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After visiting the manor school, Yi Huawei slowly returned to the lobby under the respectful guidance of Butler Chen.

Candles flickered in the lobby, and light and shadows danced between the carved beams and pillars.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister,"

A Black Dragon Guard dressed in black rushed in: "Assistant Xiao He requests to see you."

"Tell him to come in."

Yi Huawei frowned slightly, then nodded gently.

"promise!"

The Black Dragon Guard bowed, his posture as standard as if it had been measured with a ruler, and then quickly left the hall, his hurried footsteps causing a slight breeze.

Not long after, Xiao He walked in.

After not seeing him for a year, Xiao He had become so thin that he seemed like he could be blown down by a gust of wind. His face was as dark as charcoal, as if he had been struggling in the scorching sun and wind and sand for a long time. His deep eye sockets and rough skin showed that he had obviously experienced a lot of hardships.

"Hello, Xiao He! Who are you?"

As soon as Xiao He opened his mouth, he saw Yi Huawei in the hall and was startled. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the Black Dragon Guard beside him, his eyes full of confusion.

"sit!"

Yi Huawei nodded slightly and waved his hand, "Bring tea!"

"promise!"

Butler Chen responded, turned around and left. After a while, the crisp sound of tea sets colliding was heard, and the fragrance of tea began to fill the lobby.

"Mr. Prime Minister?!"

When Xiao He heard Yi Huawei's voice, he confirmed that the strange man in front of him was the prime minister. He had heard that the prime minister's disguise skills were extremely superb, and the Black Dragon Guard's disguise skills were taught by the prime minister. Seeing it today, it was indeed well-deserved.

Xiao He widened his eyes in surprise, looked Yi Huawei up and down, then bowed his head respectfully:
"Greetings, my lord!"

"No gift!"

Yi Huawei smiled and nodded, his voice gentle but with unquestionable authority: "Thank you for your hard work, Ziwen. Is there any information that requires you to come here in person?"

"Sir..." Xiao He turned his head and glanced at Hei Ren and several servants standing beside him, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

Yi Huawei waved his hand: "You guys get out."

"promise!"

Hei Ren bowed and agreed, then quickly walked out of the hall with a few servants and guarded the door himself.

"Just as you expected."

After sitting down, Xiao He took a sip from the teacup to moisten his dry throat, and said, "Zhao Tuo is indeed rebellious. According to the intelligence analysis sent by the Black Dragon Guard, Zhao Tuo began to eliminate dissidents three years ago, intending to turn Nanhai County into his private territory, placing his confidants in various important positions, and suppressing the forces that oppose him. This has caused dissatisfaction among many people... We must make plans early, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

After hearing this, Yi Huawei tapped his fingers on the table and fell into deep thought. After a while, he slowly said, "We must not act rashly on this matter. We need to collect more evidence and find out the distribution of his power. Xiao He, you continue to arrange for the Black Dragon Guard to conduct an in-depth investigation and do not alert the enemy."

Xiao He nodded and said:

"Don't worry, sir. I will do my best. But Zhao Tuo is heavily guarded and acts very carefully. Only those who have followed him for many years can get close to him. The Black Dragon Guards were almost exposed many times. I hope you can send more people."

Yi Huawei stood up and paced. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I will arrange shadow guards to assist you. They are good at stealth assassination and can help you at critical moments. In addition, I will ask the craftsmen to make a batch of equipment suitable for stealth operations and deliver it to you as soon as possible."

Xiao He showed a delighted expression: "Thank you, sir! With the shadow guards and new equipment, we will be able to complete the mission better."

Yi Huawei nodded slightly and asked, "How is the investigation going on regarding the Baiyue issue?"

South of Changsha and Yuzhang, there are settlements of Yue tribes including Dong'ou, Minyue, Nanyue, Xiou, and Luoyue, collectively known as the Baiyue.

Its territory is about 2,000 miles from north to south and about 8,000 miles from east to west. However, this is not a barren place. The Yue people have been thriving here for hundreds or even thousands of years. The local rice can be harvested twice a year, and the resources of wild animals and wild fruits are also rich. The Yue people cultivated the land by slash-and-burn farming, and obtained food through hunting and gathering to feed a large population. It is estimated that the total population of the Dong'ou, Minyue, Nanyue, Xi'ou, and Luoyue tribes exceeded one million. Moreover, the Yue people were all soldiers, fighting bravely and good at guerrilla warfare in the jungle.

After Xiao He finished describing the general situation of Baiyue, he continued:

"The climate in the Baiyue area is hot and humid, and the summer temperature is high, which is difficult for our army to adapt to. The area is filled with miasma, water poisoning, and many poisonous snakes and insects. Soldiers sleep outdoors day and night, and epidemics often break out. In addition, there are high mountains blocking the border between Baiyue and the Central Plains. It is rarely visited by people and there are no roads. This is a natural barrier. Sometimes, the straight-line distance shown on the map is only more than ten miles, but in fact, you have to cross mountains and ridges and trek hundreds of miles. Those jungles are full of dangers and obstacles. Only local people are familiar with the routes. The maps drawn by our Qin merchants cannot record them in detail. Going south from Yuzhang, you have to cross mountains and ridges, trek hundreds or thousands of miles, and walk through deep forests and bamboo groves, which will cause great loss of supplies."

