The villain prince is three and a half years old

She found another topic and poked her daughter's waist: "Does Ning Sisi have a snow globe?"

Ning Xuenian pushed Yunpin's hand away: "No."

"What about Yan Yushi?" Yunpin stretched her hand back again, scratching and rubbing the girl's side abdomen, tickling her.

Ning Xuenian hugged the snow globe and giggled, "She doesn't have it either."

Concubine Yun withdrew her hand and propped it on her chin: "I heard there is a girl named Xue outside the palace."

"Xue Zhaoju's sister? She doesn't have one either." Ning Xuenian rolled to the edge of the Luohan bed and avoided Yunpin's hand.

"how do you know?"

"Brother Jing said that he only made three. One is with Father, one is with the Queen Mother, and the remaining one is my snow globe."

"He didn't give it to his own sister, Yan Yushi, or the daughter of the Xue family, but instead gave it to you, the most useless one." Concubine Yun's words were both sarcastic and a reminder.

Ning Xuenian didn't understand what Concubine Yun meant. She jumped up and put her hands on her hips, "How can I be the most useless? I'm also a sister! Yan Yushi hasn't seen Brother Jing many times! Brother Jing doesn't often leave the palace to visit the Xue family! He should be mine!"

"Okay, okay." Yunpin sighed and reached out to hug the girl.

Ning Xuenian dodged her hand and ran out of the room angrily.

After a moment, she ran back, picked up the snow globe on the bed, and made a face at Yunpin.

Yunpin looked out through the window and saw that the girl, with the help of Luhua, put on a straw raincoat, held a red oil-paper umbrella, and walked into the rain.

Luhua hurried to catch up with the girl.

This is going to Jingyixuan again.

I hope Chunyu will leave her younger brother Jing in Jingyixuan.

……

Xia Jing lay on the bamboo chair, rocking back and forth, watching the rain in the yard.

He was holding a glass ball in his hand. This was the crystal ball that carried the "guidance of destiny", but now it has turned back into an ordinary glass ball.

The props were used up in the first half of the month, and the issue at Tianmen Pass has been resolved.

Judging from the time, the news should be reported back to the palace.

He handed the glass ball to Honeysuckle beside him and said, "This is for you."

Honeysuckle took it. It was a large solid glass ball, very heavy.

She held the glass ball in front of her eyes, and the light and shadow of the courtyard were deformed in the glass ball, which was particularly gorgeous.

The girl put down her hand and looked at the Ninth Prince in the rocking chair: "I want someone like the Seventh Princess."

"You're still picking it." Xia Jing poked her nose.

Honeysuckle didn't choose it for herself, so she muttered, "The master hasn't given it to the eldest princess yet."

She was asking for it on behalf of Ning Wanjun.

"We've only made those three for now, and we'll be ready for the next batch."

After saying that, Xia Jing was about to lie back in his chair when he caught a glimpse of a touch of red at the gate of the courtyard.

Ning Xuenian walked in wearing a straw raincoat and holding a red umbrella.

The girl walked quickly across the yard, climbed the steps, stood next to the rocking chair, and swayed from side to side.

Water droplets on the straw raincoat splashed everywhere, creating an artificial rain over the Ninth Prince.

The perpetrator giggled, and Xia Jing stood up, touched her straw raincoat with some water, and wiped it on the girl's face.

"It's so cool." Ning Xuenian continued to laugh.

"You know it's cold, why did you come out? It's raining so hard." Xia Jing took off the girl's straw raincoat and gave it to Rendong.

The heat from the straw raincoat dissipated, and the wind blew the moisture directly onto the girl's skin, causing her to sneeze.

"Come into the house quickly." Xia Jing pushed her back.

Xiao Yue and Yi Qiu came out from the inner room and hurriedly found a coat for the girl to put on.

"Your shoes are wet, take them off quickly."

"I'll go get some hot tea."

"Luhua, go change your shoes too."

After a brief period of confusion, Ning Xuenian sat barefoot on the Arhat bed and played black and white chess with Xia Jing.

Luhua changed into Yi Qiu's shoes and stood beside Ning Xuenian with a worried look on her face. She looked at the cold rain outside the window and then at the bare feet of the Seventh Princess.

Xia Jing placed his piece and turned his eyes to the ten white pieces. When Ning Xuenian was thinking about the move, she turned the piece in her hands and moved her toes constantly. Suddenly, she paused, as if the girl had decided where to place the piece.

Xia Jing picked up the small blanket beside him and dropped it on the girl's legs. A bulge beneath the blanket moved back and forth, like waves. The blanket was pushed by the waves, slowly shifting. After a game of chess was over, the blanket slid onto the bed, and the girl's feet saw the light again.

Xia Jing picked up the blanket, spread it flat, put the girl's feet on it, pinched the two ends of the blanket and tied a knot.

"What are you doing?" the girl laughed.

She gathered the chess pieces in her hands, kicked her feet back and forth, pulled her right foot out of the blanket, and untied the knot with her toes.

Xia Jing applauded her: "Well done, Sister Nian'er! Here, please have some tea."

