Tian Yishui's words were truly irrefutable.
They shattered all of Song Yinghuai's hopes.
After he finished speaking, instead of improving, Song Yinghuai's face gradually lost its color.
There was no Caiyu.
There was no Sheng Jiangli.
In the end, it was all just an illusory dream!
Song Yinghuai sat there blankly on the bed, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Cold sweat broke out on Tian Yishui's back. He secretly thanked the lucky stars that the young master Sheng had been so farsighted. He had actually guessed what the general in front of him would ask and prepared answers for Tian Yishui to memorize.
Oh my goodness!
It took Song Yinghuai a long time to come to his senses. Confirming that his guess was wrong, he forced a smile and thanked the couple.
The Tian couple bowed and scraped in response, then backed out.
Lan Guifan, standing on the side, was also extremely shocked.
He didn't know what had happened between his third sister, Brother Sheng, and the Prince of Yan. But based on his observations in the past few days, he had developed a great admiration for the Prince of Yan.
How could there be someone in this world so calm and intelligent?
Even Brother A Li couldn't compare.
After confirming that he must have had an illusion due to his excessive longing for Caiyu at that time, Song Yinghuai cheered himself up. He took out a jade pendant and handed it to Lan Guifan.
"Please, young friend, take this jade pendant and find the Yan troops nearby. Once they arrive, I will surely fulfill my promise."
Lan Guifan took the jade pendant and went to find Sheng Jiangli.
Within a day, a large number of Yan troops poured into Qingshui Village.
Xu Buyue was the first to push open the small wooden door.
"Fourth brother!"
The Princess of Nan'an flew towards the man lying on the bed like a young swallow and hugged him tightly.
"You're alive, you're alive..."
Before she could finish her words, tears streamed down her face.
The princess, who was usually as bold as a man, was crying like a little girl at this moment.
Song Yinghuai was seriously injured and couldn't dodge the princess's embrace.
His eyes met Zhu Xiao's over Xu Buyue's shoulder, and he gave him a subtle look.
Zhu Xiao received the hint and sighed silently.
Caiyu had been dead for a year, and they were all worried about the prince's future.
Without Caiyu, the princess was a good match!
Why couldn't the prince accept her?
Zhu Xiao stepped forward and patted Xu Buyue's shoulder. "Princess, your armor is hurting the prince's wounds."
Only then did Xu Buyue let go in a hurry. She stood there, glaring at Song Yinghuai with her heroic eyes.
"Fourth brother really scared everyone this time. Fortunately, you're a lucky man. After surviving this disaster, you'll surely enjoy good fortune in the future."
Song Yinghuai's expression was cold. "I don't ask for good fortune. If there is any, I only hope it will befall Caiyu. I hope we can be together in the next life."
Xu Buyue was stunned and stood there speechless.
After a long time, she hesitated. "Fourth brother... If there is a next life, I'm willing to exchange all my good fortune in this life for your reunion. But in this life, can you take a look at me?"
Large flakes of snow swirled in and landed on Song Yinghuai's cheeks.
From the small hill in the distance, the man was lying on the bed and the woman was standing quietly beside him. It was a very beautiful picture.
Caiyu stood there and watched for a long time. Her hands and feet were almost frozen before she turned around and left.
The princess and the prince.
They were truly a perfect match.
Sheng Jiangli harnessed the carriage and said to her, "You and A Ye go into the city first. I'll join you after Fan'er gets his silver. Be careful."
He said with a big smile, "Goodness! A thousand taels of gold!"
"No more need to go up the mountain to gather herbs!"
In January of the second year of the Xuanwen era of Daye.
Tatar's Wendusu and his 300,000 troops were counterattacked by the Yan army in the Qilian Mountains. Wendusu was defeated and fled north with his remaining troops. Finally, he reached Lake Nawuer -
The blue lake where the Tatars had once won a victory and established a stalemate with Daye for several years.
Here, Wendusu walked into a trap set by Ma Mo and Fang Kuan.
There were Yan troops chasing from behind and encircling from the front.
Now, Lake Nawuer was no longer the mother lake of the Tatar tribe, but their eternal burial ground!