As he spoke, Xiao He said with some worry:

"Unlike the annihilation of the six states, the Yue people and the Qin people did not speak the same language. The Qin army was fighting in a completely foreign country, so logistics support was crucial. With 200,000 troops, at least 300,000 were needed to transport them. Moreover, the Yue people had almost no cities. They lived in valleys and bamboo forests, were familiar with water battles, and were used to using boats, so it was very easy for them to gather and disperse. As a result, the way of war changed from attacking cities to a protracted encirclement and suppression in the mountains, which was something the Qin army, which was used to fighting in battle formations, was not good at."

Xiao He paused for a moment and continued, "The Prime Minister arranged for the Black Dragon Guards to go south to the Wuling Mountains under the guise of merchants to investigate transportation and geography. In the past two years, we have collected a lot of intelligence, and we have a certain understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the Baiyue.

However, more preparations may be needed in the future. For example, more talents who are proficient in geography and language can be sent to go deep into Baiyue to further understand the local mountains, rivers, tribal distribution and other detailed information in order to formulate a more complete battle plan.

At the same time, in order to address the problem of soldiers not adapting to the climate of Baiyue, medical officers should be organized to study methods of preventing and treating local epidemics and to train soldiers in skills to deal with dangers such as smoke, miasma, snakes and insects.

In terms of logistics, in addition to increasing the number of people transported, we should also consider improving transportation tools and methods to improve transportation efficiency and reduce losses. In addition, for the water battles and jungle guerrilla warfare that the Yue people are good at, we should strengthen the Qin army's training in related aspects to improve the army's combat capabilities.

In my humble opinion, attacking Baiyue is easy, as we have Thunderbolt Fire, but how to govern is a big problem..."

What Xiao He meant was to delay until Guilin, Xiangjun and Nanhaijun had enough soldiers who could adapt to climate change, and then calmly arrange the war with Baiyue.

"Ok!"

"The attack on Baiyue can be postponed for two years. You should start right away and set up some supply stations along the way, and store enough supplies and medicines to deal with possible situations. The setting of supply stations should be planned reasonably, and the intervals should be determined according to the difficulty of transporting supplies and the marching speed of the army. In terms of medicines, you should prepare medicines for treating common epidemics, snake and insect bites, and injuries from falls, etc."

Yi Huawei pondered for a moment and said:

"The intelligence collected by the Black Dragon Guard must be carefully analyzed without missing anything. We must also select suitable generals who are good at mountain and water warfare. This expedition cannot afford to make mistakes. The selection of generals must be selected from the entire army with experience. Not only their combat capabilities must be examined, but also their adaptability and command capabilities. For mountain and forest warfare, the generals must be familiar with the jungle environment and guerrilla tactics; for water warfare, they must understand the skills of ship control and water warfare. The Black Dragon Guard must carefully examine the candidates for generals, captains, and lieutenants, and investigate all their background information carefully!"

"Yes, Prime Minister." Seeing that Yi Huawei did not insist on doing it, Xiao He was pleased and immediately accepted the order: "I will do it right away."

After a pause, he hesitated and said, "If it's Zhao Tuo..."

If Zhao Tuo is not taken down, there will be changes in the attack on Baiyue.

"……,Don't worry."

Yi Huawei smiled and said, "I will take care of it myself."

"promise!"

Xiao He nodded, bowed and said: "I will take my leave!"

...............

Inside the Yunyan Pavilion, the lobby was lit up by candlelight as bright as day, and every corner was clearly visible.

In the deserted lobby on the third floor, Qiu Ju was lying alone at the table. Her small chin was pressed tightly against her slender arms, her eyes were staring blankly ahead, and she was mumbling, "Why hasn't the master come back yet..."

With her head slightly tilted, the light from the lamp shone on her chubby little face, giving it a faint blush.

Qiu Ju was bored and scratched the table with her fingers, leaving shallow marks on the originally smooth paint surface.

With a "creak", the heavy door of the No. 1 compartment was slowly pushed open, making a somewhat harsh sound.

"Toffee Queen!"

When Qiu Ju heard the voice, she looked up and saw Yu Shu coming in. She stood up and greeted her, bowing respectfully. Her eyes fell on Yu Shu's face and she couldn't help but say in surprise:
"Mrs. Dowager, why are you crying? Your eyes are red and swollen."

"Nothing, the sandstorm blinded my eyes."

As Yu Shu spoke, she raised her hand and gently wiped the corners of her eyes, her voice a little hoarse:
"If you are sleepy, go to bed early!"

"My Lord hasn't come back yet."

Qiu Ju shook her little head and said, "The water is ready. Shall I serve you in the hot spring?"

"Ah."

Yu Shu nodded slightly. She had been traveling for the past few days and had been exhausted. When she met her parents just now, she was so happy and excited that she temporarily forgot about her physical discomfort. But now, the sticky discomfort became stronger and stronger. Every inch of her skin seemed to be wrapped in a layer of fine sand, which was very uncomfortable.

