Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

"That old scoundrel Wang Si has ruined our country!"

Gu Anzhi only followed the emperor's orders when he was outside, without saying a word. But when he returned to the mansion and brought up the matter in front of Yinyin, he got so angry that he jumped up and down.

“My brother-in-law saw through the Tata’s wolfish ambitions long ago, but Wang Si insisted on opposing him. Now that the Tata have conquered three of our cities, he still boasted in court that the Tata are nothing to fear.”

"Is that nothing to fear? It's clearly the result of my brother-in-law's proposal to reorganize the garrison, and the border soldiers' desperate resistance! So he doesn't care that it wasn't his people who were displaced, or that it wasn't his Wang family's sons who died in battle!"

Seeing this, Yin Yin personally served him a cup of tea: "Getting angry now is useless. Rather than making the Prime Minister admit his mistake, it is the right thing to do is to send troops as soon as possible."

"After His Majesty gave the order, provisions were mobilized and transported, and the army was assembled. This process took quite a while, especially since it was winter."

Winter's cold makes it the worst time for marching and fighting. Because of insufficient means of keeping warm, if food and supplies also run out, the soldiers will not only fall on the battlefield, but will perish in the ice and snow.

Yinyin suppressed her worries and said, "Tata has already made us lose three cities with one move. They are in a good mood and will definitely take advantage of their high morale to attack other places."

"When the Tatars conquer a city, it's not for the purpose of governing and seizing territory; they only plunder any assets that can help them grow and expand."

“I have already spoken to His Majesty,” Gu Anzhi hesitated for a moment before saying to Yin Yin, “His Majesty intends to appoint me as his deputy general to accompany Marshal Ye on the expedition. I, Yin Yin…”

Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Yin Yin suddenly laughed: "You want to go, but you haven't agreed yet, have you?"

Gu Anzhi nodded: "Yes, just like Yinyin said, as a member of the royal family, I cannot accept the support of the people for nothing. I must do my part to ensure their peaceful life. I am not very good at literature, but I can grasp martial arts and military strategy very quickly. Now is the time for me to step forward."

“Besides,” Gu Anzhi turned to look at Yin Yin’s gentle face and her bulging belly, “my current status and position all come from His Majesty’s generosity, but if one day His Majesty is no longer willing to be so generous… I can’t bear to let you and the child suffer with me.”

Gu Anzhi placed Yin Yin's hand in his own palm and slowly intertwined their fingers: "I said I would share all power and status with you. I hope that what I can give you is glory and honor."

“But if you go, I don’t know if you’ll be able to come back next spring. How can I leave you alone in the manor while you’re pregnant?”

Yin Yin listened patiently until he finished speaking before asking, "So, have you come up with a solution?"

Gu Anzhi cleared his throat: "I would like to invite my mother-in-law to stay at the mansion for an extended period. I will feel at ease if she is by your side to take care of you."

“That’s a good idea, but it’s not really feasible for Mother to stay long-term. It would be more feasible for her to come and stay for a while occasionally,” Yin Yin paused before continuing, “Since you’re willing, then go ahead. I have so many people serving me in the capital, what could possibly happen to me? At worst, I can hire a doctor to stay at the mansion and take my pulse every day.”

"As for you, I understand your desire to make a name for yourself on the battlefield, but returning unscathed is the most important thing."

"Didn't you say you wanted to be with me forever? If we get separated halfway through, I'll go back to my parents' home."

“No, that won’t do,” Gu Anzhi retorted, but his smile didn’t fade. “How can I let you go back by yourself? I will definitely accompany you.”

The couple agreed that after the morning court session the next day, Gu Anzhi would go to the emperor to tell him that he was willing to go on the expedition with Marshal Ye.

The emperor glanced at him and chuckled, "Have you gone back and discussed it with your sister-in-law?"

“It’s settled,” Gu Anzhi said somewhat embarrassedly, “but there’s something else I’d like to ask Your Majesty for help with.”

