huo was about to announce the results of the Hundred Flowers Festival, Princess QiXia leaned over to whisper something in Princess Zhao Yang's ear and then stood up apologetically towards Old Lord Su,...395. Sudden Secret Letter

395。 Sudden Secret Letter

Gazing at the look on Mu Yang Hou's face that seemed to lose all strength, Qin Feng lowered his eyes and said, "Mu Yang went with me. You still have some time to think it over." After saying this, Qin Feng clapped his hands and two guards entered from outside, lifting Mu Yang’s corpse away.

"Wait!" Mu Yang Hou called out anxiously, "Where are you taking Yang'er"

Qin Feng frowned slightly and said, "The Princess Consort ordered to bury Mu Yang." Originally, the Prince's command wasn't like this, but since everything is done, the prince wouldn't mind such a small change.

Seeing that Mu Yang Hou did not react, Qin Feng turned around and left.

"Why... How did you manage to do it" An old and weak voice came from behind. "Mu Yang Manor's spy… who is he" Qin Feng was a bit surprised and looked back; he didn't expect that Mu Yang Hou would still be concerned about this matter now.

“Yaorui,” Qin Feng said coolly.

Mu Yang Hou was stunned. He had indeed suspected Yaorui, but in the end dismissed this idea. The most fundamental reason was Mu Lie; a woman, no matter how much she hated a man, could not take her son and harm his biological father.

Seemingly understanding Mu Yang Hou's confusion, Qin Feng said, "Mu Lie is not Mu Yang’s son."

"What" Mu Yang Hou was stunned once again. "That woman… that woman’s son… so it’s like this, so it’s like this…" Realizing he had misunderstood the situation, but Qin Feng did not have any intention to clear things up for him. Glancing at Mu Yang Hou and turning away, as soon as he closed the door, a fit of frenzied laughter could be heard inside; however, in Qin Feng's ears it sounded more like sobs.

With a soft sigh, Qin Feng shook his head and left.

A thousand miles away, Mo Xiuyao sat behind the desk in the large tent with a gloomy expression. Feng Zhiyao came to see him and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What's wrong Already missing Princess Consort within less than a month" Mo Xiuyao glanced at him indifferently. "A lonely man like me won't understand what it’s like to have someone you care about."

Feng Zhirao rolled his eyes irritably. Who had made him a lone figure He hadn’t seen peace for the past few years. Raising his hand, he tossed over the confidential letter and said, "This is a letter from Qin Feng. It seems that the Marchioness isn’t missing you at all and didn’t even bring along a letter to say hello."

Moxiu Yao caught it with his hand and blandly uttered one word: “Get lost.”

Opening the envelope, Moxiu Yao’s frown lightened considerably after seeing what was inside. Crumpling up the letter into powder, Feng Zhirao knew from observing Moxiu Yao over the years that something must have happened to make him this happy. Curiously, he asked, "What good news has you so delighted" It was obvious that Qin Feng’s confidential letter had reported some sort of good news.

"The Marchioness and General Lu are done with Mo Jingli That isn’t possible…" If Mo Jingli wasn’t truly stupid, it would be impossible for him to lose this quickly.

Moxiu Yao replied, "Mu Yang has died."

“What sort of good news is that” Feng Zhirao rolled his eyes. Mu Yang might have been a rising star among the military officers in Greater Chu, but he didn’t think it was enough to earn Moxiu Yao’s attention as Prince Ding. Was there really any reason for Moxiu Yao to be this happy over Mu Yang’s death

Feeling something wasn’t right, Feng Zhirao thought about it for a moment before realizing what had happened. “You mean the Mu Yang Marquisate is done for”

The number of people who knew how much Moxiu Yao hated the Mu Yang Marquis was few, but Feng Zhirao definitely counted as one of them. Over these years, Mo Jingqi had died, Ren Qining had died, and Helian Zhen had also died; it was time for the Mu Yang Marquis to bite the dust. However, it seemed Mu Yang had died too soon since he and Feng Zhirao had been acquainted back when they were in the capital city of Lin An. Sighing inwardly, Feng Zhirao could only feel sorry for him.

