Seeing that she had unconsciously moved closer to him because she wanted to know the answer, her bright eyes, like a clear sky after the rain, and her clear and refreshing aura bewitched him: "It's nothing, just an ambush set up on their inevitable route."
Zheng Quchi exclaimed in disbelief: "Tens of thousands of people... what kind of ambush could you possibly set up to wipe out tens of thousands of people in one fell swoop? Besides, you don't even have the manpower to set up such an ambush!"
How could she not know how many troops were stationed at Wubao? Ye Kingdom's main forces were all deployed to defend crucial locations such as Xiatian and Fuxian. The situation at Wubao had become delicate recently, which was why he personally led his troops to investigate. As precautions were already in place, his main force consisted entirely of his personal guards, with very few local garrison soldiers.
Yuwen Sheng smiled and said, "I'm grateful for your ideas."
"What's my line of thinking?" she asked, looking completely bewildered.
"When you built the defensive fortress of Wubao, you didn't have enough craftsmen either. How did you deal with that problem back then?"
“I… I’ll gather the people and have those who know how to teach those who don’t, so we can complete this together…” At this point, she suddenly realized something and immediately frowned: “You wouldn’t be having the people from Wubao come here again to dig traps and set pits, would you? What if the Beiyuan Army notices, or if they rise up in resistance? Wouldn’t we, as ordinary people, be completely powerless to fight back?”
Yuwen Sheng then stretched out his finger and gently rubbed his brow, smoothing out the wrinkles there: "Wubao is a border town, with three thousand garrison soldiers and more than a hundred constables stationed there. In addition, the border is never short of nomadic barbarians. I have previously fought against so many tribes, wiped them out, and captured about ten thousand barbarians. It is not difficult to educate them to pave the way for me."
His explanation is reasonable; the word "education" is clearly not the same as the two words Zheng Quchi usually understands.
"...How long ago did you start planning this?" Zheng Quchi was completely stunned upon hearing this.
Those barbarians were the most unruly, and he managed to tame them so well that they worked for him. He must have put in a lot of effort and thought. She thought he had been suppressing border disturbances and restoring peace to the region over the years, but that was only "one" thing. He had also done "two" things behind the scenes.
Unable to mobilize troops domestically, he devised another plan. Everyone thought Yuwen Sheng was a butcher who would surely annihilate prisoners after the war, but little did they know that he had actually pulled off a surprise attack.
As long as she asked, Yuwen Sheng never hid anything from her, although many times his actions were intricate and difficult to fathom, like an onion, so she had no way to ask.
Yuwen Sheng replied, "Your reply shows some softening, and your resentment towards me has begun to dissipate."
Zheng Quchi stared at him blankly: "..." Was she destined to never outsmart him in this lifetime? He understood her thoughts with such keen insight, what could she possibly say?
He fought on the frontier without returning, enduring the scorching sun and bitter cold, fighting bloody battles, all to vent her anger and appease her. She wanted him to defend the Ye Kingdom, so he defended the Ye Kingdom for her. He wanted to fulfill her wish, and also fulfill his own desire.
Zheng Quchi found it hard to describe her mixed feelings; her life had been inextricably linked to Yuwen Sheng.
Ruler and subject, husband and wife, general and craftsman, offense and defense, and like-minded people with the same goal—she didn't know when it started, but the two of them had become so inseparable. Looking back, she realized that all the years had been spent with him.
"You...are you angry again?" Seeing her blank expression and silence for a long time, Yuwen Sheng's eyes flashed with panic. He was meticulous, cunning, deep and unpredictable. He couldn't just give and wait silently. He admitted that he was despicable, insidious, selfish and greedy.
But if she develops feelings of disgust and rejection towards him, he will be utterly defeated.
Zheng Quchi rolled her eyes. Didn't she know what kind of person he was?
After learning about his background and experiences, she understood the reasons for his distorted personality and moral decay. Coupled with the "Phoenix Tears," expecting him to act like a normal person was wishful thinking.
Angry? No, she's been worn down to nothing.
Thinking of "Phoenix Tears," she suddenly perked up: "Can you still hold on? Surely your body isn't also part of your plan."
Her suspicious gaze froze the smile on Yuwen Sheng's lips. He didn't dare provoke her, so he abandoned any more tricks and honestly replied, "No, not at all. Originally, the Phoenix Tears wouldn't go out of control for several more years. Perhaps I would have found a solution in the meantime, but I didn't expect..."
“I’ve asked Gongshu Jiruo about this. The fire thunder was given to Hou Feiqing by Gongshu Jiruo, but Hou Feiqing was not the one who did these things… Although Gongshu Jiruo’s words are not entirely credible, there is no need for him to lie about this matter.”
Yuwen Sheng did not deny Zheng Quchi's statement. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "If it's not him, then it can only be Hou Feiqing's adoptive father, Hou Zhongpei."
Foster father?
Yes, I heard that Hou Feiqing was abandoned because of his strange appearance at birth, with white hair and white eyebrows, and was picked up by Hou Zhongpei of Beiyuan Kingdom.
"Him? Why him?" Zheng Quchi didn't understand the reason.
Yuwen Sheng said, “Unlike Hou Feiqing, Hou Zhongpei is eccentric and domineering, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. More importantly, he has a personal grudge against Yuwen Hao and knows a lot of old stories. So it is not surprising that when he learned that I and Yuan Xingzhou were the same person, he joined forces with the Kezhu tribe to set up a killing trap.”
General Yuwen actually has a personal grudge against Hou Feiqing's adoptive father? But even if there is a personal grudge, why not report it earlier or later, but instead take action at this time? Is there some opportunity or reason for this?
Zheng Quchi suddenly had an idea: "You know, Hou Zhongpei is a prince of a kingdom. He holds a high position and great power in the Northern Abyss Kingdom. In addition, he has an adopted son who is a general. Naturally, he has many eyes and ears around him. He has had many opportunities to act against you in the past, but he has never made a move. But now he suddenly intervenes in this matter. Do you think... could it be that the King of Northern Abyss has some ideas, which is why he dares to act recklessly?"
After listening to her analysis, Yuwen Sheng showed no surprise. The deeper and darker his eyes became, the gentler and more pleasant his smile became.
"King Beiyuan is a man with great ambitions. Of course, the kings of other countries are the same. However, the other countries are evenly matched and check each other. Only King Beiyuan has accumulated this strength."
Hearing this, Zheng Quchi understood, but there was no point in discussing these things now. Let's get back to the main topic and continue discussing the situation on the Beiyuan Army's side.
"Tell me, if the Northern Abyss Army finds out that their reinforcements have been intercepted halfway, will they attack or retreat?"
Yuwen Sheng countered with a question: "If you went from having a sure thing to having a stalemate, would you choose to attack or retreat?"
Zheng Quchi thought for a moment, then said with a turtle-like expression, "As for me... I might not necessarily attack."
Yuwen Sheng laughed and said, "But if it were the Northern Abyss Army, they would attack, because they cannot afford to lose."
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