Chapter 172 Counterattack
Zhao Ji urged, "Don't worry about whether it's mysterious or not, just tell me Xiao Qingfang's plan first."

Xiaomei thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you want me to help you deal with Xiao Qingfang?"

Zhao Ji looked at Xiao Mei in surprise and said puzzledly, "Of course, you can't just turn your elbow outward and help Xiao Qingfang deal with me, right?"

Xiaomei also glanced at Zhao Ji unhappily and said with a smile: "I'm still in Snake Spirit, who is the outsider anyway?"

Zhao Ji couldn't help laughing when he heard this, and his hands started to move dishonestly again: "Good Xiaomei, stop joking. This is a matter related to the life and death of more than 20,000 people, and even more related to my life. You don't want to be a widow, do you?"

"Bah, a dog can't spit out ivory." Xiaomei blushed slightly, spat lightly, and slapped Zhao Ji's mischievous hand away.

"Then tell me the truth. What kind of ambush did Xiao Qingfang set?" Zhao Ji asked with a smile.

Seeing that Zhao Ji was determined to ask, Xiao Mei said helplessly: "Xiao Qingfang's plan is simple. She wanted me to find out your marching route and then set up an ambush along the way. But I didn't find out..."

Zhao Ji frowned when he heard this: "I thought she would tamper with the guide and send spies into the army."

Xiaomei smiled and said, "For an undercover job like this, you need the right person. Big sister thought you were difficult to deal with and was afraid of revealing the Snake Spirit's plan, so she didn't dare to do it."

Zhao Ji nodded and said, "Among the thirteen chapters of Sun Tzu's Art of War, there is a chapter specifically about using spies. Snake Spirit is quite skilled in this area, especially the human skin mask, which is hard to defend against. Unfortunately, the opponent he encountered was too powerful."

"Tsk~ You're so conceited." Xiaomei rolled her eyes at Zhao Ji, thinking he was bragging.

Zhao Ji smiled and didn't explain. What he said actually also included Di Renjie.

"So are you planning to let me bring back false news and mislead Xiao Qingfang?" Xiaomei asked.

Zhao Ji hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said, "No, you will be at risk of being exposed."

Xiaomei felt a warm feeling in her heart, but she explained, "No, I was just deceived by you. Xiao Qingfang doesn't know about our relationship. How could she know that I did it on purpose?"

Zhao Ji still shook his head and said, "Things are not as simple as you think."

"What do you mean?" Xiaomei asked puzzled.

Zhao Ji explained in a deep voice: "The key to the war between the Great Zhou and the Khitan is not entirely due to my small army. Now that Xiao Qingfang knows that I am going to Yingzhou, the sneak attack has become an empty talk, and I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve the desired effect."

"Why? If you can avoid the ambush, can't you continue to attack Yingzhou?" Xiaomei was still confused. What happened on the battlefield was beyond her understanding as a killer.

Zhao Ji couldn't help but laugh, then patiently explained: "Silly girl, on the battlefield, the situation changes rapidly. Since Li Jinzhong knows that I have a small army, he can't pin all his hopes on an ambush. How can he guarantee that the ambush can stop me?"

"So he must be on guard in Yingzhou, and once he is on guard, it will be difficult for me to capture Yingzhou, or I will return empty-handed."

"The purpose of my detachment is to serve the army in Dongxia Shigu. The original intention was to capture a large number of Khitan army's families after conquering Yingzhou."

"Secondly, we can cut off the Khitan's food and supplies. Thirdly, we can force the Khitan to send troops back to support us. This way, Wang Xiaojie will have the opportunity to annihilate the Khitan's main force."

"In other words, if Wang Xiaojie is defeated in Dongxishi Valley, even if I capture Yingzhou, the main force of the Khitan army will still be there, and I will be isolated and at risk of being surrounded."

Xiaomei understood what Zhao Ji meant and asked, "So you want to know how Xiao Qingfang and Li Jinzhong plan to deal with Wang Xiaojie of Dongxiashigu?"

