bayedsolid Chapter 158 Xia Yichen Seeks External Help
Chapter 158 Xia Yichen Seeks External Help
Xia Yichen said calmly, "I will allow you to atone for your sins with meritorious service. Vice General Tian, are you willing?"
Xie Kun also had dealings with Xia Yanheng. The best person to go to Jiulian Mountain to deal with the Five Tiger Village, which was illegally mining gold, was someone close to Xie Kun. Tian Ke was the person Xie Kun trusted the most, so sending him to Jiulian Mountain was the most appropriate.
Tian Ke clasped his hands in a salute and said, "This humble general is willing to atone for his sins with meritorious service."
He was born a commoner and worked his way up to the position of deputy general after many years in the army. He had warned the eldest princess about Xie Kun and Traf's affair... In the end, in order to keep his position as deputy general, he chose to ignore it.
A cold glint appeared on Xia Yichen's face. The eldest princess was actually Lina, the daughter of Traf, in disguise. How could Lina possibly report to the court that Xie Kun had embezzled military funds and given them to Traf, the mortal enemy of the Great Xia?
"Deputy General Tian, the Five Tiger Stronghold in Jiulian Mountain is illegally mining gold. I order you to lead men to wipe out that bandit gang and reclaim the gold mine," Xia Yichen said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Tian Ke's expression changed. Five Tiger Stronghold was a strategically important location, impregnable by even a single man, and the people in the stronghold weren't bandits.
Tian Ke said with difficulty, "Five Tiger Stronghold only has one passage, and a frontal assault would be difficult; we can only take it by strategy. However, the stronghold is garrisoned by Prince Heng's elite troops, and those people would never betray Prince Heng..."
Xia Yichen was somewhat surprised. Tian Kelian had even revealed the exact location of the gold mine, detailing how Liu Zhigang, the magistrate of Wei County, colluded with the Five Tiger Village to lure people into becoming miners. Could it be that besides Xie Kun, someone else in the military camp was involved? He asked coldly, "Who told you that?"
"That's what Xie Si, the steward of the Xie family, said. Prince Heng sends Xie Kun a sum of money every month to keep quiet," Tian Ke said frankly. Years ago, he had saved Xie Si's life on the battlefield, and Xie Si had told him everything he knew.
Xia Yichen thought to himself, Wen Yuxia was right after all. The people in the Five Tiger Stronghold were soldiers, not bandits. Xia Yanheng's elite troops only numbered two thousand on the surface, but no one knew how many there were in secret.
The thousand-plus elite soldiers at Five Tiger Stronghold were likely responsible for guarding the gold mine. Considering that a frontal assault would easily be met with a pincer attack from Xia Yanheng's elite troops, Xia Yichen decided to hold back for the time being.
He slowly said, "Let's set aside the matter of attacking Five Tiger Stronghold for now. You may leave."
The attack on Five Tiger Stronghold needed Wen Yuxia's help, so Xia Yichen summoned An Yi and instructed him to send a message to Wen Yuxia, asking her to return to Golden Rooster Pass as soon as possible.
Upon receiving the message from An Yi, Wen Yuxia instructed Bei Yi to go to the capital to summon Nan San and the others. The horse farm in Fancheng was now complete, and she should also make a trip to Xinchuan County.
Wen Yuxia planned to take Nan San and the others to Xinchuan County to pick up the little colt after the Five Tiger Village matter was settled.
At the entrance of Gujia Village, Wen Dashan wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes: "We've just returned and we're going on another long journey. Nan San, you must protect the princess well."
Wen Dashan sighed. "Sigh, being a princess is too tiring. Other girls are already married at sixteen, but my Wen Yuxia is so busy she doesn't even have time for a blind date."
With a stern face, Nan San said, "Don't worry, sir. As long as Nan San lives, the princess lives; if Nan San dies, the princess will still live."
Wen Yuxia burst out laughing. Nan Santai was hilarious; who else would speak so bluntly? She chuckled and said, "Grandpa, I will protect myself."
