Just as Dechang County began a new round of farming and production, Hua'an County was also busy.
Once a house is built, you can build something else.
Various academies also began to operate around the clock, teaching both adults and children.
Strive to start education from an early age.
After the first snow fell, Teacher Bian Cheng, who had been staying in Hua'an County, went to the Princess's Mansion again and happened to meet Yan Tao who had also come.
So Yan looked at his teacher curiously and asked, "What are you going to do this time?"
Teacher Bian's smile was as amiable as ever. "The professionals I requested from Langyun are almost here, and the necessary supplies are also ready. I wanted to ask the Princess when she plans to reclaim the grasslands." He paused. "What about you?"
Yan Tao replied: "I usually come at this time."
"do what?"
"Talk to the Princess about the education situation in the city."
Teacher Bian just smiled and said calmly, "Tell the truth."
Yan Tao: "...The Princess's Mansion has hot pot every Friday. I came here to improve the food."
Teacher Bian: ...
Okay.
After the two entered the princess's mansion, they happened to run into the eldest princess practicing archery.
The prince consort just watched and smiled from the side.
After seeing them, Prince Luo wanted to say hello.
But at this moment, Kong Shu, with her back to Lang Yun and the others, dropped her bow and arrow, her voice filled with rare anger: "I'm not going to practice anymore!"
At this point, Prince Consort Luo couldn't care less about anything else. He hurried over, put his arms around his wife, and asked gently, "What happened?"
At this time, Kong Shu had already mastered the concealer technique accurately, and was not wearing a veil, revealing her delicate and beautiful face.
But now, his lips were slightly pursed and his brows were slightly furrowed: "I always miss the target. It's so annoying."
Yan Tao was surprised when she heard this.
She originally thought that Her Royal Highness the Princess was extremely proficient in all kinds of commonly used weapons.
But I didn't expect that there was something she couldn't do?
When the prince consort saw that Kong Shu was angry, he was not anxious at all, but laughed instead.
He picked up the bow from the ground, wiped it clean with a cloth, and then handed it back to Kong Shu: "Shun Niang once said that you can't give up halfway."
The eldest princess wanted to throw it again: "If you can't hit the target, it's useless to practice."
Yan Tao, who had been watching the show, felt that the atmosphere was a little awkward.
She whispered to Teacher Bian, "Should we go over and break the deadlock?"
Unexpectedly, Teacher Bian just smiled and said nothing.
The next moment, Prince Consort Luo was seen standing behind Kong Shu, stretching out his arms and wrapping them around the woman's slim body.
His smiling voice reached the ears of Langyun and his student: "Don't worry, I'll help you with the last arrow."
Yan Tao: ...
Okay, I don’t understand.
The clown was actually me.
Then, he held Kong Shu's hands from behind and pulled the bow with her.
“Whoosh!”
The sharp arrow shot out and hit the center of the target directly.
A smile immediately appeared on the eldest princess' face, and she smiled as happily as a little girl.
But when she turned around, she saw the people from Langyun with aunt-like smiles on their faces.
This made Kong Shu stop moving, and she subconsciously hid in her husband's arms.
Perhaps because she had removed her veil, her ears were exposed, and now they were red, causing Prince Consort Luo to laugh again.
Fortunately, everyone knew that the eldest princess was a well-mannered person with a thin skin, so they had no intention of joking.
After the prince consort let her go, she stepped aside and saluted Lang Yun and the other two with a smile.
Kong Shu also adjusted her attitude, looked at them and asked, "I wonder what the immortal is here for?"
Since there were no outsiders present, Teacher Bian didn't hide anything and said directly, "Now that the preparations are complete, I wonder when Your Highness plans to reclaim the grassland?"
This is actually a difficult question to answer, as it involves two countries.
But the eldest princess said, "It will be soon."
As soon as these words were spoken, Teacher Bian's eyes lit up slightly.
Yan Tao was surprised and asked, "Are we going to fight?"
Unexpectedly, Kong Shu smiled faintly and replied softly: "I never said I wanted to go to war with the barbarians. If I officially declare war, I am afraid that the entire Great Zhou will be involved, which is not what I want. All I want is to take back the lost grasslands, nothing more."
