I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 329 - 251: Farewell

"Well... Prince, why don’t we sit down and talk? After all, it’s quite windy at the peak, County Princess, aren’t you cold too?"

Xie Yun looked at the people in front of him and cautiously advised.

He felt like he knew too much now and might not live to a ripe old age.

Thinking about having to deliver a message to Prince Rui after returning to the Capital City, Xie Yun felt even more that his days were numbered.

Rong Shuo took his suggestion, sat on a stone by the roadside sulking, and the makeup on his face started flaking off with a crackling sound.

Jiu scratched his head and whispered, "If the Prince doesn’t believe, you can verify it yourself—"

Rong Shuo drew his sword, "I’ll cut down you beast immediately!"

Heaven knows how much his heart ached when he saw his precious daughter hugging a wild man;

Heaven knows he almost fainted when he discovered that the wild man was a eunuch!

And then this wild man told him he was a real man!

Rong Shuo’s current mood was more complicated than facing an assassination publicly.

Rong Baoyi was also very shocked, but she quickly accepted the reality and then whispered in Jiu’s ear:

"I don’t believe it, can you let me verify it?"

"..." Jiu blushed and hid to the side.

After everyone calmed down, Rong Shuo wanted to return to the Capital City while Rong Baoyi still chose to go to the Southern Border.

She took out the command token Rong Shuo had once given her, which could command five hundred City Guards in the Capital City and said, even when Rong Shuo’s life was uncertain, she decided to head to the Southern Border and had never thought of using this token.

She wanted to really help Gu Lan through her own efforts, to bear the heavy burden that once rested on the shoulders of the Crown Prince of Dayan, rather than relying on the identity of the Crown Prince’s daughter.

Rong Shuo smiled and put the token back into her palm.

As the sun set in the west, Rong Shuo watched the black and white horses gradually fade into the distance; his previously upright stature seemed to age several years in an instant.

He had grown weary of the struggles, weary of the battles, and exhausted by endless dedication, growing disheartened with the Emperor and Empress Dowager, selfishly leaving the Southern Border, longing to see his mother.

Yet his daughter chose to go there on her own.

It turned out, Baoyi had more courage than he did.

*

Yinzhou City, having been busy reinforced by citizens and soldiers during these days, appeared grander than ever.

The spring wind raised the Black Dragon Flag standing tall on the city wall. On the other side, the King’s Flag still flew high and proud, though those who saw it had eyes tinged with sorrow.

"Young Master, the reinforcement troops from Wei Country led by Lu Jian should arrive at Yinzhou within three days. Meanwhile, the city guards of Wen City and Laiguang have... opened their gates and surrendered. Lu Jian sent a message: those who surrender will be rewarded with ranks, while those who resist will face massacre."

Su Yi spoke in a heavy tone, his gaze unusually deep.

Wen City and Laiguang City were small towns near Yinzhou, with guard numbers no more than a thousand. Even if Yinzhou provided support, it would be meaningless. Under the threat of massacre, their surrender was normal.

"It’s said that although the governor of Wen City surrendered, he committed suicide in front of the battle, and his entire family was executed and displayed by Lu Jian."

"Lu Jian..." Gu Lan murmured this name, "Investigate his background, his tactics, and character."

"Yes."

Tang Zhan added, "According to reports from scouts, Lu Jian brought thirty thousand infantry, ten thousand navy, and thirty thousand auxiliary soldiers, totaling an army claiming a hundred thousand."

The navy is now near Ling Port, and the governor of Lu State fears they might attack Ling Port and has requested our support."

The Southern Border had numerous ferries, among which Ling Port connected Lu State and Yinzhou, making it a vital strategic spot. Once occupied by the Wei Army, Lu State, like Yen State before, would turn into an isolated city.

Gu Lan turned her gaze to the citizens and guards within the city, her eyes sharp.

Currently, within the city, the supplies were still sufficient, but the truly capable soldier count was only two thousand.

