Wei Dongling said coldly, "Do you know that the dog emperor of the Celestial Dynasty has signed a contract with the prince of Xiliang? When their marriage takes place, it will be the time when Xiliang sends 100,000 troops to assist the Celestial Dynasty in attacking our Iron Cavalry Army!"
"What?" All the generals were struck like thunder upon hearing this.
General Cui broke out in a cold sweat on his back. The fact that Hanzhong City had not been captured for a long time was largely due to the resourceful generals sent by the Celestial Dynasty! Once they got the backing of Xiliang's 100,000 troops, they would surely grow powerful! The Northwest Iron Cavalry Army only had 130,000 men. They would surely get no advantage at all.
Seeing General Cui's face changing, Wei Dongling pretended to be worried and sighed deeply, "I'm afraid that once Xiliang sends its troops, the two countries joining hands could wipe out our Iron Cavalry Army! Our Northwest Iron Cavalry has spent so much effort to reach this scale! If it is destroyed just like this, I, as the general, can only commit suicide to atone for my sins!"
Hearing her description, General Cui felt his heart wrenching. His face turned pale and he murmured, "What should we do? Should we withdraw our troops and avoid their edge for the time being?"
Wei Dongling lowered her head and sighed, "Avoiding their edge for the time being is not a long - term solution! If the two countries are determined to invade, trample on our land and oppress our people, what then?"
Cold sweat trickled down General Cui's forehead. He trembled and said, "Then let's report this matter truthfully and ask the king to send more troops. What's your opinion, General Flying?" Whether the king agreed or not, reporting it in time, even if the result was not satisfactory, at least there would be an explanation!
Wei Dongling pondered for a while and nodded, "We really should report it truthfully. However, the king may not have spare troops to support us. If he did, he would have done so earlier."
Hearing this, General Cui's face turned even paler. He asked anxiously, "Then according to you, General Flying, what should we do about this matter?"
This was exactly the question Wei Dongling had been waiting for. She let out a long sigh and said in a deep voice, "There is a way, but it may be a bit risky."
Hearing this, General Cui quickly said, "I'd like to hear the details!"
Wei Dongling said in a deep voice, "Xiliang's grand wedding is imminent and its 100,000 troops are just about to assemble. We can take them by surprise and capture Jiangcheng in Xiliang in one fell swoop!"
General Cui was shocked and said, "Do you mean that our 130,000 iron cavalry will give up attacking Hanzhong and turn to attack Jiangcheng in Xiliang? How can this be done? Not to mention the losses in the battle between the two armies. If the Celestial Dynasty attacks us at this time, won't we be caught between two fires?"
Wei Dongling waved her hand and said, "What if we sign a truce contract with the Celestial Dynasty and make them cooperate with us during the truce period? The two armies can join hands and wipe out Xiliang's 100,000 elite troops in one fell swoop."
General Cui was extremely surprised and trembled, "They are about to get married. How would the Celestial Dynasty be willing to sign such a contract with us?"
Wei Dongling waved her hand and said, "You don't have to worry about this. The Ninth Prince of the Celestial Dynasty has a weakness in my hands. He will surely obey me obediently when it comes to joining hands with our Northwest Iron Cavalry Army to attack Xiliang!"
General Cui was both surprised and doubtful. He asked hesitantly, "Is this true?"
Wei Dongling sneered, "When I step in, there's no way Murong Yuchen won't agree! Tomorrow at the Hour of the Boar, you can just bring your men to the pavilion ten li outside Hanzhong to discuss matters with confidence!"
Seeing General Flying so confident, General Cui was both surprised and a bit skeptical. If things were really as General Flying said, the two armies joining hands to attack Xiliang first could not only relieve the imminent plight of the Iron Cavalry Army but also directly cut off the Celestial Dynasty's backup support. This was indeed an excellent method. But he was afraid that taking a risky move might lead to some mistakes!
General Cui pondered for a while and finally bowed and said, "I will surely arrive on time!"
General Flying nodded as if satisfied. Standing on the tree branch, she leaped lightly and instantly covered a great distance.
Everyone watched as General Flying moved so fast. After a few leaps, she completely disappeared on the other side of the dense forest. They were both in awe and excited. They had long heard of General Flying's reputation, and now seeing her in person, they were truly in awe!
Wei Dongling was a bit exhausted, but in front of the Iron Cavalry Army, she still gritted her teeth and ran a long way. It was not until she saw Cui Huan waiting eagerly from afar that she slowly landed on the ground and staggered and fell.
Cui Huan picked up Wei Dongling, who was cold all over, with a heart - aching look. She quickly wrapped her tightly with a felt blanket and carried her back to the carriage.
When Wei Dongling woke up again, it was already bright. There was a circle of people around the bed.
The Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen, with red eyes, quickly bowed and called, "Fifth Royal Sister!" He had only learned of Shangguan Yun's death last night. Murong Yuchen was shocked, angry and sad. He tossed and turned all night and could not fall asleep. Now seeing Wei Dongling wake up, he could no longer hold back his tears.
Looking at the dejected Murong Yuchen in front of her, Wei Dongling felt sad too. She waved her hand and murmured, "Murong Wanlin is dead. Your Highness Ninth Prince, please just call me Miss Wei."
Murong Yuchen nodded gently. Wei Dongling had secretly sent the news of the Fifth Princess's death in a foreign land to the capital. He naturally knew that to avoid unnecessary trouble, he should not call her royal sister casually in the future.
Wei Dongling scanned the people around. Seeing that they were all her own people, she sat up and carefully told Murong Yuchen about the plan to encircle Xiliang.
As long as Zhao Chuanyi was alive, she would feel a stabbing pain in her heart and could not fall asleep at night! If she didn't peel a layer of skin off the prince of Xiliang this time, she could not relieve her hatred!
Hearing this, Murong Yuchen's face turned pale. He trembled and asked, "Truce with the Iron Cavalry Army and join hands to attack Xiliang? Royal... Miss Wei, isn't this too risky? What if the Iron Cavalry Army pretends to agree but actually plays a trick and refuses to join hands with us? Instead, they attack us from behind. What then?"
Wei Dongling said firmly, "With me here, it won't happen like that!"
Murong Yuchen was still very worried. After thinking for a long time, he nodded and said, "I need to discuss this with the senior generals in the army for a while."
Wei Dongling nodded and said, "Just give me a reply before the Hour of the Boar tonight." With that, she waved her hand and asked Jing Zhe to send Murong Yuchen out.
Seeing her wake up, Cui Huan quickly asked the cook in the inn to make a bowl of mutton - offal noodles and bring it up for Wei Dongling to warm herself up.
Wei Dongling looked around the room in the inn. Oh! Wasn't this the inn they had stayed in in Hanzhong City before? Aunt Fang, the innkeeper, had even helped her sell milk tea!
The mutton - offal noodles in their inn still had the familiar taste. After taking a sip, her whole stomach felt warm.
Ruan Niang brought over the boiled Chinese medicine.
Seeing the thick, black medicine and smelling its bitter taste from afar, Wei Dongling couldn't help frowning and hesitated to drink it.
Ruan Niang sighed, "Your body is extremely weak and your heart - palpitating illness is too severe. I've spent a great deal to find these medicinal herbs for you! If you don't want to drink it, I really have no other way to save you."