Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 951 - 949_1

Chapter 951: Chapter 949_1

After the hundreds of thousands of soldiers had set up their camp, eaten their fill, and found their placements, Xiao’er took out some pills to alleviate colds and gave them to the soldiers to prevent and treat any symptoms of coldness. Once they had taken the medicine, they each went off to sleep.

The sky gradually began to darken, the rain continued to pour. In such weather, they figured no one else would dare to venture out to sea, so they all went to sleep with ease.

Some soldiers slept in the cabins, while others took shelter in the tents to sleep.

Shangguan Xuanyi and Xiao’er moved into a space and took a hot bath, they didn’t leave the hot spring pool until Xiao’er’s complexion had turned rosy. Then Xiao’er fell right into bed and found herself into a deep sleep.

Shangguan Xuanyi pricked open all the blisters on Xiao’er’s hands and applied ointment. Then, holding her in his arms, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Both of them woke up feeling fully rested, since they had slept in that particular space. They had a full meal, organzied some things inside the space, and then finally left the space.

The sky outside was still dark, Xiao’er saw how deeply everyone was asleep, she set out to kindle a fire and started preparing food for them.

Shangguan Xuanyi humbly squatted in front of a temporarily built stove and began to get a fire going.

The pair cooked several pots of porridge. Xiao’er surreptitiously brought out numerous containers of porridge she had prepared in her spatial kitchen for no one could keep up with the food requirements of hundreds of thousands of soldiers from morning to night!

The rain had stopped by now, but the sky was still densely covered with dark clouds. It seemed like the respite from the rain was only temporary and it would soon start pouring again.

Soon soldiers began waking up, looking embarrassed seeing that their breakfast had already been prepared.

Shangguan Xuanyi pulled Xiao’er along and went straight onto the deck of a ship.

"Who would have thought that an earthquake would transform the Wanli Shitang so drastically," Shangguan Xuanyi said while standing on the ship’s deck and looking into the distance.

He could envision how envious the other countries would be when they learned of the vast island they had acquired. The scope for peace on the island seemed slim in the future.

"We must hold onto this place at all costs, we can’t afford to let any other nation lay claim to it." The Wanli Shitang, this island, was of utmost military importance. They could effectively exert an offensive strategy against Japan and Nangong countries whilst simultaneously keeping their defenses up, negating the need for any additional backup supply points.

"Tomorrow we need to send thirty thousand soldiers to Zhan’er Island. The rain will likely stop in two days, and we need to get everything on the island prepared before Nangong Country has a chance to react," Xiao’er reminded Shangguan Xuanyi.

"I will head over by boat tomorrow, you stay here and start thinking about how to develop this place," Shangguan Xuanyi said, remembering how Xiao’er was frozen and bruised from the cold the day before, he didn’t want her to endure that hardship again.

"Alright." As the relentless downpour would probably abate tomorrow and visibility at sea would improve, and with Wanli Shitang being comparatively closer to Zhan’er Island, a stretch of sea they were quite familiar with, it was an expedient solution. It was indeed time to make preparations for any future eventualities here as well.

The soldiers of Minze Country busied themselves preparing to defend the two islands, Wanli Shitang and Zhan’er Island.

Meanwhile, the soldiers of Japan and Nangong were still busy rescuing people. By the time the Nangong Emperor had the chance to assign soldiers to take control of Wanli Shitang and Zhan’er Island, the weather had already cleared up, and the soldiers from Minze Country had everything under control on both the islands.

As soon as the soldiers from Nangong Country approached Zhan’er Island, they received a warning. When they tried to push forward regardless, they were met with a barrage of weapons before they could even get ashore. Of the several large ships, only one managed to successfully escape.

Upon hearing this news, the Nangong Emperor was so furious that he vomited blood!

At the Wanli Shitang, the ships from Japan weren’t even given a warning. As soon as they approached within the attacking range of Xiao’er’s weapons, she gave the command to open fire, leaving no room for negotiation.

Among the dozen or so warships, several were sunk instantly. The Japanese soldiers retreated in a rage, cursing aloud.

As for those deceitful individuals who were willing to resort to viral warfare to gain control over other kingdoms, Xiao’er felt that a preemptive strike was the best strategy. You could never predict what catastrophe they might cause if they were allowed to get too close. They would keep their distance only as long as they felt Xiao’er’s forces were too strong for them.

There are such people in this world. Those who prey on the weak, skulking at the first sign of resistance. The trick to dealing with such individuals is simply to show them that you’re a force to be reckoned with, and that you’re not afraid to resort to threats if need be. It’s as simple and brutish as that.

By showing such raw and absolute firepower, not to mention the appearance of the soldiers from the Wanli Shitang who didn’t even allow their opponents to get close, the soldiers from Japan learned to avoid the Wanli Shitang when passing it for almost a decade afterwards. They always took a detour and passed down the tale that the soldiers from Shitang were crazy and should be avoided at all costs.

One sunny day, Shangguan, Xiao’er, and General Di sat together in the tent discussing how to construct a military base and planning to cultivate some lands for planting grains and vegetables, to allow the soldiers stationed there to be self-sufficient.

A soldier brings in a letter, Shangguan Xuanyi opens it to see what it says, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

Xiao’er and General Di both look at him perplexedly, "What’s wrong?"

"Gong Zixuan died while rescuing people from the collapsed buildings. The Nangong Emperor’s health is in a precarious condition from the shock," Shangguan Xuanyi revealed.

Upon hearing this, a shock ran through Xiao’er’s heart, she quickly snatched the paper from Shangguan Xuanyi’s hand to take a look, then looked back to Shangguan Xuanyi "What should we do about the princess?"

Princess Wanru’s child was only a few months old, the Nangong Emperor would surely not hand over the throne to him. But Shangguan Wanru and her child, living in Nangong Kingdom once Gong Qinghua ascended the throne, could there possibly be any good days?

Shangguan Xuanyi said nothing. Shangguan Wanru’s matter depended on her plan. If she were willing to return to Minze, they would send someone to get her. But her son would surely not be allowed to leave Nangong Kingdom with her.

If her plan involved staying at Nangong and raising her son, they could not help her in any way.

General Di furrowed his brows tightly, "To prevent the princess from becoming a hostage, it’d be better to bring her back to Minze."

Gong Qinghua was a man for a fight and had ambitions. If he became the Nangong Emperor, he’d surely aim to expand the state’s borders. If so, a war between Nangong and Minze was inevitable.

"We’d only bring her back if she’s willing," Shangguan Xuanyi said lightly, then he picked up a brush and started writing a letter to Shangguan Ruixi to inform him of the matter as soon as possible, so that they could make a decision together.

"I’ll go and persuade her," Xiao’er thought for a bit and said.

Although Gong Zixuan and Gong Qinghua had officially become enemies long ago, Gong Zixuan’s death might have had something to do with Gong Qinghua. Even if Gong Qinghua ascends to the throne, Shangguan Wanru and her son can be stranded in Nangong Country. They could not survive being under house-arrest, leading a miserable life.

Shangguan Xuanyi remained silent. It was usual of them that when Xiao’er made up her mind to do something, a team of ten bulls couldn’t drag her back.