When Shen Yuanling came back, Jiaojiao had already fallen asleep in Xiao Qianyue's arms.

Xiao Qianyue was swift and resolute just now, but now she is holding Jiaojiao with a gentle look on her face, like a different person.

Qiao Tianjing went to clean up the mess and just came back now.

From a rough look, Mo Yonglin brought a total of one thousand people this time. Many of them were killed by Qiao's army in the dark night, and most of them died in the melee later. The rest who gave up resistance were taken as prisoners and brought back to Beiding City.

Seeing Shen Yuanling sitting alone, Qiao Tianjing sat down next to Shen Yuanling very naturally and glanced at him casually.

Shen Yuanling lowered his brows, looking relatively calm.

Qiao Tianjing smiled knowingly upon seeing this and patted Shen Yuanling on the shoulder.

"Go to bed early, we have to leave early tomorrow morning."

No one else can help you at this stage, you can only cross the river by yourself. If you think clearly, you will thoroughly understand yourself.

As Qiao Tianjing spoke, he leaned back, leaned against the canyon wall and closed his eyes.

Shen Yuanling nodded silently, then closed his eyes and rested.

He thought he would not be able to fall asleep, but unexpectedly, he fell asleep in just a few breaths.

In his dream, he returned to the past, when his second brother had not yet revealed his ambition. Although his elder brother was not the favorite of his father, his position as crown prince was stable. His third brother was still in poor health, and he was still not liked by his father.

On the Double Ninth Festival, after the family dinner, the brother gathered them together.

In the pavilion of the Imperial Garden, the four brothers sat together and chatted casually, while the eldest and second sisters were brewing tea and chatting nearby.

The third brother was blown by the wind and suddenly coughed a few times. They hurried forward to check.

He was still a child, and in his haste he jumped off the stool and hit the tea tray.

“Crackle—”

The teacups and teacups on the tea tray were broken into pieces all over the floor, and he was so frightened that he stood still.

At this time, the second brother who was closest leaned over and pulled him away.

The elder brother had already walked towards the third brother, but when he heard the sound, he hurriedly turned around to look at him. The eldest sister and the second sister also screamed in fright, and the pavilion suddenly became chaotic.

That was the only time he could remember his brothers and sisters being together in private.

Although that day was very busy, it became a precious memory in his heart, full of voices, full of fireworks, and full of reunion.

After all, things have changed and people have changed...

At dawn the next day, the northbound team headed towards Beiding City openly under the escort of two thousand Yong troops.

————

In the upper reaches of the Wuding River, a thousand Northern Army soldiers sent by Mo Qiandai to Wuding City to inquire about the situation had been besieged by Qiao Diyi for two days and three nights.

Qiao Diyi did not treat them badly. He gave them water and dry food. After all, this group of people were very useful. If they were too hungry and were killed by the people sent by Mo Qiandai, then the plan would fail.

However, these Northern troops did not appreciate it. Firstly, they were too proud to lose face, and secondly, they were afraid that Qiao Diyi would poison them.

When they were thirsty, they drank dew and river water; when they were hungry, they just endured it.

Captain Xiang Wenqiu was in great torment. Qiao Diyi had not done anything to them in the past two days, which made Xiang Wenqiu feel even more frightened.

They, the Northern Army, are all proud to follow General Mo. After all, General Mo is the bravest general in the North.

If General Mo really treated them like grass as Qiao Diyi said, then wouldn't these enthusiastic soldiers be very sad?

Seeing that Xiang Wenqiu was still holding on, Qiao Diyi simply sat down on the ground in front of him and said calmly:

"Xiang, I will let you go this afternoon. As for exploring Wuding City, I have already sent people to pretend that you are going to Wuding City. I believe Mo Qiandai has also received the news."

"Are you really not going to take your brothers to eat something? They've been hungry for two days and three nights, and their legs must be shaking, right?"

"If you run into an ambush like this, you'll definitely die! Look, there's really no poison!"

Qiao Diyi grabbed a piece of bread from the dry food prepared on the side and started chewing it in big mouthfuls in front of the Northern Army.

"Even if your surname is Xiang, you are a righteous man and a stubborn person, but you can't stop others from eating. Everyone has a mother or wife at home who is waiting for them to come back day and night!"

Qiao Diyi frowned, turned around, grabbed another piece of cake and started eating.

The Northern Army were really hungry at this moment, especially since Qiao Diyi talked about the ambush in a very serious manner. They were at a loss and looked at Xiang Wenqiu.

Xiang Wenqiu looked very ugly.

The Northern Army was divided into four camps and stationed on all sides of Jiaocheng. He was a well-known figure in the Southern Camp and had a good reputation among his comrades.

Due to his outstanding performance in recent years, Deputy General Chang even revealed to him that General Mo intended to promote him to the rank of commander of ten thousand men.

