Upon seeing that Chief Secretary Xie had confirmed his statement, Gu Yuzhi gasped, his whole body going limp.

He staggered a couple of steps, and if it weren't for Guard Qi's quick reflexes, he would have fallen to the ground.

For a moment, the snowy night he was robbed and murdered was like a series of paintings, constantly flashing through his mind.

He gripped Qi's hand tightly, his short, soft nails digging into Qi's flesh.

The guard, Qi, winced slightly in pain and couldn't help but remind him, "Your Highness?"

Gu Yuzhi looked up blankly, finally realizing what was happening. He quickly let go of Guard Qi's hand and asked apologetically, "Guard Qi, are you alright?"

Guard Qi shook his head slightly, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

As General Lu once said, fighting is not a contest of martial arts, so he hopes that he can go to the Northern Desert Army as soon as possible to adapt to military life and learn the various knowledge required for combat.

But he couldn't bear to part with the young prince, and besides, he hadn't really thought things through at the time, so he immediately refused General Lu's offer.

Now that I think about it, if the King of Chu really went so far as to cooperate with the Northern Di people, shouldn't he really go to the army to get used to it?

You just had a proper talk with the young prince, and now you're saying you want to leave?

Qi, the guard, felt extremely guilty and didn't dare to look up at Gu Yuzhi at all.

After calming down, Gu Yuzhi called out, "Let's not stay here. Let's go to the council hall first."

This is outside, surrounded by ordinary people, and it's hard to guarantee that what they say won't be overheard.

Even though Gu Yuzhi was very young, he knew that if the people found out that the King of Chu was colluding with the enemy, it would be a major event that would unsettle the people.

Before the Northern Di people even invaded, the northern desert region was already in chaos.

The group hurried to the council hall. Gu Yuzhi had just sat down when Xie Changshi continued, "Our suspicions are not unfounded. Before leaving, Qi from Jiangning sent people to buy salt in various prefectures throughout the state."

Because the quantity was small and different people bought them, it didn't attract much attention.

The Northern Di people, on the other hand, lacked salt the most.

After the Northern Di suffered a major defeat, the Khan was killed on the battlefield, and the Northern Di were divided into several tribes. Over the years, these tribes of the Northern Di have paid tribute to the Sang Dynasty, hoping to buy salt from it.

Even the late emperor, who persecuted loyal officials and favored the King of Chu, was clear-headed about the affairs of the Northern Di, so the annual tribute was still accepted, but even a little too much salt was not allowed.

Jiang Ningqi bought a large amount of salt and even went to the area outside the pass. Xie Changshi and the others couldn't help but think about it!

Gu Yuzhi was so angry that she slammed her little hand hard on the square table, and then her little face scrunched up like a bun.

pain!

He finally understood why adults would still smash the table even when they were in pain—it was purely out of anger!

Just like him, upon learning such horrifying news, he acted impulsively.

Xie Changshi quickly took his hand and gently rubbed it.

Gu Yuzhi looked guilty and said, "Master Xie, I'm sorry."

He truly never expected that his brother, the King of Chu, would commit such a treacherous act as collusion with the enemy.

He originally intended to reunite Xie Changshi and his family, but now, with the interference of the Prince of Chu, the Northern Di might invade at any time, and Xie Changshi's family is trapped here.

Gu Yuzhi hung his head heavily, feeling extremely distressed.

If Xie Changshi's family were to suffer because of him...

Seeing his reaction, Chief Secretary Xie understood and chuckled, "Your Highness, after having this suspicion, I, Imperial Physician Qin, and others are extremely grateful to you for sending your family to the northern desert."

External and internal troubles are the dilemmas they are likely to face, rather than the history described in books.

They still hadn't figured out how many tricks the King of Chu had up his sleeve, while the Northern Desert Army had been demoralized for so many years because of the loss of the Huo family.

With the menacing and fiercely warlike Northern Di people on the outside, and the Chu King on the inside who only wanted to sit on the throne and regarded the common people as ants, Xie Changshi did not show it, but he was somewhat pessimistic in his heart.

If the country is destroyed and the family is destroyed, it is always better to have family members by your side than to not be able to see them one last time before they die.

Chief Secretary Xie took a deep breath and said, "Your Highness, now is not the time to think about these things. Now that we have such a guess, we should prepare in advance."

He stood up and pointed outside the door: "The city walls of Xinliang have been completed, and the Prince Wen's mansion is in its final stages of construction. If nothing unexpected happens, Your Highness will be able to move into the Prince's mansion before winter."

Gu Yuzhi scratched his head, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Wasn't Chief Secretary Xie talking about the King of Chu's brother's treason? How did it veer off to the construction of Xinliang?

He whispered, "Are the two related?"

Chief Secretary Xie turned to look at him and said in a deep voice, "It's related!"

He stepped forward and bowed to Gu Yuzhi: "Your Highness, I think that you, in your capacity as a prince, should summon the prefects of the various prefectures in the northern desert to discuss this matter together."

"The fighting strength of the Mobei Army has not reached its peak, and when Bai Jiwu handed over that street, he may have also handed over some information about the Mobei Army's rotation."

Although most of the soldiers in the Northern Desert Army have been identified, there may still be some who have slipped through the net.

Even the smallest flaw could be the reason for their failure.

Furthermore, the invasion of the Northern Di people is not just a matter for Quanzhou or the young prince, but a major event for the entire northern desert and even the entire Sang Dynasty!

The purpose of summoning the other prefects to discuss the matter was to get them to do everything they could to ensure that the grain supplies for the entire prefecture and Xinliang were sufficient before the Northern Di people actually invaded.

Gu Yuzhi, having studied basic military strategy with Mr. Huo for so long, naturally understood the principle that supplies must precede troops.

He nodded his head and said, "Yes, yes, let's prepare the grain supplies for the whole prefecture first. If we wait until the war starts, those merchants are likely to raise prices on the spot."

As Manager Wen once said, many of the imperial merchants during the early years of the People's Republic of China amassed their wealth through war.

With the outbreak of war, purchasing grain naturally became difficult. He did not rule out the possibility that these merchants would raise prices, but he was also unwilling to see the people suffer.

Therefore, the entire prefecture not only needs to fill all the existing granaries, but also needs to build more granaries.

Just then, Mr. Huo, who had received the news, quickly stepped forward, gave a hasty bow to Gu Yuzhi, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there is no need to panic too much. Based on my understanding of the Northern Di people, the most likely time for them to invade is in winter or next spring."

The Northern Di were a nomadic people. In summer, when the water and grass were plentiful, the Northern Di people mostly herded sheep and generally did not wage war.

Autumn is the time for harvest and haymaking, and the Northern Di people are busy with their own work.

Most importantly, although the Northern Di people are now temporarily unified, the tribal leaders are not particularly convinced of the newly appointed Khan of the Northern Di.

If Alentel wanted to lead a large army to the border, the first thing he needed to do was to persuade these people...