He handed the hot tea to the girl.

The girl took the tea bowl, held her head high, and enjoyed it very much.

Xiao Yue was lying at the doorway, smiling. She lifted the beaded curtain and was secretly watching the two of them.

It was an ordinary morning, a time filled with happiness and warmth.

The rain in the yard was a little lighter, and the wind brought the smell of soil and blew the leaves in the corner.

"Empress Shupin!" A eunuch ran into the yard.

He raised his right hand to shield himself from the rain, but one arm could not block an entire spring day's rain. His gray-blue eunuch uniform was soaked.

When he reached the center of the courtyard, the eunuch stopped, lowered his arms, straightened his clothes, and revealed his face.

It’s Eunuch Xu Li Gou’er.

The rain soaked his face, but it couldn't dampen the joy on it. He shouted, "Madam Shupin, news has come from Tianmen Pass. General Xiao has performed a great deed!"

Chapter 167 Good News from Tianmen Pass

After Li Gou'er went to Jingyixuan to report the news, Emperor Kangning clenched his hands, put them behind his back, and paced quickly in the imperial study.

He suddenly stopped, sat back on the Arhat bed, put on his old man's glasses, picked up the letter, and put it down again. He was so excited that the densely packed words on the letter gave him a headache.

He pointed at Xu Zhongde and said, "Tell me about the Tianmen Pass again. How did Xiao Jida and the King of Jing seize the Tianmen Pass?"

Xu Zhongde lowered his head and summarized, "Your Majesty, it was General Xiao's wisdom and courage, and Prince Jing's ability to manage his subordinates, that allowed us to capture Tianmen Pass with only 20,000 soldiers and horses with minimal casualties."

This summary is to emphasize the achievements of Xiao Jida and King Jing.

Although Tianmen Pass wasn't considered a major border town, it still housed over 10,000 troops. Taking down a city required at least three to five times that number of troops, and incurred heavy casualties. This time, the King of Jing and his men had captured Tianmen Pass with only a thousand casualties, a remarkable feat worthy of inclusion in military history.

Xu Zhongde paused and continued to explain the details.

"The Chu State was cunning and treacherous. They sent over a thousand soldiers across the mountains, around Tianmen Pass, disguised themselves as bandits, and plundered Yan villages. The commander of Tianmen Pass, acting as internal support for Chu, ordered his two lieutenants, each with 3,000 soldiers, to march out of the city to suppress the bandits."

"After the two lieutenants left, he opened the East Gate and joined forces with a small group of Chu troops disguised as villagers from outside the pass. He attacked and killed the guards at the East Gate, occupied the gate, and waited for the main Chu army to enter the city."

"Lord Xiao was currently leading a small team to investigate outside the pass. He acted decisively and took advantage of the chaos at the East Gate to rush in."

"Lord Xiao sent ten men to shout about the East Gate mutiny and the garrison commander's treason, drawing the Yan garrison's attention to the East Gate and engaging the Chu troops. Meanwhile, he led the remaining thirty men, bypassing the Yan garrison and heading straight for the West Gate. Taking advantage of the chaos in the city, they occupied the West Gate, lit a cigarette as a signal, and ushered in the King of Jing's army."

"Chu and Yan fought at the East Gate. Our Ning State sneaked in through the West Gate, quickly occupied the North and South Gates, and then marched towards the East Gate, driving the Yan and Chu armies out of Tianmen Pass. A large Chu army arrived and engaged the Yan army, attempting to capture the city, but returned without success."

"After the Chu army left, the Yan army surrendered. As for the 6,000 soldiers who were suppressing the bandits, they killed the Chu bandits to vent their anger, exchanged letters with the King of Jing, and camped outside Tianmen Pass."

After Xu Zhongde finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Emperor Kangning. Seeing that the emperor was sitting motionless, he continued, "General Xiao is a master of military strategy. The entire plan of the State of Chu has become a wedding dress, which has been given to His Majesty."

Emperor Kang Ning laughed, "Using troops like ghosts is quite appropriate. His actions are always timed perfectly."

What this means is that this set of actions seems to rely entirely on timing and seems to have an element of luck.

Luck isn't necessarily a bad thing; brave generals are respected, and lucky generals are also favored by emperors of all dynasties. A few generations ago, there was a negative example: a famous general always got lost or encountered natural disasters during his campaigns, and his efforts were always in vain. He was never even given the job of cleaning up the battlefield. After several such incidents, the emperor dared not use him anymore and could only let him retire.

Therefore, a general's luck is also a plus in this era.

However, compared to ability, luck is not as convincing as a bonus.

Xu Zhongde added, "I heard that Lord Xiao keeps a group of chivalrous men around him. They're not good at direct combat, but they're good at chicken-stealing and taking advantage of troubled waters. I think these are the people he brought with him this time."

"Oh?" Emperor Kangning became interested. "If it's these people, then they must have had some skills to sneak into Tianmen Pass and walk from the east gate to the west gate without being discovered."

"I also heard that General Yu from the Menagerie also went there. I think it was General Yu who contributed to this as well."

