This is why he believed what the Chen brothers said.
Because everything aligned perfectly with the previous timeline, all the previously unclear points could now be explained.
The reasons why His Majesty dispatched the Prince of Qin to Hengshui East, why the Jin Dynasty suddenly attacked Shangchuan, and why the Prince of Qin suddenly killed three generals and left in a hurry have all been explained.
As a veteran of three dynasties, he knew all too well that unless there was something to gain, the Great Jin and Southern Yan would never help the court send troops to draw away the main force of the Prince of Qin and the Jingyuan Army.
The ruler of a nation, the head of the Great Liang, betrayed his country and colluded with the enemy—this is truly... the most ridiculous thing in the world!
Butler Chang sighed softly, "Fortunately, the Princess is blessed with good fortune and is safe and sound, otherwise..."
His eyes welled up with tears, but fearing that his loss of composure would upset his master, he held back and forced a smile, saying, "Our young lady escaped from the thieves on her own. I would never have dared to even dream of such a thing before!"
That delicate and frail young lady, whose every need was taken care of by them, not only managed to stand on her own in the Prince's mansion, but also managed to escape on her own in the face of danger. This was truly unexpected.
Yao Yuzhi felt a little relieved of her frustration, and then she thought of something else.
"She also said that she would go to Cangcheng on behalf of the King of Qin to reassure the people..."
Although she was kidnapped along the way, she did say those words herself, and she has indeed done so now.
Butler Chang nodded with a smile: "The princess has grown up and has the same demeanor as the master in his prime."
Yao Yuzhi shook her head and smiled bitterly: "I would rather she stay a child forever."
After speaking, he turned his gaze to the window, as if he could see the gloomy sky outside through the windowpane.
"The world is about to descend into chaos..."
Butler Chang lowered his eyes: "Where is the master going?"
Yao Yuzhi did not answer his question, but instead murmured to herself, "Was I wrong to be loyal to the royal family?"
Was it really wrong?
...
"orthodox?"
Princess Chenglan leaned against the chaise lounge in the warm pavilion and chuckled, scoffing at those two words.
Even in the cold winter, she was still only wearing a thin apricot-yellow dress. Her figure was exquisite, her arms were half-exposed, and her posture was charming. A handsome male concubine was kneeling on the footstool and massaging her legs. Several other equally handsome men were either serving tea or playing the zither. The room was filled with the sounds of music, as warm as spring and summer.
“My dear nanny, what right does the world have? The founding emperor of our Great Liang seized the throne from the tyrannical emperor of the previous dynasty. Only after that did Great Liang become known as Great Liang, and only then did the royal family take the surname Wei. Before that, the rightful ruler of the world was the Zhao family.”
"If we trace back further, which of those emperors didn't usurp the throne? If we're really talking about legitimacy, perhaps only Emperors Yao and Shun deserve that title?"
Granny Kong, who had taken care of her for over twenty years, gave her a reproachful look: "Princess, don't talk nonsense. You also have the surname Wei. If the Wei family isn't the legitimate one, then what are you?"
“So,” Cheng Lan said, “Granny, what you just said was also wrong. Since His Majesty and the Prince of Qin both have the surname Wei, doesn’t it matter who becomes emperor? The world still belongs to Wei.”
"Since my surname is Wei, I am still a princess. What difference does it make?"
Granny Kong sighed, "Even so, Princess, there's no need to rush to take sides. What if the one who wins in the end isn't the Prince of Qin?"
At this point, Cheng Lan laughed even harder, and the hairpins on her head swayed wildly, sparkling with pearls.
"I followed His Majesty back then because he had never offended the Fourteenth Uncle. Given the Fourteenth Uncle's personality, he wouldn't provoke him on his own initiative. So his throne was secure, and following him was definitely the right thing to do."
"Now he's finding the dragon throne under his butt uncomfortable, so he insists on causing trouble for his fourteenth uncle. Does he really think his fourteenth uncle is made of clay and can be molded at will?"
"If I really anger Uncle Fourteen, and he manages to sit on the throne, I'll take his surname!"
Granny Kong chuckled: "The Princess is fooling this old servant again. You originally shared the same surname as His Majesty."
Cheng Lan smiled and pulled her to sit down next to her, leaning against her.
"Granny, you've been in the palace for so many years, don't you know who is better, His Majesty or the Prince of Qin?"
"If the world really descends into chaos, the King of Qin will certainly have a better chance of winning than His Majesty. If I don't make plans soon, it will be too late once the King of Qin actually takes control of the capital."
Granny Kong put her arm around her shoulder, her eyes filled with affection.
"Nothing in this world is absolute. I'm just afraid that if things don't turn out as you wish, all your efforts will be in vain."
"What's there to be confused about? If the King of Qin failed, then I'll just continue to follow His Majesty. As long as I'm careful and don't let His Majesty know what I've done, that's fine, isn't it?"
Granny Kong gently patted her shoulder: "The Princess knows, that's not what I meant."
Cheng Lan: "...I don't know."
Aunt Kong: "Master Cui..."
“Granny,” Cheng Lan stood up and interrupted, “my affair with Cui Ziqian was nothing more than a fleeting one.”
After speaking, she realized that her tone seemed too harsh, so she leaned back and let out a soft breath, her red lips slightly parted.
"If the King of Qin really ascends the throne one day, considering he is someone close to the King of Qin, if he is willing, I will let him serve me again. After all, he is my first man, even if he is useless."
"Princess!"
“Alright, Granny,” Chenglan interrupted again, “I’m doing all this for myself, not for anyone else.”
Not for anyone.
Chapter 89 Handsome Flag
A gust of cold wind blew in his face, and Cui Hao sneezed. A servant immediately brought him a cloak and put it on him.
"It's cold, sir, please don't catch a cold."
As she spoke, she tied the cloak around his neck and wrapped it tightly around him.
Cui Hao looked up into the distance and rubbed his twitching eyelids.
"I don't know why, but I always feel uneasy."
According to the schedule, Ziyi should be arriving soon, but he has not received any news from him yet.
Was he so close that he didn't want to send a message beforehand, or did something happen on the way?
Cui Hao sighed, turned around and was about to walk back when he heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him.
He turned around abruptly, and a fast horse appeared in his line of sight, getting closer and closer. It was one of their scouts scattered outside.
The scout stopped abruptly in front of Cui Hao and staggered off his horse.
"My lord! General Guo and over four thousand other Jingyuan Army brothers have been ambushed by the Southern Yan and are trapped at Hutou Village. Their fate is unknown!"
The scout's voice was anxious and his eyes were red, because there were also his brothers who had shared life and death with him in those Jingyuan Army soldiers.
Cui Hao's expression stiffened. He turned around again and headed straight for Wei Hong's tent. As he walked, his pace quickened until he started running, his cloak billowing behind him.
Several letters were quickly sent out from the camp, each heading in a different direction: some to the capital, some to a fortified village not far from Tiger Head Village, and others to Southern Yan.
This winter in Daliang was destined to be anything but peaceful. The bloodshed that spread from Tiger Head Village was like a spark that fell on this vast land, and then burned ever more fiercely, completely igniting the flames of war between the three kingdoms.
Guo Sheng almost died when the fire started. Even though he survived by sheer luck, only a few hundred of his more than four thousand brothers remained.
He fought for three days before finally escaping, but none of the nearby fortresses offered him any assistance.
If any one of them had sent troops to support him, the Southern Yan army would not have been able to defeat him so easily on Daliang's land.
The first thing he did after escaping was to lead his remaining troops to forcefully knock on the gate of the nearest fortress, Tongfeng Fort, and drag the officer who was in bed with a courtesan. Without even giving him a pair of pants, he took him directly to the high platform.
