Chapter 133

Jiang Xiurun immediately summoned Ji Wujiang and instructed him to send spies to investigate Great Qi’s movements.

The turmoil in Great Qi not only weighed on Jiang Xiurun’s mind but also kept other nations on edge, as they anxiously awaited news of the new emperor’s ascension and how it might alter diplomatic relations.

Because of this, the alliance meeting among the small northwestern border states held even greater significance this year.

This time,Bo was the host state, and emperor Jiang was particularly enthusiastic about such events, where he could present himself before the other rulers.

During the alliance meeting, the host state was expected to showcase its military strength by conducting a grand military exercise, with all attending rulers invited to review the troops.

However, while emperor Bo was eager to flaunt his might, the reality was that his resources were limited.

Thus, the responsibility of organizing the military drill fell upon Shen Hua, who had inherited the position of Shen Yong.

Unfortunately, despite holding the title of Grand General, Shen Hua had never even touched a saddle.

In the end, the burden of the drills was handed over to Deputy General Jin Kui.

Jin Kui, at the age of forty-five, was a military officer personally trained by the retired General Ye Sheng.

However, under the rule of the Shen family, he had long been unable to realize his potential and was relegated to the minor role of a centurion.

Had it not been for Shen Hua’s fear of making a fool of himself during the drills, he would never have promoted Jin Kui to the rank of deputy general.

Back when Qian’er first joined the military camp, her exceptional agility caught Jin Kui’s attention, and he recruited her into his centurion unit.

Now that Jin Kui had been promoted to deputy general, Qian’er took over his former position as centurion.

It wasn’t that Jin Kui particularly valued Bai Qian because she was a woman—it was simply that out of all the soldiers under his command, she was the only one who could recite military texts and was also literate.

Though Jin Kui had struggled to recognize the worm-like scrawl she had written as a passage from The Art of War, he had to admit that, despite her poor handwriting, she was still a rare talent, both in martial and scholarly pursuits!

Such a person should never be buried in obscurity.

To celebrate Bai Qian’s promotion, Jiang Xiurun specifically ordered the kitchen to prepare a lavish meal in honor of the future female general.

Bai Qian was flustered by such attention and hurriedly said, “Young Mistress, I truly do not deserve such treatment!”

Jiang Xiurun adjusted the baby in her arms, who was clinging to her and trying to nurse, then kissed Baoli’s soft little face.

She turned to Bai Qian and said, “Your and your sister’s indenture contracts were never meant to be permanent. When you joined the military camp, I tore up your contract. From now on, you must never tell anyone that you were once my servant.”

Bai Qian was stunned.

“Young Mistress… are you abandoning me?”

Jiang Xiurun replied, “How could I abandon you? I sent you into the military because I hope you will become the first female general among all the states. However, the world values noble lineage above all else. If people knew you were once my servant, it would be much harder for you to rise as a general.”

Hearing this, Bai Qian felt reassured, but she gave a wry smile and said, “A female general? Being a general in Bo is no easy feat. The soldiers here are so weak they’re like little chicks. If war truly breaks out, I doubt I’d get to enjoy the glory of a general before being sent to the enemy’s sacrificial altar.”

Jiang Xiurun sighed.

She knew that Bai Qian was telling the truth.

Bo’s army was utterly rotten, from top to bottom, nothing more than a pile of useless mud.

For years, the Shen family had controlled both the court and the military, caring only about amassing wealth.

Whoever offered them the most gold was appointed a military commander, regardless of experience.

As a result, many so-called generals, like Shen Hua, had never even wielded a sword or worn armor.

And once appointed, these commanders sought to recoup their bribes by embezzling military rations, reselling weapons, and extorting the soldiers.

The troops rarely had a full meal in an entire year—how could they be expected to fight to the death?

The generals weren’t real generals, the soldiers weren’t real soldiers—it was no wonder that in her past life, when the Liang army approached, Bo’s generals fled with their treasures before a single battle was fought.

Seeing this, the officers and soldiers followed suit, scattering in all directions. Bo was conquered without a single casualty on the Liang army’s side.

If Bo were like Rong, a tiny state but filled with fearless warriors who fought like wild beasts, then despite its small size, no country would dare look down on it so easily.

Jiang Xiurun knew exactly what the problem was.

However, with Shen Hua tightly clutching military power, she had no way of intervening.

For now, she could only throw a talented commander like Bai Qian into this cesspool and feel guilty about it.

For the time being, it would be up to Deputy General Jin Kui and Bai Qian to clean up the mess.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Xiurun said, “General Jin Kui is an exceptional leader. Whether it’s commanding troops or training soldiers, he is highly capable. Now that you’re a centurion, learn from him as much as you can.”

Bai Qian nodded in agreement.

Jiang Xiurun continued, “The Crown Prince of Great Qi sent guards to monitor me in secret, but those men have been lingering around aimlessly. They’re unfamiliar with the land, and since they haven’t returned to Great Qi in a long time, it seems they’ve run out of money. If this continues, they’ll either turn to robbery or end up begging in the streets.

Since we were once acquainted, I can’t stand by and let them starve. I’ve given them some money for their expenses and arranged housing for them nearby.

You know these men well—they were personally selected by the Crown Prince from his elite soldiers. Since they’re taking my money, they should at least do some work for me. If you run into difficulties and don’t want to trouble Deputy General Jin Kui too often, you can seek their advice on training the troops.”

Hearing this, Bai Qian hesitated and asked, “Could the Crown Prince have sent them because he knows about… the little prince?”

