This brat was actually ordering her around.
But there was nothing she could do. Who else could she turn to when he had no one else at hand?
Shen Qing nodded. "I'll send Zhu Xing to investigate later."
If Ye Lü Wují had suffered a setback but didn't retaliate immediately, either he had changed his nature or something had gone wrong within the Xing Shu army.
...
At the Xing Shu camp.
After the defeat, the military tent where the strategizing took place was in an uproar.
"The Kingdom of Jiang has defected. How despicable!"
"Prince, let's fight back and teach the people of Jiang and Jing a lesson. Avenge our fallen warriors!"
Ye Lü Wují sat on his tiger-skin chair, his face extremely grim. The Princess Zhaohua had dared to deceive him!
The Kingdom of Jiang was clearly going to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Jing, yet she had sent him false information, causing them to lose so many soldiers!
"Send the order. Launch a night raid..."
Before Ye Lü Wují could finish his words, an urgent voice came from outside.
"Report—"
"Prince, something terrible has happened. A message has come from the royal court. The remnants of the former Beirong royal family, in alliance with several tribes, have rebelled. They've crowned a new king and are already attacking the royal court!"
"Before his death, the old khan passed the throne to... the eldest prince!"
"What?!" Ye Lü Wují slapped the table and stood up. "I thought the Beirong royal family was completely wiped out. Where did they get a new king?"
The informant said, "It's a five-year-old child. They say he's the descendant of the former Beirong crown prince."
The former Beirong crown prince had died unjustly, but his concubines had survived, though they'd been reduced to slaves. Could this child have been born during that time?
It didn't matter where he came from. "They dare to crown a five-year-old child as king. Are they all mad?"
Ye Lü Wují's father had only two sons. Ye Lü Wují's elder brother was weak and incompetent, and his standing among the tribesmen was far inferior to Ye Lü Wují's. But because his elder brother was the son of his father's favorite wife, his father had always favored him.
Now, while he was out on the front lines, fighting bravely, the throne that should have been his had been passed to that useless fool by his father!
How could he accept this?
The informant said nervously, "It seems there are people from the Kingdom of Jiang following them. They claim to be acting on the orders of the Princess Zhaohua to help restore the Beirong kingdom."
Princess Zhaohua!
"That damned woman again!"
Ye Lü Wují's anger flared. He slammed his palm on the table in front of him, shattering the solid wooden table into pieces, sending wood chips flying everywhere.
It was that woman's sweet talk that had made him trust her and form an alliance with the Kingdom of Jiang. But now she was helping to restore the Beirong kingdom!
She had been deliberately misleading him, using the hands of the Kingdom of Jing and the second prince of Jiang to weaken his strength. In fact, she had long been in contact with the remnants of the Beirong royal court. From the very beginning, what she had wanted was the Xing Shu army!
If he held his ground on the front lines now, he would surely lose his rear. But if he returned to reinforce the royal court, all his previous efforts would be in vain. How could he accept this?
"I never thought that in all my years of glory, Ye Lü Wují, I would be played by a woman!"
Ye Lü Wují wished he could charge into the Jiang royal palace right now and tear Princess Zhaohua to pieces.
"Prince, what should we do now?" a warrior beside him asked in a small voice.
Even the most dim-witted person could tell that the prince was in a fit of rage. But there was nothing he could do. He was the prince's most trusted subordinate, and everyone was looking at him expectantly.
...
Xu Yanchi felt that this winter seemed colder than last year. By this time, it had already snowed in the Xing Shu camp. He listened to the howling north wind outside. What was different was that today it was much quieter.
Since the defeat, there had been constant cursing every day. Every day, there were those shouting to go and kill the people of Jiang. But today, it was so quiet...
Xu Yanchi sensed something was wrong. After spending more than a year in a foreign land, he had developed a high level of sensitivity to danger. He wrapped himself tightly and went outside. He grabbed a man and asked, "The prince summoned all the generals to the military tent for a meeting today. Why is there no sound?"
