Chapter 258: Trip to Raojiang (Part )
Dark clouds over the city.

When Xiao Yan arrived at Changsha Prefecture, it was already mid-to-late winter. At the post station outside the city, he met Ma Xiyue, the Crown Prince of Chu, and Ma Xisheng, the second son of the King of Chu, who were specifically responsible for receiving the Daliang envoys.

There are more than ten children recorded in the books of King Ma Yin of Chu, with different levels of importance, but he specially sent his crown prince and his most beloved second son to personally come to the post station to receive Xiao Yan and his party, which shows how much importance he attaches to the Daliang delegation.

The Crown Prince Ma Xiyue was over twenty years old and had a pair of long eyebrows, which made him look very distinctive. He was also very familiar with people and well-mannered. He also had a generous personality. In just one day, he left a good impression on the entire delegation.

As for the second son, Ma Xisheng, he was not yet of age and had little interest in the reception. After showing up once, he was rarely seen again. All matters were naturally handled by his eldest brother. An accompanying official introduced him to Xiao Yan, saying that this second son of the King of Chu was quite cynical, did not like reading and had no interest in martial arts. His biggest hobbies were playing polo and Cuju. His reputation in the Chu court and the public was not high.

However, because Ma Xisheng's mother was the most beloved concubine of King Ma Yin of Chu, she also had a very high status. At a young age, she was appointed by the King of Chu to judge the military affairs inside and outside the country, and her treatment was higher than that of the crown prince.

Of course, Xiao Yan just remained silent on this.

Although the Chu State was nominally a vassal of Daliang, it was also one of the strongest vassal states in the south, not much weaker than the Shu State. It had a complete range of cavalry, infantry, and naval forces, and also had guard troops. Although its combat power was not as strong as that of the Daliang Imperial Army, it could still bully a few neighbors.

In addition, the tea trade of Chu State spread across the north and south. Even in the trade that Xiao Yan conducted in Mobei, there were tea merchants from Chu State. Therefore, the economy of Chu State was outstanding, and its annual tax revenue was around one million strings of cash.

Therefore, even Zhu Wen could not interfere in the internal affairs of the Chu State. In addition, Ma Yin had been respectful to the Central Plains for many years. Under such circumstances, there was no need to create a strong enemy in the south.

What Xiao Yan cared about was another important matter.

After he arrived at Changsha Prefecture with his entourage of officials, although the post station they stayed in was cleaned up top and bottom, inside and out, and all the officials and merchants staying there were asked to leave, the prince Ma Xiyue came to visit the post station every day. The reception banquet alone lasted for three days, with court dancers ready to attend, as if just to please Xiao Yan, the Marquis of Daliang, who was famous in the north and more powerful than the Huaihe River.

And if Xiao Yan hadn't sent a minister of rites to decline the dance banquet for the next two days, it might have been arranged for some time.

As for the King of Chu who had never shown up, the Crown Prince Ma Xiyue explained that King Ma Yin of Chu was seriously ill and it was not appropriate for him to meet the envoy from Daliang in such a sick state. He should rest in the palace for the time being. When his symptoms eased a little, he would go out of the city in person to welcome Xiao Yan and his party into the city.

This also explains why Xiao Yan has not been allowed to enter the city.

The accompanying officials of course expressed their understanding of this. The purpose of this trip was to ask the State of Chu for help. The fact that the King of Chu was so respectful had already shown his attitude. And now as winter was approaching, even if the golden nanmu was collected in time, it would have to wait until the beginning of next spring before it could be transported back to Bianliang. The construction period given by the Ministry of Works was also until next summer.

Since there is no rush, there is no need to fight for one or two days. Although we are staying in this inn outside the city, we can get almost all our needs. Not only is the accommodation excellent, but we are also guided by officials specially arranged by the State of Chu when we travel. Isn't it wonderful to travel around the mountains and rivers every day?

"It's weird."

Ji Ruxue held her cheek, looked up at the dark sky, then turned back to look at Xiao Yan who was warming the wine behind the entrance, and sighed, "How can you still be in the mood to drink?"

"How can I not be in a good mood?" Xiao Yan smiled, his mind wandering thousands of miles away while he leisurely poured wine and drank: "The hospitality was perfect, there is nothing wrong with it, he was just about to get down on the ground and call me Grandpa Junhou, the situation is going well, what can be weird about it."

Ji Ruxue thought for a moment, took off her boots and walked in, sitting cross-legged opposite Xiao Yan, leaning forward, and asked in a low voice: "Do you have a backup plan?"

Xiao Yan poured a glass of wine and handed it to her: "It is said that this is the sweet-scented osmanthus wine sealed by the King of Chu himself. There are only twenty jars left. It is not bad and worth a taste."

Ji Ruxue looked at Xiao Yan's smiling face and simply stopped thinking about it. She took a sip and her cheeks turned red instantly. She couldn't help choking on the small sip and choked to tears. She felt a line of fire running from her throat to her stomach, which burned away all the coldness in her body, but it was too spicy.

