Do you really think the Ten Crows are the real enemies
After cheating once, you want to use the same trick to cheat a second time
Shen Tang was not very optimistic about this.
However, she obviously didn't know Shiwu well enough.
They climbed up to the sun to make a false claim, believing that they were a race that had descended from ten golden crows that had settled and multiplied here, that they had noble golden crow blood flowing in their bodies, and that they were the descendants of gods.
Regardless of whether outsiders believe this exaggerated rumor or not, they have been spreading it among themselves for two hundred years. No one in the world is more suitable to live in the fertile and prosperous Central Plains than them.
They were eyeing the fertile land of the Central Plains.
However, due to the natural barrier of the mountains and the border barrier near the Tiger Mountains, it is extremely difficult for them to attack. For this reason, the Ten Crows will not miss any opportunity that may allow them to go south, that is to say -
Shen Tang was shocked that there were such unfair people in the world.
"Is it possible that Shiwu will be fooled for the second time?"
Qi Shan sneered: "It's not the second time."
Shen Tang: “???”
Qi Shan said uncertainly: "Using the Ten Crows to help, is this considered a tradition in the Northwest?"
Shen Tang: “…”
In a sense, Shiwu is quite "pitiful".
The countries in the northwest of the continent are constantly at war. There are always a few shady people who like to secretly collude with the Ten Crows, asking them to send troops to harass the passes near the mountains to help contain the enemy's forces. For details, please refer to Zheng Qiao. After using the Ten Crows, they throw them aside, and use the "delay" method to promise the Ten Crows all kinds of benefits, and then they won't admit it.
My goodness, isn’t this just freeloading
It's okay to get it for free.
The key point is that the Northwest countries seem to have made an agreement, taking turns to flatter and promise benefits to Shiwu, and Shiwu is fooled every time. According to the past rules, Shiwu will most likely agree, which sounds really stupid.
At first glance, Shi Wu seems to be an honest young man who is carefree. He is as pitiful as Bei Mo who is used as an experience bag next door. He is fooled by a group of street urchins with no martial ethics in the northwest of the mainland, but he lets his guard down because of this, haha.
I don’t even know how I died in the end.
Shiwu and Beimo are both good at lying dormant and forbearing. If Beimo is a jerk who teases the northwestern border countries every now and then, and offers the tribe's hostage beauties when losing the battle, and takes the route of marriage and development, then Shiwu is an honest man pretending to be deceived by everyone, who has been deceived by the same routine for more than a hundred years and continues to be fooled, gradually letting the outside world relax its vigilance against it, and developing secretly, with remarkable results.
Today, the countries in the northwest really don’t take them seriously, nor do they think they can pose a threat to themselves.
A typical example is Zheng Qiao, who took advantage of Shi Wu and didn't even try to comfort or coax him, a true scumbag.
Shen Tang: “…”
Gu Chi tapped his knees with his fingers, lowered his eyes and thought for a while before saying, "King Zhu wants to borrow troops from Shiwu. It's probably just a rumor spread by refugees. He is colluding with Beimo... It's very possible. However, Shiwu and Beimo have been flirting with each other secretly for many years. The two tribes have been dormant for many years and have grown up. It just so happens that the situation in the northwest has been turbulent in recent years. They may not be able to hold back..."
Shen Tang couldn't help but complain: "Are the Shiwu and Beimo tribes trying to play Mission: Impossible? Even nesting dolls aren't this complicated."
Everyone has long been accustomed to some of Shen Tang's confusing dialect slang, but it doesn't affect understanding the general meaning anyway.
Kang Shi's brows never relaxed as he asked worriedly, "Does Wang Chao think that the Shiwu and Beimo tribes will take advantage of this opportunity to openly help Zheng Qiao and the Pig King, but actually join forces in secret, waiting for their forces to gather in the northwest before taking action?"
Gu Chi said: "It will probably be like this."
Shiwu is blocked by natural mountain ranges and national border barriers.
There are also heavy border guards in the Northern Desert.
If the two tribes cooperated with Zheng Qiao and his brother, and borrowed troops to help, they could swagger in and ignore these obstacles and enter the northwest. If Zheng Qiao and the Pig King fought and both suffered losses, it would be difficult for them to defend against the backstab of the two tribes in their weakness.
Kang Shi asked again: "Is the news reliable?"
Gu Chi smiled: "Of course."
His previous boss was Wu Yuan.
Although he was a hostage thrown out by Beimo and was apparently a useless person, the power of Wu Yuan's mother clan was not weak in Beimo. The intelligence could not be false, and the two clans had been secretly communicating for many years.
Gu Chi said: "For Shiwu and Beimo, there will probably be no better opportunity than now within a hundred years."
The conquests by the northwestern countries consumed too much energy.
In recent years, there has been no relatively stable local unified regime, let alone recuperation. More and more small countries have been split, which also means that the possibility of posing a threat to Beimo is getting smaller and smaller. The last time I brushed the Beimo experience pack, if Chu Yao had not traveled and turned the tide, the coalition forces of the Northwest countries would have been defeated by Beimo!
so-
The two tribes will do their best to seize this opportunity.
