A day later, the Tiger and Leopard Army launched a surprise attack on Hulao Pass.

The commander-in-chief is Lin Chuang, the eldest son of Lin Yuanlong!

"You old scoundrel Pang, give me back my father's life! You plotted to frame my father, I, Fengfu, will never let you live under the same sky!"

Lin Chuang rode on horseback, looking quite dashing.

Just like back then, when Lin Yuanlong trampled Hulao Pass.

However, the pretext for this attack was to avenge his father.

A famous teacher!

The Tiger and Leopard Army is a force to be reckoned with; once Hulao Pass falls, Yandu will be in grave danger.

Fortunately, the Grand Secretary had previously dispatched Yang Rencheng and Wang Zhonghou to guard the capital region, and now Yang Rencheng is the one guarding the pass.

The Yang family was the least affected by this campaign to reduce the power of the princes.

Yang Zonghua voluntarily resigned from the cabinet, thus saving Yang Rencheng's position as commander-in-chief of the western border.

To be honest, Yang Rencheng was grateful to Lin Yuanlong.

But now that Fengfu's power has waned and Lin Yuanlong's fate is unknown, he can only keep his gratitude in his heart. For his own benefit, he must wholeheartedly obey the Grand Secretary.

“Nephew, go back. Your father was injured by an assassin, not by the Grand Secretary. This is clearly a scheme by villains to sow discord. You are so smart, don’t fall for the tricks of these treacherous people!” he tried to persuade him.

"Pah! My father was assassinated right after stepping down. What a coincidence! Yang Rencheng, my father treated you like a brother and spared your life before. I never expected you to be so ungrateful! You don't deserve to be a commander-in-chief. You're a disgrace!" Lin Chuang shouted and cursed.

The purpose was to get Yang Rencheng to open the door and engage in battle.

"you!"

Yang Rencheng was so angry that his teeth itched. He was, after all, a team leader, but he never expected that this little brat would dare to humiliate him like this.

He wished he could take his forty-meter-long sword and chop the brat in half.

But he can't!

The Grand Secretary gave a firm order: at this time, the conflict within the Fengtian Army must not be escalated further; the only option is to defend the city and wait for Lin Yuanlong to regain his senses.

When will Lin Yuanlong wake up?

Who knows!

"Yang Rencheng, I'll give you one more day. If you don't open the city gates by then, I'll use Italian cannons to bombard your entire Hulao Pass to the ground!"

Lin Chuang looked proud and decisive.

This is no joke, nor is it bragging.

Because the most formidable artillery of the Great Xia Dynasty was in Fengtian. This included the legendary "Three Cannons".

Have you heard of Dongfeng Express?

That's incredibly powerful; it can strike any place on Earth within an hour.

Yang Rencheng's face was extremely pale.

This kid with the forearm is too fierce!

Even his father didn't dare to say he'd use three cannons back then.

You must understand, this is not a civil war. If that thing is used, the entire Great Xia will be thrown into chaos, and the economy will probably regress by decades.

However, he knew that this kid had no sense of the bigger picture; he was just a hothead, and young people don't know any martial ethics.

Having no other option, he had to go back and consult the Grand Secretary.

Upon receiving the news, the Grand Secretary immediately convened a meeting of the Ministry of War to discuss the matter.

Now that the aristocratic families have just been overthrown, some positions are vacant.

The only people who can advise on this matter are people like Hua Zhen.

However, Hua Zhen was originally just an inner court official with little experience in warfare, so he asked Wang Zhonghou, the garrison commander of Jinling, for his opinion.

Wang Zhonghou could only sit and watch, however he wanted.

"Your Excellency, that Sanpao thing is no joke. Even if you ask me to take action, I'm not confident I can handle it. Besides, I think it's better to let the Feng Mansion handle its internal problems!"

As Wang Zhonghou spoke, he turned his gaze to Feng Jiu, who was standing to the side.

After all, among those present, only Feng Jiu was a high-ranking member of the Feng faction.

Feng Jiu felt helpless when she realized that the ball had been passed to her.

He had already examined Lin Yuanlong's injuries. The murderer was stronger than him, and probably only Hua Zhen in the entire Yandu could do that.

But it was obvious that Hua Zhen would not do such a thing. His mind was focused on the murderer. Only by finding the murderer could he give the young marshal an explanation.

They had no interest in thinking about war at all.

Besides, the Tiger and Leopard Armies are all Fengtian clique brothers, how can they fight? Fighting each other?

At this moment, the Grand Secretary spoke up.

"General Feng Jiu, you are Lin Yu's beloved wife and the famous Jade-Faced Yama. With your prestige, it shouldn't be difficult for you to step forward and resolve the crisis at Hulao Pass, right?"

Since the Grand Secretary had spoken up, Feng Jiu felt awkward not to reply.

He thought for a moment and said, "I am the deputy general of the Floating Pagoda Army, and I don't have much contact with the Tiger and Leopard Army. Lin Chuang, on the other hand, has been training in the Tiger and Leopard Army for a long time, and many generals have been bribed by him. To be honest, the Tiger and Leopard Army is probably even more united now than when our commander-in-chief was in command. And now, they are waving the banner of seeking justice for our commander-in-chief. At this time, even if I step forward, I'm afraid they won't give me face unless our commander-in-chief wakes up, or our young commander-in-chief personally steps forward!"

At this point, he naturally didn't want to show his face.

After all, Lin Yuanlong's assassination was a real event, and he could understand the feelings of those generals. If he were to add fuel to the fire at this time, it would only backfire, or even be a thankless task, and he would be regarded as a traitor by the Fengtian clique.

Bang!

Hua Zhen glared angrily, slammed his hand on the table, and said coldly, "These traitors are simply too arrogant! Grand Secretary, why don't I take the Imperial Guards and engage them in close combat? My Imperial Guards are comparable to the Iron Pagoda, and I refuse to believe that we can't deal with this brat Lin Chuang!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Even if things don't go well, with Hua Zhen's skills, taking the head of a general amidst a vast army is by no means difficult!

The Grand Secretary shook his head. “No! Once some conflicts are formed, they become sworn enemies. Fengfu is an important part of our Great Xia's strategy. If war breaks out, even if it is eventually resolved, it will be harmful to both sides. Fengfu's economy has already been stagnant for years and cannot be damaged further. My point is that we should try our best to resolve this matter peacefully!”

At this moment, Wang Zhonghou's eyes lit up, and he said, "Your Excellency, I have a plan, but I don't know if I should tell you!"

"Oh? Lord Zhong, there are no outsiders here, so feel free to speak your mind!" the Grand Secretary said with a smile.

Wang Zhonghou nodded and said, "Let's appease Lin Chuang first. Isn't the position of Fengtian Military Governor vacant right now? Why don't you appoint him as Fengtian Military Governor? This way, we can both quell the anger of the Fengtian clique and give an explanation for what happened to Lin Chuang!"

"Furthermore, what these Fengtian generals are most worried about is that Lin Biao's resignation will affect them and impact their official positions. You can let him lead the army independently. This way, everything can remain unchanged, and all matters can be resolved when Young Marshal Lin defeats the Japanese pirates and returns!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

This is truly worthy of being called the Prince of Jinling; experience really does pay off.

In this way, the crisis of the Fengtian clique was resolved.

The conflict shifted from one between Fengfu and Yandu to one within Fengfu itself.

As for Lin Yu's return, and who ultimately calls the shots in the Fengtian clique, that's naturally up to the two brothers to decide.

Whether the Tiger and Leopard Army, with its three cannons, can hold its own, or the Floating Pagoda Army can dominate everything, depends on the two brothers and see who is stronger!