"General Duoti, what are your suggestions for the sparring sessions between our soldiers on both sides?"
That day, Xiao Yunzhou summoned Duoti to the imperial study.
He introduced Hou Yuchuan, the commanding officer of West Mountain, to Duoti. "Duoti, feel free to speak your mind."
Xiao Yunzhou was also worried that Duoti's heart was still in Chu even though he was physically in Jing, and might harm his precious Little Princess.
So he had Wei Zheng bring the Wet Nurse, holding the Little Princess behind the screen in the imperial study.
"As the King of Jing commands." Duoti was sturdy in build, his voice booming like a temple bell as he placed his right hand on his chest.
With his thick brows and large eyes, he appeared exceptionally upright and honest, not like someone with ulterior motives.
From start to finish, his posture was impeccable, showing complete obedience.
Hou Yuchuan, standing by the side, flashed a look of appreciation. "Brave warrior of the grasslands, a hundred tales cannot match seeing you in person. After our sparring, let us share a drink."
Duoti hesitated before nodding. "Thank you for the hospitality."
He seemed ill-at-ease with social interactions.
Xiao Yunzhou was speechless.
If he didn't know in advance that Duoti had been bribed by the King of Chu and was full of schemes, Xiao Yunzhou would have almost believed Duoti's 'honest and straightforward' persona.
[Wow, this Duoti is a ruthless man.]
[His pretense means nothing. In the past, when he was bullied and beaten by his brothers, he didn't utter a word and endured the hardship.]
Through the gap in the screen, Xiao Chuchu saw the armor Duoti was wearing in the study.
Hearing Duoti's 'watertight' response, she immediately thought of the 'live stream' she had seen at the foreign quarters these past few days.
[In the foreign quarters these days, the Ministry of Rites has been serving him lavishly, but he refuses it all.]
Xiao Chuchu clicked her tongue, amazed by this man's perseverance.
[The emperor father has been away at West Mountain for so long, and Duoti has been living like a vagrant in the foreign quarters for just as long.]
"Huh?" Xiao Yunzhou was stunned.
[In the freezing cold, he doesn't use a brazier in his room at the foreign quarters, and even though there are beds with quilts, he doesn't sleep on them. He just lays a straw mat on the ground and sleeps in his clothes.]
[The sumptuous meals, fine wines, and delicacies prepared by the foreign quarters, he doesn't touch a single bite. He returns them untouched, saying he brought his own grassland food.]
[He's almost reduced to gnawing on tree bark.]
"What?!"
Xiao Yunzhou stared wide-eyed at Duoti, who didn't seem particularly haggard.
What is he doing?
Didn't his daughter just say that the King of Chu had bribed Duoti with generous gifts?
He had thought Duoti was greedy, which is why he had instructed the Ministry of Rites to serve him lavishly, sparing no expense.
"Ahem, Duoti, have you been comfortable staying at the foreign quarters these past few days?"
Xiao Yunzhou couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"When I went to West Mountain, did the people at the foreign quarters take good care of you all?"
A flicker of complexity crossed Duoti's face, but he quickly nodded. "Everything was fine."
Xiao Yunzhou pursed his lips.
Fine? What fine?
How could the King of Chu bribe Duoti with generous gifts, but when Jing offered him lavish treatment, Duoti became a pious ascetic, free of wordly desires?
[I know the answer to this one.]
Xiao Chuchu giggled after hearing the conversation in the study.
[One of Duoti's advisors secretly urged him not to be so austere.]
[But Duoti wouldn't listen, saying most of his men live in such hardship. So he must constantly remind himself of this suffering, to convince himself that serving the King of Chu is meaningful.]
[By allying with Chu, his men can live like human beings. Only by uniting with Chu can the grasslands improve their soldiers' lives.]
[Most of the generous gifts from the King of Chu, he gave to the families of his fallen or disabled former subordinates. He didn't keep much for himself.]
[Wow, this is how Duoti lives on the grasslands too. Because he's so extreme and austere, his wife can't stand it and they've been living apart for years.]
"..." Xiao Yunzhou was utterly astonished.
[Oh, Duoti also complained to his advisor that the Jing emperor is used to luxury, and the officials in the foreign quarters are living in opulence. With such excess, Jing's soldiers must not be treated well either.]
[No wonder Jing's soldiers are so weak.]
Xiao Yunzhou's mouth twitched as he glanced toward Duoti in the imperial study, occasionally meeting Hou Yuchuan's gaze with a look of pity.
He had thought Duoti was just pretending to be kind-hearted.
Now it seems Duoti was pitying Hou Yuchuan and Jing's soldiers!
[Duoti feels that Jing's soldiers are probably treated worse than those on the grasslands. After all, their Khan still values the military, it's just that resources are scarce on the grasslands in winter.]
[So he has become more determined to follow Chu's arrangements.]
[He has decided that during the sparring session, he will slip a map of the grasslands into a Jing soldier's pocket to sow discord between the two countries.]
Xiao Yunzhou listened, dumbfounded by the many thoughts running through Duoti's mind!
Where did he even get the idea that Jing's soldiers suffer greatly?
"Brother Duoti, you've been staying at the foreign quarters these past few days and haven't gone anywhere else, have you?" Seeing the emperor lost in thought for a long time, Hou Yuchuan spoke up to make small talk with Duoti, afraid he might feel slighted.
"No, I haven't left." Duoti was extremely cautious, clearly not wanting to wander about before the important matter was settled.
"There's a storyteller at the tavern next to the foreign quarters who's been recounting tales of battles. Even I find it quite engaging to listen to."
Xiao Yunzhou finally snapped out of his daze upon hearing Duoti's response and was about to nod in agreement, but then his daughter's peculiar thoughts echoed in his mind.
[Heh... Duoti had the nerve to bring this up. The storyteller next door was actually narrating Jing's prosperous development this year compared to previous years.]
[This year we have money to raise pigs and ducks, our finances are booming, and the people are very happy.]
[But Duoti only heard the first part where the storyteller talked about how Jing used to struggle in everything, with the Duke of Dingguo cursing the court for not paying military stipends.]
[When the Duke of Dingguo gets drunk, he loves to recount the hardships of leading soldiers into battle... things like lack of military pay, not even having rations... freezing to death in the snow, eating horses when hungry, and then wanting to eat the fallen enemy soldiers after finishing the horses... The storyteller knows all this and incorporated it into his latest segment about 'reflecting on past bitterness to appreciate present sweetness.']
[But when Duoti heard it, he became terrified, thinking Jing's soldiers suffered even more than those on the grasslands.]
Xiao Yunzhou's mouth twitched.
Truly, rumors are more ferocious than tigers!
Taking things out of context is so misleading.
Xiao Yunzhou shifted his complicated gaze to Duoti, who was still looking at Hou Yuchuan with pity.
"General Duoti, I just had a thought."
"It's not appropriate for our two countries to engage in bloodshed and battle."
"How about this - for this sparring session, your ten brave grassland warriors can be divided into two groups of five, and work together with my elite Jing soldiers respectively."
"Form two teams, one side with ten attackers, and the other with ten defenders."
"Here's how it will be, Duoti, you will be the chief commander, and Hou Yuchuan will be the deputy commander. You two will be in one group, responsible for the attack."
"The other group will be on the defensive. I will appoint the Duke of Dingguo as the chief commander, and choose another brave warrior from the prairie to be the deputy commander."
Duoti and Hou Yuchuan were both taken aback.
This was different from what they had expected.
Xiao Yunzhou's expression was ambiguous, "The prairie and my Jing Country are not in opposition. This sparring session is more about exchange."
"From today, ten defenders, ten attackers, two groups of soldiers, mixing those from the prairie and Jing Country, eating, living, and training together for three days."
"After three days, we will have an attack and defense battle at Ma Family Slope."
Xiao Yunzhou rubbed his palms together, leaning forward.
[Wow, is this the ancient version of a military exercise?]
Xiao Chuchu exclaimed.
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes lit up. Exercise, what an apt word, befitting the celestial realm.
"It's settled then. Hou, the deputy commander, you and General Duoti choose four brave warriors from the prairie and four soldiers from Jing Country to form the ten-man attack squad."
"Immediately, go to the Capital Camp and rest and train!"
Xiao Yunzhou narrowed his eyes.
He must let Duoti see the true conditions of the Jing Country military camp!
Duoti has misunderstood his Jing Country too much!
"Oh, and when you enter the Capital Camp, you don't need to bring anything from the barbarian quarters." Xiao Yunzhou looked at Duoti meaningfully.
"!"
Duoti, who had intended to bring the prairie map to frame Jing Country, was shaken to the core.
