Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

After all, for every thousand miles the distance of logistical transport increases, the consumption of food and supplies doubles, making it extremely difficult to support a large army's expedition to the southern desert.

But now Bai Su has offered her a solution, which has solved the biggest logistical problem and greatly increased the expansion potential of the Central Plains.

Zhengjie would naturally not let this opportunity pass. She wanted to go directly beyond the Great Wall and drive out all the Xiongnu from the southern desert, so as to build a foundation for the Great Xia and the Central Plains for all ages.

"Your subject obeys..."

Bai Su paused for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Although he hadn't written any proclamations against the traitors, he wasn't too worried.

After all, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've still seen a pig run, so drawing a pig's image shouldn't be a problem.

"The emperor ordered Meng Tian to be the commander-in-chief of the three armies, and Meng Wu, Wang Ben, Neishi Teng and Yang Duan to be the accompanying generals, leading 200,000 troops out of the pass, across the Great Wall, and joining forces with the Yuezhi army to launch a northern expedition against the Xiongnu."

To prevent the remnants of the six kingdoms from causing trouble in the Central Plains while the imperial army was on a distant expedition beyond the Great Wall, Zhengjie did not send out all the troops.

Instead, a portion was left behind to deter the remnants of the six states in Guanzhong.

Although the Xia army of 200,000 seemed smaller than the Xiongnu army of over 300,000, the equipment used by these armies was far from ordinary.

Not only did they possess the empire's finest crossbows, but their warhorses were also shod with horseshoes, ensuring the army could gallop thousands of miles across the desert without suffering serious wear and tear.

Even their weapons and armor underwent an upgrade, replaced with sharper and more durable ironware.

The bronze swords that were originally 60 or 70 centimeters long have all been transformed into iron swords that are over a meter long, increasing the lethality of the Xia soldiers by more than a fraction.

Therefore, despite the significantly smaller number of soldiers, their fighting strength has actually increased rather than decreased. Coupled with the inherently fierce and valiant nature of the Xia army, they possess the same heroic spirit as Cao Cao, who once defeated 500,000 Xia soldiers with only 50,000 men.

Whether it was the Empress Dowager or the military generals in the court, after witnessing the benefits of reforming iron tools and military rations, they were filled with confidence in defeating the Xiongnu.

"This subordinate obeys..."

Meng Wu and the others stepped forward, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

They had been waiting for Zheng Jie's words for three or four years, and now it was finally time to go into battle and make their mark.

The court session ended quickly.

At the command of the Empress, the war machine of Great Xia began to operate rapidly.

A proclamation announcing a northern expedition against the Xiongnu spread from the imperial court throughout the land.

The content states that the Xiongnu have repeatedly invaded our Central Plains territory, plundered our wealth, killed our people, and humiliated our Central Plains, and that His Majesty the First Emperor has tolerated it time and time again.

Seeing the suffering of our Chinese people, we have reached our limit and have decided to march out of the Great Wall and launch a counterattack in self-defense against the Xiongnu.

The manifesto caused quite a stir throughout the land.

Some people living in the Yan and Zhao regions, who were frequently harassed by nomadic raiders, applauded and cheered for Zheng Jie's order, and felt a little more favorably toward her.

However, some people living in the Chu and Yue regions, who were unaware of the suffering caused by the Xiongnu invasions, did not feel much about it; it was just an ordinary war against barbarians.

Some praised it, while others dismissed it.

Regardless, the image of the Great Xia as a fierce and ruthless nation has subtly changed after this proclamation was issued.

However, the remnants of the six kingdoms across the land had different thoughts after seeing this proclamation of war.

Suddenly, undercurrents began to stir in various places.

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Several days later.

Meng Wu, Wang Ben, and others held a rally outside Xianyang City to swear an oath for their expedition.

Zhengjie led a group of civil and military officials to see them off, and Bai Su followed behind the crowd.

Originally, Meng Wu and the others wanted to bring Bai Su along on the expedition, since having such a talented person in charge of logistics would increase their chances of winning, and would also give Bai Su a chance to make a contribution.

Unfortunately, before Bai Su could speak, Zheng Jie decisively refused.

Are you kidding me?

She finally found such a capable financial whiz, and after less than two days of living lavishly, what if Bai Su, like Han Fei back then, had some mishap and was gone in a flash?

Wouldn't she be heartbroken?

Zhengjie is terrified of poverty and doesn't want to go back to those days of financial strain.

After all, if she could pay people from the six kingdoms to come and perform corvée labor voluntarily, why would she use coercive means to force them to work while they were dissatisfied?

The kind of high-pressure life where you walk on a tightrope every day, risking a fall and being smashed to pieces, is incredibly mentally taxing.

Zhengjie turned her head and glanced at Bai Su, who was standing silently in the corner and was very inconspicuous. A rare tenderness flashed in her phoenix eyes.

It's all thanks to him.

Since that's the case, let's take this opportunity to make him famous as a reward.

