Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Inside the Liao Kingdom's main camp.

Yelü Qi sat at the table, drinking one cup of wine after another in silence.

It's so uncomfortable, so incredibly uncomfortable.

He rushed back to Liao from Da'an, and after much effort, persuaded his father to send troops to attack Da'an. He thought he could win in one fell swoop and directly take control of the Central Plains.

But the emperor deliberately sent Yelü Gan to lead the troops with him.

Yelü Gan was a cowardly fool who insisted on waiting and seeing how things unfolded.

Observe, observe, observe, what the hell are you observing? I've been observing for a month already.

"No, I have to talk to Yelü Gan again. We have to fight. Otherwise, once the civil war in Da'an is over, we will never have such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity again."

Yelü Qi thought and thought, but he was still feeling restless. He gulped down a bowl of wine, stood up abruptly, and was about to rush out to discuss the matter with Yelü Gan again.

Just then, a report came from outside the tent:

"Report—"

"Your Highness, our scouts report that reinforcements from Da'an have arrived! One hundred thousand Song family troops have entered Hansha City!"

"What?!?!" Yelü Qi's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"One hundred thousand Song family soldiers? How is that possible? Has the Song family successfully rebelled?"

Yelü Qi subconsciously felt that the Song family had succeeded in their rebellion; otherwise, why would it be the Song family army that came to Hansha City?

But upon closer inspection, something doesn't seem right.

Based on the information we had previously gathered, the Song family army consisted of only about 100,000 men.

Even if Emperor Da'an were weak, it would be impossible for him to be completely unable to expend any of the Song family's troops.

"According to the scouts, it seems that the commander of the Song family army is not a member of the Song family."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Qi was even more puzzled: "Could it be that the Song family and the Emperor of Da'an have made peace? How could that be?"

He was dumbfounded, feeling like he couldn't see the current situation clearly anymore.

Of course, this was also mainly because information was not readily available in ancient times, so Yelü Qi did not know about Pingkou City, or even about Prince Chun's ascension to the throne.

The only thing he was certain of was that with 100,000 troops stationed in Hansha City, it would be much more difficult for the Liao Dynasty to attack Da'an again.

"Go, have the spies keep an eye on them."

"yes!"

The soldier ran out quickly.

Yelü Qi frowned, his mind raced, and finally he made a decision in his heart.

Let's put aside the question of the Liao Dynasty taking over the Central Plains for now; the most important thing right now is how to get Lady Shen to the Liao Dynasty.

Ever since he ate that delicious feast at the Da'an Palace banquet, he always felt that other foods were lacking in flavor.

Countless times, he woke up in the middle of the night drooling.

But when I woke up, there was nothing there...

Having made up his mind, Yelü Qi strode towards Yelü Gan's tent.

Yelü Gan was also tall and strong, with a braid on his head, but compared to Yelü Qi, he was slightly fairer and had a slightly fuller face.

He was enjoying his meal and drinks, feeling quite relaxed.

Hearing the commotion outside the tent, he turned his head and saw Yelü Qi. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Third brother, you've come at the right time! Let's eat together, hurry up!"

Yelü Qi: "...Second Brother, didn't you hear that 100,000 reinforcements have arrived in Hansha City?"

"The servant just reported it, of course I know."

"Then how can you still sit there?"

"What's there to be anxious about? Doesn't this just prove that my initial decision was correct—to wait and see? Look at them, they have an army of 100,000! If we had attacked rashly before, we might have been completely wiped out by now!"

Yelü Gan spoke with a hint of self-satisfaction and a subtle sense of pride.

"Third brother, you are still too immature and too eager for quick success."

Too immature, too eager for quick success.

These two words hit Yelü Qi right on the head, leaving him utterly speechless.

Who is really immature?

If they had entered the palace earlier, they might have already seized half of Da'an's territory.

This Yelü Gan, despite being Empress Xiao's only son, failed to learn even a fraction of her intelligence.

That's absolutely stupid.

Yelü Qi closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and then opened them, saying:

"It seems that the plan to attack Da'an and take control of the Central Plains is unlikely to succeed. However, we have mobilized a large army and created such a great spectacle. If we were to return in such a disgraceful manner, I'm afraid we would not be able to explain it to Father Emperor."

"That's easy. We'll just rob some things and take them back. The more we rob, the happier Father will be," Yelü Gan said cheerfully.

War is too scary. It's much better to rob the surrounding villages and towns. It's simple and convenient.

He even went so far as to conquer the Central Plains. What was so great about the Central Plains? He thought the Liao Dynasty was the best.

Yelü Qi gritted his teeth: "Robbing is fine, but it's not enough."

"Then what else do we need to do?" Yelü Gan blinked his big eyes, looking very puzzled.

"Besides robbing them, we can also negotiate with Da'an and get Lady Shen back!"

Yelü Gan frowned, somewhat speechless: "Lady Shen, Lady Shen, ever since we returned from Da'an, you've been talking about Lady Shen all the time. What's so great about Lady Shen? Are you that infatuated with her?"

"Going through all this trouble for a woman? I'd say it'd be more worthwhile to rob a few more towns!"

He simply couldn't understand it. Negotiation? The target of the negotiation was just a woman?

I don't know what kind of bewitching potion that Lady Shen gave her younger brother.

Yelü Qi, of course, would not give up easily: "You don't understand. Lady Shen is a goddess. Her food is exceptionally delicious, the best in the world. As long as Father Emperor tastes it, he will definitely reward us. Just trust me this once."

He never had any intention of expanding his territory or seizing power; his desire to attack Da'an this time was only for Lady Shen's sake.

Now that we cannot seize the capital of Da'an, we can only try to bring Lady Shen back to Liao.

The main reason is that he's been craving food terribly.

"How delicious can it be?" Yelü Gan said dismissively, waving his hand and adding, "Even if it really is delicious, we can't negotiate over a little food."

"If we're really going to negotiate, we should ask Da'an for more gold and silver jewelry."

"Didn't you say before that Da'an was in chaos? Let's take this opportunity to get more things."

Yelü Qi: "..."

So all he said was for nothing.

No gold or silver jewelry can compare to Lady Shen.

Exquisite food is priceless.

"But Madam Shen really..." Yelü Qi wanted to argue further.

Yelü Gan raised his hand to interrupt Yelü Qi: "Alright, alright, I'm the older brother, so listen to me. Take more gold and silver jewelry. As for your Lady Shen, we'll take her if we can, otherwise forget about her!"

Upon hearing this, Yelü Qi took another deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

He wished he could give Da'an some gold and silver to exchange for Madam Shen, but he couldn't make that decision.

Yelü Gan was foolish, but his mother was Empress Xiao, and many generals in the army were inclined to listen to him.

He really is powerless and incompetent.

If all else fails, he'll move to Da'an to enjoy the local delicacies. He'll just quit being this damned Third Prince.