"If Brother Qiao were a woman, she would definitely be a virtuous wife and loving mother, haha!"
"What you're saying is true! If Brother Qiao is a man, he's a hero!"
"Brother Qiao is a true man. I heard that he was the one who devised the plan to capture Dongluan City without breaking a sweat. His method was truly brilliant!"
"Hey, did Brother Pan and Brother Qiao know each other before? I heard that Brother Qiao originally refused to sleep with others, but when he saw it was Brother Pan, he nodded like a dog pounding medicine!"
The crowd chattered amongst themselves, but there was no malice in it. After all, Qiao Zhen and Pan Zhao were now favorites of General Ge, and only a fool would oppose them.
When Pan Zhao heard them praising Qiao Zhen as a virtuous wife and loving mother, and as a hero, he proudly straightened his back and chest, "That's right, my wife..."
Qiao Zhen quickly stuffed a crumpled piece of white gauze into Pan Zhao's mouth, giving him a subtle warning look. "Who are you? You're my stepbrother."
"No wonder, so you two are brothers. Your parents must be quite remarkable to raise a young man like Brother Qiao. Judging from your accents, you're from Hong Kong, right? Hello, I'm Zha Zha Kai."
Without blushing or skipping a beat, Qiao Zhen lied, "No, that's not true. Pan Zhao and I just went to Hong Kong and picked up some accents. He can't quite get used to them."
The group barbecued meat and drank wine, and it wasn't until evening that they returned to the camp arm in arm.
"Brother Qiao, the general wants you to come to his tent tonight if you have time."
This time, the person who came to inform Qiao was truly a strategist.
"I'll take a shower and then go." Qiao Zhen darted out and followed Pan Zhao to the lakeside. She found a secluded spot, had Pan Zhao watch over her, and then took a shower without any more anxiety.
She quickly washed off the sweat and rubbed off several pounds of mud before slowly climbing ashore, wrapping herself in a cloth, and putting on her clothes. "I'm all better now."
When Pan Zhao took Qiao Zhen back, they ran into a group of rough men who had come to bathe in the lake. They were all wearing only shorts, revealing their strong and powerful muscles.
Qiao Zhen's eyes lit up; a bunch of hunky men! It was practically a paradise for lustful women. But then everything went black, and Qiao Zhen, still wanting to take a few more glances, reached out her large hands.
Pan Zhao simply hoisted her onto his shoulder and carried her back, patting Qiao Zhen's buttocks lightly with his large hand. "If you want to see, I'll let you see as much as you want when we get back!"
Qiao Zhen didn't need to look at Pan Zhao's face to know that he looked terrible, and his face was so dark it was almost black. Shamelessly, she reached out from behind Pan Zhao and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Don't do that. You're meant to be hugged. Those people are just for looking at, and none of them are as interesting as you."
Pan Zhao's expression softened somewhat, and he put Qiao Zhen down in the area of the elite soldiers' tents. "Weren't you going to see the general? Go quickly!"
"Mmm-hmm." Qiao Zhen trotted into General Ge's tent. "Greetings, General."
When General Ge saw Qiao Zhen arrive, he handed her a note and said, “Take a look. Dongluan City is easy to attack but difficult to defend. General Yan has already brought troops from the west. What should we do if they use your method?”
Qiao Zhen looked at the few words on the note—Yan Jun is heading west. "No need to worry, let's go with them."
General Ge and his strategist exchanged glances, then asked, "Why? If it's like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, wouldn't that benefit them?"
Qiao Zhen shook his head slightly. "The premise is that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. The mantis, cicada, and oriole are three forces. Now we are the mantis, Dongluan City is the cicada, and Yan Jun is the oriole. On a larger scale, Yuanping Kingdom is the mantis, Dongluan City is the cicada, and if Yan Jun dares to be the oriole, then he is not the mantis and belongs to breaking away from Yuanping Kingdom. He would have to ask the Mantis King for his consent."
General Ge stared intently at Qiao Zhen, his voice deep, "Continue."
"What I can think of, General Yan can naturally think of as well. His westward advance is mostly just for show. If you send troops to defend against Yan's army, you will be forced to break away from the Mantis's forces, and you will be the one caught in a dilemma."
The strategist replied bluntly, "I don't understand."
Qiao Zhen's voice, which had been strained with caution, suddenly dropped. "Just think of it this way: what's most important for a country when attacking an enemy city? It's unity. Whether you attack or defend against Yan Jun, you might break that unity. The Emperor will definitely be unhappy to hear this news. The best way now is to open the city gates to welcome them when they arrive. Then, Yan Jun can't shamelessly say that they captured Dongluan City, can they?"
General Ge nodded as if he understood, "In that case, let's open the city gates and welcome them."
Qiao Zhen finally understood why Pan Zhao had been won over by the Yan family: it was because General Ge, the Yan family's enemy, was too incompetent; even a three-year-old would know who to choose. "General, a brain is a good thing; I hope you and the strategist both have one."
General Ge coughed lightly, "How would I know that old man Yan had so many tricks up his sleeve? Report this to others, and we'll have a banquet to celebrate our military achievements tomorrow night."
"Yes." Qiao Zhen turned and left the tent.
The reason why the Emperor of Yuanping could allow General Ge, a simple-minded man, to rise to power was mostly because he was loyal and easy to control. In contrast to General Ge, General Yan seemed to be much more cunning.
Qiao Zhen turned back and asked, "General, may I borrow a few books on military strategy to study?"
Her main intention was to mock the intelligence of the world.
General Ge handed the two military books beside his arm to Qiao Zhen, saying, "I have read both of these books and even made my own mark on them."
Qiao Zhen informed everyone about the banquet tomorrow, then nestled in her tent reading military strategy books while complaining to Pan Zhao, "Look, this strategy is not bad, but if we only defend and don't attack, they'll surrender anyway once their supplies run out. Why not roll big rocks down the mountain and crush them?"
She was looking at a book on military strategy, and Pan Zhao looked down at her head. He was also a little puzzled as to why his wife had suddenly become so intelligent in this life. So he closed the book and asked seriously, "How come you've suddenly become so smart?"
Qiao Zhen's fingertips twirled the edge of the paper. Because Pan Zhao was still as good to her as ever, she often forgot that Pan Zhao was a reincarnated person. She stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her lips. "A person has three lives. One is when they are born, one is after they get married, and the other is when they realize they have done something wrong. I have lived three lives. I have no more lives left, so I dare not make any more mistakes."
Pan Zhao didn't say whether he believed her or not. He scratched the back of his head with his rough hand, clearly not understanding Qiao Zhen's words. When facing his wife, Pan Zhao's mind was always a mess. If he was clear-headed, he would pretend that his mind was a mess. You could say he spoiled his wife excessively.
Seeing that there was no one else in the tent besides her and Pan Zhao, Qiao Zhen cupped Pan Zhao's face and kissed him. "I will resign when we return to the capital and become an embroiderer. You go to fight and I will wait for you."
Pan Zhao's bronze skin appeared even darker, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "Okay."
Qiao Zhen watched as he continued to perch on his lap, flipping through military strategy books. In the Yuanping Kingdom, there was a King of Constant War, who was the current emperor's uncle. He was a man who repeatedly suffered defeats but never gave up. Based on the safety of his army, he attacked the border cities of neighboring countries several times. In the end, the neighboring country got fed up and gave him two very poor border cities.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
