I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

clap clap!

The guards stood in the blind spot, peering and listening curiously inside.

They can see what's happening inside the house and hear the conversations taking place inside.

But the people inside the house couldn't see them, nor did they have time to look at them.

But then, someone suddenly reached out from behind and patted them on the shoulder.

"Stop fooling around!"

"It's really getting interesting!"

"Let's watch it together."

"Let me tell you, this kind of scene doesn't happen often. If you miss this one, who knows how many years you'll have to wait for the next one!"

"That's right, that's right..."

clap clap!

The person reached out and patted them on the shoulder again.

"Whether it's annoying or not depends on how hard you push forward!"

"Even eating shit is too slow to catch it while it's still hot..."

After uttering a couple of curses, one of the guards casually turned his head to glance at him, and then immediately froze.

The guard's unusual behavior quickly attracted the attention of the other guards, who all turned to look, and then, like him, froze, too afraid to move.

Wei Hongying, one hand on her hip, squinted and deliberately emphasized her tone, "Who do you think is so lucky to get their hands on the hottest shit?"

With nothing to do late at night, she thought she'd come and see what Qin Li was doing and if she could help.

Before they even saw Qin Li's men, they found a group of guards looking like thieves surrounding the entrance.

She patted them on the shoulder to let them know she was coming.

To everyone's surprise, the guards didn't even look at them and instead cursed her, saying she was so poor she couldn't even catch up with hot shit.

She only did this because they were Qin Li's guards, whom she had met quite often. If it were anyone else who had insulted her like that, she would have already punched them and beaten them black and blue.

"Captain, calm down, calm down."

A quick-witted guard stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and then pulled Wei Hongying into a blind spot. "How dare we speak ill of you? We're talking about ourselves."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

The others quickly echoed, each forcing a fawning smile.

If they offend Wei Hongying, they'll be in deep trouble.

Wei Hongying hadn't intended to argue with them, but seeing their good attitude in admitting their mistakes, she forgave them and was about to go inside.

But the guards stretched out their arms and stopped her, shouting, "Captain, wait! Wait!"

"His Highness is in a bad mood right now, so it's best if you don't go in and provoke him."

"Are you angry?"

Wei Hongying frowned, her beautiful brows furrowing, and asked curiously, "Who is it? Who has the audacity to anger your Highness?"

As she spoke, Wei Hongying turned her head and glanced inside, only to find it was General Wang Hu.

Wei Hongying immediately became interested. Instead of going inside right away, she called the guards to watch with her.

The guards were naturally delighted and all went to look.

……

"We can't fight the Northern Barbarians in this battle. Let's not even talk about whether we can win or not; even if we do win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. By then, Uncle, how many soldiers will you have left? Uncle, do you want me to lead a few soldiers back to the capital in triumph?"

"Let me tell you, this isn't called a triumphant return; this is called walking into a trap, courting death, and bringing about one's own destruction. My political enemies and the emperor in the capital will be laughing their heads off!"

"Without soldiers, it's like a tiger without teeth. People can bully and manipulate you however they want."

Wang Hu nodded repeatedly; he understood this simple principle.

He and Prime Minister Xiao Yuanlu were Qin Li's right-hand men.

Qin Li was able to do whatever he wanted in the capital, and even the emperor had to be somewhat afraid of him; the two of them had done a lot of work in that regard.

In truth, his left arm is even more important than Xiao Yuanlu's right arm.

Because he had troops at his command, enough to overthrow the imperial court!

Qin Li can lack everything, but he must have soldiers!

As long as he has troops, his political enemies and the emperor will not dare to underestimate him and will always be wary of Qin Li.

But if a real war breaks out with the Northern Barbarians, Qin Li will have no soldiers left.

Unless Wang Hu can defeat the Northern Barbarians at a very low cost, but that is impossible.

"This is assuming we win. What if we lose? We'll both lose our lives here at this pass."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hu couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "He won't lose..."

Although the sound was very soft, Qin Li still heard it.

He really wanted to pick up the teacup on the table and smash it hard on Wang Hu's face.

"You won't lose? How can you be so sure you won't lose? I think the chances of losing are much greater than the chances of winning!"

"How is that possible?"

Wang Hu didn't believe it, looked up at Qin Li, and then quickly lowered his head again.

Qin Li was furious, his voice trembling, "How is this possible? What's impossible?"

"Do you really think that just because the vanguard defeated the Iron Pagoda outside Qingling Pass, our Great Zhou can defeat the Northern Barbarians?"

"Wake up, my great general!"

"Doesn't the General know how the vanguard battalion won?"

"It was the caltrops, the hook-and-sickle spears, and the long-handled broadswords that made the Iron Pagoda suffer from their unfamiliarity with the enemy's situation!"