Yan Tao had been staying in Hua'an County, watching Kong Shu do so many things, and always thought that she was trying to cause trouble.
But I didn't expect that they wanted to resolve the dispute peacefully...
I was a little confused for a moment, and subconsciously asked: "Then what are you going to do?"
The eldest princess said calmly: "Wait, wait until they start fighting among themselves."
"What's the meaning?"
"In the next few days, they will fight among their own people. According to Tana's information, they obviously won't have to wait until winter."
After hearing this, Yan Tao subconsciously touched the phone in her pocket and muttered softly: "I don't know any of this..."
Teacher Bian tilted his head slightly and replied in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Right now, the relationship between Langyun and the Barbarian Kingdom is average. There aren't any missions going on, so the system won't update with any news from there. Unless there's danger threatening us, the system won't issue a warning." Then, he looked at Kong Shu and asked gently, "How does the princess plan to respond?"
Kong Shu replied, "I've had my husband make arrangements on the grasslands. The reason I didn't understand it before was not only because the Barbarian Kingdom was strong in military and cavalry, but also because the Zhou Kingdom had suffered too many disasters and was short of food and fodder. I was afraid it wouldn't be able to keep up, so I endured it until now. Now, at least we have the ability to protect ourselves."
Bian Cheng, however, asked as if he was leading a project with students. "You can't get the grassland back just by protecting yourself. What will happen next?"
The eldest princess was clearly confident: "No matter who takes the throne, it will always be unstable. He will desperately need recognition from other countries, especially neighboring countries, otherwise there will be endless war. One is the grassland with nothing, and the other is the stable Wang Zuo. I think he will make his own choice."
But Teacher Bian's eyebrows twitched.
Because he remembered what he had just thought of before, the possible minerals and abundant energy reserves under the grassland.
Then he thought of Tana asking him not to tell anyone about this...
Teacher Bian smiled.
Whether Tana did it intentionally or unintentionally, the result is the same.
This person is indeed a good material for being a civil servant.
At this moment, someone came and handed something to the princess, whispering a few words.
The princess nodded and asked the man to leave. Then she said, "Tana has received news. We can prepare on the grassland."
Prince Consort Luo, who had remained silent, raised his eyes and looked at his wife. He then bowed and said, "Your Highness, I will go now and will not fail you."
Kong Shu no longer had the sweet look she had just now. She just said calmly, "Go ahead. Be careful."
Afterwards, when Prince Luo left, she didn't even look at him. Instead, she walked towards Yan Tao and gave her the thing in her hand.
This made Yan Tao particularly cautious: "I wonder what it is?"
intelligence?
confidential?
Should I stick a chicken feather on this?
Then I heard Kong Shu say, "It's Tana's homework. She wants to give it to you."
Yan Tao: ...
I never expected that they were handing in homework.
Master Yan put it away silently and praised dryly: "Tana is really dedicated to learning."
Kong Shu smiled and said nothing. She then picked up the bow and arrow again, as if she wanted to shoot the last arrow.
Yan Tao was a little puzzled: "Princess..."
Isn’t this person not good at archery?
I just dropped my bow, why is it happening again now...
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a sound broke through the air!
Yan Tao looked in surprise and saw that Kong Shu's arrow hit the bull's eye!
Not only that, the arrowhead directly split the previous arrow and nailed it firmly to the previous position, without any error!
…???
Yan Tao was stunned. She turned to Teacher Bian and asked in confusion, "What's going on? Why is this different from what we agreed on?"
Teacher Bian just smiled and said, "It's probably just a couple's hobby."
Yan Tao: "What?...Huh? Um, oh oh oh!"
Just when I was about to say I was hooked, I heard Teacher Bian say, "You're still young and single, you don't understand what's normal."
Yan Tao: ...
Just speak without any personal attacks!
At the same time, the son-in-law took the things he had prepared early and headed to the grassland.
In fact, the situation in the Barbarian Country is even more serious than what the princess said.
There was basically no buffer. The situation was calm the day before, but became tense the next day without any preparation.
This caught Zhou Ren, who had already become the regional intelligence chief, off guard.
But Tana wasn't surprised. "Due to the Barbarians' geographical environment and lifestyle, they haven't formed settlements in a long time. Plus, they don't engage in farming, relying on hunting or plundering other countries for survival. Naturally, they value the use of force. Learning is basically useless here."
