Facing the general's wrath, Zhao Tinglei, despite the five finger marks on his face, did not back down and said, word by word, "Father, my third brother is a Di tribesman. What's wrong with him wanting to reclaim his territory and restore the glory of the Wuda tribe?"

His son is his elder brother; what's wrong with a brother helping him out?

"When my third brother didn't return to the grasslands, the border was peaceful?"

"Didn't those barbarian barbarians plunder border villages and towns?"

In Zhao Tinglei's view, the Dilu grasslands are home to countless tribes, large and small, and peace has never been a thing of the past.

The third brother is simply returning to his homeland; even if the grasslands are in chaos, it's all an internal problem for the Di tribe.

Preventing the Di barbarians from harassing the troops was the responsibility of the Wu Dynasty army and the Zhenbei Army, and had nothing to do with the third brother.

As long as the local garrisons and guard posts do their duties to protect the border and the nation's gates, the lives of ordinary people will not be greatly affected.

Seeing her son still trying to argue, Zhao Yanqiao couldn't help but shout sternly, "You made Xiao San deliberately scatter the Di tribe, turning them into lone wolves. You are using the lives of people on the border to advance your own future."

Wolf packs on the grasslands are terrifying, but what's most terrifying is when the pack breaks up and a lone wolf loses its mother and cubs.

The Di tribe was scattered, and the men were driven out to find their own way to survive.

Those who lose their homes and are driven to despair may go mad and be capable of anything.

The strategy of "driving away wolves to devour tigers" is certainly a military tactic.

But the hundreds of soldiers and civilians in Pingliang Fort, as well as the farmers in those villages, were innocent.

Upon hearing his father say that he had "used human lives to gain fame and fortune," Zhao Tinglei's face immediately turned cold, and his gaze became complicated.

One general's fame is built on the bones of ten thousand!

Only then did he realize that the once majestic General Zhenbei had grayed temples from the ravages of the northwest winds and sands, and even his body under his military uniform was beginning to falter.

He is old; he is an old man nearing sixty.

No one could believe that the great general who once slaughtered the barbarian grasslands, rose to the rank of marquis over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and sent his own sister to the position of empress, would say something about caring about human lives.

My third brother was right: Father is getting old. An old horse is attached to its hooves, an eagle returns to its nest, and a hero grows old.

Although the Zhenbei Army is still stationed in Yunzhou, its voice in the imperial court is gradually waning.

Even now, my father is still trying to avoid all risks and delay until the crown prince ascends the throne in the palace.

He could then return to the capital to live a life of luxury, and the Zhao family would become second only to the emperor.

But would those people in the court give him that opportunity?

The Zhenbei Army is a sword.

A knife will rust if it's not used, and then it will be discarded.

Now, Tang Ying has taken over the military power of the Zhenbei Army, and the supply of food and provisions has been delayed again and again.

This isn't a power grab; it's a knife grab. If this drags on any longer, that knife will be at the throats of the Zhao family.

At that time, not only will the aunt in the palace and the crown prince lose their positions, but the Zhao family will also suffer the fate of being executed along with their entire family.

The third brother returned to the grasslands, not only to seek revenge, but also to break free from the control of the Zhenbei Army and gain a foothold on the Di barbarian grasslands.

Now that my third brother has stirred up trouble within the Di-Lu alliance, if I don't take this opportunity to get rid of Tang Ying and regain military power, the Zhenbei Army will be in real danger.

"Father, look at this!"

Zhao Tinglei took out a small bamboo tube from his sleeve, opened it, and pulled out a slip of paper covered with tiny, densely written characters.

Zhao Yanjiao has been in command of troops for many years and is no ordinary person. However, he has too many concerns, which makes him hesitant and timid in his actions.

Upon hearing that Pingliang Fort had lost contact, Zhao Yanjiao rushed to Leizi Camp overnight, just to confirm what she had in mind.

Seeing that it was indeed his two sons causing trouble together, he immediately came to his senses.

He only thought that the killings on the border of the Wu Dynasty were caused by the waves stirred up by his own son.

