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But... this is too... Xu Han still found it hard to believe. Ever since the prince took over the northwest, the Daqi had retreated into their shells after two years of fighting, not daring to show their heads. The northwest had been peaceful for eight years. While the princess's words made sense, they were a bit overthinking.

"Don't you think so, General Xu?"

In fact, Luo Yao was not overthinking it, but the timing of the war started by Northern Qi was too strange.

When Luo Yao returned to Zhejiang Province from the south, he felt strange. Logically speaking, Northern Qi had suffered from drought and the autumn harvest was very small. The autumn war should have broken out from July to September. However, the internal chaos in Daqi lasted until the end of September. The reason for fighting in the cold winter was not difficult to guess, that is, hunger. This battle was about survival, and the people of Qi must have been determined to win or die.

However, it is the lower-class people who are hungry. The upper-level officials and rulers will not be blinded by this. If they can fight a war in the cold winter, they must be well prepared.

Daqi and Qi are both big countries in the north with similar domestic situations. Both have suffered from drought and bitter cold this year, so it is not difficult to guess that they will join forces.

"What the princess said is indeed reasonable. Daqi is likely to support Qi. This matter is of great importance. I will report to the prince right away." Xu Han.

"Wait." Luo Yao stopped Xu Han and pointed to the northwest border. "Which general is in charge there now?"

"Ever since General Red Eagle disappeared, the prince has sent two more deputy generals there."

"How is the strength?"

"Both of them are capable generals under the prince..."

"No, I can't do it without brains," Lu Yao shook his head. "I'll talk to the prince and send a letter to the northwest to ask them to be on high alert."

"Yes." Xu Han took his leave.

Luo Yao walked back and forth in front of the sand table a few times, then walked out with his head down.

Inside the tent, Bei Zhenting was wrapped in a plush blanket and reading a scroll.

Luo Yao brought dinner and placed it on the table beside him, arranged the dishes one by one and asked him to eat. The two sat opposite each other, and while Luo Yao ate, he talked about what happened today.

"The military camp does not have a systematic training program, so it is indeed important to let the recruits exercise their physical fitness." Bei Zhenting strongly supports Luo Yao's idea of letting the soldiers exercise their physical fitness.

"Your Highness, you don't know. Today I learned what kind of war General Xu and his men were fighting. Qi is truly shameless. All the refugees who retreated were taken into the army, and when they got to the battlefield, they dragged out a bunch of old, weak, and sick people to be cannon fodder!" Luo Yao's face was filled with bitterness and hatred. "And these people have been brainwashed. They were captured without complaint. Even when we told them they were being used, they didn't react. We provided them with food and clothing, but they showed no gratitude. At noon, we delivered lunch to these ungrateful wolves, and they even injured two of our soldiers!"

Luo Yao angrily took a mouthful of rice, as if venting his anger on the food.

"There's nothing we can do about it. If they don't go, their parents and children will starve to death. That's what famine is like. Yaoyao, you don't have to bother with them. If they don't cooperate, just ignore them." Bei Zhenting put a piece of meat in Luo Yao's bowl to comfort him.

There is no distinction between good and evil in this war. It is just a war for survival and to defend the homeland.

I didn't think it was a big deal at first, and the captives didn't intend to torture them, but when I saw those people who couldn't tell good from evil, it was hard to feel sympathy for them.

"Don't worry about the northwest, Yaoyao. I have my own arrangements. But you will have to work hard here, Yaoyao."

Luo Yao nodded, and thought of Bei Zhenqing again, "Your Highness, where did Prince Qi Qing go? Why didn't he reply to my letter for so long? Was he captured?"

Bei Zhenting: "After all, raising private soldiers is already a heinous crime. Now he's running away with your gunpowder. Yaoyao isn't worried about him joining forces with the Qi State Da Banner, but is worried about him being caught?"

Bei Zhenqing and Qi State join forces...

Luo Yao looked at Bei Zhenting in surprise, as if it was indeed possible, after all, Bei Zhenqing was a traitor.

"Then...then..." Luo Yao was speechless for a moment.

