Chapter 60: The Northern Crown Prince Zhenbei Wang's deep laughter boomed outside the tent...
The King of Zhenbei's deep laughter resounded outside the tent, with a hint of pleasure and ferocity: "Hahaha..."
"Where do you want to escape to? After all these years, I finally caught you!"
Almost at the same time, the sound of horse hooves and the collision of armor came from the periphery. The troops of King Zhenbei had arrived and blocked the fleeing general and his personal guards outside the main camp.
"Let's go!"
Song Youning heard the noise outside the tent, and a smile curved his lips. He casually glanced at the piles of human flesh dumplings in the corner of the tent and said goodbye to them.
Then he turned away nonchalantly: "I'm going to take down your boss!"
Then he walked out of the tent slowly, his sleeves brushing against the curtain, and a hint of a smile between his brows.
King Zhenbei caught a glimpse of Song Youning coming out of the tent, and the joy in his eyes became even greater.
His pale eyebrows arched upwards, and he spat at Song Youning as she approached him with a mixture of admiration and admiration, "You little girl... you're really cunning!"
The enemy general from the northern border was now forced to kneel on the ground, his armor was torn, his pale, silky hair was disheveled by the wind, and although he was a captive, one could still see his unyielding spirit from his upright body.
Hearing the whisper of King Zhenbei, he suddenly raised his drooping head and looked at Song Youning who came out of his tent. When he saw that the person walking out of his tent was a young woman, his pupils shrank slightly and his eyes stared at her smiling face.
His eyes were filled with the humiliation of defeat and a mixture of disbelief and anger. "What a cunning woman... you've calculated all the advantages of time and place! I'll fall into your hands, and I'll surrender. You can kill me or chop me up as you please!"
Song Youning chuckled upon hearing this, without any arrogance in his eyes. He simply walked lightly to his front, slowly pulled him out of the mud, and said calmly:
"General Bolte, your compliments are too kind. It's not that I'm so great."
"It's simply that you, old general, and the Prince of Zhenbei have met a match in chess. After years of tussling, you've reached a stalemate. Your tactics are familiar to each other, and your offense and defense are set in stone. I simply... jumped off the chessboard and made a move neither of you anticipated."
Her eyes turned slightly, her tone was calm but every word was clear:
"So, it's not that I'm skilled, I just broke the deadlock..."
Old General Borte, who was helped up from the mud by her, looked at the young girl in front of him with a flattered look on his face, who spoke so calmly despite being young.
Although this girl looks young, her words are so calm, sophisticated and polite.
She was well aware of the grudge between him and the King of Zhenbei, as well as their military tactics. Therefore, she broke away from traditional tactics and used a risky tactic, yet she struck a balance with perfect precision. She knew that if he knew the King of Zhenbei was making a move, given his character, he would definitely strike first. However, she had no idea that the eagles that had arrived to lead the charge were merely a pretext to lure him into a trap...
In fact, he had already ambushed on one side of his own military camp, and cooperated with the King of Zhenbei from inside and outside.
He understands human nature so well, and he remains neither proud nor complacent even after winning. He remains humble and decent even when facing defeated generals or even the enemy's defending generals. I can't help but admire him.
Even though he had been fighting with Xiao Laogou for many years and dominating the battlefield, this was the first time he had seen such a meticulous, bold and careful plan.
Song Youning leaned over slightly and pulled up Bolte, who was half-squatting in the mud, and looked at the old general with half-white beard in front of him with respect on his face.
It's not that she is humble and polite just to gain a good reputation, but this war must not start.
Although she won this battle, the combat power of the North was far inferior to this. She just wanted to find an excuse and take the opportunity to seize the Cedar Forest.
The news of the capture of the northern border generals will be reported back to the northern royal court soon.
By then, the Khan of the Northern Border will certainly send an envoy, and this person will most likely be that person... Once this happens, the border war will surely reignite and will be difficult to stop.
Song Youning's original intention in this situation was to provoke the royal court of the Northern Territory and lure it into launching an attack. He never thought of taking on such a serious military conflict himself.
She had already calculated that if the northern army became restless and sent troops to attack, she would set up a scheme and pretend that Da Gan wanted to purchase the jade from the southern border, thus luring people from the southern border to come and negotiate the matter. She would pretend to be conspiring with the southern border and create confusion to deal with the northern border.
When the Khan of the northern border sees this, he will surely suspect that Dagan is secretly colluding with the southern border, forming a pincer attack.
In this way, even if the troops in the north are powerful, they will not dare to start a war with the two major forces at the same time. Instead, they will temporarily withdraw their troops and hesitate to move forward.
And what Song Youning wants is this "dare not to act rashly".
At that time, she would take the initiative to show goodwill in her capacity as the Crown Princess of Daigan, and propose to ease bilateral relations, and promote border trade in the name of "promoting trade and commerce between the two countries and exchanging what they have."
She had already laid a secret plan, allowing Lin Qinglan, who had transformed himself into a wealthy man named "Qian Ganlai" from Da Gan, to take advantage of this opportunity and force Da Gan merchants to "purchase" the seemingly worthless, swamp-covered cedar forest on the grounds that the North urgently needed to rebuild trust and develop trade, paving the way for the development of trade between the two countries.
