fantasy novels Chapter 9 The Old Madam's Approval: The Traitor Within is Despicable!
Chapter 9 The Old Madam's Approval: The Traitor Within is Despicable!
When Liu Ruoshuang's eyes swept over the words on the letter, her entire aura seemed to have been turned on.
murderous look.
A palpable killing intent emanated from her, making the air in the council hall feel heavier.
"Dogtooth Shigeru—"
Her teeth were clenched so tightly that they were grinding together, and her hand on the hilt had already pulled the knife three inches out.
Wei Zhao reached out and grasped her wrist.
Hard.
Liu Jingshuang froze.
She glanced down at Wei Zhao's hand, then looked up at his face.
Wei Zhao's expression was very calm, so calm that it was almost abnormal.
"sit down."
The two words, spoken softly, made Liu Jingshuang pause for a moment before slowly pushing the knife back into its sheath.
She didn't sit down. But she loosened her hand from the hilt of the knife.
Wei Zhao withdrew his hand, folded the letter, and placed it on the table.
"How many people from the Northern Rong have come this time?"
He was asking the old lady.
The tone was almost like asking what to eat today, as if the letter just now contained a recipe.
The old lady looked at him.
My gaze lingered on his face for a long time.
Back when the two armies were at war, what kind of swear words hadn't she heard?
The insults and provocations exchanged on the battlefield were even more offensive than this letter.
Insulting your ancestors for eighteen generations is just an appetizer; gossiping about your female relatives is standard practice.
When she was young, she accompanied her husband on his campaigns, and the words the Northern Rong people shouted at her were ten times more disgusting than the letter from Quan Ya Mao.
You can just listen to this kind of thing and forget about it.
A true leader won't get angry over a few dirty words.
When one's eyes turn red, one falls into the other's trap.
What she wanted to see was whether Wei Zhao could get through this hurdle.
The result was better than she had expected.
The youngest son not only did not fly into a rage, but he also did not lose his composure.
His first action was to restrain Liu Jingshuang, who was about to draw her sword, and then he immediately inquired about the strength of the troops.
The old lady tapped her cane twice with her fingers.
Not bad.
Military generals are easy to find, but those who can maintain a calm mind in this situation are rare.
The Wei family faces more than just the Northern Rong as their enemies.
The methods employed by those in the imperial court are a thousand times more sophisticated than those of a crude fellow like Inuya Shigeru.
A stubborn, reckless man might win on the battlefield, but back in the capital, he'll be devoured by those smiling tigers until nothing is left.
"The entire Northern Rong people are soldiers..."
The old lady spoke slowly, as if giving a lecture:
"This southward expedition will bring at least 500,000 soldiers capable of fighting."
"Among them, there were no fewer than 300,000 cavalry."
Five hundred thousand.
Wei Zhao tapped his finger twice on the table.
500,000 versus 300,000.
The difference in troop strength was nearly double, and the number of cavalry was overwhelmingly superior.
But there was no trace of panic in the old lady's tone; in fact, it carried a sense of confidence.
"There are advantages too."
She pointed to the topographical map of Yanmen Pass hanging on the wall.
"It is not easy for the Northern Rong cavalry to attack the pass. Yanmen Pass is a natural barrier, and their horses cannot maneuver freely below the pass."
"Furthermore, the logistics of the grassland people have always been a weakness. They drive their cattle and sheep around and eat wherever they go. They can fight a quick battle, but they can't fight a protracted war."
She paused.
"The fact that Shigeru Inuya used such underhanded tactics to provoke you out of seclusion precisely shows that he can't afford to waste time."
"He's getting anxious—that's a good thing."
Wei Zhao nodded.
He understood the reasoning.
Hold Yanmen Pass, hold off the Northern Rong, and retreat when their supplies are exhausted.
But Liu Jingshuang clearly didn't think so.
"If the imperial supplies arrive."
"I already led my troops out to fight my way out."
Her voice was as cold as a razor blade.