Wen Dashan forced a smile and said, "You all need to take good care of yourselves. Grandpa is waiting for you to come back safely in Gujia Village."
"Goodbye, Grandpa!" Wen Yuxia said, then sat up on the horse. Nan San and the others said in unison, "Goodbye, Grandpa!"
"Goodbye, Princess. Yunhai and Yunqing are helpless. If you encounter them again, please protect them." Wen Dashan finally spoke his mind.
"Understood!" Wen Yuxia's voice drifted from afar. Heh, the old man was most worried about Wen Yunhai and Wen Yunqing, who lacked martial arts skills; he hadn't even mentioned the youngest, Wen Yunhong.
Watching Wen Yuxia and the others leave, Wen Dashan said with annoyance, "Sigh, how could I forget about Xiao Qi?"
In order to ensure that his soldiers could fight against Xia Yanheng's elite troops, Xia Yichen required them to run three laps around the training ground every morning and evening, in addition to their regular training.
With the increased training intensity, the food also had to keep up. The fat pig that Wen Yuxia had left for him was finished, so Xia Yichen asked An Yi to take people to the surrounding villages to buy more fat pigs.
Wen Yuxia and her entourage arrived at the military camp, travel-worn. The guards raised their long shields and shouted sternly, "This is a military camp, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter!"
Nan San's cold voice rang out: "Please inform him that Young Master Wen requests an audience!"
"That name, Young Master Wen, sounds familiar," the gatekeeper thought, racking his brain for memories related to the name. Ah, he remembered!
The gatekeeper smiled and his attitude was much better than before. He said in a gentle tone, "Young Master Wen is a distinguished guest of the Crown Prince. There is no need to announce your arrival. The Crown Prince is at the martial arts training ground. Just walk straight in from here."
Wen Yuxia gave a soft shout, "Giddy up!" and rode Liefeng into the military camp first, with Bei San and the others following closely behind. "Brother, thanks," Nan San said with a smile, waving to the gatekeepers and gently spurring his horse, which then slowly trotted into the camp.
Xia Yichen heard the howling wind, looked up in the direction of the sound, and happily waved to Wen Yuxia, calling out, "Mu Hua!"
Wen Yuxia jumped off her horse, clasped her hands in a respectful bow to Xia Yichen, and said loudly, "Greetings, elder brother."
"Alright, stop joking. I need your help with something," Xia Yichen said with a smile.
Tian Ke secretly wondered if the newcomer was the Crown Prince's younger brother or cousin. He noticed the man's effeminate manner and wondered what help he could possibly offer the Crown Prince.
If Wen Yuxia knew that Tian Ke had labeled her as effeminate, she would definitely punch Tian Ke so hard that his jaw would be crooked.
Xia Yichen pulled Wen Yuxia aside and whispered the situation at Five Tiger Stronghold, asking her to help lead the soldiers up the mountain.
Wen Yuxia frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Bringing people up the mountain is no problem. Same rules as before, all of them will be given sleeping pills." Thinking that these soldiers would have to participate in the battle when they arrived at Five Tiger Stronghold, Wen Yuxia changed her words and said, "Press their acupoints to put them to sleep."
“Okay,” Xia Yichen immediately ordered a hidden soldier.
During training, soldiers on the roster were called out one by one in secret. Those whose names were called walked with their heads held high and lined up at the designated location. There were a total of two thousand soldiers whose names were called.
Xia Yichen said in a low voice, "Call Tian Ke, Li Chuan, Du Yang, and Zhang Xun." An Yi nodded and immediately called out, "Vice General Tian, Vice General Li, Vice General Du, and Young General Zhang."
"Here!" Tian Ke and the others replied, their voices tinged with excitement.
As arranged by Xia Yichen, the soldiers were divided into four teams of five hundred soldiers each. There were four teams in total. Tian Ke and others each led a team of soldiers to carry out Xia Yichen's instructions.