Chapter 266: The Empress Has ArrivedChapter 1686: The Final Victory of General Xiao

This centurion's words immediately made Yelü Shenxuan's expression come alive.

He continued, “And there’s another point. This convoy of grain should have been led by General Hu Yan Zhe, a valiant warrior. According to regulations, at least 3,000 light cavalry would have escorted it the whole way. Three thousand soldiers, all under the command of Hu Yan Zhe himself. Yet, this group of Qin troops wiped out every single one of them, leaving not even a survivor. Let alone sending messages, no one arrived at Yueya Pass by the designated time. It was only after people were sent to search that they discovered what had happened. Doesn’t this seem even more suspicious”

The thousand-household commander's face was grave. He looked around at the generals, each of whom stared back in bewilderment. "Generals," he said, "I ask you a question: Huan Yan Zhe, the valiant general, personally leads three thousand light cavalry. Given this force composition, how many of you here have the confidence to completely annihilate them, preventing them from even sending out a distress signal" "And to achieve this," he continued, "how many troops would it take And how can we guarantee that so many men remain undetected by our army while outside Yueya Pass in this freezing weather, without being frozen to death"

A hush fell over the room as he began to ask his questions, one after another.

After all, although Hulao Zhelie was capable, the generals who followed Yelü Shenxuan on this campaign were by no means lacking in ability and battlefield experience. There were many whose military strategy and bravery surpassed Hulao Zhelie.

But before they could speak, several more conditions were presented, and they all immediately shut their mouths.

Someone immediately chimed in, “That’s right. Destroying Huyan Zhuolie and his three thousand light cavalry isn’t difficult, but the difficulty lies in how many people it would take to ensure they are left with no survivors, and that's out in the open where the snow has sealed the land”

Yelü Shenxuan stared at the general, and said, "You mean there's a traitor"

The General of Thousands immediately bowed his head and said, "My subordinate merely asked out of confusion in my heart. For such a momentous matter, I dare not make rash guesses."

Yelü Shenxuan remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the assembled generals within the tent like an eagle surveying its prey. His eyes lingered particularly on those who had been privy to the escort route, holding their gazes for an extended moment each.

Anyone who was swept by Yelu Shenxuan's gaze couldn't help but feel nervous, afraid to even breathe, for fear of being suspected by him.

A mere lieutenant general, in this very tent he was the lowest of the low. Even before General Yelü Shenxuan's eyes, dozens of capable and virtuous men were readily available, all comparable to him in skill and character.

But this little man, made all the generals in the tent, those with higher status and rank than him, silent with fear.

There's no other reason, it's just that his analysis is so logical, it makes you have to wonder.

"You all go out first.

You, stay."

Yelü Shenxuan issued the order. Although the generals were uneasy, they could only go out first.

After everyone else had left, Yelu Shenxuan finally looked at the general he had named to stay.

"What is your name" Yelu Shenxuan asked.

"In response to the Prince's inquiry, this humble soldier, Xiao Sheng, stands before you," the general replied loudly.

The Xiao clan was a prominent surname in the Liao Dynasty, but because there were many branches and sub-clans due to their large population, their power was not concentrated enough. They could barely be considered a noble family, and there were no particularly outstanding figures who stood out. Within the upper echelons of the Liao Dynasty, they were considered a mid-tier force, but not part of the decision-making layer.walk"Li Chen didn't think much of it and readily agreed, "Uncle Wang invited me, how could this palace refuse This palace will make some arrangements and go with Uncle Wang immediately.""However, King...