Chapter 513: Delivering a Message

within the palace.Behind Li Chen, Queen Zhao Qinglan hurried after him with quick steps.As the two entered, all present—officials, concubines, princes, and princesses—immediately bowed down in greeti...Chapter 513: Delivering a Message

The decisive battle, which erupted without warning, took many by surprise.

Ancient warfare was like this, because communication was inconvenient, and messages often took days to deliver.

If it's a round trip, it could take as long as half a month, even if the journey is a little far.

Therefore, as long as they haven't encountered a tyrannical ruler, military commanders who typically lead operations abroad generally hold immense authority.

The battlefield situation changes rapidly, making it impossible to make accurate predictions and deployment arrangements. It entirely relies on the skill and ability of frontline military commanders. The rear command can't make any meaningful decisions about the actual battlefield.

Therefore, as long as Su Pingbei deems the time right and initiates a decisive battle, there should be no problem.

When the decisive battle, which would determine the outcome of the entire campaign, began, Li Chenyuan in the capital was oblivious to it all.

He was making love to Zhao Rui, who had just returned, in the Hundred Flowers Hall.

Her gleaming back was covered in tiny beads of sweat, and her pale, delicate skin was flushed red. Zhao Rui let out a soft moan and nestled softly onto the bed.

She strained to lift her arm and shield her body, then said to Li Chen, "My Lord, I miss you so much."

Li Chen was panting, lying on one side, playing with Zhao Rui's hair and smiling: "I saw through you."

This sentence, however, made Zhao Rui's face that was already flushed with a hint of redness even more radiant.

Although he had just been fooling around, Li Chen was still somewhat unsatisfied. One hand hidden in the blankets kept moving across Zhao Rui's soft and elastic body. On the other side, Li Chen nonchalantly asked, "How is your father doing at Xishan"

Zhao Rui knew that Li Chen's words were not just casual greetings. Asking about her well-being was more than just a simple formality. She forced herself to endure the touch of Li Chen's hand and replied, "Things are going fairly well. Last year, with the imperial court providing silver and grain, the disaster situation in Xishan Province was barely controlled. Although many people still died during the winter, it was much better than expected."

"The most important thing is that the rebel forces have been weakened due to infighting. Many rebels died or fled. It is said that the government is providing disaster relief and setting up porridge sheds. Many rebels have laid down their arms and returned to civilian life. Right now, the size of the rebel army is shrinking rapidly, from tens of thousands to two or three thousand."

“My father said that the rebels were essentially just displaced refugees and disaster victims. Before the natural disasters, they were all farmers. As long as spring planting arrived, if the government could distribute some land, there wouldn't need to be a single soldier to disband the remaining 20 or 30 thousand disaster victims.”

After all, there is land to cultivate and food to eat. No one would be willing to revolt.

Li Chen raised an eyebrow and said, "Did you overhear this yourself, or did your father tell you about it"

Zhao Rui's face changed, and she immediately got up from the bed. Ignoring her naked state, she knelt down under the bed and said: "Your Highness, please forgive me. It is my father who asked me to bring this message."

"With that, Zhao Rui stood up and took out a sealed scroll. She held it high with both hands and presented it to Li Chen, trembling as she said, “This is the letter my father instructed me to personally deliver to Your Highness.”

Li Chen's face didn't show much emotion.

As the Minister of Finance sent to Xishan Province by the East Palace on an important mission, Zhao Heshan naturally had very smooth channels. He could send imperial edicts to the East Palace at the fastest speed, and in fact, that's how it had always been done before.

But this time, Zhao Heshan had Zhao Rui personally deliver the imperial edict. source of information from the outside world was these palace maids and eunuchs. Li Chen didn't want them to be unable to control their mouths and let Su Jinpa know how dire the situation was at Yuey...