The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Chapter 346 Patiently Guiding Zhang Guoshi in the Commander's Tent

Inside the command tent, Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan arrived as invited. Qin Shao was writing something at the table, his pen never stopping, but he asked a question.

"Hua'er, I heard your guard has woken up?"

"Yes, thankfully, the Little Fairy Doctor has the magic touch to heal him; he has as many as fifteen wounds, large and small, on his body..."

Qin Shao finally put down his pen and invited the two of them to sit down.

"Your guard is truly fierce, but a narrow escape from death is sure to bring good fortune!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Uncle Qin."

The three of them took their seats.

Qin Shao looked at Gu Zhanghua and got straight to the point.

"Hua'er is interested in the border market, isn't she?"

Gu Zhanghua nodded slightly upon hearing this, his expression somewhat puzzled.

"I just don't understand. Since opening a border market could save the Xia Kingdom from years of war with the Rong and Di tribes, why is Uncle Qin still in such a dilemma?"

As noon approached, the tent was very stuffy. Qin Shao lifted the tent flap and looked out at the distant, undulating mountain range, explaining the reasons behind it to the two of them.

“This Rongdi King Yingyang is different from all the previous kings. I can praise him. He is more ambitious than his fathers!”

The reason he frequently harassed our northern border after ascending the throne was partly to plunder our Xia Kingdom's grain and supplies, but more importantly, it was to force our Xia Kingdom to open a border market in the north as soon as possible.

The two sides agreed to trade in designated towns, exchanging cattle and sheep raised by the Rong and Di tribes for grain from the Xia state.

At this point, Qin Shao walked back to the two of them and sat down. He picked up a folding fan from the table, opened it with a whoosh, and waved it gently like a refined gentleman.

Gu Zhanghua was even more confused. Wasn't it a good deal—mutual benefit, no debts owed to either party?

"What's wrong with this?"

Qin Shao quickly closed his folding fan and patiently explained to Gu Zhanghua again.

"The Rongdi tribes are most lacking in food, especially in winter. If we sell them food, do you think it's like raising a tiger to cause trouble?"

Zhao Xuan suddenly realized.

"Yes! If we feed them, the people on the northern border will be safe, but for the defense of the entire northern border, the strength of the Rongdi tribe is the most unstable factor!"

Qin Shao tapped Zhao Xuan's nose with his folding fan.

“That’s right! That’s why your father didn’t agree to it until later, when he came up with a solution!”

The two asked in unison, "What method?"

Qin Shao got up and paced back and forth, patiently persuading him.

"What is our Xia army most lacking, and what are the Rong and Di tribes most reliant on? It is warhorses!"

Qin Shao suddenly stopped and stared intently at the two of them.

“Xuan’er, Hua’er, I told you when you were little that the famous horse ‘He Tian Piao’ produced by the Rongdi tribe is the least afraid of the cold and can grow up in very harsh places, making it the most suitable horse for cavalry!”

Memories suddenly flooded back, and Qin Shao gazed at a certain empty spot in the tent, his eyes filled with longing.

“Xuan’er, my old buddy ‘Thunder Shadow’ and your master’s former mount ‘Flying Lightning’ were both of the ‘Brown Sky Steed’ breed!”

"Yes," Zhao Xuan immediately recalled that they had an outdoor class years ago where Qin Shao explained various warhorses to them.

More than ten years have passed now. How are Xunlei Shadow and Feidian Flash doing now?

She didn't know how long a horse could live; perhaps it had already been buried, or perhaps it had died on the battlefield.

But Zhao Xuan ultimately didn't ask, and Qin Shao didn't bring up the two horses again, instead continuing to answer their questions.

"But our Xia Kingdom is not good at raising horses, and the breeds that can be used as warhorses are even fewer. Therefore, Your Majesty proposed that in addition to cattle and sheep, we should also exchange grain for fine horses from the Rong and Di tribes."

However, King Yingyang of the Rongdi Kingdom knew that the Rongdi cavalry was their trump card for self-preservation, so he was unwilling to let the cavalry of our Xia Kingdom become strong, and therefore resolutely refused.

To this day, the two sides have not reached an agreement, and thus, the matter of the border market has remained unresolved.

"I see," Gu Zhanghua thought to himself. "It seems to be an unsolvable problem."

He pursed his lips, his brows furrowing.

"Uncle Qin, now that you've explained it, I understand! Father Emperor has indeed considered everything very thoroughly! In that case, is there no way to find a solution?"

"maybe."

Qin Shao shook his head slowly.

"I have already sent an urgent message to His Majesty regarding Yingyang's capture and his request for peace talks, as well as his submission to Xia and payment of tribute. Let's see what His Majesty's decision is before we proceed with our plan!"

Zhao Xuan said, "But we still need to find a solution to this problem. There are casualties every year in the war, and the people in the border towns have long been suffering. I think that if things go well, Yingyang Society might agree to sell us good horses in exchange for grain!"

Qin Shao, however, was not as optimistic as Zhao Xuan.

"It's hard to say... This young Rongdi king has his entire tribe behind him, and his decisions carry the fate of his entire people."

Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua also thought of this at the same time. If they were Ying Yang, they would definitely put the rise and fall of the tribe first.

The two exchanged a glance and both frowned with a hint of helplessness.

Looking at the two young men in front of him, who seemed so bitter and resentful, Qin Shao couldn't help but smile and offer them some comfort.

"Alright, I've told you all this not so you two would worry along with me!"

He patted Gu Zhanghua on the shoulder.

"Come on, Hua'er, I'll teach you how to ride a horse!"

Zhao Xuan had long wanted to experience galloping freely on the vast grasslands. Before Gu Zhanghua could react, she had already stood up impatiently and pulled Qin Shao towards the outside of the command tent.

"Uncle Qin, don't teach him yet. Find me a horse first, and let's have a race!"

?

Meanwhile, outside Fengcheng, although the Xia army defending the city kept firing crossbow bolts at the Yue army, the Yue army continued to climb the city walls of Fengcheng.

Riding on horseback, Liang Changping, holding a bloodstained crossbow bolt, sternly gave orders to his deputy.

"Let's wear them down! Let's use sheer numbers to deplete their crossbow bolts! Then we'll launch a full-scale attack on the city. Let's see how long they can hold out! We must take Fengcheng before nightfall!"

The lieutenant hurriedly replied, "As you command, General!"

On the city wall of Fengcheng, Gu Jiancheng, protected by Yang Zilan and Huang Shuo, looked at the large number of Vietnamese soldiers surging down below the city with a cold expression.

"It looks like things are going badly! Liang Changping is completely disregarding the lives of his soldiers, trying to exhaust our crossbow bolts before launching a full-scale attack on the city!"

Yang Zilan stood beside Gu Jiancheng, looking anxious.

"What can we do? There are only two thousand new crossbow bolts that have been delivered, and they'll be gone in no time!"

Huang Shuo narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them.

"To catch the thief, you must first catch the king! How about I go and try to kill Liang Changping first!"

"Great idea! Master Huang, I'll go along with it!"

Yang Zilan immediately raised both hands in agreement.

"Absolutely not!"

Gu Jiancheng hurriedly spoke up to stop him.

"Master Huang, even with your superior martial arts skills, it will be useless amidst this vast army. Have you ever heard of ants devouring elephants? I believe in your abilities, but you will still find it difficult to withstand the siege of tens of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers!"

To take the head of a general amidst a vast army is as easy as taking something out of a bag.

It's easier said than done!