Chapter 646

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Cui Xue’er looked at the blooming crabapple flowers in the princely estate, somewhat lost in thought.

Two days ago, her Imperial Mother had returned from Qingzhou, bringing with her an imperial decree for her to enter the palace as a consort.

Although her Imperial Father and Imperial Mother were both very happy, she couldn’t bring herself to be happy at all. For her, going to a distant and unfamiliar place to marry a man she had never met was nothing to celebrate.

However, with her parents’ command and the matchmaker’s words, and moreover, being the daughter of a vassal prince, she simply had no choice.

“Xue’er, what are you thinking?” At this moment, a resonant voice sounded. A man in splendid robes, with a commanding presence and a robust physique, walked towards her.

Upon seeing him, Cui Xue’er’s eyes curved into crescent moons, and she said, “Imperial Father, why have you come?”

“Imperial Father came to see you. After all, my daughter is about to become the Imperial Noble Consort of the Great Yu Empire,” the Prince of Huainan said loudly.

Upon hearing this, Cui Xue’er immediately pouted, looking as if she was about to cry. She said, “Daughter is about to go to Qingzhou, but Imperial Father is not heartbroken; instead, he is so happy. It seems Imperial Father doesn’t care for his daughter at all.”

The Prince of Huainan was startled for a moment. He then burst out laughing and said, “Xue’er, it is precisely because you are about to become Imperial Noble Consort that Imperial Father is so happy, because in Imperial Father’s heart, only the present Imperial Majesty in this world is worthy of you.”

“Yes, yes, His Imperial Majesty first defeated the barbarians in Cangzhou four years ago, then defeated the barbarians again in Jizhou. Daughter’s ears are already calloused from hearing it,” Cui Xue’er said, covering her ears.

The Prince of Huainan, seeing his daughter’s expression, smiled even more broadly. He said, “However, this time His Imperial Majesty truly made Imperial Father look at him with new eyes. Just a few days ago, the allied forces of the three princes were defeated, and His Imperial Majesty’s position is now unshakeable. Once Prince Yan, Prince Liang, and Prince Zhao are eliminated, the north of the Great Yu Empire will be pacified.”

Cui Xue’er merely rolled her eyes upon hearing this; she couldn’t care less about such matters.

Seeing his daughter’s lack of interest, the Prince of Huainan’s eyes shifted, and he got to the point, “Your Imperial Mother has already selected the wet nurses to accompany you into the palace. In the future, with their care, you will not suffer any grievances in the palace.”

Cui Xue’er nodded. At this moment, her heart was filled only with apprehension, for she did not know what kind of person she would be facing.

Seemingly sensing his daughter’s concern, the Prince of Huainan comforted her, “Now that the world is in chaos, His Imperial Majesty values us greatly. Even for Imperial Father’s sake, His Imperial Majesty will treat you well. You can rest assured about this.”

Cui Xue’er detected her father’s reluctance in his words. She smiled and said, “Imperial Father, you need not worry. It is my honor to join the imperial family. I just cannot bear to leave Imperial Father and Imperial Mother.”

The Prince of Huainan’s heart ached. The marriage of a vassal prince’s daughter to the imperial family was a tradition of the Great Yu Empire, for the sake of the Great Yu Empire’s lasting peace and stability.

Just as the two were speaking, a young man in armor suddenly walked over. Seeing the Prince of Huainan, the young man said, “Imperial Father, the army has been assembled and is ready to march on Yingzhou at any time.”

Cui Xue’er was startled upon hearing this. She said nervously, “Imperial Father, are we going to war again?”

The Prince of Huainan’s expression was grave. He said, “His Imperial Majesty has issued a decree: first, you are to go to the capital within these two days; second, to attack Yingzhou and eliminate the Prince Yan’s forces.”

