199: Chapter 0199 I'm Not Sleepy Anymore

"Sister Su! Why are you laughing?!"

Xie Juner stamped her foot in anger; she was already embarrassed enough, and now she was being laughed at!?

Su Wansha shook her head hurriedly: "I'm sorry... Juner, I'm not making fun of you, I... I just couldn't help it."

"You're still laughing!!"

Xie Juner's pretty face flushed red, and she decided to cast all caution to the wind.

"My Xie Family sits upon a dozen prefectures in the North, with over a hundred merchant houses, and we correspond with officials in every prefecture!"

"If Lin Xiao wants to recover the North, marrying me offers more benefits than you can count!"

Although Lin Xiao was "shocked" by this princess offering herself up, he did not lose his composure.

"That is just your side of the story. What if that Feng Yuzhang has already colluded with the White Kings Army and is just tricking you? What then?"

"I naturally won't let Lin Xiao take risks in vain, so... I will go on the expedition with you!"

"You want to go too?"

Lin Xiao was a bit surprised this time. Joining a military expedition, especially in the dead of winter, was very harsh for a woman.

"Of course!"

Xie Juner said confidently: "I will contact Hu Xinyi first, then have my father send a letter to the inspector general, Feng Yuzhang, to put him completely at ease!"

"Once the White Kings Army and the Yan Kings Army start fighting, that will be our perfect opportunity to attack from the north!"

"If the officials in E Prefecture do not open the city gates to welcome the Zhenbei Army, General can take my head at any time!"

Xie Juner looked determined!

"What would I want with your head?"

Lin Xiao said dismissively: "If we really get tricked, thousands of soldiers will die. Can your one head compensate for that?"

"You..."

Xie Juner felt like she was having a heart attack. She was a princess, a great beauty, so how was she worthless in his eyes!?

"How about this: the Yan Kings Army is gathering in Tai Prefecture, and it will take at least five days to reach the borders of E Prefecture."

"I will consider it and make a decision. You should go back first."

Xie Juner had no choice. She understood that this was not an easy decision to make, so she had to take her leave for the time being.

After the woman left, Lin Xiao asked Su Wansha to fetch Xiao Qingxuan and the others, while he pondered over the sand table map of the North.

After Xiao Qingxuan and the others arrived and heard Su Wansha's account, they couldn't help but laugh.

"That Xie Juner really makes me look at her in a new light; she certainly has courage," Mu Wanying laughed.

"I think she's probably just afraid that the end of the year is coming and the engagement will be called off, so she's eager to perform a meritorious deed to prove herself," Leng Bingyan teased.

"Regardless of her motives, as long as we can truly take E Prefecture, it is a huge benefit for us."

Xiao Qingxuan said: "E Prefecture is not only adjacent to the Yan Region, but it also leads directly to Yong Province where Prince Bai is located. Once we take it, we can directly threaten Prince Bai!"

"But this is a double-edged sword. It also means that Prince Bai is closer to dealing with us," Mu Wanying frowned.

"What, are you afraid, Wanying?" Leng Bingyan teased.

"What do I have to fear? It's just that our Zhenbei Army doesn't have enough troops. If the battle line is stretched too thin, we won't be able to cover both ends."

Lin Xiao nodded after listening to the women's analysis.

"My wife and Wanying both make sense, but... as long as we incorporate enough of the E Prefecture army, manpower won't be an issue."

Lin Xiao reached out and pointed to a spot in Sha Prefecture.

"The problem is this Huanglong Prefecture in Sha Prefecture. To get to E Prefecture, we must pass through here. We need to come up with a foolproof plan to prevent the White Kings Army and the Shazhou Army from pincering us from here."

Mu Wanying blinked: "The terrain on the side of Huanglong Prefecture is flat. As long as our speed is fast enough, we should be able to cross it within a day without any problems."

"If Xiangyang Prefecture on the E Prefecture side can open its gates and quickly meet us, then we won't need to carry much food and supplies, and our march should be very fast."

Lin Xiao nodded, and then he had a plan in mind.

"Good! Then before the New Year, we'll pull off something big!"

Lin Xiao turned around and said: "Wife, you and Su Wansha guard Cang Province. When I am away, this place is in your hands."

"Rest assured, husband!" Xiao Qingxuan didn't say anything more once she saw the man had made his decision.

"Wanying, Yaner, you will come with me on the expedition!"

"Yes! Husband!"

Hearing this, both women's eyes lit up, and they became excited!

"Yaner, send scouts now to the prefectures of E Prefecture to check if the situation is similar to what Xie Juner described."

