Chapter 245: Batel’s Plea for Help
Jin Sui was very disappointed by the mass resignation of female officials. She had genuinely hoped that the system of female officials could mature and provide an avenue for women who loved to read and had aspirations.
She hadn’t expected it to be used by noble ladies as a means to approach the Emperor. Seeing that not only could they not approach the Emperor as female officials, but their clans were also annihilated, they all gave up and returned home to marry.
Yingniang naturally saw that the Empress was in a bad mood. She childishly comforted Jin Sui, “When I grow up, I will definitely become a female official who can share your worries, a female official who can do things for the people of the world.
It’s not just me; the girls in the military family district all think this way. We all understand your good intentions, Your Majesty.”
Jin Sui was greatly relieved. She rubbed Yingniang’s forehead and smiled, “Good, then I will wait for you to grow up.
It’s better for female officials to be selected from the common people. They cherish their hard-won official positions more. This batch of female officials was recruited by His Majesty too hastily, directly from the daughters of powerful officials. I didn’t expect such a major incident to occur.”
“What major incident?” Gu Changxiao asked as he returned to the palace after the morning court, overhearing Jin Sui’s words.
Jin Sui shook her head and smiled, “It’s nothing. I heard the first warship will set sail for a trial voyage soon. Has the date been confirmed? Will His Majesty attend the ceremony?”
How could Gu Changxiao not know what she was talking about just now! He stepped forward, took her hand, and comforted her, “I know some gossip has reached your ears. You have always been soft-hearted…”
Liu Yun, standing nearby, shivered. Your Majesty, are you having perception issues? My senior sister is soft-hearted? Have you forgotten how she killed people when she was the Li King?
Of course, His Majesty has also killed quite a few people. Perhaps he is comparing himself to Senior Sister, and indeed, Senior Sister seems much softer-hearted.
“You are the Empress, and you are pregnant. Please don’t worry about those insignificant people, alright? I’ll tell you the truth, this situation actually happened once before in Chang’an.
That time, I also killed many people to deter those who were restless. I didn’t expect that after relocating the capital to the border city, they would forget how much I hate such behavior and dare to be so rampant!
Sui Sui, think about it. If they can send a woman to my study today, tomorrow they could send assassins into the harem. Your safety and the child’s safety cannot be guaranteed!
Such matters absolutely cannot be tolerated! Only by killing can we deter them! If killing a thousand people doesn’t eliminate the wicked thoughts of those demons and monsters, I will kill ten thousand!
Our harem is not the harem of Chang’an, which is a cold place with only power and no warmth. Our harem is a home! Our children will grow up here in the future, and I absolutely cannot allow any danger here…”
Jin Sui reached out and covered his mouth, looking at him sincerely, “Your Majesty, you don’t need to explain. I understand everything. And I agree with your approach. If it were me, I would do the same!”
Gu Changxiao hugged her, “That’s good. Let the world call me cruel, I don’t care! I only care about Sui Sui’s approval.”
Just then, the fetus in Jin Sui’s belly kicked. Because they were too close, Gu Changxiao also felt it.
He quickly reached out to touch the baby’s little foot, a bit flustered, “Sui Sui, he’s acknowledging me!”
Jin Sui smiled, “Your Majesty, quickly talk to the child, let him remember his father’s voice.”
The Emperor, who had killed without batting an eye in the imperial court, was now nervously swallowing, his Adam’s apple bobbing. After a long while, he tentatively said to Jin Sui’s belly:
“Baby, can you hear me? I am your Father Emperor.”
Jin Sui covered her mouth and chuckled, also stroking her belly, “I am Mother Empress.”
“Be good, don’t kick around, Mother Empress will hurt.”
Jin Sui smiled, “It doesn’t hurt, it’s quite interesting.”
After the child started moving, her belly grew bigger day by day. Gu Changxiao found a new source of amusement. Every day after court, he would press his ear to Jin Sui’s belly and talk to the child for a while.
At night, he would press his ear to her belly to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. Jin Sui talked to him about prenatal education. She heard that music was good for a child’s development, so the next day, a court orchestra came to perform live.
However, the ancient tunes they played were not very suitable for children. Jin Sui taught some popular children’s songs to Yingniang, who then composed music with them.
Soon, classic children’s songs like “The Cricket Flies,” “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” and “Two Tigers” drifted through the palace.
These songs spread very quickly. They were catchy and the music was lively. Children could sing them after hearing them twice, and they soon spread throughout the capital, and then the entire country.
In the seventh month of pregnancy, the first batch of the navy, the first warship, and old sea vessels set sail for sea, officially beginning naval exercises.
Jin Sui gave Han Xing a flag signal manual, which greatly accelerated the growth of our navy.
During this period, the Northern Frontier sent an envoy with happy news: their King Batel was officially getting married and invited friendly nations to attend the wedding banquet.
