Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 381 - 380. The King’s Design

380. Father’s Plan

In the main camp of the Mo Family Army, Mo Xiaobao sat attentively in a corner of the great tent writing large characters while simultaneously and surreptitiously listening to the conversation between Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li, and a group of military generals. Mo Xiuyao had sent capable generals like Lv Jinxian to the southern line, so the northern war front under Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li was left with only young generals such as Yun Ting and Chen Yun. However, as the saying goes, "a newborn calf does not fear the tiger." These young officers, entrusted with such significant command for the first time, were naturally filled with confidence and vigorous spirit. Having tasted victory a few times, they abandoned the little worry they initially held, and their morale was high every day.

Mo Xiuyao looked calmly at the young generals below, smiled faintly, and said, "What have you all felt after these few days? Why don’t you share your thoughts with me?" The generals looked at each other in puzzlement, then turned to glance at Princess Consort Ding, who sat to one side with a faint smile and did not speak. Yun Ting said, "We have been winning these past few days, does my Lord think... there’s anything wrong?" Mo Xiuyao laughed and replied, "Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to know your thoughts." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

After a moment of silence, Chen Yun said, "Although we have been winning consecutively, it is mostly because the Beirong are not skilled at defending cities. If they give up defending the city and face our army in a head-on battle, I’m afraid... we won’t win that easily."

When Chen Yun finished, all the generals fell silent. Indeed, it wasn’t the first time they had clashed with the Beirong. If victory could be gained so easily, they would not have fought for such a long time. The Beirong were fierce fighters, not as easily defeated as they thought. However, the consecutive victories in these few days had subtly given them a sense that the Beirong were nothing special. While it is good not to fear the enemy, underestimating the enemy can be detrimental. Therefore, facing the pleading looks from the generals, Ye Li, contrary to her usual behavior, chose to ignore them. Generals like Chen Yun and Yun Ting, having undergone years of study and training, were no less experienced in warfare than veteran generals. What they lacked was the experience of taking full responsibility and the mindset of remaining composed whether in victory or defeat. But this attitude could only be honed through countless victories and defeats. Consequently, when they won, they were more prone to complacency than veteran generals, and when defeated, they were more susceptible to collapse.

After a long silence, Mo Xiuyao nodded and said, "It is good that you’ve understood." The generals, who felt ashamed of their hubris brought about by the recent victories, were relieved to see that their Lord was not angry. Yun Ting hesitated, then asked, "Is my Lord suggesting that the Beirong will soon change their tactics?"

Mo Xiuyao replied, "If they continue to lose battles and do not change their tactics, then the Beirong are truly beyond help. Do all of you understand what to do next?" All the generals replied in unison, "We understand!"

Mo Xiuyao nodded again, and without inquiring about what they understood, said, "If you understand, then go ahead with the preparations."

The generals saluted and exited the tent. Mo Xiuyao turned his head to see Mo Xiaobao sprawled on the table, listening to the conversation between the generals with great interest. Seeing the generals leave, his face showed an expression of regret that he didn’t have time to hide. Mo Xiuyao slightly narrowed his eyes and glanced at him, causing Mo Xiaobao to shrink his small head and promptly lower it, pretending to be engrossed in writing. Mo Xiuyao watched him for a moment before asking leisurely, "Did you understand our conversation just now?" Mo Xiaobao looked up, his bright eyes darted from side to side. Realizing that Mo Xiuyao was not addressing anyone else, he quickly gave a winning smile. "Father, I understood."

Mo Xiuyao asked, "What did you understand?"

Mo Xiaobao obediently replied, "Father was reminding the generals not to become arrogant due to temporary victory and underestimate the enemy. The reason why our army won so easily these days is that the Beirong army is not good at defending cities, and our army attacked their weakness with our strengths. If the Beirong change their tactics, our army could easily become flustered due to carelessness." Mo Xiuyao nodded, seemingly agreeing with Mo Xiaobao’s words, raised his eyebrows at him and asked, "So, what should we do if the Beirong army stands against us in a head-to-head battle?"

