Chapter 126: The Reason-Persuading Crossbow

Chapter 126: The Reason-Persuading Crossbow

Xiao Ce saw how anxious Da Lei was and handed him a fruit.

“Don’t rush, speak slowly…”

Da Lei didn’t stand on ceremony. After taking it, he finished it in a few bites, and then explained the problem Yanbei City was facing.

Xiao Ce listened, his gaze sharpening. “Nonsense, a plague! Those people from the new Noble Clans are just like the ones from the old Four Great Clans! This Prince still overestimated them. That ingratiating servility towards the Turks is in their very bones!”

Da Lei asked, “Prince, what should we do now?”

Xiao Ce slowly stood up, paced a few circles, and his eyes grew even sharper. “Withdraw the troops!”

Da Lei looked at Xiao Ce with disbelief. He even wondered if his ears were hearing things.

“Prince, what did you say?”

Xiao Ce said calmly, “Withdraw the troops!”

“Prince, didn’t you tell me to take a few men over to stir up trouble in their front lines? They might be fighting each other right now! There’s absolutely no need for us to withdraw. As long as they fight amongst themselves, we can take advantage of the chaos and wipe them out directly,” Da Lei said.

Xiao Ce smiled and said, “They aren’t that stupid. I sent those few men over not to make them fight each other. My entire goal was to make them stay there, so we have enough time to properly fortify our defenses here.”

Da Lei became even more confused. “Then why did you have Zuomu and Ashide go and make reports? Prince, they almost had no survivors. If they survived, and you didn’t go and tell them, they might not find out.”

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “How could I possibly ensure not a single survivor escaped? There must be survivors who got away. I had you send Zuomu and the others first to stir up trouble. With such a foolish and brainless attempt at sowing discord, how could they possibly believe it easily? Ashi is still around. As soon as they compare stories, they’ll know it’s a trick. Then they’ll send people to investigate.”

“I have already ordered troops to disguise themselves as Turks and live in the area of their former tribe. If their scouts get close, capture them immediately, and we’ll decide what to do next. If they only observe from a distance, then my goal is achieved. According to Zhang Yunqing, the Turks have certain rules. Unless invited, any scout or army is forbidden from entering another tribe’s living area. So, under normal circumstances, they won’t notice anything strange.”

“As long as they take this news back, they will conclude their rear is secure. Even if some escapees go to report, they’ll think it’s false! They’ll definitely believe we intentionally sent people to lure them back, just to ease the urgent crisis in Yanbei City! They won’t believe it. They will all uniformly think I turned the Turks against them.”

“Taking a step back, if my clumsy attempt at sowing discord actually worked, that would be good too. If they fight, that’s the best outcome.”

After hearing Xiao Ce’s words, Da Lei’s eyes immediately brightened.

“Prince, so that’s how it is! Your strategy is matchless under heaven. Then, why did you have me take the Turkic women to Han Da? What use are they? If Han Da uses those women as hostages, wouldn’t that indirectly show their rear area has been captured?”

Xiao Ce smiled and said, “You let Han Da decide for himself. Can’t Han Da make a decision?”

Da Lei nodded. “Correct. He said he was afraid he wouldn’t use them properly. He wants some pointers from you.”

Xiao Ce nodded. “Han Da is a cautious person. I had you take those women there. First, so Han Da and his men have a trump card in their hands at a life-and-death moment. Second, the identities of those women mean keeping them here brings too many variables. It’s safer to keep them on Han Da’s side!”

Da Lei nodded. “But if you have Han Da withdraw his troops, and they actually withdraw, the Turks will surely press their advantage and come down. Then, the entire Four Northern Desert Prefectures might become unstable!”

A wicked smile rose on Xiao Ce’s lips. “This is what I call ‘inviting the guests into the jar’! Since those people from the new New Four Great Clans can’t change their dog-like nature, I’ll have a good time playing with them.”

Saying this, Xiao Ce returned to the large tent that served as his residence.

He had one letter sent by Raven to Lingxiao City via Fei Jie, and another letter sent to Yanbei City.

After finishing official business, Xiao Ce said to Da Lei, “Da Lei, stop just standing there. You’ve worked hard for so long. Come, sit down and relax, enjoy yourself.”

Then, Xiao Ce told Xiao Jiu.

“Xiao Jiu, go get all the horse milk wine over here. Also, have those Turkic women training the ‘Pole Dance’ come over.”

Xiao Jiu bowed in acknowledgment.

Da Lei didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down next to Xiao Ce.

Soon after, fine wine and good food were brought up: horse milk wine, roasted lamb, hand-held lamb, a whole series of meat dishes.

In the past, Xiao Ce thought there wasn’t much good about the Turkic lands.

However, the meat here was truly delicious, especially the lamb. It not only had no gamy smell but also had a fresh, sweet flavor.

In his past life, as the CEO of a listed company, he believed he had tasted every delicacy.

However, he had never tasted such fragrant beef and lamb, nor such mellow horse milk wine.

Not only that, the women here were not only soft and fair but also possessed a kind of wild beauty.

Xiao Ce had taught them the ‘Pole Dance’. It was originally called ‘Pole Dance’, but since there were no metal poles here, he renamed it ‘Wooden Pole Dance’.

