198: Chapter 0198 I Want to Prove

"Huh?"

Xie Yu turned his head. "Attacking E Prefecture in the middle of winter? Has Prince Yan gone mad?"

"Even the heir apparent knows this is extremely foolish. What is Prince Yan playing at?" Su Wansha asked, puzzled.

"Why does that sound a bit off?" Xie Yu muttered to himself.

Lin Xiao looked at Old Yu. "You've stayed in the Imperial Capital for decades. What do you think?"

Old Yu took a sip of wine, wiped his mouth, and said, "Prince Yan was born to the late Empress. His status is noble, and he thinks highly of himself, but in terms of ability, he is quite mediocre."

"If not for the late Empress's favor toward the Zhao Family when she was alive, I'm afraid the Three Prefectures of Yan wouldn't even be defensible."

"However, I heard that a few years ago, when General Zhao Yunting was fighting the Khitan, he was severely wounded by a spear thrown from a hundred paces away by the Khitan's greatest warrior, General Yelu Chuku!"

"Although he was eventually saved, his health has been deteriorating over these past few years, and his martial arts are not what they used to be."

"I don't know if he sensed that his time was coming to an end this time, and is using his old bones to make one last desperate attempt to help Prince Yan."

Lin Xiao asked curiously, "Do you think Prince Yan has any chance of winning by fighting in winter?"

"Hehe, Lin Xiao may not understand the Cold Iron Guard."

Old Yu laughed. "The Cold Iron Guard has always had the fewest members among the five great iron cavalries, never exceeding thirty thousand at their peak."

"Firstly, the craftsmanship for their weapons and armor is complicated. Secondly, they all come from the coldest place in the Great Gan, the Three Prefectures of Yan."

"Other soldiers need to wear thick cotton-padded clothes in winter, which hinders their movement, but the Cold Iron Guard does not."

"Their Cold Light Armor is forged with a unique secret recipe. When shone upon by the sun in the snow, it appears and disappears, making it extremely suitable for ambushes and surprise attacks!"

"When it comes to warfare in bitter, cold lands, if the Cold Iron Guard claims second place, no cavalry dares to claim first!"

"So, if Prince Yan has a way to make the E Prefecture army fight outside the city, then even if their forces are twice as large, they might not necessarily win against the Cold Iron Guard."

Xie Yu curled his lip. "The tens of thousands of White Kings Army in E Prefecture, unless their brains were kicked by a donkey, how could they possibly leave the city?"

"Haha, that's true!" Old Yu laughed loudly.

"Unless Prince Yan bribed the defending general to break the deadlock from the inside?" Su Wansha speculated.

"Eh? That is possible. After all, Prince Bai is seriously ill. They say he's almost vomiting blood to death!" Xie Yu said.

"Where did you hear that?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Isn't that what everyone is saying outside now? As I traveled here with my master, the commoners in tea shops and restaurants were all saying this!"

Lin Xiao and Su Wansha exchanged a look and couldn't help but shake their heads silently.

It goes to show that the heir apparent is still naive!

If Prince Bai were truly finished, they would absolutely seal off the news. How could it possibly spread so that everyone knows about it?

"Husband, Brother Zhao sent this news. Could it be that he wants you to go and support the Zhao Family's Cold Iron Guard?"

Lin Xiao shook his head. "Brother Zhao didn't say it explicitly, but that should be the implication. He is probably worried about the safety of the Zhao family."

Su Wansha sighed. "If the Zhenbei Army heads to E Prefecture, they will pass through part of the Sha Prefecture territory."

"In case the Shazhou Army cuts off the supply lines, they might be caught in a pincer attack and fall into a passive situation."

"Brother Zhao is a reasonable person. Naturally, he wouldn't forcefully ask you to do anything that would put you in a difficult position, Husband."

Lin Xiao sat down and began to silently weigh the pros and cons.

Seeing this, Old Yu and Xie Yu tacitly left.

Su Wansha stood by and poured tea for her man. She understood that Lin Xiao was also struggling internally.