"Uh... this..." Mo Xiaobao contemplated for a while with a wrinkled brow, then suddenly his eyes sparkled. He looked at Mo Xiuyao expectantly and said, "The Beirong cavalry is skilled in fighting on the plains with their great speed. We could lure them into the mountains. The Beirong are unfamiliar with the terrain, and their cavalry is not skilled at mountain warfare. We could surely win!" After finishing, Mo Xiaobao blinked his eyes triumphantly; his big eyes seemed to scream, ’Praise me! Praise me!’

Mo Xiuyao gave a lighthearted laugh and flicked his forehead, saying amusedly, "Considering your age, it’s commendable that you thought of so much."

Is this a compliment or not? My great-uncle and great-grandfather would never praise people like this. Great-grandfather always said Chen’er is very clever! Dumbfounded, Mo Xiaobao stared discontentedly at his father.

Feeling slighted by his father, Mo Xiaobao threw himself petulantly into Ye Li’s arms and said, "Mother, Father is bullying me!" Ye Li patted his head with an amused smile and said, "Your father was clearly praising you, how did it become bullying?" Mo Xiaobao pouted. "Xiaobao is not young; thinking so much is pretty good. Xiaobao’s ideas are very good. Both great-grandfather and great-uncle praised Xiaobao for being smart."

Ye Li sighed resignedly and, smiling at Mo Xiaobao, said, "But the things you thought of could be thought of by anyone and are not especially brilliant. Why don’t you... go ask Yun Ting and the others, see if they can think of the same?" Actually, adults praising children for being smart is quite ordinary, and Mo Xiaobao certainly deserved to be praised for his intelligence. But unfortunately for him, those who praised him were not ordinary people; thus, Mo Xiaobao tended to believe that he was the most invincibly intelligent person in the world. Now, having been just slightly criticized by Mo Xiuyao, he was somewhat unhappy.

"Mmm..." Resting his head on Ye Li’s lap, Mo Xiaobao gazed at her pitifully.

Ye Li gently caressed her son’s head, laughing softly. "Furthermore, your father is right. Due to your young age and limited knowledge, there are naturally many things you have yet to grasp. This doesn’t mean our little treasure isn’t smart." Nearby, Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows, took out two books, and placed them in front of Mo Xiaobao. "Read these two books thoroughly," he said, "then write down your thoughts on how this battle should be fought and show me. If it’s well written, I will acknowledge your intelligence."

Mo Xiaobao’s eyes lit up. Every child longs for their father’s approval and praise. Yet his interactions with Mo Xiuyao had mainly consisted of one blow after another. Despite usually appearing to resent his father, Mo Xiaobao grew more determined when it came to Mo Xiuyao’s commendations. Indeed, as soon as Mo Xiuyao finished speaking, Mo Xiaobao eagerly grabbed the books, hugging them in his arms and said, "Deal! If I come up with a good strategy, Father must implement my tactics against the enemy!"

Without hesitation, Mo Xiuyao nodded and chuckled, "No problem. These next few days, stay in the tent and study these books. Your father will also have someone bring some documents about the Beirong for reference. As long as your plan withstands scrutiny and testing, I will not only use it but also announce to the world that this battle was directed by you, Mo Xiaobao."

"It’s Mo Yuchen!" Mo Xiaobao corrected with a touch of disgruntlement and pride. Being referred to as Xiaobao simply isn’t grand enough. He could only imagine what it would feel like to hear people discussing ’Prince Ding’s Mansion’s Mo Xiaobao is so xxx...’ once he achieved something of note.

"Alright," Mo Xiuyao nodded. "As long as you achieve this, I will stop calling you Mo Xiaobao. But if not... you’ll have to shout three times in front of the entire camp, ’I, the Heir, am called Mo Xiaobao.’"

"Agreed! A word is a deal. A gentleman’s word..." Mo Xiaobao began.

Mo Xiuyao, glancing disdainfully at Mo Xiaobao’s short stature, lazily completed, "...is swift as a whip to a fast horse."

