Dongsheng opened his mouth, paused, and then whispered, "The court cut the Yanbei Army's pay, then deliberately sent people to cause unrest within the Yanbei Army and spark public outrage. This was simply to shake the army's morale and stir up trouble, so as to take advantage of the opportunity to reduce the Yanbei Army's combat effectiveness. The Yanbei Army has always been a concern for the court, and the Yan family believes that after more than a decade of management, the situation in the court has stabilized, and the time is ripe to weaken the Xiao family."
Xiao Jingxi smiled and caressed the rim of the blue and white tea bowl nonchalantly: "If I remember correctly, your master's surname is Li?"
Dongsheng nodded without changing his expression. "You are right, young master. Your master's surname is Li, not Yan. Besides, your master wants to stay alive. If the Yanbei Army is defeated by the court controlled by the Yan family, your master will be the first to suffer. Therefore, I want the Yanbei Army to be strong more than anyone else."
Xiao Jingxi had an ambiguous smile on his face, and his voice was low and beautiful: "Who told your master to say this?"
Dongsheng lowered his head and said nothing.
Xiao Jingxi didn't care. He smiled and said gently, "Since ancient times, if the emperor wants his subjects to die, they have to die. Otherwise, your master wouldn't have fled to Yanbei back then. If the court wants to reduce the army, Yanbei will have no choice but to comply with the emperor's wishes."
Dongsheng naturally didn't believe a word Xiao Jingxi said, so he said in a deep voice, "But a general is not subject to military orders while on the battlefield. Does Yanbei want to repeat the catastrophe of decades ago? Although I am not talented, I know that although the Liao people were driven out of Yanbei by the Yanbei Army for decades, they are still lurking around and constantly thinking of making a comeback. And the Dangxiang people are disturbing the people on the northwest border. If the Yanbei Army is not there to guard Yanbei, what will happen to the people of Yanbei? Will they linger under the Liao people's cavalry as they did in the past, living a life worse than pigs and dogs? Therefore, the Yanbei Army cannot be defeated, and it must not retreat."
Xiao Jingxi then turned his attention to Dongsheng, looked at him seriously for a few seconds, and suddenly smiled and said, "Then what method do you have to resolve the imperial court's military reduction order against Yanbei?"
Upon hearing this, Dongsheng glanced at Si Tonghe who was standing next to Xiao Jingxi.
Tong He didn't wait for Xiao Jingxi's order, he lowered his head and retreated, closing the door.
Xiao Jingxi looked at Dongsheng gently, smiling and waiting for him to go down.
Dongsheng said: "Master likes to listen to opera, so we can sing a few lines. I remember there was a piece of opera that sang the story of 'Repairing the plank road in the open and crossing Chencang in secret'"
Xiao Jingxi sat at the top, his deep eyes flashed slightly, but he said nothing.
"I know that the current Ningxia General Wu Xiaohe is the brother-in-law of the King of Yanbei. When the old King of Yanbei arranged for the princess to marry into the Wu family, perhaps he also intended for the Xiao and Wu families to help each other in times of crisis. Therefore, if the court ever orders a military reduction, the most likely thing the Yanbei Palace will do is to find a way to transfer some of the Yanbei army to Ningxia. This will distract the court's attention and preserve the Yanbei army's strength."
Xiao Jingxi's eyes flickered with surprise when he heard this. This was a move made by the late King Yanbei when he was still alive. Although he didn't agree with it, his father did agree.
But how did the person in front of me guess it?
When Prince Xian was exiled to Yanbei, everyone around him had been thoroughly investigated by the Yanbei Palace. Therefore, Xiao Jingxi knew that the troupe maintained by Prince Xian was actually a hidden gem.
However, because Prince Xian had no conflict of interest with the Yanbei Palace, and those people couldn't cause any major disturbances, the Yanbei Palace turned a blind eye. Furthermore, his grandfather believed that Prince Xian's presence in Yanbei might be of use to them in the future.
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