More than three thousand local soldiers surrounded the blood-soaked Jingyuan Army soldiers below the stage, discussing the scene. Some of the bolder ones even dared to ask, "What are you trying to do? Are you rebelling?"
"Yes, they just forcibly scaled the city wall and forced us to open the gate, and now they've arrested our Lord Wang. What... what exactly do you want?"
Wang Zhong shivered uncontrollably in the cold wind, his lips turning purple, and he stammered, "I...I want to accuse your Jingyuan Army of disregarding the law, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Guo Sheng swung his knife and severed one of his arms.
Blood gushed out, turning the high platform crimson. The people who had been discussing it just moments before fell silent. Wang Zhong screamed and writhed like a worm, but unfortunately, his other arm was still being held tightly by the Jingyuan Army soldiers beside him, preventing him from falling to the ground and rolling around.
Guo Sheng's eyes were redder than his blood, and he held a blood-stained knife in his hand as he looked down at the audience.
“The Southern Yan army has marched straight into the territory of our Great Liang, and Wang Zhong has turned a blind eye, not sending a single soldier to defend our Great Liang territory. Shouldn’t he be executed?”
"He shall be executed!"
The more than 600 Jingyuan soldiers shouted in unison, their hoarse voices piercing the night and shaking the ground. The more than 3,000 soldiers also trembled and shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.
Guo Sheng raised his blade and severed Wang Zhong's arm once more. He then asked, "We are both soldiers of the Great Liang. We fought bloody battles outside and only managed to escape after three days. Wang Zhong, as the officer here, saw his comrades return from their bloody battle but refused to answer the door. Shouldn't he be executed?"
"He shall be executed!"
With another swift stroke, Wang Zhong's head was severed.
Hot, fresh blood spilled down from the platform, dripping onto the ground, and the stench of blood filled the air.
“Wang Zhong is paid by the people of Daliang, yet he is disloyal to the country and unjust to his comrades. Today I will execute him here and report the reason to the court.”
"There are still remnants of the Southern Yan army fleeing abroad. As soldiers of the Great Liang, we should share the burden for our country and drive the foreign troops out of our borders!"
"From this day forward, the Jingyuan Army will remain here and fight alongside you against the enemy! We swear we will not return to Shangchuan until we drive the Yan people out of Daliang!"
"Anyone who disobeys shall be considered a member of Wang Zhong's faction and executed immediately!"
He then looked towards the distant city wall and said, "Plant a flag!"
The sound was relayed by others one after another, and a Jingyuan Army general who had remained on the city wall steadily planted his flag into the battlement.
The red flag of the Jingyuan Army with black characters fluttered in the wind. Even though it was difficult to distinguish it clearly in the darkness of night, it was still easy to spot that it was different from the other flags next to it.
This was tantamount to declaring that Tongfengbao was now under the control of the Jingyuan Army, but the local garrison dared not object, and no one dared to stand up and do anything to the Jingyuan Army.
Firstly, these people were already bloodthirsty and capable of any crazy act; they had just killed their general, Wang Zhong.
Secondly, if these Jingyuan soldiers die outside, it naturally has nothing to do with them, but if they die inside Tongfeng Fort, the King of Qin will never let them off the hook if he finds out!
The imperial military order had not yet arrived. Previously, Wang Zhong had only instructed them not to pay attention to the Jingyuan Army outside, but not to confront them.
Now that Wang Zhong is dead, and Guo Sheng has entered this place under the pretext of repelling the enemy, who has the reason and the courage to resist?
Tongfeng Fort was thus occupied by the Jingyuan Army, and Guo Sheng ordered that Wang Zhong's body be sent to several other forts and strongholds in the surrounding area as a warning to others.
...
"Ziyi is too bold."
Cui Hao laughed from inside the tent.
Wei Hong looked at the military report in front of him and smiled, "He has always been bold, and it's good that he is bold."