Thus, Mo Xiaobao, now with a sudden goal, hurriedly picked up the two thick books and dashed out of the tent, waving goodbye to Ye Li. "Mother, wait and see—I’ll make you proud."

My son, although Mother is also used to calling you Mo Xiaobao, I still don’t want the whole world to know you as Xiaobao. Ye Li couldn’t help but bury her face in her hands and chuckle.

Ye Li, looking at Mo Xiuyao with an ambiguous smile, said faintly, "Prince, you really have too much leisure... scheming against a child of a few years."

Mo Xiuyao responded with a grin, "I clearly made a fair agreement with him. How could you call it scheming?" Ye Li replied, "Is that so? By the time Xiaobao finishes reading the two books you gave him and the scrolls you’ll have sent to him, and figures out a strategy, likely a month or two will have passed, won’t it?" By then, let alone having a discussion about how to deal with the Beirong cavalry, the grand outcome of the battles between the Mo Family Army and the Beirong would have already been decided. Even though Mo Xiaobao was smart, he was still a child. Other children his age were just beginning their primary education. The two books Mo Xiuyao gave him were not only thick but also extraordinarily complex and difficult to understand. Even Yun Ting had taken two or three months to comprehend them when he first read them. This was an even greater challenge for Mo Xiaobao, who hadn’t even fully recognized all the characters yet.

Therefore, this bet from the start was a deliberate scheme by Mo Xiuyao to undermine Mo Xiaobao’s confidence.

"Since you knew, Ah-Li, why didn’t you expose it?" Mo Xiuyao asked, smiling. "Doesn’t it mean that you also think there’s nothing wrong with what I’ve done?"

Ye Li was silent. Indeed, Mo Xiaobao had been a bit arrogant lately. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reacted so strongly to even the slightest praise from Mo Xiuyao. A minor setback wouldn’t do him much harm; after all, he had many people boosting his confidence.

Ye Li, looking somewhat helplessly at Mo Xiuyao’s dangerously smiling handsome face, said, "Be careful, he may throw tantrums at you in the future." Mo Xiuyao whispered, "That kid is a master opportunist; he will only go against you. He understood early on his father’s unyielding nature, so he generally doesn’t dare to mess around with me. Besides, his goal is to surpass me and then step heavily on my head. If he throws tantrums now, and later, when he wins against me, I publicize this fact, wouldn’t his prestige as the Heir of Prince Ding vanish into thin air?"

At his words, Ye Li was speechless.

Sure enough, just as Mo Xiuyao predicted, the next day the Beirong army had already changed their tactics. They no longer waited for the Mo Family Army to attack the city as usual. Instead, they took the initiative to lead their cavalry out of the city to directly do battle with the Mo Family Army on the ground several li outside the city. Even though the Mo Family Army had prepared, they were still troubled by the fierce charge of the Beirong cavalry. Not only did the number of casualties increase, but they also hadn’t even reached the city walls, let alone breached them. Although the Beirong also suffered losses, the two sides were pretty even in damage. This was an enormous difference compared to the easy victories they had achieved before.

When they returned to the camp, the generals gathered to discuss how to handle the Beirong cavalry. In fact, the Mo Family Army had amassed plenty of experience in dealing with Beirong cavalry, having fought them many times. The formidable Black Cloud Cavalry owed its strength in large part to the existence of the Beirong’s cavalry. However, such large-scale battles were rare in the history of both countries. Even when the Mo Family Army suffered heavy casualties years ago, it was because those deaths were unjust rather than battle-related. The casualties on the battlefield this time were greater than before. Therefore, countering cavalry with cavalry was no longer appropriate. The Black Cloud Cavalry, due to its development over the past few years, numbered only about 150,000, but the Beirong army was almost entirely cavalry.

"Any good ideas?" Chen Yun asked.

