Wang Yanzhou signaled him that such formalities were unnecessary. Seeing Wang Nianqing wanted to speak, he gave him a look. Wang Nianqing said, "There's no need to be so pessimistic. Isn't it already certain that Tianshu Tower will lose this battle? Perhaps we're just overthinking it."
The soldier disguised as Xie Zhuangshui immediately analyzed, "Since he was already doomed to fail, there was absolutely no need for him to initiate action. With so many people, even if they only had one steamed bun for three meals a day, it would still be a considerable expense. With such a huge expenditure of financial and material resources, I don't think it was just a momentary miscalculation on his part."
Wang Yanzhou said that what they said made sense, as they were all possible scenarios. When everything was uncertain, they could only defend themselves and attack. "Whether it was a trick or a coincidence, we must not let our guard down easily. As the saying goes, pride goes before a fall. While morale is important, we must not be careless and underestimate the enemy, lest we walk into their trap without even realizing it."
"yes."
After the discussion on this topic was almost over, Wang Yanzhou then asked, "Nianqing, does the Qilin Guard know the whereabouts of Xiahou Chun?"
Wang Nianqing replied, "The Qilin Guards searched the Tianshu Tower's tents inside and out, and also searched the surrounding areas for possible hiding places, but they couldn't find any trace of Xiahou Jun. It was as if he had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth in an instant."
Lin Feng, the head cook who had somehow managed to infiltrate the place, analyzed, "Since Xiahou Qing values him so highly, Xiahou Chun's identity is practically certain to be revealed. If we can find him and capture him now, it would be a significant help."
Shi Zairong nodded slightly and asked, "So what does Qingliang Valley plan to do next?"
Wang Yanzhou replied thoughtfully, "Let's wait and see what Xiahou Qing is planning to do, and then we can counter his moves."
After saying that, Shi Zairong couldn't help but glance at the masked man beside him. After being glared at by the pair of stern eyes behind the mask, he coughed twice to clear his throat and said, "Ahem, there's something I've forgotten to ask. Have you notified the Khan of Beimo Hudu to come to your aid?"
Wang Nianqing, who was in charge of this matter, stood up and replied, "Reporting to the Grand Tutor, a message was sent out before we were ready to set off. The Northern Desert cavalry was originally gathering at the border of Liang State. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be here soon."
Shi Zairong was stunned for a moment and said, "I hope so."
His expression made Wang Yanzhou somewhat concerned. Such a skeptical attitude showed his distrust of Beimo and Hudu. Where did this distrust come from? Was it intuition or evidence? "From the tone of the Grand Tutor, do you think Beimo will not come as previously agreed?"
"That's not the case. They will surely come, but whether they will lend a hand or just sit back and reap the benefits is still unknown." However, Shi Zairong's worry was just his personal guess for the time being. What Beimo would actually do would only be revealed after the people from Hudu arrived.
Shi Zairong's seemingly feeble explanation suddenly sparked a thought in Wang Yanzhou's mind: "Grand Master's words have given me a wake-up call. Xiahou Qing is so unscrupulous right now. Could it be that he has reached some hidden agreement with Beimo? Can we speculate that Beimo may be Xiahou Qing's hidden trump card?"
After thinking for a moment, everyone nodded in agreement: "This is not impossible."
Shi Zairong said that although it was just a guess, if his words unfortunately came true, "if it is true, then things will be troublesome."
As for the alliance between Liang State and Beimo, Xiao Liang also studied it after confirming the cooperation. The conditions given by Liang State will definitely not let Beimo suffer any loss. Moreover, they also have a princess Shangguan Bing'er who is married to Hudu Khan. It is said that she is in love with him and is even pregnant. Considering the safety of the princess and the child, Beimo may not do such a thing.
"Logically speaking, that shouldn't happen. Beimo still has Shangguan Bing'er who can mediate. If Shangguan Bing'er knew about this, she would definitely not agree. Although the Beimo Princess doesn't have much real power, it's impossible for Hu to ignore her opinion."
Wang Nianqing had no idea what Shangguan Bing'er's situation was like. Perhaps because she had long relied on the Qilin Guard and capable informants to gather intelligence, Wang Nianqing sometimes felt like she wanted to have a pair of eyes around everyone. "We're short on manpower, and we haven't found the right people in many places. Right now, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."
...In the period before Tianshu Tower signaled the start of war with Qingliang Valley, Shangguan Bing'er's face had grown increasingly grim since she visited Princess Mingzhu, who, like herself, was pregnant. It wasn't that Princess Mingzhu's noble status embarrassed her. Although she was a princess, Mingzhu was merely the daughter of a tribe in the Northern Desert. Her status alone was no match for her, a princess personally appointed by the Emperor of Daliang. What concerned her was the seemingly true and false news she'd heard from Mingzhu.
Seeing that Shangguan Bing'er had been depressed and unhappy since she came back from Princess Mingzhu's courtyard, Linglong couldn't help but feel a little worried, especially when she saw that she almost didn't eat or drink, didn't rest much, and just sat there blankly thinking about things.
After Linglong cleared the cold dishes from the table, she personally cooked some porridge and tonics and brought them over: "Miss, you haven't eaten anything for a whole day and night. You can bear it, but the baby in your belly can't. For the sake of the child, please eat a little."
Speaking of children, Shangguan Bing'er lowered her head slightly, gently stroked her bulging belly, and said weakly: "Linglong, tell me, was I wrong from the beginning?"
Linglong said softly, "Miss, don't let your imagination run wild. Princess Mingzhu was just talking nonsense. When Khan returns, I will tell him that Princess Mingzhu, relying on her pregnancy, was so disrespectful to you and didn't know the difference between high and low."
Shangguan Bing'er smiled bitterly and shook her head. "That's why she has no reason to deceive me. If Hu Duo really betrays me, how will I, who grew up in Liang State, cope with this? How will I explain to my child that his father is such an unkind and unjust person?"
Linglong said that the more she talked, the more Shangguan Bing'er would think about it. No matter what, she should coax her into eating something first. "Miss, don't dwell on it. It's just the words of a shrew. Don't trust them. Just listen to them casually. People like this and similar things were nothing new to us back in the mansion. It all comes down to vying for favor."
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