Chapter 1862

Once these words were spoken.

Gao Yang's movements paused, and he turned his head to look at Chu Qingluan, who had spoken.

He asked with some curiosity, "Qingluan, how did you guess?"

Gao Tianlong could see that something was wrong with him because he almost didn't hide anything in front of Gao Tianlong.

Previously, he had even jokingly said he wanted to take down Wu Zhao, saying some presumptuous words.

Therefore, Gao Tianlong would associate the subtle differences between him and Wu Zhao yesterday with previous events, thereby discovering some clues.

But Chu Qingluan hadn't even returned to Changancheng until noon yesterday, and she didn't know the mode of interaction between him and Wu Zhao. How did she know?

Gao Yang was extremely curious about this point.

Chu Qingluan moved her steps and sat down. She looked at Gao Yang and smiled, "There aren't many things in this world that can make you, Gao Yang, feel tricky, let alone make the 'Living Yama of Da Qian,' who makes the whole world tremble, say the word 'dangerous'."

"Besides the Majesty of Da Qian, who else could do that?"

When Chu Qingluan said this, she paused specifically, then looked at Gao Yang and opened her mouth, "Gao Yang, you are heartbroken, aren't you?"

Gao Yang raised his head and looked at Chu Qingluan's beautiful face. Her deep eyes seemed to be able to see through everything.

Chu Qingluan... had actually guessed it too!

Gao Yang held Chu Qingluan's hand and then said, "Qingluan, how did you guess it? I want to hear it."

Chu Qingluan's heart tightened; Gao Yang's words undoubtedly confirmed her guess.

She explained, "Actually, it's not difficult. If I'm not mistaken, the source of all this originated from the four great gifts sent by the Great Chanyu!"

"No! To be precise, it should have started with the Three-Nation Alliance to contain Da Qian!"

Gao Yang neither admitted nor denied it.

Chu Qingluan continued, "In this battle of Changancheng, Great Chu was defeated miserably, but it wasn't defeated by Wu Zhao's hand, but by your hand!"

"You created alcohol, created gunpowder, created the Mo Dao that was sharper than Great Chu's, and defended Da Qian. Subsequently, you created soap and white jade sugar, helping Wu Zhao consolidate her political power and reform corrupt policies!"

"When a new monarch ascends the throne, they often face difficulties at every turn and are obstructed everywhere. But with your help, Da Qian not only didn't weaken, but on the contrary, there were signs that it might become the hegemon of the seven kingdoms!"

"At that time, Great Chu's national strength was greatly damaged, and Great Yan's government was unstable. Therefore, the national policy of the Three-Nation Alliance led by Great Yan to support the Xiongnu to contain Da Qian was decided!"

"The Xiongnu's movements are difficult to determine, they hide in Mobei, and the Great Chanyu Helian Cha also understands the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold,' so he provoked Da Qian crazily!"

"This is the viciousness of this strategy. If Da Qian sends troops, the Xiongnu retreat. Winning is a loss, and losing is an even greater loss. If they don't send troops, the Xiongnu become even more rampant!"

"But this battle alarmed someone who shouldn't have been alarmed!"

Gao Yang raised his eyes and asked, "Who?"

Chu Qingluan said word by word, "The Duke of Dingguo, Gao Tianlong!"

"The Duke of Dingguo took the initiative to request battle, leading an army of 100,000 to crusade against the Right Worthy Prince of the Xiongnu in the Hetao region. At the same time, there was someone who was worried and followed along, and that was you!"

"At that time, when my Great Chu army of 100,000 was at the city gates, according to Chen Sheng, you were not for war, but were going to escape the city, and even thought of burning Changancheng to the ground, completely throwing the world into chaos!"

"A poisonous scholar should seek profit in troubled times. With your ability, you could stir up the winds and clouds. But the Duke of Dingguo's mansion didn't leave, the Duke of Dingguo didn't leave, and Minister Gao didn't leave, so you stayed."

"Everyone says the 'Living Yama of Da Qian' is despicable and heartless, they are wrong... on the contrary, you, Gao Yang, are a person who values affection above all else in the world, it's just that very few can enter your heart!"

"Therefore, there is one principle: the Duke of Dingguo has a lifetime of fame and is old, and you couldn't rest easy, so you followed along!"

"According to Chen Sheng, before the expedition, you prepared many methods, from weapons to selecting people, and even didn't hesitate to pay out of your own pocket, slaughtering cattle and pigs, just to select the elite of the army."

