The daughter of the emperor is beautiful and holds the power over the world

Compared with the huge Daxuan Palace, the Yan Palace lacks some majestic grandeur and has more of the cold and solemn atmosphere of the north.

Heavy snow covered the ground, the eaves, and even the dead grass and branches on both sides of the road, dyeing the surroundings a vast white.

The end of the year is approaching, and the big red lanterns that have just been set up are swaying in the north wind. The red silk is fluttering but looks a little bleak, and there is also a restless atmosphere in the palace.

It seems that the State of Yan will not be able to have a good New Year this year.

"Report! Yanbei battle report, urgent military situation—"

A fast horse went straight to the palace. Only those who were delivering urgent military information were allowed to ride a horse in the palace.

The palace maids all made way for them, and Yan Longyi and Si Yan quickened their pace and headed towards the palace.

The State of Yan was originally a small country in the northeast of the Central Plains. It was only in the past ten years under the leadership of the King of Yan that it developed and established itself in the Central Plains.

Although Si Yan had known about the situation in Yan State for a long time, it was only now that she truly felt the pressure the man next to her was facing in Yan State.

The Beimang State to the west of Yan State was eyeing Yan State covetously. The Hu Lu in the north and the Gao State in the southeast also invaded and attacked Yan State's borders repeatedly.

It was not easy for the King of Yan to develop the State of Yan and have a powerful army under such circumstances.

"Prince Yan has arrived! Lord Si Yan has arrived!"

Yan Longyi and Si Yan entered the Qiyuan Hall of the Yan Imperial Palace where matters were held, and important officials of the Yan State also rushed there.

Duke Xia and King Liao came soon after, and were stunned when they saw Si Yan.

The other court officials also turned their eyes to Si Yan.

"The Queen Mother is here! His Majesty is here!"

As the eunuch announced loudly, the figures of Emperor Yan and Empress Dowager Yan appeared in the hall.

Most of the military and national affairs of the Yan State were managed by the King of Yan, but palace meetings were still chaired by the Queen Mother and the Emperor of Yan.

When the late emperor passed away, Your Majesty and Prince of Yan were still young. The Queen Mother, with her two sons, firmly sat on the throne and controlled the court.

The important officials of Yan State were also accustomed to the Queen Mother's appearance in the court. Whenever there were major events in Yan State, the Queen Mother and the Emperor of Yan would make decisions together.

Of course, the person who actually holds the highest power in Yan State is still the King of Yan.

Although the Prince of Yan was in the army all year round, all military and national affairs were decided by the Prince of Yan.

The opinions of Emperor Yan and the Queen Mother are for reference only.

"Greetings to the Queen Mother! Greetings to His Majesty!" The court officials stood on both sides and bowed in greeting.

Si Yan glanced at the Yan court. There were far fewer ministers in the Yan court than in Daxuan.

The main figures in today's court meeting, in addition to the Prince of Yan, the Emperor of Yan, and the Queen Mother, are the Duke of Xia, the Prince of Liao, and two important military generals, Yan Wen and Yan Peng.

"Everyone, please stand up." Emperor Yan said softly, and his body seemed a little weak.

The Queen Mother of Yan sat beside the Emperor of Yan. She knew that the ministers were a little confused about Si Yan's presence, so she explained, "It was I who invited Si Yan here. Please give the special envoy of Daxuan a seat."

"Thank you, Queen Mother." Si Yan looked calm and sat down beside her.

Queen Dowager Yan swept her gaze over the court officials and said, "Tell me, the northern barbarians are repeatedly invading our northern border. What should we do now?"

The barbarians in the north of Yan State made moves almost every year.

After the summer and autumn seasons of abundant grass and water, winter comes, which is the time when the Hu Lu war horses become fat and strong.

In winter, the northern barbarians lacked daily necessities and therefore always went south to plunder the State of Yan.

Based on past experience, the King of Yan has deployed a certain number of troops on the northern border, but this year the attacks of the Hu Lu are particularly fierce, and several cities in the northern border of Yan are in danger.

