Juma Pass, Guard Station.
After the ceremony ended, Ren Ye left the inner hall with the people from Qingliang Prefecture.
As they headed toward the eastern courtyard, Ren Ye walked beside Fenglin and asked quietly, "Strategist, will using our people as bait carry any additional risks?"
"What sort of risks do you mean, Your Highness?" Fenglin asked.
Ren Ye glanced furtively around and lowered his voice. "I see two risks. First, we still don't know who the rebels in the Southern Border's Court are. If they're secretly communicating and conspiring with Great Qian right now, taking the initiative could send us straight into an enemy trap. Second, will the Southern Border's Court really watch us seize the Shangyu Nine Lands? Will they kill the donkey once it's done turning the millstone?"
Fenglin paused, then offered some blatant flattery. "For our young lord to consider everything so thoroughly amid such a chaotic and complicated situation is truly Qingliang Prefecture's good fortune!"
"Please, stop kissing my ass. All these petty affairs lately have given me internal heat. I've even been passing blood." Ren Ye waved a hand. "It's filthy."
"...!" Fenglin spoke frankly. "First, I don't think the Southern Border's rebels will act again. Even if Han Chan contacted them now, he wouldn't receive any help. The reason is simple: Emperor Wanwu has long since raised his butcher's blade in secret. Anyone who still fails to take the hint now will inevitably expose themselves and die."
Ren Ye fell silent.
"After the battle at Loushan Pass, Emperor Wanwu fully demonstrated his mastery of overt strategy through his troop deployments. When you and the Second Prince were trapped in Sunset Town, the Thousand-Mile Green Battalion received no secret decree to rescue you. Instead, an Imperial Commissioner watched them and ordered them to stay