After receiving the emperor's signal, he continued, "The princess is pregnant, and I am worried about leaving her alone in the mansion. I have asked my mother-in-law to visit her often. However, it is not appropriate for my mother-in-law to stay in the mansion for long, so I would like to ask Your Majesty the Empress to take good care of the princess."

The Emperor naturally agreed, and even instructed the Empress to arrange for experienced nannies to take care of Yin Yin. He himself also frequently inquired about her well-being. The Empress, who already had a good relationship with Yin Yin, dared not neglect her now.

In the imperial court, Prime Minister Wang remained defiant, and the officials from his faction all said they never expected that Tata had such great abilities.

However, when it came to discussing sending troops, Wang Xiang's men did not object. In fact, they acted much faster than usual, and all the provisions and supplies were delivered without any skimping.

In truth, they were well aware of their mistakes, but such things were absolutely unacceptable to admit. If they did, the truth would spread, and they would face public condemnation, which would undoubtedly affect their family. For them, the family's reputation was paramount and could not be compromised.

When the imperial orders reached various locations, the Tatar army continued its siege. The capital of Yanzhou held firm, refusing to surrender. Unable to breach the city after a prolonged siege, the Tatars left some troops to continue the siege before turning their attention to other cities, leaving Yanzhou isolated.

Upon hearing this news, Gu Anzhi could no longer sit still and requested to lead his troops ahead.

The emperor rejected his proposal and instead ordered Marshal Ye to lead the army on an immediate expedition, while the troops that had not yet arrived were ordered to assemble in Yingzhou, which was close to the border. The emperor specifically appointed Zhan Zheng as the person in charge of gathering this force.

Upon hearing this order, Wang Xiang and others submitted memorials to dissuade Zhan Zheng, saying that he was merely a scholar who had never led troops into battle before, and how could such a large army be entrusted to him?

This time, the emperor was quite insistent. Back then, when Zhan Zheng warned about the Tatas, you all said he was worrying unnecessarily. But as it turns out, his worries were justified. And the changes in the Fubing (military garrison) now show that Zhan Zheng has this keen insight; why not give him some training?

Thinking of the prophecy that Abbot Dugu had given to Zhan Zheng, the emperor felt a surge of excitement.

Sweep across the six directions and pacify the four seas.

Which emperor didn't want to unify the world?

Previously, Zhan Zheng was a simple civil official, and there was no suitable reason for him to get involved in the military, nor was there any knowledge of his abilities.

However, judging from the previous proposals for the reorganization of the garrison and the current results, Zhan Zheng has talent. Therefore, if he is arranged to be trained under Marshal Ye, just like Gu Anzhi, he will surely grow up quickly.

The emperor insisted on trusting Zhan Zheng, and rarely showed his displeasure in court. Even the Wang Xiang faction dared not oppose him too much.

After all, they hadn't even cleaned up their own mess yet, so how could they dare to provoke the emperor again? If things went wrong, the emperor would turn against them, and being punished would be a minor matter. The real danger was that the emperor might ignore the situation and instruct someone to spread Wang Xiang and the others' words, which would bring them a great deal of infamy.

Thinking of this, many who were not so determined to follow Prime Minister Wang began to have second thoughts. After all, Prime Minister Wang was old, and the younger generation of the Wang family were still young and unable to hold the fort.

On the contrary, Zhan Zheng clearly enjoys the emperor's trust and favor, and is also very forward-thinking. Wouldn't following such a rising star be better than serving the prince who opposes Zhan Zheng?

Among these people, some planned to wait for Zhan Zheng's return before offering their services, while others acted immediately, using their past relationship with Zhan Zheng when he was in charge of Wang Xiang's faction to curry favor. Such is the nature of officialdom.

The fact that Zhan Zheng was also going to the expedition was completely unexpected by Gu Anzhi. Compared to him, Yin Yin's shock was mostly feigned.

She had previously asked people to make a lot of suitable wound medicine, and now dividing it into two portions is just right.

On a freezing winter day, although Gu Anzhi refused to invite her, Yinyin still got into the carriage and arrived at the city gate.