The Hu Lu people even bypassed the cities of Yan State and rushed into the villages of Yan State to loot food and abduct Yan State people as slaves.

When the border soldiers of Yan State chased them, they had already run away.

Yan Peng, a general of the State of Yan, stepped forward and said, "According to previous years' deployments, our country always sends a certain number of troops northward in winter to reinforce the border cities and defend them to the death. However, this year, the barbarians in the north are attacking fiercely, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to defend. We might as well launch a counterattack."

Si Yan raised his eyes slightly and looked at the famous general of Yan State. Yan Peng was a well-known offensive general.

The State of Yan had also sent troops to attack the Hu Lu in previous years, and it was General Yan Peng who was sent.

However, the Hu Lu lived in the vast Mobei grassland, and if the Yan army entered there, it would be in danger of being alone and deep in the enemy's territory.

Therefore, although Yan Peng had entered the Mobei grassland where the Hu Lu lived, he was still unable to go too far.

Moreover, their enemies are far more than the barbarians in the north. The Beimang Kingdom in the west is more troublesome for them.

The worst thing was that the Beimang Kingdom and the Hu Lu attacked together, forcing the Yan Kingdom to fight on two fronts, and sometimes they even dragged in the Gao Kingdom.

The development of Yan State in recent years is also thanks to the King of Yan's insistence on cooperating with Daxuan.

"I'm afraid it's difficult to attack. The northern barbarians are extremely cunning. If they can't defeat them, they'll flee. By the time our army arrives, they've already fled. When I advance, the enemy retreats, and when I retreat, the enemy advances. Our army is exhausted and ultimately gains nothing, wasting military resources."

The person who spoke was Yan Wen, another general of Yan State. Si Yan had seen him in the army of King Yan when Yan State was at war with Gao State.

Unlike Yan Peng's aggressive aura, Yan Wen looked more like a Confucian general.

"Yes, it's always like that. By the time our main force arrives, the barbarians have already run away." The King of Liao couldn't help but speak.

Duke Xia stood aside silently, but nodded in agreement.

It was really difficult for them to deal with the barbarians.

If they sent a large number of troops to garrison in Yanbei for a long time, Yan State did not have enough military funds, and the few cities on the border of Yanbei could not support so many soldiers and horses, so food and fodder had to be transported from the south.

No matter how you look at it, it's a very laborious and potentially fruitless endeavor.

"Besides, the war between our country and Gao State has just ended. If Gao State wants to fully seize the opportunity, it will have to leave a certain number of troops behind."

Hearing that everyone was at a loss, Queen Mother Yan couldn't help but look at her son.

"What does King Yan think?"

"We cannot fight at the moment. We can only defend first. I will go to Yanbei and guard the border."

"Then you can't celebrate the New Year in Yanjing this year." A trace of heartache flashed in the eyes of the Queen Mother Yan.

She couldn't remember how many New Year holidays she hadn't spent with her son.

There were frequent wars on the border of Yan State, and the King of Yan often traveled around, moving wherever he was needed.

Last year, because of the defeat of the Beimang Kingdom, the northern barbarians were quiet for a while.

Yier finally had some free time, but he was still on a diplomatic mission to Daxuan and could not celebrate the New Year in Yan State.

Suddenly, the empress dowager looked at Si Yan beside her.

She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ayan, you are the number one female general in Daxuan. Do you have any advice?"

For some reason, the Queen Mother always felt that this girl was very smart and would definitely have a way to deal with the northern barbarians.

Everyone looked at Si Yan. They also wanted to know if this General Da Xuan had any solution.

Si Yan slowly stood up from his chair and walked towards the center of the hall.

"I have a way to ensure that the people of Yan have a peaceful new year."

Queen Mother Yan's eyes lit up and her excitement was beyond words.

"I knew Ah Yan had a way. Ah Yan, tell me quickly, what method do you have to deal with the northern barbarians?"