"What?"
"Withdraw!"
"Your Majesty, are you sure?"
Murong Jianye looked at the commander Zhou An in disbelief.
It was obvious that Liangzhou City could be taken in no time, so why should we withdraw?
Commander Zhou An was also very depressed. It was fine for the emperor to withdraw troops when fighting the barbarians before.
Now we have to withdraw troops when fighting a rebel!
"You are right, this is what your Majesty meant."
"The pressure from the barbarians is too great. I heard from the capital that your Majesty has reached an agreement with those barbarians."
"As long as we withdraw our troops and give up conquering Liang and You states, they will withdraw and return the lost land." Zhou An's face was full of worry.
Now that the cold winter has not passed, the barbarians in the north are unlikely to tear each other apart for Lin Weichen.
Besides, compared to the lost cities in the north, Liang and You states are more important.
I don't know what your Majesty thinks.
"Then didn't my father advise your Majesty?"
Zhou An smiled bitterly in his heart. What advice could he listen to from a foolish emperor?
"The facts are before us, what's the point of saying this now?"
"Let's withdraw our troops. If you want to stay at the palace, you don't want to suffer the same fate as General Ye's family, so keep quiet."
Murong Jianye felt a pang of regret when he spoke of General Ye, the former god of war of Dayun.
With him guarding Dayun, those barbarians dared not invade.
It was a pity that upon His Majesty's ascension to the throne, he found a trumped-up charge and exterminated his entire family.
Later, His Majesty prioritized civil officials over military affairs, swayed by slander and allowed Dayun's power to decline.
"Alas!"
Zhou An, sensing Mur Jianye's displeasure, gently patted his shoulder. "Go back and have fun. There's nothing wrong with being a leisurely prince."
Murong Jianye's face was bleak as he left the barracks and returned to Piaoxiang Tower. He had been dreaming of making great achievements, but now he was halfway there.
"Brother, why are you so gloomy? Could it be that another project failed?"
Murong Jianye didn't immediately reply to his sister. Instead, he drank a glass of wine, his eyes filled with the regret of unfulfilled ambitions.
"No need to fight, His Majesty has ordered us to withdraw our troops."
"We will return to the capital tomorrow. If you don't leave today, you can come with us tomorrow."
When Murong Mingyu heard that the emperor was going to withdraw his troops, she was a little happy at first.
But when she thought of what Lin Weichen had done, she couldn't help feeling a little bitter. She was no longer so reluctant to leave.
"Well, I'll go back to the capital with you tomorrow."
Looking at his sister, Murong Jianye suddenly remembered what his father had said before.
Now seemed to be the time to say it.
"By the way, little sister, since you have no attachment to Ye Weichen, my father said before that you are also old enough to get married."
"When you return to the capital, he will find young talents for you in the capital..."
Hearing that she was asked to meet those people who were seeking fame, Murong Mingyue felt annoyed.
"I don't want to. I don't want to get married so soon."
"But His Majesty has no princesses of marriageable age. The Barbarian Kingdom is powerful now. If His Majesty wants to marry, there are no princesses."
"Only you, the daughter of Prince Ping'an, meet the criteria, little sister!"
Although Prince Ping'an was a powerless and idle prince, the Qingliu faction within the court favored him.
After all, Murong Tuo was one of the leading candidates for the throne, so the Qingliu faction preferred to let Prince Ping'an take charge.
Of course, Prince Ping'an would never do that; he had no desire and no desire to take the risk.
"I don't want to. This is all expected. I'm just a princess."
"Besides, doesn't the Emperor have several princesses of marriageable age? After all, it's not my turn, is it?"
Murong Jianye said helplessly. Why was his sister still so naive?
Those people would definitely try to trip up the siblings to suppress their father.
Bang, bang, bang.
"Who is this?"
"Sir, I'm Li Youde. I've brought Young Master Ye."
Murong Jianye was surprised. He had just given the order when he returned, so why had he invited him so soon?
"Then let him in."
Upon entering, Ye Ming noticed the two siblings looked downcast, but he didn't say much.
Instead, he asked directly, "Is there something important the Crown Prince and the Princess have come to see me about?"
"Indeed,"
Murong suggested, pulling out a delicate dagger from his waist.
"On reflection, I realize my sister's life-saving favor is merely helping you change your household registration, which is a bit inappropriate."
"But my sister and I are away from home and don't have the extra money to repay you."
"I'll give this dagger to you, Brother Ye. If you encounter any problems in the future, bring it to the Prince of Ping'an's mansion."
"As long as it's not a matter of principle, I can help you solve it."
Ye Ming was deeply surprised by this. In the long run, this item would be much more useful than silver.
But right now, he just wanted money. By the spring, when he built a large blue brick and tiled house, his silver would be almost gone.
Besides, it is already spring, so it will not be so easy to go into the mountains to hunt.
However, Ye Ming still solemnly put down the dagger.
"Thank you, Prince and Lady Princess."
Murong Jianye nodded. "If you have any other requests, just tell me. Tomorrow, my brother and I will leave Qingshui County and return to Beijing."
What a joke, I understand that Silly Girl wants to leave, but Murong Jianye seems to be an officer in charge of logistics, why would he leave?
"Could it be that Liangzhou City has been captured?"
"No way, it's because of that idiot... His Majesty asked General Zhou and my brother to withdraw the troops."
What a idiot, but this also made Ye Ming feel a strong sense of crisis.
Originally thought that the rebellion of Liangzhou City was just an accident, it turned out that Dayun was doomed.
Generally speaking, if the emperor ordered the withdrawal of troops halfway through a war, the war would basically be over.
Dayun is now facing internal and external troubles, and it is estimated that it will not be long before the princes will rise up.
I have to make plans early.
"What about you, what are your plans for the future?" Murong Mingyue asked.
She felt that someone as capable as Ye Ming would have ambitions like his brother.
"Me? I just want to make more money and live a good life with my wife."
"What? That's all you want?"
"What else?"
Ye Ming felt that making money was crucial now, in case the world truly fell into chaos.
Recruiting soldiers and developing weapons required money.
"Sister, please don't be rude."
"Brother Ye, the Yun Dynasty is currently short of talent, so it will be easier to recruit candidates for the imperial examination this year."
"Power is more important in this world. If you have extra money, it's better to study."
Ye Ming agreed with Murong Jianye's words, but he truly didn't want to study if he could.
Although the writing system in this world was similar to that used in his previous life, he had studied for over a decade.
The thought of studying again after traveling across time was daunting.
After bidding farewell to the two siblings, Ye Ming went to the Qingshui County Government Office to find Sun Haoyu.
He successfully obtained the property deed.
Thinking about doing business later, he casually asked Sun Haoyu if there was anything he should be aware of.
"If you're doing a small business, there's nothing to worry about. But if you want to do big business, you have to find a backer. Of course, it's better to rely on yourself than a backer."
"Nowadays, all businesses in Qingshui County are controlled by powerful people. You can't survive without power and background."
"My term will end in the spring, and I'll be transferred to Kyoto. The new county magistrate may not be as easy to deal with as I am."
"Although you have connections with the Prince of Ping'an's Palace, it may not be easy to get by from far away in Kyoto."
"With your reputation, the new county magistrate will not easily embarrass you."