"Furthermore, the Empress never intended for the Iron Cavalry to win; she deliberately let us win. Otherwise, why would she send an incompetent man like Murong Lie to fight us?"

"We had the advantage of favorable timing, location, and popular support, which is why we won the battle!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hu's face turned ashen, looking extremely unpleasant.

No one wants to admit that they are inferior to others or that they can't beat others.

Not to mention the arrogant and overbearing Wang Hu, this was simply torture for him.

Seeing this, Qin Li couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself and gently shook his head.

He came to Wang Hu, put his hand on Wang Hu's shoulder, and comforted him:

"Uncle, I know you're feeling hurt, resentful, and indignant. But I felt the same way at first."

"But what we need to do is not to dwell on these emotions, which will only gradually erode and destroy us. What we need to do is to have the courage to admit our shortcomings and find ways to make up for them. One day, we will be able to defeat the Northern Barbarians head-on."

Wang Hu didn't speak, but only sighed heavily, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qin Li, and then turned and left.

Upon seeing Wang Hu emerge, Wei Hongying and the guards who had been eavesdropping outside the door quickly stood at attention, bowed, and clasped their hands in greeting.

Wang Hu ignored them completely and left, his figure quickly disappearing at the gate of the courtyard.

Watching Wang Hu's departing figure, Wei Hongying and the guards were all somewhat puzzled.

"Captain of the Guards, what's wrong with the General?"

"Did they heed His Highness's advice, or did they not?"

A guard asked.

"How would I know?"

After saying that, Wei Hongying coughed twice on purpose and said seriously, "Ahem, all of you stand properly and let me talk to you."

"Your Highness and the General were talking inside, and you were secretly eavesdropping! You are hereby fined half a month's salary as a warning to others!"

"what?"

The guards all had the same expression.

Is there no justice left?!

Wei Hongying also eavesdropped and watched.

Why don't you punish yourself?

Of course, they dared not say these words aloud, and could only watch as Wei Hongying straightened her clothes and stepped into the house.

Inside the room, Qin Li leaned against the table, his head slightly lowered.

He held his left arm with his right hand, and gently rubbed his forehead with his left hand, as if he was troubled by what had just happened.

"They're here."

"I haven't seen anyone coming," Qin Li said.

"Did Your Highness know I was outside?"

Wei Hongying said with great surprise.

Qin Li nodded and continued to rub his forehead.

He not only knew that Wei Hongying was outside, but also that the guards were eavesdropping and watching.

Since they were all on his side, he didn't interfere.

"What is Your Highness troubled by? Are you afraid that the General will not listen to you?"

Wei Hongying stepped forward, helped Qin Li sit down in a chair, pressed down his hand, and walked behind him, reaching out to gently massage his temples.

He raised his hand and gently patted her forearm; it was thoughtful of him.

While enjoying Wei Hongying's massage, Qin Li said, "It's not that I'm annoyed that my uncle doesn't listen to me. On important matters, my uncle always listens to me."

Even though Wang Hu didn't say anything before turning around and leaving, that's all.

But when Wang Hu left, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Qin Li, which already indicated his stance.

He took Qin Li's words to heart!

"What is Your Highness troubled by?"

Wei Hongying asked curiously.

With a sigh, Qin Li said, "Right now, my uncle listens to me, but it's hard to say what will happen in the long run."

"Now that Xuanque Pass has been recaptured, I will lead my men back to the capital in at most another half month!"

"Once I leave, no one will be able to keep my uncle in check. If his subordinates whisper in his ear, given his warlike nature, he will be at war with the Northern Barbarians again in less than six months."

In six months, the military strength of the Great Zhou could not possibly surpass that of the Northern Mang.

At that time, Qin Li will be in the capital, unable to intervene, and his own backyard will be on fire.

"That's easy!"

Wei Hongying said happily, "I'll just stay. Before His Highness leaves, he can give me a golden token. Seeing the golden token is like seeing His Highness. The General won't dare to act rashly. If anyone dares to whisper in the General's ear, I'll take the golden token and chop him down with one stroke."

Upon hearing this, Qin Li turned his head and glanced at Wei Hongying behind him in surprise.

Wei Hongying smiled and turned Qin Li's head back to its normal position. "Don't move, it's not done yet."

Qin Li indeed stopped moving, and then he heard Wei Hongying's voice coming from behind him: "Your Highness doesn't need to feel that I've sacrificed too much and suffered too much by staying at the border and not being able to return to the capital."

"Even if I didn't keep an eye on the General for Your Highness, I would still stay at the border this time."

"I had this idea in mind before we even set off!"

"My father died in battle at the border, and the Wei family has declined ever since. I need more military merits to revive the Wei family."

"Furthermore, after this trip to the border, I am keenly aware that I am still far from qualified and need a long period of honing my skills before I can become a competent general!"

"Your Highness, I request permission to remain at the border to gain experience!"