Chapter 135 Still Not Smart Enough
Xiao Beiheng stood on a high slope, playing with the longbow in his hand, looking at the burning village in front of him.
"Lin Kui, Xiao Zhuo often does this kind of thing, right?" He turned his head and looked at Lin Kui. A chilling smile appeared on his handsome face.
This smile was already familiar to Lin Kui.
Whenever his master was intoxicated with killing, he would reveal this smile without any concealment.
Lin Kui wanted to answer no to Xiao Beiheng's question, but after pondering it for a moment, he replied, "Yes, Xiao Zhuo did it too."
Xiao Beiheng was in high spirits and didn't want to spoil his master's fun.
As far as he knew, although Xiao Zhuo acted cruelly during the conquest of the Northern Di, he had never attacked an unarmed civilian village for no reason like Xiao Beiheng did.
"The reason he strikes fear into the hearts of the Northern Di people is his ruthlessness." Xiao Beiheng handed the bow to the soldier beside him and rubbed his hands excitedly. "It wasn't until today that I realized there's nothing exciting about controlling someone's life and death."
A strange feeling arose in Lin Kui's heart.
Before, Xiao Beiheng was just a young crocodile in a pond, eating fish for fun. Now Xiao Beiheng seems to be growing up, and the bloody smell of fish seems to no longer satisfy him.
As Xiao Beiheng's advisor, he had always dreamed of letting his master control the army, thinking that this would allow him to realize his ambitions. Now that the King of Qi had truly given Xiao Beiheng 50,000 troops, he felt a surge of fear in his heart.
He found that he had no idea what Xiao Beiheng would do with these 50,000 troops.
Xiao Beiheng and his father were two different types. The King of Qi never mistreat his servants, clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments, and rigorously disciplined his army. His only flaw was his occasional hesitation on crucial decisions. Xiao Beiheng, on the other hand, acted decisively, had a thorough understanding of the situation, and was skilled at seizing opportunities, but he was also cruel and murderous.
Every time he tortured or even killed his maids and servants, he almost witnessed it with his own eyes.
Those who achieve great things do not pay attention to trivial matters, and no one is perfect... Lin Kui once comforted himself in private.
Xiao Beiheng had many strengths, his only flaw being a bit cruel, probably due to his admiration for Xiao Zhuo. As long as he treated his men well enough, killing insignificant people wouldn't matter.
One success will cost thousands of lives, and it has been like this since ancient times.
The only two factions in the world that were qualified to compete for the throne were Prince Jing and Prince Qi. As for Emperor Yongde, Lin Kui didn't even take him seriously.
Even the only reliable Crown Prince, Xiao Zhuo, was deposed, turning father and son into enemies. How could such an emperor last long? He was still able to sit on the throne safely, or perhaps Prince Jing of Qi, due to his status, did not take action. If Emperor Yongde made a foolish move one day, that would be his downfall.
Since he chose the King of Qi, he would naturally tolerate his son's shortcomings as long as Xiao Beiheng could bring him the fame and fortune he dreamed of.
Xiao Beiheng possesses not only ambition but also means, making him the most capable member of the current generation. Xiao Zhuo is a man who could rival him, but he lacks the will to do so. Now that Xiao Zhuo has joined the King of Xiliang, he clearly has ulterior motives. Xiao Beiheng will not grant his wish.
When two tigers fight, one of them will die.
Xiao Beiheng's chance of winning was 99%. Xiao Zhuo had no chance at all. Any wise strategist would have made the right choice.
At the moment, his only expectation is how far Xiao Beiheng can go.
The Western Liang King hadn't been defeated yet, and the Jing King was watching closely from the sidelines, making Xiao Zhuo's move a prey to the fire. When Xiao Beiheng arrived, the show really began.
"Beiheng." A cold female voice sounded behind the two of them.
Lin Kui and Xiao Beiheng turned around at the same time and saw Su Mo standing behind them with her brows furrowed, accompanied by her maid Xia Lan.
"Why are you here?" Xiao Beiheng instantly put away the smile on his face and glanced at Xia Lan.
Xia Lan took a step back and lowered her head deeply. Just as she was about to speak, Su Mo raised her hand to stop her and said to Xiao Beiheng, "I insisted on coming here."
