The prince is more stable

Chapter 277 Entering the game personally
The contradiction lies in whether the love between Wei Jie and his wife exists.

If it were true, Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to sleep with his wife, but he was not angry at all.

If it doesn't exist, then sleeping in the same bed every day with a woman with disheveled hair, a face full of yellow spots, and a mouth that smells of shit, if this isn't love, then what is it?
Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian's respect for him as a man was absolutely from the bottom of his heart and there was not a single false word.

For some reason, the two of them looked at each other deeply, their eyes filled with admiration for each other.

"Madam..." Zhao Xiaoqian hesitated, then said, "Forget it, let's get down to business. What was I about to say just now?"

"The Duke said he wanted to sleep with my wife..."

"Not this one, the one above."

"The Duke is looking for a desperate place to walk into a trap."

"That's what I meant, but your wording is wrong... What do you mean by walking into a trap? I mean luring the enemy deeper."

The two of them looked back at the map. The distance from Kaifeng Prefecture to Xingzhou in the north was hundreds of miles. It was not difficult to find a secluded place within this distance of hundreds of miles.

The roads in ancient times were narrow and rugged, and the areas outside the cities were wilderness or fields, making it impossible to have any infrastructure.

It is easy to find a dangerous place among those naturally formed geological features. The problem lies in whether Zhao Xiaoqian can calculate the other party's thoughts and predict the other party's predictions.

"Have the scouts been sent out?" Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly asked.

"We've sent them out. This time, we've sent dozens of scouts to the north. Everywhere our team passes, scouts will report back in advance."

"Have the scouts be careful and don't miss any clues. Our scouts are investigating, and the enemy is definitely investigating as well. If you encounter anything suspicious, do not capture anyone or fight. Withdraw and report immediately."

"Yes!"

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes stared at the map, gradually focusing on the place "Xiangzhou".

Xiangzhou is located on the north bank of the Yellow River, between Kaifeng and Xingzhou. Like the canyon in Hejian Prefecture, the area around Xiangzhou City is also an alluvial plain.

If Zhao Xiaoqian was the opponent, it would be most appropriate to start near Xiangzhou, because it was right between Kaifeng and Xingzhou.

The last time when he was about to return to Bian Jing, he was attacked in the canyon. If the other party had guessed Zhao Xiaoqian's psychology, they would have thought that Zhao Xiaoqian had learned the lesson from the last time and became more cautious the closer he got to his destination.

Then the opponent will definitely change his thinking and choose to attack halfway, aiming for a surprise attack.

If Zhao Xiaoqian were in the enemy's shoes, he would definitely choose halfway. From both a psychological and geographical perspective, the area near Xiangzhou is the best place to achieve an ambush.

"Old Wei, send out a few more scouts to investigate the terrain near Xiangzhou. If you find any dangerous areas, report back immediately."

Wei Jie narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does the Duke of the County mean that the other party will choose to attack near Xiangzhou?"

"Not necessarily, but if it were him, he would probably do that."

"Lord, you only have one chance. If you guess wrong, our high-profile move will become a joke." Wei Jie had to remind him.

"It's gambling anyway. No matter which bet you choose, there's a chance of losing. Now that you're at the table, don't worry about your mentality. Don't think about winning or losing at this time. Just do your job seriously. Even if you lose, it doesn't matter. You can try again next time."

Wei Jie smiled and said, "The Duke of the County is very open-minded. I am not as good as him."

After saying this, Wei Jie turned around and walked out of the general's tent to convey his orders to his subordinates.

Zhao Xiaoqian was still staring at the map, his eyes unpredictable.

This operation was actually a gamble from beginning to end.

Use your own life as bait to lure out the enemy who ambushed you in the canyon last time.

If this person is not brought to light, Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhao Xu will be unable to sleep or eat. Zhao Xu will not allow the Song Dynasty to have a dark force that he cannot control, while Zhao Xiaoqian will not allow someone to hide in the dark, staring at him all the time and trying to take his life.

