Chapter 744 How could I not believe you?
Wu Ya really hated Xiahou Ling to the extreme. That guy had repeatedly opposed her and her mother, and had ruined her plans several times. Today, he even stopped Zong Yu from taking charge of the troops. Not to mention that Tuo Lin and the others wanted to kill Xiahou Ling, she also wanted to.
"The people in the Imperial Master's Mansion are truly despicable!"
Seeing her unhappy expression, Ji Rongqing reached out to pick up the overturned stone bone wine cup on the table and said to her softly, "Princess, don't be angry. The internal turmoil in the Wei Dynasty continues. The Khan will inevitably send troops south. Although we are a step behind today, it may not be a bad thing."
Wu Ya frowned: "What do you mean?"
Ji Rongqing explained in a gentle voice, "In the past, the Zongyan tribe was the leader among all the tribes, and the other tribes were inferior. But since the last Huma rebellion, the Zongyu tribe took advantage of the opportunity to gain the support of the thirteen scattered tribes, and not only did they dominate the Zongyan tribe, but even the princess's reputation is comparable to that of the Khan."
"The Zongyan tribe is the Khan's greatest source of support. You and the Khan are said to be father and daughter, but in reality, you are only ten years apart. There is no saying in Beiling that women cannot succeed to the throne. The Khan is wary of you. Even if Xiahou Ling and Song Jinxiu hadn't spoken up today, the Khan would not have handed over the command of the army to Sang Qina."
Wu Ya looked up at him and said, "I have no intention of being disloyal."
"The princess didn't, but the Khan might not believe it."
Ji Rongqing said, "The Khan originally inherited the throne from your father. Furthermore, he now has a former Wei official by his side. Emperor Xie Tianyong of Wei loved to play the game of power during his reign. Song Jinxiu will definitely whisper slanders in the Khan's ear."
"Princess, think carefully. Has the Khan treated you differently recently? Even in the royal tent, he mentioned the new favorite. The royal court used to be dominated by the Queen, but now there are two new concubines competing with her. How could this happen unless the Khan was deliberately being too indulgent?"
Wu Ya's face turned ugly when she heard that. The Khan had indeed been quite distant from her recently. She had been rejected on several occasions because of the Wei Dynasty's suggestions. On the contrary, the Imperial Master's Office had been gaining power recently.
Ji Rongqing said, "The Khan is suspicious of the princess. Xiahou Ling is already well versed in human manipulation, and now Song Jinxiu has joined the fray. With them advising the Khan, unless the princess directly abandons the Thirteen Scattered Tribes and asks the Zong Yu Tribe to temporarily withdraw from this campaign, the Khan will not hand over the command of the army to the person the princess recommends."
"But can the princess retreat?"
Wu Ya's face darkened: "Of course not!"
The thirteen scattered tribes have always been at odds with the royal court, and have been wandering around without being subject to the royal court's control for many years. She had finally taken advantage of the Hu-Ma Rebellion to subdue them, so how could she give up so easily?
As for Zong Yu's tribe withdrawing from the war, it is even more impossible. Now the three largest fighting forces in Beiling are Zong Yan, Zong Yu and Wan Hu. Although the soldiers of Zong Yan's tribe are the most brave, the people of the other two tribes will not be too weak. If it were during the reign of Emperor An of Wei, the Wei Dynasty would be in chaos and the aristocratic families would be fighting for power.
The spies they planted in Wei Dynasty interfered with the situation, and the emperor of Wei Dynasty and those noble families were dragging their feet. Even without Zong Yu's tribe, they might still be able to win, but now the one in power in Wei Dynasty is the new emperor.
Wu Ya's voice was cold and gloomy. "The new emperor of the Wei Dynasty was personally trained by the Taizu Emperor of the Wei Dynasty. He is completely different from Xie Tianzhao and Xie Tianyong. His ruthlessness and cunning are beyond the reach of ordinary people, and his methods are even more terrifying."