From a captain of a thousand men to a captain of ten thousand men, it is not just a matter of having more soldiers under your command; it is a qualitative leap.

Xiang Wenqiu was born into a commoner family. There was a captain of a thousand men in the South Camp who did not get along well with him, but he was the second son of the famous Lu family in Kyoto. Everyone said that he was the designated captain of ten thousand men.

Therefore, when he learned of the general's intention, he was immediately overjoyed. When the deputy general gave him a secret order to visit Wuding at night, he accepted it with great confidence.

He originally thought that this trip would help his brothers to achieve success, but now that he thinks about it carefully, he feels that he has blocked Lucius's way and is going to be eliminated?

What about the thousand brothers under him? They have followed him for so many years and are as close to him as brothers!

Xiang Wenqiu clenched his hands tightly, feeling an indescribable chill in his heart.

He turned his head and looked around. All his brothers were starving, but they still adhered to his orders and did not complain.

Thinking of this, Xiang Wenqi's expression changed several times, and suddenly he reached out and grabbed a piece of dry food.

If it is poisonous, let him test it on himself first for his brothers!

Xiang Wenqi took big bites of the bread. After it entered his stomach, he felt the hunger surging up and becoming unbearable.

He quickly swallowed the whole pancake and waited for half a quarter of an hour without feeling anything unusual.

When Qiao Diyi saw this, a strange light flashed in his eyes, and he finally softened this hard bone a little!

He grinned at the Northern Army, "Why are you still standing there? You thousand-man captains have eaten, it's fine!"

Everyone looked at Xiang Wenqiu again. There was bitterness in Xiang Wenqiu's eyes, but he still nodded.

Upon seeing this, the Northern Army swarmed over and wolfed down the food, they were really starving.

Seeing that everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Qiao Diyi glanced at the sky and nodded secretly.

He stood up and said to Xiang Wenqiu: "Okay, it's time to let you go. Don't forget what I said, there is an ambush waiting for you ahead."

"If you have nowhere to go, just run back. I'll be waiting for you here!"

Xiang Wenqi stood up hesitantly, and the rest of the Northern Army were even more skeptical.

At this time, Qiao Diyi waved his hand, and all the Yong soldiers around him retreated.

Xiang Wenqi looked at Qiao Diyi deeply, and then took the lead to cross the Wuding River. Seeing this, the others followed behind, and Qiao Diyi actually let them go.

The Northern Army found it hard to believe that they had escaped so easily. They passed through the birch forest and discovered that all the horses tied there were still there.

Xiang Wenqiu became even more worried upon seeing this, and waved to everyone with a sullen expression.

"Get on the horse! Go back to the city!"

————

————

The author's thoughts:

Since I wrote this article, the word "whitewashing" has been used throughout the comments section. Readers have the right to speak, and I welcome everyone to speak freely, but as the author, I also want to emphasize my point of view:

I don't know how you define "evil". Can a person be so mad and cruel for no reason? There may be such people, but I think that the character and choices of a person are closely related to his or her personal experience.

I used to write fantasy stories about cultivating immortals, which is a completely different genre from what I write now. My writing was very immature and not everyone’s cup of tea. Please don’t ask me about my previous alias, haha!

This time I tried to write about ancient palace fighting. The more I wrote, the more I got addicted to it, and I mixed in some political intrigue. It was also the first time I tried to show the character's arc as much as possible, making the character more full and realistic.

If a person truly does something evil, but has his own reasons, or is even forced by circumstances, can this be considered as not evil? Can it offset the evil he has done?

cannot.

Sometimes, through Jiaojiao's mouth, my attitude is made very clear. Some people's analysis in the comment section is very objective, much better than what I can say.

Also, when I was a child, I often got very angry when watching "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin". I didn't understand the choices made by the characters in the stories. Some were loyal, some were reckless, some were unwilling to adapt, and some were even enemies, but why did they cooperate later?

When I grew up, I could barely understand some of it, but there were still some things I didn't understand, but I was mostly sighing.

My previous readings and experiences have influenced my writing style. Of course, my writing skills are not good enough and I can only write superficial things at best.

Jiaojiao and the others used to fight Shen Yuanbai to the death, but now they can sit together and talk because they have a common enemy and the same interests. They are not writing off the past, but seeking a win-win situation in the present.

By cooperating with Shen Yuanbai, how many lives can be saved on the battlefield? This is Jiaojiao’s biggest demand at the moment.

The story has actually entered the final part at this point, and the subsequent plot is a natural progression. This book may not be a refreshing read, nor is it satisfying, and the pace is not fast.

But for me it is already a very good attempt and breakthrough. I hope to show everyone a real world with flesh and blood and show the charm of more characters.

Just like that, keep working hard and stick to the end!!!