Moxiu Yao nodded indifferently. "The old Mu Yang Marquis was one of the few people under Mo Jingli who had a brain. With the Mu Yang Marquisate falling apart, I doubt Mo Jingli can hold on much longer. Once that’s done, the Marchioness will be able to lead her troops westward and help us form an encirclement around the forces in Western Xiling." Looking at it from this angle, Feng Zhirao felt happier too. It was possible that they could finish the war by year-end.

Moxiu Yao said coolly, "Not necessarily. Mo Jingli’s troops are far superior to Lu Jinxian’s. Moreover, there is also Lei Tengfeng… He has left the army of Greater Chu and returned to Yuming Pass." By the time Ah Li solved Mo Jingli for him, it was likely that Lei Tengfeng would have already surrounded Yuming Pass.

Feng Zhirao frowned. “Didn’t you send He Su with his troops to Yuming Pass”

Moxiu Yao smiled at him and asked, "Who told you He Su went to Yuming Pass"

“Then Your Highness! Where did the 200,000 soldiers under General He Su go!” It wasn’t hard to understand why Feng Zhirao was angry. The army of Mo Family already had a smaller force than that in Western Xiling; when they were fighting Lei Zhenting fiercely, Moxiu Yao took away 200,000 men. If he wanted to encircle Lei Zhenting from the side, it would be understandable. However, Moxiu Yao was now telling him that He Su had never gone to Yuming Pass! Was Prince Ding really treating war like a game Or were his generals too stupid to understand the strategy of Prince Ding

Seeing Feng Zhirao’s infuriated look, Moxiu Yao felt quite pleased. "Yuming Pass is over 1000 li away from here, and it takes days to travel there due to poor road conditions. However, it is only about 300 li from Lei Tengfeng stationed in Han Valley Pass, where the roads are flat and well-made imperial highways. Even if He Su left before Lei Tengfeng did, Feng San… how could you expect him to reach Yuming Pass ahead of Lei Tengfeng Do you really think that someone as intelligent as Lei Tengfeng would leave this sort of loophole for us to exploit From the very start, I sent Lei Tengfeng there just in case something like this happened."

Feng Zhiyao was taken aback, trying to calm himself down as he asked, "So Your Highness didn’t plan from the beginning to seize Jade Fame Pass"

Mosixiao shrugged and said with a smile, "Why force things if you know it’s impossible"

"Then what about He Suren!" Feng Zhiyao felt his veins pulsing on his forehead.

Mosixiao chuckled, "If not in Jade Fame Pass, then naturally somewhere else."

Feng Zhiyao looked puzzled as he turned his head to glance at the map hanging on the wall beside him. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Snow Valley Pass” Mosixiao remained silent with a smile playing on his lips. Feng Zhiyao could only look up helplessly towards the sky; he stared silently at Mosixiao for quite some time before swallowing back any insults he had wanted to hurl. With a sigh, he said, "With Wangfei and General Lu restraining him, Lei Tengfeng might not be able to rush back to Jade Fame Pass so quickly."

Mosixiao replied, "Even if that’s the case, both armies would likely arrive around the same time. Moreover… when the time comes, Yun Ting's army will probably suffer a total defeat. Lu Jinxian and Agli might also find themselves surrounded by Mo Jingli alone."

Feng Zhiyao nodded, accepting Mosixiao’s explanation. After all, in terms of strategy without any mistakes, he was no match for Mosixiao even if there were ten of him. "So we still have to engage Lei Zhenting in a direct confrontation"

Mosixiao smiled and said, "Isn’t that the point After dealing with Lei Zhenting… I won't have any other formidable opponents left. Besides, Feng San, don’t you feel that everything has been too smooth for us these past two years" Feng Zhiyao fell silent. Indeed, in recent battles, Mo Family's troops seemed to be divinely aided and had been going incredibly smoothly. It was so easy that he almost forgot there’s no such thing as permanent favorable conditions on the battlefield. Lei Tengfeng was also an unparalleled military genius of his generation; it was simply impossible to achieve a quick victory against him.

Mosixiao patted his shoulder and smiled, "Don’t worry, we will win in the end. It’s just a matter of time."

Feng Zhiyao nodded with a carefree smile, saying, "Of course. If you can't defeat Lei Zhenting, people would laugh at you." Just then, there was a small child squatting behind them eagerly waiting to see the other person's downfall.

