Duoti's progress in collecting elite talents had already reached nearly seventy out of a hundred?
Xiao Yunzhou was overjoyed.
But then he became troubled. Duoti had already seen Concubine Liu's down series, food series, and Liu Runnian's water bottle series.
Now, despite another heartfelt speech that moved the soldiers to tears, the progress was still far from complete.
Xiao Yunzhou fell into deep thought, pondering what to do next.
"Commander Hou, come here." While the soldiers were still eating, Xiao Yunzhou called Hou Yuchuan into the tent alone.
"You've been living and eating with Duoti and his grassland cavalry these past two days. Have you noticed anything special? What do you think of their skills? How do they view our Jing Country?"
Xiao Yunzhou was preparing to gather information.
He wasn't a fool to begin with, and having received skill books from the Immortal Realm through Little Ge-ge multiple times, his logical thinking abilities had improved significantly.
Hou Yuchuan indeed had information. He glanced outside the tent, his expression darkening, "Your Majesty, Duoti is a man of few words but fairly courteous. However, his subordinate Ba Tu is extremely dismissive of our Jing military forces."
"Most of the other grassland cavalry seem to share this attitude."
Hou Yuchuan's eyes were sharp, "I'm afraid they're all approaching this exchange with the mindset of merely playing with our Jing soldiers."
Xiao Yunzhou frowned.
The grassland people were indeed fierce and proud.
Duoti, being recognized by the Immortal Realm for his charging abilities, was extremely skilled in breaking through enemy lines and launching attacks.
The subordinates of such a person would never be docile and obedient.
Xiao Yunzhou took a deep breath.
"Your Majesty, could you reconsider and allow me to lead a team of ten men to confront Duoti's grassland cavalry alone?" Hou Yuchuan was, after all, a military general with a fierce spirit that would bend but not break.
He had long been unable to tolerate the grassland people's implicit and explicit disdain for their Jing soldiers.
Now that the emperor had asked, Hou Yuchuan spoke directly, "Compared to joining forces with Duoti, I'd rather beat them into submission!"
Xiao Yunzhou frowned, "Once We have given Our word, not even four horses can take it back."
"Then tomorrow, may this subject have Zhao Qianwei organize a wrestling and horseback archery competition within the camp for Your Majesty to observe?" Hou Yuchuan was still not giving up.
"Your Majesty, I've been at the West Mountain Camp for thirteen years and have led troops in battle in Liaozhou. I know very well that Ba Tu's arrogance won't change unless we fight them!" As the commander of West Mountain, Hou Yuchuan could tell at a glance which soldiers had an unyielding spirit that would only submit after being disciplined.
"Hmm," Xiao Yunzhou nodded after pondering for a moment, "We trust you."
Despite eating, drinking, and hearing kind words, Duoti still hadn't met the conditions for submission.
The problem still lay in the grassland people's disdain for Jing Country's military prowess.
It was time to let fists do the talking.
Both soft and hard approaches were necessary.
"Are you confident?" Xiao Yunzhou looked at Hou Yuchuan.
Hou Yuchuan furrowed his brows, "There are a thousand men here. I don't believe not a single one can match Duoti and his men."
"Even if we have to wear them down, we'll fight until they have no strength left to battle."
[Wow, a war of attrition, huh.]
Xiao Chuchu, behind the screen in the tent, was being held and fed water by Liu Chaniang.
Hearing these words, she was stunned for a moment.
[That's right, military competitions aren't just about individual strength. There's nothing wrong with a war of attrition. We're united as one, and we'll fight to the last person, never giving up, never abandoning, never retreating!]
Xiao Chuchu clenched her fist.
Soon, her little fist raised to her mouth was gently lowered by Liu Chaniang, who fed her another spoonful of water with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Xiao Yunzhou, who had been listening intently, nodded, feeling more confident.
Little Ge-ge was right.
"Very well, We grant you permission," Xiao Yunzhou nodded to Hou Yuchuan, "You speak the truth. If We are afraid to lose, those soldiers outside would be even more fearful!"
Hou Yuchuan's eyes shone with excitement, "Your Majesty, rest assured. If this thousand-man unit isn't enough, we have other units!"
"I'll go find Zhao Qianwei to select men right away!"
Not long after, Zhao Qianwei led ten men in military attire, and Hou Yuchuan brought his own elite subordinates, ten in total, for Xiao Yunzhou's inspection.
