New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Upon entering the side hall of the princess's residence, Tang Qian bowed to Wanyan Xun, who was already sitting in a chair drinking tea. The guards standing to the side immediately went to inform Wanyan Xi.

A moment later, the three sat down in the hall. Wanyan Xi first nodded to Wanyan Xun, saying, "Thanks to the Commander last night, otherwise the losses in Youzhou City would have been considerable."

Wanyan Xun did not take credit: "It is the duty of the Youzhou army to guard Youzhou for the princess. Moreover, if it weren't for Brother Tang's deduction, I would not have been able to lead two thousand men to the aid of the mountain mine."

Tang Qian also smiled and waved his hand: "As a staff member of the princess's mansion, I naturally need to do what I am entitled to. Glass is the foundation of Youzhou City, and the mine is even more vulnerable. The Fourth Prince and Zhuo Luwang are eyeing this place covetously, so it is only right that we take precautions."

After this battle, Wanyan Xi realized that with only five hundred soldiers under her command, it was impossible to defend her fiefdom. The only thing the princess's mansion could rely on was Wanyan Xun, who held military power in Youzhou. This is why the two sides were able to sit down together.

"If the princess wants to better govern Youzhou City, she needs a safe and stable environment. If the commander wants to make the Youzhou army stronger, he needs Youzhou to be able to recuperate and thrive. Therefore, only when the two of you cooperate closely and the military and the government complement each other can Youzhou be strengthened. This is what is called the combination of military and government."

Wanyan Xun deeply agreed with Tang Qian's point of view.

If he wanted to become a regional hegemon, he needed his own territory as a foundation, and even more money as military funds. Wanyan Xun knew very well the value of the glass in Youzhou.

A single manufacturing process could provide enough food for 80,000 people in the city for a year. It would be incredibly easy for the Youzhou army to feed themselves with glass. Based on this alone, Wanyan Xun would never allow that mine in the Yanshan Mountains to fall into the hands of others.

"The Seventh Princess is benevolent and loves her people. I believe that it won't be long before Youzhou City rises again and becomes one of the important cities of the Great Jin Kingdom. With Brother Tang's assistance, it may become even more prosperous. However, we have an agreement beforehand that the Youzhou army will recruit 5,000 young men from the city every year to expand its military strength. My move is naturally to better deter villains and prevent those with ill intentions from attacking."

Faced with such a shameless person, Wanyan Xi was already seething with hatred, but on the surface she could not show the slightest displeasure.

Tang Qian said that Wanyan Xun had command of 10,000 troops. As long as he held the Great Wall passes, the Jin army outside the Great Wall would not be able to enter the pass, and he would have the final say in the entire Youzhou. Now the situation was beyond his control, and even if he was unwilling, Wanyan Xi had no choice but to cooperate with Wanyan Xun.

"Princess, rest assured, from today onwards, there will be two thousand soldiers stationed at the mine. I can guarantee that there will be no more night raids like last night. As for the various decrees in the city, I will not interfere. As long as we keep to ourselves, you are free to do whatever you want in the city."

Having said that, Wanyan Xun couldn't help but glance at Tang Qian and Wanyan Xi with a hint of mockery.

According to reports from his spies planted in the Tang family mansion, Tang Qian and Zhao Yingluo have already slept together. It seems that Zhao Yingluo is following his orders and keeping Tang Qian firmly bound in Youzhou. As for the affair between Wanyan Xi and Tang Qian, it is another insurance policy to keep Tang Qian here. Since they are so inseparable, Wanyan Xun is happy to see it happen.

With the Seventh Princess stationed in Youzhou, the imperial court would not be wary of him as the commander. As long as he could defend the Great Wall north of the city, he could focus on developing military equipment to plan for the future.

Watching Wanyan Xun leave, the Seventh Princess's originally calm and composed face was immediately clouded with gloom: "Wanyan Xun is holding onto his military power and is obviously plotting something sinister. Tang Qian, you are aiding the enemy."

Faced with Wanyan Xi's disdainful look and complaints, Tang Qian could only smile wryly: "I told His Highness about his thoughts. To outsiders, this is just my side of the story, without any evidence. If it really gets to the court, will His Majesty believe him or me?"

"So we can only let it develop as it is? What if one day his Youzhou army becomes strong and powerful enough to threaten the imperial court?"

"Your Highness, rest assured. Youzhou City has a small population and scarce resources. Even if he can slowly accumulate strength, it will be many years before he succeeds. By then, Your Highness's father will have already abdicated. Wanyan Xun will naturally deal with the successor. What does it have to do with us?"

Tang Qian was still talking eloquently when he suddenly looked up at Wan Yanxi and saw an indescribable sadness rising on her face.

The throne of the Great Jin Dynasty was elected by recommendation. My father has been ill in recent years. If he is forced to abdicate, it means that the fate of my lineage will definitely not be good. This is the so-called "one emperor, one court". I don't know how miserable my future fate will be.

Tang Qian's suggestion to plan ahead was also the reason why Wanyan Xi decided to cooperate with Wanyan Xun after discussing with Tang Qian.

"Your Highness need not be sad. As long as we are based in Youzhou, I am confident that I can make Wanyan Xun's Youzhou army resist the Jin army in the north. What we need to do now is to keep a low profile, develop people's livelihood, and arm Youzhou City to the teeth."

Wanyan Xi sighed softly. She had placed all her bets on him. If she lost this gamble, she would have nothing left.

After leaving the princess's residence, Tang Qian arrived at Wanyan Xun's command post. Since Wanyan Xi had been present, there were some things that could not be said in front of the princess.

"I would like to borrow some men from Your Highness."

"Brother Tang, you must be referring to those Song Dynasty officials still imprisoned in Youzhou," Wanyan Xun sneered. "They're all cowards who cling to life. What use would they be to you, Brother Tang?"

These people are indeed only good at flattery and not very useful, but behind them are all powerful and wealthy families in the Song Dynasty. Tang Qian would naturally be of great use to them.

“You can take those people with you, but Brother Tang, don’t forget what we talked about before.”

For Wanyan Xun, there was another crucial matter: the shipbuilding plan that Tang Qian mentioned needed to be started as soon as possible.

Only with a boat can he cross the sea, and only after crossing the sea can he strike at the heart of the enemy and successfully implement the plan that Tang Qian had devised for him.

“Youzhou has no shipbuilding talent, but the Jiangnan region of the Great Song Dynasty certainly has.”

The waterways of Jiangnan are interconnected and well-connected, with merchant ships coming and going on the water. There must be master shipbuilders in the docks of various places.

"That's why I said that those people imprisoned by the prince are not entirely useless."