vstars Chapter 565 Anne
Chapter 565 Anne
Only when the three of them were left in the camp did the Crown Prince's expression soften slightly.
"Qing'an and I have just arrived at this camp. The Grand Tutor arrived a little earlier than us, but not for very long. What are your thoughts on the situation in the camp?"
Liu Enze glanced at Ye Qing'an, signaling with his eyes that Ye Qing'an should speak first.
Ye Qing'an pursed her lips, but did not refuse: "What I just said, I have already said most of it. I don't know anything about fighting, and I have never been on the battlefield. I just feel that no matter how powerful the rebels are, there are tens of thousands of troops in this camp. With such a large disparity in numbers, we were defeated a little too quickly."
"In such a short period of time, two cities have been lost."
"When I first heard this news in Wangjing, I felt something was amiss. Now that I'm in the camp, and especially after today's battle, I feel even more strongly that there might be something wrong with our camp."
The crown prince lifted his eyelids slightly: "Is there a problem?"
"I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong, but something just feels off. It feels like..."
Ye Qing'an frowned, pondered for a while, and then said, "I have a feeling that there is no fighting spirit in our camp, whether it is the generals or the ordinary soldiers."
"No will to fight?" This was the first time the Crown Prince had heard such a description. He frowned but remained silent.
Liu Enze, standing to the side, laughed: "Miss Ye has aptly summarized the lack of fighting spirit."
A hint of bitterness flashed across Ye Qing'an's face: "This humble woman doesn't understand these things either. I'm just simply sharing my feelings after being in the camp for less than a day. Perhaps it's because I've only been here a short time?"
"I feel that the soldiers in this camp are obsessed with gossip, watching plays, and xenophobic, as if they are interested in all sorts of random things that have nothing to do with fighting. But when they actually go to the battlefield, they are like a pile of loose sand, and it seems that they have no skills other than running away."
"Although I have never been on the battlefield, I understand that this situation is definitely wrong and abnormal."
After Ye Qing'an finished speaking, her gaze quickly shifted, looking at Liu Enze as if pleading for help.
Liu Enze responded, "It was like this before, let alone now that Yi Moxu has returned to the camp."
Ye Qing'an suddenly raised her head, her face showing undisguised shock.
Just as Yi Moxu had predicted, Liu Enze had already guessed that he was not in the camp.
"If this continues, I fear the rebels will surely advance unstoppable, heading straight for Wangjing. And we..."
Although Liu Enze's voice was as gentle and refined as ever, his words were anything but polite: "And we, on the other hand, suffered defeat after defeat, utterly routed."
The Crown Prince closed his eyes briefly, trying his best to suppress the irritation in his heart. After a long silence, he opened his eyes again: "Then what do you think we should do, Grand Tutor and Qing'an?"
Ye Qing'an raised her hand and gently bit her finger: "I think the most important thing right now is to figure out where our problem lies."
"Is there even a need to look for it?"
The Crown Prince scoffed: "There are traitors and spies in our camp, and perhaps quite a few of them. Besides spies, there may be other problems as well."
Ye Qing'an lowered her eyes: "That's still necessary. We need to find the traitors first. Isn't there a saying? To fight external enemies, we must first secure internal stability."
"To repel external aggression, we must first pacify internal strife." The Crown Prince repeated Ye Qing'an's words, and after a long while, he pursed his lips: "But the rebels... are so close to us, and could launch an attack at any time. They probably won't give us that opportunity."
Ye Qing'an opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "I am not very good at fighting, and I don't know much about military strategy, so I can't give Your Highness any advice."
Liu Enze smiled and continued, "I think Miss Ye is absolutely right. If we don't discover and resolve the problems within our own army, then we will undoubtedly lose this battle."
"And nine times out of ten, they will lose exceptionally badly."
"To find the spies, we must first look among the generals leading the troops. Our problem now is that we are not yet sure which of these generals in the camp have been bribed by the rebels. But it doesn't matter. If we can't trust these generals, then we'll just not use them for now."
"No need?" The crown prince's eyes widened. "But..."
He also wanted to say that the rebels were in Anji City and could launch an attack at any time.
Liu Enze interrupted him directly: "Your Highness, what difference does it make whether or not these generals are used now?"
"Perhaps we don't need to. Without their interference, our chances of winning are even greater."
Ye Qing'an clicked his tongue inwardly. As expected of the Grand Tutor, he dared to speak to the Crown Prince in such a tone.
If it were anyone else, the Crown Prince would probably have already been furious.
“Indeed.” The Crown Prince smiled bitterly, and after a long while sighed, “When I was in the palace before, I heard that my father had asked me to suppress the rebellion. When I heard about the number of the rebels, I thought it would be an easy task. But I never expected that it was a complete trap.”
Ye Qing'an was surprised that the Crown Prince would say such a thing. She couldn't help but look up at the Crown Prince without saying a word.
"Your Highness need not worry too much. This matter is not entirely hopeless. Moreover, even if we suffer a defeat under these circumstances, with Miss Ye and I as witnesses, we can explain ourselves to His Majesty."
"Your Highness's most urgent task now is to carefully consider and examine the people in the camp. Who are the people you can trust and rely on? All those you can trust and rely on, regardless of their status or background, can be put to use."
"As for the others, those whom the Crown Prince cannot trust, let's temporarily sideline them and prevent them from participating in the camp's affairs."
Hearing Liu Enze say this, Ye Qing'an secretly raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Liu Enze's words were spoken for her.
Anyone the Crown Prince can trust, regardless of their background or status, can be put to use...
Ye Qing'an raised her eyes, met Liu Enze's gaze, and then quickly looked away.
How did Liu Enze know what she was thinking?
And why should I speak up for her?
Is it really just because of her mother that she receives such special treatment?
As Ye Qing'an was pondering this in her heart, the Crown Prince raised his eyes and said, "Alright, I'll think about it carefully. There's nothing else, you can go about your business."
Ye Qing'an and Liu Enze responded and left the central army camp.