Speaking of this, Tana sighed in her heart, wasn't it the same for the people on the grassland in the past?
Even though they did not rob others like the barbarians, the grassland people who lived by the water basically gathered in their own tribes, and the clan leaders and priests were hereditary. They basically did not think about competing for jobs through imperial examinations, so naturally they lacked the motivation to learn.
After all, what good is knowing that one plus one equals two? Can it buy you a living?
It was not until she went to Zhou Kingdom that Tana realized that, yes, studying hard can earn you food.
Although the process was a bit bumpy and her wrists easily ached from writing, Tana felt motivated when she thought about building a factory like the one in Dechang County on the grassland in the future, so that her people could have enough food and clothing and not have to worry about freezing to death or starving to death.
But on the surface, she remained calm and spoke in an unusually calm manner: "With such a personality, it's not surprising that they suddenly broke down."
The others had also learned a lot about the Barbarian Kingdom these days, and they nodded in agreement when they heard this.
Only one person raised his head, with a hint of hesitation on his face.
This person is Chiwu.
Logically speaking, as a barbarian, he was suddenly surrounded by the Zhou people. He should either fight to the death or bow down to them. It seemed that he had no other choice.
But in fact, he is now jumping back and forth between these two states.
Because ever since they found the letter from him last time, which exposed the Barbarian Kingdom's plan to launch a surprise attack on Dechang County, the Zhou people have never tried to get any information from him again.
It looked as if he didn't exist.
But he wanted to leave, but they wouldn't let him.
In other words, Chiwu was left here, and it seemed that he had lost nothing except his personal freedom.
Even because he didn't exercise much and Zhou Ren was a good cook, he inexplicably gained weight...
Chiwu is quite patient, from being panic-stricken at the beginning to keeping a low profile now.
Oh, by the way, he learned the term "hiding one's capabilities and biding one's time" from hearing these people talking.
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Tana looking at him. For the first time in these days, she took the initiative to speak to him: "Look at me, do you have anything to ask?"
Chi Wu was stunned at first, then nodded quickly.
Tana was kind and said, "Ask ahead. I have some more questions. You can have no more than three."
Chiwu's first words were: "When can I leave?"
Tana looked at him with a smile, and said the most decisive words in the most gentle voice: "Don't think about it for now, next question."
Chi Wu was quite disappointed, but he quickly continued, "Then, Captain of the Guards, can you tell me why my country is at war?"
Tana heard his earnestness, and since this was nothing to hide, she simply told him directly: "Because your king has passed away."
Chi Wu: “…What!”
Tana raised her hand soothingly. "It's still a secret for now, but it's clear both princes have gotten the news. Those who used to obey General Wu have also learned about it, so naturally there's chaos. But don't worry, the princess has no interest in the land of the Barbarian Kingdom, nor does she intend to interfere in other countries' internal affairs."
Chi Wu, who was immersed in sadness just now, didn't know what expression to make at this moment.
For a long time, the barbarians have felt that they are wolves and the people around them are sheep.
As a result, now that we are really experiencing turmoil, it is our own people biting each other, and the ones who comfort us are the grassland people who were always bullied in the past... This is really challenging to our cognition.
However, judging from recent contacts, they are really being rational and restrained by not getting involved.
Chi Wu didn't know what expression he should make now.
He was silent for a long time, then asked in a low voice, "Since you have no interest in the affairs of the Barbarian Country, why are you lurking here?"
Tana smiled slightly. "Of course, it's to get back what belongs to us. Of course, there will be some inconspicuous tricks along the way."
Chi Wu thought that the female leader was talking about them becoming undercover leaders.
Little did they know that Tana did much more than that.
For example, they found out that the remnants of General Wu, who had destroyed the grassland, were still there.
For example, the news of the king’s death was notified to the three parties immediately.
All to help them move the progress bar forward.
And it's all voluntary work, done quietly under the double cover of "undercover of undercover" and "prediction of prediction".
Even at this moment, surrounded by her own people and with Chiwu who was absolutely unable to escape, Tana did not reveal a single detail. She simply said calmly, "It was just some minor work, not worth mentioning."