Mosixiao glanced at Feng Zhiyao indifferently, "Not everyone is allowed to see my joke."

On the battlefield outside Snow Valley Pass, the original situation was a one-sided overwhelming advantage for Chu troops. No matter how valiant the Mo Family’s soldiers were, when facing several times their own number, they still found it hard to change the tide of battle. Unfortunately, before Mo Jingli could revel in his success, a black reinforcement force appeared on the battlefield out of nowhere, once again stirring up a black wave. The exhausted troops of the Mo Family suddenly rallied upon seeing reinforcements and launched a counterattack. Chu’s victory was gradually squeezed back as both sides engaged in intense fighting.

On Snow Valley Pass, Mo Jingli's face turned pitch-black as he stared at the scene before him. The generals standing beside him no longer had the air of grandiose command they once did but remained silent and dared not incur Mo Jingli’s anger further.

"Who is that person" Mo Jingli stared at the black-clad cavalry commander maneuvering on the battlefield with great valor and asked sternly.

The general beside him scrutinized carefully before reporting, "Your Majesty, that should be He Su, a new officer of the Mo Clan army."

"He Su" Mo Jingli frowned as he pondered over this unfamiliar name.

“Originally, He Su was just an ordinary soldier under Meng Song. In less than eight years, he rose from being a mere soldier to becoming a commander overseeing troops. After the invasions by Northern Rong and Chu… after they invaded Changxing’s flanks, instead of retreating south as ordered, he regrouped nearly twenty thousand defeated soldiers and blocked many Northern Rong armies. Later, he joined the Ding Prince's camp, earning great trust from the prince's wife. However... there is news that He Su originally was a person close to the prince's wife.” The person beside him hurriedly reported what they knew. "He Su joined Meng Song’s army right after the incident at Fuxue Pass involving the prince’s wife. Moreover, it is rumored that four secret guards followed the prince's wife around. However, when the prince's wife dismissed them later on, only three names were known to the public—Zhuo Jinglinhanwei Lin. So..."

"So this He Su must be a chess piece placed in Chu by Ye Li over ten years ago!" Mo Jingli said solemnly.

“…” The generals around him did not dare to say more seeing their enraged emperor.

Meng Jingli glanced at the battlefield. With twenty thousand fresh troops joining, the Mo army seemed even more invincible in battle while Chu's army appeared somewhat weakened after a fierce fight earlier on. Snorting coldly, Meng Jingli turned and left, leaving everyone stunned.

"General Li, this…" Now that Mo Jingli had abandoned them, those present were at a loss as to whether he wanted them to continue the battle or retreat.

“Sigh, let’s withdraw.” The highest-ranking general gave an exasperated sigh. It was clear they would not gain any advantage from continuing the fight. What else could they do but withdraw

Beyond Han Valley Pass, Yun Ting, who had been fiercely fighting earlier, suddenly collapsed on the ground when he saw Chu's army retreating back into the pass. He did not care about the dead bodies around and just lay there. As he saw He Su walking over, Yun Ting managed a wry smile and said: "Brother, thank you very much. I thought I was done for." Then his eyelids drooped heavily.

These past two days had really exhausted Yun Ting. This was the first time he had led troops independently in real combat, putting him under immense pressure. To make matters worse, Mo Jingli seemed to have gone mad, ignoring that his rear was exposed and desperately mobilized nearby garrisons to attack him. In these few days, almost everything Yun Ting could remember involved battles. If He Su had been half an hour later, Yun Ting really wasn’t sure if he could have held on.

He Su did not mind the dirty ground as he sat down and asked casually: "Did the princess instruct you to hold your post at all costs"

Yun Ting shook his head dazedly. He Su raised an eyebrow and said, “Why are you stubbornly holding on If I hadn’t come in time or if General Lu had not arrived, you would have died as a fool. This place is no strategic stronghold—Meng Jingli holds the real one. Losing here won't make much difference; just retreat twenty to thirty miles back."

"I... This is my first time leading troops... How could I lose on my first try Even if it kills me, I won't retreat..." Muddled with these thoughts, Yun霆's head tilted to one side and he finally fell asleep.