This seemingly useless swampland, which required huge manpower and material resources, was so legitimately contracted to the "unjust" rich man "Qian Ganlai". Not only that, he also got a reputation for being loyal to the emperor and loving the people, and doing practical things for the people.
But no one knew that Qian Ganlai was just a pawn in Song Youning's scheme. If she could buy the cedar forest, she would be able to take over all the businesses in the three countries. By then, she would not only be controlling the merchants of an entire country...
As a princess, she was bound by the constraints of her position and could not openly seize such border land. However, no one would be suspicious of a businessman with a "clean" background and wealth comparable to that of a country.
Thus, the silent cedar forest, along with all the secrets and values that might be hidden therein, fell into her hands quietly and silently.
So in order for subsequent plans to proceed smoothly, she certainly couldn't go too far.
Bolte, a veteran who had defended the border for decades, was a replica of the Northern Guardian King in the northern border. If they knew that his famous general, beloved by the people, was not only defeated and captured, but also humiliated by me in front of the battlefield...
I'm afraid it will backfire, so I will try my best to avenge this shame, otherwise I will fail!
"My Lord?"
Borte, who was helped up by Song Youning, twitched his brows slightly, keenly catching a hint of unusual meaning from her address.
His eyes, like torches, quickly scanned her demeanor and clothing. Finally, in disbelief, he asked in a trembling voice, "Are you...are you the Princess Royal of Da Gan?"
"General Bolte is indeed a man of great discerning eyes." Song Youning did not answer directly, but smiled as he carefully helped the veteran general from the northern border up and respectfully led him towards the Dagan tent.
At the same time, the Northern Royal Court was in turmoil. Inside the solemn and rugged Northern Palace, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.
Several tribal leaders and ministers stood under the Wolf Head Throne, arguing over the urgent news from the front line.
"Great Khan! General Bolte has been captured, and thousands of elite soldiers have fallen into the hands of the Dagan army. This is the greatest shame our northern border has experienced in decades! This Dagan is truly infuriating and hateful! He treats our northern border like nothing!"
On the throne, veins bulged on the forehead of the Khan of the North, his brows were furrowed, and there seemed to be a raging fire in his dark eyes.
"How dare Dagan insult our Northern Territory like this! Do you really think there's no one left in our Northern Territory?!"
His thunderous roar echoed in the hall for a long time. Suddenly, a cold light condensed in his eyes, like the roar of a beast in the forest: "Pass the order down, assemble all the troops..."
"Father Khan calm down."
At this moment, a steady voice sounded from outside the hall.
Everyone looked back and saw the Northern Territory Prince Pei, wearing silver-gray armor, stepping into the palace with steady steps. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle. He looked around at the ministers in the palace and suddenly his gaze fell on the Northern Territory Khan in front of the palace.
As he stepped into the hall, he felt as if he was surrounded by a biting cold air.
He was very tall, with a figure as straight as a solitary cedar. His long, jet-black hair was tied up with a silver wolf crown, with a few strands of hair hanging down, making his skin look even colder and paler, like ice that never melts all year round.
His eyebrows were sharp and slanted into his temples. His eyes were a rare ice-gray color, like a misty winter lake. His eyes were full of undisguised wildness and scrutiny.
He swept his gray gaze over everyone in the hall. Although there was no emotion in his eyes, a sense of oppression emanated from him, as if he was a young and dangerous leader of the wolves, surveying his territory in silence.
Compared to the gentle and elegant men from the Central Plains, this prince from the Northern Territory is more like a Northern Territory scimitar inlaid with gems. It is gorgeous and noble, but the blade is sharp. It has been stained with blood and witnessed life and death.
"Your son is willing to personally lead the royal cavalry south to fight against Da Gan."
He knelt on one knee, placed his right hand on his chest, and said in a low but resounding voice, "We must wash away the humiliation of our army with blood."
The Khan of the North stared at his most trusted heir, and the rage in his chest gradually turned into cold murderous intent, and then the murderous intent in his heart was replaced by pride.
"Okay!" Looking at his beloved son in front of the palace, the Khan of the Northern Territory's tone became more determined.
He said in a deep voice, "This Khan grants you 30,000 cavalrymen. Set out today. Not only must you rescue Bolte, but you must also teach the people of Dagan the price of angering our northerners!"
At the Dagan border, Song Youning had just settled the old General Borte when a personal guard came hurriedly to report, his expression panicked and his voice trembling:
"Your Highness, there is movement in the North. According to the carrier pigeon sent by the spies in the North, it is said that..." The soldier hesitated, as if the name was some kind of devil.
"What is it?" Song Youning was displeased, and his tone gradually became dissatisfied.
The soldier stumbled to his knees and kowtowed to her, "It's... it's their crown prince... personally leading the cavalry south..."
"Thirty thousand soldiers have already been assembled and are ready to set out..."
Song Youning's eyes narrowed, but the corners of his mouth slowly raised in an expected arc.
"It's finally here. We've been setting up this stage for so long... The show can finally begin!"
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