Chapter 53: To Cast Him Into Injustice

Xiao Moting settled Zhang Zhao and his ten thousand troops to the northwest of the main camp, with a workshop area separating them.

The Northern Frontier Army was stationed to the south of the main camp.

He intentionally kept the two forces separated and arranged for sentry posts to guard between them day and night, just in case.

Zhang Zhao was once a fierce general of Daliang and was also acquainted with the Old General Han.

Now over fifty years old, his physical condition was visibly poor; he could not even wear heavier armor.

Xiao Moting said, "General Zhang, since you have come from afar, I have ordered the cooks to prepare excellent meals."

"Many thanks for the Prince's kindness, but we have already brought our own provisions." Zhang Zhao cupped his hands, his expression revealing a hint of arrogance, "As for our food, there is no need to trouble the Prince."

Seeing his distant attitude, Xiao Moting did not insist and nodded faintly.

"Very well. If there are any inconveniences, General Zhang, feel free to come find me at any time."

After Xiao Moting left, a Deputy General beside Zhang Zhao stepped forward and said disdainfully.

"Their Northern Frontier supplies are barren, and the soldiers are eating chaff and vegetables. Our soldiers are not short on food, so why would we need to eat those things?"

Zhang Zhao also sank his face.

"If the soldiers cannot even eat their fill, how will they have the strength to go into battle?"

Having said this, he coughed violently twice.

The Deputy General hurriedly stepped forward to support him, "General Zhang, has your old ailment flared up again? Let me help you back to the tent to rest."

Zhang Zhao gripped the Deputy General's arm, stumbled into the tent, and lay down on the bed.

His expression was very grim, his brows tightly knitted together.

Before coming to the Beijiang, Yang Wei had a secret talk with him, telling him to seize the opportunity to place a letter in Xiao Moting's quarters.

On the seal of the letter was the wax seal of Great Ye.

Zhang Zhao had led troops for decades; the moment he saw this letter, his heart sank.

This was an attempt to frame Xiao Moting!

He was an old general of the current dynasty with a lifetime of illustrious military achievements, but because his temper was too stubborn, he had offended many ministers in the court and was demoted to serve under Yang Wei.

If it were the him of ten years ago, he would absolutely not have agreed.

But now, riddled with injuries and illness, his sharp edges had long since been worn away.

Furthermore, Yang Wei had used both soft and hard tactics, and even brought up Xiao Rui.

"Old General Zhang, this is the Second Prince's intention."

"Xiao Moting's ability to lead troops in battle is poor; when the barbarians attacked Xuancheng, he delayed military opportunities. If the Second Prince hadn't arrived in time, Xuancheng would likely have been taken by the barbarians."

"This time, Great Ye has issued a declaration of war. If Xiao Moting is allowed to continue leading the troops, I fear... Daliang will perish at his hands!"

With the survival of the nation at stake, Zhang Zhao struggled internally for a long time before finally accepting this letter of false accusation.

Zhang Zhao sat on the bed, his expression complex as he looked out of the tent.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh.

"Xiao Moting, the Second Prince defeated a barbarian army of one hundred thousand with fewer men."

"I only blame your poor ability; you are unfit for such a great responsibility. You should hand over the command of the Northern Frontier Army."

"For the sake of the Daliang Kingdom and the lives of thousands of soldiers, this general can only cast you into injustice, and will beg for punishment myself afterward."

After leaving Zhang Zhao's quarters, Xiao Moting returned directly to the commander's tent.

It just so happened that Xiao Dabao came to find him.

"Prince, you asked me to select a few good horses for the Goddess, and I have already picked out the ten best ones."

"Good, I will send them to the Goddess right away."

Ten sturdy horses were led into the tent.

The Northern Frontier Camp had sufficient grain and forage, and the horses, which were originally skin and bones, had been fed until they were plump and strong.

Xiao Moting opened the wardrobe door and teleported the horses to Bai Wei.

The Fierce-Maned Sweat-Blood Horses were gone, and these were other breeds carefully selected.

He felt a bit apprehensive.

He did not know if she would like these horses.

……

"Wow!"

A large group of horses suddenly burst out of the wardrobe, giving Bai Wei a start.

Fortunately, the Recreational Vehicle was parked in the courtyard of the Farm, and she hurriedly opened the vehicle door to let the horses into the Farm.

Dahuang caught sight of the large group of steeds unexpectedly and was immediately frightened, scurrying to the side and barking "Woof, woof!" incessantly at the herd.

The horses galloped wildly in the Farm, snorting continuously.

Their colors included white, yellow, and piebald...

Every horse was plump and strong with shiny coats; one could tell at a glance they were carefully selected!

It was fortunate that the Farm had a wall built, otherwise they would have all run into the village.

Bai Wei could not recognize the breeds, nor did she expect Xiao Moting to send her ten at once!

Looking at the horses frolicking in the Farm, she frowned.

With ten more steeds suddenly in the Farm, plus the little red horse, this was going to be hard to manage!

Just then, her cell phone rang.

It was a call from Director Wu of the "Tianbao" Auction House.

Director Wu was all smiles, "Miss Bai Wei, the city is holding an auction tomorrow. Do you have any other antiques you would like to bring for auction?"

"Antiques?" Bai Wei thought for a moment.

The Commander's Seal that Xiao Moting gave her, she wanted to keep as a memento.

Right now, she didn't have any antiques on hand, so as for things that could be auctioned...

Bai Wei couldn't help but look up, glancing at the few horses grazing in the Farm.

She blurted out, "Director Wu, do you auction live animals?"

"Live animals?" Director Wu was stunned.

"I want to auction horses."

"..." Director Wu was dumbfounded.

Selling horses?

He was an antique dealer, not a horse trader.

It was the first time he had ever heard of someone wanting to sell horses at an auction!

However, Director Wu was tactful in business and did not refuse directly, instead smiling and speaking politely.

"This auction features items worth millions."

"Could you please take a few photos of the horses, Miss Bai? I will take them to an appraiser to get an estimate and see if they can reach a million."

Bai Wei smiled slightly, "No problem."

She didn't actually want to sell the horses; she was using this as an excuse to put Director Wu off.

Recently, she didn't know where Director Wu had heard the news that she had donated a Barbarian Jade Disc to the Provincial Museum, so he had been calling every few days, enthusiastically inviting her to attend the auction.

Saying she wanted to sell horses was also a way of declining.

Besides, she didn't know the horse breeds anyway, so she could take the opportunity to have the appraisers on Director Wu's side help identify them.

Bai Wei took out her phone, randomly picked two horses that looked pleasing to the eye, took photos, and sent them to Director Wu.

Tianbao Auction House in the city center.

Director Wu had already received the dozen or so photos Bai Wei sent via WeChat.

The photos showed a white horse and a piebald horse; the two tall, fine steeds were standing in the Farm, leisurely eating grass, drinking water, and flicking their tails...

He looked at the photos and gave a wry smile.

He hadn't expected that Bai Wei would really send photos of horses.

Selling horses at a high-end auction was a first—like a bride getting into a sedan chair for the very first time!

If word got out, he feared he would be ridiculed by his peers.

Several senior appraisers gathered around the photos, also scratching their heads in frustration.

They were experts at appraising antiques, but they had no research on horses.

Director Wu had even invited two horse trainers, but surprisingly, even the trainers didn't recognize these two horses.

These two horses didn't look like any modern horse breed at all!

"Director Wu, we have been training horses for ten years, and we have never seen these two horses."

"Museum Curator Qin of the Provincial Museum is a paleontologist; why don't we send the photos to him and ask him to help identify them?"