After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

Chapter 125 Northern Barbarian Invasion

"You...successfully?" Zu Gu asked tentatively afterward.

"Almost," Baili Ce said, getting out of bed to pour himself a bowl of water, chugging it down...

After drinking it, my sweat glands were much calmer.

He finally remembered to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"He shouldn't cause you any more trouble, right?"

"Not yet."

"It's alright for now," Zu Gu breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Six months is still a bit short."

"What do you mean, six months?"

The Ancestral Gu suddenly became excited again, "What?!"

"He hasn't given it to you for six months?!"

"No, no, no," Bai Li Ce quickly reassured the ancestral Gu in his mind, "It's three years."

I almost forgot, six months was her own estimate of the minimum guaranteed period.

"Huh??!" The Ancestral Gu was shocked.

"Is he really that easy to talk to?" I remember the last few times, Wang Qingyan was quite difficult to deal with.

"Hmph~" Bai Li Ce smiled wickedly, his mouth almost twisting to the back of his head.

LOL, if she were really that honest, what kind of unscrupulous capitalist would she be?

Bargaining?

That's not true. The six-month timeframe is a lie. No matter how much you try to cut her, she won't lose!

Do you know what's most important in being a good person?

Zu Gu thought for a moment, and, believing his answer to be full of wisdom, replied, "Sincerity!"

"Hmm...that's about right, for example..."

Bai Li Ce acted as if to say, "Let me teach you a lesson," and said, "Increase the price of the goods tenfold, then make the other party cut the price in half with a heavy heart, and earn five times the profit with tears in your eyes."

"..." For a moment, Zu Gu felt his thoughts buzzing and could not hear clearly.

After a long pause, he said, "Is this what you call sincerity?"

"I've already reduced it by five times, isn't that real enough?"

Only Wang Qingyan received this kind of treatment.

"..." Without even looking, He knew that Baili Ce must be looking treacherous at this moment.

He could only remind her, "If Wang Qingyan goes crazy, he might attack others."

"That's certainly possible."

"and you"

"But is he really like this because of me?"

"He killed because of me, he went mad because of me."

"Is it because of me that the world has become like this?"

What's the difference between this and blaming a woman for the downfall of a country, blaming a wife for being unlucky in marriage when a family is poor, or blaming customers for being unsightly when business is bad?

"..." The Ancestral Gu was speechless for a moment; it did not actually mean that.

When asked that question, I suddenly didn't know how to answer.

She wasn't targeting the Ancestral Gu, of course; she just wanted to tell it—

"Don't hold others hostage, and even more so, don't hold yourself hostage."

Zu Gu thought for a moment, then said, "I understand."

Never pay the price for a tragedy that has nothing to do with you.

"Then what are you going to do next?"

"Give him a little shock."

"Ok?"

You'll find out in a few days.

She may not be as good as Wang Qingyan at scheming, but she's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve!

Moreover, as one of our ancestors said—

Today we cede one city, tomorrow ten, and then we can have a night's rest; but when we rise and look around, the Qin army is already at our doorstep...

When dealing with someone like Wang Qingyan, you must never blindly give in to his unreasonable demands.

That would only make him think that these tricks were effective against her.

From then on, whenever she didn't do as he wanted, he would find ways to threaten her, doing whatever he pleased and acting lawlessly.

They will ruthlessly trample everyone under their feet, watching them beg and suffer.

Therefore, when facing a madman who is stronger than yourself, you must both develop stealthily and not indulge him.

Besides, Lu Jian and the others are not made of clay; they will absolutely not let Wang Qingyan manipulate them.

Secondly, given Wang Qingyan's personality, he certainly wouldn't obediently wait another three years.

so......

Bai Li Ce stroked his chin slyly, his belly bubbling with wicked schemes...

......

Two more months have passed, and the weather is getting cooler.

The cold wind came from the north, and as the violent and tyrannical Hu people marched south, they once again plunged the border troops and civilians into the flames of war.

The situation was particularly dire in Shacheng, where almost every household was robbed and suffered greatly.

Fortunately, the men that Lu Jian had placed in the border army had all grown up and temporarily driven the Hu people back to the banks of the Changming River outside Shacheng.