The Ten Crows will most likely "put aside their past grudges" and continue flirting with Zheng Qiao. Bei Mo will take the opportunity to take advantage of the pig king's favor, but will not refuse. As long as their soldiers can set foot on the land in the northwest, the two tribes' wishful thinking will be successful!
The rest—
The fighting started!
Gu Chi said: "My lord, we need to train our troops as soon as possible."
As a small governor of Heyin County, Shen Tang could not stop the Zheng Qiao brothers from fighting, let alone stop the two tribes from sending troops to the country. The current wars were just small fights, and the real war had not yet begun. All she could do was to rise up during the war.
Otherwise, when the cavalry of the two tribes were killing people in the northwest, she and the common people under her rule would be trampled into meat paste.
The veins on Shen Tang's forehead were throbbing.
At the same time, there is a heavy feeling of powerlessness.
Kang Shi said at this time: "Xingning will not fail to see through this. He will not sit idly by and let Zheng Qiao dig his own grave."
"Yan Xingning? Can he change Zheng Qiao's mind?"
Kang Shi was speechless for a moment.
This cannot be guaranteed.
Yan An and Zheng Qiao are fellow apprentices. The former thinks highly of the latter and rushes to Zheng Qiao as soon as he is out of mourning, trying to get him back on track... But it is hard to say whether Zheng Qiao is willing to listen to the advice.
Two flowers bloom, each showing its own beauty.
At this time, Zheng Qiao was in the palace.
A sturdy man in rough and exotic clothes bowed to Zheng Qiao with a respectful and humble attitude. The official looked indifferent and let the sturdy man flatter Zheng Qiao. Even if he said something very eloquent, he would not pay attention to him and occasionally glanced at him with contempt.
This strong man is the Ten Crow Messenger.
It is said that this person has an extremely noble status in Shiwu.
But just to see the real dragon, I volunteered to come here.
If it weren't for the huge differences in customs between the two places, the envoy would even want to kiss the back of Zheng Qiao's feet to express his piety and awe.
Zheng Qiao smiled, appreciating the strong man's compliment.
Just give one or two responses occasionally.
There are only two "key points" in the entire court meeting.
First, Shiwu wanted to marry Wang Ji.
Second, he was willing to offer a betrothal gift of 100,000 elite soldiers for the princess.
But everyone knows that this is just a fig leaf.
The key point is "one hundred thousand elite troops"!
After the court meeting, Zheng Qiao stayed for Yan'an.
Yan Xingning is not acting normal today.
He never objected once!
This made Zheng Qiao a little surprised and alert - Yan Xingning didn't know him well enough, but he knew Yan Xingning well enough. The other party was too easy to understand. He was a gentleman who didn't have enough ability to turn the tide but had good intentions!
It is impossible to watch Zheng Qiao "let the wolf into the house" without stopping it!
If you can't stop it, you'll still complain.
Today—
"Brother, are you mute?"
Zheng Qiao left a child.
Yan An was about to drop the black piece in his hand when he heard these frivolous and rude words and asked calmly, "Why do you say that?"
"Brother, do you have anything to say about the Shiwu matter?"
"Can you not do it if I tell you?"
"cannot."
"Then there's no need to waste your breath."
Zheng Qiao was surprised when he heard this, this was really strange.
He pretended to test him: "It's rare that you can understand me for once. I'm not afraid of the two idiots from the Pig King, but the Northern Desert has sent in 100,000 troops. I don't have enough troops, so I'm bound to suffer a loss if I run into them, and let the other scoundrels take advantage of me..."
The useless King Zhui wants to unite with Beimo and also borrow 100,000 elite soldiers. However, these 100,000 elite soldiers are not "bride price" but "dowry" of the princess presented by Beimo. Zheng Qiao's troops are a little weak, and he can only rely on external forces if he wants to keep up.
He worked with Shiwu once.
It is quite convenient to use.
Yan An said: "You are the king."
The implication is that Zheng Qiao can make his own decision.
There's no need to explain this to him.
A gloom flashed across Zheng Qiao's handsome face, and his tone seemed gentle but was actually full of murderous intent: "Brother, are you serious?"
"yes."
Zheng Qiao put down the chess piece and suddenly asked in a panic, "You are not Yan Xingning!"
Yan An: “…”
He felt more and more that this junior fellow was difficult to serve.
I opposed him, but he insisted on his own way and no one could persuade him. When I stopped opposing him, Zheng Qiao questioned whether he was fake.
Yan An did not answer, but just stared at him indifferently. Zheng Qiao could not see any flaws: "What are you planning?"
"I have no idea."
Zheng Qiao: “…”
If he believed Yan An’s lies, there would be something fishy going on.