If he did nothing, General Zhao Kuan would certainly be distressed. The two were friends despite their age gap, and Lin Xiao was not heartless.

But if he really sent troops to E Prefecture, whether it would be a blessing or a curse was hard to say.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a report suddenly came from outside:

"General, Princess Ningxiang is here to see you!"

Lin Xiao and Su Wansha were stunned. Why would Xie Juner come over?

Ever since they parted at Xishan Temple, they had thought this princess would become a stranger to them.

"Invite her in."

Lin Xiao was open and composed, but Su Wansha looked a bit uneasy.

After a while, Xie Juner walked in, wearing a white cotton-padded jacket with blue and white patterns. She looked elegant and quiet, seemingly having lost a bit of weight.

"Juner greets Lin Xiao. Big Sister Su, you are here too?" Xie Juner took the initiative to smile at Su Wansha.

Seeing the same look in her eyes as before, Su Wansha breathed a sigh of relief.

On second thought, she was a major merchant after all, so she surely had that much mental fortitude.

"Greetings, Princess," Su Wansha bowed gracefully.

"Big Sister Su, why be so distant? We are good business partners; just call me Juner," Xie Juner said with a smile.

Su Wansha smiled knowingly. "Alright, Juner."

Seeing Xie Juner's open attitude, Lin Xiao also found her much more agreeable.

After all, a girl of royal lineage who had been spoiled since childhood needed to encounter some things to grow up.

"What leisure brings the Princess to my residence?"

Xie Juner said something shocking: "Prince Yan is going to attack E Prefecture. I believe Lin Xiao should seize this opportunity to take E Prefecture!"

Lin Xiao and Su Wansha both looked surprised.

It was not strange for the Xie Family, with their vast trade route intelligence network, to know about Prince Yan dispatching troops.

But for Xie Juner to be so confident was somewhat baffling.

"The reason?" Lin Xiao asked patiently.

Xie Juner said seriously, "General, you may not know this, but Hu Xinyi, the daughter of E Prefecture's richest man, Hu Wengui, is a very close friend of mine."

Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes. Hu Xinyi... that talented woman he had met at Baiyu Pavilion before?

He had some impression of her; it seemed she had been left quite embarrassed by a poem he had plagiarized.

"The Northern Trade Alliance is collaborating with the Hu Family to open the first Northern Cottage in E Prefecture."

"Although business is good, development is slow. The reason is... the White Kings Army controls the officials of E Prefecture."

"The inspector general of E Prefecture, Feng Yuzhang, has actually long been fed up with Prince Bai, but military power has slipped from his hands, leaving him unable to resist."

"If, while taking advantage of the Yan Kings Army attacking E Prefecture, the Zhenbei Army strikes from the north, and with the assistance of officials inside E Prefecture, you can certainly dismantle Prince Bai's power in E Prefecture in one fell swoop!"

Lin Xiao looked at Su Wansha beside him; she managed all business matters.

"Miss Hu has exchanged letters with me twice. She did mention that it wasn't that her uncle, inspector general Feng, didn't support the Northern Trade Alliance, but that he was willing but lacked the power."

Su Wansha said, "Miss Hu also expressed her apologies because many of the store openings that had been agreed upon could not be completed on schedule."

"Lin Xiao, Feng Yuzhang is different from Inspector General Jiang Shengyuan. He once studied at the Imperial Academy and is a student of the Emperor. He adheres to the etiquette of monarch and subject and despises associating with rebels like Prince Bai."

Xie Juner said, "Juner implores the General to send troops to E Prefecture!"

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and asked in return, "Why does the Princess want me to take E Prefecture? Is it purely to make money?"

"Firstly, naturally, by joining forces with the Hu Family, we can earn more money. Secondly, the officials and people of E Prefecture have long suffered under the White Kings Army. As a Princess of the Great Gan, I should naturally care..."

"Tell me the truth!"

Lin Xiao directly interrupted the woman's words.

A blush appeared on Xie Juner's face. She bit her lower lip and said, "I want to prove to the General that not marrying me is the General's loss!!"

"Pfft!"

Su Wansha, who was on the side, couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud.