Chapter 130: A Little Expression of Gratitude
Ji Ruxue pursed her lips and walked towards the sleeping tent with a confused mood.

When she was talking to Shuliduo just now, her words were mostly indifferent, but only she knew how much those words were against her will.

As he was thinking like this, he looked up and saw that the curtain of Xiao Yan's tent was hung. He must have returned here from the main tent.

The girl became inexplicably nervous.

Her tent was right next to them, so she was a little hesitant, not knowing whether she should rush in to look for Xiao Yan.

But immediately, she remembered that she had the letter box in her arms, so she became confident and went straight inside by opening the curtain.

But when she entered, he subconsciously avoided her gaze.

There was a wooden frame beside the collapse, on which was a basin of river water. Xiao Yan was facing the door with his upper body naked, wiping the dirt off his arms.

The weather was hot, and although he could keep out the heat, he was inevitably covered in dirt from wearing armor and moving between camps and battlefields all day. Now that he was stationed by the Lushui River, there was plenty of water to wipe off his dirt.

Over the past six months, he has become much stronger, and the muscles on his arms bulge with his movements, which is very powerful and beautiful. If you look at him slightly sideways because of the movement, you can see that his chest muscles are faintly protruding, and his abdomen is very clearly bulging.

This body shape is full of violence but not abrupt, because the lines of the whole body are very symmetrical and healthy. This is because Xiao Yan often practices archery in the camp, and the three-stone bow is used by him as a riding bow. With the strength of his waist and back, he has developed such a body shape.

At this moment, he turned around and looked, and instantly the entire air was filled with the most primitive breath of power.

Although she had seen it many times before, Ji Ruxue still couldn't help but turn her head away when her eyes inadvertently swept across Xiao Yan. As her eyes drooped, a shy blush appeared on the tips of her ears.

The latter didn't care, and threw the cloth into the basin, walked over and asked, "What information did Zhongyuan pass on?"

"Duan Chengtian wrote to say that Zhu Wen intends to appoint Zhu Hanbin as the commander of the Hebei camp to replace Yang Shihou in taking Cangzhou. Yang Shihou will still serve as the commander of the camp, but will be stationed outside Luzhou for the time being. It seems that he wants to take two approaches at the same time."

Ji Ruxue took out the letter tube and handed it to Xiao Yan while explaining, "But the letter also said that Zhu Wen seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied with you because the battle lasted too long and Hebei felt that Li Cunxu was taking advantage of it..."

Xiao Yan waved his hand and ignored it.

The battle reports that Zhu Wen received were only what Xiao Yan wanted him to see, so he inevitably felt that he was blinded by one thing. For example, Zhu Wen would not know about the existence of Shuliduo, let alone the current corrupt situation in Mobei.

He just smiled and said, "It seems that Zhu Wen is getting anxious. Seeing that Hebei, which is about to be taken by him, is about to be taken by Li Cunxu, I am afraid he will not be able to sleep well at night. But as long as our goal is achieved, it doesn't matter. He can only worry about me now."

Ji Ruxue couldn't help but chuckle, with a glittering look in her eyes. What attracted her most about Xiao Yan was that he was confident in everything he did, and he would not change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. It was this confidence that often made the generals admire him.

But she still couldn't help but worry, and whispered: "I heard from them that Li Cunxu is a rare talent..."

"We have to face it eventually." Xiao Yan picked up the towel again and said calmly, "There are so many heroes in this world. If we are afraid of them all, how long can we hide? Don't we have to wait until these famous generals are old and dead and can no longer fight?"

Ji Ruxue pursed her lips. There was no need for further explanation. She knew that Xiao Yan could understand her worries, so she stepped forward, grabbed the towel, picked it up, and wiped his back.

The tent fell silent as a result.

