The Villain's Counterattack

Shi Long brought to Bai Ziting not only a large number of city defense equipment and the confidence to fight against the Turkic army, but also more information that he didn't know, as well as the strategic guidelines compiled by Yang Guang's advisers.

Transporting such a large quantity of equipment to Longquan was no easy task. Since Bai Ziting's plan to establish the Bohai State had been exposed, the Turks were already preparing to attack him, even preparing to launch a war of annihilation. As the overlords of the grasslands, the Turks were not only powerful but also wise, and their control over the grasslands was undoubtedly superior to that of the Mohe.

The current Longquan Shangjing is like a huge sieve, with almost no secrets, and it is full of spies and speculators with ulterior motives.

Shi Long thought it was not easy to defend Longquan, especially since Bai Ziting actually trusted the horse bandits and thieves. He did not know that the horse bandits and thieves were only okay when the wind was favorable, but were absolutely unreliable when the wind was against them.

However, during the period when the Bohai Kingdom was in full swing, these horse bandits were still very useful. They could transport city defense equipment in a safer and more secretive way than the regular army of the Mohe people.

Before the war began, they were dispatched, hidden in designated areas. Once the fighting began, they would launch a lightning attack, burning, killing, and looting the Turkic tribes that had been conscripted to fight, wreaking havoc on the Turkic tribes, wiping out the Turkic forces, and undermining their morale. In this respect, the horse bandits had an advantage over the Mohe regular army.

As for the remnants of Silla and Baekje, most of them came from wealthy families and had good military skills, so they were more suitable to defend the city and operate equipment. As long as Bai Ziting could ensure that they would not rebel and give them a glimmer of hope, they would be more ruthless than the Mohe warriors.

The only thing to worry about is the mistakes made by the Wolf Bandits that Bai Ziting condoned and even secretly controlled, and the grassland tribes that he offended. Many of these people gathered in Longquan Shangjing. In addition, the crazy monk Fu Nanda was not a good person either, and he had no fewer enemies than Bai Ziting.

Bai Ziting looked at the thick stack of information in front of him and couldn't help feeling dizzy. Liaodong's understanding of the high-level officials in Longquan Shangjing was not much less than his own. He even didn't know a lot of information before. Only after reading the folded information did Bai Ziting realize how many dangers were lurking around him. He couldn't help but sweat coldly and secretly felt lucky that Liaodong was not an enemy.

No wonder Liaodong was worried that it was no match for the Turks. It not only sold a large number of city defense equipment, but also pretended to send troops to contain the Turkish army. It also sent Shilong to give advice and deliver so much intelligence. It seemed that it was too arrogant before and almost fell into an abyss from which there was no return.

"Are Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling really that talented?" Bai Ziting couldn't help but feel curious when he saw a separate page in the information suggesting asking Shuanglong for help.

"They were registered disciples of Grandmaster Xiaoyao, the only heirs to the secret of immortality besides Grandmaster Xiaoyaozi. They were taught the basics of martial arts by Taoist Master Sanfeng, and later studied under Medicine King Miaoying Zhenren and the foremost craftsman Lu Miaozi. Du Fuwei pursued them several times without success and declared his intention to adopt them as his sons. They also defeated the once-powerful Wagang Li Mi, who eventually vanished into thin air. They also ultimately destroyed Yu Wenhuaji, who rebelled in Yangzhou and proclaimed himself emperor after murdering Emperor Yang Guang of Sui."

Shi Long's voice was not very loud, and his speech speed was neither fast nor slow, but what he said made Bai Ziting frown. As the chief of the Mohe tribe and the ruler of Bohai Kingdom, he considered himself to be very talented and had a lot of understanding of the forces in the Central Plains. But after hearing so many stories, he still felt frightened.

This information is not confidential. As long as you are willing to collect it carefully, you can collect it. But why did I ignore it before?

No, the process of Shuanglong's apprenticeship is still a secret, but their battle record is definitely semi-public. Why did he not take them seriously before?