During the last ambush in the canyon, Zhao Xiaoqian was already very certain that the other party wanted to kill him. After the assassination failed, he would not give up. After the first time, there would definitely be a second time.

So, on this trip, Zhao Xu and Zhao Xiaoqian collaborated, arresting people, issuing orders for a strict investigation, and creating a stir. In reality, all of this had nothing to do with Zhou Zhi's case. Zhou Zhi was merely a pretext; Zhao Xiaoqian's ultimate goal in orchestrating all of this was to find the mastermind behind the ambush in the canyon.

After all the preparations were made, Zhao Xiaoqian hurried out of the capital, and he only brought about 300 people with him. He looked like he was on an urgent trip to investigate a case under the order of the emperor. He was so focused on doing his job that he didn't care about anything else. If the other party saw this look, would he take action again?
Most likely it will.

Zhao Xiaoqian is good at putting himself in other people's shoes. If he puts himself in the other person's shoes, Zhao Xiaoqian will definitely not miss this excellent opportunity.

If the other party really thinks so, it means that he has been fooled.

This was a trap set up by Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhao Xu.

After the preparation, when Zhao Xiaoqian led more than 300 subordinates out of the capital, it meant that his battle with the enemy hiding in the dark had officially begun.

Get involved and destroy them in one fell swoop.

It’s not that Zhao Xiaoqian is so great or so selfless. After all, he is the person involved and is the one who must be killed by the enemy.

If this matter is not resolved, Zhao Xiaoqian will have to live his life cautiously forever, always on guard against being assassinated unexpectedly. He doesn't want to live like this.

Only a thousand days to be a thief, how can a thousand days to guard against thieves?
The next morning, the team continued to march, but under the instruction of Zhao Xiaoqian, the pace of progress gradually slowed down.

Zhao Xiaoqian was waiting for news from the scouts.

The area outside Xiangzhou City is very large, and it takes time to find a dangerous place.

Once the scouts lock onto a certain desolate place, it is highly likely that this desolate place is where Zhao Xiaoqian and the enemy behind the scenes will fight.

In the afternoon, Zhao Xiaoqian led his troops across the Yellow River and reached the north bank.

At this time, the news from the scout finally arrived.

Twenty miles north of Xiangzhou City, there is an unnamed valley. This valley is the only way for Zhao Xiaoqian's troops to reach Xingzhou.

The valley was not a remote area, but scouts discovered that there were many woodcutters and hunters active in the mountains.

It was early summer, the grass and trees were lush, and prey was everywhere, so it was not uncommon to see woodcutters and hunters in the mountains.

What's abnormal is that there seem to be a little more woodcutters and hunters.

Several scouts hid in the mountains and observed secretly. They found that the woodcutters and hunters were moving up and down the valley, but their goal was not to chop wood or hunt, but to carefully observe the terrain. After the observation, they left immediately. After a few hours, another group of people came to continue the observation.

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately ordered the team to rest in place, and then he and Wei Jie opened the map. They searched for a long time but could not find the valley reported by the scout.

Ancient map making...it's really hard to describe in a few words.

The two could only roughly draw a picture of the valley based on the scout's description.

After a long pause, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled bitterly and said, "I was wrong. In fact, to kill me, you don't necessarily have to choose a remote place. An ordinary valley can also kill me."

Wei Jieqi asked, "How does he plan to ambush us?"

"Sealing off the mountain with fire, fumigation, using the divine arm bow, poisoning the water source, even releasing ferocious beasts and venomous snakes, etc..."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed, "A fragile dandy like me could be killed in any way. Why bother looking for a desperate place? The person behind this is quite clever and capable."

Wei Jie's expression grew serious. "What method do you think he will choose?"

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking. After a long time, he suddenly smiled.

"I like the honey trap, really, I like it too much. If I have to choose a way to die, I hope he will sit on me to death, shake me to death, or suck me to death with his beauty..."

Three black lines slowly appeared on Wei Jie's forehead: "My Lord, I am asking how he wants you to die, not how you want to die. My Lord, please wake up!"

(End of this chapter)