Inside Shangyang Palace, Lu Jian, having received the urgent report, immediately convened a meeting of his ministers.

"Can we ascertain how many troops they have deployed?"

"Only 10,000 were evacuated from Shacheng, but 150,000 remained to defend the banks of the Changming River, and..."

Minister of War Qian Li paused for a moment, his face grave, and said, "Another two hundred thousand are still on their way."

"..." Everyone gasped.

Some bolder civil officials directly cursed, "These northern barbarians! No wonder they robbed and ran!"

"Yes, now the city of Shacheng has been completely looted by them."

"After winter sets in, our soldiers will probably have an even tougher time."

"Furthermore, the Hu people are skilled riders with excellent horses. Once it gets even colder and the Changming River freezes completely, if they launch a full-scale attack..."

Anyone can do the math.

Lu Jian was no exception.

If we were to fight, we would have to commit at least 100,000 troops, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of laborers and servants who would be transporting supplies and provisions.

Now, the rat infestation in Cangzhou has just passed, and the southwest is also in turmoil, which is a time of food and manpower shortage.

But if we don't fight...

Do not!

Lu Jian's eyes sharpened; this battle must be fought!

"How are the city's defenses there?"

What does Your Majesty mean?

Qian Li was immediately invigorated and perked up. "Your Majesty, Shacheng has been repaired several times over the past few years, and the city is very strong!"

"Following His Majesty's orders, we constructed several strongholds before the New Year. If we have sufficient provisions, we can hold them!"

Lu Jian's gaze sharpened, becoming incredibly keen. "Just guarding?"

"..." Qian Lideng immediately became radiant.

He immediately lifted his robe, knelt down, and pleaded, "If you have 100,000 elite troops, we can fight!"

"Minister Qian, you just said it yourself, the Hu people have gathered an army of over 300,000 this time."

"Yes"

"Then you still think an army of 100,000 is capable of fighting?"

"Your Majesty, it is 100,000 elite troops."

After all, Lu Jian couldn't produce any more.

"Very well! I will give you 100,000 elite troops!"

Upon hearing this, a civil official immediately jumped out at the top of his lungs, "Your Majesty, you mustn't..."

"Drag him away! Give him twenty heavy lashes!"

Some civil officials objected, saying, "Your Majesty..."

"Drag him away! Give him thirty lashes!"

Some civil officials still disagreed, saying, "Your Majesty..."

Without Lu Jian needing to shout, the general in front of the palace immediately stepped forward, restrained him, and gave him thirty heavy lashes in court!

"Bang! Bang! Bang..." As the heavy wooden board resounded throughout the hall, the civil officials were all stunned.

Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, apart from the bloody battle in the capital, you have never reprimanded your ministers so severely.

This is......

"What? Do you ministers have any other brilliant ideas?" Lu Jian coldly swept his gaze around, then focused his probing look on certain officials.

"..." For a moment, the hall fell silent.

His Majesty's attitude indicates that war is inevitable.

Seeing that he had finally subdued the civil service group, Lu Jian turned to Cui Yuanshu.

"Minister Cui, you have been reinstated for over a month. If I were to assign you to cooperate with Minister Qian in winning this battle, would you be confident?"

what?

Cui Yuanshu, who had returned to retire, was only temporarily...

Fine, kneel down obediently, and appear confident, saying, "I am certain."

“This matter is of utmost importance. If Lord Cui is unwilling, I will not force him,” Lu Jian suddenly began to reason.

Cui Yuanshu had no choice but to kowtow deeply, saying, "Your subject is willing to sign a military pledge! If I fail, I will bring you my head!"

hmm~

Lu Jian nodded in satisfaction, "Lord Cui is truly a pillar of the nation and a pillar of the state."

Then he looked at Qian Li—

What the hell can I do?!

Qian Li knelt down excitedly, "Your Majesty! I am also willing to sign a military pledge!"

"Okay, okay," Lu Jian quickly walked downstairs.

With gratitude, emotion, relief, and affirmation, I helped each person up, one in each arm.

With heavy responsibilities entrusted to them, they said, "Then I entrust the war in the northern frontier to you two."

......