You have to know that Kou Zhong is the young marshal of the Shaoshuai Army, a big boss who controls a region in the Central Plains. Why should I look down on him? Is it just because he is of humble origin and has not yet become a king or emperor?

But how many rebel kings have been defeated by him?

"Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling are loyal and righteous, making them the most useful pawns. As long as the king can cover up the kidnapping of Zhai Jiaojiao and find a suitable scapegoat to avoid detection, then the rest can be done by appealing to their emotions. They should be able to assist in resisting the Turkic army. After all, in their view, the Turkic offensive is an unjust force, and protecting the people of Longquan from the effects of war is absolutely just."

Bai Ziting's mouth twitched. Was the reason so simple? But after thinking carefully about Kou and Xu's backgrounds, he felt relieved.

"Besides Kou and Xu, there's another person we can use. That's Shi Feixuan, the heir of Cihang Jingzhai." Shi Long tossed a document to Bai Ziting and said, "There's such a force in the Central Plains. Women control the authority of the righteous martial arts world and meddle in world affairs. They've been behind the changes of dynasties over the past century, and they played an indispensable role in the fall of the Sui Dynasty."

"With the Central Plains now in turmoil, they've once again invested in Li Shimin, the second son of the Li Tang dynasty and the Prince of Qin. To curb the Duke of Liao, Shi Feixuan, the heir of Jingzhai, travels the world to build momentum for Li Shimin while also forging an anti-Liaodong alliance. Don't underestimate this sect composed entirely of women; their influence is truly significant. While choosing the leader on behalf of the heavens may seem child's play, few in the entire Central Plains can ignore them. With Shi Feixuan's help, Bohai's chances of establishing a nation will increase by another 20%."

Bai Ziting couldn't help but smack his lips when he heard this. "A woman is the leader of the Central Plains righteous path, tsk tsk~"

"How can I gain her trust?"

"Just bring the leaders of the remnants of Silla and Baekje with you. As long as you don't mention the cooperation with Liaodong, you can do whatever you want. The Duke of Liao will be generous and won't mind any offensive words."

"The Central Plains is really chaotic." Bai Ziting suddenly felt that the grassland was simpler. Although there were a lot of intrigues, it was much stronger than the Central Plains. As long as the strength of the grassland was strong enough, one could not fear anything.

The reason why the Turks were able to dominate the grasslands for decades was due to the contribution of Martial Master Bi Xuan. Without the great master Bi Xuan, the Turks would never have achieved what they have today, or at least they would not have been so arrogant and domineering.

"I am a little curious. In Liaodong's judgment, what are the chances of victory for my Bohai Kingdom?" Bai Ziting was very curious. The help of the two dragons added 20%, and the alliance with Shi Feixuan added 20%. This did not include the bonus of Liaodong's city defense equipment. What were his chances of winning in their eyes?

"To be honest, Liaodong does not have a positive view of the Mohe people. Without external forces, your chances of winning are zero!" Shi Long's words shocked Bai Ziting.

"I really underestimated the heroes of the world." Bai Ziting found that he was too optimistic and seemed to have never truly realized the strength and number of the enemies.

It seems that I have more and more enemies, and many friends who I could have won over have been pushed into a hostile position without me realizing it.

And it seems that none of the allies he has fought for are reliable.

Is it true that birds of a feather flock together? Is my character really that bad?

"By the way, the mad monk Fu Nanda doesn't bring you a chance of victory, but rather a negative impact. He lacks the strength to rival a Grandmaster, nor the ability to command troops in battle. His so-called destiny is mostly a deception. He may fool his own people, but he can't fool outsiders."

What is an outsider?

Everyone outside the Mohe tribe was an outsider. Even many Mohe people with a little bit of brains did not trust the crazy monk Fu Nanda. His existence only fueled Bai Ziting's ambition and did not bring any substantial help to the Mohe tribe.