Her lips curved slightly, and then, before thousands of soldiers, she said:

诗？

The civil and military officials and soldiers all looked at Bai Su with question marks above their heads.

Bai Su was also completely bewildered. When did she write a poem for Dajun? Wasn't she just trying to please Sister Zheng and slack off?

Zhengjie ignored his reaction and recited loudly: "The long clouds over Qinghai darken the snow-capped mountains, the lonely city gazes afar at Yanmen Pass, through a hundred battles in the yellow sands, clad in black armor, we will not return until the Xiongnu are defeated..."

Her voice naturally carried a regal air, and the poem she recited was incredibly moving.

This poem...

This word!!!

It was practically tailor-made for today's scene; it couldn't be more perfect.

Hearing this made one's blood boil, filled with excitement, and made one wish to immediately draw a long sword and rush towards the Xiongnu royal court.

With Zhengjie's poem, the matter was dropped.

Everyone looked at Zheng Jie and Bai Su with fervent and excited expressions, their hearts filled with boundless pride. They raised their weapons and shouted.

"We will not return until the Xiongnu are defeated!"

"We will not return until the Xiongnu are defeated!"

"We will not return until the Xiongnu are defeated!"

The sound was earth-shattering and resounded throughout the heavens.

Looking at the imposing presence before her, Zhengjie thought to herself, "The morale of the army is high."

Only Bai Su, standing to the side, was momentarily bewildered.

Seeing that Prime Minister Li Si, Meng Yi, and other civil officials all looked like they had found a treasure and wanted to come and ask for advice, he couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.

This is really bad luck. I had planned to complete the task assigned by Sister Zheng and then just clock in and out every day, slack off, and stop getting involved in the affairs of the court.

Isn't it nice to spend every day with Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, these two obedient maids, eating hot pot and singing songs?

But now, things have turned out differently. With Sister Zheng clearing his name in front of everyone, his reputation has soared, making him famous throughout Xianyang and the focus of everyone's attention.

After that, it will probably be difficult to sneak away and fish in troubled waters.

Chapter Seventy-Five: One-Bite Pastries

As the army set off.

The Yuezhi princess was also going to join the group and return to the Yuezhi Kingdom.

Are you leaving?

Bai Su arrived at the post station and watched the Yuezhi delegation packing their luggage and loading it onto the carriage. She couldn't help but ask Xiao Li in front of her a question.

Xiao Li nodded slightly and said, "Now that the Yuezhi Kingdom is about to join forces with the Central Plains to fight against the Xiongnu, I must return to report as soon as possible and cannot continue to linger in the Central Plains."

She was still a little embarrassed to look up and meet Bai Su's gaze when she spoke.

The incident yesterday was so embarrassing that even now, just thinking about it makes her blush.

Bai Su was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Li bit her lip lightly, her blue gem-like eyes flashing with embarrassment and annoyance as she glared at Bai Su: "It's all because I was tricked by someone yesterday."

Bai Su coughed lightly and continued, "Since Your Highness is angry, how about I offer you a million gold pieces as compensation?"

"A million gold pieces!!!"

The Yuezhi guards couldn't help but gasp; they were startled by Bai Su's gift.

This... could it be that Young Master Bai's family owns a gold mine? This gift is far too valuable.

Even Xiao Li, the Yuezhi princess, was stunned for a long time, as she had never seen so much money before.

Bai Su clapped her hands, and soon two guards came over carrying a heavy box.

The Yuezhi guards were taken aback: "Young Master Bai, are you perhaps making fun of us?"

Bai Su was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

The Yuezhi guards questioned, "Even if this million gold coins were in copper, it would take dozens of carriages to carry it all. How could it be packed in such a small box?"

Bai Su smiled mysteriously: "This gold is not that gold. If Your Highness does not believe me, you can open it and see for yourself."

A hint of curiosity flickered in Xiao Li's beautiful eyes. She had someone open the box and found that it contained neither copper coins nor gold, but rather scrolls of bamboo slips and cloth.

After casually opening a bamboo scroll, her beautiful eyes widened instantly, her pretty face filled with surprise: "This...this is indeed worth a million gold coins!"

The guards were taken aback and picked up the bamboo slips to look at them. They found that they were all scrolls containing the carving techniques for pearls and jade ornaments used by nobles in the Central Plains, as well as palace construction blueprints.

These are all part of the Central Plains culture and advanced folk techniques.

Bai Su's statement that this is worth a million gold pieces is not an exaggeration at all.

After all, books were a scarce commodity in those days, with each volume worth a fortune. For the Yuezhi Kingdom, located in the borderlands, books were even more precious.

With hundreds of volumes, this is truly a priceless gift that money can't buy.

Xiao Li slowly raised her head, her beautiful eyes looking at Bai Su in surprise: "Why...why are you so good to me?"

"Of course, it's because I admire Your Highness the Princess." Bai Su smiled, looking quite pleased with himself.