Upon hearing this, Uliji couldn't help but think of what Su Zhiguang had said to him that morning.

Su Zhiguang strongly opposed entering Hexi City because he felt that the Hexi garrison's abandonment of the city was too deliberate, as if it were a pre-arranged trap, and it was best not to enter.

Uliji could no longer hold back. Yesterday evening, they launched another attack, which went smoothly. Through the Yuliang Road, a large number of troops climbed the western city wall and opened the city gates, allowing the Northern Di army to enter the city.

After entering the city, there were hardly any people left. Su Zhiguang accompanied Wuliji directly to the house behind the Hexi County Government Office. They knew that this was the residence of Xu Rao, the magistrate of Hexi County, and that the Xu family lived here.

Uliji dismounted at the gate and casually entered the house. It was already late, and several guards beside him were carrying torches. Su Zhiguang followed Uliji, and the group entered the courtyard where the mistress of the house lived in the backyard. Looking at the wide-open door and the dark room, Uliji took a torch from one of the guards and went into the room.

The room was not warm, and there was even an open bundle on the round table at the entrance, with a few clothes on it, indicating that they had left in a hurry. Uliji nodded in agreement. Upon entering the inner room, by the light of the torch, he saw an open jewelry box on the dressing table by the bed, containing several pieces of jewelry that looked glittering.

Uliji smiled and said to Su Zhiguang, "Mr. Su, you see, isn't this why they abandoned the city and fled in such a hurry?"

Su Zhiguang frowned as he looked around the room. He picked up the jewelry on the dressing table, examined it for a moment, and then tossed it into the carved mahogany jewelry box. He said, “Fifth Prince, these aren’t valuable pieces of jewelry. Xu Rao is the wife of the Marquis of Yongning in the capital. Does she really wear such flashy but impractical jewelry? Zhang Shi comes from the renowned Zhang family of doctors. When the Zhang family married off their daughters, the dowry was so grand that it stretched for miles. Even if Xu Rao is not favored in the Marquis’s mansion, Zhang Shi wouldn’t only have such worthless jewelry. I suspect there’s something fishy going on. We should be careful.”

Uliji was blinded by the victory of capturing Hexi. Hearing Su Zhiguang's words, he said somewhat unhappily, "Mr. Su, what you are saying is going to shake the morale of the army. Now we have taken Hexi County. Next, we are going to Yanmen Pass. With my eldest brother waiting outside Yanmen Pass to support us, how could we not take it?"

Looking at the already excited Uliji, Su Zhiguang couldn't say what he wanted to say and could only sigh repeatedly.

These past few days, Uliji led his men on a long march and stayed outside the city for a few days. The food and lodging were not good. Now that they had captured the county town, they naturally wanted to enjoy themselves to the fullest.

After these Northern Di people entered the city, they began to rummage through everything, taking whatever was edible, raw or cooked, and then set the houses on fire. Su Zhiguang wanted to stop them, but considering the nature of these Northern Di people, he ultimately said nothing.

Uliji personally led the search of Xu Rao's house. When they searched the backyard and saw the lush green vegetables in the greenhouse, Uliji's eyes lit up. He grabbed Su Zhiguang and asked, "Mr. Su, what's going on here? How can they grow vegetables in winter?"

Su Zhiguang said, "This should be a greenhouse built by the Xu family. Growing vegetables like this in winter can both make money and provide for their own consumption, which is great."

Uliji asked, "Sir, do you think it's possible for us to build such a place within our royal city?"

Su Zhiguang said, "If they can build it here, they can certainly build it over there. But we don't know how they built it, and how they manage the vegetables after they're planted. These are all very important things. Otherwise, greenhouses wouldn't be such rare things."

Uliji said, "Once we find someone who can build a greenhouse, we'll take him back to the royal court."

Su Zhiguang didn't reply. He now felt that his initial decision was wrong. This fifth prince, although he was the most beloved son of the current king of Beidi and seemed to be a shrewd and capable man, was actually not very useful. Su Zhiguang was now worried that since he had come here with Uliji through the Yan Kingdom, what would the princes left behind by the Beidi royal court do? The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Su Zhiguang dared not think any further. If it really came to that, what chance would he, as Uliji's strategist, have?

Su Zhiguang was filled with worry and didn't sleep a wink all night. After much deliberation, he decided that he should persuade Wuliji to return to the Northern Di royal court as soon as possible, fearing that something unexpected might happen if he returned too late.

In the morning, Hexi County was already in ruins. Su Zhiguang walked on the streets full of broken walls and ruins, and began to reflect on what he had done over the years. Just because he was oppressed by the officials of the Liang Dynasty, he surrendered to the Northern Di out of a sense of pride, which led the Northern Di people to come and caused his homeland to suffer. Was what he did right or wrong?

Su Zhiguang felt that he must have made a mistake, but what's done is done, and one wrong step can lead to eternal regret. He wanted to turn back, but there was really no going back.

When Su Zhiguang arrived at the house behind the county government office, the gate was wide open, and the soldiers of the Northern Di were coming and going. When they saw Su Zhiguang, they bowed and called out "Mr. Su" before going about their own business.

Su Zhiguang nodded slightly and walked to the main courtyard at the back. Uliji lived in the inner room of the main courtyard. He had just gotten up and saw Su Zhiguang come in. He laughed and said, "Mr. Su, this kang is really a good thing. It's not cold at all when I lie down at night. And this cotton quilt is light and warm when I cover myself with it. When will we be able to grow cotton in our area?"

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