But the two of them actually enjoyed this quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Xiao Yan relaxed all over, took a breath, closed his eyes and said, "The war is imminent, Youzhou is right in front of us, it is unavoidable. Although I have used some means to confuse Li Cunxu's sight, his experience in battle formations is much richer than mine, so it is inevitable that he will smell a different atmosphere. The decisive battle may be in the next few days. I intend to let the bad guys send you back to Yuyang. What do you think?"

The girl said nothing, but subconsciously bit her lip, as if she wanted to use the towel in her hand to rub a layer of skin off Xiao Yan.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Xiao Yan didn't say much. To him, this was just a decision. It was more like an inquiry than a notification. He then said, "I left Shangguan Yunque in Yuyang. Although he has many small ideas, he is still reliable. Even if we lose the war, I won't have to worry about anything with you in Yuyang."

After that, he murmured again: "This battle must be fought."

Ji Ruxue listened silently without refutation. She knew Xiao Yan's ambition very well. He already had nearly 40,000 men under his command, but his focus was still on Dingbadu, and most of the families of his officers and soldiers were in Youzhou. He did not have time to wait for Li Cunxu to make a mistake. If he wanted to gain Dingbadu's true loyalty, this battle would be the key.

Thinking of this, she nodded, because she didn't want to distract him: "Okay, I'll go to Yuyang. But you need to be more careful about Queen Yingtian."

Then, she hesitated for a moment, ready to tell the conversation that had just taken place.

But at this moment, Fu An's voice came from outside.

"Military envoy, the Queen of Mobei requests to see you."

"Let her wait in the main tent." Xiao Yan said casually, and then looked at Ji Ruxue: "Don't worry, I'm not taking her lightly."

"..."

The girl hesitated for a moment, and finally hid the conversation between Shuliduo and her. After all, this matter was indeed a trivial matter, and as for the title of "Jiulang", she would not care about it. No matter what, Xiao Yan had his own considerations, and she understood it very well.

Seeing that she had no objection, Xiao Yan smiled warmly and said, "There is no time to lose. It is still early today. How about you set off later? Corpse Ancestor is also in Yuyang, so he is not without acquaintances."

"it is good."

Since there were no objections, Ji Ruxue found a clean lining for him to change into. Xiao Yan had a slight mysophobia, and although he didn't really care when he was alone, she always remembered to wash these clothes.

When he went out, he found that Shuliduo was surrounded by Shiliqixiang and several guards, waiting outside.

"Miss Ji, nice to meet you again." The queen smiled faintly and nodded to the girl.

Xiao Yan frowned slightly.

Shuliduo's eyes twitched slightly, and she glanced at Ji Ruxue, who looked calm and composed, and she immediately understood. But she didn't need to explain at this time, so she changed the subject and said, "There are some matters concerning Mobei that need to be discussed with General Xiao alone. The generals in the main tent are noisy, can we discuss it in detail here?"

Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment, whispered a few words to Fu An, and then extended his hand to invite her: "Queen, please come in."

On the side, Ji Ruxue wanted to say something but stopped herself. In the end, she did not speak. She just whispered to Xiao Yan, "Take care."

The latter nodded slightly, saying everything.

…………

Shuliduo half-closed her almond-shaped eyes and caught a glimpse of a group of people wearing green robes, black armor and conical hats riding horses outside, as if they were coming to pick someone up.

She had asked Shili Qixiang to observe carefully. These soldiers with strange clothes but almost everywhere in the camp should be Xiao Yan's real killer weapon, enough to be called his eyes. And the group of only 600 Longxiang soldiers were also one of his trump cards...

She paused for a moment, lowered the thick curtain, and went inside.

"General Xiao, please don't be surprised. I just saw that handsome Saker Falcon flying from the south, and I couldn't help but be curious. When I came here, I happened to meet Miss Ji, and I walked with her. To be honest, I envy General Xiao. With such a beautiful woman, I can't help but want to stay by her side."

"Oh."

Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back facing her, and did not respond to this topic. Instead, he asked calmly, "What does the Queen want to discuss?"