Next to him, Sun Yaowu laughed and said, "The horses of Beirong are indeed formidable, but if their horses can’t run..." Sun Yaowu was a military officer who came from a rough background; his war tactics were often rather crafty. Yun Ting was perplexed, furrowing his eyebrows and asking, "Are you suggesting poisoning their horses? But their warhorses are the foundation of the Beirong army. They surely have guards watching them closely. Trying to administer poison... even with Qilin’s help, it would be difficult." Not to mention, how much poison would it take to incapacitate all those horses? And it would need to be done simultaneously to succeed. But for hundreds of thousands of horses... how many people would be needed to poison them?

Sun Yaowu snapped back at him, "Of course we’re not going to send people to poison them. Even sending someone to assassinate Yelv Ye would be more feasible than poisoning the horses." They had all been working together for some time and knew each other’s temperaments, so Yun Ting didn’t take offense. He turned to Sun Yaowu and asked, "What’s your plan then? Surely you’re not just talking for talking’s sake?"

Sun Yaowu laughed. "Does this general look like he just blabs? We could do this..." He leaned in and whispered his idea into Yun Ting’s ear. As soon as he heard it, Yun Ting’s eyes lit up. He leaned over and whispered into Chen Yun’s ear as well. The group huddled around the fire, and the atmosphere immediately became lively. Sun Yaowu’s method seemed to have sparked their imaginations, and they all started tossing ideas back and forth animatedly.

"I think we could do it like this..." suggested Yun Ting.

"I think this would be better..." said Zhou Min, his face full of pride.

"Actually, I believe this would be even better..." added Chen Yun.

In a concealed spot not far away, Ye Li stood beside Mo Xiuyao, watching with amusement as the generals huddled around the fire, engaged in a fierce discussion. She laughed and said, "It seems like the reminder earlier was useful. Today’s battle didn’t dampen their spirits at all, and they seem even more motivated now." Mo Xiuyao nodded. "If they can’t overcome such minor setbacks, they don’t belong in the Mo Family Army."

"Do you think their methods will work, Xiuyao?"

"We’ll find out tomorrow."

The next day on the battlefield, as soon as fighting began, the Mo Family Army began using all sorts of strange tactics. They had bags of hay and horse feed tied to the backs of their horses. Once emptied onto the ground, the Beirong horses, smelling the feed they loved, found it irresistible. Given that Beirong’s feed stocks were already running low, their horses were naturally drawn to the feed and started eating. This made them easy targets for the Mo Family Army soldiers to either kill them or incapacitate them with the drug mixed in the feed.

Additionally, they had prepared various strange traps made of ropes, long spears, crossbows, and so on. Anything one could think of, they had. Although these objects seemed to be hastily made overnight, they still caused significant damage to the Beirong army. For the second day in a row, the day ended with Beirong’s retreat.

Inside the Beirong camp, Yelv Ye was once again furious. He knew that today’s defeat wasn’t solely Helian Peng’s fault, but consecutive defeats had made it hard not to blame him, even if just to vent his own anger.

Helian Peng didn’t try to defend himself but knelt silently in the middle of the tent, waiting for Yelv Ye to finish venting his fury.

After venting, Yelv Ye felt somewhat remorseful looking at Helian Peng kneeling in the tent and waved his hand. "General Helian, you may rise," he said. Helian Peng responded somberly, "I failed to command the troops effectively. Please, Seventh Prince, hold me accountable." Yelv Ye sighed. "It’s not entirely your fault. The people of Prince Ding’s Mansion have always been full of tricks. Who knew they would come up with such a devious idea." And for the Mo Family Army to come up with such a tactic, it must be because they understood Beirong’s weakness: their dwindling feed supply.

Helian Peng replied, "Don’t worry, Seventh Prince. They can only pull off this plan once. Now that we’re prepared, this trick will be useless. But there is the danger of them coming up with another tactic."

Yelv Ye frowned. "General Helian, do you have any countermeasures?"

Helian Peng said, "Our previous assumptions weren’t incorrect. The Beirong horsemen indeed caused a lot of trouble for the Mo Family Army. Otherwise, there’s no reason the Mo Family Army would opt to consume their own resources to deal with our cavalry. My suggestion is that we speed up and launch more intense attacks on the Mo Family Army, leaving them no time to react."

