The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1214 - 649: Tonight, One Man Guards the Border

Chapter 1214: Chapter 649: Tonight, One Man Guards the Border

Zhao Douan spoke again:

"Our group returned from the Great Territory, along the way eliminating some Liao scattered troops and seizing a flying boat, which allowed us to arrive early."

Hmm...this news finally "shrunk" a bit.

The couple finally lowered their suspended hearts, exchanged a glance, and saw the unsettled emotions in each other’s eyes.

"Gambling Sage" Han Zhao clicked his tongue in wonder, watching this scene with a broad smile on his face:

Heh heh, at last, it’s not just me losing composure. What kind of border army general, half-step celestial being, their surprised expressions are not much better than those in the channel... Han Zhao relished inwardly, as if he was the one who had played a ploy... what a peculiar mindset.

"There... there is such a thing..."

Zhao Shixiong was both shocked and delighted, looked around at the three priests, somewhat excitedly:

"Has the Heavenly Master Mansion decided to join the battle? Where is the Heavenly Master?"

This is undoubtedly a huge piece of good news.

The addition of high-end combat power is enough to change the outcome of a war.

Yu Xiu coughed, her brows calm, her tone slightly arrogant as she said:

"The Master is entangled with the Great La Ba, covering our retreat."

Zhao Shixiong nodded, glanced at the expressionless Tuoba Weizhi, and tentatively asked:

"Governor, may I ask what this action is for?"

He wasn’t sure if this was a question he should ask.

Of course, Zhao Douan wouldn’t tell him that he was looking for a key to go to Mubei Forest. However, he had already thought of an excuse, and with a profound gaze, he suddenly said:

"General Zhao, do you know why the Liao Clan suddenly acted up?"

Zhao Shixiong was taken aback, hesitantly shook his head, and bitterly said:

"This is precisely the point of confusion for me. The Liao people and Yu Country have not been at war for a long time. If they had any intention of moving north, there was no previous activity. The only thing I can think of is that they took advantage of the Western Regions people’s invasion to also try and gain benefits, possibly even reaching some agreement with the Western Regions people."

Zhao Douan shook his head and said:

"It’s a good guess, but unfortunately, the truth is more complicated than that."

He paused slightly, waiting for the couple to hold their breath and stare at him, before Zhao Douan slowly dropped another bombshell:

"What if I told you that the Liao Clan was acting on Xu Jianwen’s orders, attempting to seize the throne? What would General Zhao think?"

Xu Jianwen?!

The Second Prince Jianwen?

News of Xu Jianwen’s resurrection is still a secret known only to a few. Zhao Shixiong, being stationed in Yunfu, was entirely unaware of this intelligence.

Thus, hearing this suddenly, how could he not be shocked?

The astonishment this brought to the couple was even more intense than the previous pieces of news combined.

Zhao Douan then unhurriedly recounted his encounter with Jianwen at Hu Ting and the subsequent battle.

This time, how he risked sneaking into the Great Territory to investigate the true reason for the Liao Clan’s uprising and finally getting the truth was simply conveyed.

Of course, he skipped over the sensitive details, neither explaining how Jianwen and Song Zhi could manipulate the Liao people nor mentioning Qi Country’s heritage.

Anyway, with Zhao Shixiong’s intelligence, he would understand there are things that should not be asked.

The room fell into a deathly silence for a while.

Zhao Shixiong and his wife Gongsun panted heavily, struggling to digest this astonishing news.

After a while, the Border Army Commander regained his sharp gaze, looking at Zhao Douan who was leisurely sipping tea:

"Governor, what is your plan?"

Zhao Douan smiled.

Talking to smart people is just this simple.

He didn’t keep them guessing any longer, directly saying:

"My purpose for coming here is not only to assist you in resisting the Liao people but more importantly, to capture Xu Jianwen!"

Yes!

This is the real reason he chose to come to the Border City.

Meeting up with Zhang Yan was just one of the reasons; otherwise, he could have just hidden in Yunfu, and with Zhang Yan’s skills, he would eventually find a way to meet up.

But Zhao Douan’s ambitions were greater. Since he was already in Yunfu, and needed to stay here for a while, why not take down the escaped Xu Jianwen?

He had a hunch that if Xu Jianwen remained alive, there would be endless trouble behind him and Zhenbao, and he would have to keep an eye out for a backstab, unable to fully focus on dealing with Xuan Yin and the Dharma King.

Only by dealing with Xu Jianwen could he finally put an end to it, forcing the Liao Clan to retreat.

"The key to solving the problem is finding the key issue."

Zhao Douan suddenly recalled the "useless literature" he learned in the office in his previous life.

In his youth, he used to complain about such repetitive sayings during meetings, but later on, he found that at least this phrase was not really "useless".

The key to the Liao Clan’s northward move—is it to defeat the Liao army? No!

The key is to eliminate Xu Jianwen!

Without Xu Jianwen, Song Zhi would lose the motivation for the northern expedition... except if Song Zhi went mad and sought revenge for his lord... To eliminate that possibility, the best result is to capture him alive.

Zhao Douan calmly said:

"As far as I know, Xu Jianwen has at most a little over a day before he will lead his troops to the outskirts of Border City. I plan to implement a ’decapitation’ plan on the battlefield, and you need to hide my arrival until then, and cooperate when the time comes."

The couple’s hearts surged with enthusiasm, wanting to remind that Liao experts were numerous, but after seeing the three priests and recalling Zhao Douan’s achievement in slaying Prince Jing, they closed their mouths, their eyes filled only with excitement.

"The Governor’s order, who dares not follow!"

...

...

After discussing the details, Zhao Shixiong and Gongsun left excitedly, their spirits noticeably higher than before.

Zhao Douan and his group were secretly arranged to temporarily stay in the back courtyard.

"Are you really planning to capture Xu Jianwen on the battlefield?"

In the courtyard of the back courtyard.

Yu Xiu couldn’t help but speak, frowning as she said: