The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 334 Changes and Strategies

Zhao Ti gazed at the sky with a solemn expression, the crossbow bolts unable to harm this wisp of thought.

The hand crossbow is too weak; it needs to be replaced with a shoulder crossbow or a bed crossbow.
King Baoxiang was helpless against this thought, but the thought was wary of the War God King's spear. Unfortunately, he was not able to visualize the complete War God King at the moment.

Zhao Ti ordered all parts of the army to strengthen their defenses, and then returned to his tent.

He went into the tent and went to the back, where he saw Yuan Xiaoxian covered by a quilt, her black hair like tassels showing outside, and she was not moving.

Is he still not awake? Zhao Ti pondered for a few moments, glanced at the hole in the wall not far away, ordered someone to repair it, then sat down by the bed and gently lifted the corner of the quilt.

Yuan Xiaoxian's face was revealed, her hair was disheveled, her temples were askew, and her hairpins were lying horizontally.

He looked closely and saw that her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her face was like peach blossoms in March, her nose was delicate and her lips were like sandalwood, and her skin was like beautiful jade. A faint fragrance wafted over, making one's heart flutter.

Zhao Ti hesitated for a moment, then lifted the blanket halfway, revealing a dazzling white skin. He glanced at it expressionlessly, then raised his hand to undo the acupoints that had been sealed, and covered himself with the blanket again.

After a moment, he looked at Yuan Xiaoxian and said indifferently, "Since you're awake, why don't you open your eyes?"

Yuan Xiaoxian remained motionless, her breathing even, her face slightly flushed, breathtakingly beautiful.

Zhao Ti frowned, noticing her long eyelashes trembling like small fans, clearly indicating she was no longer unconscious.

“Princess Cheng’an, stop pretending. If you keep pretending, I will roll you up and throw you out of the tent.”

Yuan Xiaoxian trembled on the couch, then cautiously opened her eyes a crack. Seeing Zhao Ti sitting by the couch, she couldn't help but let out a surprised "Ah!" before immediately closing them again.

Zhao Ti remained calm. After a few breaths, Yuan Xiaoxian pulled her hands out from under the covers and gently covered her cheeks. She opened her eyes through the gaps between her slender fingers and secretly peeked at Zhao Ti with great curiosity.

Zhao Ti was speechless: "Princess Cheng'an, what are you doing?"

Yuan Xiaoxian's voice was weak, as if she were somewhat afraid: "You, you..."

Zhao Ti's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

"Where am I?" Yuan Xiaoxian whispered, hesitatingly lowering her hands slowly, her face showing a bewildered expression.

Zhao Ti took a deep breath. Was it because his magic power had entered the other person's body earlier, damaging their soul and causing them to forget things?
Or... is he just putting on an act for himself?
But there's no way to verify that. There should be a way to check whether the soul is complete or not, but he doesn't know how.

Moreover, if it is truly a case of the soul being damaged and forgetting things, it is different from Murong Longcheng's case. Murong Longcheng's case was caused by a fake death healing technique, which did not delay anything else, and he would recover on his own sooner or later.

If the soul is damaged, it can lead to mental illness, causing the child to forget or lose many things.

If the other person isn't faking it, that's troublesome; if they are faking it...

Zhao Ti stroked his chin: "Princess Cheng'an, I know you're acting. Don't pretend. Do you think you can fool my discerning eyes?"

Yuan Xiaoxian's eyes flickered: "You..."

Zhao Ti said calmly, "Stop pretending to be crazy. I don't want to do anything to you. Get up now. I'll ask you a few questions and then let you go."

"Ask me a few questions..." Yuan Xiaoxian paused for a moment upon hearing this, then reached under the covers and touched herself, her face flushing red: "Are you my husband?"

"What husband!" Zhao Ti's face darkened: "Get up now and stop pretending, or I'll throw you out of the camp."