After pondering a moment, Yelv Ye replied, "Very well, we’ll do as you propose."

"Your Grace, an envoy from the Royal Court is seeking an audience," reported the guard outside the tent. Yelv Ye and Helian Peng exchanged a glance. Yelv Ye, frowning, said, "An envoy from the Royal Court... at this time... Why would my father send someone..."

Helian Peng replied solemnly, "Your Grace, if the King is sending an envoy at a time like this—unless he intends to commend your efforts—then I fear... something is seriously wrong." Everyone understood that the Beirong were at a disadvantage with consecutive defeats in battles. The notion of a reward sounded incredulous. Yelv Ye knew the likely truth and nodded, then ordered, "Invite my uncle to join us." In response, Helian Peng acknowledged, "Yes."

In a short while, Helian Zhen and Helian Peng entered the large tent, around the same time as the envoy from the Royal Court. The man stood respectfully in the tent facing Yelv Ye. However, Helian Zhen and Helian Peng felt a sense of dread. This man was an associate of Yelv Hong. The fact that the King of Beirong’s envoy at this time was from the Crown Prince’s faction spoke volumes.

The envoy glanced at Helian Zhen and Helian Peng, then proceeded to ask with a smile, "Seventh Prince, may I now read the royal edict?"

Yelv Ye nodded solemnly. "Please proceed."

The envoy seemed undeterred by his icy demeanor, unrolled a piece of bright yellow silk, and began to read loudly, "The Great King decrees: Seventh Prince has led the troops ineffectively, suffering numerous defeats, losing soldiers and generals..." He began to read the long decree. Its essence was a harsh criticism of Yelv Ye for leading the troops into defeat, causing Beirong heavy losses in manpower and morale. The decree also mentioned that Yelv Ye had urgently submitted a request for reinforcements. The King of Beirong ordered Yelv Ye to defeat Mo Xiuyao and the Mo Family Army within two months, or he would be replaced. Though the decree didn’t explicitly mention by whom, Yelv Ye could guess. If he failed, the ultimate beneficiary would naturally be the Crown Prince, Yelv Hong.

"Seventh Prince, have you understood the King’s decree?" the envoy asked with a smile after reading the edict. "The King is anxious about the situation in Great Chu and deeply concerned. He hopes that you can understand."

Yelv Ye grumbled under his breath and replied coldly, "Thank you for your reminder, Ambassador. I understand."

The envoy smiled. "Good. Since that’s the case, I will accompany Your Grace in the military camp during these days. This way, I can promptly report the good news to the Great King."

He’s here to supervise the army!

Yelv Ye squinted. Beirong had never had the practice of military supervision. Whoever led the troops was in charge. But as this envoy came with the King of Beirong’s orders, he certainly held the authority to control the Beirong’s forces. Consequently, Yelv Ye, as a prince and commander, would have his hands tied and could be reported to the King of Beirong at any time. Yelv Ye understood that the current situation was extremely unfavorable for him, and it was likely his father was discontent with him at the Royal Court. The best option would naturally be to hand over military power to Helian Zhen and hurry back to the Royal Court to explain himself to his father. After all, for a prince, nothing was more important than the King of Beirong’s trust. But Yelv Ye also understood that once he left, Helian Zhen, who hadn’t led troops in over a decade, might not be able to control the hundreds of thousands of soldiers. If the troops were to fall into Yelv Hong’s hands, Yelv Ye would truly have nothing left.

Yelv Ye stared at the envoy with an impassive expression, a flash of ruthless intent in his eyes. He lightly nodded. "If that’s the case... we’ll impose upon you, sir."

Since I’m already a step behind, the Crown Prince has probably made all preparations at the Royal Court. In that case... why should I retreat further? My father’s trust and military authority—I must hold onto one of them.

It seemed that the envoy failed to notice the chilling undertone in Yelv Ye’s words. He simply replied with a smile, "Thank you, Your Grace."