Chapter 162: If He Can Conceive, He Definitely Will
“Boss, I’ll speak frankly. His Majesty seems particularly sensitive to the smoke.”
Due to the deterrence of the Red Coat Cannons, the allied forces were temporarily at their wit’s end and failed to launch an offensive the following day.
The Regent King took the opportunity to destroy two Tubo camps, dealing another heavy blow to the coalition. The once aggressive four-nation alliance now huddled in their camps, refusing to come out. The roles of attacker and defender had swapped.
Su Jingzhi took off his helmet, revealing eyes with lingering killing intent. Only when he heard Wei Wanlan mentioned did his gaze soften instantly.
“How so?”
“There are some things you might not know. I was ordered to protect His Majesty, who is disguised as the Prince of Chengen. Despite the blizzard outside, His Majesty extinguished the charcoal fire and huddled tightly under the quilt in the carriage.”
Su Jingzhi: “He can’t stand the smell of smoke?”
During the expedition last year, they had also encountered snowy weather. The Hanyuan Hall had burned with roaring charcoal fires, and he hadn’t shown any discomfort then.
Was this another change in habit?
Tang Tuan added, “Yesterday, before His Majesty wanted to go out for a walk, I was right by his side. I am certain that His Majesty felt physically unwell after smelling the smoke.”
Su Jingzhi furrowed his brows and immediately ordered, “Find a way to keep him smoke-free.”
“Yes.”
“Wait. He wants to hide his physical condition. This King must handle this personally.”
“Boss is busy with the campaign; let your subordinate handle such a trivial matter.”
“No.” Su Jingzhi said, his tone carrying infinite concern, brooding over the matter. “There cannot be anything else that This King doesn’t know about.”
Tang Tuan choked back his words, speechless. He’s even jealous of this?????
That night, Su Jingzhi carried out a thorough renovation of the tent, devising a series of strategies to tackle the evil smell of smoke.
First and foremost was heating. Su Jingzhi let the charcoal basin work its magic inside the tent, then moved it outside. He placed a sachet under Wei Wanlan’s pillow that naturally emitted a cool, sleep-aiding fragrance.
Food choices were also fastidious. He couldn’t eat roasted meat anymore; the menu was light, slightly sweet, and slightly sour.
After a set of combined measures, Little Wan expressed that he was very comfortable.
He slept soundly that night, and Little Wan didn’t say his stomach hurt.
Su Jingzhi naturally felt relieved. Moreover, he recently discovered that rubbing Little Wan’s belly acted as a preventative measure and greatly soothed Little Wan’s emotions. This was something that hadn’t happened before; it was magical.
He was even more gratified to have found a way to make Wei Wanlan comfortable. Whenever he had a free moment, he would give him a massage. Those hands, usually so decisive in slaughtering enemy soldiers, adjusted instantly to become incredibly gentle when touching Wei Wanlan’s belly, as if stroking a soap bubble, afraid it might burst at any moment.
This scene was witnessed by the sole insider, Tang Tuan.
The Regent King encircled the Little Emperor, touching the Little Emperor’s belly from behind.
No matter how Tang Tuan looked at it, it seemed strange. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was strange, but he felt that the Little Emperor had definitely undergone some changes.
He couldn’t keep things to himself, but this was a huge matter he couldn’t share with others. Keeping it bottled up was suffocating, so he squatted outside the main tent, resting his chin in his hands.
Li Jiucheng shamelessly fanned the air in front of his nose and handed him a sheet of rough paper: “Here, didn’t bring paper?”
Tang Tuan leaped up as if his butt were on fire.
“Go, go, go! Don’t make fun of me.”
Li Jiucheng laughed loudly. Knowing that the Boss and the Little Emperor were being intimate inside the tent, he patted Tang Tuan’s shoulder to console him:
“You’re twenty-six; you’re lovesick.”
Tang Tuan was thinking about serious business, but his style was instantly dragged down by the other. He couldn’t refute it, nor could he say the Little Emperor was fragile right now. He could only let the crude Li Jiucheng lecture him at the top of his lungs.
“Let me tell you, brother, don’t set your standards too high. Get married when it’s time. For living life, don’t look for someone too beautiful. A virtuous girl who can cook a hot meal and do some sewing when you get home is enough.”
Tang Tuan couldn’t help but peek at the tent. The Little Emperor was delicate and beautiful, didn’t cook, and lived quite well with the Boss.
He felt more and more that Li Jiucheng was talking nonsense.
