Wei Hong glanced at the urgent report on the table, his expression somber.
This urgent report came from Hengshui. It said that the Southern Yan suddenly turned its troops to attack the area west of Hengshui, which had been occupied by the Great Liang. After the Zhen'an Army withdrew from there, the troops left by the court in the area were no match for the enemy and were about to be defeated. The report asked him whether to send troops to assist the court in protecting Hengshui, or to hold back for the time being and see how things went.
But once the war begins, things can change in an instant, and the entire situation could be reversed in a single day. Who knows if if they wait any longer, the Hengshui River that they helped conquer will be handed over to those spendthrift officials of the court again.
Last time, at least they could use the previous military orders from the court as an excuse when they launched their campaign. Moreover, Hengshui was still part of the Great Jin territory at that time, so it was a good thing that they captured it. Even if the court had some objections, they wouldn't let them spit out the meat they had already gained.
But now the area west of Hengshui has fallen under the jurisdiction of the Liang Dynasty and is under the administration of the court. If they were to cross the border and send troops now, they would be condemned by the court, and Wei Hong might even be accused of treason.
"If you ask me, Your Highness, you should just leave it alone."
Guo Shengdao.
"We've already helped the court capture Hengshui. Who can they blame for not being able to hold it themselves? If you send troops to help again, what if they don't appreciate your help but instead slander and frame you?"
As he spoke, a rare flash of inspiration struck him, and he slapped his thigh with a loud "smack."
"Perhaps this is a scheme by the imperial court! Once you can't resist sending troops without orders, they'll pin the charge of treason on you!"
Just like when the late emperor ordered the imperial concubine to be buried alive with him, it was to force Wei Hongwu to return to the capital and then take the opportunity to get rid of him.
Cui Hao turned to look at Guo Sheng, a rare look of approval in his eyes.
Guo Sheng puffed out his chest, feeling smug, when someone outside came to report that someone from the capital had delivered an imperial edict, ordering the Prince of Qin to quickly lead 5,000 troops to reinforce Hengshui.
The people in the room were all stunned, looking at each other blankly, and they were still somewhat taken aback even when the imperial edict was placed in front of them.
"What does Your Majesty mean by this?"
Cui Hao murmured.
This time, the Southern Yan army marched west of Hengshui, and the imperial court was no match for them. After thinking it over, he could only come up with two possibilities.
Either the imperial army was truly incompetent and unable to withstand the Southern Yan army.
Or, as Guo Sheng just said, they deliberately feigned defeat, then waited for the prince to send troops to his aid before framing him for sending troops without orders, and then used the charge of treason to punish him.
Even if the prince doesn't send troops, he can take the opportunity to eliminate any army that does send troops within Shuozhou. Even if he can't bring down the prince in one fell swoop, he can weaken the prince's army first.
But now the imperial court has directly issued an edict to send troops, giving them a legitimate reason, so they don't have to worry about being held accountable afterward.
"Is it really because we can't win?"
Cui Hao was somewhat puzzled.
Guo Sheng had finally guessed a possible outcome, only to have it rejected. He scoffed, "That's really hard to say. I've had contact with those soldiers from the imperial court. They're all good-for-nothings who only know how to eat and drink. They wouldn't even be considered soldiers in our Shuozhou!"
But the important thing now is not these things, but whether Wei Hong will go or not.
“Previously, they asked us to take full responsibility for attacking the Great Jin, but we refused on the grounds of military pay. This time, they only asked us to send 5,000 troops, and the rest will come from the imperial court. All the food and supplies will also be provided by the imperial court. If Your Highness does not go... I'm afraid you will be punished. But if you do go... I'm afraid there are other schemes and tricks involved.”
In short, something just doesn't seem right about this.
Wei Hong fell silent again. After a long while, he raised his hand and pressed down on the imperial edict, tapping it lightly with his fingertips.
“The court has given its orders, and no one dares to disobey. But if my imperial nephew thinks that taking me out of Shuozhou will get rid of me, he is sorely mistaken.”
Let alone five thousand soldiers, as long as he has one or two hundred Jingyuan soldiers by his side, there's no way to get rid of him.