Cui Shang’an then looked at Cui Xue’er and said, “Sister, don’t worry. Prince Yan is already at the end of his rope. Capturing Yingzhou this time is also credit that His Imperial Majesty is giving us for free. After this battle, I might also go to Qingzhou to serve as a general. Then I can often see you, Sister.”

Cui Xue’er felt a sense of relief. She said, “If Brother is with me, I won’t worry.”

…

Qingzhou.

Only five days after the Battle of Yunzhou, another battle report arrived in Xiao Ming’s study.

On the day of the Battle of Yunzhou, Xiao Sa led the remaining Liang army to rush back to liang state capital to support the throne, and was successfully ambushed by the allied forces of Qi Guangyi and Chen Xinran on the way.

“Xiao Sa is dead!” Looking at the contents of the battle report, Xiao Ming was slightly surprised.

“The Second Prince was hit by a musket. When Qi Guangyi found him, he was already lifeless.” This battle report was personally brought back by Niu Ben.

With the battle in Yunzhou over, he no longer needed to remain in Yunzhou. The remaining battles could be left to Lu Fei, Luo Hong, and others.

Xiao Ming was silent for a while. The Crown Prince was dead, and now the Second Prince was also dead. The mortality rate of imperial princes in feudal dynasties was indeed high.

However, Xiao Ming was only slightly surprised to hear that the Second Prince had died, because this prince had little interaction with him and had always wanted to kill him. He was a stranger to this person, so his death was not particularly shocking.

“Your Imperial Majesty, all of Liang’s elites have been killed. Liang is now an empty shell. We should seize this opportunity to take Liang in one fell swoop, especially Juyong Pass, lest Prince Liang goes mad and destroys the pass.” Niu Ben said.

Xiao Ming nodded, “You have Qi Guangyi continue to cooperate with the Yong army in attacking Liang. If Juyong Pass is captured, you must ensure it remains in our hands.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,” Niu Ben responded.

He already knew about Prince Yong’s allegiance, but even so, they could not fully trust Prince Yong. After all, Prince Yong was still one of the vassal princes.

In their national policy, the feudal lords would eventually be weakened. It was just that for the unification of the Great Yu Empire, they had no choice but to temporarily endure.

Picking up the battle report, he continued to read it. The report also contained news of the capture of Kaizhou and Bianzhou. “Kaizhou? This is a treasure trove!”

Kaizhou in the Great Yu Empire was modern-day Puyang County in Henan. Puyang County is located in the northeastern part of Henan Province, on the banks of the Yellow River, at the border of Shandong and Anhui provinces. In contemporary times, it is known as the hometown of Emperor Shun and the Dragon Capital of China.

According to the data in the technology crystal, Puyang County is rich in mineral resources. Its oil and natural gas production account for 70% and 90% of the total output of the Central Plains Oilfield.

In addition, Kaizhou has abundant underground salt mine resources, with proven reserves of 140 billion tons.

Thinking of this information, what Xiao Ming was most sensitive to was naturally petroleum. This was an essential material for internal combustion engines in the future. Moreover, this place was very close to Qingzhou. The only difficulty was that the mineral layers were too deep, requiring extremely high drilling technology.

“With the allied forces of the three princes defeated, we should seize this opportunity to quickly capture the former imperial prefectures and counties. Besides stationing troops in Kaizhou and Bianzhou, we should have Lu Fei and Ye Qingyun seize the opportunity to continue attacking nearby prefectures and counties, controlling more land and compressing Prince Zhao’s sphere of influence.”

After a pause, he continued, “I have already issued an imperial decree to the Prince of Huainan, ordering him to send troops to attack Yingzhou. The matter of Yan can be fully entrusted to him.”

“The Prince of Huainan?” Niu Ben was somewhat surprised. “Your Highness, can the Prince of Huainan be trusted?”

“I intend to test whether he can be trusted. If he takes Yingzhou and returns the imperial prefectures and counties, then the Prince of Huainan can be used. If he still stubbornly refuses to leave, it means he is ambitious, and I will have to regard him differently.”