After taking a relaxing bath, Zhao Shu fell asleep before her hair was even completely dry. She was exhausted from traveling these past few days.
Unbeknownst to her, two people had stayed up all night. One was squatting in the corner waiting for her to dry her hair so he could come out and talk to her, while the other was sitting on the roof keeping watch to make sure the one squatting in the corner didn't disturb her.
The next day, Wei Tingsi walked out looking refreshed. He was fine; as a martial artist, not sleeping all night had no effect on him. Huo Baichuan, however, was different. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked at Zhao Shu with a tired and resentful expression.
In early spring, she brought over a set of military uniform. "Princess, look at this color, it's so beautiful, it suits your status as a young master."
Zhao Shu recalled the phrase "singing and laughing wildly on the roadside" and her nickname when she dressed as a man, "Young Master of the Roadside." Her days in Guanzhou were indeed carefree and unrestrained.
"This is bad," Huo Baichuan said. The color of the armor was exactly the same as the one Wei Tingsi was wearing, and he found it very jarring.
Zhao Shu rolled her eyes at him, then said to Chu Chun, "Put it inside. Change it after breakfast." Today she needed to find out the situation and then find a way to contact Luo Hu.
She's been very busy these days. The King of Shu has rebelled again, and news can't get in or out at all. It seems the King of Shu has governed the Shu region very well; it's a tough place to conquer. It looks like there's going to be a tough battle.
Zhao Shu never imagined that she would one day be on the battlefield; it felt like a dream.
After exiting the moon gate, Xiao Guozi led the way without hesitation, and soon they arrived at the living room, where breakfast had already been laid out: small steamed buns, porridge, cold dishes, and soup. It wasn't a very lavish meal, but for a military camp, it was already quite good.
Zhao Shu sat down without saying a word, and then Wei Tingsi and Huo Baichuan sat down next to her. One of them gave her steamed buns, and the other served her soup.
When Zhao Shu accepted Wei Tingsi's steamed bun, Huo Baichuan became unhappy and handed the soup to Zhao Shu, staring at her with stubborn eyes. No one could be more childish than him.
"What's the enemy situation now?" Zhao Shu pretended not to see and then asked Wei Tingsi.
Wei Tingsi looked at him with deep affection and obvious satisfaction, saying, "There is a prince in Xiliang. Prince Jing sent someone with a letter requesting negotiations."
King Jing requested negotiations? Zhao Shu suspected a trap. King Jing was a very ambitious man and would never think of sharing the world equally with anyone.
"Which prince has been arrested?" This bunch of good-for-nothing fools—Emperor Mingde sent them here to clear their names, not to cause trouble.
It must have been an internal power struggle, and someone got framed. What an idiot!
"The Fourth Prince."
Zhao Shu's eyes lit up. Zhao Bi really did have some ability. "When did this happen?"
"Before you left the capital." It seems he had already seen through my plans and hid in the enemy camp early on. No wonder he is Zhao Bi. No wonder Yi De chose to cooperate with him.
In her previous life, Yi De was not forced to come back to life, and Zhao Shu did not even know that she had ever existed. In this life, Yi De was forced to come back to life, and Zhao Bi also knew that the situation was serious.
“Since he has entered the enemy camp, then let him die a heroic death,” Huo Baichuan said. He understood Zhao Bi’s plan. The news from the capital may not have reached him, or it may have. But as clever as he was, he guessed that Jiecao was dead and Zhen Qizhong must have fallen into Zhao Shu’s hands when Yide entered the capital alone.
And then there's Ouyang Bufan. These are all pieces of evidence against him. Whether he's worried about Emperor Mingde punishing him or about Zhao Shu and the others not letting him go, hiding in the enemy camp is the safest course of action.
"No, we can't let him die in Xiliang." Zhao Shu immediately retorted. She had made arrangements for Zhao Bi. In her previous life, this man replaced the crown prince as emperor and exiled her father. If she didn't avenge this, how could she still have the face to be a daughter?
However, a simple death is never the best way to get revenge. She must make those who harmed the Yongwang Mansion die infamous and notorious, so that even thousands of years later, future generations can still smell the stench of their filth!
Huo Baichuan frowned. He saw the fierceness in Zhao Shu's eyes again. It was very strong, like the dark clouds in the sky before rain, which made people feel cold.
"What do you want to do with him?" he asked.
Wei Tingsi didn't ask. It wasn't that he couldn't see the anger in Zhao Shu's eyes; he just felt that anger should be vented. He was willing to stand behind her and be her support. If she set sail, he would protect her; if she galloped, he would stand firmly beside her so that she would never fall.
"Let him continue to contribute and pave the way for others."
His tone was chilling; even on a hot summer day, hearing his words sent a shiver down one's spine.
Both of them understood what Zhao Shu meant: she wanted to use Zhao Bi to pave the way for the crown prince and make him the villain.
The method is excellent, and no one has any objections.
After having breakfast, Zhao Shu changed into her armor. When she came out of the moon gate, she saw that Huo Baichuan was also wearing one, in the same silver color scheme, which showed how childish he was.
Wei Tingsi's icy aura was so strong it seemed capable of freezing a cow to death. His subordinates would resolutely steer clear of him unless absolutely necessary, and no one dared to approach within a kilometer.
Xiao Guozi and Chu Chun both felt that Marshal Wei was really too cold, colder than the ice of winter.
Zhao Shu was helpless. She wanted to get rid of Huo Baichuan, but she knew she couldn't just kick him out. "Let's go."
The generals under Wei Tingsi all lived in the Prince of Yan's mansion, which they had turned into a camp. A terrain model was placed in the Prince of Yan's study. It took about 15 minutes to walk to the Prince of Yan's study. The three of them arrived, and everyone else had arrived as well.
"Greetings, General, Lord Huo, Princess." The soldiers saluted, their rough voices inexplicably stirring Zhao Shu's blood, her heroic spirit rising higher and higher, wishing she could grab a long spear and gallop across the battlefield.
Wei Tingsi nodded without saying anything and led Zhao Shu directly to the terrain sand table. “There are three passes to be extra careful on the way to Xiliang. This is a narrow pass, which is suitable for an ambush. Prince Jing does have troops there. After the narrow pass, there is a canyon with a very rapid river below. The only place to cross the river is guarded by soldiers, and the terrain is high, making it difficult to cross. After the canyon, there is a basin surrounded by mountains and dense forests.”
After talking about Xiliang, he then spoke of Shu, saying, "There are eight roads that can be taken to Shu, and each one is very dangerous. After the King of Shu rebelled, he blocked seven of them, leaving only one passable." He pointed to a cliff, "The road here is narrow and difficult to climb. The King of Shu sent people to pour oil on it, and he will set it on fire when he goes up."
Not all oils can be ignited with just a little bit, Zhao Shu thought, but the King of Shu wouldn't be so stupid as to use lard.
There was also a map on the table. Maps from this era were not very detailed or accurate, but they could roughly depict the terrain and location. Zhao Shu glanced at it a few times and said, "Xiliang borders the Xiongnu."
"Although there is currently no evidence to prove that King Jing colluded with the Xiongnu, his warhorses are all so fine that they are the envy of many." Wang Jiyang walked in from outside, greeted Zhao Shu with a smile, and exchanged greetings with Huo Baichuan. He continued, "And Shu borders Zhuzhou."
Upon seeing Wang Jiyang, the first thought that echoed in Zhao Shu's mind was, "So, don't other places need guards?" Everyone's gaze fell on Huo Baichuan, who was so angry that his face turned pale. In contrast, Wei Tingsi actually smiled in front of his subordinates, something that was unprecedented for him.
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