Yet Li Jiucheng managed to keep talking endlessly, babbling on: “You know Colonel Xiao Feng from the cavalry battalion, right? The little dark fatty. His wife is also a little dark, chubby woman. She sent a letter from home saying she’s pregnant and wants to give him a little dark fatty. Xiao Feng was so happy he ran out of his tent and kowtowed to the east, saying he wanted to tell his father and grandfather across the distance…”
Tang Tuan’s heartstrings seemed to be plucked, suddenly tightening.
He hurriedly looked into the tent again.
Beside him, Li Jiucheng continued to chatter: “In her letter, Madam Feng asked if he could buy her some more dried cheese strips. That stuff is sour and perfect for relieving the discomfort of pregnancy. Hey, tell the quartermaster to gift Xiao Feng a few pounds of dried cheese strips.”
Dried cheese strips!!!
Tang Tuan felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning from the clear sky, instantly turning into a piece of charred wood.
For people with rich imaginations, once certain hypotheses take shape, the whole world becomes absurd.
His Majesty, the Little Emperor… could he be—
Pregnant, p-p-pregnant with a cub!?
The Boss’s cub is in the Little Emperor’s belly!?
He had accidentally seen marks of lovemaking on the Little Emperor. The Boss had already eaten him up, and judging by the Boss’s protective manner, he had long since tasted the marrow and knew the flavor.
If he can conceive, he definitely will.
Tang Tuan felt an urge to rush into the tent and share this joy with the two parties involved.
But just as he stood up, he was blocked by the rambling Li Jiucheng: “Where are you going?”
“I have urgent business!”
“Even if you have a key, you can’t go in. It’s inconvenient inside. I think you really are lovesick. Hold it in, brother. You can’t listen in on that room.”
Li Jiucheng’s interruption actually calmed Tang Tuan down a bit.
Ninety-nine percent of the world didn’t believe men could conceive. Even the wise Boss hadn’t considered this direction. He decided to leak it to Li Jiucheng first to test the reaction.
Tang Tuan: “Stop talking nonsense and listen to me.” He lowered his voice and shifted his gaze slightly toward the tent, “Hey, say, if His Majesty could also bear a little prince for the Boss, is that possible? Would the Boss be happy enough to award me half a year’s salary?”
“He’d be giving you face if he didn’t chop you up for firewood.”
Li Jiucheng tried hard to stop him, blocking Tang Tuan with his arm, blurting out words that smelled of an experienced older brother:
“Don’t hit people in the face, don’t expose people’s shortcomings. His Majesty is good in every way. The only regret in his marriage with the Prince might be that they won’t have children. Are you deliberately poking the Prince’s sore spot?”
Tang Tuan was horrified and waved his hands: “I really wouldn’t dare.”
This speculation was buried in Tang Tuan’s heart.
The four armies of the coalition, after the Regent King beheaded the King of Gaochang, raided Tubo, and severely damaged the Tuyuhun cavalry detachment, were beaten into disarray.
The more they feared the Red Coat Cannons, the more Su Jingzhi led the Red Coat Cannons to flatten everything in sight.
Fear permeated the entire coalition camp.
Aside from Ashina Shali, who would never surrender, and the Tuyuhun King Murong Bohan, who clung desperately to his face as the alliance leader, the fighting spirit of the rest had sharply declined.
Yesterday, an eagle brought a report.
The King of Tubo couldn’t hold on anymore. He secretly surrendered to the court, handing the letter of surrender to Wei Wanlan, hoping Wei Wanlan would spare his life after winning the war.
Su Jingzhi and Wei Wanlan handled this state affair together. Su Jingzhi asked for Wei Wanlan’s opinion.
Wei Wanlan secretly used the system’s “Medium Lie Detector” to scan the letter. It revealed the hypocritical heart of the fence-sitting Tubo King:
He wanted to curry favor with Great Wei but was also afraid the coalition might win in the end. He was betting on both sides, his abacus clicking loudly.
Wei Wanlan issued a decree to have this letter printed and scattered as leaflets over the enemy camp. This move prevented the King of Tubo from surrendering or continuing to fight. It was said the King was chased and beaten by Ashina and Murong Bohan, and finally had to retreat with his tail between his legs, returning to the Tubo capital.
The four nations had thoroughly become two.
The “Pokémon Catching Plan” became easier.
Murong Bohan felt uncertain, but he couldn’t retreat or surrender because Tuyuhun was right next to Great Wei. If Great Wei conquered the Turks, Tuyuhun’s lips would perish, and its teeth would turn cold.
Murong Bohan joined forces with Ashina to launch another fierce attack. This time, the two countries pooled their resources to cobble together a secret weapon—the Iron Shield Formation.
Tuyuhun had emptied its coffers to set up this formation.
