"Why were there only Nangong Shi and Ji Shuqian from Xiqi? Where was their army?"
Zi Shou raised an eyebrow. Dou Rong had done very well to hold Nangong Shi back, though there was no telling how long he could last against the Xiqi Army.
He hoped it would be as long as possible. Better still if the Xiqi Army was in no hurry to attack.
As long as the fighting did not gradually escalate to involve the second-generation disciples of the Chan and Jie sects, everything remained within controllable bounds.
"The Xiqi Army is still lingering at Mount Qi under Jiang Ziya's command. For reasons unknown, their advance has been extremely slow. In strict accordance with Your Majesty's decree, I was unwilling to sacrifice scouts and Infiltrators without cause, so I did not send anyone to investigate further. I have no additional intelligence."
"Good! Excellent work!"
Zi Shou could not help clapping in approval. Without sufficient intelligence, the generals below him would not act rashly.
They would neither launch unauthorized attacks and throw their lives away against ruthless immortals, nor inexplicably win battles and send their prestige soaring. It truly killed two birds with one stone.
Shi Yan fell silent for a while before saying, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."
He had heard that the prisons at Sishui Pass were already filled with Xiqi Infiltrators. That showed just how perilous a scout or Infiltrator's situation was: once caught, death was all but certain.
His experience was limited, but surely, throughout history, there had been very few rulers as benevolent and loving toward their people as King Zhou, willing to surrender an intelligence advantage for the lives of mere spies.
Whether such conduct deserved praise was another matter. After all, letting military opportunities slip away for a handful