Aspirations for Nation and Beauty: Chapter 37: Darkness

The girl sat calmly in the main hall and listened to the report of her captain of the guard, while fiddling with the jacquard silk embroidered round fan in her hand. , this is a tribute from Gusu Prefecture in the south of the Yangtze River. It is exquisite in workmanship and exquisite in embroidery. Especially the two birds on the fan are vivid and lifelike, which is very exquisite. Although the late autumn in the northwest is already chilly, she still cherishes it as an item left by her mother before she left. At least in the far northwest, where there are no relatives, it can evoke a little memory of the family in her hometown.

The news from the empire is very bad. The Kansai rebels have swarmed and spread across five of the six Kansai prefectures. It seems that only the Lujiang prefecture is in a better situation. As for the other five prefectures, they have not completely fallen It's a mess. If things go on like this, I'm afraid it won't be long before Guanxi County will be surnamed by someone else. And I heard that Beiyuan and Yanyun counties are also on the verge of starting a prairie fire, but the empire doesn't seem to have made any strong response so far. Thinking of this, the girl can't help but feel a little dazed. Is the empire really going to sink like this?

Why didn't the father take countermeasures? Is there anything worth hesitating up to now? There was a feeling of resentment in the girl's heart. But the urgent information from the imperial capital is to know Li Wufeng's whereabouts, especially the mobilization of the army. Thinking of this, a disappointed and self-deprecating smile appeared on the corner of the girl's mouth.

Father and Lord He valued me too much. I have been in the Northwest for more than a month, but in the past 30 days, I have seen my so-called fiancé only a few times, and most of them It is on those high-sounding occasions, whether visiting the factory market, inspecting the grassroots villages, or participating in various banquets that are incomprehensible, it seems that there has never been a time when you can really avoid outsiders. It seems that this Northwest King The so-called Jiedu makes the adults quite wary of himself, the royal fiancée princess.

Previously, out of reserve, she maintained an arrogant demeanor, hoping that he would take the initiative to find her. She was conceited that she was far superior to those women around him in terms of appearance, talent and blood status, but she was disappointed soon Well, this fiancé didn't seem to take himself seriously at all, except for a few routine outings, he basically didn't have any more attention on himself. When I begrudgingly let go of my identity and came to visit, it was difficult to find the trace of this fiancé. The Jiedu Envoy's Mansion seemed to be a decoration, and I didn't meet him once when I visited the door several times. When asked about the whereabouts of the guards, they could not With one exception, he told himself that Master Jiedushi's whereabouts are a secret, and the servants have no way of knowing.

In the blink of an eye, it was a month, and I had a heavy responsibility, but I had no clue, and no matter where I went, I was greeted with courtesy and respect, but there was a trace of intentional or unintentional guard behind it, which made the girl feel extremely discouraged , and even almost gave up on his mission.

But the urgent letter from the imperial capital forced me to cheer up. Fortunately, my identity as the imperial princess and the fiancée of Lord Jiedushi still plays a role. At least I will not be restricted too much in and out of many important places. This guy who is supposed to be the captain of the guards but actually is his mission assistant is quite shrewd. After a few days of inquiring, he finally got some useful clues.

"Your Highness, it is really impossible to know the exact whereabouts of Lord Li at the moment, but it is understood that Lord Li has not appeared in the Jiedu Mansion for at least five days. Almost everyone said that Lord Li went to Guide The inspection work has gone, but the subordinates are very suspicious of this statement." The captain of the guard bowed his head and replied respectfully.

"Oh? Then what do you think?" The girl asked casually with her eyes still on the round fan.

"This subordinate suspects that Mr. Li may have gone to Bonan?" The captain of the guard whispered his guess.

"What evidence is there?" The girl remained calm.

"This, I don't have much proof, but Her Royal Highness also knows that the Kansai rebellion is rampant, and the situation in each government is tense. Mr. Li has always paid great attention to military and state affairs. Maybe he will go to inspect Bonan's work and learn about it by the way. It is also possible to look at the situation at the border." Although the captain of the guard used a hypothetical tone, the implication was undoubtedly affirmative, and there was no emotion in his tone, making it impossible to detect any flaws.

Slowly withdrawing her gaze from the round fan, the girl glanced lightly at the man in front of her. The man only felt that the star-like glance seemed to have seen his inner world clearly, without missing a single bit. , the body could not help shrinking.

"Then is there any difference in the mobilization of the Northwest Army stationed in Qingyang?" The girl finally put down her round fan and took a sip from her teacup.

The man shrugged helplessly, and said in a regretful tone: "Returning to Your Highness, since the third and fifth divisions of the Northwest Army from the Northern Expedition returned, these two divisions have never appeared again. It is said that they have gone to Northern Luzon, and there is also news that they actually went to Bonan. Our intelligence network here is not enough to get accurate information, but I think the intelligence department of the empire should be clear, after all, such a large troop mobilization It's hard to hide from people."