"Is this so, or not?"

Gao Yang was numb, and couldn't help but curse helplessly, "That brat Chen Sheng, did he reveal the color of my underwear along the way?"

Chu Qingluan looked serious and shook her head, "That's not quite it."

"But it was also in this battle that you led 800 people to launch a great detour, raided the Xiongnu Great Chanyu's lair, captured the Chanyu's grandfather alive, and won a great victory!"

"This preserved the Duke of Dingguo's fame and raised Da Qian's national prestige, but it also buried the root of all problems!"

Speaking of this, Chu Qingluan sighed, "First, the Xiongnu had never suffered such a great loss, making the Xiongnu Great Chanyu Helian Cha feel deeply ashamed and secretly resentful. Second, it let Wu Zhao see your military talent. So it turns out... the Xiongnu are not invincible!"

"Helian Cha, out of resentment, plus the secret support of the three nations, launched a more violent retaliation against Da Qian. Originally, if things stopped there, it wouldn't be anything."

"But as luck would have it, the Xiongnu Great Chanyu attacked Yuyang County and captured your Second Uncle, Gao Linyuan!"

At this moment.

Gao Yang's eyes were complex.

Chu Qingluan had almost deduced the essence of the matter, and he already knew what Chu Qingluan was going to say.

He was speechless and fell into silence, while Chu Qingluan continued.

"For you, you are someone who is very afraid of death but values affection for those in your heart. When I led the army to attack, if it weren't for the Duke of Dingguo's mansion not leaving, you would never have taken the risk, and your first expedition was only for Gao Tianlong!"

"And relatively speaking, although you took the risk to launch a great detour, even if this battle was lost and you fell into the hands of the Xiongnu, you wouldn't have had any threat to your life, because you had no conflict with the Xiongnu before, and who wouldn't want a 'Living Yama' to assist them?"

"This was your reliance, and also your backup plan for following the army on the expedition!"

"But after the first battle, you had an irreconcilable blood feud with the Xiongnu. But you weren't afraid, because in your view, you would never go on an expedition in this life, and it was impossible to go to the battlefield again!"

"But the change came. Helian Cha, for some reason, took a detour, attacked Yuyang County, and captured Second Uncle!"

"Under the blood feud, Helian Cha didn't kill Second Uncle, but used him to vent his anger and even sent people to Changancheng to deliver four great gifts!"

"Helian Cha felt the first battle was your luck, and also felt you were a heaven-defying threat to the Xiongnu, so he set a conspiracy against you. If you requested battle, he would use the strength of the whole tribe to strangle you on the grassland. If you cowered, you would become the laughingstock of Changancheng, the shame of Da Qian, and the Xiongnu would naturally wash away their shame!"

"But as luck would have it, the four great gifts were delivered to Changancheng unimpeded and sent to you!"

"His Majesty... didn't stop them."

"His Majesty could clearly have sent people to intercept and kill the Xiongnu mission, or forcibly have the palace guards take down the Xiongnu envoys. She could have completely controlled the influence and the attack within the smallest range."

"If the first day was unprepared, what about the second day, the third day?"

"It was His Majesty's indulgence that led to all this. It was His Majesty who also pinned her hopes on you, feeling that only you in Da Qian could destroy the Xiongnu and break the conspiracy of the three nations supporting the Xiongnu. It was His Majesty who wanted to use the Xiongnu's hand to make you take action!"

"His Majesty seemed to have done nothing, yet she hurt you the deepest, because you had risked your life for His Majesty, you had shed blood for Da Qian!"

"Because you felt that you had done so much for His Majesty, borne so much infamy, and made so many contributions, she clearly knew better than anyone that you were afraid of death, and also knew that you valued affection more than anyone. His Majesty shouldn't have treated you like this!"

"Because you, Gao Yang, are different from everyone else in this world. You were born without the usual awe of imperial power. Although His Majesty is the monarch and you are the subject, in your heart, the relationship between you and His Majesty is equal!"

"Because you are the type who would rather betray the world than let the world betray you!"

"His Majesty could have discussed with you, asking you to send troops, but it should never have been such indulgence, placing you in danger!"

"This imperial art of power can be used on anyone in the world, but it shouldn't have been used on you!"

"How dangerous Canglan Mountain is, how cold the summit is, how desolate the Sudan Desert is, how terrifying the black sandstorms are—that is how cold your heart is!"