Chapter 465 Who is Provoking?

When Qin Mo's army arrived outside Suyab, all the prominent figures in the city had already received the news and came out to greet them. Qin Mo immediately recognized Wang Yushi's mother, Madam Xu.

"No wonder he ran away from home three thousand miles in a fit of anger; he must have a fiery temper..."

Wang Yushi and Xu Shi share a seven-tenths resemblance; both have spirited eyebrows and strong eyes. However, Wang Yushi appears to have more resilience and less rigidity than her mother.

"I have long admired Your Highness Prince Heng's name, and seeing you today, I know that the rumors are indeed true!"

"..."

Qin Mo was somewhat at a loss in the face of Xu's straightforward nature. Although he also thought he was very handsome, shouldn't he be saying something like "Thank you, Your Highness, for your righteous help" at this moment?

Praising one's own good looks the moment you meet someone? That's not right!

"Lord Xu single-handedly held up this important border town; she is truly a heroine, and I deeply admire her..."

"We're all family, Your Highness, please don't flatter me..."

"..."

Qin Mo was somewhat bewildered by Xu's remark about being family, so she could only respond with a charming smile.

"Your Highness, is it only Da Yuan's army that has come to Suyab City this time?"

"Oh! I'm the vanguard of the army this time; the rest of the army is still behind, and it'll be a few days before they arrive!"

"You're a striker? Sigh... Your Highness must be tired from your journey, please enter the city and rest first!"

"Lord Xu, you're too kind. Please go first!"

As the vanguard, Qin Mo set off at full speed after leaving Yangguan Pass, hardly stopping along the way, leaving the rest of the Great Xia Western Expeditionary Army far behind. Many nobles' private armies might not have even crossed Kucha yet!

Of course, being the vanguard has its advantages. Upon arriving in Suyab, they naturally chose the best camps first, and the army occupied the most sheltered, sunny, and well-filled camps.

Madam Xu arranged a special residence for Qin Mo, which was right next to the city lord's mansion. Qin Mo couldn't refuse, so she brought gifts to visit and express her gratitude!

Madam Xu looked at the gift list again and again before finally saying, "Your Highness, I know you have business dealings with my daughter, and our two families are on good terms, but this kind of generous gift... I really feel unworthy of it..."

"Auntie, she paid for these goods in advance!"

“…”

Madam Xu noticed the change in Qin Mo's tone and address. After pondering for a long time, her expression finally softened. "In that case, Auntie... will not accept your offer!"

Mrs. Xu prepared a simple yet exquisite banquet. She did not invite anyone to accompany her. The two of them drank a few cups and chatted about everyday matters.

“A few days ago, the Duke of Tianshui sent someone to ask me to write a letter to Yushi. Only then did I learn about all the things that have happened in the capital recently. Since ancient times, the royal family has been ruthless. The root cause of my daughter's suffering is actually me. If I hadn't left home in anger back then, how could she have entered the palace…”

"She once told me that if she didn't want to, no one could force her to..."

"Haha! That's right, just like me!"

Xu was a sentimental person, and the more she looked at Qin Mo, the more pleasing she became. As soon as she saw him, she would offer him a toast. Qin Mo was only able to drink a lot, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to keep up.

As the wine flowed freely, Madam Xu said, "A few days ago, my informant in the Yuezhi sent word that a small group of orcs accompanying the Rakshasa cavalry were suddenly slaughtered by some unknown powerful figure. Hundreds of corpses were all skinned and displayed to the public. It was truly satisfying..."

"...Skinning someone alive? How exactly would you display them?"

"A ten-foot-long wooden stake, with the corpse impaled at the top..." Seeing Qin Mo's face gradually turn grim, Madam Xu asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness, is something amiss?"

“I’ve heard people say that this is a very serious form of provocation. It happened several times on the battlefield of the Western Continent hundreds of years ago. Each time it happened, it would trigger a fierce retaliatory counterattack from the orcs, a fight to the death.”

"Such retaliatory fighting has no strategic significance, so... no one has done it in recent years!"

"Does Your Highness mean that someone is trying to incite the orcs' deep-seated hatred towards us, so that they will send more troops?"

Qin Mo nodded, and Xu Shi's expression also turned serious.

Judging from past experience, an enemy army mainly composed of Rakshasa or various tribes of the Western Regions, with a small number of orcs as supervisors, is not difficult to deal with, because it indicates that the enemy does not intend to make this area their main strategic focus.

However, if the enemy's main force is the orcs, supplemented by a large number of Rakshasa and local natives, then the battle situation will be completely different, and it will definitely not end until four, five, or six battles have been fought.

"Who is provoking the orcs? Could it be the Temple? But why? Our Great Xia has already sent troops!"

"Auntie, there's no point in saying more now. Let's focus on preparing for war!"

Qin Mo had some suspicions in her mind. If the Temple people really did this, then they must be afraid that the Great Xia army would not put in their full effort. And this concern was likely due to something related to her.

"It seems the Temple has also run into a wall at the Sea Clan's gates. Heh! Without the Fountain of Life, Emperor Zhaowu, that penniless wretch, might really not put in any effort."

In Xizhou, thousands of miles away, Qin Mo's predictions are becoming a reality.

"Engelsson, does Queen Shia still disagree with our conditions?"

"Elder, the sea queen has been avoiding our envoys. Even finding Lord Promi has been of no use. The Fountain of Life is now only in the hands of Queen Shia."

"What are they trying to do? Why have they suddenly become so stingy? They won't give us a single drop!"

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