Chapter 123 A complete defeat

It's night, the moon and stars are sparse.

Looking eastward from the west bank of the Beishui River, you can see bonfires all over the mountains. Under the dark blue sky, the night wind blew the bonfires constantly, and everywhere there were figures in iron armor swaying in the firelight, full of murderous intent.

If you try to attack such a large camp, you will only die a miserable death.

Shuliduo had a cold face and stretched out her arms, letting two maids put on the armor for her. She closed her beautiful eyes, her chest rising and falling violently, as if she couldn't suppress her chaotic thoughts.

Da He Feng huddled in a corner, his dry voice trembling a little: "Queen, although I have predicted that Aogu is trapped, I cannot judge that she is really trapped just by the demon pestle! Aogu's strength is unparalleled in the world, how could she be defeated like this? I think the other party must have been lucky..."

After saying this, he paused, not knowing what excuse he could come up with, and burst into tears, "If the queen really does what the southerners want, won't Mobei be at the mercy of others? What if something goes wrong when you go east? And now the king..."

Shuliduo had a cold face, opened his eyes, glanced at the map on the wall, and pondered for a long time.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Da He Feng said cautiously: "I think that the southerner must have a bigger conspiracy. Aogu is the reincarnation of a goddess. Even if she fails and falls into the enemy's hands, she will be able to protect herself temporarily. And Shili Qixiang and the other two are not worth the queen taking such risks. The queen should abandon them..."

"shut up."

Shuliduo frowned slightly, turned around and looked away coldly: "Do you want to die?"

Da He Feng stammered, but in the end he dared not say anything more.

The former heaved a sigh of relief and calmed down a little. She was not an irrational person and could distinguish between the pros and cons. But Yelu Zhiwu valued her more than Yelu Abaoji. It can be said that she was confident that she could dominate the northern desert and plot against the Central Plains. In addition to her status as a queen, it was more because she had an eldest daughter who was the reincarnation of a goddess.

As for those herdsmen in Mobei, do they not believe that Aogu is the reincarnation of a goddess?

If she says yes, then it is yes.

But now, the biggest bargaining chip in her hand was easily lost because of herself!
Shuliduo clenched her fingers slightly. Although she believed in Aogu's strength, the young man who was also young and sharp also made her feel a sense of crisis. The most important thing was that she was indeed a little reckless this time. She sent out the strongest weapon of the party without finding out all the cards of the other party.

If Yelu Abaoji had not been defeated...

She paced back and forth, having completely calmed down. Compared to the military that was currently being crushed by the other side, she was better at using political tricks to increase the advantages of the parties. Now that both chips had been thrown away, she had to look for opportunities to increase her own chips.

But she is not a fool. She will not let that guy manipulate her without enough bargaining chips.

"Call Han Yanhui to see me."

The guards outside the tent were stunned. After thinking for a moment, they remembered who Han Yanhui was.

This man had served under Liu Rengong as a literary officer in Youdu Prefecture and a military officer in Pingzhou. Later, Liu Shouguang imprisoned his father and took over the throne. Before he sent Shi Jingtang to Mobei, he had already sent Han Yanhui to the north to visit Yelu Abaoji. However, because Han Yanhui insisted on not kneeling down to Abaoji, the latter was unhappy and detained him and sent him to herd horses in the wild.

When Yelü Abaoji went south, Shuliduo, who was in charge of the rear, learned about the incident. She thought Han Yanhui was "self-reliant, unyielding, and a wise man", so she exempted him from punishment and kept him in the camp with important tasks to test his ability and to facilitate detailed information about Yan.

After a while, Han Yanhui came into the tent to pay his respects.

He was a scholar in his thirties, a little thin, but his eyes were particularly bright and he had a unique character.

"Han pays his respects to the queen." Although he had seen Shulido in iron armor, he did not ask much. He just crossed his arms and saluted without saying anything more.

