Lu Qingwan’s three short words shut Li Jin up.
Her gaze fell upon her badly injured hand, her fingers trembling slightly.
She had no masochistic tendencies, but her anger was so extreme that if she didn't use this pain to distract herself, she feared she would be unable to resist marching into the palace and chopping Feng Qingheng to pieces.
Li Jin knew that the longer he lingered, the longer Lu Qingwan's wound would take to heal.
He simply closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and spilled everything out in a rush.
"The Prince is in trouble, and the Xuanjia Army is leaderless. Prime Minister Wen, Scholar Chi, and the King of Nan have jointly submitted a petition to appoint the Military Advisor as the commander of the Xuanjia Army. Generals Shen Da, Lin Fengmian, and Qin Shiguan are to be vice-commanders, assisting the Military Advisor in leading the Xuanjia Army. However, this proposal was rejected by the new Emperor."
Lian Yu was Feng Xiwu's most trusted confidant, a fact they all knew, and Feng Qingheng knew it too. Lu Qingwan was not at all surprised that Feng Qingheng disagreed with Lian Yu becoming the commander of the Xuanjia Army. She stared fixedly at a certain point, her voice devoid of emotion, "What was the reason he used to reject Prime Minister Wen's memorial?"
"Marquis Lu met with misfortune, and the Prince is trapped in the Snow Mountain. The Military Advisor and the three generals are responsible for inadequate protection and are therefore unfit to be the new commander of the Xuanjia Army. Furthermore, the Xuanjia Army has been stationed in the northern frontier for a long time, yet has suffered repeated defeats. This clearly indicates that they have become impatient and negligent due to the enemy's advantage. Therefore, he wants to rotate the Xuanjia Army's garrison."
"Rotate the garrison?" Lu Qingwan scoffed. "Disperse the four hundred thousand strong Xuanjia Army throughout Daqian and have his own men gradually erode them, until there is no Xuanjia Army left within Daqian, and no one remembers the God of War Feng Xiwu, is that it?"
Since Feng Xiwu's incident, Li Jin and his loyal followers, besides mourning their Prince's misfortune, had been worried about the future of the Xuanjia Army. Hearing this, he fell to his knees with a thud. "Princess Consort, the Xuanjia Army was built by the Prince himself. It was not easy to transform scattered soldiers and rogues into such an invincible iron army over six years. The Prince has entrusted the King of Myriad Phoenixes to you, and you are the other commander of the Xuanjia Army. The future of the Xuanjia Army rests entirely on your decision. We implore you, Princess Consort, to find a solution and not let the Xuanjia Army leave the northwestern front."
All the Xuanjia Army's foundations were on the northwestern front. Once they left, it was only a matter of time before they were divided and conquered. Li Jin understood this, and Lu Qingwan understood it even better. The flesh on the back of her hand had already swollen and stiffened. Lu Qingwan lowered her gaze to Li Jin. "Where is Lian Yu?"
"North Xiao Pass Camp." Li Jin replied without hesitation. "North Xiao Pass is the most critical pass between Northern Wei and Daqian. The Military Advisor dares not delay for a moment and is personally overseeing it."
"If there is still artillery support, can North Xiao Pass be taken within a day?"
Li Jin was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. As long as the artillery can suppress the ballistae on the walls of North Xiao Pass, we can recapture it."
"Go back and tell Lian Yu to prepare for an attack. In two hours, I will bring artillery support."
Li Jin didn't hesitate. He scrambled up and rushed out.
Lu Qingwan flashed into the spatial laboratory. It was in the same place, the Red Cannon standing still, with a box of cannonballs beside it. Opening the box, she found twenty-five cannonballs. It had been exactly twenty-five days since she came down from the Snow Mountain. Lu Qingwan didn't know whether to be relieved that there were enough patients on the battlefield for her to save, thus supporting this immense trade volume, or to lament that so many weapons could not be used against the person she most wanted to deal with.
After preparing the ammunition, Lu Qingwan didn't rush to the front line. She placed her fingers to her lips and whistled crisply. Then, she walked to the window, and the white eagle flew over, flapping its wings. She had expected the usual bamboo tube, but upon closer inspection, she found a letter, a rather thick scroll of paper that the white eagle could barely hold. Lu Qingwan pouted speechlessly. She took it down and examined it carefully, then suddenly laughed. As she flipped through the papers, throwing them to the ground after reading, she stroked the golden eagle's head with one hand. "Tsk, he still managed to get ahead of me. Not fun at all. Go back and tell him that if he's going to feign death, he should do it thoroughly. If he doesn't give Feng Qingheng, that scumbag, high blood pressure, this matter isn't over."
The white eagle purred and nudged her palm with its head. After reading all the letters, Lu Qingwan turned to get ink and brush. "Alright, I know not everyone is as clever as me. He won't understand you, so I'll write a letter." After happily writing a letter, the white eagle flapped its wings and flew away, and Han Chen arrived. Lu Qingwan raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you done sleeping?"
Han Chen chuckled. "I announced in advance that I wasn't eavesdropping intentionally. I came down for a drink of water and heard you telling Li Jin about artillery support. Master, should I go?" Han Chen looked at Lu Qingwan eagerly. "Last time we bombed the mountain, I felt the accuracy was still a bit off. Let me try a few more times. I'll definitely train a batch of elite artillerymen for you."
Lu Qingwan gave no definitive answer to his request, only hinting meaningfully, "Last time, we used nearly a hundred cannonballs to bomb the mountain. Did you discover anything?" Han Chen nodded, unsurprised. "From their appearance, the cannonballs were almost indistinguishable. However, some had a longer range, greater power, and higher accuracy, while others had a shorter range, less power, and lower accuracy. Some didn't even explode after landing; they were directly ignited by the flames of subsequent artillery fire. I suspect that the person making the cannonballs was still experimenting, and their experience and skills were insufficient, which is why this happened. But at the time, we were busy, and you didn't say anything, so I didn't dare to act rashly."
Lu Qingwan had thought Han Chen was only interested in the highly destructive cannonballs. Hearing him say this, she realized that Han Chen truly possessed all the qualities of an excellent artilleryman. She relented to his request. "Call for people to carry the ammunition." Han Chen was so delighted that he almost jumped up. He responded and turned, bouncing out.
North Xiao Pass had always been a strategically vital location.
After receiving Li Jin's news, Lian Yu immediately began preparations. A quarter of an hour before the agreed-upon two hours, he saw Lu Qingwan in the front camp, dressed as an ordinary soldier. Lian Yu was startled. "Princess Consort, are you... going to the battlefield yourself?" When Lu Qingwan proposed artillery support, Lian Yu hadn't been surprised, as such a destructive weapon should be used on the battlefield. However, he had envisioned Lu Qingwan providing the weapons, and his men firing them. Lu Qingwan's attire was clearly beyond his expectations. Lu Qingwan shook her head. "I don't know how to lead troops, so I won't be a hindrance to you. I'm here for one thing only. I hope the Military Advisor will not stop me."