Zhao Ji smiled and nodded: "That's exactly what I meant." Xiao Mei responded with a bitter smile: "In order to prevent information from being leaked, Snake Spirit has always had a dedicated person in charge of a specific task, and they cannot communicate with each other. Xiao Qingfang never tells us the complete plan."

"I was in charge of the liaison with the Turkic prince Mochu during this operation, so the contact with the Turkic army to set up the ambush was on my shoulders, but I had no idea about what happened on the Khitan side."

Zhao Ji was a little surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that Snake Spirit's management model was so advanced.

"The Turkic Crown Prince Mochu? Turks, that's difficult to deal with." Zhao Ji frowned even more tightly.

Seeing Zhao in such a dilemma, Xiao Mei bravely said, "There is another confidant of Xiao Qingfang in Danzhou City, Xiao Jing. He may know something. I will go back and ask him."

Zhao Ji's eyes flashed with doubt and he said, "Didn't you say that Snake Spirit has a special person in charge of a special task and can't communicate with each other?"

Xiaomei chuckled, with a sly light in her eyes: "Rules are dead, but people are alive. Xiao Qingfang also stipulated that Snake Spirit members cannot meet casually. How many people can do that?"

Zhao Ji also laughed when he heard this: "So, Xiao Qingfang, the Lord of the Snake Spirit, doesn't seem to be very popular."

"There is another question. What is your marching route? I have to give an explanation when I go back." Xiaomei reminded.

Zhao Ji took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes: "Since you replied like this, I don't plan to go through the Turkic route. Instead, I will go directly north from Danzhou, pass through the territory of the Xi people in Raole Dudufu and attack Yingzhou directly."

"If Mochuo has the courage, he can let his troops leave the Turks and fight me. When he suffers a defeat and the news spreads back to the Turks, I want to see how Jili Khan will deal with his son."

Xiao Mei was surprised when she heard this: "But wasn't this plan decided by the emperor and the general? Will the emperor blame you for changing it? Will Xiao Qingfang and the others believe it?"

Zhao Ji smiled calmly and said confidently, "The emperor was just impulsive when he decided to go through the Turkic region. General Wang Xiaojie and I have a tacit understanding. After all, there is no reason to go far away instead of near."

"When a general is on the march, he may not obey the orders of the king. Besides, I have the right to act at my own discretion. I originally planned to march in this way. They can believe it or not."

Xiaomei seemed to understand: "Okay, since you said so, I'll give it a try."
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"What? How is this possible?" After hearing Xiaomei's words, Xiao Jing stood up from his chair in shock.

Xiaomei regained her cold face and said in a cold voice: "That's the fact. That's what I heard."

Xiao Jing shook his head and said fearfully, "This Zhao Ji really can't be underestimated. If it weren't for my elder sister's clever move, he would have really tricked me."

Xiaomei's heart was slightly moved, but her face remained calm. She asked calmly, "Oh? How did you get ahead of me, elder sister?"

Xiao Jing was completely unprepared, and her words were full of compliments to Xiao Qingfang: "Eldest sister has foreseen the opportunity and suggested Li Jinzhong to move the royal court from Yingzhou. Since Zhao has arrived in Yingzhou now, he will only be surrounded by the Khitan army."

Xiaomei nodded slightly, reminding him intentionally or unintentionally: "Having said that, the main purpose of this operation is to make the Turks fight with the Great Zhou army and drag the Turks into the water. Now that Zhao has changed like this, it will be difficult to explain to Crown Prince Mochu."

"What the snake leader said is absolutely right. I must return immediately, inform my elder sister of the news, and ask for her next instructions." Xiao Jing said seriously.

Xiaomei's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and she asked, "Why not use carrier pigeons to send letters? Isn't it faster?"

"Carrier pigeons rely on returning to their nests to deliver messages, and the news is passed on to fixed locations in Danzhou, Pingzhou and Yingzhou. My eldest sister has now followed Li Jinzhong to the new royal court in the northwest of Yingzhou. That place is 400 miles away from the capital of Yingzhou, and carrier pigeons cannot reach it, so I have to go there in person." Xiao Jing explained.

Xiaomei smiled when she heard that.

(End of this chapter)