"What?"
Princess Anne's pupils contracted. This guy hadn't come to ask her to plead with the Emperor, but instead to request that the Great Liang take action against the Frostwest Empire.
There's definitely something fishy going on here!
In an instant, her mind raced as she pondered the key to the matter.
She quickly realized what was going on and couldn't help but sneer, "Hmph, don't try to fool me. Without Ashina Tiandu's consent, how could you, the leader of the Palace Guard Corps, have left Frostwest?"
I think you only tried to curry favor with the Great Liang Great Liang they became powerful, hoping to save your life!
What is the Palace Guard Corps?
Those are naturally guards of the royal palace, and generally cannot leave the royal city.
Unless ordered by the emperor himself, it would be treason. The fact that they were able to come here clearly means they were sent by Ashina Tiandu; there is no other possibility.
Even if Ashina Tiandu was incredibly stupid, he wouldn't have allowed someone to call in troops to kill him.
Perhaps the other party wanted to use familial affection to influence him, to get him to speak for Frostwest, and to whisper in the emperor's ear, which is why they sent Xiuli over.
As for why Xiuli betrayed them, although the specific reason is unknown, it can be guessed that he must have seen the strength of Great Liang, and therefore chose to betray them out of fear.
This guy actually thought he could fool me? He's overthinking things.
Forehead!
Hearing Anne's words, Xiuli's eyes flashed with shame and anger; he had actually been seen through.
However, he quickly recovered and said in a deep voice, " Anne, you have too much prejudice against me. I just came to see you today, I have no other purpose."
This time I'm going back to kill Ashina Tiandu, and then Anne can use that to ascend the throne. Then you'll know what kind of person I am!
After saying that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Kill Ashina Tiandu!
Anne looked at the scroll on the ground, opened it, and was shocked to find that it was a document appointing her as the Grand Princess of the West and granting her the right to inherit the Frostwest throne.
Upon seeing this, she couldn't help but sneer. Perhaps this was their true purpose!
Cough cough!
Just then, a soft cough came from the side. Zhao Gao cleared his throat and said meaningfully, "Your Majesty, this man harbors treacherous intentions and compromises himself to survive; he is no good man!"
After a moment's thought, he chose to speak up and remind her, lest Princess Anne cause trouble and anger the Emperor.
After all, Xiuli's acting skills are so convincing, conveying a mix of tears and indignation, that he's definitely not a good person; on the contrary, he's extremely cunning.
Such a person is dangerous!
"Ah?"
Princess Anne was secretly pleased; it was actually Zhao Gao who had spoken first, which was quite a rare occurrence.
She couldn't help but ask curiously, " Zhao Gao, you've never left the palace, how do you know Xiuli's character?" This was very strange; Zhao Gao seemed to know Xiuli very well.
Why!
Zhao Gao sighed and said quietly, "The reason I understand him is simple: because we are the same kind of people!"
After saying that, he immediately caught up with Xiuli and disappeared.
"The same kind of people?" Anne looked thoughtfully at Zhao Gao's back, and suddenly realized, they really were the same kind of people.
never mind!
It doesn't matter who Xiuli is, or what inheritance rights are—it's all meaningless anyway, Frostwest will be gone soon.
From now on, there will be no more Western princesses, only the Lin family of Great Liang!
Given the emperor's personality, the West is probably in a state of chaos by now, so there's no question of any succession right left.
Her gaze drifted towards Frostwest, a poignant reminder that she would never see her homeland again.
The Royal Palace of the Frostwest Empire!
This place, which used to be solemn and dignified, has now become like a bustling market, with a large number of people coming and going, spreading the latest news.
This was Bill IV's doing, precisely to keep abreast of this ever-changing situation, but news of it has been increasing these past few days.
[Report! Huo Qubing of the Great Han has launched a fierce attack on the west, capturing twenty cities so far, and is still advancing!]
[Report! Xue Rengui of the Great Tang has led an army of 400,000 men forward, occupying a large amount of territory in northern China. Our troops are needed to reinforce the front lines!]
[Report! A large number of unidentified individuals are spreading rumors within the country, claiming "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise," intending to slander the Emperor!]
[Report! Huo Qubing of the Great Han has captured another city and is about to reach the important territory of the Minister of War, Aksu's family. The two sides will likely clash soon!]
Bang!
When a series of messages came back, Ashina Tiandu, and he kicked the stool in front of him away.
For the first few days, he was able to keep his composure, after all, it was just news of Huo Qubing's attack. But as news of various defeats came in and the media offensive came crashing down, he became a powder keg.
Now that news of Huo Qubing had arrived, he was furious!
"You bastard!"
"It's that Huo Qubing again! I've heard enough of him, I'm sick of it!"
"He only has a little over 300,000 men. Do you think a million-strong army in the west couldn't stop him? So you let him do whatever he wants?"
These days, he's heard so much about Huo Qubing that he's practically worn out.
But it seems like the other side is deliberately showing off, releasing some news Tiandu, either claiming to have wiped out several thousand of our people, or tens of thousands. It's just endless!
The crucial point is that they themselves suffered heavy losses, being forced into a series of defeats, with casualties exceeding 300,000.
He cannot accept this loss!
"Your Majesty, this barbarian commands elite cavalry. Not only are they formidable warriors, but their warhorses are also top-quality breeds. Our men simply cannot catch up with him!"
His cavalry moved with incredible speed and agility, as swift as lightning. Even a million-strong army struggled to surround them, constantly finding openings in their lines!
Derby, the advisor who had just been released, couldn't help but explain upon hearing this.
"Waste!"
Ashina Tiandu. He had thought that as a former advisor, Ash had some skills, but he never expected that even Huo Qubing couldn't do anything to him!
As a confidant of the late emperor, this guy had been under house arrest. If it weren't for the need for his advice in this battle, he would never have released him.
But to everyone's surprise, it was completely useless, which made Ashina Tiandu, and he even wanted to lock him up again.
I've lost my mind. My father had this advisor's help, and I still managed to rebel against him. How could I believe him?
"Waaaaah!"
Derby was also aggrieved. It wasn't that the Frostwest army was weak; it was just that the enemy was too difficult to deal with and didn't play by the rules at all!
With a million people fighting against 300,000, the odds of winning are pretty high.
Even a million pigs could carve out an empire, let alone a million armed people.
But Huo Qubing just wouldn't give you that chance!
You need to assemble your million-strong army, right? But they launched a lightning war, advancing like a whirlwind, catching Frostwest completely off guard.