"Is this osmanthus wine?" The girl wiped her tears, stunned.

Xiao Yan slammed the table and laughed, then raised the warm wine and drank it in big gulps, feeling extremely refreshed.

Ji Ruxue snorted lightly. She knew Xiao Yan was teasing her, but she also felt more relaxed. However, she still spun her wine glass on the table and said unhappily, "What if the King of Chu was secretly bribed by the Ghost King and is deliberately stalling for time? Are you really planning to stay here for half a year?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Yan, who was smiling with narrowed eyes, and muttered softly, "Is it because the girl in the south is prettier that you can't bear to leave?"

This was not nonsense. Not only did that bastard prince Ma Xiyue arrange dances and banquets every day, he also specially picked two of the most beautiful young beauties to accompany Xiao Yan for drinking. Xiao Yan actually accepted both of them. Although he did not hug them left and right, he flirted with them constantly and enjoyed it. This made Ji Ruxue, who was dressed as a man and sitting next to them, so angry that she rolled her eyes.

Xiao Yan was overjoyed, and then nodded as if it was a matter of fact: "This beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is much more beautiful, it really makes people greedy."

Ji Ruxue frowned and said nothing, she just lowered her head and gulped down the strong liquor that Xiao Yan had concocted himself.

Xiao Yan was even happier seeing this. The girl looked very tough, but was actually very fun to bully. She was very accommodating to him when they were together in private, almost taking a step back. This was a true portrayal of losing a city today and a place tomorrow.

Perhaps even the cold and innocent girl herself has never noticed these adorable and lovely scenes.

In comparison, a more domineering royal sister would probably just pour the glass of wine on Xiao Yan's face.

As for Shulido, she would probably just smile gently, and then quietly arrange all those dancers into Xiao Yan's room.

After returning from his trance, Xiao Yan naturally stopped joking and took the wine glass from Ji Ruxue, ending the girl's desire to drink another glass. Then he smiled and said, "You can only drink one glass, otherwise you will become a drunk girl."

Ji Ruxue glared at him, then proudly stretched out her fingers and forced a stream of liquid into the spittoon on the side. The strong smell of alcohol instantly filled the air: "I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. You taught me that."

Xiao Yan couldn't help but laugh, and then poured a glass of wine: "Life is always drunken for a hundred years, but there are only 36,000 times. It's actually a pleasure to get drunk once."

"I can't win an argument with reason." Ji Ruxue certainly didn't listen. It was Xiao Yan who taught her to use the Three-Point Divine Finger to sober up, and now it was Xiao Yan who was lecturing on reason. It was really hateful.

Xiao Yan smiled, and then propped up his chin as if thinking: "It's almost certain that it's to delay time. But if it's to make peace with the Ghost King, it's not entirely true."

Ji Ruxue frowned and asked in a low voice: "What clues did you find?"

"Although there is nothing wrong with the etiquette of the Chu State, it is precisely because they are too respectful that two suspicious points are revealed."

Xiao Yan held up two fingers and said one by one: "First, they didn't dare let me enter the city to meet the King of Chu himself. Although Ma Yin claimed to be ill, it did not prevent me from entering the city. But the prince tried his best to delay, saying that the King of Chu must go out of the city to meet me in person. I am being too proud. Let's not talk about whether there is anything strange about Changsha Prefecture, but the King of Chu himself must be very strange." Ji Ruxue frowned and thought.

But Xiao Yan didn't let her think any more and said directly: "King of Chu, Ma Yin, should not be in Changsha."

The girl raised her eyebrows but said nothing, motioning Xiao Yan to move on to the second point.

"The second suspicious point is the East City Camp. This important military location should not be called a suspicious point. After all, it is impossible for us to see the inside. However, the prince specially arranged for someone to serve us at the post house. Although they must accompany us when we go out, they will never hinder us. Even if we go to the East City Camp to take a look, he is very generous and there is no obstruction at all..."

After hearing this, Ji Ruxue frowned and said, "You mean..."

Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "A few days ago, I asked Gong Yangzuo to go north to Dongting Lake overnight and asked him to explore the Chu navy there alone. As expected, all the warships that can carry people are gone. The entire water camp is mostly empty, and there is not even the slightest movement."

"So, you suspect that the King of Chu had already dispatched warships to the south before we arrived..." Ji Ruxue pondered, "And left with the Chu imperial guards from Changsha Prefecture?"

After that, she continued to mutter, "With such a large force, as long as they go north, no matter how early or late it is, we can't possibly not receive any news, so they are heading south!"

Xiao Yan nodded in appreciation, then dipped his finger in the wine, drew a sketch on the table, and said, "Following the Xiang River all the way south, we can directly transport troops to Chenzhou by surprise, advance from Yichang into the territory of Nanping State, cross Dayu Mountain, and go straight to Shaozhou, the northern gate of Xingwangfu Panyu. If the Chu army successfully captures Shaozhou, the gate of Panyu will be open, and the Chu army can follow the Qin River all the way south, and Nanping State will have almost no defenses."