Qiu Ju turned and went into the wing room, walked to the place where the bathtub was placed, first tested the water temperature with her hand, then picked up a clean cloth from the shelf next to it and placed it on the edge of the bathtub. After preparing everything, she returned to Yu Shu and whispered, "Madam, the bath is ready."

After bathing, Yu Shu changed into clean clothes under Qiu Ju's help. She walked to the table with light lotus steps, looking a little lazy, picked up the fragrant tea that the maid had just handed over, tilted her head slightly, took a sip, and the warm tea flowed down her throat, bringing a hint of warmth.

Just as I was about to tell Qiuju to go back to her room to rest, the originally quiet world outside the window was suddenly broken. First, a few raindrops gently hit the tiles on the roof, making a subtle ticking sound, like someone gently beating a small drum. Then, the raindrops fell on the window sill again, gradually becoming denser. After a while, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the sound was like thousands of troops galloping past, or like countless beads falling on a jade plate. The strong wind also came, whistling through the courtyard, blowing the branches to the east and west, and the leaves rubbing against each other in the wind, rustling.

A hint of surprise flashed across Yu Shu's calm face. She looked out the window, the scene of wind and rain outside reflected in her eyes.

A chill came in through the window, and Yu Shu subconsciously tightened her clothes, clutching her collar tightly with her fingers, and frowned slightly.

Several palace maids hurriedly put down their work and walked quickly to the window. They reached out and grabbed the window handle, closed the window with force, and then carefully checked whether the window was closed tightly.

Listening to the sound of rain hitting the eaves, Yu Shu suddenly thought that Yi Huawei didn't bring an rain gear. He shouldn't get wet in the rain, right?

As soon as this thought came to her mind, Yu Shu was suddenly startled, her eyes suddenly widened, and her heart seemed to be hit by something.

When did I start caring about him?!

Yu Shu paced around the room in a panic, her eyes wandering, sometimes looking at the ground, sometimes looking at the wall, her thoughts as messy as the wind and rain outside the window.

She found that she seemed not to have thought about Yi Xiaochuan for a long time. The man who once occupied an important position in her heart was now gradually replaced by another figure. This change made her a little overwhelmed, and a complex expression appeared on her face, with confusion and uneasiness.

Yu Shu was in a state of confusion. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, but there was still a trace of panic in her eyes.

Yu Shu, feeling uneasy, simply ordered the palace maid to bring "Green Radish" over.

The strings glow softly under the candlelight.
Yu Shu sat down gently in front of the piano table, adjusted her sitting posture slightly, and straightened her back. She stretched out her slender fingers and gently placed them on the strings. She tried a few notes first. The crisp sound of the piano echoed in the room, like ripples on a calm lake. Then, Yu Shu took a deep breath, cleared her mind of distracting thoughts, and began to play "Orchid Tune".

His fingers danced flexibly on the strings, sometimes plucking lightly, sometimes pressing hard, and every movement was clean and neat. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes were focused on the strings. There seemed to be a light flashing in his eyes, as if he was integrated with the sound of the piano.

At first, the sound of the piano was like the gurgling of water, flowing out from the fingertips, slowly and melodiously. The sound seemed to take the audience to a quiet valley, where they could see the orchids blooming by the stream, elegant and fragrant.

Yu Shu's expression gradually became peaceful, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, as if she was whispering to the orchid. As the music progressed, her fingers jumped quickly on the strings, and the sound of the piano gradually became more rapid, like a mountain stream encountering a boulder, splashing water.

Yu Shu's face flushed slightly, her breathing became rapid, her nostrils flared slightly, and her fingers moved faster and more vigorously. Fine beads of sweat oozed out of her forehead, but she was unaware of it, completely immersed in the world of piano music.

Then, the sound of the piano gradually slowed down, like the calm after a storm. The sound seemed to be telling of the tranquility and peace after suffering, like the fragrance of orchids still emitting after the storm.

Yu Shu's expression gradually relaxed, her brows relaxed, her eyes softened, she closed her eyes slightly, and immersed herself in the music she played. Her fingers still slid on the strings, her movements gentle and soothing.

The song ends, but the lingering sound remains.

Yu Shu slowly opened her eyes, with a hint of trance in her eyes, as if she had just woken up from a dream. She raised her head slightly, with a complex light flashing in her eyes, with nostalgia for the past, confusion about the present, and a hint of expectation for the future.

At this moment, the wind and rain were still raging outside the window, but in this small room, there was a sense of tranquility and depth.

The palace maids stood quietly, not daring to make a sound, for fear of breaking this beautiful atmosphere. Qiu Ju also looked at Yu Shu with admiration, her eyes full of amazement.

But Yu Shu seemed to be unaware of everything around her. After a long time, she slowly stood up. She told the maid to put away the zither, and walked to the window again. She stretched out her hand and gently pulled open a corner of the curtain. Looking at the heavy rain outside the window, her eyes were a little blurred, her lips were slightly pursed, and a hint of sadness appeared on her face.

She didn't know whether she could find a place to shelter from the rain in this rainy night, nor did she know where her concern for him would take her.

(End of this chapter)