In Shangjing, spring was in the air. The sky was blue, and the birds were singing.
"Report -"
The battle report from the front line was delivered at full speed. The courier horse galloped on the imperial avenue, and its hooves echoed through the sky.
"The Yan army has won a great victory!"
"Wendusu of the Tatars and his remaining 100,000 troops were all buried in Lake Nawuer!"
"The Yan army has won a great victory!"
"The Yan army has won a great victory!"
The roars and shouts echoed over the towering city walls.
The whole country of Daye was jubilant.
The young emperor sat high in the Chengde Hall, accepting the congratulations of the officials.
Song Xiuzhu was holding the battle report from the front line.
There was a look of joy on his childish face at first, but his hands and feet turned cold when he read halfway through. The battle report fluttered to the ground at his feet.
"Ten... 100,000 Tatars... were all driven into the lake and fed to the fish?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said the sentry on the courier horse. He didn't notice the young emperor's unusual timidity but said excitedly, "At that time, Lake Nawuer was frozen. Wendusu dug a natural moat in the center of the lake, making it impossible for our army to cross the water."
"But the prince has many talented people under his command. A general named Leng Fei developed a musket in the Divine Machine Camp. It was extremely powerful, with a range ten times that of an iron arrow."
"At that time, the muskets were fired in unison, and all the remaining Tatar troops on the other side of the lake were shot into the lake."
"The prince then ordered a large amount of gunpowder to be used to blow up the ice cracks, burying them all at the bottom of the lake."
"The scene was so horrible. The fish in the lake were tearing at the corpses and the living. The blood stained the entire Lake Nawuer red. Even the ice was red..."
"Enough! Stop talking!" The young emperor's face was pale. He almost vomited when he imagined the scene.
Li Muge, the newly appointed Minister of War, quickly waved his hand at the sentry and told him to leave.
The young emperor took a deep breath and then said in shock, "Uncle Regent's actions... were too cruel."
"A hundred thousand lives!"
Li Muge said, "Your humble servant also thinks that the prince's actions were a bit too brutal. In fact, I think accepting their surrender would have been the best option. The two countries could have coexisted peacefully in the future. The Tatar tribe could have become a vassal state of our Daye and paid tribute every year. Wouldn't that have been a win - win situation?"
"If we let the surrounding small countries think that our Celestial Empire is cruel and inhumane, and that our emperor is a blood - thirsty person, what will we do if they become estranged from our country in the future?"
The young emperor nodded repeatedly. "This world should be governed with benevolence."
Xu Ziyi's eyes flashed slightly. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. But governing the world with benevolence is suitable for a peaceful era. Now, the country has just been established, and there are enemies on all sides. There are the Tatars in the north, the Quanrong in the west, the barbarians in the south, and the Japanese pirates in the east."
"Your humble servant thinks that the Regent's actions were to serve as a warning to others and prevent the surrounding countries from being presumptuous. Stopping war with war is also a strategy for governing the country."
Li Muge said, "Your Excellency Xu is wrong. Our Daye is already in a peaceful era. What's the need for stopping war with war? Your humble servant thinks that the Regent just wanted to vent his anger because he was defeated by the Tatars in the past."
Xu Ziyi's eyes were cold. He glanced at Li Muge. "The people's livelihood is withered, industries are not thriving, there are enemies on all sides, the young emperor is still young, and the vassal states are divided. Where is the so - called peaceful era? If the Regent didn't use drastic measures to suppress them, which of the surrounding small countries or the vassal kings of Daye wouldn't try to harm the young emperor?"
"At that time, does Lord Li think he can lead the army to resist the enemy, boost the national strength, or provide enough food and horses for the soldiers of Daye?"
"I..." Li Muge was speechless.
The young emperor quickly smoothed things over. "Alright, alright. Anyway, the great victory of the Yan army is a great joy. Please stop arguing, my two beloved ministers."
After sitting down, he said to Eunuch Cen, "Draft an imperial edict to order the Regent, the Princess of Nan'an, and the troops of the capital, the Yan army, and the Xu family to return to the capital in triumph. I will reward the whole country generously!"