He paused for a moment, then a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Even facing three times the number of foreign enemies, the Wei family army can still fight!"
Wei Zhao looked at her.
three times?
We are confident that our 300,000-strong Wei family army can defeat an enemy force of 900,000?
He had read many military books in the past few days. There were examples of battles where the few defeated the many, but those were all extreme cases where the right time, place, and people were indispensable.
Liu Jingshuang spoke with such certainty that either she was exaggerating, or the Wei family army's fighting strength had truly reached that level.
Combined with their previous performance of holding Yanmen Pass for half a month and withstanding repeated attacks from the elite Northern Rong troops—
She wasn't bragging.
Here comes the problem.
Since the Wei family army is so capable, and the nine elder brothers are all seasoned generals, how could they have been wiped out in Calabash Valley?
The imperial grain supplies have not arrived.
These words were like a nail, driven into Wei Zhao's mind.
When the nine elder brothers went to war, did the provisions not arrive?
Were military supplies withheld?
Was the intelligence intercepted?
He recalled the words the old lady had spoken in the mourning hall—
"In the last crushing defeat, that old dog Lu Song overstepped his bounds."
An invincible army is not defeated by the enemy, but by its own people.
Out of food.
Intercept intelligence.
Even—colluding with foreign enemies.
Wei Zhao's fingers slowly clenched.
He stood up and walked to the topographic map.
My gaze passed over Yanmen Pass and Hulu Valley, landing in the direction within the pass—south, towards the capital.
"sad."
He spoke, his voice not loud, but everyone in the council chamber heard him clearly.
"The Wei family army is so strong, but due to the constraints of the imperial court, it has been unable to defeat the foreign tribes for a long time."
"With the passage of time, all five barbarian tribes have emerged, leaving the entire northern border riddled with holes."
He turned around and looked at the old lady and Liu Jingshuang.
"Traitors to the country are more despicable than foreign enemies."
Six words, spoken plainly, like stating a fact.
But Liu Jingshuang's eyes lit up for a moment, and then she nodded deeply.
I completely agree with Wei Zhao's words!
……
"No need to reply to this letter yet."
The old lady turned the letter over and placed it face down on the table, like a piece of scrap paper.
"Dog Fang Shigeru is trying to provoke you out of seclusion, but you deliberately refuse to come out."
"The harsher his insults, the more restless he is."
Wei Zhao nodded. He understood the reasoning behind it.
"We don't need to wait for the imperial court to handle the grain and provisions."
The old lady stood up, leaning on her cane, her tone calm as if she were talking about something that had been arranged long ago:
"I already have plans."
She paused, her gaze falling on Wei Zhao, looking him up and down.
"I have seen your performance these past few days."
Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback.
The old lady rarely showed a smile; on her wrinkled face, the smile lines were even deeper than the wrinkles themselves.
"As expected of the sons of the Wei family, they are capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities."
It was just one sentence, without any extra praise. But Wei Zhao sensed its weight.
The old lady was not the kind of person who would praise someone casually. She had seen her husband and nine sons pass away, and had witnessed more life and death than most people in the world.
A word of approval from her is more effective than an imperial edict.
"For the next few days, you will accompany Jing Shuang on inspections of the various armies."
The old lady strode out, the sound of her cane tapping the ground steady and powerful.
"Get familiar with the major branches of our Wei Family Army as soon as possible."
She walked to the door and glanced back at Wei Zhao.
"The most important thing is to get them to recognize you."
After he finished speaking, the sound of the steel cane gradually faded into the distance.
Only Wei Zhao and Liu Jingshuang remained in the council chamber.
Liu Jingshuang stood still, her expression unchanged from usual, cold and with her lips tightly pressed together.
But Wei Zhao noticed that her grip on the hilt loosened, her five fingers spread out, and gently rested on the scabbard.
She must be happy inside, right?
Although her face probably doesn't convey the word "happy," her body language doesn't lie.
The old lady was praising Wei Zhao, but she felt even more pleased than if she herself had been praised.
"Let's go."