Who put the yellow robe on me?

General Zhong Wenbin then turned around and said in a loud voice, his brows etched with a hint of stubbornness: "Your Majesty! When we led our troops to break through the gates of Liangzhou City, it was dusk and the cold wind was howling, when suddenly we heard the sound of dense drumbeats from the enemy side.

General Mammon from the Western Regions led an army of 100,000 men, surging like a tidal wave. Their ferocious attack seemed to shake the very heavens. At that moment, our morale plummeted, a chill welling up in our hearts. Only by desperately resisting could we barely hold on to the city.

Even more thrilling is that every time the enemy attacks, their swift and ferocious offensive always accurately predicts our movements, just like the biting north wind on a cold night, which always seems to tell us in advance that a storm is coming."

As he spoke, Zhong Wenbin's voice was filled with excitement and indignation, as if the heavy history was rolling in his mouth, and his eyes were flashing with the fire of bloody battles.

Emperor Liang listened attentively, feeling both relieved and worried, as if he could smell the scent of iron, blood, and gunpowder spreading in the hall.

Just when the hall was silent, Prime Minister He suddenly interrupted: "Why? Could it be that there are other strange people and things among the enemies who can predict the future in advance?" His tone revealed deep doubts and hidden worries, as if the unsolved mystery was affecting the fate of the entire Daliang.

Zhong Wenbin paused, a flicker of painful recollection in his eyes. "Prime Minister, I was also filled with doubts at the time, just like the lonely moonlight in the cold winter months. That was until we discovered the traitor in the city—Chen Lingze, the traitor in Liangzhou City. As a seventh-rank official, he was secretly communicating with the Western Regions!"

At this point, his voice deepened slightly, as if the shadow of betrayal still lingered in his heart. "This Chen Lingze is extremely cunning. Every time he completes a communication with the enemy, he always manages to completely erase all traces, making it impossible for us to catch him."

He paused, as if ruminating on the painful past, then slowly continued, "Finally, we were able to capture Chen Lingze's three personal guards—Xiao Xingbing, Ji Weilong, and Ying Shifeng. Upon interrogation, the traitor's true identity was revealed. It was only after eliminating this spy that the situation in the city began to slowly improve, and morale gradually recovered."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Wenbin turned his gaze to the two Sixteenth Princes standing before the palace. His deep eyes seemed to penetrate the mist of history, and with unquestionable majesty, he asked, "May I ask, Your Highnesses, how did we manage to make Chen Lingze's three personal commanders reveal their true colors as traitors?"

His tone was filled with military pride and a cautious recollection of the dangerous situation, as if all the storms at that moment were condensed into this question.

The dissolute Sixteenth Prince, who was standing on the side, glanced sideways slightly. A hint of cunning flashed across his usually frivolous expression, as if suggesting that he knew a little about the details but was unwilling to talk about it.

Turning to the dark-skinned Sixteenth Prince, he deliberately teased, "To be fair, how about letting you solve this problem?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, as if he was secretly mocking the other person's shortcomings.

The dark-skinned Sixteenth Prince smiled sheepishly upon hearing this, but he was secretly delighted in his heart: he had already anticipated such a scene and knew that the other party must know very little about the details of the battle.

He immediately straightened his chest and answered Zhong Wenbin in a loud voice: "General Zhong, the strategy I adopted at that time was the famous prisoner's dilemma!" His words were full of confidence and revealed his exquisite grasp of the complex situation, as if the strategy had been brewing in his mind for a long time.

Hearing this, the dissolute Sixteenth Prince couldn't help but agree: "Yes, it's the prisoner's dilemma!"

There was a hint of frivolity in his tone, but it also revealed his unique insights into war strategies.

A whisper suddenly sounded in the Wanhe Hall. The ministers looked at each other, obviously unfamiliar with the term "prisoner's dilemma", and countless questions and curiosity surged in their hearts.

Upon seeing this, Guo Wulie, the Vice Minister of War, hurriedly asked, "Your Highness the Sixteenth, may I ask what exactly this prisoner's dilemma is?" His tone was filled with a desire for knowledge, mixed with a hint of doubt, as if he was expecting the answer to bring new insights into the war situation.

Seeing Guo Wulie's piercing gaze, the dark-skinned Sixteenth Prince explained the strategy in detail to everyone present in the most understandable language: "The prisoner's dilemma is a strategy that allows both the enemy and us to expose our weaknesses through mutual suspicion and forced cooperation.

We deliberately created a variety of false impressions to put the enemy in a dilemma, ultimately forcing them to reveal their true intentions. It was through this strategy that we successfully induced Chen Lingze's three close generals to reveal their flaws, making the traitor's true identity completely exposed.

His explanation was concise and clear, yet calm and confident, and all the listeners were amazed.

After listening to this, Prime Minister He touched his beard which had turned white due to time, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and he said repeatedly: "Seconds! It's really wonderful!" His voice was full of recognition of the ingenuity of his plan.

Seeing the atmosphere calm down a bit, Zhong Wenbin continued, "And when General Mammon was finally defeated by our stubborn resistance, Xianyu Linyuan, the foremost general in the Western Regions, led a hundred thousand Tiger Guards and attacked Liangzhou City!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense. The commander of the imperial guards, Lin Shigong, raised his eyebrows and exclaimed, "Ah? One hundred thousand Tiger Guards?" His voice was full of shock and disbelief, as if the number was as heavy as Mount Tai, which made people feel cold.

At the same time, Shi Baixia, the Imperial Medical Bureau's Imperial Censor, looked at Lin Shigong with confusion and asked, "Commander Lin, how powerful are the Tiger Guards?" There was a hint of anxiety and doubt in Shi Baixia's tone.

Lin Shigong nodded thoughtfully and replied in a low voice, "Years ago, there was a folk song circulating among the people, saying, 'The Western Tiger Guards and the Northern Black Wolf will not let go of the little ones in the Central Plains...'"

Before he could finish his words, Shi Baixia hurriedly asked, "Little what?"

Shi Baixia's eyes were filled with curiosity, and his voice rose, but he was interrupted by Lin Shigong's sudden blushing face. At that moment, he seemed to have turned into a shy child, shaking his head and saying nothing, and the scene suddenly became extremely awkward.

When the ministers saw this, strange expressions appeared in their hearts. Some looked suspicious, while others exchanged puzzled glances with each other.

Suddenly, General Zhong Wenbin spoke coldly, "Lord Shi, this folk ballad was actually fabricated three years ago by the Northern Qiang to humiliate Daliang when they seized the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun—Wuzhou, Ruzhou, and Xinzhou. At that time, the Crown Prince's rebellion weakened Daliang, allowing the Northern Qiang to exploit the opportunity. The folk ballad bears witness to that tragic history."

Just as everyone was silent, Prime Minister He noticed the heavy expression on Emperor Liang's face and quickly changed the subject, asking in a gentle tone, "General Zhong, what happened next? Did you finally repel the Tiger Guards?"