A soldier came over while cleaning the battlefield. He looked at Yun霆 lying on the ground like a corpse and approached He Su with some difficulty: "General..." He Su stood up and patted the dust off his clothes, waving his hand with a smile as he said: "It's nothing, General Yun is just too tired. Carry him back to rest."

"Yes." Two soldiers carried Yun霆 back to the camp, one supporting his body while the other held his legs. Throughout this process, Yun霆 curled his lips and slept very soundly.

In a nearby military encampment of Lyu Jinxian not far from Han Valley Pass, they had just finished a major battle as well. However, Lyu Jinxian and Ye Li were much more composed than Yun霆. Seeing the secret letter just delivered from Han Valley Pass, Lyu Jinxian couldn't help but burst out laughing: "No wonder Lady Wang wasn't worried; it turns out she already knew that Your Highness had sent reinforcements. This young man really needs a good lesson."

Ye Li smiled faintly and said: "Leading troops alone for the first time, one might naturally feel some tension. General, there's no need to be too strict with him; it's quite difficult for him to hold out this long."

Lyu Jinxian nodded; he was actually very satisfied with his newly-adopted disciple. The reason why he mentioned disciplining Yun霆 was mostly for Ye Li's benefit. Listening to her tone, she didn't seem like someone who would punish Yun霆. Lyu Jinxian thus put his mind at ease.

Putting aside the matter of Yun霆, Lyu Jinxian said in a deep voice: "Once we fight another battle, Zhao Lian will be unable to hold on anymore. At that time, we can take Han Valley Pass directly and join forces with Yun霆 and He Su to encircle the Chu army from both front and rear."

Ye Li nodded and said: "General is right. However, even so, there should still be around 500,000 of Mo Jingli's troops left, not counting reinforcements that will continue pouring in. It might take some time to finish him off."

Lyu Jinxian smiled and said: "Lady Wang needn't worry; as long as we have the upper hand overall, it doesn't matter how many more troops Mo Jingli has. We had been outmaneuvered earlier, but now that we've regained the initiative, there's no reason to fear him even if he has another 100,000 soldiers." Besides, once they reunite with Yun霆, their total number of troops will also be around 500,000. There is really no need to worry about Mo Jingli.

Ye Li smiled apologetically and said: "I was a bit impatient." She actually didn't have much real combat experience; the few times she had fought were all swift victories. Lyu Jinxian's current plan clearly aimed at gradually wearing down Mo Jingli, which made Ye Li, who was used to decisive strikes, slightly uncomfortable. But she soon realized her mistake and tried to adjust accordingly.

Lyu Jinxian said with a smile: "Lady Wang speaks too highly of me. If we put in our utmost effort, seriously injuring Mo Jingli isn't impossible; but completely annihilating him as was done at Backwind Valley is even more difficult now. If the remnants of the Chu army escape, they might regroup and come back sooner or later." It would be better to proceed slowly than have them return again.

Ye Li nodded and said: "I understand; thank you for your advice."

Lyu Jinxian hurriedly declined. Ye Li smiled but inwardly started to think about the pieces she had set up earlier in Nanjing, which might now need to be activated. Lyu Jinxian was right; it would be better to invest time and effort for a decisive victory than rush for quick gains and give Mo Jingli another chance.

In the main tent of the Chu army, Mo Jingli was inexplicably shivering while reviewing his documents, with a hint of confusion flickering across his usually somber face. He casually pulled his yellow cloak tighter around himself.

Two days later, in the decisive battle between the Mohist army and the Western Route Army of Chu again, the Chu forces could no longer withstand the offensive of the Mohists and their defeat became uncontrollable. The commander of the Western Route Army Zhao Lian was severely wounded and captured at last.

Fighting with Chu's army is different from fighting against Beirong of Xiling. Ultimately, apart from the confrontation among the upper echelons in power, ordinary soldiers of Chu and Mohist forces, as well as common people of Greater Chu and those in Northwest, are not so different. They never considered that after the Mohists broke away from Greater Chu they would become irreconcilable enemies. Therefore, when many citizens of Greater Chu fled to Northwest during hard times, the Northwest's people accepted them without hesitation because they were originally one family. Just like how people from Northwest never thought Prince Ding’s mansion would be confined in a small area there, commoners of Greater Chu also believed that Prince Ding and Mohists wouldn't abandon them.

