Chapter 922 Beiling Cannot Stay
Lu Zhinian paused holding the teacup, and when he looked up, his eyes were gentle: "Princess, why do you suddenly ask this?" He paused and said: "But what did the Khan tell you?"
Wu Ya looked quietly at the man opposite her. Even though they had been facing each other every day for the past year and even though she had seen him countless times, she still lost her mind every time she saw this face.
She still remembered the first time she met Ji Rongqing. Amidst the chaotic noise, he saved his injured mother, came towards her against the light, and stood in front of her in the light and shadow, reaching out his hand to her.
"My lady, are you okay?"
Wu Ya lowered her eyes, swallowing the question that was on the tip of her tongue. She spoke wearily, "Hu Yanmin wants us to contact the Thirteen Distributed Tribes. We want them to cut off communication between the Wei army and Luoyan Pass, plunder some food and fodder to replenish our camp, and use this opportunity to force the Wei army to withdraw from the grasslands."
Lu Zhinian frowned when he heard this, and his first reaction was that Hu Yanmin was crazy.
Not to mention that the Wei Dynasty couldn't have been unaware of their attempt to block the grain transport. They might have set up an ambush nearby, just waiting for them to jump in. What's more, they had extremely lethal weapons in their hands. They had thought of stealing the grain before, but almost all the people they sent were wiped out. The people from the thirteen scattered tribes were simply seeking their own death if they rashly went to rob the grain.
The Great Wei had now set up camp, and the surrounding area was more heavily guarded. If they wanted to force the Great Wei to withdraw, they could think of other ways. How could they allow the Thirteen Scattered Tribes to take such a risk...
etc.
Lu Zhinian's expression changed slightly. "Could it be that the Khan wanted to weaken the Thirteen Tribes and deliberately send them to their deaths?"
Wu Ya knew the man on the other side was clever, so she didn't hide it. "Hu Yanmin guessed we had a deal with the Thirteen Tribes. He said the three major tribes had suffered heavy losses. Both the Zong Yan Tribe and the Zong Yu Tribe behind us were outnumbered. If the Thirteen Tribes had any intention of rebelling..."
She paused and said:
"I know you made an agreement with them, but the Thirteen Tribes have no intention of submitting to the royal court, and Hu Baoxian hasn't explicitly stated that he will support my ascension. Furthermore, our army is truly out of food, and the various tribes desperately need to recuperate and raise livestock in preparation for the winter."
"If we can't find a way to force the Wei army to retreat as soon as possible, and we can't afford to waste time here with them until autumn, then we'll be the ones to die without Wei having to do anything."
Lu Zhinian, holding a teacup in his hand, raised his eyes to Wu Ya and said, "So you also agree with what the Khan said, that we should exchange the lives of the Thirteen Tribes for the lives of the Great Wei, and force the Emperor of Wei and his men to withdraw?"
Wu Ya shook her head: "I don't know."
Lu Zhinian said in a deep voice, "Princess, you know that the royal court's army is now very small. It is only thanks to the Thirteen Scattered Tribes that we can stop the Wei army. If it weren't for them, the Wei army would have probably reached the imperial city by now. Besides, Hu Baoxian and his men are not stupid. Once they find out that the royal court has abandoned them and is using them as stepping stones, they will definitely turn against us..."
Wu Ya interrupted Lu Zhinian and said, "I know, but Rong Qing, what else can we do besides this?"
She had the typical Beiling appearance, with high brows, deep features, and slightly curly long hair half falling on her shoulders. She stared at Lu Zhinian intently.
"The Beiling army was annihilated at Luoyan Pass, and Sang Qina and his men are also dead. The remaining men of the Zongyu tribe are simply not enough to intimidate the other tribes. I know Hu Yanmin said this out of selfish motives, but you really can't guarantee the loyalty of the Thirteen Scattered Tribes to us."
"Besides, even if they were there, they would only be able to hold back Wei for a while. But the Wei Dynasty is no longer threatened by the South. After they made peace with Southern Qi, that land has become their granary. Their soldiers have a constant supply of food and endless reinforcements, but we don't."
"Instead of looking at the long term, it's better to follow Hu Yanmin's advice and find a way to force the Wei army to retreat first. As long as they can withdraw from the grassland, it will give us some breathing space."
Wuya used to be ambitious and wanted to fight for the Khan's throne. She wanted to pull Huyan Min down and inherit the throne herself to avenge the power grab and make the Zongyu tribe the first tribe in Beiling. But now she only wants to force the Wei Dynasty to retreat and protect the remaining people in the Zongyu tribe.
As long as the Wei Dynasty retreated, she could take Zong Yu's people and withdraw.
She could choose not to return to the royal court, but could lead her people back to their homeland, or take them to any place on the grassland.
This vast grassland is a place where one can settle down anywhere. As long as they can avoid the danger of genocide this time, even if the Wei Dynasty returns and reorganizes its troops to come back again, unless they can flatten the entire grassland, the Zong Yu tribe will always have a chance to survive, instead of being tied up by Hu Yanmin and Wang Ting like they are now.
After Wu Ya finished speaking her mind, she looked up at the man opposite her and asked earnestly, word by word, "Rong Qing, you will definitely help me and the Zong Yu Division, right?"
Lu Zhinian met her gaze, was silent for a moment, lowered his eyes and put down the teacup in his hand. His long sleeves swept across the table and fell back onto his knees. When he raised his eyes again, his eyes had regained their previous gentleness.
"I will naturally help the princess."
…
He handed the order to contact Hu Baoxian and the Thirteen Scattered Tribes directly to Wu Ya, and instructed her on how to persuade the Thirteen Scattered Tribes to take action. Lu Zhinian even thoughtfully thought of a way out for Wu Ya, and how to persuade the other scattered tribes to serve her if the Thirteen Scattered Tribes refused. Every detail was meticulously planned.
Wu Ya's face was filled with smiles. After taking note of everything Lu Zhinian said, she stood up impatiently and asked, "Then shall I contact them now?"
Lu Zhinian nodded: "Be careful, be more cautious, and don't trust Hu Yanmin too much."
"I know, I never believed him."
Wu Ya leaned in and kissed him. "Your headaches have been getting more frequent lately, and you're very weak. I've had someone make some meat porridge and will send it over later. Eat some and bear with it for a while. Once the Wei troops retreat, you won't have to suffer so much."
Lu Zhinian said softly, "Okay."
Wu Ya touched his cheek with reluctance, and then left reluctantly. When the curtain was lowered again, the gentle look on Lu Zhinian's face instantly faded away. With disgust, he took a handkerchief and wiped the place on his face that Wu Ya had touched.
"master."
Chunsheng approached with his mask on, and saw that his master's face was rubbed red: "Are you really going to give up the Thirteen Scattered Divisions?"
Lu Zhinian threw the handkerchief in his hand with a cold look in his eyes: "The Thirteen Scattered Tribes have never surrendered to me, so why would I abandon them?"
She was only driven by interests and feared that the disaster would affect her. She had no choice but to get closer to the royal court because of the interdependence between the two sides. Then he took advantage of one or two of her weaknesses and forced her to get closer to the princess's mansion. However, there was no trust in this relationship that was forced together. It was so fragile that it could be shattered at the slightest touch.
If Hu Yanmin wanted to abandon the thirteen scattered tribes, those people might also be willing to abandon the royal court.
Lu Zhinian said in a deep voice, "Let our people get ready and find a chance to escort me away tonight."
Beiling can't stay any longer.
Wu Ya became suspicious of him.
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