Xiao Jiu arranged things very quickly. The Turkic girls he picked had figures better than the last.

Especially those long, straight legs, which looked perfect under the clothes Xiao Ce had custom-made!

When these girls entered, a Guard Team lined up on either side of Xiao Ce.

They held Repeating Crossbows aimed at the girls.

The purpose was to shoot them dead at any moment if they made any suspicious move.

If Nie Bing were here, she would definitely have mocked Xiao Ce: “Lecherous and cowardly!”

Xiao Ce didn’t care. After all, as the ancients said:

A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall!

He also named those Repeating Crossbows: [The Reason-Persuading Crossbow].

Xiao Ce waved his hand. “Music, let the dance begin!”

Under the watchful eyes of [The Reason-Persuading Crossbow], the Turkic girls danced with great effort.

Xiao Ce drank horse milk wine with one hand and ate the soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth hand-held lamb with the other.

Watching this stimulating performance before him, this was the kind of life one should live after transmigrating.

Da Lei, however, sat upright beside him. His usually stern, cold face was actually flushed with a faint blush.

His eyes were fixed on the pot of meat in front of him, not daring to look at the stimulating performances in the middle of the tent.

Xiao Ce said, “Da Lei, what’s so interesting about that meat? Don’t you like these performances?”

Da Lei, who had shown almost no change in expression until now, swallowed hard. “Prince, I don’t really like them…”

Seeing Da Lei’s embarrassed look, Xiao Ce burst into loud laughter!

Da Lei looked even more embarrassed at Xiao Ce. “Prince, what’s wrong?”

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei, “I always thought you had no weaknesses… but I’ve finally discovered it! You do have a weakness after all.”

“Today, I’ll challenge, challenge your weakness!”

Xiao Ce pointed at the Turkic maidens dancing passionately against the wooden poles. “Go… dance right in front of General Da Lei! Put your heart into it. If General Da Lei doesn’t watch you today, don’t blame This Prince for using [The Reason-Persuading Crossbow] to shoot you dead! Hahaha!”

Hearing Xiao Ce’s words, the Turkic maidens shuddered and danced even more energetically.

The demeanor Xiao Ce displayed at this moment was very tyrannical.

They had witnessed Xiao Ce’s ruthlessness and had no doubt he would really order their heads to be shot off.

Da Lei’s face went from slightly red to bright red.

Xiao Ce wasn’t just teasing him for fun; he genuinely wanted to challenge his weakness.

After all, Da Lei was the most trusted person by his side. If he was afraid of women, how could that do?

He had to make him immune.

…

After watching for a while, Xiao Jiu came over and whispered to Xiao Ce, “Prince, Zhang Yunqing is waiting outside. He says he has something important and requests an audience.”

Hearing this, Xiao Ce stood up.

Da Lei started to get up too, and the passionately dancing Turkic maidens also stopped and looked at Xiao Ce.

“Prince, I should go with you.”

It was clear Da Lei was extremely eager to leave.

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “Where do you think you’re going? Only when you can enjoy this like I do, will you pass this test. This is also a form of cultivation!”

Saying this, he looked at the Turkic maidens who had stopped.

“Why did you all stop? Did This Prince tell you to stop? Keep the music playing, keep dancing!”

Hearing this, the Turkic maidens started dancing passionately again.

…

After Xiao Ce went outside, he saw Zhang Yunqing at the entrance, pacing anxiously like an ant on a hot pan.

He was spinning in place like a top.

“What are you doing, spinning around like a top!”

Hearing Xiao Ce’s voice, Zhang Yunqing quickly came over and bowed.

Xiao Ce waved his hand. “Get to the point.”

Seeing Zhang Yunqing stammering,

Xiao Ce said, “If you have something to say, say it. You know I can’t stand people who dither!”

Zhang Yunqing said awkwardly, “Prince, I want to… I want…”

Xiao Ce said to Zhang Yunqing, “You want to plead for a few people, don’t you?”

Zhang Yunqing was stunned. He widened his eyes and asked Xiao Ce, “Prince, how did you know?”

Xiao Ce said with a grin, “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me. Have you come for Luqi Tiesa’s family?”

Zhang Yunqing nodded repeatedly, then said to Xiao Ce, “Prince, exactly, it seems you know everything?”

Xiao Ce said to Zhang Yunqing, “Didn’t you say so yourself? Those are your benefactors. I remember Luqi Tiesa’s family. So, when I attacked the Tiesa Tribe, I brought Luqi Tiesa’s entire family with me.”

Seeing this, Zhang Yunqing carefully said to Xiao Ce, “Prince, I hope they are all well.”

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “Don’t worry. They are your benefactors, so they are being treated well with good food and drink. As for you, you’ve been asking around, openly and secretly, quite a few times, haven’t you?”

Zhang Yunqing gave an awkward smile and said, “Prince, however, I would absolutely never betray you for their sake! They are my benefactors, but you are even more so! Besides, Luqi Tiesa and his family are not pro-war; they also never mistreated slaves from the Xiao Kingdom.”

Xiao Ce nodded and said, “That is also one of the reasons they are still alive.”