"I, I..." Yuan Xiao paused for a moment, then nervously picked up the clothes beside the blanket, but looked bewildered. After a moment, her mouth trembled, and her eyes reddened, as if tears were welling up in them.

Zhao Ti said coldly, "What is Princess Cheng'an doing? If you continue to pretend, I really won't be polite."

"I..." Yuan Xiaoxian suddenly threw down her clothes, buried her head under the covers, and started sobbing, "I don't know how to dress..."

"Can't dress?" Zhao Ti was taken aback, his expression turning strange. "Can't dress? Do you think I believe that?"

"I...I remember my mother always dressed me in these clothes; I've never worn them myself even once," Yuan Xiaoxian cried loudly under the covers.

Zhao Ti's expression gradually turned ugly, and after a long while he said, "Dressing is actually very simple. You don't need to learn it at all. Just take the clothes and put them on one by one."

"I... I'll give it a try..." Yuan Xiaoxian slightly lifted the blanket, revealing her eyes.

Zhao Ti nodded with a complicated expression, then turned and walked forward.

"Husband, don't go!" Yuan Xiaoxian suddenly cried out.

Zhao Ti turned around and saw that Yuan Xiaoxian had somehow sat up, the quilt hanging down, holding a moon-white undergarment in her hand, staring at him blankly like a little white lamb.

"You..." Zhao Ti felt his blood boil instantly: "Princess Cheng'an, what are you doing?"

"Husband... teach me how to dress," Yuan Xiaoxian murmured. "If you teach me, I can dress myself."

"Teach you how to dress?" Zhao Ti's expression shifted, and after a long while he said, "I am not the princess's husband. The princess should learn by herself. It's actually very simple."

Yuan Xiaoxian shook her head: "You are my husband. I was lying in your bed, covered with your blanket, and you saw my body. You must have taken off my clothes. You are undoubtedly my husband!"

Zhao Ti said slowly, "Princess, you've probably misunderstood."

Yuan Xiaoxian suddenly said, "I remember you. Your name is Zhao Ti. I remember you very clearly. You were originally my husband."

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes: "Princess, you remember my name, but have forgotten how to dress? You couldn't dress when you were a child, but you recognize me as an adult. Don't you find that contradictory?"

Yuan Xiaoxian's eyes widened in panic: "What do you mean, after I'm an adult? What are you talking about, husband? I'm only nine years old!"

Zhao Ti's face immediately turned ashen: "The princess is already nineteen years old this year, the same age as me, not nine at all. She will be twenty after the New Year, no longer a child!"

Yuan Xiaoxian was stunned upon hearing this, and it took her a while to say, "So I'm already nineteen years old? That's the same age as my husband... Husband, please teach me how to dress."

Zhao Ti took a deep breath and was about to speak when there was a knock on the door outside the tent. Yao Shimin's voice came in: "Your Highness, I have military intelligence to report."

Zhao Ti's forehead vein throbbed, and he said, "Wait outside!"

Yao Shimin responded with a slightly doubtful "yes" and then fell silent.

Zhao Ti walked back to the bedside, took the clothes from Yuan Xiaoxian's hands, and said slowly and deliberately, "Watch carefully, and after you learn how to wear them, you can wear them yourself next time."

After saying that, she was about to take one of the items and put it on the other person when Yuan Xiaoxian suddenly looked down at herself and exclaimed in surprise, "I'm really different from before. I've actually grown up. Is it because of... growing up? But why can't I remember anything from these past years?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti's hand trembled. He took another breath and then hastily dressed the other person, tightening the belt. After thinking for a moment, he went to the front, took the white fur coat, and put it on her outside. He said coldly, "Stay here. Don't speak or make a sound."

Yuan Xiaoxian looked at her clothes, then at Zhao Ti, and nodded, saying, "Yes, husband."

Zhao Ti turned and walked forward, but halfway there he turned back and said, "Stay here and don't make a sound." Yuan Xiaoxian obediently replied, "Husband, Xian'er understands."

