Empress, please lay down your armor, for I will save the world with a single sword!

Wu Liang left the restaurant.

He squeezed the hard, golden bean in his sleeve pocket, and the turmoil in his heart caused by Shangguan Na slowly subsided.

We got the money, but there's still no sign of anything important.

Where exactly in the Prince's mansion is that little vixen Jiang Qingluan being kept?

What exactly is the plan for Pei Chang'an's wedding in three days?

We can't just wait around.

We need to find out more information.

This place is not like the information-explosive era of his previous life, where you could know everything just by taking out your phone.

Here, if you want to know anything about the outside world, you can only rely on your ears and mouth to ask around.

Teahouses, where people from all walks of life gather and are a melting pot, are undoubtedly excellent grassroots intelligence stations.

Wu Liang wandered around the street for a while and spotted a teahouse that wasn't very big but was bustling with people. He walked in and casually found a long bench in a corner to sit down.

Wu Liang ordered a pot of tea and four kinds of snacks and dried fruits, and his ears perked up.

On the high platform directly in front,

A gaunt storyteller was slamming his gavel and speaking with spittle flying everywhere.

Wu Liang listened for a while and immediately became interested.

"...You all know about the Great Yuan Dynasty in the Northern Desert, right?"

"They used to be so arrogant and domineering, relying on their fast horses and sharp swords! But what happened last year?"

"They've been thoroughly terrified by our Prince of Beiyong! That Prince Shuoning of the Great Yuan Dynasty was incredibly arrogant, but look what happened! He lost a full 30,000 elite troops in Canglang Valley! Now that the autumn harvest is in full swing, his horses are fat and ready, but Prince Shuoning is cowering in the meadow, not daring to utter a single word, let alone dare to march south and raid our territory!"

A tea drinker below chuckled, "Trying to freeload? They probably didn't even get a sip of the north wind, but instead drank their fill of the northwest wind!"

The old storyteller stroked his sparse goatee and chuckled, "This gentleman is right! The Prince of Shuoning is indeed formidable; the Yuan cavalry are unstoppable on the grasslands, every soldier brave and skilled in battle. But they've forgotten who's guarding our northern border?"

His voice rose eight octaves, and he exclaimed excitedly, "The King of Beiyong is personally leading his Xuanjia Iron Cavalry out of the pass to meet the enemy!"

"That battle was so fierce that the sky darkened and the sun and moon lost their light! I dare not speak of the specifics of how it was fought, but as for the outcome—"

He drew out his words, building suspense, "The thirty thousand Canglang Guards of Prince Shuoning suffered heavy casualties, abandoning their armor and weapons. I heard that less than one in ten managed to escape back! Prince Shuoning himself was even shot off his horse by our prince with an arrow, barely escaping with his life, and crawling back to the northern desert!"

"For a whole year after that, the Tartars in the northern deserts never dared to extend their claws southward even once!"

"good!"

"The King of Beiyong is mighty!"

A burst of cheers erupted in the hall, mixed with the sounds of slapping tables and stomping feet, creating a lively atmosphere.

Wu Liang took a sip of coarse tea; it tasted very astringent, but he found the conversation quite interesting.

Pei Xiao, the Prince of Beiyong...

It seems that his prestige is exceptionally high in this northern land.

At this time,

At the next table, a man dressed in a sheepskin coat, who looked like a frequent traveler to the northern frontier, shook his head and whispered to his companion, "Old Wang, don't just listen to the commotion. The King of Beiyong is powerful, but we mustn't underestimate those wolf cubs of the northern desert!"

His companion, a portly businessman, dismissed it: "They've already been beaten up like that, what are you still underestimating them for?"

The sheepskin coat merchant glanced around, lowered his voice, and said with a worried tone, "I just returned from the west two months ago and heard some rumors... not good. I heard that Qingjisi Khan of the Great Yuan Dynasty is a man of great talent and ambition!"

"He's currently shifting his main forces westward for some kind of western expedition! The army he's assembled is said to number a million! And this million-strong army is entirely composed of cavalry!"

"A million cavalry?"

The portly businessman gasped. "Really? That would be everywhere!"

"Absolutely true!"

The sheepskin-coated merchant said with certainty, "In the Western Regions, dozens of small countries have already been beaten to a pulp, their cities destroyed and their kingdoms wiped out. I've even heard that some of the red-haired, blue-eyed Rakshasa countries further west have been wiped out."

"The princes and generals under Qingjisi Khan were all skilled warriors, incredibly fierce!"

He paused, his worry deepening: "Think about it, if they finish fighting in the west and then turn their million-strong victorious army south... will our current defenses in the north be enough?"

"At that point, it won't be as simple as just taking advantage of someone; it will be a matter of life and death!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, splashing over the previously enthusiastic atmosphere.

Those at the surrounding tables who could hear clearly changed their expressions and began whispering among themselves.

But some people disagree.

A man across from them, with a full beard and looking like a retired soldier, slammed his teacup down on the table and grumbled, "Nonsense! Boosting others' morale while diminishing our own!"

"The grassland people are formidable, but are our 300,000 Northern Yong Xuanjia Iron Cavalry made of paper? For the past twenty years, if it weren't for the Prince leading his brothers to hold the north firmly, would those wolf cubs have been so obedient? They wouldn't have been able to take a single step!"

"A million cavalry? That sounds terrifying. If they really get to our territory, the outcome is still uncertain!"

This remark sparked another round of agreement.

"Exactly! Old Hu is right!"

"Our Northern Yong army is not to be trifled with!"

The two groups argued in hushed tones, each sticking to their own version of events, and the buzzing in the teahouse grew even louder.

As Wu Liang shelled peanuts, he listened silently, but his mind was already racing with thoughts...

Dayuan?

Qingjisi Khan?

A western expedition? A million cavalry? To conquer the Western Regions and defeat the Rakshasa Kingdom?

This smell... why does it sound so familiar?

It's so similar to the Mongol Empire that swept across Eurasia in his previous life, isn't it?

The only difference is that "Genghis Khan" became "Blue Genghis Khan".

Good heavens, is the course of history in some places similar to that of other places?

While lost in thought,

The old storyteller on stage finished telling a story, bowed to the audience, and slowly walked off the stage to a corner to drink tea and rest.

The excitement on stage had subsided, but the noise inside the hall had actually grown louder.

People gathered in small groups and chatted more freely.

at this time,

Near the door, at a table, a middle-aged man with a pointed face and a weasel-like appearance, dressed in a silk shirt and looking like a local idler, suddenly spoke mysteriously: "Hey guys, something big has happened in Beijing! Have you heard?"

These words seemed to have a magical power, instantly attracting the attention of many people nearby.

Someone immediately leaned over and asked, "What happened? Tell us quickly! Don't keep us in suspense!"

"That's right! The capital is thousands of miles away from here. Tell us what's going on!"

Seeing that he had attracted attention, the idler showed a smug look on his face.

He deliberately looked around before lowering his voice and speaking in a tone as if sharing a shocking secret: "I just heard it from a merchant from the capital... His Majesty the Emperor issued an edict a few days ago!"

"What is the imperial decree?"

Everyone became interested.

……