Shuliduo swept the furnishings in the tent and found it extremely tidy. She couldn't help but wonder if this was Xiao Yan's style or Ji Ruxue's work.

She found a chair and sat down, saying, "I came here today for two things."

"First, the generals under my command are somewhat dissatisfied with Wang Yanzhang sent by General Xiao. Now the affairs of the royal court are still covered up by me, and the generals under me are unaware of the inside story, and they have some complaints against me."

Xiao Yan turned around, glanced at her, and said, "Queen, please don't joke with me. Among all the Mobei generals, is there anyone that the Queen cannot control?"

Shuliduo said calmly, "It is because General Xiao's six hundred Longxiang soldiers were too domineering in the Mobei camp."

"I will ask Wang Yanzhang to restrain them."

The former smiled and said, "But Xiao believes that sooner or later, the affairs of the royal court will be known to everyone. For some uncontrollable factors, the queen should make some preparations early."

"No need to remind General Xiao."

"Tell me, what is the second thing?"

"Hehe..." Shuliduo chuckled and didn't speak for a long time.

Xiao Yan was waiting and couldn't help but frowning.

After a moment, the queen stood up, her beautiful eyes somewhat mournful: "Jiulang clearly said at that time that he would let Aogu return to the camp after I joined forces with you to march west. Now Jiulang is breaking his promise. Is he bullying me because I am alone and helpless?" Her tone was softer than ever before, but her temperament was heroic, and hearing it gave her a sense of conquest.

Xiao Yan didn't buy her tricks, "I will do what I said. But the queen also knows that the war is imminent, Xiao..."

"Is Jiulang worried about me?" Shuliduo bit her lip and stepped forward and said, "I am powerless now. What else can I do except rely on Jiulang? Jiulang, don't look at anything else. Just treat it as a reunion for us mother and daughter, okay?"

"After Li Cunxu retreats, I will do what I say." Xiao Yan shook his head.

The queen could no longer endure it, her beautiful eyes turned cold, and she said in a deep voice: "General Xiao, don't really think that I am easy to bully! Now that the war is imminent, General Xiao, are you really not afraid that something will go wrong in the camp? Then..."

She paused for a moment, but it was because Xiao Yan showed her a letter: "Your Royal Court, the winner has been decided."

Shuliduo's pupils shrank and he snatched it away.

Xiao Yan stepped forward with a half-smile, "Yelü Lage imprisoned the queen's uncle Yelü Xiadi, and has become the Khan of the Eight Tribes and the new King of Mobei. He promised the leaders of the eight tribes that the throne would be chosen every three years and the most capable person would take it, so the eight tribes of Mobei followed his orders. Now, the queen's mother's clan, the Shuli Tribe, has been excluded by the eight tribes, and the situation is not good."

The queen's fingertips holding the letter began to tremble.

According to the rules of Mobei, the Great Khan is selected every three years by the eight chieftains, which has been a custom for hundreds of years. But Shuliduo was certainly not satisfied with this. After Yelu Abaoji came to power, she began to constantly make plans and recruit Han advisers, allowing Abaoji to expand the territory and make great contributions to Mobei. Then, through political tactics, she eliminated many of Abaoji's political enemies, allowing him to be re-elected as the Great Khan for three consecutive terms.

It took her ten full years to finally train a large team for Yelu Abaoji, and then let him establish the title of "King of Mobei" against all odds, replacing the "Khan election" system with the "hereditary system".

Shuliduo's ten years of hard work was destroyed by Yelu Lage in one day...

Is this short-sighted thing worthy of being the King of Mobei?

Her face turned pale, her teeth were clenched tightly, and she could hardly make a sound.

Xiao Yan put his hands behind his back and added, "There is one more thing. Yelu Lage has sent Shi Jingtang back to Jin State to prepare for a formal alliance with Li Keyong."

Shuliduo's expression suddenly changed, and gradually turned pale.

"If the queen wants to trip me up, I will take it."