"Okay!"

Leng Bingyan ran out quickly.

"Wanying, assemble all of the Golden Scale Guard. The infantry will stay behind to guard Baishui and Yangquan against the barbarians and the White Kings Army."

"For this expedition, we are only taking cavalry! The first five thousand will set out with us the day after tomorrow."

"Those who can't make it in time will assemble in Yangquan in three days, led by General Wu Jinzhe and Brother Zhao, and follow from behind!"

Mu Wanying was stunned. She could understand only taking cavalry; after all, if things went smoothly this time, there would be no need to lay siege, and they could strike directly into E Prefecture.

But splitting into two groups was somewhat scattered.

"Husband, why not wait until three days later to set out? We only have 15,000 cavalry in total. Is five thousand too few for E Prefecture?"

Lin Xiao waved his hand: "It's fine. With me there, five thousand is enough!"

Seeing the man say so, the two women naturally had nothing more to say and did not speak further.

One day later.

The cold wind howled, and the armored troops broke camp and left the city!

Amidst the reluctant, worried, and respectful gazes of the common people, Lin Xiao led five thousand elite cavalry, traveling light, and headed straight for the direction of Huanglong Prefecture in E Prefecture!

General Wu Jinzhe stayed on the city walls, waving goodbye. He had to wait for General Zhao Kuan and Wei Dongxue to assemble with the remaining 10,000 cavalry.

Xie Juner insisted on coming along. She wore leather armor and a helmet, dressed like a female general.

"Princess, the Marquis has already formed a grudge against me, yet he still lets you come? You aren't running away from home, are you?"

Lin Xiao looked at Xie Juner, whose face was flushed and who was clearly very excited, and couldn't help but tease her.

"That's not it!"

Xie Juner was happy that Lin Xiao took the initiative to talk to her, but she refused to admit defeat.

"My father made a mistake, he admits it and accepts the punishment. Why would he hold a grudge against you?"

"This expedition is also for the interests of my Xie Family in E Prefecture, so he naturally understands the stakes!"

"Besides, my brother came back a few days ago. He is much more mature than before, and he is in a good mood."

"Actually, in my father's heart, he still appreciates Lin Xiao. It's just that his status is noble, and he is used to being high and mighty in his daily life..."

"Alright, alright," Lin Xiao interrupted the chatterbox princess: "I didn't ask you that much. You don't need to tell me everything about your family."

Xie Juner was so angry she bared her teeth. To think there was someone who complained about her talking too much!?

Mu Wanying and Leng Bingyan, who were on the side, smiled, finding the princess quite cute.

One day later.

Lin Xiao led the army past a shaded hillside.

At this moment, a scout ran back from the south and reported the news:

"General! Thousands of cavalry have emerged from the direction of Huanglong Prefecture in Sha Prefecture—at least three thousand—and they are only twenty miles away from us!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions darkened. Sure enough, this expedition had not been kept from the White Kings Army!

"It must be that there are still spies of the White Kings Army in Yangquan. They followed us not long after we set out!"

Commander Bai Buhei cupped his hands and said: "General, how about I take a team of brothers to lead them away?"

"No! We don't have many troops to begin with, so we cannot disperse further!"

"Moreover, there is a high probability that there are reinforcements behind the enemy. There are definitely more than just these few thousand cavalry!"

Mu Wanying said: "Husband, as long as we speed up, we can reach the border of E Prefecture in an hour. They shouldn't be able to catch up. Shall we speed up a little?"

The woman turned her head, only to find that a "wicked" smile had appeared on Lin Xiao's face, as if some conspiracy had succeeded!

Lin Xiao turned his horse around and shouted with all his might: "Brothers! The Shazhou Army has caught up! They want to fight us in the open field! Are you afraid!?"

Hearing this question, the five thousand cavalry, who had been somewhat exhausted from the march, were suddenly no longer sleepy!

"Not afraid!!"

"A bunch of bucket-heads who haven't even killed any barbarians, afraid of what!?"

"General! Let me go chop them down!!"

Lin Xiao grinned, suddenly drew his black blade, and shouted: "The whole army turn around and charge with me!!"

"Tonight, I want to take Huanglong Prefecture!! Giddyap!!"

As Lin Xiao galloped away on his horse through the snow, Mu Wanying, Leng Bingyan, and the others behind were dumbfounded!

Everyone was shocked to the core, and suddenly realized one thing—

Once the White Kings Army of Sha Prefecture came to intercept them, it meant... they had abandoned their city to come out!!

Lin Xiao, who seemed to be the "prey," was actually the "hunter" in this game!!