Zhutian: My skills are not serious

Chapter 588 Even if I have to be his concubine, I will marry him
"General Chen Wu, calm down." Cen Wenben advised, "After all, the Empress Dowager is your Majesty's aunt. The Sui army borrowed the passage to the south to attack Songque. On the way, Zhu Can, Fang Zetao, Shang He, and Qian Duguan all helped us. If our Liang country broke their promise and killed them, it would be against emotion, reason, and morality. Your Majesty did not come to the Han River to see them off in person, and the Sui army did not send an envoy to inform us. This can be regarded as a cancellation of the two mistakes."

Xiao Xin nodded slightly, Chen Wu still looked unhappy. Zhang Xiu, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes, was still angry. "Lord Cen is very kind and righteous, but don't you know that our business is to overthrow the Yang Dynasty? The Sui army allowed us to pass through the country without any other expression. If outsiders see this, won't they laugh at us for being cowardly? What's the difference between us and Lin Shihong who responded to the court's offer of amnesty or was named King of Jiangnan?"

Xiao Xin also nodded when he heard this, and his attitude towards this matter was a little confusing.

Cen Wenben said: "May I ask the two generals, what do you think of the Empress Dowager's southern expedition?"

Chen Wu said: "The court will surely fail."

Zhang Xiu echoed, "Song has been dominating Lingnan for a long time, the people are loyal to him, and the city is impregnable. The Sui court has been on a long march, the horses are tired and the soldiers are not used to the local climate. How can they win?"

The generals behind him, including Lei Youshi, Zhu Zhong, and Su Chao, all echoed him.

Cen Wenben laughed and stroked his mustache, which was less than an inch long. "Since the Sui army is bound to lose, why should we be angry? Why not let the Song family help us vent our anger? And think about it, the Sui army will march south, and Luoyang City will be empty. Even if Zhu Can and Qian Duguan have secretly surrendered to the Sui court, facing the armies of the Chang'an Li family, Liu Wuzhou, Liang Shidu, Li Mi, Yu Wenhuaji and other forces, can we win this battle? Once the expeditionary army is defeated, we only need to take the opportunity to send troops to the southeast. Your Majesty, as a nephew, will protect the Empress Dowager to take refuge in Jiangling. Will Lin Shihong dare to come to our territory to rob people?"

Chen Wu was stunned for a moment, then he was overjoyed: "Lord Cen has a good plan. In this way, we can gather the scattered Sui army in the name of the Empress Dowager."

Zhang Xiu also clapped his hands and said, "I heard that the Chai family father and son donated all their property for this southern expedition, and expanded the military force in Luoyang from the original four full guards to eight full guards. They also rebuilt the eighteen elite cavalry established during Yang Guang's time, and all of them are equipped with weapons and armor made by the Dongming School. There are more than five thousand people. As long as these troops are successfully gathered, we will be able to attack Lin Shihong in the east, enter Bashu in the west, and sweep both sides of the Yangtze and Han Rivers in the future. Will there be no worries about not having soldiers to use?"

Xiao Xian laughed loudly and said, "This is called the fisherman benefits from the quarrel between the snipe and the clam. Chen Wu, Zhang Xiu, and Lord Cen have a far-sighted vision. Are you convinced?"

Several people said "I admire you".

At this moment, Cen Wenben looked thoughtful again: "It's just... there's one thing I can't figure out."

Xiao Xin leaned forward and asked, "Master Cen, what is it that you don't understand?"

Cen Wenben said: "It is the Mid-Autumn Festival now. If it is in the Jiangbei area, it is suitable to attack cities and conquer land, but the Lingnan area is still humid and hot, and poisonous insects and miasma are hard to prevent. It is not suitable for the soldiers from Hebei to attack the Lingnan camp. The weather, the location and the people are all missing. Even if the Sui army can rest in Lin Shihong's jurisdiction, they should avoid the current solar term. It is best to enter Lingnan after October. Lin Shihong cannot be unaware of this situation, but why didn't he dissuade them? He just bought food to reward the Hebei soldiers for three days, and then let the Sui army continue to move south."

