnu cavalry to march."

“Especially in Dehua County in the middle route, there is an official road that leads directly to Pingyang City.”

"Therefore, we can set up an ambush in these three counties and, when the Xiongnu attack the cities, surround and attack them from both sides, annihilating the entire Xiongnu attacking force in one fell swoop."

Mei Wu's analysis was indeed correct, and the others nodded slightly in agreement.

"As long as we can withstand the first wave of attacks from the Xiongnu, the war will temporarily enter a stalemate."

Mei Wude's expression gradually became solemn: "The closer we get to this point, the more careful we must be. We must understand that this time we may be facing not only the three Xiongnu princes, but also the Xiongnu kings and the Xiongnu Chanyu."

“That’s right, the Xiongnu Chanyu Suochuoluo is the biggest threat.” Li Er nodded in agreement: “It’s just that we can’t be sure where his army will appear from.”

“Here…” Mei Wu drew a line on the map, from the northern desert directly to the western grasslands: “If my prediction is correct, the Xiongnu army should pass through the Jurchens. When the war enters a stalemate and the elite troops of Pingyang City are all attracted by the three Xiongnu princes, Suochuoluo will lead his army to launch a surprise attack from Xinhou County.”

"Thus, with encirclement from both sides, Pingyang will be finished."

hum.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

Mei Wu's finger had already moved past the map, but the line still seemed to be there.

"From the northern desert to the western sea... that's quite a long road, several hundred miles, with high mountains and great rivers in between. Would Suochuoluo really march like this?" The atmosphere in the government office was unusually oppressive. After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Zhen took a deep breath before slowly speaking.

Such a long march would inevitably result in countless non-combat casualties due to the freezing weather, exhaustion, and illness. As a general, Zhang Zhen believed that this method of marching was extremely unwise.

“Yes.” Mei Wu grinned. “I once fought against the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu, Suochuoluo. Of course, at that time he was not the Great Chanyu, but just a Xiongnu king. His military tactics are different from most Xiongnu leaders. He does not like to rely on cavalry frontal charges. He is best at surprise attacks, especially flanking attacks.”

"At that time, many generals in Ningguo suffered losses at his hands."

After a brief pause, Mei Wu continued, "How many soldiers are there in Pingyang City now?"

"There are eight thousand heavily armored cavalry."

"Heavy infantry, 16,000."

"Including the troops under the Li brothers, there are a total of 28,000 soldiers in the garrison," Zhang Zhen replied after glancing at Li Er.

"General Zhang is joking." Li Er shook his head: "Where are my men? All the troops in Pingyang City are now under the Marquis's command."

Li Er was very careful. He was new and didn't want to give anyone a handle to use against him because of something he said carelessly.

Zhang Zhen then apologized for his slip of the tongue.

Mei Wu didn't care about this little incident: "It's only 50,000 troops, the difference in numbers is just too great."

"Give me 8,000 heavy infantry and 12,000 garrison soldiers."

"Give me Xinhou County. With these 20,000 men, I guarantee that those Xiongnu wolves will never be able to set foot inside the pass through Xinhou."

Although during wartime, the defending side has the advantage of natural terrain, the attacking side often needs two or even three times the number of people to have a chance of taking the city.

However, the Xiongnu Chanyu had at least 100,000 men.

With only 20,000 men, how could they possibly stop at least 100,000?
In the vast Ning Kingdom, besides Mei Wu, there is probably no one else with such courage.

"As for the rest, you can arrange it," Mei Wu said to Song Yan in a deep voice.

Song Yan stared at the map, a variety of thoughts racing through his mind: "Zhang Han, I'll give you three thousand heavy cavalry, three thousand heavy infantry, plus eight thousand garrison soldiers. I want you to defend Beiling County on the upper route."

"Understood." Zhang Han stood up straight instantly, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had thought that his father would be in charge of the troops, but he never expected that it would fall to him.

“Li Er, I will give you three thousand heavy cavalry, three thousand heavy infantry, and eight thousand garrison soldiers. I want you to defend Zhusha County in Xialu.”

Li Er trembled even more. As a surrendered rebel leader, he thought he would never be able to gain military power under Song Yan's command. He never expected that Song Yan would trust him so much.

There are still two thousand heavy infantry, two thousand heavy cavalry, and twelve thousand garrison soldiers remaining; compared to Li Er and Zhang Han, they have four thousand more garrison soldiers, but one thousand fewer heavy cavalry and one thousand fewer heavy infantry.

“I will personally guard Dehua in the middle.”

The atmosphere inside the government office was oppressive.

It was as if a storm was brewing.

The four directions were each guarded, which seemed quite good at first glance. However, in reality, each guard had to face several times the number of enemies.

Whether we can hold on or not, no one can guarantee.

"Liang Guangzong, I want you to monitor the entire city, and expand the scope of monitoring to the whole of Pingyang Prefecture as much as possible, to uncover all the hidden spies, and even those that cannot be confirmed should be temporarily imprisoned."

"Gao Xingcai, I want you to be in charge of logistics. You can recruit laborers, but don't make a big fuss about it. In secret, prepare stones and logs for rolling and transport them to the four counties."

"Jia Yifei, in cooperation with Gao Xingcai, recruited laborers and also conscripted all the artisans in Pingyang to rush to make bows, crossbows, weapons and armor, as well as recruit new soldiers and conduct emergency training."

"Lei Yi, I need you to make a trip to Songzhou..."

Orders were quickly issued, and although war was still a long way off, everyone's face was more solemn than ever before.

Everyone knows how difficult this war will be.

Every arrangement and every action they took was merely an attempt to add a tiny bit of weight to the already tilted scales.

Until the final order was given, Song Yan's gaze swept over everyone in the government office: "Gentlemen..."

"In this battle, we will defend Pingyang to the death, and fight to the last man!"

(End of this chapter)