Xiao Yan laughed and said, "But I still say the same thing. To me, the queen is still the queen. But if the queen falls into Li Cunxu's hands, it may not be the same. Not everyone can be like me, willing to make enemies with the current King of Mobei for the queen."

Shuliduo held the letter in her hand, crumpled it into a ball, and then gritted her teeth and said, "Why should I believe that what General Xiao said is true?"

"I told you so a long time ago." Xiao Yan frowned, pinched her chin, closed his eyes, and looked a little indifferent.

"My last name is Li, Li Jiulang, Li Yu.

"The Queen really thinks that I am coveting your Mobei foundation?"

Shuliduo's smooth jaw was pinched and it hurt a little. This feeling of being violated was not pleasant, but she completely forgot to resist. Her beautiful eyes flashed: "Do you want to..."

"The queen needs allies, and so do I."

Xiao Yan released her chin, and then gently rubbed Shuliduo's cheek with his fingertips. His eyes were sharp and his voice was a little low: "This identity is not known to everyone. My allies are not useless..."

Shulido's eyelashes trembled, as if she was a little frightened.

But the next moment, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

Xiao Yan smiled and took his hand back. But immediately, his hand was pressed back on the ripe face, and there was a hint of love in the heroic almond eyes opposite.

"Jiulang is such an outstanding person, I really like him very much, I really want to take him under my command. But I can't be a master and a servant, can we have some other relationship?"

The former was surprised and took a half step back.

But the queen chuckled and took a step forward at the same time, almost fitting in.

Honestly.

Shuliduo is a very charming beauty, with a good figure and a thin and flexible waist. Although she is wearing a velvet robe, her hips can support the lower garment to form beautiful curves and folds. Even though she is wrapped tightly in a velvet robe, her good figure is not covered up. The purple cross-collared top and the white neck complement each other, which is very beautiful.

In addition, her noble and dignified temperament makes people involuntarily want to tear through this barrier and take a glimpse of the scenery under the collar.

Xiao Yan could already feel the heavy softness in his chest.

He suddenly remembered that he was in Yuyang and had not yet asked the surrendered officials for help.

At the same time, Shuliduo smiled with satisfaction, and her hand moved downwards to somewhere.

"Queen, be careful."

Xiao Yan's back was a little tense, his breathing was a little heavy, and his fingers subconsciously stroked the teardrop mole at the corner of the queen's eye.

In a moment, his chest suddenly felt cold.

It was his cross-collar lining that was gently lifted, and Shuliduo's red lips left a light impression on his neck.

The movement was light, but the rouge lip marks were extremely glaring.

A burning sensation suddenly rose from her abdomen, but it only lasted for a moment before Shulido abruptly pulled herself away, took two steps back, and bowed in a particularly dignified manner.

"When Jiulang defeats Li Cunxu, I will certainly express my gratitude."

After saying this, her temperament changed and she strode out of the tent in an especially heroic manner.

"This woman..."

Xiao Yan let out a breath, rubbed the remaining warmth on his fingertips, and sat back on the couch.

Although his desires were dominated by the evil power, Shulido was indeed a beauty and she easily suppressed him.

Young woman, you are really amazing.

…………

"queen."

As soon as he left the tent, Shili Qixiang came up to him anxiously and whispered, "That guy didn't do anything rude, did he?"

Shuliduo did not respond to her. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky and pondering for a while.

After a while, she climbed onto her mount and rode a long way before she ordered, "Tell Da He Feng not to touch Ji Ruxue for the time being."

Shili Qixiang was shocked and glanced around: "Why? What happened?"

"Speak up."

Shuliduo didn't even look at her, with only a cold expression on her face.

Shili Qixiang felt a little aggrieved and clenched the reins tightly.

She felt more and more that this trip south was the queen's most wrong decision.

Shuliduo rode in front, gently stroked the teardrop mole at the corner of his eyes, and smiled coldly.

"Li Tang..."

"interesting."

(End of this chapter)