After two days of arduous travel, He Yunxiao finally returned to the Qi army camp outside Luoyue Pass.
He returned at just the right time. He had come back too late the night before and rested for a night. The next day, as soon as he got up, he heard the news that the King of the Southwest had ordered a meeting.
With a large number of Qi troops stationed outside Luoyue Pass, the daily loss of provisions was considerable. The situation at Luoyue Pass remained unresolved, causing losses for both Qi and Yan. The anxiety of the Southwest King and the imperial court was understandable.
Inside the carriage, He Yunxiao vividly recounted his observations and speculations to Ruobao.
Whether there is water near Luoyue Pass still needs to be investigated, but if He Yunxiao's guess comes true, it can indeed save a siege.
Ruobao had been worried about how to delay the Southwest King's demand to attack the city, but now, with He Yunxiao's help, her brows relaxed and she was no longer worried.
Regardless of the facts, this conjecture alone could drag on for a while, at least until He Yunxiao's letter was sent to Yan and then sent back.
With the peace agreement between Qi and Yan settled, a battle at Luoyue Pass is unlikely to break out.
As usual, Ruobao and Li Jinjin held a meeting in the military tent, while He Yunxiao waited outside.
This time was different from the past. In the past, meetings would only last an hour, but this time the meeting dragged on until almost sunset.
"Brother He." The entire afternoon of meetings had left the energetic young man Li Jin looking listless.
Normally, He Yunxiao was not very polite to this "cousin," but seeing that he was in low spirits, he did not let him ride a horse outside, and instead rode in a carriage with Ruobao.
"How did it go?" After getting into the carriage, He Yunxiao immediately asked Ruobao about the meeting.
Fan Ziru frowned. "For some reason, the King of the Southwest has a very strong desire to launch a strong attack on Yinjing."
He Yunxiao's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Could it be that he succeeded?"
Although the Prince of the Southwest was the commander-in-chief of the Qi army, even the emperor had to listen to his ministers, so the Prince of the Southwest could not ignore the advice of Ruobao and other senior generals. Moreover, with Li Jin acting as the Princess's eyes and ears in the army, the Prince of the Southwest could not act arbitrarily.
The majority of the Qi army were rational.
With water attacks that consume less resources, everyone felt it was unnecessary to risk human lives to breach the city.
“No. After I proposed the water attack method, many generals agreed to test its feasibility first before making a decision,” Fan Ziruo said.
He Yunxiao nodded.
Li Jin said at just the right moment, "Brother He, it's actually far more complicated than that. The Southwest King is being aggressive, and you, sir, are relying on her incorrigible..."
"Shut up." He Yunxiao stopped Li Jin from speaking further. Ruobao could only debate with He, not with the rest of the scholars.
Ruobao spoke to Li Jin considerately, saying, "Although Young Master Li is straightforward, he is not timid. If it weren't for his words, the King of the Southwest wouldn't be so wary."
Li Jin stood tall and proud, clearly unaware of the other layer of meaning behind "frankness".
He Yunxiao thought for a moment and said, "Next, we not only need to keep an eye on the Yan army, but also on the King of the Southwest. We can't let him make any rash moves before the peace talks begin."
Fan Ziruo nodded. She would have done these things even if He Yunxiao hadn't asked her to.
Once the water attack strategy proves effective, we must guard against someone ordering a direct water attack on Luoyue Pass. The greatest threat comes when the arrow is on the bowstring. If a water attack occurs, the Yan Kingdom will suffer heavy casualties, increasing their animosity and making peace negotiations difficult to advance. Peace will become even more distant.
...
After the method of water attack was devised, the Qi army camp became busy, organizing many engineers who knew how to dig wells to run around and conduct well-digging experiments.
Regardless of whether the water attack method will ultimately be implemented, if a well can be dug, it would be a good thing to alleviate the army's water shortage.
He Yunxiao, on the other hand, had much less free time.