Gu Changxiao was still considering which imperial commissioner to send. Ideally, it would be Liu Yun, as Princess Tuoya had requested that Master Liu Yun visit the Northern Frontier Royal Court again.
However, Liu Yun did not want to go. He said that the Empress was about to give birth, and he would only feel at ease if he personally guarded the Empress. Gu Changxiao agreed with this and discussed with Cheng Yu about sending another imperial commissioner.
While the court was still discussing, Batel sent a new envoy. This time, the envoy arrived in a hurry and with great panic, bringing heavy gifts and a letter of request personally written by Batel.
It turned out that there was a civil war in the Northern Frontier. Several generals with heavy military power had rebelled during Batel’s wedding. Batel was trapped in the Royal Court, and Princess Tuoya rushed to his rescue, but due to insufficient troops, the Royal Court was on the verge of falling.
Everyone knew that Batel would never ask for help from Great Xia unless absolutely necessary. Just like when Gu Changxiao fought with Prince Yu back then, he never thought of borrowing Batel’s troops.
Borrowing troops from a neighboring country to quell a civil war could easily lead to a situation where it’s easy to ask for troops but difficult to send them back, turning a civil war into a war between two countries.
The court was in an uproar over whether to lend troops to Batel.
Supporters argued that since King Batel ascended the throne, Great Xia had maintained good relations with the Northern Frontier. If they didn’t rescue him, and he was killed, a new King of the Northern Frontier might ascend the throne and likely start a war with Great Xia again.
Moreover, our main forces are currently fighting Japan and a large army is fighting the Hu People. It’s best not to engage in another war with the Northern Frontier.
Opponents argued that the civil unrest in the Northern Frontier was more beneficial to us. The more chaotic they were, the better. We should watch from the sidelines, let them fight, and why should we get involved?
Jin Sui was initially among the opponents. She didn’t want our soldiers to die in the Northern Frontier; even one death would break her heart.
Besides, she felt that Batel and Tuoya were hiding their strength and simply wanted to borrow Great Xia’s gunpowder to defeat their enemies.
Due to the strong opposition, the court was in constant debate. The envoy from the Northern Frontier was anxious and immediately sent a message back to the Royal Court.
When the third envoy arrived, they brought Batel’s Imperial Letter. As long as Great Xia helped him quell the civil unrest, he was willing to cede three cities to Great Xia as a token of his gratitude.
The three cities were precisely the Hetao Plain. This greatly stimulated all the civil and military officials. After all, for generations, we have had countless disputes with the northern barbarians over the Hetao Plain!
We had recaptured it once, but quickly lost it again. As for Great Xia, since its founding, it had only recaptured the Sixteen Prefectures of Yandi, but the Hetao region had never been reclaimed.
If this were truly reclaimed, it would be a great achievement worthy of a Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony. No Emperor could refuse such a temptation.
Gu Changxiao was no exception. He excitedly said to Jin Sui:
“Regardless of whether Batel keeps his promise afterward, I must obtain the Hetao Plain! This way, we will have more fertile pastures, and it will be possible to raise a million iron cavalry!”
Jin Sui looked at the map, puzzled, “The Hetao region is equally important to the Northern Frontier. Why is Batel willing to cede these three cities to Great Xia?”
Unexpectedly, Liu Yun solved their confusion, “The prince who is in charge of the Hetao region is the one who rebelled this time. His troops are the strongest.”
It seemed that during his time in the Northern Frontier, although Liu Yun was constantly thinking about achieving enlightenment and becoming an immortal, he had still gathered some information.
Now it made sense. Even if Batel killed the prince and obtained the Hetao region, the people and herdsmen of the Hetao region would not submit to him. It was better to trade the Hetao region for Great Xia’s help.
From the perspective of the Empress of Great Xia, Jin Sui was very satisfied with this transaction. However, thinking about how she had helped Tuoya and Batel obtain the throne in the past, she felt a bit disgusted.
Although Batel was not so incompetent that he couldn’t be helped, he was still too poor! The Northern Frontier frequently experienced civil unrest, and now they had to rely on ceding land to seek foreign aid!
If this were my younger brother, I would have beaten him to death long ago. I would be a better Empress than him! Tuoya is truly too soft-hearted.
If Batel knew how Jin Sui evaluated him, he would surely weep tears of regret. Why has the Northern Frontier always had civil unrest?
Wasn’t it secretly instigated by Gu Changxiao and Yan Jiu! Batel agreed to trade with Great Xia and gave Yan Jiu trade privileges. The herdsmen and tribes of the Northern Frontier did become richer, but it also gave them the strength to rebel.
Gu Changxiao and Yan Jiu were in complete agreement regarding the series of instigations against the Northern Frontier. One wanted to ensure that the enemy country remained unstable, thus preventing border wars.
The other wanted to make money. The more chaotic the Northern Frontier became, the easier it would be for Yan Jiu to control its economy.
Jin Sui had previously considered that after defeating Japan, a nationwide war with the Northern Frontier would eventually occur.