The Iron Formation used shields about two inches thick as cover. Each soldier held a shield, forming an airtight ring that advanced slowly.
When the formation opened, even the sky overhead was shielded. The two-nation coalition thought that by hiding inside the Iron Shield Formation, they would be safe and sound.
The sounds of the coalition’s challenge reached the Wei Iron Mountain Camp. Upon first seeing the Iron Shield Formation, the reaction of all Wei generals was astonishment, then stunned silence, and finally uncontrollable laughter:
“Hahahahahahahaha—”
“Why did Tuyuhun drive out an Iron Turtle???”
The heavy, turtle-shell-like Iron Shield Formation approached, airtight.
The gunners didn’t know if they should fire the Red Coat Cannons. Gunpowder was limited, so they conveyed their concerns to the Regent King.
Su Jingzhi looked down at the formation from high above. In just a moment, a dark light floated in his eyes. He turned and waved his riding whip to arrange:
“Send two cavalry units to harass them.”
Light cavalry circled left and right along the Iron Turtle to attack.
Amidst the flash of blades and rain of swords, they only slashed at the enemy’s legs.
The Iron Turtle had to stop.
Once it stopped, the turtle shell opened, and observation scouts came out to look. Boiling hot iron balls were thrown into the turtle shell. Anyone touched by them had their skin split and flesh torn by the heat!
The smell of burnt flesh spread, and the soldiers couldn’t take it anymore. Commotion erupted within the Iron Shield Formation; the Iron Turtle was no longer so impregnable.
At this moment, Wei soldiers surrounded the Iron Shield Formation and shouted:
“Murong Xiao is heavily wounded!”
“Murong Xiao is heavily wounded…”
Murong Xiao was the commanding general leading this Iron Shield Formation.
Shouldering heavy responsibility, Murong Xiao dared not be negligent upon hearing the rumors. Moreover, with the Iron Shield Formation deployed, the soldiers were positioned in various directions and couldn’t see each other. The sounds of unrest within the formation grew louder, and the coalition’s morale wavered:
“General Murong?”
“Is General Murong dead?”
“Can someone give us a straight answer!!!”
Murong Xiao naturally stood up to clarify: “I am here—ugh…”
A white-feathered arrow accurately filled Murong Xiao’s open mouth. Murong Xiao’s voice stopped instantly. The arrow shaft pierced half a foot out the back of his head. Murong Xiao died on the spot!
With the general gone, the Iron Shield Formation collapsed without a fight.
The formation was scattered, its mobility completely inferior to the cavalry on the flanks. They couldn’t run fast holding shields while fleeing. The huge, majestic formation turned into loose sand without order. Cannon fire fiercely covered the slaughter, shaking the earth, and rolling smoke rose everywhere again.
The Wei army won another round!
Cheers filled the entire camp.
The generals bowed in unison: “The Prince is wise! We could never have thought of such a brilliant plan to break the formation. The Prince is wise; we are in awe!”
The Regent King, who commanded the awe of the generals, had no time to listen to flattery.
His brows knitted tight. After settling the follow-up military affairs, he turned and left the main tent.
Even though Su Jingzhi had made the smoke prohibition measures in the King’s tent detailed enough, he couldn’t get rid of the cooking smoke that filled the sky when the Red Coat Cannons were fired, nor the heavy smell of smoke and fire on the generals.
He couldn’t ask all the soldiers to bathe before entering the military tent; that was unrealistic.
Sure enough, Wei Wanlan was hiding in the tent feeling unwell again.
Small, pitiful, vomiting miserably, hiding his physical condition tightly, and needing him very, very much.
Little Wan threw himself over and hugged him:
“Wuwuwuwu Regent King QAQ…”
Su Jingzhi caught him in a full embrace. It was the forever familiar opening. He soothed his back:
“Don’t be afraid. This King is here.”
“But if this goes on, Zhen will die, right? Zhen just vomited up the food from the last day or two. Zhen wants to eat something so, so much right now.”
Su Jingzhi hugged him tighter, scratching the nape of his neck and kissing his forehead: “I’ll go cook for you. I’ll make whatever you want. Eat slowly. Winter is coming; it’s okay to eat more. These are all normal reactions.”
Winter is coming.
Wei Wanlan froze upon hearing these words.
He pondered sluggishly for a moment, and suddenly, he felt uncertain.
He remembered he had transmigrated in winter. The deadline for the mission was approaching.
The bad system hadn’t reminded him of the mission progress for a long time. Could that mean that before the one-year period arrived, he would receive a “choking death warning” in advance?
Eating and vomiting, vomiting and supplementing like this—it would be strange if he didn’t choke to death!
Help me QAQ
…
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