Panyu, the capital of Prince Xing, was the capital of Nanping State, which was Guangzhou in later generations. It was the political and economic center of Nanping State. If it was severely damaged, Nanping State would be like having half of its lifeline cut off.

Having stayed in Hebei with Xiao Yan for a year, Ji Ruxue could not be considered knowledgeable about military affairs, but it was not difficult for her to see the situation. After hearing Xiao Yan's explanation, she was immediately shocked: "So, the King of Chu, Ma Yin, used a trick to appear to be in Changsha, but he is actually leading the army to attack Nanping Kingdom?"

"If my guess is correct, perhaps he has already crossed Dayuling Mountain." Xiao Yan wiped the wine on the table and thought: "But what puzzles me is that although Chu and Nanping have been fighting constantly in recent years, most of them are minor frictions. What is the opportunity that made the King of Chu decide to take such a risky move?"

Ji Ruxue nodded in understanding. In fact, according to Xiao Yan's guess, it seemed that the Chu army's unexpected move of transporting troops south was going smoothly, but the Dayuling Mountains between the two countries were not for show. The army had basically no foothold when crossing the mountain to the south. If the Nanping army reacted in time, the tens of thousands of Chu troops would most likely end up being wiped out.

She thought for a moment and asked, "What do you mean?"

Xiao Yan nodded calmly: "I have already asked You Yi to go south first. Even if we can't say we can seize the initiative, at least we can't be in the dark."

"Save Nanping?"

"If it really comes to the point of a war to destroy a country, whether to save or not is not something I can decide." Xiao Yan pointed at the table with his finger: "What I'm more curious about is what variables we don't know about."

Ji Ruxue nodded and said softly, "I'll listen to you."

Xiao Yan smiled warmly, poured the remaining wine into an indigo wine gourd, walked barefoot to the entrance, looked up at the dark sky, and said calmly: "Whether we can save them or not, as long as fewer people die on this trip, it's always good."

The girl looked up, looked at the handsome figure standing outside the entrance, and laughed quietly.

……

After a while, two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Rites were called into the room. At first, they dared to stand. Later, after Xiao Yan asked them to sit down, they only sat on half of the chairs, very cautiously.

"I'm sorry that I don't understand what you mean..." One of the ministers of the Ministry of Rites looked at Xiao Yan, who had changed into a blue shirt, and asked carefully.

"What's there to not understand?" Xiao Yan showed his white teeth and smiled kindly, "I plan to go to Lingnan first to check the situation. Changsha Prefecture will be handed over to the two scholars. When the King of Chu recovers from his illness, you can talk to him about His Majesty's intentions on my behalf."

The two ministers of the Ministry of Rites looked at each other, not knowing how to answer. They subconsciously glanced at Ji Ruxue, who was dressed in men's clothes, and saw that she also had no expression on her face. They were even more at a loss. After hesitating for a while, one of them said, "Isn't it inappropriate for you to go south alone? If there is a war, you will inevitably be unable to handle it alone... I am not questioning your ability, but just thinking about the overall situation, would you rather stay with half a battalion of Jinwu Guards?"

Xiao Yan waved his hand casually: "If the King of Chu really leads his troops to fight in person, Ma Xiyue will not watch me take the Jinwu Guard to Lingnan. It would be inconvenient to bring people with me."

The two naturally did not dare to refute. After hesitating for a while, they asked again: "Your Excellency is the land and water transport envoy of Jinghu. This trip was not decided by Your Excellency. If there is an important matter, how dare we two make the decision on our own..."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Xiao Yan smiled with narrowed eyes, pointing at his nose: "If the sky falls, I'll take responsibility, how about it? Do you want to write a receipt?"

The two who had seen Xiao Yan's strength on the Huai River were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they dared not refute. But fortunately, after hearing this sentence, they finally had the confidence.

Xiao Yan stroked the wine gourd on the table with one hand and said, "Let's do this. I'll ask the two scholars to cover up the situation in Changsha for me. It will only take two days. Even if it is exposed later, it doesn't matter. Even if Ma Xiyue has a hundred guts, he won't dare to do anything to you."

"You are so self-righteous, so self-righteous. Your Excellency is so powerful in the North, how dare a mere Ma Xiyue..."

The two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Rites tried to flatter him, but Xiao Yan was too lazy to listen and simply asked them to leave.

Furthermore, he and Ji Ruxue didn't prepare anything, so Ji Ruxue packed a few pieces of clothes and went out directly.

In a moment, a figure carrying a young girl rose from the yard, leaped a few times in the air, and then disappeared into the distance.

……

Under the dark sky, bloodstains spread across the river.

The earth rumbled, and within sight, swarms of insects swarmed in the sky, sweeping away everything.

On the ground, countless giant elephants stepped over the corpses and headed eastward.

A flag of the Nanping Kingdom was dropped from the top of the city wall.

(End of this chapter)