Chapter 611 - 610: Farm Woman 39
After reclaiming Lin State, Tan You had firmly brought Yunzhou, Youzhou, Lin, and Dingzhou states under her control. That’s right—by now, Dingzhou State was also in Tan You’s hands.
There are plenty of opportunists in this world. Just as Chen Desheng was leading his troops to Lin State, Guo Kai, the commander of Dingzhou State’s city defense forces, came over and pledged his allegiance. Tan You, of course, gladly accepted this meat that had delivered itself to her doorstep.
Aside from Youzhou and Lin states, which had suffered heavy losses, Yunzhou and Dingzhou states emerged from this campaign almost completely unscathed. And the recovery of Lin State also proclaimed a fact to the outside world: the Beirong were utterly defeated.
Although the Imperial Court had ceded the four states of Yunzhou, Youzhou, Dingzhou, and Lin to the Beirong, that didn’t mean they weren’t paying attention to news from the region. The Imperial Court was naturally aware that Yunzhou State had launched a war of self-defense and counterattack.
Later, figures like Tan You, Chen Xi, and Chen Yue inevitably came into the public eye.
The Prime Minister trembled. "This woman... her ambitions are immense."
The Minister of War said, "That gunpowder... it’s truly too powerful."
"If the Imperial Court had gunpowder..."
"How could something like that possibly leak out?"
Setting aside the speculations of the Imperial Court, the campaigns in Yunzhou and Youzhou states had indeed sent shockwaves through the various lords, big and small, across the land. At the same time, countless people coveted Tan You’s gunpowder.
Why would Tan You care about their schemes? She knew everyone needed to rest and recuperate after the war, so she left the four states of Yunzhou, Dingzhou, Lin, and Youzhou in Chen Xi’s hands to govern. As for herself, she set out for the northern grasslands with Yue Shu and his men.
When this decision was first announced, almost everyone disapproved. Even if Chen Xi was exceptionally precocious, she was still only fourteen. Could she truly shoulder such a heavy burden?
Clan Leader Chen Tianshui and the other clan elders were fraught with worry. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Chen Xi, but she was just too young. The foundation their lady had worked so hard to build...
Tan You simply smiled and looked at Chen Xi. "Do you have confidence?"
Chen Xi’s back was ramrod straight. "I do, Mother. I won’t let you down."
Tan You smiled. "I know what everyone is thinking—that Ming Guang is young and not steady enough. But that’s just how the world is. If you don’t give her a chance to gain experience, she will never be able to grow."
"While she’s still young, let her do what she thinks is best. Even if she makes mistakes, the clan elders and senior family members are here to help patch up any shortcomings. No one can do everything perfectly from the very beginning."
"Besides, it’s not like I’m leaving for good. I’ll be back from the grasslands in a few months, or a year or two at most."
Chen Tianshui was still deeply uneasy. "Do you really have to go yourself? Can’t someone else go? Yue Shu, General Yuan, General Guo—they are all incredibly capable commanders..."
Tan You held up a hand. "They don’t have experience fighting on the grasslands, after all, and they aren’t familiar with the terrain. Moreover, to prevent the Beirong from turning on us, this expedition will consist of our own soldiers. I truly won’t be at ease unless I go with them."
’At least I have the Beauty System as a cheat, which allows for real-time monitoring. But if I let Yue Shu and the others set out alone, their chances of survival would be next to none. It would be a suicide mission, and I won’t send them to their deaths like that.’
Thinking of Tan You’s mysterious and unfathomable abilities, Chen Tianshui could only nod in the end. "Then, My Lady, please be careful on your journey. We will all be waiting for your return."
Tan You led Yue Shu and the other soldiers away, and they were gone for two years. During those two years, Tan You and her people traveled over nearly every inch of land beyond the passes. The results, of course, were remarkable. The lands beyond the passes were now completely under their control.
Meanwhile, Chen Xi had governed the four states exceptionally well. At first, people were naturally worried about her, but she ended up doing such a superb job that after implementing various policies for the people’s livelihood, the citizens of the four states were now singing her praises.
"I didn’t expect the roads would be paved all the way out here beyond the passes." Tan You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she led her horse along the solid concrete road. Although she had caught glimpses of it through the Beauty System, it still felt unreal to see it in person.
Walking here now, if it weren’t for the clothing of the people around her, Tan You would feel as if she were on a rural path at the dawn of the century. In her memory, the concrete road in front of her old home had been built around 2003.
Yue Shu was also leading his warhorse, but his steps were a bit hurried. "Yes, it feels like we’ve returned to our clan’s lands."
Seeing Yue Shu’s hasty pace, Yuan Cheng teased, "Old Yue is in a rush to get home. I wonder if his son will even recognize him when he gets back."
Tan You sighed. "It’s because of us that your family reunion has been delayed. In the end, we owe a debt to Zhu Rong and have wronged her."
Yue Shu was philosophical about it. "For people like us, who are away from home for long periods, our wives inevitably have to bear more of the burden. Besides, we were fighting the Western Hu back then. It was a critical moment, and I really couldn’t get away."
Their group was extremely eye-catching. Not to mention the various sets of armor they wore, just having Tan You walking in their midst was truly a case of ’all the stars revolving around the moon,’ ’a single red flower among a sea of green.’
Chen Yue was squatting on the city wall, bored out of her mind. When Tan You had led the troops to conquer the grasslands, Chen Yue hadn’t been able to go along as she wished. For the past two years, she had been so idle in the four states that she felt like she was about to grow mold. She could only come to the city wall for a breath of fresh air.
But just as she turned her head unconsciously, Chen Yue’s eyes suddenly flew wide open. As if afraid she was seeing things, Chen Yue blinked hard. Then, she burst out laughing. "Mother!"
Hearing that shout, the ears of all the soldiers and the common folk below the wall perked up in unison. Everyone knew who Chen Yue was. In the past, their impression of her was that of a fearsome warrior, but after getting to know her for the past two years, they discovered she wasn’t like a fearsome warrior at all—just a very friendly young girl.
But if Chen Yue was shouting "Mother," did that mean their lady had returned? To be honest, many people might not even remember Tan You clearly, as she had appeared so rarely and for such a short time.
Instead, what people heard more of were the legends surrounding their lady—for instance, that she was leading the soldiers to reclaim the grasslands, or that she had conquered yet another territory.
For a moment, everyone looked out beyond the city wall.
Tan You naturally heard Chen Yue’s voice. She looked up at the wall just in time to see Chen Yue flip herself over the edge and float down as nimbly as a monkey.
Yue Shu narrowed his eyes as he watched Chen Yue’s movements. "It seems her skills haven’t gotten rusty these past two years."
"Yue Team, I’ve been practicing my martial arts every single day without slacking off for even a moment." Chen Yue heard this just as she ran up. She couldn’t help but pout and retort before leaping onto Tan You. "Mother, I missed you so much! Did you miss me?"
The impact staggered Tan You, but she still caught her daughter steadily. "A few more times like that and you’ll shatter these old bones of mine."
Chen Yue jumped down from Tan You but continued to hug her arm tightly. "Mother, you didn’t even take me with you to the grasslands last time..."