When the man saw it was Xu Yanchi, he didn't hide anything. "Something has happened at the royal court. The remnants of the Beirong royal family have rebelled, and the throne has been passed to the eldest prince by the khan."
Xu Yanchi returned to his tent, his heart pounding.
Something had happened at the Xing Shu royal court.
He remembered that in his previous life, the Xing Shu army had suddenly withdrawn because the remnants of the Beirong royal family had rebelled and crowned a five-year-old child, claiming to be the orphan of the former Beirong crown prince. But the person behind them was the Princess Zhaohua of the Kingdom of Jiang.
In his previous life, Princess Zhaohua had succeeded. She had manipulated the new khan and the queen mother of Beirong, seized power from Emperor Jing of Jiang, and directly ascended the throne as a female emperor. Then she had started a large-scale invasion.
In the end, the Kingdom of Jing had been unable to withstand her attacks. If she hadn't fallen ill and died due to old age, and if the new ruler hadn't been a fool even more stupid than Ye Lü Wují, the Kingdom of Jing might have perished in the hands of the King of Jin.
When Xu Yanchi thought of Princess Zhaohua, he could only describe her with one word: terrifying!
Was everything from the past going to repeat itself?
"This is bad."
Xu Yanchi suddenly realized that Ye Lü Wují was hot-tempered, and the throne was the most important thing to him. In this situation, he definitely wouldn't be able to swallow this humiliation. He would surely try to regain the throne. Moreover, the people of Xing Shu were xenophobic. They had already been less trusting of him these days. If they suddenly withdrew, someone would have to bear the brunt of the people's anger.
That someone would surely be him.
Cold sweat broke out on Xu Yanchi's back. He quickly packed his things and, taking the two trusted subordinates he had painstakingly cultivated, fled under the cover of night.
By the time Ye Lü Wují remembered to use Xu Yanchi to appease the people's anger, he was already long gone.
...
When the news reached the Jing army camp, the soldiers all cheered. They were so happy that they seemed to be celebrating the New Year early.
Duke Sui and Bai Liyi were discussing important matters with several generals, preparing for a possible counterattack from Ye Lü Wují. When they heard the news, everyone was stunned at first, then couldn't believe their ears. The messenger repeated the news, and only then did they react. "Is the news reliable?"
The messenger said, "It's reliable. It was sent back by our spies in the enemy camp. Ye Lü Wují will probably return to defend his territory soon."
"Great! That bastard was still swaggering outside, and now his own home has been raided!"
"Hahaha..."
"Marshal, the Xing Shu army must be in disarray now. Why don't we launch a surprise attack and catch them off guard?"
Duke Sui pondered for a moment. "We mustn't be careless. Although Ye Lü Wují is simple-minded and hot-tempered, he can't be underestimated when it comes to military strategy. For now, stay put and strengthen our defenses."
"Yes!" everyone replied in unison, unable to hide the smiles on their faces.
Since the war had started, they had never been this happy!
On the day of the Laba Festival, it snowed in the capital. Shen Qing received three pieces of news: one from the border and two from the Kingdom of Jiang.
One of the pieces of news from the Kingdom of Jiang was obtained by her own people in the Jiang capital, and the other was given to her by Shen Si.
Shen Si was extremely generous to her. As soon as Shen Qing asked, he not only sent the news but also gave her a gyrfalcon, saying it would be convenient for her to communicate with her father.
Gyrfalcons were fierce birds. They were difficult to capture and had a strong will. They would rather die than be tamed. Taming one would require a great deal of time and effort.
Because the geographical conditions in the Kingdom of Jing were not suitable for gyrfalcons to survive, there were very few of them. The only one in the royal zoo had lost its ability to carry messages after being tamed for too long.
Shen Si had so easily given her one and even sent a falconer with it.
Shen Qing now had a more concrete understanding of Shen Si's wealth.
The news Shen Si sent was indeed much more detailed than what she had found out. After reading it, Shen Qing stood by the window and pondered for a long time.