My biggest task every day is to find opportunities to get close to Chuchu.
The military camp was relatively densely populated. Even the female protagonists' quarters were like this. Everyone's tents were close together, so any slight movement could be heard.
Although He Yunxiao possessed a method of soundproofing using internal energy, it wasn't completely soundproof, and some sounds would always escape. Coupled with the quiet of the night, there was no guarantee that others wouldn't overhear. Therefore, Ruobao and Youbao had a particularly peaceful time during this period.
It was just tough on He Yunxiao.
The last time He Yunxiao tasted meat was when he ate Fei Bao.
That time, Fei Bao was fed spoonful by spoonful by He Yunxiao while she was in bed. It was also thanks to her Grandmaster-level martial arts foundation that her body didn't fall apart.
Inside Chu Xiaoxiao's tent, He Yunxiao was holding Chu Chu and transferring his internal energy to her.
He Yunxiao has improved; he no longer hugs Chu Chu from behind, but from the side.
However, Chu Chu is still different from other female leads. Even when sitting in He Yunxiao's lap, Chu Chu sits upright, unlike some female leads who lean their heads on him.
Although Chu Chu doesn't rely on He Yunxiao, He Yunxiao can try to get close to Chu Chu.
He Yunxiao would occasionally take the opportunity to lower his head and rub his face against Chu Chu's, causing the Heavenly Venerable to frown frequently.
"Concentrate when the power is being transmitted. Even though it's the main body transmitting it, you still need to focus on the circulation of your internal energy. Don't be absent-minded," Chu Chu said.
He Yunxiao didn't care about any of that. With Chu Chu sitting in his lap, wasn't it disrespectful to still want to practice martial arts at this moment?
"You're so beautiful, it's all because of you that I was distracted," He Yunxiao quickly shifted the blame, while subtly praising her.
Compared to other female protagonists with high emotional intelligence, Chu Chu is a typical straight woman.
"Then I will go down. You focus on your training."
"No! No, no, no!" He Yunxiao quickly pressed Chu Chu down in his arms to keep her from moving.
"Then you should focus on practicing your skills."
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to Chu Chu." Threatened by Chu Chu like that, He Yunxiao immediately gave up on his idea of finding an opportunity to woo her. At least not today; he'd wait until Chu Chu forgot about it tomorrow.
The two exchanged techniques while chatting casually. Xiao Xiao listened, feeling rather depressed.
Xiao Xiao has recently had several more opportunities to spar with Chu Chu, and she's improved each time, but she's still far from defeating Chu Chu. Xiao Xiao, who usually never practices diligently, has recently started working hard. The day she's confident she can defeat Chu Chu will be the day Xiao Xiao turns the tables!
Xiao Xiao was sullen, and her mind wasn't as focused as Chu Chu's, which required her to concentrate entirely on passing on her skills and talking to He Yunxiao.
Hearing a strange noise nearby, she suddenly transmitted her voice: "Wait! It sounds like the old woman is coming!"
He Yunxiao and Chu Chu exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking. Chu Chu silently shut down the power transmission.
In the military camp, the transmission of martial arts skills had to be done secretly. Because everyone lived close by, even if the noise wasn't loud, there was more movement around than before. For example, it was common for Chu Fan to come and see his sister. He Yunxiao had gotten used to having Chu Chu transmit his skills to him during this time.
However, Fei Bao always stays at home to practice her skills, so why did she suddenly come to find Chu Xiao Xiao?
He Yunxiao held his breath and tried his best not to let Fei Bao's hearing detect him.
Fei Bao isn't weak; she herself is illegitimate, so naturally she can't control who He Yunxiao is involved with. However, it wouldn't be wise to gain Fei Bao's favor for nothing. He Yunxiao even wanted to use the Soul-Devouring Pill to heal her injuries.
Two breaths later, Fei Bao walked past Chu Xiao Xiao's tent. He Yun Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she hadn't come to see Xiao Xiao.
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