Shuliduo's face was indifferent, and he calmly sat back at the commander's desk: "Mr. Han, your former master Liu Rengong has now regained power. Now this queen intends to let you return to Youzhou, what do you think?"

Han Yanhui was slightly stunned.

He actually had no source of information from the outside world in the Mobei camp. Although he could guess that something big might have happened based on the movements of the Mobei army in the past two days, he could not imagine how Liu Rengong turned things around.

After a moment's silence, he guessed, "Liu Shouguang was defeated by the queen?"

Shuliduo smiled and did not explain, but said: "The queen has now released Mr. Han, please go back."

But Han Yanhui just smiled, as if he had guessed something, and then bowed politely.

"The Queen has done me a great favor. I am not someone who will not repay a favor. If the Queen needs anything, just speak up. Although I only have a silver tongue, I believe I have some skills."

Then, he paused for a moment and said, "However, the Liu family father and son have treated Han well. I hope the queen will not make things difficult for Han."

Shuliduo's eyes flashed. She recruited talented people just for this moment.

She smiled carefreely, but she seemed more generous than the man: "Mr. Han, you are serious. To be honest, I have indeed encountered a difficult problem..."

Then, she had people guard outside the tent, not allowing outsiders to hear any sound from inside the tent. Only after everyone inside and outside the tent had gathered their close friends and confidants did she tell them all the information about Yandi over the past six months.

After a long time, Han Yanhui paced back and forth, pulling his short beard.

Although he was so shocked by the complicated news that he frowned, he could still accept it and said, "According to what the queen said, I guess that my old master Liu Rengong is probably a puppet of the commander of Yuyang..."

He was an old official of the Liu family and was well aware of the abilities of the Liu family father and son. Since Liu Rengong was imprisoned, there was no way he could regain power, let alone defeat the coalition forces of Mobei and Yichang in one battle.

Shuliduo nodded slightly. She had been collecting intelligence for some time and had figured out the situation in Yan. But the clearer she understood, the more she was horrified by the boy surnamed Xiao or Li. He clearly had no foundation in Yan, so how could he mobilize several troops to work for him?
Han Yanhui paced back and forth, saying calmly: "Youzhou does not need to think too much. It must be the queen's enemy. Even if I come forward, I am afraid it will be useless. The queen is now truly attacked from both sides. Although the Beishui River can stop the army on the other side for a while, the queen is coming south, and the baggage will be used up sooner or later, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter..."

"The Queen does not have any of the advantages of time, place and people. If she stays in Yan, there will be only one result..." He stood up and said bluntly: "Death."

Shuliduo looked calm, as if he had expected this result, and asked, "If we follow Mr. Han's advice, are there any other solutions?"

"Nothing else."

Han Yanhui shook his head and said, "Since the queen controls Gubeikou, why don't you retreat to the grassland and wait for the right time? Then you can gather all the troops and perhaps put pressure on the commander of Yuyang. But I dare not guarantee that the great shaman will be safe..."

Shuliduo hesitated for a moment.

After she calmed down, she had already thought about withdrawing her troops. But if Yelu Abaoji and Aogu were not in her hands, she would definitely continue to lie dormant after returning to the grassland.

Although she was confident that she could make a comeback, how many twenty-nine years did she have in her life? Since she was born, the priests in the tribe said that she would be powerful in this life and become a figure like the Martial Emperor of the Central Plains. She had spent more than ten years, starting from marrying Abaoji, to subdue the entire Mobei step by step with the help of her husband. It was not easy to get to the current situation. How could she be so content?

She exhaled slowly, narrowed her eyes and asked, "Mr. Han, do you know Li Cunxu, the prince of Jin?"

Han Yanhui was stunned.

The Queen of Mobei, who was known for her decisiveness in killing, now had unspeakable ambition in her eyes, and the coldness on her face was so icy that it could make people shiver.