Then she stood up and seemed ready to leave.
Chi Wu's whole body tensed up: "Where are you going?"
If it were other Zhou people coming and going, he would never ask about it, but Tana was different.
This is their leader. Although we don’t know exactly what he does, we can tell that he is someone who can make decisions.
If she moves, something big will happen.
Will you go after the barbarians?
Chi Wu wanted to stop her, but he didn't know whether it was because they had been together for the past few days that made him a little grateful, or because Tana had explained in detail and even used the scars of the grassland people to explain to him one by one the terrible things the barbarians had done outside. In short, Chi Wu's mouth now seemed to be stuck with glue and he couldn't open it.
Tana turned around and looked at him.
Perhaps in order to better hide her identity by wearing a hood, the woman's originally wavy long hair was braided and hung on her shoulders, making her look a lot gentler, with a smile on her face.
But there was no emotion in those eyes.
She looked at Chi Wu and said calmly, "You have asked three questions. However, since you are still young and have been very honest recently, I will give you one free if you buy three. I will tell you again. Since the princess feels that now is not the time to start a war, then I will naturally obey. We Zhou people are not barbarians and will not do evil on other people's land."
Chi Wu's face flushed red, and he grumbled for a long time before saying, "Thank you very much..."
Tana smiled and said, "You don't have to thank me. After all, my feelings towards the Barbarian Kingdom have never changed."
After saying that, she put on her hood and left the room.
The guard who had been following him whispered, "Captain of the Guards, what are we going to do?"
Tana paused slightly.
Then, a voice with ice chips rang out: "Revenge."
At this time, a force in the barbarian country was retreating step by step.
These are the remnants of General Wu.
In fact, after their immediate superior was killed by a dancer who appeared out of nowhere, they were left leaderless.
This leaderlessness became a literal meaning.
General Wu has always attached great importance to power. When selecting people for promotion, ability is not the first priority, but loyalty is. Therefore, after his death, those who can still hold high positions are basically stupid teammates.
They were trying to trick each other and were very active and enthusiastic in hindering each other.
They finally calmed down and the conclusion they reached was that saving their lives was the most important thing and they had to behave themselves, otherwise they would be strangled to death by the two princes.
But who could have imagined that just a few days ago, a shocking secret was revealed to them.
The old king passed away.
Moreover, they were the first to get the news!
At this time, the barbarian generals did not know that the other two princes had also received the same news, and they all thought that they were the first to get it and were the chosen ones.
Thus, the idea that had been abandoned began to resurface. The barbarian generals, who were brave but not wise, discussed it for less than an hour and came to a unified conclusion -
No matter what, just keep going and try your best!
Go to the palace to steal the house!
But who would have thought that when they really arrived at the place, they found that the two princes were also there.
For a moment, the three parties looked at each other in confusion, and the atmosphere was quite awkward.
And in times of crisis, the power of blood ties is fully demonstrated.
To put it simply, although the two princes wanted to bite each other to death, they were the old king's biological sons after all, and they were family no matter what. Even if they fought over the inheritance, it could only be regarded as an internal family conflict.
But who are these big and strong men?
Why do you interfere in our family affairs!
So, the two princes directly performed a face-changing show of "putting aside disputes and uniting against external enemies", turned their swords and rushed towards the remnants of General Wu!
They just wanted to steal something, but not only did they fail to steal it, they were hit head-on.
The most annoying thing is that I can’t beat...
So they turned around and ran, not even bothering to treat the wounded. Fortunately, they managed to escape from the barbarian capital under cover.
This means that they have moved away from the political center.
No matter which prince finally wins the throne, it has nothing to do with them.
The identity of the wanted criminal is confirmed.
In desperation, they could only flee.
By coincidence, or perhaps it was deliberately arranged, they learned that the grassland people were evacuating in large numbers to the Zhou Kingdom.
Isn't this like giving away a pillow when you're sleepy?
So they headed to the grassland in a mighty group, ready to look for new life on the vast grassland.
But among all the stupid teammates, there are still some smart ones.
Someone raised a concern: "Generals, the more I think about this, the more I feel something is amiss. From the very beginning, it feels like we've been led around by the nose. Whether it was going to the palace, being targeted later, or heading to the grasslands, every intelligence update was too timely. It's not as efficient as it should be."
