Chapter 998 Zuo Gong's Suspicious Tomb
Shang Ruyi asked, "Where did he get so much money?"
Green Silk said with a half-smile, "How would I know?"
"..."
"The Zuo family has been officials for generations, so they must have some wealth. Moreover, they are not ordinary official families. Even Xiao Lang greatly admired the imposing manner that Master Zuo displayed in the court back then."
Shang Ruyi said, "That's true."
She smiled, seemingly not intending to continue the conversation, and took the plate of pastries that Wo Xue brought her again, eating them in small bites. Just then, a breeze blew by, and the fragrance of grass on her face made her feel quite refreshed.
But Green Silk didn't eat anything. Instead, she turned around and stared at Shang Ruyi for a while before suddenly saying, "You wouldn't happen to be interested in the suspected tomb of Lord Zuo, would you?"
Mentioning those four words again made Shang Ruyi feel somewhat dazed.
But when she looked up, her eyes were clear, with only a slight surprise: "Miss Green Silk also knows about this?"
Green Silk looked at her with a half-smile: "After Wang Shaoji captured me, he asked me this question indirectly more than once."
"……oh."
Shang Ruyi smiled sheepishly. She didn't really think she could hide her thoughts from the perceptive Lüxiao, but being seen through was still somewhat embarrassing. However, she was thick-skinned, and after laughing, she said as if nothing had happened, "So, did he find out anything?"
Green Silk said, "If he had asked me that, I wouldn't be alive today."
Shang Ruyi nodded: "That's true."
The two fell silent and stopped talking. After finishing their food and resting for a while, they got back into the carriage and continued their journey. However, they could not know how far the wind had carried their words.
Three days later, several generals of the Western Turks entered the royal tent again to request permission to fight.
These men were Ashina Zhuxie's trusted confidants before he ascended the throne. After becoming Khan, he naturally purged the Turkic court, eliminating all the forces left behind by Ashina Shali, and then promoted these men to be his key ministers. However, since they were his trusted confidants, they were puzzled by his delay. They were clearly less than twenty miles from Xia Prefecture. Although a large army had previously besieged Xia Prefecture, even to the point of exhaustion, the remaining people of Xia Prefecture were all tough guys who refused to surrender and had been fighting until now.
Shouldn't we seize this opportunity and charge in?
He said he wanted to see what new tricks Princess Qiancheng had up her sleeve. Did he mean they could only make a move after the other party used a trick?
The generals grew increasingly agitated as they spoke, one of them even becoming red-eyed with anxiety: "Khan, speed is of the essence in war!"
This was a military strategy used by the Han people, which Ashina Zhuye was familiar with. However, he remained seated on the Khan's throne, slowly raising his head to glance at the eager eyes and faces, and said, "In the past two years, I have asked you to read more books by the Han people, especially military books. It seems that you have taken my advice to heart."
It was Ye Hu Ge Li who uttered the phrase "speed is of the essence in war," and he hurriedly asked, "Am I wrong?"
Ashina Zhuxie said, "No, that's right."
"If I am right, why hasn't the Khan sent troops yet?"
"..."
What good would it do us to stay here?
Ashina Zhuxie said, "You have read the military books of the Han people and know that speed is of the essence in war. But do you know that there is another strategy in the military books of the Han people called 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind'?"
Goli immediately frowned: "What do you mean?"
Ashina Zhuxie took out a letter from his bosom, the same one he had received a few days ago in Lei Yu's tent, and handed it to Geli, saying, "I knew Aunt Qiancheng wouldn't admit defeat so easily, much less let us take Xiazhou so easily."
As he spoke, the others had already opened the letter and read it through. Ge Li said, "Princess Qiancheng has requested reinforcements from Dasheng?"
"Um."
"What the Khan just said—"
"Although we have sent an army several times larger than the enemy to besiege Xiazhou, we have been unable to capture it after a long siege, and our army is exhausted."
Goli immediately said, "That's why we urged the Khan to go to Xia Prefecture as soon as possible."
Ashina Zhuxie said, "What if we go there, and the Eastern Turkic forces arrive as well?"
Goli immediately said, "What are those cowards from the East Turkestan? If they dare to come, we'll kill them one by one, and if they come, we'll kill them both!"
The other generals nodded in agreement; they had never been afraid of the Eastern Turks.
Ashina Zhuxie said, "That's right. Even if they come, we can fight them. No one will be afraid. But what if we are both exhausted when the Great Sheng's forces arrive?"
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
Ashina Zhuxie said, "This is the story of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it."
"..."
"Xia Prefecture is indeed important, but we must also be wary of letting Da Sheng profit from it, otherwise there will be endless troubles."
The generals exchanged glances. Although they understood Ashina Zhuxie's concerns, with such a tempting offer, who could resist taking a bite? Geli hesitated and said, "Will Yuwen Yuan really send troops to interfere in our affairs? Their so-called 'Dragon's Rise' isn't far from Xia Prefecture. If they really wanted to send reinforcements, they should have arrived long ago. But the Khan's letter says that Princess Qiancheng has sent at least three letters requesting help, and no one has come yet. I'm afraid they won't send anyone."
Ashina Zhuxie shook his head: "Taiyuan has been severely weakened after the previous battle. It would be good enough if their troops could hold on. Naturally, they wouldn't send troops from Taiyuan."
"That is—"
"I'm afraid they'll have to send reinforcements from their capital, Kyoto."
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled again: "Then who is leading the troops? Is it Yuwen Qian or Yuwen Ye?"
To the people of the Western Turks, the mere utterance of these two names carried the imposing weight of a thousand armies, sending a chill down their spines.
After all, Yuwen Qian, the crown prince of the Great Sheng Dynasty, once blocked Ashina Zhuxie's heavy cavalry in Shouyang. Although Yuwen Ye had never fought them head-on, he had fought many scattered battles in the past, and many Turkic soldiers could still remember the heroic figure of this young master from Taiyuan on horseback.
No matter who comes, it will likely be a fierce battle.
Just as everyone felt a chill in the summer heat, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the royal tent. Then, a soldier walked in and saluted Ashina Zhuxie: "Khan."
Ashina Zhuxie raised his head: "What is it?"
The soldier said, "An envoy has been sent from Luoyang to request an audience with the Khan."
"An envoy from Luoyang?"
Ashina Zhuxie's wolf eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing in them, and he waved his hand, saying, "Please."
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