The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"I know. I'll leave this matter to you."

The fewer people who know the secret of the tunnel, the better. No one can make Shen Tianjiao feel more at ease than Yan Yu.

"Okay." Yan Yu did not refuse and agreed immediately.

"But I'm afraid we can only do it after this farce in the capital is over."

Thinking about the situation in Shangjing, Yan Yu felt sorry for Shen Tianjiao and worried about her at the same time.

"I'm afraid this farce in the capital won't end so easily." Shen Tianjiao sighed helplessly and said, "You've seen what happened today. Li Zhaohui won't stop until he kills me."

"Originally, I went to Huguo Temple this time to reach a consensus with Wang Yunzhi and ask him to help me overthrow Li Zhaohui."

"But who could have imagined that Li Zhaohui would actually do such a cruel thing behind the scenes?"

"I originally planned to attack Li Zhaohui at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, but now it seems that the plan may need to be brought forward."

Originally, there was only half a month left before the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, and all parties were preparing for the upcoming palace coup, but who would have thought that Li Chaohui was even more anxious than Shen Tianjiao.

When the time was not yet ripe, he actually wanted to launch a coup, create panic and use public opinion to overthrow Shen Tianjiao and then sit on the throne she had always dreamed of.

Shen Tianjiao now doesn’t know what appropriate words to use to describe this woman, Li Chaohui.

You say she is stupid, but she also knows how to control Shen Tianjiao's lifeblood, and use poisoning to build momentum for herself, causing the people in Shangjing to panic and rise up against Shen Tianjiao.

But you say she is smart, but she is really just a fool, and she is no longer the same as before.

The era when Ye Xingchen won over people and their hearts for her was long gone.

Shen Tianjiao is not someone who can be manipulated by anyone. She was able to take over the court from Li Rui, and to gain a firm foothold in the court and make those court officials obey her. This was not only due to the power of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.

It's more about her own abilities, methods and strategies. Anyone who is not a fool can see that she did not become the Queen Regent by deceiving people and building up her own momentum.

But there are always some self-righteous smart people who always want to jump out and challenge her bottom line.

Even though someone has paid the price for this before, they always think that they are luckier than those people and will definitely pull her down from that high position and take it themselves.

Faced with these people who were overconfident and insisted on challenging her, Shen Tianjiao naturally took the lead and wanted to let them know what price they would have to pay for it.

"Then I won't go back to Ganzhou for the time being. I'll stay and help you resolve these issues before returning to Ganzhou."

When Yan Yu heard what Shen Tianjiao said, he knew how serious the problem and situation were. He felt uneasy if he didn't stay with Shen Tianjiao.

"If you want to stay, then stay." Shen Tianjiao had long known that Yan Yu would never leave Shangjing unless the matter was resolved. Now that she knew everything, why should she stop him?

Besides, with Yan Yu around, she felt more at ease.

"Oh, by the way, why did you come back so suddenly?"

Shen Tianjiao had wanted to ask this question since Yan Yu suddenly asked it last night, but she had been putting it off until now.

"It was General Bai who asked me to come back. Oh, by the way." Yan Yu took out a letter from his pocket, handed it to Shen Tianjiao, and said, "This is the letter General Bai asked me to bring to you."

Shen Tianjiao opened the letter and read the contents. She couldn't help but admire Bai Qishan's ability to do things. He was really amazing.

She originally thought that it would take at least a year to complete, but Bai Qishan actually accomplished it in less than half a year.

"Write him a letter and tell him to continue what he's doing. Also, tell him to clear out a large horse ranch near Beiqiang."

"Qiutong and Zuo Beichen, one of their missions during this trade trip is to bring back a large number of horses."

"Let's build the stables first, and when they bring the horses back, they can graze there."

When Yan Yu heard Shen Tianjiao say that Qiu Tong and Zuo Beichen would bring back a large number of horses soon, his eyes lit up instantly.

When these people who have been fighting for years hear this news, they will jump for excitement.

The love for horses is engraved in the bones of these people who guard the border. It is an obsession that no one can take away.