Zhao Ti's brows furrowed almost together as he walked around to the front and sat behind the desk: "Come in!"

Yao Shimin responded and entered the tent. Zhao Ti said indifferently, "Why have you returned instead of garrisoning the East City?"

Yao Shimin bowed, his expression somewhat strange: "Your Highness, I do indeed have a military report, but I just heard that Your Highness was assassinated by a demon..."

"It's alright!" Zhao Ti waved his hand, then pondered for a moment before saying, "The demon that possessed Princess Cheng'an has been driven away by me and escaped from the camp."

Yao Shimin said, "It's good that Your Highness is alright. I was worried..."

Zhao Ti shook his head: "A mere demon cannot harm me. General Yao, please tell me the military situation."

Yao Shimin said, "Your Highness, I have been stationed on the east side of Miechuan for the past few days, thinking day and night about a way to break through the city. I have come up with a plan that I am very confident of capturing this city."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes: "General Yao, please tell me more."

Yao Shimin said, "I believe that Miechuan is not a formidable city or high pass, and there are no dangerous places around it. There is no need to look for any weaknesses in the city's defenses or lure the enemy out. We can simply attack the city head-on to break through it."

Zhao Ti said, "Right now, in the coldest part of winter, the ladders are unstable. The soldiers are dressed in bulky clothes and have difficulty climbing the ladders with hand guards. Moreover, even if they do climb up, their clothes are too cumbersome and make it difficult to use weapons and arrows. The people on the city wall have many advantages and are not bothered by the cold weather."

“That is indeed the case.” Yao Shimin said, “Your Highness is right. However, I have a plan. We do not need to build ladders. We can use other materials to build a high wall on the city wall and attack the city in one fell swoop. The Liao army’s strength lies in cavalry. We can attack from the city wall and start a siege. The enemy is not good at this. Miechuan will surely be captured.”

"Oh?" Zhao Ti raised an eyebrow: "No need to build siege ladders, but instead use other materials to pile up on the city wall? Where can we find anything else to pile up in this freezing weather? Are you perhaps referring to... building a mound of skulls?"

“Your Highness, it is indeed a Jingguan (a mound of skulls) being built!” Yao Shimin said.

Building a Jingguan is an act of piling up the corpses of the defeated in a tower-like mound after a major battle, in order to show off their military prowess and intimidate the enemy.

Jingguan, also known as Jingqiu or Wujun, is a practice with a very early origin, with relevant records in Zuo Zhuan. It was mainly used to show off military achievements, intimidate the enemy, and humiliate the defeated party.

After Huangfu Song suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he built the Jingguan (a mound of statues) in Quyang to deter the rebels. However, some monarchs and generals did not advocate this, such as King Zhuang of Chu and Li Shimin.

“Build a Jingguan (a mound of stones) to attack the city…” Zhao Ti slowly shook his head.

Because of the freezing weather, it was difficult to dig a large, deep pit to bury the bodies. Moreover, the army carried little fuel in winter and did not burn the bodies. Therefore, the bodies of those who died or were wounded on the battlefield were left in the southwest of Michuan.

These corpses were all frozen stiff, enough to build a mound of corpses in front of the Mia River for the siege, and it would be quicker and easier than digging earth and building a mound in the summer.

"Your Highness!" Seeing Zhao Ti shake his head, Yao Shimin said anxiously, "I am willing to bear the infamy for this matter. Please return to Wulahai, Your Highness. After we capture Miechuan, I am willing to accept military punishment for this matter and announce it to the public so that Your Highness will not be tainted in any way."

Zhao Ti stared intently at Yao Shimin. If what Yao Shimin said was true, he could go back to Wulahai now, build a Jingguan (a mound of stones) to attack the city, and then pick someone to punish after the attack was over, which would cover up the whole thing.

