Qingyao's voice fell, and An Dingfeng suddenly stood up, seemingly startled. He slowly said, "Your Majesty, absolutely not. That Danfeng Kingdom is thousands of miles away from us. We have to borrow passage from others. If they collude with Danfeng, won't we become the crab trapped in a jar? Ten thousand soldiers is not a trivial matter."
General An, as an old general of Xian Yue, cherished talent like his own life. Those soldiers were like his children. He was unwilling to harm a single soldier unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
Regarding the matters discussed by the Emperor and Empress, he felt they were like fairy tales. Even if they wanted to unify the seven kingdoms, they should start with neighboring countries. Fighting across kingdoms like this was putting themselves in danger. Even if the Empress was extraordinarily capable, she shouldn't underestimate others.
Qingyao had expected An Dingfeng's reaction. It showed he was a general with his own opinions, and such a person could be greatly used. Now, all she needed was to make him believe in her, and then he could become the vanguard officer.
Thinking of this, Qingyao smiled faintly and slowly said, "Actually, Your Majesty has not told General An one thing: that Huangyuan Kingdom is actually a vassal state of our Xian Yue. Therefore, passing through Huangyuan Kingdom is like passing through our own doorstep. The new emperor of Huangyuan has already submitted a letter of surrender, which is now in Your Majesty's hands. However, this is a confidential matter, and I hope General An will not leak it."
An Dingfeng's eyes widened, and it took him a long time to believe what he heard. He hadn't expected to capture Huangyuan Kingdom without a single soldier. Then, all the turmoil during the ascension of the new emperor of Huangyuan was the Empress's behind-the-scenes manipulation. This was truly incredible. An Dingfeng immediately changed his previous thoughts and looked seriously at the woman before him. Her eyes were filled with the brilliance of wisdom, and her unrestrained and bold demeanor as a great general suggested that the unification of the seven kingdoms was within reach.
An Dingfeng relaxed somewhat but still hesitated, looking at Emperor Xian. Did His Majesty trust the Empress so much?
This was a grand strategy for a nation and could not be taken lightly, or it would be the ruin of Xian Yue.
"I believe in Yao'er's ability."
Emperor Xian's words were like a calming pill hitting An Dingfeng's heart. An Dingfeng's expression finally relaxed considerably. At this moment, Qingyao turned towards the door and called out, "Bing Xiao, come in."
Bing Xiao responded and walked in from outside, curtsied, and respectfully said, "Niang Niang."
Qingyao was too lazy to correct their titles. After all, once the seven kingdoms were unified, they would no longer have any connection and would be far away from all this. Let them call her whatever they wanted now.
"Go and get a hand grenade from Xiao Tao."
"Yes," Bing Xiao nodded. Only a few trusted individuals knew about the arms factory; no one else did.
Bing Xiao walked out. In the main hall, An Dingfeng looked at the Empress with a bewildered expression. He saw her calm demeanor and the serenity around her, as if this earth-shattering war was so ordinary in her eyes. For him, just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine; this was a matter of life and death.
Did the Emperor possess discerning eyes, or was it because of his affection for Niang Niang?
In the main hall, the three individuals were lost in their own thoughts.
Emperor Xian deeply believed that if Qingyao was willing to help him and fight alongside him, she would undoubtedly be able to unify the seven kingdoms. He was thinking of something else: if the seven kingdoms were unified, he would spend his life with her, unchanging in his devotion. At that time, they would take Xiao Yu'er back to Wu Qing Valley. Wasn't Wu Qing afraid of loneliness? They would stay in the valley to keep him company.
As for Qingyao, she was thinking about how to face the upcoming war.
In the silence, Mo Chou had already retrieved the hand grenade and handed it to her master. This kind of item was not operated by ordinary people; only the master knew how to use it.
To prevent the item from being lost or causing trouble, Xiao Yu'er had not told anyone how to operate it. Although it was very simple, no one else had witnessed its use.
Qingyao held the small hand grenade, smiled at General An, and said softly, "Let's go, General An, and witness the weapons we have created. This will play a major role in future wars."
"Yes," An Dingfeng had been interested since seeing the Emperor's blueprints, and he readily agreed at this moment. He stood up and followed Qingyao out.
Mu Rong Liu Zun watched the excited Qingyao silently, his tall figure following closely behind her as they walked out.
Under the moonlight, two figures overlapped.
An Dingfeng could feel the Emperor's gentle and jade-like disposition. It seemed the Emperor really liked the current Empress. It was not easy for a man of high status to like a woman; it was something that could be met but not sought. Many times, people would miss each other.
Outside the door, Bing Xiao led people to follow them out.
Qingyao walked through the corridor and stone steps, leading Emperor Xian and An Dingfeng out of the residence. Not far from the courtyard was a clear lake. The power of the hand grenade would be tested in the clear lake; otherwise, it would damage things within the estate.
The night breeze was cool, rippling the surface of the lake.
Qingyao and Mu Rong Liu Zun stopped, their gazes naturally falling on General An.
"General An, this weapon is called a hand grenade. It can easily destroy hard objects like city gates. If we are attacking a city, it will be twice as effective with half the effort."
In the dark night, as Qingyao's words fell, she pulled the fuse and threw the hand grenade. It exploded with a loud bang, and a soaring water column erupted in the clear lake. Water droplets splashed everywhere, and many fish in the clear lake were thrown onto the shore. An Dingfeng was stunned, speechless for a long time. He was completely shocked. This thing was so powerful! He had been fighting for so many years and had never seen such a formidable weapon. With such a powerful weapon, it seemed that Xian Yue's unification of the seven kingdoms was imminent.
An Dingfeng's admiration for the woman before him surged from the bottom of his heart. Niang Niang was indeed as formidable as the rumors said.
He immediately said respectfully in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, it seems that heaven is truly helping our Xian Yue! With such formidable weapons from Niang Niang, ten thousand soldiers can be used as twenty thousand! Excellent, I will immediately rush to the border pass, draw manpower from the nearby passes, and ensure that ten thousand soldiers are assembled and well-trained for battle."
An Dingfeng spoke excitedly. This would definitely be a war that would be watched by the world.
No wonder Huangyuan Kingdom surrendered. With such powerful weapons and such a capable person, Huangyuan Kingdom's surrender was truly a matter of recognizing the trend of the times.
Qingyao smiled with satisfaction, nodding slightly. "Good. I hope General An can quickly assemble the troops. I will bring the weapons to Crescent Pass soon."
"Yes, I will set off tonight for Crescent Pass. Once Niang Niang arrives, the troops will be fully prepared."
An Dingfeng suddenly became anxious. Thinking of the near future, when the world would be unified, he, An Dingfeng, would also become a pioneering figure in the unification of the world. How could this not excite him? However, these ten thousand soldiers would also need a grand marshal to lead them. As for who would hold the command, An Dingfeng knew that he was not qualified to be a marshal, and could only be a vanguard officer who charged into battle.
Mu Rong Liu Zun looked at the situation before him, his face tinged with a satisfied smile, as radiant as stars.
"Mu Qingyao, receive the decree."
Emperor Xian spoke. Mu Qingyao froze and looked up. She saw a deep, dark glint in Emperor Xian's eyes, stirring up a monstrous tide that swept and churned towards her.
Qingyao slowly knelt down. "Qingyao receives the decree."