He was just giving away a lot of explosives by making wedding clothes for the thieves! The cooperation with Bei Zhenqing was based on the trust between people. There was no written contract and no legal protection. If Bei Zhenqing really rebelled, he would lose his head!

Luo Yao shuddered as his neck felt cold.

"Do you understand now?" Bei Zhenting stared at him.

The society is dangerous! Luo Yao glanced at Bei Zhenting cautiously.

I feel more and more like I've been scammed!

As the two were talking about Bei Zhenqing, Li Qingyun entered the tent, holding a large falcon.

Seeing the bloody falcon, Luo Yao and Bei Zhenting both stood up and asked, "What happened?"

Speak of the devil, and he will appear. But... Bei Zhenqing is in trouble?

"Princess, this falcon is dying. This is the letter it sent." Li Qingyun handed the scroll in his hand to Luo Yao.

Luo Yao ignored the letter handed to him by Li Qingyun and carefully picked up the injured Hayabusa. "Go call Doctor Ye!"

Li Qingyun was stunned for a moment, looked at the princess with a distressed face, then looked at the prince who was reading a letter on the side, touched his head and went out to call for help.

Ye Qing rushed over in a hurry and looked at his patients, Hayabusa and his four companions, staring at each other in amazement.

"You called me here in such a hurry just to treat this bird?"

Luo Yao looked anxious: "Godly doctor, please save it! It's seriously injured!"

Bei Zhenting's expression remained calm: "Can it be saved?"

Li Qingyun:.

Ye Qing: "I can't save birds, I can only save people."

Luo Yao looked at Bei Zhenting eagerly. Bei Zhenting frowned and looked at Ye Qing, "This falcon is very important. Now we can only contact King Qi through it. It is injured like this. I am afraid that Prince Qi will be in trouble. This bird must be saved."

Yes, that makes sense. Ye Qing was speechless. He washed his hands in hot water and resigned himself to rescuing the bird. "It's seriously injured. I'll treat its wounds, but whether it can survive depends on its luck."

Luo Yao looked at the poor falcon for a while before he remembered to see what Bei Zhenqing had written.

The northwest is in danger.

"Has Prince Qi also noticed Daqi's actions?" Luo Yao leaned in to look at the words on the letter. "This is not Prince Qi's handwriting."

"Indeed, it wasn't." Bei Zhenting confirmed his statement, "It must have been written by one of his subordinates."

"Did Prince Qi meet with misfortune?"

"Not necessarily. His subordinates didn't mention the King of Qi's condition in the letter they sent you, so he should be fine. His lack of a reply also means that he's in a very dangerous place right now. He can't communicate with you, but his life is not in danger for the time being."

"Compared to this, I'm more worried about what this letter says." Bei Zhenting paused. "This falcon is so seriously injured. It seems that sending this letter was quite difficult. He must be telling us something important."

Luo Yao imitated the way they did in TV dramas and looked at the letter under candlelight, then submerged it in water. There was nothing there, no matter how he looked at it, there were only four words.

Bei Zhenqing took the wet note from his hand and placed it on the table. "If this is discovered, the King of Qi will be imprisoned. It seems that things are not easy in the northwest either. I will write to the Zhu Er and Zhu San brothers and ask them to strengthen martial law, especially to increase troops on the border."

After three days of training, the soldiers gradually lost all desire to live under Luo Yao's devilish training.

After running ten laps around the camp early in the morning, everyone was sweating profusely. After running, the soldiers did some simple warm-up exercises and then stayed in place, waiting to have breakfast and continue training.

Today's breakfast is meat porridge. When they heard the princess say that they could have meat porridge for breakfast in the future, they thought it was fake. Now that they can really smell the fragrance of the meat porridge, their mouths are watering.

After receiving their share of porridge and steamed buns, the soldiers sat on the ground to eat breakfast, with several soldiers sitting together and talking while eating.

"Why hasn't the Qi army made any moves these past few days? Could it be that they've been frightened by our defeat? It's been like this for so long?"

"About ten days or so. I don't know what Qi's soldiers are eating. I heard that Qi is frozen."

"Those aren't soldiers, they're civilians. The Qi State is using the civilians as pawns."

"How shameless."