Since he had made the decision, Cui Hao did not object anymore and nodded, saying, "In that case, I will make the arrangements immediately."
…………
Yao Youqing later learned that Wei Hong was going to lead an army into battle, and her worries grew even stronger.
"Why were you sent from Shuozhou for the Battle of Hengshui? Are there no other generals in the court?"
She didn't know that Hengshui was captured by Wei Hong's men, so she didn't understand the connection between the two, or why Wei Hong was sent from here to provide assistance when something happened there.
Wei Hong smiled and kissed her forehead: "Your husband is amazing, he can hold off ten thousand men, that's why they begged me to go."
But these words did nothing to appease Yao Youqing. Her brows remained furrowed as she clutched his sleeve and said, "Your Highness, don't joke with me. Is it... is it that the court intends to do something to you?"
She refused to believe that such a large court couldn't find a single general capable of leading troops, and she was even less convinced that the court couldn't defend its territory without Wei Hong.
If that were the case, the Great Liang would have been destroyed long ago, so how could it have survived until today?
To put it bluntly, how could that person be sitting on the throne? Wasn't it replaced long ago?
Wei Hong knew that although she was not very shrewd in interpersonal relationships and was always a step behind in her reactions, she was very clever when it came to important matters and was not so easy to fool, so he simply stopped hiding things from her.
"I don't know what the court is thinking, or whether they really want to do something to me, but there's no loophole in His Majesty's decree this time. If I make an excuse not to go, I'm afraid it won't be good."
After he finished speaking, he noticed that the girl's eyes were starting to redden, so he took her hand and kissed it.
"But don't worry, I've been in this position for so many years, I'm not someone to be bullied."
"His Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time. He hasn't even warmed his seat yet. He's too green to try and make a move against me. I won't let him have his way."
This expedition could either be a simple defense of Hengshui, or it could be another showdown between him and Wei Chi.
If it's the former, then everything is easy to discuss; he'll come back immediately after the war.
If it's the latter, then he'll slap him in the face again, let him know what pain is, and make him never dare to provoke him again and again.
With red eyes and a nasal voice, Yao Youqing said, "Why won't he let you go, Your Highness? You've never coveted the throne..."
Wei Hong sighed silently and pulled the girl into his arms.
"Some people are like that; the more they gain, the more afraid they are of losing it. Because they are afraid of losing it, they want to eliminate everyone who poses a threat to them."
Yao Youqing leaned against his chest, her eyes red: "Your Highness, you must be careful."
Wei Hong nodded and whispered in her ear, "I still want to have a beautiful daughter with Ning'er. I will definitely come back safely."
The redness in Yao Youqing's eyes spread to her cheeks. She pursed her lips and whispered, "Then... should we have the baby now?"
The man holding her was startled, and his breathing suddenly became heavier after he came to his senses.
He looked down at the girl in his arms, gently lifted her chin, and kissed her lips lightly. His arms tightened around her, but he finally took a deep breath and let go.
“My aunt said it would be best to wait until I’m seventeen… I’m almost there, it’ll be soon, I’ll wait a little longer.”
After saying that, he bit her ear again and mumbled indistinctly, "And if I consummate our marriage today... I'm afraid we won't be able to fight this war."
He was afraid he wouldn't be able to sleep every night, because every time he closed his eyes he would see the girl's sweet and delicious face.
Yao Youqing's face turned even redder. She didn't know how she had been so bold as to say such a thing. She nodded slightly and gave a barely audible "hmm".
"Then...we'll wait for His Highness to return."
Wei Hong chuckled softly, picked her up, and carried her to the bedside, whispering a few words as they went.
Yao Youqing was initially reluctant, but he persisted, saying that he didn't know when he would be back and asked her to give in to him this time. She then blushed and agreed.
The next morning, Wei Hong led his troops out on an expedition, taking five thousand Jingyuan soldiers straight towards Hengshui.
With the war situation urgent, he traveled almost non-stop, and along the way he did not forget to have Cui Hao continue to send people to search for Liancheng's whereabouts.