Looking at Yan Yu's eyes that suddenly lit up, Shen Tianjiao couldn't help but smile. She knew this feeling too well.

In her previous life, she had put a lot of thought into finding some excellent horses to form a cavalry battalion. At that time, she dreamed of having a large horse farm where she could raise enough horses to form a cavalry battalion.

Now her wish is finally coming true, and she is very happy.

"From now on, the affairs of Ganzhou will be handed over to you. When you return to Ganzhou, you will also receive an imperial edict granting you the authority to mobilize Ganzhou's troops."

"We must not leave any regrets in this life for the unfulfilled wishes in our previous lives."

"Once Li Chaohui is dealt with and the situation in the court stabilizes, I will also go to the Northern Frontier. Then we can join forces to make up for the regrets of our previous lives."

Hearing Shen Tianjiao say that she would also go to Northern Frontier, Yan Yu couldn't help but smile. Being able to fight side by side with Shen Tianjiao in this life was something he had never dared to imagine in his previous life.

It seems that God is kind to him after all, and he has been given such an opportunity in his second life.

"Okay, I'll wait for you in Northern Xinjiang." Yan Yu did not stop Shen Tianjiao from going to Northern Xinjiang just because a war was about to break out in Northern Xinjiang.

Because he knew very well that Shen Tianjiao should not belong to this palace, being imprisoned in this golden cage, a canary that had lost its freedom and was protected by others.

Shen Tianjiao should be an eagle, an eagle soaring in the sky, an eagle that is free and unrestrained. She was born to belong to the battlefield.

"By the way, when you return, you can find a way to get some horses from the Northern Qiang or some other tribe, or even from the Western Rong people, and raise them at the newly built horse farm."

"Qian Wanhe secretly mined an iron mine in Pingzhou. He originally intended to give the iron to the Xirong people as a bargaining chip to get them to support his rebellion in the future."

"But this old fox also knew the nature of the Xirong people very well, so he didn't give the mined iron to the Xirong people immediately, but hid it all."

"This time, because Shen Pingzhi got into trouble, Qian Wanhe, the old fox, was also caught."

"The iron was sent to the Northern Frontier by the He Dynasty before the imperial court took over. You can use it to build a heavy armored cavalry battalion."

"If there's not enough iron, let Cheng Rui find a way. He's the iron smelting official in Pingzhou now."

"I can't say he can give me as much iron as I want, but he will try his best to meet the needs of Northern Xinjiang."

"Also, you can send people to explore around Ganzhou to see if there are any mines like iron ore there."

"If there is any, we can send people to mine it and then supply it exclusively for all the needs of the Northern Frontier."

The privilege that Shen Tianjiao gave to Yan Yu is not something that everyone can have.

Iron is a strictly controlled commodity in Yunli. Not to mention ordinary people, even royal nobles would be stripped of their titles and beheaded if they possessed iron that exceeded the state's control.

Isn't Qian Wanhe a perfect example? As the Duke of Chen, who has a strong background and great power, no one dared to come to Shen Tianjiao to plead for mercy when he was in trouble.

Even those who supported him behind the scenes, after he went bankrupt, they all disappeared like turtles, and the reason was nothing more than Qian Wanhe's illegal mining of iron ore.

Those royal relatives and nobles usually show off their power and are not afraid of anything, but once they touch the bottom line of imperial power, they will have to pay the price no matter who they are.

"Okay, as long as the iron supply is sufficient, I promise to form a heavy cavalry battalion by the end of the year."

As for forming a heavy armored cavalry battalion, it was actually not a difficult task for Yan Yu. In his previous life, he had formed a heavy armored cavalry battalion under extremely difficult conditions.

Moreover, he just watched that heavy armored cavalry battalion, and he didn't know how many times it had resisted the attacks of the Western Rong cavalry.

Therefore, he was also very clear about the necessity and importance of forming a heavy cavalry battalion.

"You don't have to be timid. Just go for it. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."

Shen Tianjiao gave Yan Yu 100% sense of security, allowing him to do things without any worries.