Chen Wu said, "Could it be that... Lin Shihong is also thinking like us, hoping that the Sui army will be defeated, and then march south to clean up the mess and seek benefits?"

"Well, even if Lin Shihong has this idea, is there no one in the Sui army who understands the characteristics of the southern climate?"

"..."

Chen Wu was speechless, but the deputy general Su Chao standing behind him said, "So what if someone understands the climate in the south? I don't believe that no one gave advice during the court meeting. The Empress Dowager went against all odds and insisted on adopting the ideas of the Chai father and son, which set a bad precedent. I don't think the military advisers will continue to oppose the idea, right? What if they anger the Chai father and son and are accused of disturbing the morale of the army and executed? That would be bad."

Zhu Zhong, who had a scar on his right eye, laughed and said, "Let's not talk about following the army south. If I were to stay in Luoyang, I would probably plan a way out for myself."

Lei Youshi, who had pointed ears and a cunning face, glared at him and nodded at the person sitting there.

Zhu Zhongfang realized that he had said something wrong and quickly shut up.

Xiao Xin didn't seem to care about his words, and tapped the armrest engraved with dragon patterns with his fingers.

Cen Wenben stopped talking and just looked at the Emperor of Liang above him.

……

There were quite a few people who had the same idea as Xiao Xin. No, it should be said that the vast majority of people had this idea. Except for Wang Hua who was entrenched in southern Jiangsu and western Zhejiang, Shen Faxing and Li Zitong in the east, Dou Jiande and Luo Yi in the north all "sighed in despair" and wished they could be near Lingnan so that they could get a share of the pie when the Sui army was defeated.

Li Mi, Yu Wenzhi, Liang Shidu, Liu Wuzhou and others accelerated the war deployment, preparing to take Luoyang in one fell swoop while the Sui army was fighting with the Song clan. On the one hand, they would cut off the retreat of the Chai father and son, and on the other hand, they would help Song Que. It is believed that the morale of the Sui army would plummet when they heard that the capital had fallen.

To put it bluntly, Xiao Meiniang doted on the Chai father and son and believed in slander, an action that inevitably led to the destruction of the Sui Dynasty.

……

at the same time.

In Yulin, Lingnan, the Song family's old nest, is the northern room of a small courtyard in the northwest corner.

The incense burner in the corner exudes a faint scent of mugwort. Because the air has been too humid and there has been a lot of rain recently, even though the sun has not set yet, mosquitoes have already come out and circle around the human body. They will bite you suddenly and leave small red spots that are itchy and numb.

Shang Xiuxun was not dressed in any clothes. She wore a loose high-waisted skirt, held a small fan in her hand, and leaned against the head of the bed with her belly bulging. There were many red spots on the back of her hands and neck, which were the result of her wandering in the back garden.

Click, click, click...

There was a sound of footsteps outside.

"Xiu Xun."

It was Li Xiuning's voice. Dongdongdong...

There was another knock on the door.

Shang Xiuxun still ignored her and simply turned her head away from looking out the window.

After a few breaths, the door creaked open and Li Xiuning walked in. She was wearing a pink shirt with crocheted collar and green shoes. There was a hint of fatigue between her brows and she looked not in good spirits. No one knew if it was because of the unfamiliar climate or if recent events were making it difficult for her to cope with.

"This is the comfrey ointment I asked the medical officer for. It can promote blood circulation and relieve itching. It is very effective for mosquito bites."

She walked to the bed and handed the red lacquered wooden box in her hand forward.

Shang Xiuxun smiled coldly and ignored her.

"Xiu Xun, I know you are angry with me, but you can't be angry with your body."

Seeing that the female owner was indifferent, she sighed and put the comfrey ointment beside the bed. Unexpectedly, the former swung her arm and the wooden box fell to the ground with a "pop".

"Li Xiuning, stop pretending here. The thing I, Shang Xiuxun, regret most in my life is treating you as my friends. If I had known this would happen, I should have kicked you out when you came to my Pegasus Ranch."

When Shang Xiuxun said this, her face was filled not only with anger but also hatred.

She never imagined that the Li family would use her as a token of loyalty and send her to Lingnan to befriend the Song family and gain political benefits. She had regarded these people as friends in vain and actually believed the lies of Li Xiuning and Song Yuzhi and went to Chang'an to relax. In the end, just because she was pregnant with Chai Shao's child, she ended up in this situation. She became a hostage for the Song Que brothers to force Chai Shao to hand over the murderers of Song Shidao and Song Lu.

"Xiuxun, Senior Song said that he would let you stay in Yulin for a while. As long as Chai Shao brings the murderers of Song Lu and Song Shidao to Lingnan to be executed, he will let you go."

"Hmph, so I should thank you for inviting me to Lingnan as your guest?"

"..."

Li Xiuning was speechless.

Shang Xiuxun said: "Back then, Chai Shao said at Pegasus Ranch that your Li family was hypocritical and a bunch of hypocrites. I was really blinded by my own ignorance and thought he was talking nonsense."

"Xiuxun, please stop talking. My second brother was also forced to do this. This is all for the Li family."

"What a great one for the Li family."

Shang Xiuxun snorted heavily, "Your excuse for your brother and sister to be so despicable is to say that it's all for the Li family? You're willing to do anything to become king and dominate. Your approval of such a Li family shows that you and your brother are not good people."

Li Xiuning was so ashamed by her scolding that she explained, "The Sui court was unjust, and my second brother's actions were also to protect the country and the people, to end the chaos in the world as soon as possible, and to give the people a peaceful world."

"After what happened, how many people would believe such sweet words? He broke his promise when he made a bet with Chai Shao at Pegasus Ranch. Now, in order to marry Song Yuzhi, he has formed an alliance with the Lingnan Song family and taken their unborn child as a hostage. How can such a person be a benevolent emperor? In my opinion, he is just a hypocrite."

Bang!
At this moment, the door was violently pushed open, and Song Yuzhi, wearing a light yellow skirt, walked in with a face full of hatred and anger: "You are not allowed to say that about Brother Shimin. Do you know how he made this decision? His father forced him, his two brothers forced him, my father and second uncle forced him, Xue Ju from the northwest forced him, Jie Li Khan from DTZ also forced him, and even the Fanzhai master of Cihang Jingzhai thought this was a good idea. If you were him, what would you do?"

Song Yuzhi will never forget the scene where Li Shimin, under such pressure, drank to drown his sorrows, and finally got drunk, hugging her to vent his anger.

"Besides, Second Uncle and Father are just the murderers who want to kill Third Uncle and Brother. They won't hurt your life."

Shang Xiuxun sneered, "So, I should still say that. I should thank the Song family for not killing me?"

"you!"

Song Yuzhi was irritated by her: "Yes, you should thank the Li and Song families for not killing you."

Shang Xiuxun said: "Finally I spoke my true feelings."

Li Xiuning slapped Song Yuzhi's hand anxiously: "Yuzhi!"

Song Yuzhi thought of the tragic death of Song Shidao, and said angrily: "Who made her insist on having this child! If she had listened to me and aborted the evil seed, would there be so many problems today? She was willing to have a child for that bastard, this is what she deserves."

Shang Xiuxun suddenly raised her head and laughed, then glared at the two of them: "Based on what you have done, I will not only give birth to this child, but also ask my father to find Chai Shao after returning to Pegasus Ranch. Even if I have to be a concubine, I will marry him and give the child a complete family."

"You are a lowly person!" Song Yuzhi pointed at her and cursed, then gradually calmed down his anger: "Marrying into the Chai Mansion to give your bastard a complete family? You have no chance. The Chai family father and son are leading the Sui army southward, and they are traveling thousands of miles to conquer Lingnan. They are thinking about what Emperor Wen couldn't do back then. They will definitely lose this battle."

(End of this chapter)