Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Xiao Xiangqing listened to Qianlong's words, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and her eyes held a hint of resentment.

Qianlong said to Xiao Xiangqing, "What? Are you having second thoughts?"

Xiao Xiangqing looked at Qianlong: "Mr. Qianlong, I just didn't expect that we'd be going downhill from here."

Qianlong said to Xiao Xiangqing, "It's not that we're getting worse; it's that things are changing too fast outside."

"If we were still fighting in the same way as before, we wouldn't be in this situation. Since Xiao Dingbang died, the emergence of Japan and Slavic countries is on completely different levels."

"Their firearms clashed with our melee weapons like a strong man beating a three-year-old child. Ask yourself honestly, if it weren't for me, where would you be now..."

Xiao Xiangqing was speechless.

Qianlong said, "To be honest, cooperating with Xiao Ce would actually be a better choice. However, we have an irreconcilable feud with him! Besides, you have witnessed the strength of the Slavs firsthand; those individuals are simply not capable. Therefore, we only have one option, which, although not the best, is definitely the most suitable for us."

"Moreover, Cai Hui is well aware that he also needs some confidants. As long as we work for her, she won't let us suffer losses... Let's first establish a foothold here and gain their trust. The people of Fusang will always need agents here."

"That old hag Cai Hui only managed to get close to Tojo Xiaoji, and Tojo Xiaoji isn't even a big shot in Fusang... If Xiaoguo is truly unified by Fusang, new people will inevitably come... At that time, that old hag Cai Hui will definitely be kicked out. At that time..."

Upon hearing Qianlong's words, Xiao Xiangqing's eyes immediately brightened, and he instantly understood Qianlong's good intentions.

"Mr. Qianlong... I understand what you mean... Let them go eat..."

Qianlong nodded: "What we need to do is to play our role on the battlefield. As long as they know that we are irreplaceable, then... no one can replace us."

Xiao Xiangqing nodded with great certainty: "Is Tojo Shōki really nothing in Japan?"

Qianlong nodded and smiled, saying, "That's right, he's just a steward of a family, and he's here on behalf of that family... Those families wouldn't bother coming here on their own."

Seeing the suspicious look on Xiao Xiangqing's face, Qianlong continued, "Eighth Prince, do you doubt my ability to gather intelligence?"

Xiao Xiangqing immediately shook her head upon hearing this...

...

At this time, Cai Hui in Kyoto still cherished Tojo Shōki like a treasure.

"Lord Xiao Ji, what's going on in Panlong City? Logically speaking, they should have run out of those Xiaoyao Pills by now... They should have rebelled by now, so why haven't we heard a single word about it?"

Tojo Shōki also found it strange: "That's right, logically speaking, they should have betrayed us long ago... How come everything is still calm... Madam, have you received any news from the people you sent out?"

Cai Hui shook her head: "Lord Xiao Ji, the people we sent out earlier have disappeared without a trace, and those who went later can't get into Panlong City because it's under martial law..."

Tojo Shōki waved his hand and said, "Let's ignore them for now... Our main focus is on dealing with those Slavs. Xiao Tao is just barely clinging to life over there..."

Cai Hui nodded: "This time we sent 200,000 troops, plus Xiao Xiangqing's army, didn't we just wipe them out? And with 5,000 Fusang soldiers overseeing the battle, didn't we easily sweep them away?"

Tojo Shōki said arrogantly, "That's right...it's certain, we'll definitely be able to sweep them away..."

Cai Hui nestled in Dongjiao Xiaoji's arms: "Your Majesty Xiaoji, after we recover the Northern Desert Kingdom, should our next step be to attack the Turkic Kingdom? And then the Slavic Kingdom?"

Tojo Shōji quickly waved his hand: "You're thinking too far ahead. The Slavic countries aren't so easy to conquer. Once you've captured the Northern Desert Royal Palace, you can station troops there. Then, you must purge the entire Shō Kingdom. After that, our people from Fusang will migrate here..."