"It's not difficult, and the empire can also be controlled through other channels. What we want to know is how many troops Li Wufeng plans to send to Bonan Mansion, and are there any other troops besides these two divisions? Bonan's troops can guess what his intentions are. Is it purely defensive to prevent the rebellion from spreading to the northwest, or is it preparing to partially intervene in the war in neighboring prefectures and counties, or to enter Kansai on a large scale? The number of troops can be judged."

The girl's incisive analysis made the man in front of her have to admire secretly, and the slight contempt that she had before disappeared without a trace, replaced by incomparable respect.

After pondering for a while, the girl thoughtfully followed her train of thought and said, "I don't know the fighting power of the Northwest Army, but I guess it can compete with the Luobei and Sithrow people. It shouldn't be too bad. Where to go, but if you want to get involved in the Kansai battle with only two divisions, I'm afraid it's impossible, unless Li Wufeng makes other arrangements."

After a pause, the girl suddenly asked: "How many guards are there in Bonan Mansion?"

The man was startled, and immediately replied: "There is only one garrison division, and one of them is stationed at the easternmost Yangmakou Fortress."

"Then what is the combat effectiveness of this security division?" The girl asked immediately.

"Well," the man hesitated. To be honest, the intelligence department's main focus is not on the local security forces, and he is not a specialized intelligence officer. "This is not very clear, but the security forces in all parts of the empire The quality is poor, except for the Taixuan Mansion's troops stationed at Jiayuguan, which are only garrison troops in name, but are actually the evolution of the regular army. The subordinates boldly speculate that even if the combat effectiveness of the garrison troops in Bonan Mansion is better, it will not be too much. High."

The girl didn't answer, apparently still thinking carefully.

"In your opinion, Your Highness, will Master Li draw troops from Guide to go south?" Seeing that Her Highness was still thinking, the man suggested another possibility.

Shaking her head slowly but firmly, the girl opened her lips lightly: "It's unlikely, Guide only has one garrison division, and they have to deal with the Taixuan battlefield. It may spread anytime, anywhere.”

The hall was momentarily dull, and both of them were thinking silently.

"Your Highness, I heard that the Taiping Sect has been developing in the empire for more than ten years, and now there are rebellions everywhere, which are difficult to extinguish, all because it has been deeply rooted in various places, but why have we not found similar in the northwest? What about the situation?"

The man suddenly asked such a question, which made it difficult for the girl to answer for a while.

After figuring out the words, the girl reluctantly replied: "There are several reasons for this. First, when the Taiping Sect was prevalent, the prefectures in the northwest were under the actual control of the Luobei people, and wars were frequent. The common people lack the necessary conditions. Second, after Li Wufeng took control of the Northwest, he brought in immigrants from all over the mainland. For example, in Qingyang, Indians accounted for a considerable number of immigrants. Of course, immigrants from all over the empire were also included. ;Thirdly, I speculate that Li Wufeng must have also discovered the traces of the Taiping Sect, maybe he has already taken countermeasures in secret~IndoMTL.com~That's why this happened."

The first two reasons are a bit far-fetched, and only the last reason makes the man feel quite interesting. It is much easier to take precautions and plan ahead. It is much easier to do the work in the front. It's rotten, and it's not easy to clean up the mess!

It's easy to think of the situation in Kansai and other counties, and even I feel that the previous explanation is not convincing. Coming to the topic: "I heard that it doesn't seem to be quiet in Northern Luzon. Could there be some small war, isn't it?"

Shaking his head, the man was stunned, and asked in surprise: "Our intelligence network in Northern Luzon is still too far behind, and it is difficult to obtain valuable information. I wonder how Her Royal Highness got this news?"

Originally, she was just talking casually to change the subject, but she didn't expect her subordinates to persistently question her. The girl felt even more embarrassed, and hurriedly said: "I met a messenger from Northern Luzon at the Jiedu Mission Mansion. of."

The military communications in the northwest and northern Luzon have gradually been transmitted by carrier pigeons. Since this area is under frontless control, the security is much higher. However, more important and complicated matters still need to be transmitted by carrier pigeons. Using a quick horse to supplement the submission, the girl happened to meet at the Jiedu envoy's mansion. Although she didn't see the content, she guessed pretty well with her cleverness.

"Oh." The man bowed respectfully and said goodbye: "Then the subordinate will go and pass back the situation that he has mastered."

"Well, I'm not in a hurry to make a judgment yet. I just report the situation and make a conclusion after I have reliable information." The girl turned her gaze back to the round fan in her hand. In the empty hall, her slightly thin body appeared So lonely and helpless.