Chapter 326: Liu Liu Yifei's Letter

A few days later, with wind and snow sharp as knives, a messenger braved the bitter cold and arrived at Jiang Jiang Mingyu's Inspector's Mansion.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has sent a letter." Panting, he handed over a letter.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart stirred; he hurriedly tore open the letter, glanced at it, and saw Liu Liu Yifei's handwritten signature.

"Finally, there is news," Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked, unable to contain his impatience.

"Speak quickly, how is Liu Yifei over there?" he asked anxiously.

Since Liu Liu Yifei had traveled south to the Southern Frontier, more than a month had passed without a single word; Jiang Jiang Mingyu had long been burning with anxiety.

The messenger hurriedly replied.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Her Highness instructed me to inform Your Majesty that she is perfectly safe and sound."

"Now, Her Highness's caravan has firmly established a foothold in the Southern Frontier. Her hotpot restaurant and money exchange are both hugely popular, with booming business."

"Moreover, Her Highness has taken the opportunity to dispatch secret agents to scout the situation in the Southern Frontier in all directions; intelligence on the Southern Frontier will be gathered soon."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu secretly smiled bitterly; behind Liu Liu Yifei stood the treasury of One Da Jiang, with silver so abundant it could never be spent, so of course her business was thriving. But what he cared about most was whether Liu Liu Yifei could accomplish the important purpose of her mission.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded, his voice low.

"You have worked hard. Go to Tu Tu Kesiluo to collect your reward, rest for one day, and return to the Southern Frontier tomorrow."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's worry for Liu Liu Yifei eased somewhat; hearing from the messenger that she was not only safe but had also established a foothold in the Southern Frontier, opened a hotpot restaurant and a money exchange, and was quite popular among the people of the Southern Frontier, he couldn't help but smile inwardly. Behind Liu Liu Yifei stood the treasury of One Da Jiang, with funds flowing endlessly like a thread; what business would not thrive? But most importantly, she had already secretly deployed spies in the Southern Frontier, which was the true focus of this mission.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu repeatedly instructed the messenger to definitely convey to Liu Liu Yifei that although her ability to adapt to changing circumstances was outstanding, as she was entering enemy territory for the first time, she must still think deeply and act carefully. Otherwise, once she aroused the alertness of the people of the Southern Frontier, she would fear it would be difficult to escape. For this reason, he specially selected several elite soldiers to accompany the messenger, escorting him day and night on the return journey to the Southern Frontier to deliver the message swiftly into Liu Liu Yifei's hands.

At the same time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately sent someone to transmit a message by carrier pigeon to the generals stationed in Jizhou, including Yu Ke, ordering them to be on high alert and closely monitor the movements of the Southern Frontier. At the slightest sign of trouble, they were to immediately mobilize troops and march south to the Southern Frontier for rescue. Jiang Jiang Mingyu knew that no matter how cautious Liu Liu Yifei was on this mission, she would inevitably invite trouble. Once she encountered a crisis, even if he had to temporarily mobilize tens of thousands of troops to march south, he would spare no cost.

After watching the messenger leave the large tent, Jiang Jiang Mingyu let out a long sigh, praying in his heart that Liu Liu Yifei would be careful in all things and not act rashly. Just as he buried his head in studying the grand strategy for the subsequent military campaign, Tu Tu Kesiluo strode in with long, swift steps, reporting cheerfully on the situation of those Western Xia surrendered soldiers. It turned out that this group had willingly accepted Tu Tu Kesiluo's persuasion to surrender, all joining the army, and each filled with expectation for the future. This made Jiang Jiang Mingyu feel a surge of joy; at least, he did not need to worry about troop strength for the time being.

However, upon second thought, this batch of Western Xia soldiers were ultimately newly surrendered recruits; there was no guarantee they would not develop divided loyalties. For this reason, Jiang Jiang Mingyu instructed Tu Tu Kesiluo to definitely assign trusted confidants to closely monitor every move of this group, reporting any abnormalities to him immediately to prevent the unexpected.

Tu Tu Kesiluo solemnly accepted the order, then angrily said, "Big Brother, guess what? These guys are currently crowding into the camp and feasting heartily, just like starving wolves reborn! I have never in my life seen anyone eat so much; I wonder if these Western Xia goods are reincarnations of ten-stomached oxen!" Hearing him say this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu couldn't help but laugh; yes, these people had been severely oppressed in the Western Xia army and surely hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, no wonder they were wolfing down food like that.

He instructed Tu Tu Kesiluo to let them fill their bellies first, then immediately begin training and integrating into the army. Among them, those skilled in mounted archery were to be selected to serve as cavalry instructors, because the cavalry had always been the army's weak point, and this was a perfect opportunity to remedy it. Who else but these Western Xia people were so skilled in horsemanship, radiating a mighty and majestic aura from head to toe? Just looking at the posture of their mounts, one could tell they were no ordinary folk; if this brute courage could be harnessed for the army's use, it would be a great asset.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu emphasized that since they had already been brought under his command, they must be made to see hope. Any soldier who surrendered longed for a future and promotion. Only by letting them exert their utmost effort to serve the army, making rank and merit easily attainable, could their maximum combat power be unleashed and divided loyalties avoided.