Xiao Yunzhou immediately stood up and patted each of their shoulders, "Good, for every victory, We shall reward you handsomely—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Wei Zheng emerged from behind the screen with Little Ge-ge's used diaper, intending to quietly pass behind the twenty elite soldiers. However, due to the limited space in the tent, he brushed against the armor of several soldiers.
In that instant, a series of notifications rang out in Xiao Chuchu's mind behind the screen.
[Ding, Chen Jin, Combat Power 85, immense strength in both arms, old injury in left ankle, recommend soaking feet in hot water daily, combined with acupuncture.]
[Ding, Liu Changhe, Combat Power 89, stable lower body, no injuries, but right shoulder muscles overworked from long-term training, recommend acupuncture for relaxation, can help speed up recovery and increase strength.]
"!"
Xiao Chuchu immediately stopped drinking water.
[Oh my, is the royal physician here?]
Xiao Yunzhou was startled for a moment, his gaze instantly falling on Wei Zheng's... diaper in hand.
His eyes gradually lit up, "Wei Zheng, stop. Don't move while We're speaking."
"?"
"Someone, go call Duoti and his men here."
...
"Hmph, how naive and ignorant. The Jing Country emperor is looking down on us!"
As soon as Ba Tu received Xiao Yunzhou's summons, he complained with glaring eyes.
"We've been lassoing horses since childhood, even taming wild horses, and wrestling since we were young... and now they want to compete with us in this?"
"If this isn't looking down on us, then the Jing Country emperor must be a fool!"
He complained directly in fluent grassland language, not caring whether the Jing soldiers who summoned them could understand or not.
Duoti frowned, "Ba Tu!"
"Am I wrong? Lord Duoti, competing with them!" Ba Tu snorted, clenching his fists, "Didn't Jing Country say whoever is stronger gets down jackets and quilts? We're stronger than them, let the Jing Country emperor give them to us, and instant noodles too!"
Duoti was speechless; Ba Tu was still thinking about this.
He had already told him that instant noodles weren't filling, and too much soup was inconvenient. He was still acting like a child.
"Put away that attitude of yours, let's go." Duoti gave him a hard pat.
Soon, Duoti and his subordinates arrived at the emperor's tent, listening to Xiao Yunzhou speak about the martial arts competition.
Then Xiao Yunzhou spoke, "We treat everyone equally. Just as We had Our Little Ge-ge bless the Jing Country's elite soldiers earlier, now We'll have Our Little Ge-ge bless you as well."
Duoti was taken aback.
He had been avoiding the tiny Little Ge-ge at all costs.
If anything were to happen, not only would it rupture relations between the two countries, but he, Duoti, would also be finished!
Moreover, he disdained the idea of harming such a small child.
Duoti would never harm women or children.
But he soon realized he had overthought the situation.
What appeared before him was not a child, but Wei Zheng holding a child's diaper.
Duoti: "?"
Ba Tu: "?"
No, Jing Country was too strange.
They just blessed them like that?
"If you don't believe me, ask Hou Yuchuan. Didn't I just bless them the same way?"
"...!"
*
Xiao Chuchu, who had been carried by Liu Chaniang to a separate small resting tent, had a dazed look in her eyes.
[Oh my, Ba Tu's strength is only 86, but the power and agility of his waist, abdomen, and legs are 30% higher than our Jing soldiers.]
[Wow, his wrestling skill is maxed out at LV5!]
[His only weakness is that six years ago, an arrow hit his left shoulder blade. Due to poor medical skills, a broken arrowhead fragment remains embedded in his flesh.]
[Hey, the system congratulates me for verifying a hidden character.]
[Duoti's most beloved subordinate — Ba Tu.]
[Unlocked the 'latest rewritten' plot of the novel: Jing Country establishes diplomatic relations with the grassland country of Wu Yun. Soldiers from both countries engage in martial arts competitions. However, after three consecutive rounds of combat, the arrowhead fragment in Ba Tu's left shoulder blade moves into his cardiopulmonary area. Ba Tu ultimately dies at the hands of his fourth wrestling opponent, Hou Yuchuan...]
[From then on, Jing Country and Duoti become irreconcilable, and relations with the grasslands become precarious.]
Xiao Chuchu was stunned.
[Wait, what does this mean? What does 'latest rewritten' plot of the novel mean?]
[Are the novel's plot points related to Jing Country constantly changing due to my butterfly effect, yet an invisible hand still grips our throats?]
Hearing her daughter's words, Liu Chaniang's face turned pale.
[Damn, we can't let Hou Yuchuan and Ba Tu face each other!]
[No, we can't let Ba Tu compete in three consecutive rounds!]