Emperor Kangning nodded, then shook his head. "These are just minor details. However, according to the letter from Prince Jing, Xiao Jida is quite experienced in leading troops. He commanded the Battle of the East Gate and the subsequent city defense."

Xu Zhongde replaced the tea for Emperor Kangning and said nothing more. Now it was time to discuss the merit-based rewards, which was not something a eunuch like him should have a say in.

"The Xiao family has been in the capital for a while. How are they?" Emperor Kangning suddenly asked.

Xu Zhongde's heart beat faster. He was preparing for promotion and the background check had begun.

"Your Majesty, the Xiao family lives in the house given by Empress Xian. Mr. Xiao likes to listen to books and goes to the teahouse every day. Mrs. Xiao stays in the house all day. Apart from managing the business, they don't see any guests."

"It's best to stay within your means." Emperor Kangning stroked his beard.

……

If Xia Jing knew that Emperor Kangning described this operation as "trivial", he would definitely laugh at Emperor Kangning for not understanding war.

Small forces, special purposes, unique methods, covert and sudden, quick battles and quick decisions were the key points of special operations in previous lives.

As an important form of warfare in previous lives, special operations were not as useful in ancient times, but they should definitely not be underestimated.

The enhancement of individual combat equipment in the previous life gave rise to this art of war. Although the Ning Dynasty did not have those individual combat weapons, it had martial arts. That group of "martial arts masters" was most suitable for carrying out special operations, assassinations and siege missions, and disrupting the enemy's rear.

Although he taught Xiao Jida the concept of special operations, Xia Jing didn't have high expectations for them in the Battle of Tianmen Pass. Unexpectedly, their performance far exceeded the expectations of himself, the proposer.

When Xiao Jida attacked, Xia Jing used props and animal training techniques. He used General Jade's vision to observe from a high altitude while guiding Xiao Jida. He was planning to play a tactical game from a God's perspective, but he didn't expect that Xiao Jida and his group were so proactive. He only reminded everyone of two small mistakes, and they solved the rest by themselves.

After the west gate was opened and the special operations turned into a battle to seize the gate and defend the city, the Ninth Prince simply hung up and watched from the side.

Xiao Jida is worthy of being one of the great generals in the game, and he handled the situation flawlessly.

"That's good."

In the main hall of Jingyixuan, Xiao Yue breathed a sigh of relief. These days, she often went to Yonghua Palace to worship Buddha with Concubine Yun, not out of piety, but because the only thing they could do now was to pray for the gods and Buddha's blessing. Concubine Yun was also worried about her brother in the northern border.

"Don't be so anxious next time. It's raining so heavily, what if you get soaked?" Xiao Yue said to Li Gou'er.

"I am in good health and nothing happened. Thank you for your kindness, Concubine Shu." Li Gou'er knelt down and bowed to Xiao Yue.

He had changed into dry clothes, only his hair was still wet.

A cup of tea ago, he stepped into Jingyixuan and stood in the rain to report the news, mostly for show.

Xiao Jieda was on the verge of becoming successful, and since both his godmother and godfather liked the Ninth Prince, as his godson, he certainly had to be discerning and discerning.

He originally thought that after hearing the good news he told her, Concubine Shu would turn her attention from Tianmen Pass back to Jingyixuan, and notice him running in the rain to deliver the message, which would increase her favorability towards him.

Unexpectedly, Shupin was not in a hurry to hear about Xiao Jida's affairs. She first asked Xiao Tianzi to take him to change his clothes, and then let him enter the main room and drink a bowl of hot tea before she started asking questions.

He didn't know whether Shupin's favorability towards him had increased, but his heart felt warm.

After letting Xiao Tianzi give Li Gou'er some silver and send him out, Xiao Yue walked into the inner room, rubbed Xia Jing's face hard, kissed him deeply, and smiled.

In front of outsiders, she didn't dare smile too obviously, for fear of being accused of being too proud. She went to the inner room and could celebrate without worry.

Xia Jing pushed her face away and pretended to be disgusted.

Chapter 168 Xue Nian is furious

"I heard that the general fought his way from the east gate of Tianmen Pass to the west gate, with corpses lying all over the ground. He even held his sword in his hands, but he didn't even blink." Ning Xuenian lay on Xia Jing's shoulder, looking at Xiao Jida with fear and curiosity.

Not to mention Xiao Jida, even Xia Jing almost choked on the water. He quickly put down the tea bowl and wiped the corner of his mouth.

A month had passed since the Battle of Tianmen Pass. Xiao Jida was ordered to return to the capital, and the King of Jing stayed behind to deal with the aftermath - mainly to deal with the State of Yan.

The Ning Dynasty insisted that they had captured the city from Chu and had not violated the armistice agreement with Yan. The King of Jing released the traitorous Tianmen Pass commander and a group of Chu soldiers as evidence. The Yan upper class was weak and, seeing that the matter had been explained, accepted the loss.

At this moment, Xiao Jida had just entered the palace and was about to meet Emperor Kangning. Unfortunately, Emperor Kangning was discussing important matters with cabinet ministers and asked him to drink tea and wait by the Qianqing Gate.