Mother, I have returned to the throne.

Chapter 270 He is a fox!

Near sunset.

Song Yuan had previously released two slaves, and after a long journey, he finally returned to the ants' base camp.

At the same time, they also brought the letter sent by Song Yuan.

After explaining it, he personally handed it to the high priest Bulma.

There was a hint of coldness in Bulma's eyes. She only glanced at the contents of the letter, and a hint of rage burst out in her pupils.

"How greedy! He's simply courting death!"

But after venting his anger, Bulma immediately walked out of the tent and came to the camp where Tublai Khan was.

In front of the prince, Bulma explained Song Yuan's plan truthfully.

After hearing the last sentence, Tublai's eyes revealed a hint of anger, and he suddenly became furious.

"You little bastard, you killed my men, and you even dared to ask for their corpses. You wanted to exchange those dead bodies for two thousand war horses. That's just wishful thinking!"

Having said that, Tublai suddenly stretched out his palm and slapped the table in front of him hard, with a hint of violent emotion on his face.

"I wish I could eat this little bastard's flesh and drink his blood. High Priest, how do you think we should handle this matter?"

For the huge barbarians, the least valuable thing is the war horse.

Compared with other resources, war horses are really countless, and a mere two thousand is not something that the barbarians cannot afford.

However, giving these things to Daqin to strengthen Song Yuan's power was something that even Tublai Khan, as a prince, could not accept, both morally and logically.

"Your Highness, I think this matter needs some further consideration. If we reject it outright, it will probably do us no good!"

Facing Tublai Khan who was asking for his opinion, Bulma responded immediately.

"That little bastard clearly stated in the letter that if we don't send two thousand war horses as he said, he will immediately send these corpses to Zhenbei City and hang them on the city wall!"

"Such an unbelievable thing might not be done by anyone else, but I've had a lot of contact with this little bastard before, and he really does what he says. This guy has no bottom line, so I have to think twice!"

"Then let him hang!"

Tublai Khan showed no concern for such threats: "What if he hangs those corpses? Anyway, don't even think about exchanging a single horse from me!"

Hearing this, Bulma couldn't help but reveal a trace of worry on her face, and immediately began to explain: "Your Highness, think about it carefully. To us, those corpses are useless, but in the eyes of others, they represent the face of us ants!"

"Not to mention outsiders, even our own soldiers would be hurt if they saw us abandoning the bodies of our compatriots. It would not only dampen their morale, but it would also affect your prestige!"

As the saying goes, one should follow the crowd. Once Song Yuan hangs the body on the city wall, it will inevitably fall into the eyes of the barbarians.

By that time, people will spread the word, and the taste may change where it goes.

Now, the strategies pursued by Ant and Daqin are completely different. The only thing Daqin needs to do now is to delay time and wait until the spring.

By then, the army will be assembled with strong soldiers and horses, and will take advantage of its peak strength to deal a fatal blow to the ants.

However, the ants' plan is completely different. Now that it is deep winter, it is the most important moment for the barbarians. They have no choice but to seize the time and take advantage of such cold weather to inflict heavy damage on the Qin army.

This is the only way to last long enough.

Only in late autumn, when the ants have a good harvest, will they no longer have to worry about food shortages, and their war horses will be fat and strong, so they can take advantage of the situation to reverse the situation and launch a massive counterattack.

That is when the barbarians will become truly powerful, and they will be able to sweep away everything!

However, right now, it is a critical period. As the main combatant, they must not take any risks, especially when facing low morale, they must do their utmost to avoid it.

Thinking of this, the high priest Bulma gritted his teeth and analyzed the situation to Tublai Khan in front of him. After hearing the end, there was still a bit of unwillingness in the eyes of the eldest prince.

"So, according to the High Priest, are we really going to grant this guy's wish? Trading two thousand warhorses for a bunch of useless corpses—no matter how you look at it, this is a losing proposition, isn't it?"

At the end of his speech, Tublai Khan clenched his fists tightly. This failure was definitely a great humiliation for him.

Tublai Khan was originally angry because of the defeat. If this matter were to be reported to the Khan's tent, he would not know what punishment he would face when facing his father.

In the end, Song Yuan still took this opportunity to extort money from him. This was intolerable, and Tublai Lie just couldn't swallow this.

Sensing Tublai's emotions, the high priest Bulma beside him couldn't help but sigh.

