Chapter 487: Missing You in the Mansion
At the end, there was a team of about 10,000 people.
This team was definitely the weakest in terms of combat effectiveness, but their impact on the battlefield was not necessarily small, as they were composed of skilled craftsmen in various fields.
Some were skilled at repairing bows and armor, others at making catapults, ladders, and battering rams, and even some at setting up camps. In short, they were all people with special talents. Jia Cong specially selected all of them and made them into separate armies to assist the entire army.
The three armies were about fifty miles apart, and scouts would come and go to report news every day. Except for the last ten thousand troops, the number of cavalry accounted for nearly half of the 100,000-strong army.
This was definitely an extravagant number. Although Daqian was vast and had numerous horse farms, it was still far behind the northern steppe peoples. Therefore, good horses had always been a scarce commodity in Daqian. Moreover, cavalrymen were not just any soldier who could mount a horse.
Cavalry archery skills, needless to say, are fundamental. Beyond that, they must also be familiar with how to charge, the simplest tactics, and formations. Furthermore, to be considered elite cavalry, one must at least ride two horses, or even three.
Of these three horses, one was a slow horse, used to carry armor, weapons, food, and other miscellaneous items for the soldiers. One of the other two was used for daily travel, and the last one was used for charging into battle.
So, there are nearly 50,000 cavalrymen, but more than 100,000 war horses!
As for the marching speed, Jia Cong was somewhat frustrated! This army was considered elite, but the average daily marching speed could only reach about 50 to 60 miles! In other words, it would take at least two months to enter the Sichuan-Shu area.
It is said that the number of people exceeds ten thousand and is boundless, not to mention that Jia Cong has a hundred thousand soldiers under his command, so it stretches for more than a hundred miles from front to back and dozens of miles from left to right.
Because Jia Cong went to the southwest to fight, Niu Jizon led his troops to Fengzhou to guard the border and no one paid attention to him.
In fact, just five days before Jia Cong dispatched his troops, Niu Jizong had also led the army with the tiger talisman. Jia Cong naturally went to see him off, but Niu Jizong's strategy had clearly changed. Unless a major incident occurred, the Fengzhou area would primarily be defended. If necessary, they could even relocate some civilians to within the Great Wall to temporarily avoid fighting the Dangxiang.
It wasn't that the Daqian Emperor feared the Dangxiang, but rather that the entire nation was now focused on preparing for a major war in the southwest. A two-front war would be a monumental challenge for the imperial court. Therefore, Emperor Longxing would never choose a two-front war unless absolutely necessary. As long as Jia Cong could secure his rule in the southwest, the Dangxiang would be nothing more than a minor nuisance.
Ever since Jia Cong led his troops to war, the entire Jia Mansion suddenly became somewhat quiet.
On weekdays, after the girls learned the etiquette, they all dispersed. Apart from the occasional visit to pay their respects to the old lady, the people from the East Palace rarely visited the mansion. Wang Xifeng, on the other hand, would occasionally stay overnight at the East Palace when she had some free time, either to chat with Keqing or to visit Youshi's courtyard for a casual chat.
In a blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching.
However, perhaps because Jia Cong had just left for the expedition, the atmosphere in both the East and West Palaces was not as lively and festive as in previous years.
In You's courtyard, You was leaning lazily on the soft couch, with Yindie fanning her beside her. Although it was autumn, the weather was still a bit stuffy.
Waving her hands randomly, Youshi sat up and said, "Yindie, tell the kitchen that I want a bowl of ice bird's nest porridge tonight. The weather is so hot and stuffy, it really makes me feel irritable."
Yindie put down her fan with a smile, "I think Madam is missing me!"
Yu Shi was startled for a moment, then leaned back and said, "I don't know where the master is now."
"When Second Mistress came yesterday, she said that Master and his army were not advancing very fast, only advancing a few dozen miles a day. By now, they've probably reached the Taiyuan or Pingyang areas."
"Ah!" Yu Shi sighed, "Southern Xinjiang is three or four thousand miles away. Just the round trip would take three to five months. I don't know when the master will be back."
Yindie was her confidant and knew about her relationship with Jia Cong. Therefore, in front of Yindie, Youshi did not hide her longing for Jia Cong. Moreover, it is said that once you taste the marrow, you will know the taste. Since she and Jia Cong had achieved a good thing, Youshi had finally experienced the pleasure of sex. In addition, she was now at the age of being as vigorous as a wolf and a tiger. Now that Jia Cong was gone, how could she not miss him?
"With Master's ability, he will surely be victorious and everything will go smoothly!" Yin Die said with a smile. "In my opinion, Master should be back in a year at most."
"Madam, it's Mid-Autumn Festival in two days. Shouldn't we prepare in advance?"
Yu Shi said somewhat boredly, "With the master away, even if we prepare everything thoroughly, it's no fun! Besides, we've already bought everything we need to buy. What else do we need to prepare?"
As he was speaking, the voice of a little maid came from outside, "Greetings, Sister Qingwen!"
"Is the eldest lady here? The old lady of the West Mansion asked Sister Amber to come and pass on a message, so I came over to inform the eldest lady!"
Youshi sat up and asked Yindie to go and greet her.
After a moment, Qingwen followed Yindie into the hall.
"Meet the Madam!"
Yu Shi smiled and stepped forward to help Qingwen up. "Girl, didn't I tell you long ago that you are still so polite in my courtyard? What's going on with the old lady?"
"The old lady said that she would like everyone in our mansion to come to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet the day after tomorrow to join in the fun, and also asked our small opera troupe to come along and perform two operas for the old lady."
"Since it's the old lady who sent the message, then we should just obey!" Yu Shi said with a smile, "Have you told Keqing?"
"Grandma has already passed the message!"
"That's good. The day after tomorrow, let Jia Zhong get the carriage, and everyone in the mansion will go over together." As she spoke, Youshi turned to Yindie and said, "Yindie, go get two packages of pomegranates and emerald bean cakes that my mother sent over a few days ago. Have Qingwen take them back and have them taste with Xiangling, Xiaoque'er, and the others."
"Although it's not a delicate dessert, it was made by my mother at home. The pomegranates were sent from the countryside and are fresh!" Youshi said intimately, holding Qingwen's hand.
Although their identities were that of a master and a servant, Youshi knew how respectable this little girl was in front of Jia Cong.
Moreover, she had long heard that this little girl also followed the master and was just a passing student. Therefore, she naturally would not really regard Qingwen as a servant.
