Mu Zha’er had always had numerous concerns. On one hand, he worried that Yue Dan was being deceitful, and on the other hand, he worried that Huhe Hao would secretly make trouble and have other plans. Thus he was cautious everywhere, which led to his prolonged reluctance to send out troops. As the saying goes, to win every battle, you must know yourself and know your enemy. Before understanding Yue Dan’s true situation clearly, Mu Zha’er naturally wouldn’t rashly send out troops. If it weren’t for Third Master, Mu Zha’er wouldn’t have sent out troops so early.

Hearing Geta’s words, Third Master kept a straight face and said seriously, “From the moment Yue Dan rose in the western grasslands, this battle became inevitable! The Yue Dan people are so arrogant, directly bringing troops to camp here. How could Mu Zha’er tolerate it? It’s just that he considers things more carefully. After all, this is war, not hunting! Moreover, sending out troops this time was bound to happen sooner or later. Whether I spoke up or not doesn’t have a direct relationship to it.”

How modest!

Geta laughed.

His muscles all over shook.

He said in his rough voice, “That’s true enough. Fighting Yue Dan is indeed inevitable! But if it weren’t for you, given Mu Zha’er’s personality, the more he worries, the longer he’d drag things out. Although this isn’t hunting, it’s like hunting! We need to be fast, ruthless, and accurate. Only then can we seize the initiative and hold the upper hand, rather than being passive. Yet Mu Zha’er doesn’t like war and is most afraid of bloodshed on this grassland. But if you ask me, this battle should have been fought long ago. Before the Yue Dan people came, we should have brought troops to eliminate them. That’s the spirit of us Hou Liao people!”

Don’t you agree?

From Geta’s tone, you could hear he was very dissatisfied with Mu Zha’er’s implementation of “benevolent governance.”

He had even accumulated many grievances in his heart.

Third Master didn’t want to expose him!

Moreover, he didn’t know why Geta would say such sensitive things in front of him. Wasn’t he afraid he would tell Mu Zha’er?

Setting this aside.

Third Master spoke in a reassuring tone, “Geta, Hou Liao has been at peace with the various tribes on the grassland for so many years, always prioritizing peace. Now that we’re going to war, Mu Zha’er naturally has many concerns. If we rashly start war, I’m afraid it will bring a lot of trouble. After all, this grassland doesn’t belong only to us Hou Liao people. If we fight, countless will die. If things go wrong, the land we’ve occupied today might be handed over to others.”

These words earned a laugh from Geta.

Tinged with disdain.

“I say, Hechi Anda, when did you become as indecisive as Mu Zha’er?” His tone carried some sarcasm as he continued, “We people of the grasslands all have hearts that don’t fear death. We were born for war, for this grassland. Having a merciful heart—that’s a sign of weakness. It won’t amount to anything.”

In his eyes was a thirst for power.

He had even completely exposed his ambition.

Only—

Third Master felt there was more to his words.

Why would he say these things to him for no reason?

He narrowed his eyes. “Why do I feel like I don’t understand what you mean?”

Geta smiled meaningfully and slapped him heavily on the shoulder. “Hechi, you and I both know very well that to become overlord of the grasslands, it’s not enough to just maintain peace and cease fighting. You also need… ambition!”

Uh!

“…”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying this with any other intention.”

“Why don’t you just speak plainly to me.”

Geta was a straightforward person who could never keep words in his heart. He glanced around and lowered his voice, “You and I have followed Mu Zha’er for so many years. Although we both control land and raise troops and have authority, at the end of the day, we still have to listen to him. Under a leader with a merciful heart, we too will become more and more merciful. Sooner or later we’ll be like tigers locked in cages, at the mercy of others!”

Uh!

Third Master was startled!

His fists clenched tightly.

Geta continued, “I hope you understand what I’m saying, Hechi Anda.”

Leaving these words behind, he walked away casually.

Third Master remained standing in place for a while, pondering Geta’s words just now.

Was he hinting… that he should compete for the position of leader?

But Geta’s timing for sowing discord was wrong. Now, in battle against Yue Dan, they should unite against external enemies, not turn inward. There absolutely must not be internal strife!

To prevent someone from exploiting the gaps.

Third Master returned to his tent, and Sai He rushed in hurriedly.

“Third Master!”

Sai He disregarding etiquette and rushing directly into someone’s tent wasn’t the first or second time. He was always rash and reckless, like going into battle.

Third Master pulled away from his thoughts and asked, “What is it?”

“Young Master Jing sent someone with a letter.”

Hmm?

He vaguely had an ominous premonition.

“Bring it here.”

Sai He handed him the letter.

He opened it to examine it.

Done!

His expression changed dramatically, his demeanor grave.

The hand holding the letter also tightened somewhat.

Seeing this, Sai He asked anxiously, “What does this letter say?”

Third Master said nothing and got up to go out.

He went to Mu Zha’er’s tent.

Mu Zha’er was studying tactics. Seeing him come in, puzzled, “Hechi, what’s the matter?”

Third Master closed the tent curtain somewhat, being very cautious, then handed him the letter.

What’s this?

Mu Zha’er was suspicious and took it to look.

His expression also changed dramatically, extremely shocked.

“Someone is secretly colluding with Huhe Hao?”

Third Master nodded.

“This… who sent this letter?”

He couldn’t say it was Jingrong, to avoid implicating him, so he said, “It was from people I sent to monitor the Yue Dan military camp before departing. This information won’t be wrong.”

Mu Zha’er slapped his hand down, slapping the letter onto the table and pressing it under his palm. His sword-like brows furrowed deeply, his eyelids tightened as he pondered, “If this is true, who could it be?”

Third Master glanced at the letter. “The letter mentions that the person coordinating with Huhe Hao from inside controls a military force. Anyone with the ability to control troops naturally has a high status.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those with the capability to control land and raise troops—there are only a few people. We can count them.”

With this reminder, Mu Zha’er suddenly understood. He pondered aloud, calculating, “Besides you, there’s Geta, Alashan, Korchin…”

He named six people in total.

These six were all prominent nobles of Hou Liao, controlling land and raising troops, each with their own forces.

After finishing, Mu Zha’er stroked his beard and got up to pace a few steps.

He asked Third Master’s opinion, “In your view, besides you, which of these five would collude with Huhe Hao?”

Third Master had a name in mind.

That was Geta!

Earlier, Geta had said those words, clearly dissatisfied with Mu Zha’er in his heart. But without evidence, he couldn’t speak rashly.

He remained silent.

Mu Zha’er worried, “If there really is a traitor, I’m afraid there will be big trouble. In three days, we’ll go to war with Yue Dan. Who knows how long this battle will last? If there’s a problem internally, if that person coordinates with Huhe Hao from inside and out, then we’ll be like raising a biting dog that could turn on us at any moment. Too risky. No matter who that person is, we must find them.”

Being devoured!

As the saying goes, if the traitor isn’t eliminated, defeat is certain.