Chapter 229 The Battle of the Festival (Part 3)

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, just after the Lantern Festival, the Central Corps began to assemble. This time, Gao Yuan prepared to lead the troops in person.

This was the first battle since Zhao Xiyao was titled King, and there was no room for failure.

Although Gao Yuan didn't believe his command abilities were stronger than those of Xue Linfeng or Wen Pin, who could blame him for being a 'cheater'?

With the bug-like existence of the Leaders Aura, his mere presence could push the elite Baier Soldiers and Xiaoguo Army to their peak combat effectiveness.

If the battle fell into a stalemate, he could suddenly appear with these two elite units to catch Meng Zhenshan off guard, potentially turning the tide of the war.

Hearing that Gao Yuan was going to war, the five women were very reluctant, but none spoke out in opposition. They simply looked at him with resentful little eyes, especially Wu Xu and Xian Ying, the two who had recently tasted the forbidden fruit.

Gao Yuan smiled and gave each woman a hug, shamelessly acting as a plagiarist of ancient poetry.

"If love between both sides can last for aye, why need they stay together night and day? Trust me, in a few years, we won't have to be apart so often."

Specifically for Wu Xu, Gao Yuan held her in his arms and pecked at the girl's pouting, tender pink lips.

"In another year or two, I'll transfer you back to be the Prime Minister of our Nanyue Kingdom—the first female Prime Minister, how about that?"

The girl was sensible and nodded gently.

"I know. I've been waiting for that day."

Each woman enjoyed a moment of private tenderness before leaving satisfied. The finale, naturally, was Zhao Xiyao.

The husband and wife held each other, but they weren't discussing romantic affairs; instead, they spoke of Gao Yuan's plan to establish a maritime fleet.

"Husband, I've had someone calculate the costs over the past few days. A single sea vessel of two thousand 'liao' capacity costs about seven hundred strings of cash to build. The cost is a bit too high..."

"Zhao Xiyaos informal address, when have you ever seen your husband lose money in business?"

Gao Yuan was quite proud. He wasn't worried at all about losing money at sea, even if the initial costs were a bit high.

"When the time comes, as long as we find one Spice Island, we can earn back all our costs. Then, we'll probably have to worry about spice prices dropping because we have too much."

"Is there really a Spice Island?"

Although Gao Yuan had mentioned it several times, Zhao Xiyao still found it hard to believe. After all, in this era, many spices were worth their weight in gold. An island covered in spices—how was that different from a land covered in gold?

But seeing how certain Gao Yuan was, Zhao Xiyao decided to trust her husband. She nodded slightly.

"I'll arrange it tomorrow. However, Husband, have you considered that if we really find a Spice Island, the news will likely spread quickly?"

"At that time, those Powerful Families families will surely swarm in. Won't we lose our profit then?"

“Hehe, I can't wait for them to go to sea. Then we won't have to work so hard risking our lives to find Spice Islands and Gold Islands ourselves; we can just sit at home and wait to collect taxes.”

“Collect taxes? Those Powerful Families families are like Pixiu that only take in and never let out. Would they agree to honestly pay taxes?”

“Might makes right. We'll build a fleet of warships; whoever isn't honest, we'll wipe them out.”

The woman snuggled closer into her husband's arms and said softly,

“Husband, you're so amazing.”

This phrase, which often appeared in their bedroom, combined with the woman's soft, sweet, and delicate voice, made Gao Yuan feel a surge of heat.

Taking a few deep breaths, Gao Yuan let her go. The temptation was too great; he feared if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to control himself, and then he probably wouldn't be able to leave the house for three or four days.

The farewells lasted until the afternoon. After soothing the five enchanting beauties, Gao Yuan finally left the palace, mounted his warhorse, and joined the Xiaoguo Army to catch up with the infantry that had already set out.

On the same day Gao Yuan dispatched his troops, outside Chengdu, Meng Zhenshan finished an impassioned speech, painting countless delicious 'pies in the sky' for his soldiers, and set off with the main force of the Jiannan Army.

He knew that raising troops privately for internal conflict was a serious crime either way, so he had to act quickly and take Bo Prefecture as soon as possible.

That way, neither the Emperor nor those pedantic scholars in the imperial court would have the chance to attack him.

If they punished a great hero like him, who would be willing to risk their lives for the court in the future?

The prerequisite for everything was speed and victory. Thus, he dispatched his troops right after the Lantern Festival, intending to be in position before Gao Yuan could react.

Once the main force of the Southern Yue army arrived, he could catch a turtle in a jar and win a great victory.

Both sides were advancing toward each other, both full of confidence and intent on annihilating the other. This great battle was inevitable.

However, Gao Yuan's side fell into a disadvantage before the fight even began; the news of Su Hao's total annihilation had leaked after all.

Wen Pin had been on guard day and night, but in the end, he failed to stop another wave of Meng Zhenshan's spies.

Upon learning that Zunyi was still in the hands of the Southern Yue army and that Wen Pin was currently in Bo Prefecture, Meng Zhenshan was stunned. He felt he had been played.

A more cautious person would have considered retreating at this point, since the advantage was no longer theirs; being stubborn would likely lead to a bad result.

Unfortunately, Meng Zhenshan was exactly the stubborn type. Realizing he had been tricked, he felt incredibly angry.

“That young brat dares to insult me like this! Pass down the order: the army continues south. I must take Zunyi!”

The deputy generals beside him hurried to dissuade him.

“Commander, since Gao Yuan already knows our army is coming, reinforcements must be on the way. If we force a siege, I fear...”

“Yes, Commander, siege casualties will surely be high. If the Southern Yue reinforcements arrive then, we risk being attacked from both sides. Please, Commander, reconsider.”

“Please, Commander, reconsider.”

“Hmph, Gao Yuan is just a pretty boy living off a woman. What combat power could his army possibly have? How can they compare to the Jiannan Army I trained personally?”

Meng Zhenshan had full confidence in the army he had personally trained. However, seeing that everyone was uneasy, he brought out his trump card.

“I don't mind telling you, for this battle, I wrote a letter to borrow two thousand Cavalry from the Left Cavalry Guard. They will arrive in a few days. Even in a field battle, we have nothing to fear.”

Hearing that two thousand elite Cavalry were coming to assist, most of the crowd's doubts were dispelled.

The Jiannan Army continued south and was soon less than a hundred miles from Zunyi. Meanwhile, the Southern Yue Central Corps, which had set out from Panyu, was still nearly ten days away from Zunyi.

It was this difference in distance that gave Meng Zhenshan ample confidence. He was certain he could take Zunyi before Gao Yuan arrived with reinforcements.

As long as he took the city and had a base, he believed that with the combat power of the Jiannan Army and the Left Cavalry Guard, he could completely crush Gao Yuan's main force.

As long as the result was what he wanted, what did the process matter?

Gao Yuan, on the other hand, didn't know the news had leaked. He was still planning how to act convincingly enough to lure Meng Zhenshan into the trap.

At the same time, in Capital City, Song Yehong and Zheng Ting both received messages from Gao Yuan via the Secret Guards.

The content was simple: explaining Meng Zhenshan's private mobilization of troops and hoping they could speak up for him after he entered the Jiannan Circuit.

After all, if he occupied territory in the Jiannan Circuit and the Emperor issued a decree for him to withdraw, should he withdraw or not?

If he disobeyed the decree, the Emperor would have a perfect reason to order a campaign against him.

In the current situation, Gao Yuan had some confidence in fighting the Jiannan Army, but against the Southern Palace Imperial Guard, he really didn't have much certainty.