"If something really happens, I will share the responsibility with you." Yan Yu's biggest regret in his previous life was that when Shen Tianjiao got into trouble, he was far away in the borderland and had no way to come back to face it with her.

In the end, all that will be left is endless regret and remorse. This time, regardless of life or death, he will face it with Shen Tianjiao and will never leave her alone.

Shen Tianjiao looked up and smiled at Yan Yu, saying, "Okay, no matter what happens in the future, we will face it together."

Although Shen Tianjiao now has a group of people behind her who can share weal and woe with her, they and Yan Yu have a different meaning in Shen Tianjiao's heart.

Yan Yu is irreplaceable in Shen Tianjiao's heart, and no one can compare to him no matter how many people put together.

When Shen Tianjiao faces many things, she actually has a lot of struggles and fears in her heart. She also needs someone to stand behind her and give her strength and a sense of security.

The only person who can give her strength and a sense of security can only be Yan Yu.

"Iron is already there, that's not a problem now, all that's left is the horses."

"Although Qiu Tong and Zuo Beichen will bring back a large number of horses soon, no one can guarantee that they won't encounter danger along the way, or that the number of horses will be drastically reduced due to unexpected dangers."

"After all, bringing so many horses all the way back is bound to attract the attention and covetousness of others."

This is also the problem that Shen Tianjiao is most worried about at the moment. Although Qiu Tong and the others brought a lot of guards with them this time, the Marquis of Zhenbei also specially selected a team of elite soldiers to accompany them.

But after all, the situation is complicated now, and they are on someone else's territory. It is not easy to bring the horses back safely.

Although Zuo Beichen and his people had rich experience in trade, what they brought back in the past were only cattle, sheep, local specialties, and a large amount of money.

What was different this time was that in addition to those things, they also brought back horses.

If there were only a small number of horses, it would be fine and would not attract anyone's attention, because it would be very strange to walk on the grassland without any horses around.

But this time, Qiu Tong and his team brought back at least two thousand horses. Such a large number would be hard not to attract attention and be coveted.

"You don't need to worry about the horses. Leave it to me."

"After leaving Ganzhou and passing the customs, walk north for less than 300 miles. In the mountains of Dayan Mountain, you will find the royal tent of the Northern Qiang King."

"I fought against them in my previous life. Although they were very skilled in horsemanship and very tough, they were constantly fighting among themselves. They were just façades of harmony but not in harmony with their hearts."

"Besides, since they've been stationed deep in the mountains for years, they're short on supplies. We can take advantage of this and make a killing from them."

"We'll exchange our surplus supplies, which they lack but need, for horses."

"If it's absolutely necessary, I can take people to the Northern Qiang King's tent in Dayan Mountain and negotiate terms with him."

Yan Yu's "have a good talk" does not mean that he really wants to sit down and have a good talk with the King of Northern Qiang. To put it bluntly, it means he wants to rob.

In his previous life, he had dealt with the Northern Qiang people a lot. Those Northern Qiang people relied on their own bravery and often went to the remote places in Ganzhou to burn, kill, loot, and even abducted the local people and forced them to become Northern Qiang people.

Be their slaves, herd sheep for them, and do all kinds of hard labor.

During these days in Ganzhou, Yan Yu had actually been planning in his mind how to deal with these Northern Qiang people and put an end to their arrogance.

Now that's good, his plan is finally going to come true. If he doesn't beat those Northern Qiang people and make them cry for their parents this time, and make them pay a painful price, then he will not be called Yan Yu.

"As for the horses that Qiu Tong and Zuo Beichen are going to bring back, you don't have to worry. After I return to Ganzhou, I will send troops to pick them up according to their itinerary."

"If someone dares to stop us, then we can just have a fight first. It'll be a good warm-up beforehand."

Shen Tianjiao was born for the battlefield, so Yan Yu was no exception. As a former victorious general, he had never been afraid of fighting.

No matter how powerful and fierce his opponents are, in Yan Yu's eyes, they are just opponents.