Liancheng seemed to have vanished into thin air, and they were never able to find him, neither in Nan Yan nor Daliang.
Wei Hong frowned upon hearing this and muttered a curse under his breath: "This idiot isn't really dead, is he?"
Cui Hao sighed helplessly, shaking his head, "Who knows?"
…………
On the other side, at the border between Southern Yan and Daliang, Liancheng was hiding in a dilapidated temple that had been abandoned for who knows how long, his body filthy.
"That King Qin is such a jinx! He told me not to get into trouble, and sure enough, I did!"
He spoke while gnawing on a hard piece of dry ration. His once fair face was now covered in mud, and his clothes were tattered and stained with blood that had turned black. It was unclear whether the blood was his own or someone else's.
"Young master, please have some water."
A servant handed Liancheng a water pouch, which he took and gulped down, barely managing to swallow the dry rations stuck in his throat.
"When I go to Daliang later, I must ask him if his mouth is blessed, how can it be so effective?"
The Southern Yan court was originally under his control, but when he returned to the country this time, he was suddenly hunted down. Moreover, the other party spared no effort, which was completely different from the previous assassination attempts. This time, they completely broke the mask and wanted to kill him.
"I'm so rich, they all depend on me for support, how dare they turn against me?"
Liancheng was completely baffled.
Killing him might bring some benefits, but even if he were dead, those people wouldn't be able to get what belonged to him. It would be a losing proposition for them. So, although many people have wanted to get rid of him over the years, very few have actually dared to do it.
"He's probably gone mad."
The servant said, swallowing a mouthful of dry rations and rubbing his throat, which felt a little uncomfortable.
These past years, I've lived a life of luxury with the young master, and my food and clothing have always been exquisite. These dry rations now feel harsh on my throat.
It's true that it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality...
"Young master, we can't stay here any longer. Let's rest for a while and then leave quickly, or we'll be finished if someone catches up with us."
These days they are fleeing everywhere, and more and more people around them are dying, leaving fewer and fewer. If they cannot escape to a safe place in time, they may really die.
Liancheng drank a few more sips of water, stood up, patted his backside, and said, "Let's go."
The remaining dozen or so people left the dilapidated temple and headed towards the territory of Daliang. As they walked, they said, "It's really ridiculous. We are clearly from Nanyan, but we have to go to Daliang to save our lives."
It's not that they can't stay in the territory of Nan Yan, but now several princes are working together to hunt them down, and their men are everywhere at checkpoints. As soon as Lian Cheng showed his face, he was discovered before he could even gather his own troops, so there was no way to hide.
On the contrary, in Daliang, the princes couldn't get involved, but Liancheng had a lot of troops that could be mobilized.
"Fortunately, I had the foresight to cooperate with the King of Qin back then, otherwise things would be really difficult now."
Liancheng wiped the mud off his face, and as he spoke, he saw a river not far away, and his eyes lit up.
"Wait for me, I'm going to wash my face over there."
His subordinates were utterly helpless at his attempt to wash his face in the face of death, and could only follow him across.
Liancheng scooped up a few handfuls of water to wash his face, looked at his reflection in the river, and only after confirming that his face was no longer as dirty as before did he stand up with satisfaction, mount his horse again, and leave with them.
As the group rode swiftly through the mountain roads, they encountered several elderly farmers returning home after finishing their farm work.
The two passed each other without paying any attention, until half an hour later someone came chasing after them from the direction of the dilapidated temple...
These people had fierce eyes. When they passed through a village, they asked a few questions to someone, and the question was about the whereabouts of Liancheng and his group.
No matter how lowly Liancheng's status was, he was still a prince of Southern Yan. They couldn't openly hunt him down with his portrait, so they relied on verbal descriptions and asked very simply: "Did you see anyone riding by? They were all around twenty years old, and one of them was very handsome."
The road was frequently used by carriages and horses. If they had said the first two sentences, the other party probably wouldn't have been sure who they were talking about. But upon hearing the last sentence, the trembling old farmer immediately nodded and said without hesitation, "Yes, they went there in half an hour."
He pointed in the direction Liancheng had left.