activa-t Chapter 381 Betting with Him
Chapter 381 Betting with Him
This is a classic case of "the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are forbidden to light lamps!"
"When I went to your capital before, I heard about this Princess Biyue... I heard she's had a crush on you for many years and still isn't married. Oh, I mean, she's still not married. Is she still dreaming of you marrying her? How old is she? She must be at least twenty, if not eighteen. Is she younger, prettier, or more capable than me? Doesn't she know who her rival is? Do you think she can even think about my man, Sikong Jin's man? I also heard she performed a seductive dance at a palace banquet to seduce you... Next time you go back to the capital, just arrange your marriage to her, so I won't have to see her when I go there... Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want to?"
Sikong Jin kept talking, her mouth never stopping. Seeing that Di Beizun remained silent, she immediately frowned and glanced at him with a sharp look in her eyes.
"I don't remember what she looks like at all."
Di Beizun responded indifferently. Thinking of those vulgar women, he felt somewhat disgusted. Seeing Sikong Jin's tightly furrowed brows, he thought for a moment, and a slight softening appeared on his cold and beautiful face. "If you become my empress and stay by my side, I will naturally not take any concubines."
Sikong Jin rolled up her cloak and muttered, "That's more like it! Let me tell you, one woman is enough. More than that will only lead to jealousy and rivalry. The struggles in the harem are more terrifying than our wars. Besides, I'm so good, it's not like I can't satisfy you. Cough cough... Don't look at me like that. What I mean is, we're a good match and don't need a third party."
"You certainly have a high opinion of yourself."
Emperor Beizun chuckled softly, reached out his cool hand to take her equally cool hand in his, turned to look at the snowflakes that were constantly falling from the sky outside the corridor, and said lightly, "I'm afraid I don't have that much energy to deal with them."
"That's true, especially since you've run into someone as despicable and shameless as me. It's uncertain whether your beloved concubines will even survive."
Sikong Jin nodded in agreement, letting Di Beizun pull her to sit down on the steps to the side.
"When do you plan to send troops? They just reported that the situation on my side is relatively stable."
She raised her hand to brush the snowflakes off his shoulder and asked softly, "About Shengdong..."
"The night after tomorrow, I will personally lead an army of 200,000 straight to Yingzhou City. Prince Yi and General Feng Yang will lead an army of 300,000 to blockade the Jiangxi fortress, cut off Xi Fenglie's 200,000 iron cavalry, and any possible reinforcements from the Liao Dynasty."
Emperor Beizun said in a low voice.
"The night after tomorrow?"
Sikong Jin raised her eyebrows, glanced at the lightly falling snowflakes, and said, "On a snowy night like this, it might not be a good time to send out troops, would it?"
"Don't worry, the snow will stop tomorrow."
Emperor Beizun firmly stated.
"What about me? What should I do with my hundreds of thousands of troops?"
"How would you like me to arrange things?"
Di Beizun turned his gaze to look at her, his eyes somewhat distant.
Sikong Jin thought for a moment, but didn't rush to answer. She took out a map from her sleeve and spread it out on the ground. Di Beizun understood and took a lamp from the side to illuminate the map in front of him.
One location on the map was already densely marked with symbols.
Sikong Jin pointed with her slender fingertips and quickly located the location of Yingzhou City on the map. "I've thought about it. If Xifeng Lie intends to ally with Tuoba Yu, and you plan to intercept Xifeng Lie's people north of the Jiangxi Fortress, then the main garrison of Yingzhou City will be the hundreds of thousands of troops under Tuoba Yu. In addition to coming through the gap in the Jiangxi Fortress, Liao reinforcements can also come from this direction! Although this place is difficult to traverse, it is very well hidden, so I think there is a high probability that they will come from here. This is a canyon, and Tuoba Yu's people are very likely to be lying in ambush here, so everyone must be careful to avoid falling into a trap!"
"I will send 50,000 of my troops to guard the high ground at this breach. If reinforcements are spotted, they will be attacked immediately. I will lead the remaining 100,000 troops to bypass Yingzhou City and directly attack Tiansheng Imperial City. Your 500,000 troops will only take three to five days to reach Tiansheng Imperial City after landing in Shengdong. I will take the official road directly, and we might even be able to cut off Tiansheng's reinforcements heading to Yingzhou City. My troops are all swift light cavalry, and their marching speed is very fast."
Sikong Jin quickly presented her plan.
Emperor Beizun frowned slightly upon hearing this, disapprovingly saying, "I do not agree with your decision to venture so far alone. Tuoba Yu is not an easy opponent, and the scouts have not yet sent back any news from the front. The situation is unclear, so do not risk your life."
"Don't worry, I know Tuoba Yu quite well. He's overly cautious and won't expect me to lead my army so openly. Besides, by then, even if he finds out, it will probably be too late. I will have already led my army to their capital."
Sikong Jin shrugged dismissively, her face resolute. "It's settled then. If you can't take Yingzhou City, I'm finished. So this crucial battle is in your hands. To prevent Tuoba Yu from turning around and attacking me, you have to take Yingzhou City."
As she spoke, she slowly put away the map and tucked it into her sleeve. Meanwhile, Di Beizun's expression became somewhat complicated. He looked at Sikong Jin's dark eyes, which were as bright as stars and shimmered with light, like thousands of dormant stars suddenly emerging from the sea...
She's risking everything to gamble with him!
This is indeed a good idea, but if he fails to capture Yingzhou, she may be attacked from both sides...
However, he would never let such a thing happen. He hadn't expected her to bring her entire army this time anyway; he would have been overjoyed if she had just come.
He didn't speak, but the hand around her shoulder suddenly tightened.
"I really hope that after this battle, we can have countless nights like this, sitting quietly and watching the snow fall..." She looked up at the snowflakes falling in front of her, a rare gentleness appearing in her starry eyes, and a faint smile on her face. Suddenly, she looked up at the silent Di Beizun, "We will definitely have nights like this again, don't you think?"
He looked at her and saw a rare glimmer of tenderness in her eyes. His heart warmed, and his usually quiet eyes suddenly lit up with a gentle light. He abruptly pulled her into a tight embrace, his deep voice carrying an unspoken certainty, "Of course, I will also marry you and make you my Empress..."
Seeing the undisguised emotion and feelings in his eyes, Sikong Jin smiled suddenly. After thinking for a moment, she quietly raised her fair fingertips and gently brushed away the snowflakes clinging to his shoulder. Then, gazing at him silently, she whispered, "Emperor Bei Zun... Actually, I've always wanted to say... It's so good to have met you... Um... I want to kiss you... Mmm..."
Before she could finish speaking, Di Beizun lowered his head and gently kissed her...