Chapter Thirty-Three: Astonishing Rumors

  "What Nandu Shantiger said is all true.................."

  "How did you know?" The other person's hand withdrew, as if an elder had comforted a younger one, making Li Jin Hua feel annoyed and glance at Zhao Shi.

  Zhao Shi's lips moved slightly, and he didn't want to tell her that this was a conclusion drawn from psychological observation. He thought that Du Shantiger wouldn't be an expert in manipulating psychology either, and it was unlikely that he would deliberately train for three to five years just for one lie. After thinking about it, he replied: "The other person's eyes are clear and calm, what they say is not logical, very scattered, I think it should be true?"

  "Oh? With an innocent look, you can just talk your way out of it and make up some nonsense that sounds true?" Whatever happened to this young man seemed easily resolved, but now he was caught off guard, and his heart skipped a beat with excitement. He immediately asked in pursuit.

  Zhao Shi habitually pursed his lips, and the woman's unclear words made him somewhat annoyed, but he still patiently explained: "A person who tells lies either speaks inconsistently, unable to withstand scrutiny, or is logical and clear, so that even if you ask repeatedly, you can't find any flaws. Du Shantiger's words were very scattered, obviously not thought out in advance, but they sounded reasonable, and the key points also matched his identity as Deputy Captain Wu, so it's possible to believe that what he said is true."

  Li Jinhua let out a sigh, the young man's words were always as calm and collected as he was, with a hint of cruel indifference that made it impossible to think of retorting, nor was there an opportunity to do so. So she said in a huff: "Then what should we do now?"

  Zhao Shi's mind was already made up, and he didn't hesitate to say coldly: "If it were an ordinary person, they would have to wait a while longer, until Du Shantiger's words are verified before deciding what to do. But if it were someone with a ruthless heart, then nothing else matters now. They would immediately burn the grain and retreat, and might even find an excuse to behead Du Shantiger, just to avoid being criticized for not rescuing him when they return."

  "Ah?" Looking at the young man's face, Li Jinhua no longer had time to think about her own thoughts, but her heart was already filled with a chill. Du Shantiger and his men were seasoned veterans, especially Du Shantiger himself. Although everyone didn't want to follow him to their deaths, nor did they want to leave their rations for him, this man's words and actions still inspired admiration. Think about it - after leading his men out of danger, he still remembered his old comrades and insisted on going back to rescue them. This kind of loyalty was not something that just anyone could match. But when the young man uttered a single word - "kill" - there wasn't even a hint of hesitation or shame on his face, nor did he look particularly ruthless. His expression didn't change at all. In the past, she had always read in military books and strategies that "a benevolent ruler does not wield arms". At that time, it seemed that disobeying military orders, being slow to respond to military duties, failing to advance or retreat when ordered, and refusing to charge or fall back when signaled were all punishable by death. It was only natural that such people would be killed without hesitation. But killing someone like Du Shantiger for this reason? She couldn't bring herself to do it, no matter what.

  Looking at the expressionless young man, Li Jinhua felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart and forced a smile: "I heard there's another way to go? Tell me about it..."

  We're going to Qingyang...

  As soon as this was said, Li Jin Hua suddenly stood up with a start.

  Zhao Shi ignored his reaction and continued to say, "What someone said earlier was not wrong at all. The Xian Feng army and the Western Xia people have been fighting for many battles, but they only defeated 8,000 Xian Feng soldiers, which is not a complete victory. It can be seen that the Western Xia army is not numerous, and there must be heavy casualties. Now it seems that we are in danger, but whether the Western Xia people dare to come over depends on the courage of the Western Xia general. However, I think he won't dare to come either. He should have seen those defeated Iron Hawks by now? Who would believe that a mere Protection Army could defeat 1,000 Iron Hawks? If we had no reinforcements behind us, would we fight to the death?"

  The defeated soldiers will exaggerate our strength to avoid punishment. If the Xia people hear this news, will they still come? Maybe the Western Xia people have already retreated and it's hard to say... This is our chance...

  We might as well agree to Du Shantiger's proposal. The Xuanfeng Army has gone through life and death, and it's natural for them to be grateful to us. Taking advantage of this opportunity to seize military power is not a big deal. We have food, weapons, and can rescue some soldiers from the Xuanfeng Army. Then, we can spread out our flags to confuse the enemy.