In order to save the barbarians' face, he did not speak too directly.
If this sentence is translated into -
We usually do our work in a clumsy way, but suddenly we become so efficient and precise. This is simply not the style we barbarians should have!
It's so good it's unbelievable!
A general with a brown beard looked back at him, thought for a while, and then nodded and said, "What you said makes some sense." Then he called his men over and gave them a few words of advice.
The guards who originally made the suggestion thought that their general was going to change the route, but they did not expect that they did not leave the grassland, but continued to move forward.
This made the guards a little surprised: "Didn't the general say that what I said made sense?"
Brownbeard replied, "Yes, so this general has taken measures."
"What measures?"
"Reward the person who provided the information. I hope he will continue to work hard."
…???
Brownbeard looked into the distance, squinting his eyes slightly. "What is that? A stone?"
The people nearby also looked at it, somewhat uncertainly: "It looks like a huge rock, but I clearly remember that there are no huge rocks here."
Brownbeard looked down at his feet again. "Also, the grassland shouldn't be this color even in winter. Why does it look like it's been burned?"
"I don't know..."
“When does the grass usually burn?”
"When clearing land, or perhaps to prevent fires, they burn the grass in advance to stop the fire, but I've never heard of a fire starting on the grassland."
Seeing that his general had changed the subject, the guard became anxious, but just when he was about to say something, he suddenly heard some noise.
The sound is quiet and can easily be mistaken for the wind if you don't listen carefully.
But the barbarians may not be smart enough, but they have the intuition and insight of wild beasts.
Soon, Brownbeard grabbed the reins and raised his hand.
Everyone wanted to stop immediately.
But it was too late.
“Swish!”
Suddenly, trip ropes appeared on the ground. The horses were caught off guard and were entangled in them, neighing and falling to the ground.
Even the horses that were not tripped would instinctively raise their front legs to avoid being hit because they were frightened.
Brown Beard recognized at a glance that the lasso was from the Zhou Kingdom!
Only the Zhou people, who were proficient in craftsmanship, could make a rope like this so finely.
The thing that was originally mistaken for a huge rock also tore off the cloth and revealed its true form.
That is a high platform.
These days, besides building houses, the people on the grassland are doing this.
There were dozens of them, and now they were all pulled to the grassland.
Although they were not designed by Lang Yun, their only requirement for the platform was that it could support people, so there was no need for black technology. In addition, Zhou Guo was a place that produced skilled craftsmen, and the carpentry work was first-class. Therefore, even after a long journey and being dragged here overnight, these platforms did not show any damage at all, and they looked very sturdy at first glance.
The surfaces were carefully brushed with tung oil to prevent them from getting burned.
At this time, those lying on top were all carefully selected archers.
Behind them were plenty of sharp arrows and a bunch of things covered with black cloth.
It was vaguely piled up, and stacked very neatly, but at this time no one cared to figure out what it was.
Because the Zhou people had already put the sharp arrow on the bowstring, the tip of the arrow was shining coldly, pointing directly at the barbarians.
Then, the brown-bearded man was startled and immediately said, "The enemy is attacking! It's the Zhou people!"
But before he could finish his words, he heard bursts of sounds of breaking through the air.
Several rows of sharp arrows came through the air, giving them no chance to react, and shot towards everyone densely.
Brownbeard didn't even have time to check what the enemy looked like before he fell off his horse while trying to avoid the sharp arrows.
The grassland is vast and there is nowhere to hide.
It just so happened that the platform was just right, causing them to be at a low point while the opponent was at a high point, making it impossible to defend themselves.
But the barbarians will not sit idly by and wait for death.
After enduring a wave of attacks, Brownbeard gritted his teeth, stood up, and shouted to the barbarians behind him, "The Zhou people dare not show up. I'm afraid they don't have the courage to fight us. Follow me, charge forward, and we'll be…"
"Your Excellency is mistaken in what you said."
A clear female voice interrupted Brownbeard's voice.
He immediately looked in the direction of the sound and saw Tana slowly walking out from behind the wooden platform.