The prince beside me was unwilling to accept this, and I felt the same way!

No one wants to accept the failure of this war, but sometimes, we have to make choices in the face of the current situation!

Even if it's just for the sake of morale, this time we may have to agree to Song Yuan's request.

However, if she said it directly, it would inevitably arouse the disgust of the prince in front of her. After hesitating for a long time, Bulma could only refuse.

"If Your Highness is truly unsure of what to do, why not send a letter to inform the Khan of this news?"

"This way, we can be absolutely sure of success. We can also avoid the situation where your Highness's arrangements fail to satisfy the Khan and he blames you. That would be a complete loss!"

When Tublai Khan heard this proposal, he hesitated for a long time, but finally nodded.

No matter what, he is still just a prince and has not yet sat on the throne of overlord.

This matter involves serious consequences, and I still cannot come to a conclusion.

Instead of sulking here, it’s better to pass your troubles on to others.

However, when making this decision, Tublai Khan felt a little apprehensive.

If this news gets into the Khan's tent, what kind of punishment will I face?

It was his first time leading an army and he was full of confidence, but in the end he suffered such a crushing defeat. This matter has been publicized, and I am afraid that many people around the Khan will immediately become dissatisfied with him.

If someone fanned the flames, he might even lose his position as the commander-in-chief!

In Tublai Khan's view, the only chance to turn around is now.

He wrote a letter with his own hands and ordered his men to pass it to the Khan's tent. Finally, he turned around with some urgency and spoke to the high priest in front of him.

"High Priest, we must not sit idly by while waiting for the Khan's decision! Otherwise, we two might be in trouble!"

"We should take this opportunity to make more plans. If we can achieve a great victory to boost morale, perhaps we can even erase our previous mistakes!"

"High Priest, you have always been resourceful. Tell me, what should we do now that we have reached this point?"

When he said this, Tublai Khan's face was full of worry, and he was really confused for a moment.

The disastrous defeat in the first battle made Tu Bilie feel anxious and worried. Now he was having a hard time and it was even more difficult for him to make a decision.

If we attack the city rashly, it will likely cause greater losses.

But if we don't attack the city, which direction should we choose to target in the vast border area?

For a moment, Tublai Khan secretly clenched his fists, thinking only of using a victory to boost morale.

Upon hearing this, Bulma slowly responded, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I've been thinking carefully about the next plan over the past two days and have already made a rough plan. However, it may not be the best time to act rashly now!"

"Why not wait a while and rest well until we get some news from the camp? It won't be too late to make plans then!"

"Oh well!"

Faced with such a proposal, Tublai Khan hesitated again and again, but finally nodded.

At the same time, he secretly clenched his right fist.

That bastard named Song Yuan, let him be proud for a while.

When I find a way, I will make sure this guy is killed without a burial place!

……

The time spent waiting was quite unbearable.

Tublai Khan couldn't sleep or eat well every day, and felt that each day was like a year.

Fortunately, two days later, the final decision came from Khan.

Change!

As the leader of the entire barbarian nation, the Khan is naturally a smart man. His ideas are consistent with those of the high priest. Even if he is unwilling at the moment, in order to maintain the overall morale, sometimes he must make some choices!

However, even though he agreed to Song Yuan's request, it did not necessarily mean that he could make some adjustments to the conditions proposed by Song Yuan.

Song Yuan only asked for two thousand war horses, but even among the barbarians, these war horses were divided into good and bad.

Some war horses are in their prime, with plenty of physical strength and can travel thousands of miles a day.

Some war horses are old and weak, and need to rest for a long time after traveling a hundred miles a day.

In this regard, the Khan made a big fuss and asked Tubulun to select old war horses from his men as a condition for exchanging those corpses!

Seeing this arrangement, Tublai Khan felt relieved.

In fact, he had already thought of this solution long before the news came.

However, now that things have become a foregone conclusion, in addition to preparation, we also need to discuss carefully how to complete the handover with that brat?

In order to ensure that this matter would be foolproof, Tublai Khan no longer dared to underestimate the enemy this time. He immediately called his generals to discuss a foolproof plan.

"Your Highness, here is an urgent report from General Sucha from the borderlands!"

Just when everyone gathered together, a voice suddenly appeared, and a messenger came into the hall with an envelope in hand.

When Tublai Khan heard the news, a hint of anxiety suddenly appeared in his pupils, and he immediately waved his hand to take the secret letter.

