The significance of breaching the city was immense.
Even though no one in the Qi army truly believed Fan Ziruo's words during their previous meeting, they all used various methods to keep an eye on the gates of Luoyue Pass, hoping that a miracle might actually happen.
Ultimately, a miracle occurred.
On the second day after the city fell, the order from the Southwest King to convene a meeting of all Qi armies had already spread throughout the besieging forces on the scouts' horses. As the nominal strategist and de facto leader of the rear army, Ruobao naturally had to attend.
Besides Ruobao, Li Jin, as the eldest princess's "confidant," also received orders from the King of the Southwest.
Dozens of high-ranking Qi soldiers gathered once again in the military tent of the Southwest King's central army.
Although He Yunxiao was also from a wealthy family, his rank wasn't high enough, so he could only wait for his wife to get off work outside the tent. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was trying to curry favor with the King of the Southwest. Little did they know, he was just an ordinary househusband driving his wife home from work.
He Yunxiao squatted by the carriage, idly observing the ants. Sometimes, when he was really bored, he would even cause the ants some trouble, such as artificially creating a canyon.
The outcome of this meeting was actually quite predictable. Anyone with a discerning eye can clearly see how the situation is developing.
When the attacking side can easily breach the city, the significance of Luoyue Pass being "indestructible" becomes less important.
There is no need for Qi and Yan to fight to the death over an ordinary city. The best course of action is to negotiate and then peacefully decide the ownership of Luoyue Pass.
The meeting didn't last long, about an hour, before Ruobao followed a group of generals out of the Southwest King's tent.
"Brother He!" Li Jin greeted He Yunxiao without a care in the world.
He Yunxiao pretended to be admiring the scenery, acting as if he didn't know Li Jin well.
It wasn't until Ruobao came over that He Yunxiao attentively draped a coat over his wife, then stood carefully on the windy side of the Gobi Desert to shield her from the cold wind.
Seeing Ruobao's serious expression, He Yunxiao asked considerately, "What's wrong?"
"We'll talk about it in the car," Ruobao replied.
He Yunxiao nodded and escorted Ruobao into the car.
"Something unexpected happened?" He Yunxiao asked Ruobao as soon as he got into the car. Whether Luoyue Pass would be at war or peace was a matter of life and death for hundreds of thousands of people.
"The King of the Southwest is determined to attack the city," Ruobao succinctly summarized the conclusion.
"Huh? The city gate was breached so easily, what's the point of continuing the attack?" He Yunxiao said, expressing his incomprehension.
“The Southwest King’s intelligence network is more powerful than we imagined. He somehow learned that the city was breached by a Grandmaster. Then, he rejected my peace proposal on the grounds that ‘a Grandmaster’s intervention is not a long-term solution.’ Can the Daoist Master intervene again?” Fan Ziruo looked at He Yunxiao.
Thinking of Fei Bao's health, He Yunxiao said awkwardly, "I'm afraid it's not possible."
Fan Ziruo calmly said, "That would play right into the hands of the King of the Southwest. If we cannot break through the city again and prove that 'we do not rely on Grandmasters,' then this siege will still be unavoidable."
He Yunxiao was in a real bind.
In a sense, the Southwest King's concerns were indeed valid. Because of the existence of the Taixu Sect, Grandmasters couldn't easily intervene. Moreover, there weren't enough Grandmasters to break through the city. If they intervened and were captured by the Taixu Sect, both countries would lose a national treasure of martial arts stature—equivalent to losing a nuclear weapon in an already scarce arsenal—a loss no one could afford.
He Yunxiao pondered and said, "The key issue is not how many times a Grandmaster can make a move, but why the King of the Southwest was able to obtain such accurate intelligence so quickly?"
Ruobao didn't answer He Yunxiao's question, even though He Yunxiao had told her about the mysterious Grandmaster of the Song Immortal Society. The answer was obvious: either the Grandmaster of the Song Immortal Society had leaked the information, or there was a spy from the Southwest King within the Yan army. (www.cascoo.net)
As things stand, He Yunxiao has lost Fei Bao, but he still has Xiao Xiao as an option. However, even if Xiao Xiao makes a move, the argument that "a Grandmaster's attack on a city cannot last" still fails to convince everyone.
When both the Qi army and the Yan army have Grandmasters, it only proves that neither side has a Grandmaster.
Fan Ziruo looked at He Yunxiao: "The best course of action now is either to find a way to break through the Moon Pass again, or to find a way to forcefully push for peace talks between the two countries."
"I'll give it a try..." He Yunxiao sighed. It seems it's time to find Mengbao and Mengbao's sister.
Fan Ziruo had a huge question mark on his face. "You really have a way?"
Neither pushing for peace negotiations nor breaking down Yueguan again seems like a task that He Yunxiao can accomplish.
He Yunxiao put his arm around Ruobao's small waist and pressed his cheek against her soft cheek, saying, "What, can't your husband do something?"
"Don't be reckless," Ruobao said quietly.
"It concerns the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. No matter what, I have to try." He Yunxiao looked into Ruobao's eyes.
Fan Ziruo leaned against her husband, and from some point in time, she became increasingly grateful that she hadn't fallen for the wrong person.
"By the way, why does my husband have a certain fragrance?"
He Yunxiao looked embarrassed; it must have been Fei Bao who smelled so good that she accidentally got some on her.
"Cough cough, this is a side effect of the Taoist priest's cultivation method. The smell will dissipate in a while."
Fan Ziruo nodded. She had read martial arts novels and knew very well what kind of people the Taoist priests of the Taixu Sect were like. Moreover, the Taoist priest was naturally aloof, with an ethereal and otherworldly air, and was also He Yunxiao's teacher. How could he knowingly break the law and betray his master?
...
After returning, He Yunxiao began writing letters to Mengbao and her sister Li Xiangjun. The letters were largely the same, clarifying the advantages and disadvantages and hoping that the two countries would resolve the dispute through peace talks, so as not to waste the lives of the soldiers.
After the letter was written, the problem became how to send it.
Mengbao's situation is relatively straightforward; sending a scout under Li Jin's name would suffice. However, it's a different story for Mengbao's sister, Li Xiangjun. For a marquis's son to write letters to the enemy leader during wartime is a death sentence if discovered. Even disregarding the consequences of discovery, finding a way to deliver the letter to Li Xiangjun is a major challenge.
It's easy for the mighty Emperor Yan to want to chat with you, but it's far too difficult for you to find the Emperor Yan.
He Yunxiao thought of Qian Shilang, a Qi spy in Yan, but having Qian Shilang act as a front would be too obvious and could easily expose him, making the Yan emperor suspicious of Qi's motives. After all, it was also quite possible that Meng Bao was using He Yunxiao's connections to mislead the Yan emperor.
After thinking it over, He Yunxiao decided that it was more reliable for his "own wife" to handle this matter.
Nangong Yu'er, the daughter of the world's richest man, is a citizen of the neutral state of Weiguo and the head of the Jingtian City branch of Tingfeng Tower. She has sufficient influence in Yanguo while maintaining neutrality, making her very suitable for "expressing goodwill".
The main reason is that He Yunxiao and Nangong Yu'er had some prior interactions, their relationship was neither deep nor shallow, so asking her for help shouldn't be a problem.
After writing the letter, He Yunxiao planned to find a place called Tingfenglou to send it to Nangong, who would then find a way to deliver it to Emperor Yan, Li Xiangjun.
A few days later, with everything prepared, He Yunxiao entered Qing Yuzi's room.
"Master, shall we go to Suyab City, which is two hundred miles away?"
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