Therefore, actually both sides still held back somewhat while fighting this battle. After all, killing each other is not something pleasant to do. Whether for the Mohist army or for the forces of Chu, they generally would not kill captives or seriously wounded soldiers from the enemy side. And when Chu’s army failed to defeat the Mohists even after trying their best, ordinary soldiers could surrender without any mental barriers.

Mojingli's failure made Mo Jingli extremely furious. Facing Lu Jinxian and Ye Li leading the advancing Mohist forces step by step, Mo Jingli very “decisively” left his troops to defend Han Valley Pass while he fled away before Ye Li arrived. This left everyone in the Mohist army speechless; Yun Ting’s mind was stuck, unwilling to retreat even half a step, yet Mo Jingli retreated too quickly. With the natural barrier of Han Valley Pass, if it were handled properly, they could easily defend for two or three months at least. By that time reinforcements from Chu's rear would also have arrived.

Although Mo Jingli’s abandoning the pass hit a hard blow to the morale of Chu forces, it also brought considerable trouble to Ye Li and others. If Mo Jingli fled back to Southland and didn’t come out anymore, things would still be okay. However, considering Mo Jingli's temper, he was sure hiding somewhere waiting for reinforcements before coming out again. This would inevitably prolong the time of war between Mohists and Chu.

As expected, within less than half a month after the increased forces of Chu approached Northern areas, Mo Jingli appeared again. Unlike his previous ambiguous alliance with Xiling to attack the Mohist army, this time Mo Jingli directly announced it as an imperial edict from Emperor Chu. He publicly declared that Prince Ding’s mansion had betrayed Greater Chu and that Mo Xiuyao intended to eliminate Greater Chu and establish himself as emperor after that. He also listed forty-nine charges against Mo Xiuyao to show the world that Greater Chu's campaign against Prince Ding was righteous, fair, and in accordance with Heavenly Mandate.

This kind of thing naturally had no effect on the Mohist army; Ye Li only glanced over the notice sent by the Mohists before passing it onto Yun Ting. After reading it, Yun Ting disdainfully huffed and threw it under the table directly as a desk pad. If His Highness was interested in the imperial throne, he would have already established himself as emperor long ago, without needing to wait for Mo Jingli’s proclamation of an offensive campaign Besides, did Mo Jingli think all the people in this world were blind The Mohist army had never taken any land from Greater Chu. Now that there was no relationship between them anymore, from whichever perspective Prince Ding's mansion would absolutely be on solid ground.

Regarding this, Yun Ting couldn't help but admire His Highness’s profound planning and foresight. One must know that the Central Plain is not like barbarian tribes; as a self-proclaimed civilised land, everyone in court, scholars, and commoners alike placed great importance on etiquette and rituals. If Prince Ding’s mansion had directly launched an attack against Greater Chu back then, even if they unified the world at last, given their relationship with Greater Chu, Prince Ding would inevitably be criticized in historical records.

"Your Excellency Consort, Young Master Feng San's secret letter!" Just as everyone was making sarcastic remarks about Mo Jingli’s actions, a voice of the guards came from outside the tent.

Ye Li frowned slightly and said: "Young Master Feng San Bring it in." Feng Zhiyao usually wouldn’t write letters to her alone. Unless… something happened that even Young Master Feng couldn't control with his abilities or rights. Ye Li's heart sank a little as she raised her hand to accept the letter from the guard.

The envelope was sealed with wax and stamped with the highest secret seal of Prince Ding’s mansion, indicating that the contents inside were definitely extraordinary.

Calmly, Ye Li opened the envelope and glanced at it. Holding the letter in hand, her fingers trembled slightly and the letter fell to the ground. Unconsciously she slumped into the chair. Yun Ting and others sitting nearby were alarmed; they rushed over: "Your Excellency Consort!"

On a white sheet of paper, Feng Zhiyao’s handwriting was somewhat messy and urgent. Only a few words: Prince is seriously wounded, return quickly.calmly, saying, "I’m dying anyway—I don't care about them. Even if you kill all of my sons, so what Changle is still in the northwest right now; she’s your daughter but also my bloodline. And as for y...