After opening the envelope and taking a look at it, Tublai's expression suddenly changed.

He immediately turned around and spoke to the high priest beside him with some excitement.

"High Priest, please come and take a look at what is in this letter!"

Bulma came forward with some doubt, and just one glance, her pupils instantly turned gloomy.

Noticing the changes in the two men's expressions, the other generals also became curious and immediately came over to look at the letter in Tublai Khan's hand again and again.

Everyone gasped in shock at once, because according to the contents of the letter, Song Yuan's so-called exchange of war horses was a trap from the beginning to the end!

Song Yuan used the excuse of exchanging war horses to attract everyone's attention. Secretly, he was mobilizing troops and had gathered a large group of people.

Song Yuan’s plan was to enter the heartland of the barbarians, pass through the previous canyon, and raid the horse farm inside the barbarians!

Heading from that valley towards the heart of the barbarians, it only takes half a day to reach the horse-grazing grassland.

The land there is fertile, and it is the base for horse breeding among the barbarians.

From the beginning to the end, Song Yuan was planning to get more than two thousand war horses.

Instead, they directly occupied the horse farm, causing the barbarians to suffer huge losses!

It can be imagined that once Song Yuan's plan succeeds, tens of thousands of horses will be snatched away by Song Yuan.

What’s more crucial is that the barbarians came with great force, but in the end they were actually driven into the hinterland.

If such a thing were to get out, it would definitely be a huge blow to morale. Who could accept it?

"Your Highness, where did Sucha get the military information in this letter?"

Upon realizing such important news, a tall and strong general among the generals asked the first question.

Faced with such doubts, Tublai Khan waved his hand.

"There's no need to ask about this matter. I just want to ask you one question: Do you think the contents of this letter are true or false?"

As Tublai Khan spoke, he looked intently at the high priest Bulma, clearly seeking his opinion.

Faced with such news, Bulma frowned slightly and began to think.

Bulma knew exactly where the letter came from.

Just as Bulma said before in the imperial city, the people of Daqin are not united.

Someone secretly wants to harm Song Yuan and wants to use the hands of barbarians to get rid of Song Yuan!

In this case, it is not surprising that information about Song Yuan was secretly revealed.

However, there is more than one possibility for this matter. What if the Qin people took advantage of the situation and set a trap for the barbarians?

However, after thinking about it along this line of thought, Bulma felt that even if this news was a conspiracy, it would not be a big loss to her!

He could recruit young and strong men from the tribe and send them to the horse farm to resist the powerful enemy.

In this way, the vanguard troops can remain in place and can provide support in the first time if any accident occurs.

In this context, with just a little precaution, what loss can there be?

However, after sorting for a long time, Bulma felt that if she thought so, she was underestimating Song Yuan.

He had fought with Song Yuan before and knew how powerful he was. This guy seemed kind, but once he showed his fangs, even a tiger would give up a piece of meat.

After hesitating for a long time, Bulma still felt that this matter was a little difficult to decide. In the end, she could only frown and ask the eldest prince.

"Your Highness, what do you think about this matter?"

"High Priest, I have to say this: we'd rather believe it than not. No matter what, this news is definitely an opportunity. If we can seize it, we might be able to make that brat suffer a great loss! We can also take this opportunity to avenge our previous humiliation!"

"Let's hold our troops this time. We'll draw young and strong men from the tribe and chase and intercept him halfway. I don't believe it. Our military camp ahead is impregnable. Even if he has some plans, I'm afraid he won't be able to carry them out!"

"Your Highness, I still think you should think twice about this matter!" Bulma shook her head when she heard what His Highness said, which was exactly the same as what she thought.

What Song Yuan did could not be predicted by common sense at all.

Everyone thought the same way, and they had probably already fallen into Song Yuan's trap!

"He's just a useless prince, what's the big deal? High Priest, you're so afraid of him. Isn't this just boosting his prestige and destroying your own ambition?"

Faced with Tublai Khan's questioning, Bulma shook his head lightly, his tone becoming more serious.

"Your Highness, you can think whatever you want, but there is one thing you must not do: underestimate that prince!"

"I've dealt with him before, so I'm naturally aware of how powerful this prince is. On the surface, he's a harmless sheep, but underneath that sheepskin, he's definitely a cunning fox!"

"Anyone who underestimates him will suffer heavy losses in the end. We must never repeat the same mistakes!"