  I heard that the Western Xia army's main attack should be in the direction of Yan'an. The appearance of the Summer Army in Qingyang is likely for two purposes: one is to block the enemy's reinforcements and gain time for the Yan'an direction, and the second is probably to scout out the enemy's situation. The unrest in Qingyang was probably unexpected by them as well. These Xia soldiers just happened to be there at the right time, and their military strength will not be great. We have an 80% chance of being able to scare them away.

  Qingyang lacks food, and our grain transport team should still have one or two branches left. First, let's resolve the urgent situation in Qingyang. As long as the reinforcements arrive quickly, Qingyang can be at peace... ...Actually, this depends on the leader's courage... If we are strong enough, it's not impossible for the military power in Qingyang to change hands instantly. At that time, we can attack or defend, and hold out for ten days or half a month until the reinforcements arrive, and then there will be nothing left for us to do.

  "Now the only worry is what the defending troops of Qingyang want to do, what kind of thoughts are in the minds of several leading generals, why Xianfeng Army wants to leave the city immediately instead of defending Qingyang together with them. Without food and grass, how can they survive? However, based on my speculation, someone must have had other ideas, otherwise either the grain and grass in Qingyang were not as scarce as Du Shantiger said, or after killing Chen Heng, they became afraid, and surrendering to Western Xia is a way out. If so, the people under their command may not agree, and are likely still hesitating, our opportunity lies within..."

  This was absolutely a gamble, even if Zhao Shi thought about it, the opportunity would be fleeting, as long as his guess was slightly wrong, not to mention breaking the siege of Jieqing Yang, even the lives of all the people in the grain army would have to be sacrificed. Later on, although there was still some confidence in his heart, he also felt that there were many unpredictable places, and the chances of success were very slim. In the end, it wasn't so righteous and proud either.

  Even he was like that, Li Jinhua listened to his suggestion which could be described as absurd, let alone others. If things went on like this, the Huai Army would have withdrawn 99% of its troops immediately. But that's how the world is, often a small change can make things develop in a direction that leaves everyone stunned.

  Let's put this aside for now. The next morning, ten miles outside Pingliang, a group of people and horses slowly approached. Crown Prince Li Xuancheng was in one of the carriages, surrounded by golden armored soldiers on all sides. The blood-red cloaks behind these golden armored soldiers fluttered in the wind, and the early morning sunlight reflected off the golden armor, shining with a dazzling golden light that was almost blinding, exuding an aura of majesty and power that was hard to describe.

  The Crown Prince left the capital, and should have had a full set of ceremonial guards, but this time Li Xuanji was only an inspector, not on an inspection tour, so he brought only three thousand guards from the Crown Prince's mansion, which can be considered a light entourage.

  Li Xuanzhi sat in the spacious carriage, his slender fingers gently swirling the wine cup in his hand, his eyes narrowed as if lost in thought.

  In the carriage, there was also a middle-aged scholar who sat slightly bent over, facing Li Xuanji. At this moment, he stole a glance at the crown prince opposite him. The crown prince was no longer young, having been appointed as the crown prince at the age of ten and having held the position for twenty-seven years. Although he looked well-preserved, the fine lines around his eyes and his slightly plump body, as well as his relaxed muscles, all showed that the crown prince had already passed his prime.

  The prince's appearance doesn't resemble the current emperor, but rather looks more like the empress. His face is white and delicate, his figure tall and slender, exuding a refined air that has been cultivated since childhood. Only those piercing eyes, which always seem to radiate an aura of majesty, are similar to those of Emperor Zhengde.

  This scholar's name is Lu Qingyu, courtesy name Shengnian, also known as Mr. Lumi, built the Lumi Caotang, one of the eight friends in Beijing, a man with a good reputation in Beijing.

  He was appointed as the chief historian of the Crown Prince's palace four years ago. This person did not want to be the chief historian of the Crown Prince's palace, in his opinion, such a shortcut is not worth mentioning, but also because the Crown Prince condescended to ask him, and it was not good to refuse the kindness of a good friend, so he entered the Crown Prince's court.