As a Marquis of the Wu Dynasty, he couldn't get over this hurdle in his heart.

Seeing her son take out the secret letter, Zhao Yanqiao raised her hand and gestured for Zhao Tinglei to stand up and speak: "Read it to your father!"

His eyesight is failing, and he can no longer see the small print clearly.

Zhao Tinglei brought a stool closer to his father and read aloud in a low voice: "On the fifteenth of October, the Crown Prince accidentally fell into the water... On the twentieth of October, the Crown Prince had diarrhea twice... On the first day of the eleventh month, the Crown Prince made a mistake during his audience in court and was punished by the Emperor by being confined to the Eastern Palace... On the fifteenth of the eleventh month... the Empress fell ill, the imperial physicians were late in arriving, and the Emperor did not inquire about her condition..."

These were all trivial matters, but to Zhao Yanqiao, they sounded like a resounding bell.

The younger sister lives deep within the palace, surrounded by wolves on all sides, and the crown prince is the target of everyone's hatred, yet the emperor turns a blind eye.

The Emperor's will is unfathomable!

Zhao Yanjiao's greatest fear was losing his position as crown prince. He took the small note and held it in his palm, saying in a deep voice, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Zhao Tinglei lowered his head: "My son only started to get involved in the minor affairs of the Crown Prince's palace this year."

The border is thousands of miles away from the capital, making correspondence difficult. In the past, like his father, he focused all his energy on the important officials in the court and paid little attention to the private affairs of the Crown Prince and the Empress.

Moreover, the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion lived in the capital, and the women could visit him in the palace every month, so the men didn't care about it at all.

Why did no one mention these things in the family letters?

Zhao Yanjiao regretted it.

Having not returned home for many years, he had failed to discipline his eldest son, which led to the son's daily immersion in poetry, calligraphy, and painting.

Zhao Tinglei remained silent. Wasn't this also his father's fault? In order to prevent the Marquis of Zhenbei's family from becoming too powerful and overshadowing the emperor, thus incurring the emperor's jealousy.

The second brother, who stayed in the capital, was the heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei. He only talked about romance and didn't care about family affairs, becoming the most famous carefree playboy in the capital.

Although the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence was less suspicious of the emperor, it also lacked vigilance.

The crown prince is in grave danger.

That's Zhao Yanjiao's own nephew, and the hope for the Zhao family to continue its glory.

The father and son finally sat down to discuss their options.

“Father, Pingliang Fort is under Tang Ying’s command. According to regulations, the fort should have 58 men. The fort is well-equipped. If the soldiers are of one mind, the Di tribe would need at least 100 men to capture this fortress.”

"Father, think about it. The Di tribes have been suppressed and dispersed by the Zhenbei Army over the years. They can't possibly muster a hundred warriors anymore. At most, they can hastily gather thirty to fifty people. Pingliang Fort is not in danger."

Zhao Tinglei practically grew up in the Northwest and had traveled to all the garrisons and fortresses in Yunzhou. He spoke of them with great familiarity.

If the troops stationed at Pingliang Fort were the Zhenbei Army, which had extensive experience fighting the Di people, it would take the enemy ten days to capture and besiege it.

Ten days is enough time for other reinforcements to arrive.

He spoke with great conviction, but deep down he had no confidence.

The troops currently stationed there are Xuanwei Army troops transferred from the capital region, not his own Zhenbei Army. He wasn't sure if these pampered soldiers could hold the line.

Zhao Yanjiao felt that her son's analysis made a lot of sense.

Pingliang Fort is in an excellent location, and the Di people are probably just besieging it, which is why no news has been sent out.

His primary concern was national affairs.

If the court finds out about Xiao San's affair with Ting Lei, it would be a serious crime of colluding with foreign enemies.

"Tell me first, how did you and the other woman discuss this?"

National affairs, family affairs, and military affairs all come together, and human lives are at stake.

If things go wrong, it could lead to widespread suffering and bring disaster to the country and its people. He cannot allow himself to harm the people of Yunzhou for his own selfish reasons.