Chapter 1035: Coming-of-Age Ceremony

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

Hence, he said with a straight face, “What are you talking about? This battle has been in a stalemate for more than a year. As we have the topographic map of the gra.s.sland and the distribution of the various tribes of the Northern Barbarians, we can come and go freely on the gra.s.sland. However, the

Northern Barbarians are not fools. They won’t always let us fight.”

The gra.s.sland was vast and the terrain was very complicated. Even the people of the Northern Barbarians who had lived on the gra.s.sland for generations did not dare to say that they knew the gra.s.sland like the back of their hands.

In order to survive, the various tribes maintained nomadic migration on the gra.s.sland. They had no fixed residence and information circulated slowly. This allowed the You army to take advantage of the delay in information and succeed repeatedly.

The soldiers’ laughing expressions became serious.

Yin Huaixi continued, “The ambition of the Northern Barbarians to enter the Central Plains has yet to stop. In the past year, we’ve attacked more than 30 large and small tribes on the gra.s.sland, causing the Northern Barbarians to suffer heavy losses. The Northern Barbarians have more or less realized the shortcomings of the tribes being scattered and their information not being synchronized. At the same time, our army has controlled the topographic map of the gra.s.sland and the distribution of the Northern Barbarians’ movements. This is also a terrifying threat to the Northern Barbarians. They might make a big move.”

War was like a gamble. The more they won, the more they wanted to win.

The more they lost, the more they wanted to win.

The first type would only enchant and confuse people. The most terrifying was the second type, which could make people fall into madness and cast aside all concerns.

They were definitely holding back.

General An Yuan had a bad feeling. “Your Highness, what do you think the Northern Barbarians will do?”

Yin Huaixi’s expression was solemn. “If I’m not wrong, the Northern Barbarians will choose a king to integrate the various tribes and join forces to attack the Great Zhou.’

General An Yuan’s expression changed, and the soldiers’ eyes revealed fear.

Yin Huaixi saw their expressions. “However, there’s no need to worry too much. Even if they successfully choose a king to temporarily rule the entire Northern Barbarians, the internal conflict in the Northern Barbarians is very intense. Large tribes like the Meng, Har, Zhamo, and Huqiang tribes do not have much differences in strength. No one will really submit to anyone. Anyone who is pushed will have to experience a twist and turn. It’s not invulnerable.’

The Northern Barbarians was a hunting race. They had fixed residences and advocated freedom and conquest. Although they were strong, their lack of discipline was not something that could be gathered just by electing a king. It was simply a fool’s dream to rely on peaceful methods to elect a king to rule the gra.s.sland and enter the Central Plains.

He had worked hard to set this up for more than a year. This was the day he had been waiting for.

In the past year or two, the You army had changed from their previous pa.s.sive fighting style. They had taken the initiative to attack, entered the gra.s.sland, and fought with the Northern Barbarians. They had already summarized a way to deal with the Di people. They kept increasing their training and changing their equipment. Their strength kept increasing, narrowing the gap between them and the Northern Barbarians.

Soon, it was time to reap the spoils.

Only then did the soldiers heave a sigh of relief. With weaknesses, there was nothing to fear.

Yin Huaixi continued, “When we return to the camp this time, we have to be prepared for a b.l.o.o.d.y battle with the Northern Barbarians and destroy their main forces. Our army will go deep into the gra.s.sland and there will be no more obstacles. I’ll bring you to the Wolf Residence Mountain and insert the battle flag of our You army into the holy mountain of the Northern Barbarians. that the Northern Barbarians will submit to the rule of our Great Zhou for generations. What do you think?”

When the soldiers heard this, their eyes lit up and they shouted, ‘Good, good, good…”

However, he probably wouldn’t have a chance to partic.i.p.ate in Yu Youyao’s coming-of-age ceremony. Yin Huaixi pulled out the wooden stopper and raised his head to take a sip of medicinal wine, his expression filled with regret.

Yu Youyao handed a memorial to the Imperial Court. Five days later, the Imperial Court sent over an auspicious day for the imperial inspection. The date was set for the sixth of October.