Two days later, the Western Xia surrendered soldiers were on the training ground, screaming at the top of their lungs to drive One Da Jiang's cavalry through drills; their heavy accents and high-pitched shouts made it instantly clear they were not locals of One Da Jiang. Just at that moment, the fifty thousand troops led by Shang Mukai finally arrived in Tanzhou, trampling through the flying snow.

From afar, Fang Hang saw a tall, burly man with a curly beard, radiating the aura of a fierce general, standing at the front of the formation and waving a horse whip. His eyes immediately lit up; he took several long strides forward and greeted him warmly, "General Li, you came in person? I also heard your injuries weren't fully healed; how did you suddenly rush over here?"

Li Goudan laughed heartily, his spirit soaring toward the heavens, "This little injury of mine is nothing; it's almost completely healed! I was just cooped up in Shang Mukai's place doing nothing every day, so bored I was about to grow fur! I can't wait to get to the battlefield and have a good fight with those Western Xia bastards!" Speaking of this, his thick eyebrows suddenly knitted together; he pointed his calloused thumb toward the Western Xia soldiers shouting orders on the training ground not far away, "Holy crap, how did so many Western Xia goods get into our camp? Which son of a bitch let them in? I'll beat the hell out of him!"

Fang Hang hurriedly explained that this was Jiang Jiang Mingyu's decision and that they had value. After hearing this, Li Goudan's old face flattened; although not very happy, he couldn't say much due to his big brother's face, so he could only "tsk" and say, "Since it's Your Majesty's idea, I, your little brother, shouldn't interfere. But these bastard cubs, each of them used to kill so many of my good brothers; I can't wait to chop them up and feed them to dogs!"

As the two were chatting intermittently, suddenly a pale-faced little soldier, gasping for breath, stumbled over, panting, "General Fang, General Fang, Your Majesty summons you to the large tent immediately!" Seeing this situation, Fang Hang immediately understood, winked at Li Goudan, and smiled, "Looks like it's military secrets regarding the attack on Tangxiang! Let's go quickly and take a look; maybe war is about to start!" Hearing this, Li Goudan felt a surge of heroic spirit, his heart blooming with joy; this was the moment of battle he had long awaited. Immediately, his eyes fixed straight ahead as he followed Fang Hang, striding forward with long steps.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gently stroked the sheepskin map on the table, his expression solemn as he spoke, "Everyone, the army has been resting here for many days; both men and horses are full of vital energy. Plus, the fifty thousand reinforcements personally led by Goudan arrived yesterday; now our total force has reached four hundred and fifty thousand. I have decided that at dawn tomorrow, our army will set out again and launch a general attack on Western Xia!"

As his words fell, the tent was silent as a grave. Tu Tu Kesiluo and the other three bowed deeply, speaking in unison, "Long live Your Majesty! Please give clear instructions." They were all eager to end this war as soon as possible and quickly leave this freezing Western Xia territory.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded, a look of determination shining in his pair of eagle eyes, "The battle plan discussed previously is known to all. After repeated deliberation, I have decided to implement the strategy of splitting forces and flanking. As you can see, Shunqing and Yingyuan each station ten thousand Western Xia garrison troops. I, the Emperor, and General Tu Tu Kesiluo will lead three hundred thousand troops north from Tanzhou to directly capture Tangxiang; Fang Hang, cooperating with Brother Goudan, will draw ten thousand elite troops from the two locations and march south, taking a detour through Liaotong. Our army will strike from two sides; the Western Xia army will surely be outnumbered."

Fang Hang hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty speaks correctly! I will definitely go all out, lead the army south with Goudan, and swear to meet Your Majesty and the Prince before the Western Xia Wang Cheng!" Li Goudan also nodded heavily to show his agreement.

Seeing both of them looking as if they were eager to take the lead, Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled proudly, waved his large sleeve, and said, "Excellent! The cold of Western Xia is intensifying; heavy snow could come at any time. We must seize the military opportunity! At dawn tomorrow, we will organize the army and march west, swearing to defeat the enemy army with the utmost speed!"

At this moment, Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly thought of a question and hurriedly asked, "Big Brother, after we march out, who should be responsible for the defense of Tanzhou?"

The one who answered was Li Goudan beside him; he calmly interjected, "Just rest assured. The Prime Minister has already settled the defense of Tanzhou with a single stroke. He has ordered an outstanding talent named Yan Su to come and take over; this person served for many years as the Inspector of Yizhou, achieving remarkable results in governing the people and defending the city. Once he arrives, the defense of Tanzhou can be handed over. Even better, the Prime Minister has also drawn thirty thousand troops from Yizhou to rush to Tanzhou for reinforcement; they are expected to arrive within two days."

Seeing that the overall situation was already under the control of Jiang Jiang Mingyu and the Prime Minister, Tu Tu Kesiluo finally put the heavy stone in his heart to rest.