Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 1194 - 1191_1

On the evening before Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi’s departure, the two of them took the children out from the Imperial City, then returned to Prince Rui’s Mansion. After that, the children disappeared.

The next evening when they secretly departed, Shanggan Xuanyao, seeing only the two of them but not the children, couldn’t help but ask curiously: "Where are the children?"

"They’re not with us. I’ve entrusted them to a friend," Xiao’er casually replied.

Regardless of who asked, Xiao’er would always say that the children were entrusted to a friend!

For the sake of the children’s safety, everyone wisely refrained from asking who exactly they were entrusted to.

Of course, this was just an excuse. The children were actually in a different space, under Bai Tian’s care, though Bai Tian was also considered a friend.

As expected, Shangguan Xuanyao stopped asking after hearing this. He knew that entrusting the children to a friend meant considering their safety, and if he insisted on inquiring further, it was simply putting others on the spot.

You’ll see them when the time is right anyway.

Not just Shangguan Xuanyao, but even Yang Liu, Yang Mei, and Zhao Yong thought so.

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi shared a carriage, while Shangguan Xuanyao and the others rode horses. There were two other carriages behind them, reserved for when it might rain. The carriages also held some luggage and supplies.

The group travelled overnight to the pier and boarded a black ship. The three carriages were also pulled onto the ship.

This was not just an ordinary ship, it could be considered a military vessel!

Although it couldn’t compare to modern technology, for this era, it was certainly astonishing.

Inside the ship were many astonishing weapons.

Shangguan Xuanyi had secretly stored various supplies inside.

Once Shangguan Xuanyi and his group boarded, the ship immediately set sail.

When day broke, they sailed into the open sea, followed by a large number of similar ships.

Seeing so many ships, Shangguan Xuanyao was astonished and asked, "Seventh Brother, did you bring a lot of troops this time?"

"No, just ten thousand. There are five hundred soldiers on each ship."

These ships were bound for Wanli Shitang, where they would remain on standby. Don’t underestimate these ten thousand soldiers. Given the equipment on these twenty military ships, each man could hold his ground against a hundred!

Shangguan Xuanyao had nothing to say after hearing this, as ten thousand didn’t seem like much.

"You can walk around the cabin to familiarize yourself," Shangguan Xuanyi suggested before returning to his room to find Xiao’er.

Shangguan Xuanyao had just such a plan in mind, and began touring the ship.

...

Generally speaking, days at sea are quite dull. However, it was different for them as soldiers on the ship practiced daily after getting up in the morning.

This time, Xiao’er brought along her guards!

Every day, she would train with 100 guards, as well as take care of the children. Her days were very busy.

The ship sailed for more than a month before they finally arrived at Wanli Shitang.

All of these warships docked here, with the purpose of guarding Wanli Shitang against opportunistic attacks from Japan.

Xiao’er and the others stayed in Wanli Shitang for a few days while Shangguan Xuanyi arranged for a military exercise involving those ships.

Ensuring there were no problems, they then set sail for Zhan’er Island and upon passing it, they landed in Zezhou.

It was now August, and Zezhou was still extraordinarily hot.

This intense heat was like someone’s heart. After disembarking, Shangguan Xuanyao immediately said, "Let’s hurry to the government office! Xi’er and the others probably reached Zezhou long ago, and I don’t know if she is still staying put in Zezhou now."

After hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi gave him a sidelong glance, and Shangguan Xuanyao immediately fell silent.

Alas! He was too excited and let his thoughts slip out.

There were already people waiting at the pier—it was Guan Huaiyuan, a soldier under Di Shaowei’s command.

Having served Di Shaowei for many years, Guan Huaiyuan recognized Shangguan Xuanyi immediately. When he saw them disembark, he hurried to salute: "Your subordinate pays respect to the Sixth and Seventh Princes and Madam!"

"Where’s General Di?" Shangguan Xuanyi nodded, then asked.

"General Di is not here, he is at Jiangyang County. Jiangyang County was captured a few days ago, but the casualties among our soldiers were heavy, preventing him from leaving. He sent me to greet you!"

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded after hearing this: "Lead the way!"

Shangguan Xuanyao was a little taken aback after hearing this. Were they not even going to visit the Zezhou government office? In that case, he wouldn’t be able to see Xi’er.

"Um..." Shangguan Xuanyao started to say something, but Shangguan Xuanyi glanced at him. The look in his eyes was faint, but it was enough to make Shangguan Xuanyao hold his tongue.

Forget it, he was in Zezhou after all, a far better situation than being in the Imperial Capital. He didn’t believe he wouldn’t have a chance to see Xi’er!

Shangguan Xuanyi and Xiao’er did not linger in Zezhou and headed straight for the newly conquered Jiangyang County.

Though Shangguan Xuanyao was anxious about Xi’er, since he had come to the southern front, he was naturally eager to join the frontline.

After another five days of travel, they reached Jiangyang County.

The two armies had just finished a fierce battle and Min’s army had successfully captured Jiangyang County!

Because the city was recently captured, the security within the city was extremely tight. There were so many soldiers everywhere, on the city walls and roaming the streets.

When Shangguan Xuanyi’s group arrived at the city gate, Guan Huaiyuan showed his token, and the soldiers opened the gate for them.

Xiao’er looked around: all the houses in the city were so damaged they were uninhabitable. Many people were repairing the damaged houses. Taking advantage of the good weather, they hoped to fix their homes for shelter.

Those civilians who surrendered were now temporarily resettled in one place. After their details were recorded, they could return to their homes once they got their household certificates.

Jiangyang County is also part of Zezhou Prefecture. Jinghao was in this county with the county magistrate, dealing with the local affairs.

At the moment, he was in the government office overseeing the distribution of household certificates.

Many civilians were queuing outside the government office to receive their new household certificates.

Xi’er and Gu Qiling were also there, helping with the registration while disguising themselves as men.

About half of Jiangyang’s original population had surrendered, while the others had fled to other counties at the outbreak of the war. However, even half the population was already a considerable number.

All the shops in the city were now closed. The granaries were empty. The citizens’ original food supplies were confiscated by the previous county magistrate along with his soldiers. Therefore, they had no stored grain and had to rely on the imperial court for food supply.

Compared to the cities previously captured, the damage in this city was much worse because of the sudden outbreak of the war!