Shan Yan saw his curiosity and explained, "This woman is the eldest granddaughter of Old Master Chen from Ganzhou. She is here today to represent the Chen clan in welcoming Your Highness."
The Chen clan of Ganzhou, like the Feng family, was a prestigious and ancient clan with a history of over a hundred years. Their current patriarch was Chen Zifang, a renowned Confucian scholar in the Great Jin dynasty. Emperor Qi had once ordered all learned scholars in the land to take the Chen family as an example, not only because their descendants were all accomplished but also because they were fiercely loyal and righteous.
For instance, the reason the entire clan was not at home today, with only a young lady present, was that they had all gone to Liangzhou to assist.
As dusk descended, the entire Ganzhou city was shrouded in a hazy atmosphere, even carrying a scent of indulgence and luxury, yet no one knew that less than a hundred li away, in Liangzhou, preparations were already underway.
The army was stationed outside the city, and the Ninth Prince only brought five hundred personal guards into the city.
The scent of perfume mingled with the aroma of food and wine, wafting through the entire street, stirring the desires of the onlookers.
As they approached the Governor's mansion, Xiao Muqian's disdain for the Governor was palpable.
As a high-ranking official of a region, with a fierce battle imminent, he should be focused on protecting the populace and defending the city. Instead, he was here attempting to curry favor with the prince. This behavior alone revealed him to be an unsavory character.
It was no wonder that when he was still in Liangzhou, his second uncle had strictly ordered him not to associate too closely with officials from Ganzhou. It seemed his second uncle held these people in utter contempt.
Ahead, Shan Yan and the other officials respectfully welcomed the Ninth Prince inside, followed by generals loyal to the prince's faction. Only he and General Su hesitated, unsure of which foot to step forward with!
"Enough, the overall situation is paramount."
General Su patted his shoulder and entered the Governor's mansion before him.
While they were called the vanguard, in reality, they were merely the emperor's swords and shields meant to protect the Ninth Prince.
No matter how much they disapproved of the Ninth Prince's conduct, they were still responsible for his safety.
General Su had not provoked the Ninth Prince along the way precisely to ensure that the prince would not hinder the grand strategy due to personal reasons when it came to deploying troops in the future. Therefore, even if they were reluctant, they had to attend this welcoming banquet.
Understanding this, Xiao Muqian took a deep breath and followed them in.
As expected, the food and drinks were abundant, and song and dance filled the air.
Finding an inconspicuous seat, he looked at the lavish spread with disgust. A beautiful maidservant attending him, intending to pour wine, recoiled a few steps at his gaze.
"General..." Her voice was sweet and alluring, enough to charm anyone, yet Xiao Muqian was a "blockhead," always disliking such gaudy displays.
Seeing his awkward silence, the Ninth Prince, seated at the head, spoke up.
"What are you doing, cousin? You must have a few drinks at this welcoming banquet specially prepared by the Governor."
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I have never drunk alcohol while in the army. I haven't broken this rule in over ten years. I beg Your Highness not to be offended."
"You don't drink? A man from the military saying such things, are you trying to deceive me?"
His tone held a hint of impatience. While the wine was not mandatory, refusing him in front of so many people was a bad precedent that could not be encouraged.
Therefore, he decided to curb Xiao Muqian's arrogance and said coldly,
"What if I ask you to have a couple of drinks today?" With that, he drained his wine. The attendant immediately refilled his cup, and she sweetly praised, "Your Highness has a great capacity for wine! Please drink another cup!"
If the Ninth Prince drank, and Xiao Muqian refused, it would be seen as disrespecting the prince, and he would likely face difficulties in the future.
But he could not break his principles, nor could he be weak. Just as he was contemplating an excuse to avoid it, someone rushed in from outside, announcing,
"Report! The Northern Di army has suddenly marched south and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with Liangzhou. General Xiao Ji has sent someone to request reinforcements!"
Second Uncle!
The Northern Di people had calculated precisely, launching their offensive when they were resting and relaxed, intending to catch Second Uncle off guard.
He immediately stood up and said to the Ninth Prince, "Your Highness, I will lead my men to provide aid. I beg Your Highness's permission!"
At this moment, he had cornered the Ninth Prince.
The food and wine had just been served, and the mood was high. Not only was he not allowed to rest, but now a battle had broken out!
He slammed his wine cup on the table and snorted, "The Northern Di are indeed cunning. What is the situation in Liangzhou city?"
"General Xiao Ji is leading the defending army to resist. Before I came, the city had not yet fallen."
Hearing this, the officials and Governor Shan Yan, who had been somewhat tense, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It will take at least half a day for Liangzhou to reach Ganzhou. With General Xiao Ji's ability, he can definitely hold them off. Why doesn't Your Highness rest here first, and let Commander Xiao go to provide reinforcements?"
They had all been drinking. If anything were to happen on the march, it would be problematic.
It seemed that the Ninth Prince's safety was more important than the fall of Liangzhou city.
Xiao Muqian's heart sank upon hearing this. He knew these people were completely unreliable and once again pleaded,
"Your Highness, the military situation is urgent. I implore Your Highness to allow me to lead the troops first. Otherwise, if Liangzhou city falls, how long can Ganzhou hold out?"
The Ninth Prince nodded, clearly slightly tipsy but unwilling to admit it. He could only feign indignation and say, "Commander Xiao, lead fifty thousand troops to depart first. I will lead the central army and follow."
He would certainly follow, but how many days it would take was uncertain.
After all, Xiao Ji had fifty thousand troops, and Xiao Muqian also had fifty thousand. Together, they would have over a hundred thousand men. If they still couldn't hold Liangzhou city, then he and his uncle might as well give up on defending the country and sacrifice themselves for it.
Having received the troops, Xiao Muqian had no intention of engaging in further pleasantries with them. He stood up and quickly headed out of the mansion, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the city gates.
After mustering the troops, the grand procession set off towards Liangzhou.
Outside Liangzhou city at this moment, the ground was littered with corpses, and blood, swords, and arrows were scattered everywhere, all belonging to the Northern Di.
The fierce assault had been ongoing for nearly a day. Although it was already dark, the city had not fallen, greatly angering the Northern Di King Keda.
He now berated his advisor Luo Hong, "Look at the advice you've given this king! Besieging the city without attacking has not only damaged morale but now the Jin reinforcements are arriving, and you've made this king order an attack? A whole day! Look at how many of our Northern Di soldiers have died, and Liangzhou city remains unmoved. What bad luck!"
If the person beside him hadn't intervened, King Keda would have likely beheaded Luo Hong.
"Your Majesty, please do not worry. We are precisely waiting for their reinforcements. If the reinforcements did not come, I fear that Liangzhou city would have cost us many more brave warriors."
Seeing his confident assertion, King Keda's anger subsided somewhat.