"Back when he was an eunuch, before he even took the throne, he eliminated most of our spies, and when he first took the throne, he strangled them all."
"When he forced the abdication and seized the throne, everyone thought the Wei Dynasty would be plunged into chaos. You even tried to incite civil unrest within the Pingshan Kings, causing the Wei vassal kings to fight for imperial power. However, he was able to forcibly suppress the situation in a very short time. Not only did he subjugate the Wei generals, but he also completely eliminated the former Emperor An's men."
"How can we take such a person lightly?"
Although Wu Ya had never dealt with the new emperor of the Wei Dynasty, she could tell from the fact that he was able to secure the throne in such a short period of time, send troops to suppress the princes in various places, and hold both court and military power in his hands that this man was definitely not comparable to the good-for-nothing Xie Tianyong.
Beiling is indeed strong now, and the Wei Dynasty has also weakened its military strength due to internal strife. However, if we become careless and think that we can easily take over the Wei Dynasty, it would be a pipe dream.
Not to mention anything else, just the reckless man Di Shuangcheng in Luoyan Pass is not easy to deal with.
Wu Ya said in a cold and calm voice, "Last year, we suffered from a series of droughts, resulting in a lack of water and grass. This winter, we've had continuous heavy snowfall. The people of the royal court have long been running low on food and have been forced to slaughter cattle and horses to survive the winter. Otherwise, we wouldn't be so eager to march our army south."
Beiling's strongest fighting force is the Iron Cavalry, but winter is the time when the Iron Cavalry is the weakest, and heavy snow is not conducive to fighting.
If the situation in Beiling hadn't been so bad, they would have waited until spring.
"The Zongyan tribe's fighting power has been weakened by over 30% due to the lack of food and fodder. If the Khan wishes to conquer the Wei Kingdom in one fell swoop, the Zongyu tribe will absolutely not withdraw. Otherwise, if they are defeated in Beiling, they will be severely weakened and might even be exploited by the Wei Kingdom."
Even if the Khan was suspicious, Wu Ya would never take such a risk.
Ji Rongqing had anticipated what Wu Ya would say. He smiled and said, "So, Princess, why should you be upset about what happened today? The Khan King already has a candidate in mind for the commander-in-chief of the army. Xiahou's request for their advice was simply a coincidence. Besides, they only have the power of commander-in-chief. The actual deployment of the army still depends on the commanders of the various divisions."
"Right now, the most important thing is to march south. If Xiahou Ling dares to use his military power to selfishly target us, the Khan will be the first to not tolerate him. Most importantly, the Khan may not allow Xiahou Ling to lead the army alone."
Wu Ya's eyes lit up when she heard this, and the people below were even more interested.
The bearded Tuo Lin asked anxiously, "What does the Prince Consort mean..."
Ji Rongqing said, "Xiahou Ling is from Southern Qi after all. He can help Beiling and Southern Qi communicate secretly, and he has always had contact with the Southern Qi royal family. How can we know if he has other intentions?"
"The Khan will be wary of the princess, and he will also be wary of the Imperial Master's Office. The best solution would be to send someone who is at odds with the Imperial Master's Office to supervise the army, so that he and Xiahou Ling can act as a check on each other. The only person in the court who is at odds with the Imperial Master's Office and has the ability to restrain Xiahou Ling is the princess."
"So Princess and the generals don't have to worry. The Khan will summon the Princess tomorrow at the latest."
Wu Ya was surprised: "Are you serious?"
Ji Rongqing: "Princess, don't you believe me?"
Wu Ya quickly said, "Of course I believe it."
Ever since Ji Rongqing came, everything he said came true, and everything he did was successful.
He was meticulous in his calculations, and his scheming was frightening, yet also captivating. Wu Ya also understood that if it weren't for the help of this handsome man, she wouldn't be where she is today.
Wu Ya liked Ji Rongqing and obeyed his every word. She said softly, "How could I not believe you?"
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