Did Qi Li have the confidence to return to the court solely based on the support of the Qiyuege tribe? The barbarian tribes were outsiders, mere tools to be used; how could he possibly expect them to help him seize the throne?
Only by finding powerful backing could Qi Li feel capable of altering the situation in the court.
First and foremost, the barbarians breaching the passes had always been a major problem for the Zun Kingdom. They had occupied the lands outside the passes for many years, their eyes fixated on the fertile lands of the Central Plains, a history of conflict stretching back over a hundred years.
They couldn't defeat them in battle, nor could they eliminate them. Both sides were frustrated. If the barbarians could be assimilated and pacified, it might lead to something significant. With such an achievement, even the Crown Prince would be unable to stop him.
But he had no allies in the court.
Qi Li had been away from the Zun Kingdom for many years, essentially without any foundation. Even if the Emperor had favored him before, the current Crown Prince was his own brother. Now that he was back from the dead, how much genuine affection could he expect from the Emperor?
The imperial family was heartless. Loyalty to the sovereign came before that of a father. The Emperor, knowing he wasn't dead, might even harbor suspicions towards this son.
Only by finding supporters could he wage a fierce struggle for power upon his return.
And Xiao Ruodi was the most suitable person. He had long guarded the northern gates of the Zun Kingdom, commanding a large army and possessing business acumen, making him wealthy. Thus, Xiao Ruodi became the first person Qi Li sought to win over.
It was possible that Qi Li initially intended to win over Xiao Xiang, but Xiao Xiang, perhaps unwilling to be complicit, had mysteriously disappeared.
When Li Man'er was in Xincheng, she had inquired about Xiao Xiang, but her efforts yielded no results.
"Do you know the whereabouts of Old General Xiao?"
The disappearance of Old General Xiao was kept a tightly guarded secret by the Xiao family, unknown even to most of the Xiao family army in Mobei.
"Previously, Xiao Xiang had been recuperating due to health reasons, so many assumed he had returned to the capital to recover. Very few knew of Xiao Xiang's disappearance. The three brothers harbored their own ambitions, and none would speak of it."
Li Man'er nodded. "Your Highness, do you consider Qi Li to be good or evil?"
"If he were a good person, why would he invite wolves into his own house?" Qi Li had no backing, yet he wished to use the barbarians and Xiao Ruodi to expand his territory. But these two were jackals; how could they be content being his stepping stones?
"You say, if we were to lead our troops to capture Ti Heya's contingent and take Qi Li alive, wouldn't that be a great merit?"
Qi Yihan nodded. "That would naturally be a great merit. We didn't know that Man Muha River was from the Zun Kingdom. Capturing him and sending him to the Emperor would also be like finding his son."
For some reason, Li Man'er detected a hint of melancholy in Qi Yihan's words. His relationship with the one in the capital had always been elusive, far from the closeness the outside world implied.
Initially, Li Man'er believed that Qi Yihan must deeply resent the Emperor, especially since the Emperor had been slandering his name publicly, portraying him as bloodthirsty and a ruthless killer. But later, Li Man'er realized that Qi Yihan's malice towards the Emperor was not as strong as she had imagined. The two were wary of each other yet supported each other, a relationship that seemed to be a blend of love and hate.
This, in turn, confused Li Man'er. There must be something unknown between the brothers.
"Then why don't we discuss sending troops to take down these barbarians..." Li Man'er didn't finish her sentence but made a throat-slitting gesture.
"The weather is cold and harsh, and engaging in battle between armies is no trifling matter."
"Surprise attacks are rare. If we make proper preparations, I am confident we can win."
"Oh?" Qi Yihan
"With such heavy snow, the barbarians can only send out small teams of a dozen men, traveling by ski. If we were to do the opposite and our army were to strike suddenly, catching the barbarians off guard?" Li Man'er said, "When I went to gather intelligence, I already alerted them. I poisoned their food and drink, killing over a hundred barbarian soldiers. I believe they wouldn't dare make any rash moves now."
Hearing this, Qi Yihan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This girl, when she didn't act, was one thing, but when she did, it was a killing blow. Over a hundred barbarian soldiers, spoken of so casually by her.
"Then how do you plan to deal with the roads being blocked by snow?"
Compared to strategy, resolving the snow blockage was the paramount concern.
The snow in Mobei was deep, and the weather was cold. All this snow had frozen. Clearing it would consume a vast amount of manpower and resources. With the enemy at the gates, these frozen snowdrifts would hinder the barbarians from making any rash moves. Otherwise, their warhorses would have already attacked.
Li Man'er called out to A Si and instructed her to scoop up some frozen snow, the harder the better.
Although A Si didn't understand Li Man'er's intentions, she immediately took a wooden basin and a shovel and went out. Soon, she returned with a basin full of frozen snow.
Li Man'er turned and rummaged in a trunk, then produced a cloth bag. Needless to say, it contained a snow-melting agent.
This kind of thing was commonplace in modern times, sprinkled everywhere on the streets after heavy snowfall. When encountering heavy snow, snowplows would come first, followed by the snow-melting agent.
In ancient times, snowplows were out of the question. Even if she had them, she couldn't possibly reveal them; they were too conspicuous. However, simple snow plows could be made and attached to war chariots, powered by manpower, which could solve some of the problem.
Of course, the most important thing was her snow-melting agent.
"What is this?"
"Watch closely." Li Man'er had no way to explain it to him, so she directly poured the contents of the small bag onto the frozen snow in the wooden basin.
Seeing was believing. As the frozen snow began to melt, Qi Yihan's pupils visibly constricted. Soon, the frozen snow in the basin turned into slushy water, common on roads in later generations.
A Si was also stunned and couldn't help but exclaim, "My lady, what is this?" Such a small amount of something could melt the snow.
"Ah, this, it's called a snow-melting agent. I... I accidentally obtained it while refining elixirs, after a failed attempt."
"You can refine elixirs?"
"Of course, I can do many things!" Li Man'er pointed to the basin filled with meltwater. "I have plenty of this snow-melting agent. We can first use snow plows, then the snow-melting agent. After the snow melts, we can directly march out of the city and flatten the barbarian camp."
"What is a snow plow?"
Li Man'er didn't waste words. She simply drew on paper and showed it to Qi Yihan. "It's something like this. It can be fully installed on a war chariot. When moving, it can clear some of the accumulated snow. While clearing snow, we can also apply the snow-melting agent. We don't need to clear it perfectly, just enough for people and horses to pass through."
Qi Yihan was momentarily lost in thought, holding the sketch and gazing at Li Man'er's profile as if trying to see into her heart.
A Si quietly lamented, "Oh my goodness, Your Highness, can you show some composure?"