Now it seemed unlikely. As long as Batel survived, and with Yan Jiu’s covert operations in the Northern Frontier, within ten years, the Northern Frontier’s national strength would weaken to the point where it would be incapable of fighting Great Xia.
Moreover, we have entered the era of firearms, while they are still using scimitars and warhorses.
However, Batel has been paying attention to Hei Hu’s pursuit of the Hu People. Perhaps we can point him in a direction. Great Xia is a behemoth you cannot touch. Your iron cavalry should head west!
The voices opposing reinforcements for King Batel completely disappeared in the court because he was offering too much!
With the three cities of Hetao incorporated into Great Xia’s territory, our Great Wall can be pushed out by three hundred li, establishing a brand new border line. Great Xia’s territory has leaped to its historical peak.
Although the land is in hand, governance will take a long time to completely sinicize. But as long as the land is obtained, other things are not a problem!
The Military Industry Department was particularly excited because they had many new weapons that could be tested in this war. His Majesty is now fully developing the navy and building supporting weapons for warships.
This led to their improved new-style catapults having no use other than being installed on city walls. The catapults were too cumbersome, and they weren’t even considered when delivering weapons to General Huang last time.
This time, they can be used on the Northern Frontier battlefield. What could be more satisfying than testing our weapons on the enemy’s battlefield!
Gu Changxiao quickly finalized the selection of generals to be dispatched: General Huang and Liu Yun.
That’s right, our little Liu Yun still has to make this trip because he is most familiar with the Northern Frontier. There is also one more person who will go, at his own request.
It is Yan Shiyi. His reason is quite speechless: Yan Jiu and Yan Shierniang have both been to the Northern Frontier Royal Court, and only he hasn’t, which he finds very unfair.
Coincidentally, the Northern Frontier civil unrest has affected many Yan family merchant caravans. As the acting head of the family, he will go to reorganize them and boost the confidence of the caravan personnel.
Gu Changxiao agreed, but he gave Yan Shiyi another task: to sign a contract with Batel for the excavation of oil mines.
Although we have also found oil mines in the Northwest, both the reserves and the environment are not as good as in the Northern Frontier. The Northern Frontier people are still unaware of the importance of petroleum.
We will offer them a low price for extraction, saving manpower and financial resources. It will only take some time to transport it back, but that’s not a problem.
And so, when Jin Sui was eight months pregnant, the issue of aiding the Northern Frontier, which had been debated throughout the capital, was settled.
General Huang, Liu Yun, and Yan Shiyi, along with fifty thousand troops and a large number of new weapons such as gunpowder and catapults, rushed to the Northern Frontier Royal Court.
Meanwhile, the court was already drafting officials and garrison troops to take over the three cities of Hetao. They were just waiting for General Huang to send back a signal of victory, and the map of Great Xia could be redrawn.
Before leaving, Jin Sui specifically asked Liu Yun, “This time you will achieve great merit, and His Majesty will surely bestow upon you the title of General. You can return to secular life. Being a Taoist priest is not easy.”
She still felt that this child was being stubborn, much like some scholars in later generations who delved into philosophy, becoming lost.
Why would a young person with a bright future choose to become a Taoist priest?
Liu Yun was very sad, “Senior Sister, do you think I lack comprehension and Taoist heart? That I will never truly achieve enlightenment?”
Jin Sui: …
Comprehension? Taoist heart? Enlightenment? Do I have any?
Fearing she would discourage the child and prevent him from focusing on killing enemies on the battlefield, she changed her approach, “I just think you are more useful as a general than as a Taoist priest!
Regarding this enlightenment, how should I put it? Personal cultivation is one method, but there is also the method of merit cultivation!
If you become a general and save countless people, your merits will be immeasurable! It’s easier to achieve enlightenment this way than through personal cultivation!”
This made Liu Yun’s eyes light up, and it also resolved his long-standing confusion. Why did Senior Sister, who was perfectly fine as a celestial being, choose to become an Empress? It turned out she was following the path of merit cultivation!
And Master Ling, why did he go to help disaster victims, build hospitals, and adopt orphans? It was also merit cultivation!
He immediately said joyfully, “Thank you, Senior Sister, for clarifying my doubts. I know what to do. Senior Sister, don’t worry, I will definitely live up to your expectations!”
Jin Sui: …What expectations? What did you understand?
Regardless of what this stubborn child was thinking, Jin Sui gave him, Yan Shiyi, and General Huang each a set of close-fitting armor made from materials from her space, comparable to bulletproof vests.
She also gave them some medicine from her space and all the energy bars she had accumulated during this time. She decided to turn the energy bars into a ritual.
That is, they would only be given to the soldiers on expeditions, considered special provisions prepared by the Empress for the soldiers. This time, a hot air balloon unit would also accompany them, preparing to perform a miracle at the Royal Court.
Jin Sui felt that they were not going to rescue Batel, but rather to show off Great Xia’s new weapons in the Northern Frontier.