"Ling Port must not be lost. Since they haven’t started to gather yet, we have to strike first. Xiao An, you lead two thousand archers, ambush upstream Lu River, and use incendiary arrows to attack the Wei Army’s front lines first to dampen their spirits, then withdraw into Ling Port to assist the governor. Their real target is Yinzhou, so they won’t attack Ling Port in the short term."

"Yes! I understand."

"Wei Junzhuo has returned to Bian, right?"

Tang Zhan said, "Yes, reportedly because Wei’s Crown Prince caused quite a stir in Bian, secretly taking the Wei Emperor to Lin’an, becoming the Prince Lin’an, causing a headache for the Wei Family siblings."

Gu Lan thought, Yuan Lang did a splendid job, stirring up trouble for Wei Junzhuo at this moment is truly commendable, and hopefully, he will continue his efforts.

"Looking at the timeline, that Young Prince is due within the next week or two."

"Indeed, the Wei siblings coercing Wei Country’s court officials lacks legitimacy, but once the Young Prince is born, everything will change, at which point it will be Yuan Lang accused of treason and usurpation."

At this moment, Rong Heng approached with a letter tube in hand.

"News from Magpie Workshop, Lu Jian is the disciple of Wei Junzhuo and holds him in great admiration. Before setting off, he vowed to capture Yinzhou as a gift for the Young Prince’s birth."

Gu Lan raised an eyebrow; only Brother Hang had guessed her intentions, starting the investigation with Lu Jian.

She curved her eyes, calmly said, "Then his gift might not get delivered."

Rong Heng handed the letter tube to Gu Lan, "This is a letter from your home."

Gu Lan opened the letter tube to find it was a message from Uncle Li.

After reading, she said, "Uncle Li mentioned that the court is aware of Lu Jian leading a hundred thousand troops, so the Emperor, not only ordered you to act as a supervisor but also my father to lead two thousand Dingyuan Iron Cavalry for support, making it no longer a case of fewer against more."

Hearing this, everyone sighed with relief.

With Dingyuan Marquis personally leading the Dingyuan Iron Cavalry, Yinzhou is no longer a scattered sand.

Moreover, two thousand against one hundred thousand made them uneasy; now increased to four thousand, with Dingyuan Army cavalry, it sounded much more reassuring.

Immediately, Young Master Gu said, "Yuan."

Wei Chengyuan silently appeared beside her.

"Tell Uncle Li to inform Marquis Gu that the Northern Territory can’t be left without Dingyuan Marquis; he doesn’t need to come as long as the troops arrive."

"Okay, Lanlan." Wei Chengyuan accepted the order without question and left.

"Why is that?" Tang Zhan asked in confusion.

"Yeah, the Northern Territory is stable now. If Marquis Gu comes to our Southern Border, we could surely defeat the Wei Army—" Xiao An also asked in puzzlement.

"The Northern Territory might not be stable," Gu Lan said calmly, "The Southern and Northern Territories are far apart; once my father arrives here, any incident in the Northern Territory would be even harder to deal with."

She remembered that in the original story, after Gu Chengzhao and Rong Heng came to the Southern Border to assume command, the Qiangrong tribes suddenly united to attack Dingbei Pass and slaughtered civilians, causing tremendous distress during that time in Dayan.

"I understand."

"Only, we don’t know when Dingyuan Army can arrive."

"Lu Jian’s hundred thousand troops could reach the city gates tomorrow or the day after..."

Gu Lan looked around everyone and solemnly said:

"We used to have neither soldiers nor food, yet held out till now. Vice Minister Xie left enough supplies before he left for the army to last months; our task is not to worry, but... to avenge the Prince."

Mentioning Crown Prince, all the generals at the city head fell silent, a suppressed and restrained hatred spreading among them.

"Yes, we not only need to defend Yinzhou but avenge the Prince!"

Gu Lan squinted her eyes toward the distant plumes of smoke from the Wei Army’s camp, murmuring:

"You have to admit, brother’s death really does boost morale."

Rong Heng, standing beside her, nodded:

"Farewell, brother."

At this moment, having returned to the Capital City, nestled in the Princess Consort’s arms, Rong Shuo sneezed violently.

"Who is thinking of me?"