It happened a little earlier than expected.

At the same time, the news of the Empress Dowager’s betrothal to her and King Yue Fei had also spread in the Great Zhou Dynasty under the deliberate arrangements of the Imperial Court.

Eunuch Li, the officials of the Ministry of Rites, and the Imperial Residence, as well as the Yu Clan, set off for Xiangping on the third of September to prepare for Eldest Princess Shaoyi’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Yu Youyao was a little surprised. Not to mention the Ministry of Rites, no matter which family in the capital organized the banquet, they had to spend a sum of money to invite the officials of the Ministry of Rites over to ensure that nothing went wrong.

As for the Imperial Residence, it was a place specially in charge of dealing with all kinds of matters of the royal family and relatives. It was specially handled by special people.

In September, Yu Youyao changed into her usual clothes and returned to Xiangping. She immediately took another sum of money and asked someone to repair the Xiangping courier station inside and out.

The people sent by the Imperial Court only arrived in Xiangping on the tenth of September. They had also arrived together with the palace, the imperial family, and the various families in the capital, who came to prepare the coming-of-age ceremony for Yu Youyao.

Although Eldest Princess Shaoyi was not in the capital, there could not be any mistakes in etiquette. All reputable families in the capital had to give her a coming-of-age ceremony.

The coming-of-age ceremony would be temporarily taken care of by the Ministry of Rites. The congratulatory gift would only be sent on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony.

Yu Youyao sent capable people to the courier station.

The next morning, a group of people from the Imperial Court came to the Yu Garden to greet Eldest Princess Shaoyi.

Yu Youyao had stayed in Jinzhou for more than a year. Old Madam Xie had expanded tne Yu Garden Into two courtyards and transplanted many strange trees from the North.

The Imperial Astronomer felt that the Yu Garden had good feng shui, so the coming-of-age ceremony was set to be held in the Yu Garden.

At the same time, the news that Eldest Princess Shaoyi was mainly holding an adulthood ceremony had also spread throughout the world. Eldest Princess Shaoyi’s marriage had also become a matter of concern.

Far away in the border city, Yin Huaixi was busy training his troops and lining up to welcome the next strong advance of the Northern Barbarians. Behind him was Yu Youyao’s prosperity.

The preparations for the coming-of-age ceremony were underway.

Yu Youyao received news that the Imperial Court had arranged for the old Princess Consort of Long County, who lived a long and healthy life and had a reputation for being virtuous, to be Yu Youyao!s official guest.

The Yu Clan had also sent the Second Old Madam, the Clan Chief’s wife, and the others over.

The group set off for Xiangping on September 26th.

Although she was not in the capital, the harem of the previous dynasty had given her the respect she deserved. This suddenly made Yu Youyao feel like she had to work hard.

At this moment, it was an eventful period inside and outside the Great Zhou.

Outside, there were barbarians eyeing them covetously, and inside, there were thieves stirring up trouble and stealing from the country. There was a drought in the pa.s.s, but there was still no rain.

She kept feeling that this shouldn’t be the way to hold her coming-of-age ceremony.

However, the court had already agreed on what to do with the coming-of-age ceremony. It wasn’t something that Yu Youyao could control. Even if Yu Youyao tried her best to avoid wasting the people’s money and negotiated with the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Rites would listen accordingly, but there was a certain process.

Although Yu Youyao was helpless, she was not idle.

September was the season of great millet and sweet potatoes. The entire Liaodong was filled with the joy of harvest.

The commoners began to prepare winter wheat to sow seeds and expand the planting of hairy vetch. The animal husbandry in the Liaodong area was developing at an unbelievable speed.

It turned out that after receiving the benefits of hairy vetch last year, many businesses and commoners who were mainly animal husbandry saw a business opportunity.

Yu Youyao translated and sorted the sheepskin scroll that the You army had looted from the Northern Barbarians into the language of the Great Zhou. She discovered a lot from it. The nomadic people’s experience in grazing and rearing included herding horses, feeding cows, and herding sheep..