He did not dare to look directly at him, so he bowed his head and said, "Although I have no friendship with Li Cunxu, when the Liu and Li families were on good terms in the past, I also had some connections in Hedong..."

"Mr. Han is a talented man. Your Majesty did not recognize him at that time. Please forgive me for my negligence." Shuliduo stood up from behind the commander's desk and bowed slightly, saying, "I will not force you. This matter is entirely up to you. If you are unwilling, I will immediately send someone to send you back to Youzhou."

Han Yanhui was deeply moved. He had served the Liu family father and son for more than ten years. Although he was in a high position, he had never been respected like this. He was a man of character, but he was also a man who had been looking for a mentor but could not find one. The Liu family was cruel and unbelievable. Although Mobei was bitter and cold, he had already witnessed its rise.

Even though the Central Plains and the Northern Barbarians are different, throughout the Tang Dynasty, were the Hu people in power in the border towns a minority? Even Li Keyong, the King of Jin, was also a Shatuo!
Thinking of this, he bowed solemnly: "How can I refuse the Queen's trust? But I have a request——"

"Mr. Han, please tell me."

"The queen needs to restrain her subordinates and not harm the Han people." Han Yanhui has begun to consider the future of Mobei: "The queen and the king have great ambitions, so they should immediately start to promote harmonious coexistence between the two ethnic groups. At least they should not leave a bad reputation."

Shuliduo smiled faintly and said, "The Queen has already issued an order to restrain them, Mr. Han can rest assured."

Han Yanhui nodded slightly. This woman was more like a ruler than Liu's father and son. The barbarians in Mobei understood this principle, but the princes in the Central Plains did not. He said seriously: "In this case, Han will set off immediately. The sooner we can persuade Li Cunxu, the sooner we can relieve the queen's worries."

Shuliduo attached great importance to this matter. He immediately asked people to prepare tokens and documents, and then specially dispatched a hundred riders to escort Han Yanhui westward.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard as they hurriedly galloped towards the west in the night.

Shuliduo stood on the watchtower with his hands behind his back, and his eyes changed slightly when he saw this.

The Central Plains is truly vast and rich in resources, with many talented people...

Then she turned to look east, her fingertips subconsciously clenching the wooden railing.

That boy is only twenty years old, but he is already so capable. If she can use him, then there is no need to worry about not being able to take over the world.

She couldn't help but sigh, feeling very disappointed.

But fortunately, things have taken a turn for the better. If she can unite with Li Cunxu and summon the various tribes on the grassland to march south, she will have the leverage to renegotiate. And she will not cross the river alone to redeem people so easily, because that would only put her at a disadvantage.

Although Da He Feng was afraid of death, he was right about one thing: if they crossed the river to negotiate, they would be at the mercy of others.

She tapped lightly on the wooden railing and began to think about what action she should take to temporarily calm the man down.

As for Yelu Abaoji and Shili Qixiang, she could no longer guarantee that she could rescue them, so she could only take a long-term view.

As things were sorted out one by one, Shuliduo regained his confidence and his chaotic thoughts calmed down. He looked at the continuous camps on the opposite bank with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

She already knew what the name "Li Yu" meant in the Central Plains. Although she didn't understand why the boy told her this secret, it didn't stop her from making a fuss about it. For example, two days ago, she had already bribed some merchants to bring a message to the south.

She believed that no matter which prince it was, no one would tolerate this!
After a few arrangements, she could already foresee that the balance between the two sides would begin to balance and would no longer be a one-sided situation.

In the silence, the sound of horse hooves came from the west, gradually causing a commotion and interrupting her thoughts.

Shuliduo frowned and stood up.

"Those who cause unrest without cause will be beheaded."

The maid behind him responded and came down.

But before it had gone away, the unrest in the west had intensified.

Shulido couldn't help but look grim. She turned around and saw two familiar figures being surrounded by several riders and entering the camp.

Her face changed drastically and she quickly went down the watchtower.