Jiang Xiurun shook her head calmly.

“I doubt it. The Crown Prince seems to have completely forgotten about them, which is why he hasn’t sent them any aid. They’re fiercely loyal and wouldn’t dare return to Great Qi without his summons, even if it meant starving to death at my doorstep.”

In truth, Jiang Xiurun thought that it would be best if the Crown Prince had truly forgotten about her.

At worst, she was just providing for a few old acquaintances.

She might as well let them settle in Bo and enjoy their retirement here—better that than having them starve and eventually return to Feng Liwu, stirring up unnecessary trouble.

And indeed, it turned out that Feng Liwu was far too preoccupied with grand, earth-shattering affairs to care about a former concubine in a remote border state.

Before long, shocking news spread across the land—

Within three days, Great Qi had completely destroyed the state of Wei.

The announcement sent waves of shock throughout all the states.

This left Jiang Xiurun utterly shocked.

Firstly, in her previous life, Qi had never destroyed Wei at this time.

Secondly, Feng Liwu’s ruthless and decisive actions filled her with deep concern.

She feared that his appetite for annexing other states would only grow, and one day, his army might reach the northwestern border, suddenly marching into Bo to sample a “small snack” and refresh his palate.

Emperor Jiang was uncertain whether to feel fear or excitement.

He only instructed his spies to investigate in detail how Qi had managed to annihilate Wei.

A few days later, the spies finally returned with their report.

It turned out that Feng Liwu had sent envoys to invite the Emperor of Wei to a meeting, claiming that a gold mine had been discovered near a small city on the Qi-Wei border.

They needed to negotiate how to mine and distribute the gold, and the meeting location was set in this small city.

Several wise ministers of Wei advised their emperor against attending, suspecting a trap.

They reasoned that the emperor of Qi had just been injured, and Feng Liwu should be focusing on consolidating his rule rather than dealing with a gold mine.

However, the emperor of Wei, driven by greed for the gold and fear of offending Feng Liwu—thus giving Qi an excuse to attack—hesitated but ultimately decided to take the risk and attend the meeting.

As a result, upon his arrival in the small city, the emperor of Wei and his accompanying ministers were immediately captured by Qi’s forces and sent to Luo’an.

With the emperor of Wei in custody, Feng Liwu swiftly launched an attack on Wei.

The Grand Canal, previously constructed, became an invaluable military asset, allowing Qi’s elite troops to mobilize overnight and surround Wei’s capital.

With their emperor captured, the capital city completely encircled, and government officials blaming each other instead of organizing a defense, Qi’s army marched in effortlessly and occupied the city.

After seizing Wei, Feng Liwu, in the name of the ailing Emperor Duanqing, issued a decree of conquest, which should have been announced before the attack.

The decree listed several grave crimes committed by the emperor of Wei:

1. Neglecting the people’s welfare—In his ten years of reign, he built five lavish gardens and seven palaces, overburdening the people with forced labor and leaving them destitute.

2. Suppressing dissent—Three officials tried to persuade him to reduce labor demands and lower taxes to strengthen the nation, but he dismissed one and imprisoned the other two, instilling fear among officials.

3. Exploiting the people for profit—Qi and Wei were neighboring states, heavily reliant on trade and education exchanges. The journey between them was long—five days at best, ten at worst—causing hardship for travelers. The emperor of Qi, out of compassion, constructed the Grand Canal to shorten the journey. However, the emperor of Wei embezzled a significant portion of the canal’s funds, an act of utter disgrace.

Furthermore, the decree mentioned that a certain Li family of Wei, whose father, brothers, wife, and children had perished due to the emperor of Wei’s greed, had accused him before Qi’s court. Qi, claiming to act in accordance with Heaven’s will and the people’s wishes, declared war on Wei to overthrow its tyrant.

Flowery rhetoric aside, the essence of the decree boiled down to this: the Emperor of Wei was a greedy and oppressive ruler who had embezzled Qi’s silver from the Grand Canal project. Unable to tolerate his misconduct any longer, Qi had taken action—rescuing Wei’s suffering people while conveniently recovering their own funds.

It was a justification so brazenly self-serving that only someone with an exceptionally thick skin could have written it.

Hearing the wording, Jiang Xiurun recognized the literary style of the scholar Ji Binglin.

After using the name of the bedridden Emperor Duanqing to annex Wei, bolster national strength, and intimidate both domestic and foreign powers, Feng Liwu finally ascended the throne as Emperor in a perfectly legitimate manner.

This event sent shockwaves through the other states, making an alliance meeting imperative to discuss countermeasures.

Bo designated Mei city as the meeting location.

There was a saying among the people: “The northwest looks to Bo, and Bo looks to Mei city.”

This meant that Bo, among the small states of the northwest, had the best climate and most fertile land, producing the largest grain yields.

Within Bo, Meicheng was the most prosperous, located a hundred miles east of the capital, Yang city. It was known as the “City of Springs,” boasting dozens of famous springs and hundreds of unnamed ones, making it the wealthiest city in Bo.

To accommodate the alliance meeting, Bo temporarily requisitioned several mansions from wealthy families and constructed additional residences for the visiting rulers.

On the day of the meeting, the monarchs of various small northwestern states arrived one after another.

The Emperor of Bo basked in the prestige of hosting such an important event. However, as Jiang Xiurun followed her father’s decree and sat inside a carriage, looking out at the gathering, she secretly furrowed her brows