"This kind of place is not suitable for you women." Xiao Beiheng showed a concerned expression and walked in front of Su Mo.
"I'll teach you something on the way," Su Mo glared at Xiao Beiheng, anger showing on her face, "Why did you do this?"
"Oh, Momo, you don't know." Xiao Beiheng glanced at the village in the sea of fire as if nothing had happened. "This Beidi village supplies food and fodder to the Beidi army. I'm just doing it for my father... Hey, wait a minute."
Su Mo turned around and walked away quickly without waiting for him to finish.
Xiao Beiheng turned to Lin Kui and said, "I'll go and comfort her. You can take care of the rest for me for the time being."
After saying this, without waiting for Lin Kui's response, he ran towards Su Mo, stayed beside her and explained in a soft voice.
"Momo, listen to me. I am trying to eliminate a hidden danger for your father."
"Killing civilians is to eliminate hidden dangers?" Su Mo said as she walked, without even looking at Xiao Beiheng.
"They supply food and fodder to the Northern Di army. If we keep them, more of us from Dayan will die in battle. I have no choice but to do this."
"So you're quite reasonable?"
The two argued all the way to the carriage. When the maids in the carriage saw their expressions, they all slipped out without waiting for Xiao Beiheng's orders.
"Why don't you understand?" Xiao Beiheng saw that there was no one else in the car. "I am the commander-in-chief of the three armies. I have to consider the entire war. As long as it is beneficial to me, I will do it. It is impossible for me to consider the opinions of the Northern Di people."
Su Mo sat in her seat with her head down and remained silent, the anger on her face still lingering.
Xiao Beiheng lifted the hem of his robe and knelt on his knees: "I know you always tell me to put benevolence and righteousness first. If I only lose battles, what's the point? Besides, the Beidi are just a foreign tribe. It doesn't matter how many people die. Please don't be angry, okay? I will kneel for an hour to punish myself."
Su Mo raised her head and said, "You don't understand. This is not what I'm worried about at all."
Seeing that her expression had eased slightly, Xiao Beiheng immediately knelt down in front of her, put his face on her legs, and said softly:
"Momo, war is all about killing and arson. I know you women are kind-hearted and can't stand seeing these things."
Su Mo reached out and touched the top of Xiao Beiheng's head: "You are wrong. I am not afraid of seeing murder and arson. What I am afraid of is that you will do anything to achieve your goals. One day you will lose yourself."
"Momo, your worries are unnecessary," Xiao Beiheng said with a smile, "I have never been so clear-headed."
Su Mo sighed and said no more. She said to Xiao Beiheng, "Beiheng, I'm just your wife. I shouldn't be so nosy. You can make the decisions on matters related to marching and fighting."
"No, no, I know you're doing this for my own good," Xiao Beiheng said, "I promise I won't do this again."
Hearing this, Su Mo smiled and said, "You are not allowed to punish Xia Lan like you did to Leng Shuang and drive her away."
"No, Xia Lan is just a servant, and you are her master." Xiao Beiheng held Su Mo's hand and said, "If I still don't understand this, I am not worthy of being the prince."
"But where did Leng Shuang go? I still want to see her."
"Didn't I tell you already? We met a distant relative of hers in Liangzhou, so I helped her..."
"You're lying again without batting an eyelid. Ever since I married you, you've driven away countless maids and servants. You even held yourself back when you were with me. If I let you go out alone, you'll definitely be missing a few servants when you return to the palace."
"Haha, you've figured it all out. I really can't hide it from you."
"So, I have to follow you. You're too harsh on your servants, and that's not good..."
Xia Lan, who was outside the carriage, knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but she still heard the conversation.
The Crown Princess was very smart, but not smart enough. She thought she saw through what kind of person Xiao Beiheng was, but in fact, she only understood a third of Xiao Beiheng's true self.
She didn't dare tell the Crown Prince's wife that Leng Shuang was dead. If she did, she would also be doomed to die.
What the Beidi man said was right, Xiao Beiheng was a devil.
The sound of rapid horse hooves interrupted her thoughts, and the sergeant's voice sounded in the distance:
"Your Highness, there is a letter from the deposed Crown Princess Shen Yuexi asking for help!"
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