At this moment, the maid returned quickly, with an expression of panic that could not be concealed between her brows.

"Queen, there is an emergency..."

"Shut up." Shuliduo shouted, and then said coldly: "Go back to the tent."

The maid was stunned for a moment, but looking at the Mobei commander and generals on her left and right, she did not dare to say anything and hurriedly followed.

As soon as Shuliduo entered the big tent, he picked up the teacup with trembling fingertips, wanting to drink tea to calm his mind.

She had even anticipated the worst news, and subconsciously did not dare to ask questions, fearing that she had actually guessed the news correctly.

But the maid could not help but report, "Your Majesty, the two princesses Tabuyan and Tabuhua have traveled thousands of miles day and night to report an urgent matter to the royal court."

Shuliduo clenched the teacup tightly, staggered, and spilled the tea in the cup.

The maid was shocked, but before she could go forward, a loud voice came from outside the tent, which sounded hoarse because he had not had water for a long time.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law..."

The next moment, two figures, one strong and one thin, broke through the obstruction of the attendants and rushed into the big tent.

As soon as they saw Shuliduo, they began to cry, wiping their tears: "Sister-in-law! We finally got to see you alive!"

"Disperse the people outside the tent."

Shuliduo put down her teacup, managed to calm down, and then scolded: "Qingguo, Qingcheng, you two have no reason to invade the camp, how dare you not know your crime? Don't cry in front of me just because you are a princess! Come, each of you should be beaten with fifty sticks!"

The alarmed generals outside were all stunned, and then hurriedly tried to persuade them, saying that the two princesses were the king's sisters after all, and did not understand military affairs, so there was no need to start a war.

"Since this is your first offense, I will forgive you for now." Shuliduo stood up and looked down at everyone. "The war is imminent. Generals, please take good care of your troops in the middle of the night. If anyone makes a mistake at this critical moment, don't blame me for being merciless!"

The generals of Mobei were already afraid of the queen, and now they knew that they had violated the rules by gathering here, so they apologized and quickly retreated.

From beginning to end, the two sisters, Qingguo and Qingcheng, sat on the ground in a daze, their faces covered in dust and dirt, having forgotten howling. Of the two girls, Qingguo was the elder sister, tall and strong, with a fat belly, wearing a bright red belly-revealing dress, looking like a strong man.

Qingcheng is the younger sister, but she is extremely skinny. The white powder on her face has long become a mess. She wears a white dress and green pants, but she doesn't look like a girl at all.

It was not until the curtain was drawn that Shuliduo's momentum suddenly dissipated. She seemed unable to hold on any longer and sat back with a tired look on her face.

"How many more people followed you southward?"

Qingguo opened her mouth blankly: "They are all outside..."

Shuliduo turned to the maid and said calmly, "Ask Da Hefeng to entertain them."

The maid immediately understood and strode away.

Shuliduo rubbed his brows, looked at his two sisters-in-law, and hesitated for a long time.

"Wang Ting, what's going on?"

"Sister-in-law!"

At this point, the two sisters suddenly felt wronged and cried, "It's a mess, everything is a mess. Second brother has become a different person overnight and doesn't even recognize us sisters. Many people died in the royal court, fires were set everywhere, and those who listened to eldest brother were beheaded..."

"My eldest nephew was also locked up by my second brother. We managed to escape when the guards were negligent. As soon as we heard that you were in the south, we came to look for you immediately..."

The two of them were talking back and forth, their conversation was incoherent, their word order was chaotic, and there was no important information at all. In the past, Shuliduo would have shouted at them, but now, she just listened quietly, but her whole body's aura was getting weaker and weaker, until her face turned pale.

The two sisters talked for a long time. Qingcheng was more thoughtful. She wiped her tears and asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong with you?"

Shulido ignored them, closed her eyes for a long time, and finally smiled bitterly.

“It’s a complete failure…”

(End of this chapter)