Under Guo Yuanzhen's fierce stare, he raised his head with forced composure, "Grand Protector, you have endured long enough."
"Why, do you think I've become a cuckold?"
"I dare not."
Guo Yuanzhen's thick eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Do you think I haven't considered starting a fire in the northwest and burning those two bastards, Xiao Gu and Wei Chifei? And teaching those old men in the capital and the emperor's son a lesson?"
He raised his foot and crushed the upside-down teacup at his feet. "But do you know that if this situation is disrupted, we will be attacked from all sides? In the eyes of these bastards around us, we are still soldiers of Dasheng, no different from Xiao Gu and Wei Chifei. They wish they could wipe out the three of us in one fell swoop so that they can nibble away at the northwest."
Although Xiao Gu, Wei Chifei and he were enemies, they had a consensus, which was that the Northwest must not be allowed to fall into the mouths of tigers and wolves again, otherwise it would be torn into pieces and it would be difficult to pick it up again.
The reason why he had been restrained for so many years, reorganized Prince Pan and the old members of the Jiang family with the noble officials in the capital, and tried to help the weak Prince Ying to ascend to the throne, was that he wanted to establish his own kingdom without disrupting the stability of the northwest.
Because of the Pan Wang Rebellion, his Guo family was demoted to the northwest border. His grandfather, father, uncles and uncles all died in the battle. It took the lives of most of the men in the Guo family to offset the crime of treason and gave him a chance to turn things around.
He lived up to expectations, relying on his glorious military exploits and scars to reach his current state. Although he hated the imperial family and wanted to break free from their control over the fate of the Guo family, he hated the enemies who took the lives of his men even more. Among them, he hated the Turks the most because they killed his father.
Lu Changshi said earnestly, "But now we are forced into a desperate situation. The blockade of nearly two months has not only blocked us from information, but also from money and food. Winter is approaching. Without money and food, our soldiers and civilians will be worn down by the delay."
He thought to himself that since he had already said so much, a few more words wouldn't matter. At most, he would get kicked a few more times. So, suppressing the fear of angering him again, he said, "The emperor has sent an envoy to give us an ultimatum. Do you really want to return to the capital and wait for the reckoning? To be controlled by others for the rest of your life like your father?"
"Shut up!" Guo Yuanzhen was really furious and kicked him.
He was prepared and met the kick with his shoulder, but was knocked backwards. This was the skill he had honed under Guo Yuanzhen. Although it looked awkward, it was able to avoid the vital parts and not cause any damage.
"Grand Protector, please forgive me!"
The two lieutenants also knelt down and pleaded, "General, calm down."
Vice Admiral Wang said, "General, I think what Chief Lu said is reasonable. We can no longer sit and wait for death."
Deputy General Di also advised: "General, although I do not agree to disrupt the current stable situation, what Lu Changshi said is not without merit."
Then he proposed a compromise, "Why don't we first test the Turks' attitude before making a decision?"
Lu Changshi had only been trying to provoke Guo Yuanzhen. He knew Guo Yuanzhen's weak spot and bottom line, and he wouldn't push it again. So he echoed Lieutenant General Di's words and said, "Grand Protector General, I was wrong just now. Lieutenant General Di is right. We can test their stance first. If they're too demanding, we can find another way and make another plan."
After being persuaded by the three men, Guo Yuanzhen's expression softened somewhat.
At this moment, the deputy envoy of the Inspectorate came to ask for a meeting, saying that he had important matters to report. Guo Yuanzhen immediately summoned him in.
When the deputy inspector entered the hall, he was shocked by the mess on the floor. He then found a relatively clean spot and knelt down to report, "Grand Protector, our spies in Xizhou have sent back a secret letter saying that Zhao Xiu has arrived in Xizhou."
Guo Yuanzhen hurriedly stepped forward and took the letter from the deputy inspector's hand. He said it was a letter, but it was actually a palm-sized piece of sheepskin with a secret code pierced on it with a needle. The secret code had been marked in Chinese by the deputy inspector. Guo Yuanzhen did not seem to be struggling.
After reading the letter, the anger on Guo Yuanzhen's face disappeared, and he laughed heartily. "Good, good, isn't this a turning point?"
Lu Changshi breathed a sigh of relief, he had finally escaped a disaster.
The Deputy Inspector said, "Zhao Xiu is wanted now, and he's been stopped in Xizhou, unable to pass the border. We have no choice but to go and meet him."
Lu Changshi found this strange. "If he has any news from the capital, he can just send it back through his spies. Why does he want us to go and see him? If we're discovered by the Anxi army, won't we be exposed?"
"Because our spies didn't see Zhao Xiu in Xizhou at all."
"Then how did you get this news?"
"It was relayed by a spy stationed in Xizhou by the Turkic Eagle Division."
"Turkic Eagle Division?" Lu Changshi looked at Guo Yuanzhen, and Guo Yuanzhen's face turned dark again.
Deputy Generals Wang and Di looked at each other in bewilderment. Deputy General Wang said, "What a coincidence! They just showed up when we were talking about the Turks."
Lieutenant General Di was suspicious: "Why would Zhao Xiu be involved with the Turks? Could it be that Wei Chifei is spreading false information to trick us?"
The Deputy Inspector said, "Our spies have always been cautious. They only sent the secret letter back after confirming that the man was indeed Zhao Xiu."
"Whether it's true or false, we'll know it once we see it." Guo Yuanzhen said to the Deputy Inspector, "Since you know Zhao Xiu, you should go and meet him in person this time."
Then even if there is a trap, only one deputy envoy will be lost.
The Deputy Inspector took the order and said, "Yes."
Lu Changshi's thoughts suddenly changed, and he took the opportunity to say, "Grand Protector, we've had dealings with this falconer for a long time, and they're trustworthy. The fact that they're helping us deliver the message this time shows they're still interested in cooperating with us. Why don't we just go with the flow..."
He made a pushing gesture. "Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
Guo Yuanzhen said coldly: "Let's talk about it after we meet Zhao Xiu."
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