Upon hearing Tojo Shōki's words, a hint of wariness flashed in Cai Hui's eyes: "Lord Shōki, if your people from Fusang come here, how can I still be the Empress?"

Tojo Shōki smiled broadly: "Of course...you will always be the Empress of this land..."

Tojo Shōki wasn't ashamed at all when he lied; he knew very well that once he conquered the Xiao Kingdom...

The people of Fusang will relocate the entire country, leaving some behind.

However, compared to the barren islands, this fertile land is clearly more suitable for them.

They also firmly believed that if they had such a fertile and abundant land...

Their Japanese parliament is strong again.

When the entire Fusang Kingdom relocates here, he will be nothing.

Let's not even talk about Cai Hui.

Tojo Shōki would never say these things, after all, he still needed to use her.

...

Inside Panlong City.

After receiving Xiao Yang's letter, the city lord of Panlong City immediately went to find Xiao Tao.

Xiao Tao saw the city lord of Panlong City rushing over: "Your Excellency, has His Highness the King of Mobei sent a letter?"

When the city lord saw that Xiao Tao had guessed it, he looked astonished: "Your Highness, Fourth Prince, you are truly a prophet. How did you guess it?"

Xiao Tao said, "There are only two things that could make you so anxious: either the old hag has led her troops to attack, or a letter has arrived..."

"If they were to attack, I've already deployed scouts outside. So there's only one possibility: His Highness the King of the Northern Desert has sent a letter..."

Seeing Xiao Tao's analysis, the city lord didn't hesitate and handed the letter to Xiao Tao directly.

Xiao Tao excitedly took the letter and began to read it.

He examined it carefully for a long time, his face full of admiration...

The city lord asked with curiosity, "I've long heard that the King of the Northern Desert is a god incarnate... I wonder what's written in the letter?"

Xiao Tao nodded repeatedly as he listened, then said, "He is indeed a divine being descended to earth; his magnanimity is beyond the reach of ordinary people..."

Xiao Tao relayed the information to the city lord: "First of all, the prince said that this replica of the Xiaoyao Pill is a double-edged sword. We must be careful to preserve it and prevent it from spreading. At least, we must prevent it from spreading in the areas we control."

"Secondly, the prince told us not to think about harassing them yet, but to first establish a firm foothold here. When they confront them head-on at the front, we can take the opportunity to gradually take over their cities one by one... It's written in great detail, outlining our future strategy... He truly is a strategist... In this respect, I am far inferior to him..."

The city lord listened and said, "That's right, I thought he would let you go and harass them first..."

Xiao Tao nodded: "Yes, I thought so too, but I didn't expect it. He didn't do much... The strategy he gave me was genuinely for my own good, not just to let those who weren't his soldiers die needlessly. He repeatedly emphasized... to cherish every soldier's life, to use strategy whenever possible instead of brute force, and that if we needed money, we could ask the Golden Society for help..."

"He said that our Xiao Kingdom has been weakened too much by those outsiders... Every soldier who dies now is a drain on our Xiao Kingdom's strength. This means we have less strength to resist foreign aggression... He also said that any territory I conquer will be mine... He won't forcibly seize it... He also made it clear that he has no intention of becoming emperor..."

After Xiao Tao finished speaking, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Shame on us... truly shame on us... While we're still fighting amongst ourselves for territory... His Highness the King of Mobei has been constantly considering the future of Xiao Kingdom and defending against foreign aggression. And we, on the other hand, are preoccupied with our own petty gains..."

Xiao Tao said this sincerely.

Of course, this kind of insight only comes after experiencing so many things...

If Xiao Ce had followed his words before, he would have thought Xiao Ce was lying to a fool and would never have believed it.

However, at this point, Xiao Tao had nothing, and he didn't see any reason or need for Xiao Ce to lie to him...