Chapter 306 Taking Action Again

Zhao Xiyao was somewhat dissatisfied that Gao Yuan had given up so many tangible benefits in exchange for the title of a First-Rank Prince.

Gao Yuan, however, seemed indifferent. He smiled, pulled the beautiful woman into his arms, and began to explain his actions.

"It's not that I care about empty titles, but rather that I had no other choice. According to the intelligence, the Capital City is already dirt poor; they simply couldn't afford to give up so much."

"How is that possible? Those Powerful Families..."

"Do you think those Powerful Families would be willing to cough up money?"

"But those are their own descendants from the Powerful Families, aren't they?"

"Heh, as long as they are alive, they are descendants of the Powerful Families and key targets for cultivation. If they die, they are nothing more than corpses. These Powerful Families have never lacked talented individuals worth cultivating."

Gao Yuan smiled with a hint of disdain.

"Besides, judging by what they did this time, do you think these people have any future?"

Zhao Xiyao understood what Gao Yuan meant. These playboys might have previously held illustrious reputations, all called young talents, with limitless futures under the support of their families.

But after they were captured alive this time, their reputations in the eyes of the world were already ruined. In the future, no matter how their families protected or supported them, their room for development would be extremely limited.

To put it bluntly, these people had already lost their value for cultivation.

And for these great Powerful Families that had been passed down for hundreds of years, the one thing they didn't lack was clever and sharp young people. They could just find another one or two to cultivate.

There was only one person whose name Gao Yuan had noted in his heart.

"However, this Zhu Song managed to keep a clear head under such circumstances, which is truly not easy. If given some opportunities to gain experience, he might become a famous general in the future. It's just a pity..."

"Pity what?"

"It's a pity that if he had someone like Jiang Huaizhen as the commander-in-chief, and let Zhu Song follow behind as an assistant to gain experience for a few years, perhaps his future would be limitless. As for now..."

At that moment, Gao Yuan thought of the scene from the TV series "Kangxi Dynasty" during the Thousand-Elder Banquet, where Kangxi, played by Chen Daoming, toasts his opponent.

Zhao Xiyao did not understand this thought of Gao Yuan's at all. She looked at her Husband, puzzled, and said,

"Husband, isn't it more advantageous for us to have one less opponent?"

"That is true, but Xiyao, don't you think it's a sad thing to have no opponents?"

At this moment, Gao Yuan's figure seemed exceptionally tall, making Zhao Xiyao somewhat infatuated. The bedroom was once again filled with romantic pink bubbles, followed by a burst of ambiguous panting.

It wasn't just Gao Yuan who saw Zhu Song's value; Xiao Yu, Cui You, and their group also saw Zhu Song's potential future. This was great news for the Powerful Families.

They immediately made arrangements, appointing Zhu Song as the Military Governor of Shandong Circuit, commanding the troops along the Haizhou, Sizhou, and Xuzhou line. At the same time, they once again selected a group of family descendants to be sent to the army for training.

After all, the Zhu family had produced such a capable person; how could the other Powerful Families not be envious, and how could they not be on guard?

If the Zhu family were to dominate the military, these Powerful Families would likely be unable to sleep at night.

Believe it or not, these measures of theirs really did select a group of capable mid-level officers in the army, who became the backbone of the Great Qian Imperial Court's military.

Having experienced a crushing defeat, Zhu Song himself also saw his own shortcomings. After returning to the Capital City, he humbled himself and visited Jiang Huaizhen, General Ma Zhiyuan, Mao Biao, and others.

His humble attitude greatly increased the favor of these battle-hardened veterans who were currently idle at home toward this descendant of a Powerful Family. General Ma Zhiyuan and Meng Zhenshan even accepted his invitation to serve as his deputies.

Hearing that the Great Qian Imperial Court had suffered a crushing defeat and heavy losses, Gao Wu and Lu Kuan both had thoughts of moving south.

Now, both sides had formed a stalemate in the Central Plains, and neither could shake the other. Therefore, finding a soft persimmon to squeeze to boost military morale and expand their strength became the best choice.

As if a tacit understanding had been formed, the troops from Northern Liang and Northern Yan both began to stir, causing the Great Qian Imperial Court, which had just settled down, to become turbulent once again.

Zhu Song did not expect that just after taking office and before he had even established a firm footing, this test would arrive. For a moment, he was almost panicked.

However, he quickly overcame his initial panic. Now he had tens of thousands of troops in his hands, and with two great generals assisting him, the siege by the two armies of Northern Liang and Northern Yan, while seemingly aggressive, was not impossible to block.

The tense situation here was, for Gao Yuan, a good opportunity.

Although they had experienced a great battle and consumed a lot of money, food, and supplies, the strength of the Nanyue Army—or rather, the Yue Army as it should be called now—had not suffered any damage.

Gao Yuan still held the Imperial Guard Division and the newly formed two thousand men of the Beiwei Army's Fifth Division in his hands. He could completely launch a rapid surprise attack and make a profit while everyone's attention was focused on the Jianghuai region.

Last time, following Gao Yuan on the expedition allowed Mu Qing to find the feeling of being on the battlefield with Gao Yuan again. This woman was clearly not satisfied yet.

Seeing Gao Yuan looking at the map again, she knew her Husband must have some new ideas, so she quickly leaned over and hung directly on her Husband.

"Husband, are you thinking of going on an expedition again? The last expedition ended anticlimactically, and I didn't have enough fun. I don't care, you must take me with you this time no matter what!"

Gao Yuan affectionately pinched the woman's pretty face and nodded.

"Didn't a group of Female Soldiers from the Imperial Guard Battalion not go last time? This time, we will take them to see the world."

When taking the Female Soldiers on the expedition last time, these heroic young women were initially very excited and often had smiles on their faces, but everything changed after the first surprise attack ended.

Looking at the corpses all over the ground and smelling the thick, bloody scent permeating the air, these Female Soldiers vomited uncontrollably. Some of the Female Soldiers would even hug each other and cry incessantly at night.

However, as the war progressed, this situation changed rapidly. These young women in their early twenties quickly shed their immaturity and liveliness, and a hint of coldness began to reveal itself on them.

By the time they finally ambushed Zhu Song, these Female Soldiers were extremely resolute when wielding their blades. Mu Qing and her sisters were even able to independently slaughter a group of defeated soldiers.

Having experienced a great battle, these Female Soldiers had completely changed. This was the importance of actual combat.

And this time, Gao Yuan prepared to take the remaining Female Soldiers to see the world as well. After all, these Female Soldiers were responsible for guarding the palace on ordinary days. If they were trained, the safety of the women and children would be better guaranteed, wouldn't it?

Hearing Gao Yuan say this, Mu Qing was very happy. She kissed her Husband on the face and then ran out like a gust of wind, looking like she was going to select personnel.

Since returning last time, Mu Qing had expanded the Imperial Guard Battalion. Now there were seven hundred Female Soldiers in the palace. Three hundred went last time, and two hundred and ninety survived.

This time, Mu Qing planned to take all four hundred and ten of them, so the pressure on the two hundred and ninety people in the palace would be great.

After discussing it with Zhao Xiyao and the others, Mu Qing made the decision on the spot: after the expedition began, the defense of the palace's outer perimeter would be temporarily handed over to the Xuanjia Army, while the inner palace would still be the responsibility of the Imperial Guard Battalion.

Without too much preparation, after receiving confirmed news that Gao Hu had already appeared in Yanzhou with troops, Gao Yuan immediately began his operation.

This time, he not only took the Imperial Guard Battalion, but also the Imperial Guard Division—or, to be precise, now called the Divine Machine Battalion.