Dugu Yan suffered heavy losses, almost completely draining the Tuoba tribe's strength...

Despite Murong Xue's comforting words, she had been living in a state of high anxiety these past few days, fearing that Jiang Ming would be angry with her and punish her when he returned...

Even if we take a step back and assume that Jiang Ming is magnanimous and doesn't pursue the matter, he'll still hold her responsible.

After that, he would certainly find it difficult to gain favor among his many wives and concubines.

Thinking about all this... this heroine also sheds tears every day.

It wasn't until Jiang Ming's secret letter arrived that Dugu Yan was finally able to put an end to the internal strife...

In his letter, he did not blame Dugu Yan, but instead praised her for her decisiveness, adaptability, and the demeanor of a great general.

This is not Dugu Yan's fault, because according to the current strategic situation, it was the right military move to attack the northern border of Zhongshan State after the Zhao-Wei allied forces withdrew!

However, there are capable generals among the enemy forces, and victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare; it is not solely Dugu Yan's fault!

In addition, Jiang Ming also gave special commendation to Murong Lie.

It was precisely because of Murong Lie's decisiveness and bravery that the main force of the Xianbei was preserved, while also inflicting certain casualties on the Zhongshan army.

He directly approved the marriage between Murong Lie and Nan Xiu, agreeing that the two could choose an auspicious day to get married, with Murong Xue serving as the officiant!

After explaining these matters to reassure the troops, Jiang Ming also revealed the entirety of his plan...

......

News of the great victory at Xingguan Pass in Zhongshan reached the ears of the ruler of Zhongshan.

The King of Zhongshan was overjoyed and rewarded the general Hu Yan handsomely, praising him as a pillar of the state and a stabilizing force!

Furthermore, he received another piece of good news: the Xianbei people had all withdrawn from Gu County and were willing to return it to the Zhongshan State.

There was only one condition: that the Xianbei and Zhongshan would turn their hostility into friendship, set aside their past grievances, and work together to deal with the Yan state.

The two main forces of Yan are currently in Jin territory and on the front lines of Qi. The defense lines of Dukang and Yanshan are entirely composed of Xianbei tribesmen and a few thousand native Yan troops, making them extremely vulnerable.

If the ruler of Zhongshan is willing to cooperate, now is the perfect time to launch a surprise attack on Yan. We can send over ten thousand soldiers to strike at the heart of Yan and destroy it.

After the fall of the Yan state, the Zhongshan state gained territory, while the Xianbei people were only interested in grain, horses, and money.

Because they are a nomadic people, the economic model of agricultural areas is not suitable for them.

When the ruler of Zhongshan first saw the letter sent by the Xianbei people, he scoffed at it!

He scoffed, "This is just another trick by the Xianbei. They can't win on the front lines, so they want to lure us out and have our limited forces in Zhongshan wiped out on the way to attack Yan... Then, those bastards will sit back and watch the tigers fight, and then they'll annihilate us."

Experience has shown that whether you're judging a person, observing a situation, or even picking out clothes at a shopping mall, the first impression is often the most accurate!

Because your magnetic field perception will remind you whether the 'thing' in front of you is dangerous or reliable.

If you weigh things over repeatedly later, you may easily lose sight of what is true and what is false, and overlook the protection your magnetic field perception provides.

If the ruler of Zhongshan had truly disregarded the Xianbei people's letter, then the subsequent tragedy would not have occurred.

He showed the letter to the ministers, who immediately split into two factions and began arguing fiercely.

One minister believed that the Xianbei people were cunning and fickle, which was beyond doubt.

However, precisely because of this, this incident may not necessarily be fake.

Now, the Yan state has two sharp knives pointing south: one is attacking the Qi state, and the other is causing trouble within the Jin state. It can be said that there is really no manpower left to defend the north.

The fact that the Qin prince trusted the Xianbei people and entrusted the protection of Dukang in the northern frontier to them was a risky move in itself!

The Xianbei people could betray the Rouran and Zhongshan before, and they can betray the Yan state now. These steppe barbarians only care about immediate interests and have no sense of shame or integrity.

If we don't act now, and wait until Le Yi's army defeats Qi and Jiang Ming's army stabilizes Jin, then our Zhongshan state will truly be doomed.

If we send troops now and cooperate with the Xianbei, there's a 50% chance they'll be sincere. But if we don't send troops, and wait until Jiang Ming and the Zhao and Wei families stabilize the situation in Jin, and Yan's divine general Yue Yi defeats Qi and negotiates peace to end the war, then when they all head back together, Zhongshan will be 100% doomed!

The Zhao-Wei allied forces' attack on Zhongshan has exhausted the Zhongshan state's strength, and it will take at least ten years for it to recover.

We simply cannot withstand the combined attack of Jiang Ming and Le Yi!

Rather than waiting to die, why not take a gamble? Maybe there's still a chance to survive.

As for whether the Xianbei were "luring the snake out of its hole" and attempting to use the guise of "alliance" to eliminate the Zhongshan state's fighting force, that remains to be seen.

This is not difficult to verify!

We can send a few thousand men as an advance force to test the waters and explore potential avenues.

The key point is still about attitude.

If the Xianbei people are truly determined, let them take the lead and wreak havoc inside the Yan state, while the Zhongshan people simply reap the benefits.

Let them plunder and destroy first; Zhongshan State only needs to cultivate the land!

With chaos erupting in the north of Yan, Jiang Ming in Jin and Yue Yi in Qi will inevitably lose their will to fight. This will indirectly affect their campaign; perhaps Qi will simply annihilate Yue Yi, or Jiang Ming will die in Jin...

This is a win-win-win situation!

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