However, he sighed and shook his head again: "Death is the greatest tragedy. It doesn't matter if a great villain is reduced to ashes, but those are just ordinary soldiers and common laborers. General Yao... is a bit too eager for quick success!"

"Yes..." Yao Shimin's expression changed immediately upon hearing this, and he hurriedly bowed his head and said, "It was my oversight, Your Highness. Please forgive me."

Zhao Ti said, "What crime has General Yao committed? This strategy actually coincides with my own, only the methods of implementation are different."

“Your Highness…” Yao Shimin looked up and hesitated before glancing at Zhao Ti.

"I also believe that piling up materials to attack the city is the best strategy. I have already arranged for people to transport the materials for building the city. I estimate that they will arrive soon and we can start construction before the end of the year," Zhao Ti said leisurely.

Yao Shimin was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Your Highness is farsighted, your subordinate..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly froze, and he swallowed the rest of his words.

Then Yuan Xiaoxian walked out from behind, her hair disheveled, a jade hairpin tucked in at an angle, a white fur coat draped over her back, her shoes clattering under her feet, her eyes curiously surveying everything in front of the tent.

Zhao Ti turned his head, and his expression immediately changed.

"My lord, I... I'm thirsty..." Yuan Xiaoxian said timidly.

“Princess Cheng’an, you…” Zhao Ti reached out and wiped his forehead, then closed his eyes slightly.

Yao Shimin hurriedly lowered his head, but it still wasn't enough; he wished he could bury his head in the ground.

Zhao Ti slowly said, "This is Princess Cheng'an of Liao. She was possessed by a demon before. I drove the demon away, but she is still a little weak and has been resting in the back."

"Husband, what kind of monster is it? How come I don't know anything about it?" Yuan Xiaoxian asked blankly.

Upon hearing this, Yao Shimin's lips curled into a grin. He really wished he could disappear into the ground. Why did he have to come at this particular time? He must have forgotten to check the almanac before leaving home.

Zhao Ti said, "You... your soul is damaged, you don't remember anything."

Yuan Xiaoxian said, "So it turns out that Xian'er's soul was damaged. No wonder she has forgotten so many things, and she can't even dress herself. She still needs her husband's help..."

Yao Shimin dared not listen any longer and gritted his teeth, saying, "Your Highness, I... I take my leave."

Zhao Ti waved his hand, and Yao Shimin hurriedly left the tent, then closed the tent door tightly, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and ran away.

"Husband, why is your face purple?" Yuan Xiaoxian stomped her shoes, making a crisp "clack clack" sound, as she walked to the table.

"I am radiant."

"Oh, why is it so pale again?" Yuan Xiaoxian said.

"For cold protection... it's coated with wax!"

Yuan Xiaoxian blinked, touched the teapot on the table, poured herself a cup of cold tea using the milk tea cup she had used before, and drank it down in small sips.

Zhao Ti remained silent for a long time before saying, "Princess Cheng'an, I will send you back to Liao."

“I, I won’t go back…” Yuan Xiaoxian exclaimed in surprise, “Mother said that a woman should follow her husband wherever he goes, whether he is a chicken or a dog. If she is sent back, she will be too ashamed to face anyone. She can only commit suicide to preserve her chastity.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti was speechless. Sending Yuan Xiaoxian to the opposite side of Miechuan was impossible, as they were about to attack the city.

Sending him to the Shamanic Church is also impossible, since the possessing demon came from the Church and used Yuan Xiaoxian's identity to assassinate him. Now that it has failed, sending him back might only cause more harm.

Sending it back to the capital was not so easy; it involved thousands of miles and a great distance. Moreover, with the two countries at war, it was not advisable to explain the matter or negotiate.

He racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good solution, so he frowned and looked at Yuan Xiaoxian. Yuan Xiaoxian was also looking at him at that moment, and the two of them stared at each other.

After a long while, Yuan Xiaoxian said weakly, "Husband, I... I'm hungry..."

(End of this chapter)