The matriarch had removed the hood of the cloak she wore when she was undercover in the barbarian country, but she was not wearing the clothes that the princess had specially chosen for her.
Instead, she put on the leather skirt and leather coat that she was most familiar with and most accustomed to wearing on the grassland.
Even though it was freezing cold, she still showed off her beautiful and strong calves. She had nothing on her arms except arm guards, her long hair was loose, and she wore a beautiful fur hat. She looked particularly wild and charming.
But the barbarian was in no mood to admire her beauty.
The moment Brownbeard saw her, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's you! You're the dancer who made General Wu...!"
Tana performed a grassland etiquette and said calmly, "Yes, it's me. I'm also the tribe's chief." She paused and said, "It's said that the tribe has hidden flaming oil."
In one sentence, the grudge between her and General Wu was explained.
But Brownbeard couldn't tell which tribe this man belonged to.
After all, all they need when they go to plunder is an excuse.
It doesn't matter whether the hidden substance is kerosene or soapberry powder.
Anyway, in the logic of the barbarians, whoever has the bigger fist will be obeyed.
I just didn't expect that times would change, offense and defense would switch, and the sheep would start biting people...
Brown Beard knew in his heart that they were likely to fall into the hands of this woman this time.
The last round of arrows injured at least one-fifth of their men.
However, when he knew that the other party was a grasslander, Brown Beard inexplicably developed some confidence.
It’s still that point of view after all.
People on the grassland are all sheep and will be eaten by wolves.
How can a wolf be afraid of a sheep?
So the brown-bearded man raised his head, sneered and wanted to say something harsh.
But Tana clearly didn't have that patience.
She had waited for too long. In the past few months, every time she closed her eyes, she saw flames rising into the sky and dreamed of shrill screams.
Those who have not experienced it have no idea of the pain of being bullied.
But the eldest princess taught her patience and also taught her to lie low.
The reason why it is called dormant is that one day it will be able to break out of the ground.
Now that it has come to this, Tana naturally does not have the leisure time to listen to the other party's nagging.
So, the matriarch said directly: "I came here to discuss a deal with you, my Lord."
Brownbeard was interrupted before he could even utter a word.
After holding his breath for a long time, he said in a muffled voice: "You say."
Tana said softly, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor. You slaughtered my people, so there must be some price to pay."
Upon hearing this, Brown Beard felt that the situation could still be turned around.
You can bargain now.
I guess there aren't too many people on the opposite side, and this round was all their offensive. Otherwise, they would have fought with them long ago. Why would they have to use their mouths to attack?
Brownbeard then became tough again: "Tell me what you want. I will consider it."
Tana glanced silently to both sides, then quickly looked away. She said calmly, "Before, you came to my tribe and plundered it wantonly because you thought we had stockpiled flaming oil, right?"
Brown Beard didn't hide anything and said directly, "Yes."
Tana looked up at him. "Someone once told me that when my enemies say they don't have anything, I'd better actually have something."
Brownbeard: "...What do you mean?"
Tana still smiled: "So I've figured out what I want to trade with you."
Without even waiting for Brownbeard to speak, Tana took two steps back.
Soon, everyone noticed that someone was standing in the front row.
What they held were not bows and arrows, but clay pots.
What is this for???
Then Tana said, "I'll give you the flaming oil you like. My people and I spent all our gold and silver to buy enough. Now I'll use it in exchange for your lives. Okay? This deal sounds like a good deal."
The barbarians were shocked.
Brown Beard finally understood. So the man who had been chattering to him endlessly was giving his companions time to prepare?
Also, flaming oil... flaming oil!
He finally figured it out, and the others also came to their senses.
Immediately, a panicked and shrill voice shouted, "Those cans...those cans contain kerosene!"
…
Run!
But the Zhou people moved faster than their voices.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
One by one, the jars were thrown out with the throwing device and broke among the barbarians.
Then there was a shower of fire from the sky...
At this moment, General Wu's men once again felt the fear of fire falling from the sky...
Brownbeard's pupils constricted as he watched the raging fire, completely stunned.
He didn't know whether it was out of fear or panic, but he could only shout: "How, how could a mere grasslander prepare these things!"
Tana stood on the high platform, her eyes fixed on the flames, and said softly:
"My Lord, times have changed."
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