And just as Lei Yu said, before the three armies move, the provisions must come first.

Moreover, with such a large-scale operation, not to mention preparing supplies, at the very least, the people in this Yatai should have caught wind and started preparing.

Yet, from the beginning till now, she noticed that although these Western Turkic soldiers were also drilling, it was the same as usual, with no increase in intensity or other arrangements; more people continued their everyday lives, making fires, cooking, fetching water, chopping wood, completely lacking the tension of an impending large battle.

This doesn’t seem like preparations for military action.

Or rather, even if troops are genuinely being prepared, there isn’t a great sense of urgency.

By comparison, it seems more urgent to force Ashina Zhuxie to hand over the heavy cavalry.

Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, her gaze burning as she looked at Lei Yu and said in a low voice, "Though Shali Khan claims to march on Chang An, the whole Yatai shows no signs of preparing for war. What he’s really working on seems to be the ownership of the heavy cavalry."

Lei Yu’s eyes flickered, "You think so too!"

"..."

"He seems to be using this war to force Zhuxie to transfer the heavy cavalry to Yiasu."

Shang Ruyi nodded heavily.

Previously, she found it strange, as it was apparent that Shali Khan relied on Prince Zhuxie yet was very wary of him. Such a son, holding the sharpest weapon on the grassland, how could he be at ease?

This time when Taiyuan was lost, only General Pasha was punished, whereas Ashina Zhuxie was spared by bringing back Shang Ruyi, which is uncharacteristic of him.

Turns out, the intent was here.

Not punishing the unaccomplished Prince Zhuxie was to use this to force him to hand over the heavy cavalry—after all, if he refused, the blame for losing Taiyuan would still fall on him. Like General Pasha, he would be punished, and the executioner might not hold back. Whether surviving or left impaired, his cavalry would still be taken away.

Once the heavy cavalry is no longer in his hands, Prince Zhuxie, no matter how brave and skilled, would be like a tiger declawed.

But, Shali Khan suddenly pulling this move, could it be—

Just as Shang Ruyi lifted her head to ask, Lei Yu spoke at this moment, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear, "Actually, during my time on the grassland, I heard from Yiasu that since Shali Khan was heavily injured in Yanmen County, his wound—has never healed."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi immediately recalled entering the Yatai the night before last and hearing Shali Khan’s piercing roar due to his old wound.

To someone like him, it must have been excruciating to roar like that.

It shows how serious the injury was.

At this moment, though unwilling, she couldn’t help but remember back in Yanmen County, amid thousands of troops, the thunderous arrow shot by Yu Wenye, which left such a shocking impression on her that even after all this time, recalling it made her heart race.

She murmured, "That was the Divine Arm Bow."

Lei Yu said, "Yes, for an ordinary arrow to hit Shali Khan’s eye from such a distance was already remarkable, but Feng Chen’s arrow was indeed powerful, not only blinding his eye but also leaving a lingering ailment in his brain."

"..."

"I also heard some people say that because of this wound, Shali Khan cannot sleep for years, only able to slightly ease the pain with alcohol... or even women, but the more he does this, the weaker his spirit, and the worse his condition becomes."

"..."

"Just some days ago, I even saw him fall from his horse, and though he wasn’t severely hurt, I haven’t seen him on horseback since."

"..."

"This time, suddenly deciding to hand the heavy cavalry to Yiasu, I think he might—"

Shang Ruyi said gravely, "He wants to make Prince Yiasu his successor."

Lei Yu’s breath drew low.

For a while, both of them fell silent.

Shang Ruyi took a deep breath. In fact, after experiencing some things with the Yu Wen Family, she vaguely felt that Ashina Shali was indeed considering succession matters. After all, he was getting old, and judging from his injury, he too feared a sudden impact and thus had to think about the future for the son born from his favored woman.

Prince Zhuxie’s birth determined he couldn’t inherit the Khan seat.