Deep down, neither An Qingyun nor Zhong Ping had a good outlook on the Great Zhou Dynasty at this time.
The Gandan people eat cattle and sheep year-round, so they are naturally stronger than the people of the Great Zhou. Their women are especially fierce, and the entire population is practically a soldier. In addition, with the alliance of many small countries, they are bound to be unstoppable.
If they wait until they are utterly defeated before trying to negotiate peace, the initiative will no longer be in the hands of the Great Zhou.
In An Qingyun's view, this approach is a very irrational behavior.
The Great Zhou Dynasty has the method to refine refined iron, as well as various high-yield grains. If it can gain three to five years, it will surely be able to usher in a golden age.
By then, the people will be strong, the horses will be fat, and the weapons will be excellent. The barbarians will be no match for us, and there will be no need to fight them to the death now.
"What if," Zhong Ping asked in a low voice, "that His Majesty actually succeeds?"
Will those who are dragging the team down be kicked out of the court?
Zhong Ping absolutely could not accept or bear this outcome.
In his previous purge of aristocratic families, he had already offended the entire scholarly community; it's no exaggeration to say that his reputation was completely ruined.
The power of the Grand Secretaries of the current dynasty silenced those with opinions, but that didn't mean they wouldn't take advantage of the situation.
Upon hearing this, An Qingyun was taken aback. "The chances of that happening are extremely small."
His eyes darted around, and he continued in a deep voice, "Gandan has been causing trouble since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. So far, only the Taizu Emperor has truly defeated Gandan. Even General Jiang Ren could only hold the northwest defense line. Gandan alone is so troublesome, and this time there is more..."
“But the Great Zhou already has a banished immortal,” Zhong Ping struggled inwardly, “and there’s also that Huang Shu, whom the Emperor has praised highly, repeatedly calling him unparalleled in bravery.”
“The trend is irreversible,” An Qingyun said dismissively. “Unless the Lady Protector’s magic is overwhelming and can completely suppress Gan Dan, but she was exhausted from her last coma, so we can’t have too much hope.”
An Qingyun's meaning was clear: even with the arrival of the banished immortal, the outcome would still not change.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Ping was indignant. "Heaven has not blessed the Great Zhou. If it weren't for the burden of Shu, we might not have been unable to fight."
An Qingyun wholeheartedly agreed with this statement, saying, "Since things have come to this point, we can only make plans as soon as possible."
The two ultimately decided to cooperate temporarily and negotiate peace again after the army suffered setbacks.
Ji Xuan could tell their attitudes with just a glance, and since they weren't causing any trouble, he couldn't be bothered to pay them any attention.
The idea of supporting Liu An to take the throne was also shelved.
Ten days later, news of the war had spread throughout the land, and it was the talk of the town.
Ji Xuan consciously wanted the people of the Great Zhou to feel the pressure in advance, to cultivate their courage and wolf-like nature. Not only did he not hide it, but he even publicized it extensively, encouraging the people to join the army.
Although the results were minimal, the attention of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty was completely focused on this war, and for a time, both inside and outside the court were much calmer.
Upon arriving at the border, Jiang Nuan leisurely made her way to the Northwest, only to discover that this vast place was filled with nothing but coldness and desolation.
There were also people dressed in armor, hurrying along with serious expressions.
“Young lady,” suddenly, a soldier walked over, “this is a military camp ahead. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Stop.”
"I'm here to find someone."
"Who is it? I'll go call them over for you."
"Yellow tree!"
Upon hearing this, the visitor was puzzled. "Is there such a person? I've never heard of him before?"
Even though he wasn't sure, the man didn't make things difficult for Jiang Nuan. "Wait a moment, I'll go look for it."
"Thank you for your trouble."
At this moment, passersby who had been keeping an eye on the surroundings walked over.
"Young lady, judging from your accent, you're not from Northwest China, are you?"
"I'm from southern Henan."
"What are people from southern Henan doing in the Northwest? There's going to be a war here soon, people should be running away, why are you coming here?"
The passersby became increasingly puzzled.
Thinking to myself: He seems like a shrewd person, so why does he keep doing such stupid things?
"I had family members here, so I came to check on them."
"Just leave after you've finished reading. The Northwest is not peaceful. Stay safe in southern Henan. There's plenty of land and it's peaceful there. You don't have to worry about not being able to open your eyes when you wake up."
“That makes sense,” Jiang Nuan said, then changed the subject and asked curiously, “Are you leaving the Northwest?”
“I’m not leaving,” the passerby shook his head. “This is my home. No matter where I go, I won’t move.”
"Aren't you afraid of Gandan attacking?"
“I’m scared, that’s why I came to advise you,” the passerby said fiercely, exhaling. “Being scared is useless. They won’t stop attacking just because you’re scared. You might as well just fight. I came out this time to find a way to enlist. Before, they didn’t agree because they thought I was too short.”
He is indeed very short.
A man, barely reaching her chin, made Jiang Nuan suspect that the man was only about 1.5 meters tall.
In the Northwest, a place known for its tall and robust people, it's rare to encounter someone so short.
"Do you really want to enlist?"
“Of course,” the passerby assured, puffing out his chest, “my mother and wife both support me, and the luggage is already packed.”
"Come in with me in a bit."
"Huh?" The passerby was a little confused.
Seeing this, Jiang Nuan added, "If you want to enlist, come in with me."
"You can..."
Under Jiang Nuan's increasingly oppressive gaze, the passersby, though full of questions, dared not utter another word.
On the other side, the soldier returned to his tent and called out loudly, "Huang Shu, who is Huang Shu? My sisters are looking for me. Come to the camp gate quickly."
After asking three times without a response, he muttered in bewilderment, "Could it be that this person really doesn't exist?"
"Huang Shu, that name sounds familiar. Has anyone heard of it?"
“My name is Huang Shu, but everyone in my family has a son, no sisters, so you're definitely not looking for me.”
"I am also a Huangshu, but my home is in Sichuan, so it's impossible for me to find this place."
"Me too, but..."
In short, Huang Shu found several, but none of them met the requirements.
"What's going on?" Yang Qing's authoritative voice rang out, and immediately there was complete silence.
"General, a young woman has come to the door looking for Huang Shu. I am helping her search for him."
"Looking for Huang Shu?" Yang Qing's tone became urgent. "What accent do you have, from southern Henan or the capital?"
“Yu, southern Henan, I think,” the messenger said, startled. “I’m not sure, I didn’t hear you clearly.”
"Foolish! Luckily, I didn't ask you to scout the enemy's situation," Yang Qing said angrily. "Go and inform General Huang to come over here."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
"General Huang?" Suddenly, a terrified voice rang out, "I remember now, General Huang is also called Huang Shu, and he is the second son of the Immortal's family."
The following sentence is pure nonsense; almost everyone knows that Huang Shu is the second son of the banished immortal.
But few people actually pay attention to their real names.
It's taboo to use a superior's name; people usually refer to him as "General."
Moreover, to be honest, the name is really rustic and doesn't suit a general's status.
Immediately, an uproar erupted, and everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Everyone simultaneously thought of someone who wanted to seduce the immortals; yet another one had arrived.
Some quick-witted people couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild: When will a banished immortal be able to come to the Northwest battlefield?
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