  This time, the Crown Prince was sent out of the capital to supervise the army. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that there was more to it than met the eye. Even those who didn't know the inside story felt that the Crown Prince's supervision of the army was unusual. He had originally been opposed to it, and now that he was not in the capital to preside over things, what was the point of having him supervise the army? It wasn't as if they were at a desperate juncture where they needed an inexperienced Crown Prince to supervise the army. However, Li Xuanji had also said something to the effect that during the early Tang dynasty, Emperor Taizong and his brothers had all been through many battles before they established the great Tang empire. Even Princess Pingyang, a woman, had taken up arms and gone into battle. Now that the world was in chaos, as a man, even though he was the Crown Prince, he also needed to know about military strategy. If he didn't go onto the battlefield, he would be criticized by others. What more could Lu Qingyu say after this?

  At the beginning of leaving Beijing, the news of Qingyang's rebellion had already spread, and the imperial court was shaken. The emperor summoned the crown prince to enter the palace, but it is unknown what he said. After returning, he immediately set off, although he left Beijing in a hurry, but after leaving Jingzhao Prefecture, his speed slowed down. Even if Lu Qingyu didn't know about military affairs, he knew that rescuing troops was like putting out a fire. The crown prince took less than a day to gather the relief troops in Pingliang, but they couldn't set off for a whole day. If something went wrong in Qingyang, what would happen? When asked about the crown prince, however, he simply said, "I have my own plan," and then covered it up. He walked even slower, using the muddy roads as an excuse to brush off those who came from Beijing to urge him to hurry. It took him half a month to get from Beijing to Pingliang. Lu Qingyu was also a clever person, and he sensed that something was amiss. He knew that the crown prince had already made up his mind, but since he was only the chief historian of the crown prince's mansion and hadn't been in the position for long, he couldn't be considered one of the crown prince's trusted advisors. Since the crown prince had already made up his mind, Lu Qingyu didn't say anything else.

  "It's my first time to leave the capital so far, and I don't know what Pingliang looks like. I've heard that during the Three Kingdoms period, the five tiger generals Ma Chao and Ma Mengqi once stationed here. If I can catch a glimpse of their heroic spirit, it will be a delightful thing."

  Leng Buding heard the crown prince's words, his voice was clear and melodious, but Lu Qingyu was preoccupied with his thoughts. At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a sudden chill. After listening to his words, he smiled lightly and said: "Your Highness is talking about ancient history. Ma Chao was a fierce general of the Western Liang during the Three Kingdoms period. It's not impossible for him to have stayed here, but after all, it's been a long time ago. I'm afraid if you want to reminisce about the past, Your Highness will be disappointed."

  According to historical records, Pingliang was established by Fu Jian of the Former Qin dynasty. However, due to frequent invasions by the Tubo and Qiang tribes, the administrative seat of Pingliang has been relocated many times throughout history. During the Tang dynasty's Zhenyuan era, Liu Chang, the military governor of Jingyuan, built the city walls of Pingliang, controlled the Tongguan Pass, and constructed the Hubu Fortress to the west of Pingliang, named Zhuangxin, where he buried the remains of soldiers who died in battle. He expanded the territory by over 200 miles, bringing stability to Pingliang. Liu Chang became famous for building seven cities and two fortresses, leaving a lasting legacy. However, during the late Tang dynasty, after the Anshi Rebellion, the city was damaged again due to the rebellion of the Party and Qiang tribes. It wasn't until the Taizong era of this dynasty that Pingliang City was rebuilt, giving it its current scale. As a border town, Pingliang has experienced many wars, with harsh weather conditions, making it incomparable to prosperous cities like Hanzhong and Jingzhao.

  He told the story of Pingliang in detail, and Li Xuanji listened with great interest. At this point, he smiled and said: "Sheng Nian is indeed knowledgeable and has a good memory, his reputation is well-deserved. When we arrive at Pingliang, let's have a drink and talk freely about the scenery of this northern border region."

  Listening to him say this, Lu Qingyu couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart. Having just arrived at Pingliang, they weren't setting off immediately and were instead going to indulge in wine and conversation. What was the young master's true intention?