But Yan An refused to say anything, and would not utter a single word even if he was tortured. Zheng Qiao had no choice but to give up for the time being, but he did not forget to threaten him coldly: "I hope that you will practice what you say, and really think and do this, otherwise—"
Glancing at the chess piece turned into powder in Zheng Qiao's hand, Yan An felt a little sad, but responded fluently.
Halfway through the game, Zheng Qiao suddenly said, "Shiwu wants to marry Princess Wang, but Junior Brother has no sons or daughters..."
Yan An said: "Just give the title to any palace girl."
Who is the person they are seeking to marry
No, it’s “Wang Ji”.
He didn't think Zheng Qiao would worry about such things.
Zheng Qiao said: "Speaking of which, niece..."
Yan An's eyes suddenly became very sharp: "Zheng Qiao!"
He stopped calling me by my full name and even “Junior Brother”.
Zheng Qiao smiled and said, "Brother, don't panic. My niece is smart and clever, and she's still young. She calls me her uncle. How could I let her marry? The Shiwu barbarians are not worthy of a princess like my niece. But I have no children, and I envy others who have both sons and daughters. Why not let my niece go to the palace to play for a few days? If you're worried, you can ask my sister-in-law to accompany her."
Yan An looked at Zheng Qiao in disbelief as he was talking and laughing, as if he had just met him for the first time today.
"You think I'll hurt you?"
Zheng Qiao: "Brother, you are worrying too much. I don't mean to take my sister-in-law and the others as hostages. It's just that we haven't seen each other for many years..."
They both knew whether this was true or not.
Yan An's silence today made Zheng Qiao suspicious, so he used this as a warning to warn him that if Yan An didn't agree, he would never be able to leave the palace alive today. Yan An knew Zheng Qiao was suspicious, but he didn't expect him to be so suspicious. He could only hold back his anger.
"I'll have to ask my wife about this matter."
Zheng Qiao sneered: "Okay."
———
The lady thought about it for a moment and then agreed.
"The king is a suspicious person, with an extreme temperament and radical actions. Just follow his lead. If you disobey him, the consequences will be disastrous." Yan An's wife was not very beautiful, but she had a gentle and calm temperament, like a clear mountain spring, which made people feel at ease. "But, Xingning hasn't given up that idea yet?"
Yan An was silent for a while.
But the lady understood his answer, and her smile became a little more bitter, but more of it was understanding and supportive.
Yan An felt even more guilty.
Madam said, "Xingning, there is no need to do this."
She and her husband Yan An have known each other since childhood.
He was also the person she had chosen when she was young.
No matter what Yan An does, she will support him.
only-
Thinking of what her husband had expressed and the overall situation he had carefully planned, the wife had to hide her reluctance.
At the same time, she was angry that Zheng Qiao had failed Yan An's efforts. Zheng Qiao was to blame for the current chaos in the northwest. It was obviously his fault, but it was her husband who cleaned up the mess. How could he have done that
Just because of that guilt
The lady was furious, but she felt a little more balanced when she thought about her husband's plan and Zheng Qiao's reaction when he learned the truth.
The next day, he took his young daughter to visit the palace.
Zheng Qiao did not show up.
At sunset, someone was sent to escort the mother and daughter out of the palace.
"Is there anything unusual?"
Zheng Qiao asked the palace servants who were serving her.
The palace servant replied: "No."
Zheng Qiao admired the singing and dancing and said, "It's quite unusual."
He thought that with this sister-in-law's temper, she would have scolded him badly in private.
He didn't go over to check, because he was afraid of this - after all, this sister-in-law was also considered a senior sister. It's just that she didn't have much contact with Zheng Qiao, and the few times they did, they had conflicts.
After the palace maids left, Zheng Qiao watched the singing and dancing for a while before returning to his bedroom. However, he did not fall asleep but started reading memorials.
Haha, Yan An would probably mutter something strange after seeing this.
These memorials were all sent through secret channels.
It can be considered as one of Zheng Qiao's secret forces.
Specially help him do shady things.
Gather intelligence on forces in various places that have rebellious intentions against Zheng Qiao, or that Zheng Qiao believes have rebellious intentions. Some forces are too small and too weak, so they are dealt with directly, and the blame is framed on the enemy, provoking civil strife and letting them fight each other; for those that are difficult to deal with, intelligence is collected and Zheng Qiao makes the decision.
And these few documents—
Zheng Qiao treated it as a joke.
Tianhai Wu Xian disrupted the markets in Shangnan and Yiru, making a lot of money secretly; He Yin Shen Tang sold water mixed with alcohol behind Wu Xian's back, aiming to take advantage of the situation. The most detailed part is about He Yin's changes in the past few months, as Shen Tang has close contacts with Wu Xian.
Zheng Qiao didn't take Shen Tang seriously at first.
The spies only focused on Wu Xian, Gu Ren and Zhang He, who were obvious troublemakers. However, because of the strangeness of the wine, they noticed Shen Tang by the way, and realized that this man was young but very capable. The defenses in other places of Heyin were lax, but Fugu was strictly governed. Several spies who had gone there were killed for no reason, and the remaining spies did not dare to get too close.
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